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Eujoo has had a long day. From waking up extra early for a meeting with the managers, to a photoshoot where the outfits felt more stuffy than flattering, Euijoo couldn’t wait for the day to end despite it having barely started.
This leads us to where we are now, with Eujioo spread out starfish on the cold floor of the practice room, chest heaving with exertion from their dance practice. They had just run through the performance for their upcoming comeback, and K-hyung had been as brutal as ever, replaying the song multiple times to ensure that everyone was on beat and their arms were at the same angles.
“Nicho…” Euijoo called pathetically from the floor, “Pass me some water.”
“Say please.” Nicholas replied, panting in between each word while he was hunched over his own knees.
Euijoo turned his head while he lay on the floor, observing how everyone was faring. The three youngest were all stacked on top of one another in a doggy pile, swatting at each other to get off with little result while Yuma and Jo were slumped against the mirrored walls. Fuma-hyung was stretching diligently despite breathing heavily, and K-hyung was–
“Here you go, baby.” K said as stood over Euijoo with a bottle of water in his outstretched arm. The light surrounding him formed a halo around his hair, making him look like an angel that came to grace Euijoo with his presence.
Euijoo’s cheeks coloured slightly at the pet name, but hopefully his cheeks were flushed enough that he could pass it off as from exertion. “Thank you, hyung.”
Euijoo sat up slowly as K made himself comfortable beside Euijoo. Nicholas stuck out his tongue childishly at Euijoo as he collapsed onto the doggy pile, and Euijoo couldn’t help but retaliate, blowing a raspberry in the general direction Nicholas was in.
His ministrations was stopped by a giggle and smooth hands grabbing both his cheeks and squishing them together. “Since when did you become so cute, Euijoo-ya?” K teased.
“What do you mean, K-hyung?” Fuma replied with a cheeky smile as their eyes met through the mirror, “Euijoo has always been this cute.”
Euijoo could only whine in his throat as he gulped down the water that K had given him, his cheeks still held loosely in K’s grasp.
“I’m not cute, I’m your very serious leader!” Euijoo said as he tried to manage a stern frown on his face. However, it probably didn’t have much of it’s desired effect as K still had his cheeks squished together, making Euijoo look endearingly adorable.
“Yes, yes. That you are.” K said placatingly, finally letting go of Euijoo’s cheeks to pat his head. Euijoo unconsciously leaned into it, his eyes slipping close without him noticing.
“Ahh, Euijoo-hyung is too cute!” Taki shouted from somewhere beneath the pile, his arms and legs swinging wildly as he tried to claw his way out to wrap his Euijoo-hyung in a hug in a fit of cuteness aggression. Maki yelped, slapping at Taki’s feet as they flew too close to his face.
Euijoo’s eyes snapped open as he looked over and saw Yuma’s smug little face with his snaggletooth peaking out, Jo not that obvious, but with a boxy smile and eyes that told more than his lips would.
Euijoo threw himself onto K’s lap, shoving his face into K’s stomach and wrapping his arms around his waist. “K-hyung, they’re teasing me!” Euijoo whined out, his voice muffled in K’s hoodie.
Euijoo wasn’t one to really whine about things, but today had been a tiring day and Euijoo was feeling slightly needier than usual, wanting to be pampered by his eldest hyung who had stayed by his side the longest.
K let out a laugh before his hands came to pat Euijoos butt. “Is that so?” K replied teasingly, dragging out the syllables, much like how a mother would when talking to her child.
Euijoo took his face out from K’s stomach and pouted up at him from his lap, “Don’t be mean to me, hyung.”
As K brought his head down to Euijoo’s, Euijoo couldn’t help but to squeeze his eyes closed tightly. He felt the gentle press of lips on his hair, and K’s voice resounding through the practice room to tell everyone to clean up for the day.
Euijoo swears that he meant to get up and help the rest with cleaning up, but as K started to run his fingers through his hair and massaging his head, the members’ voices faded into the background as Euijoo’s eyes drifted close.
Euijoo jolted awake as he was hoisted onto someone’s back, waking up briefly from the nap he didn’t even know he took. However, he was powerless against the sleep monster that claimed him as he drifted back to sleep, tucking his face into the neck of the one carrying him.
“Euijoo-ya, baby.” K’s voice woke him up, shaking him gently by the shoulders. “You need to wash up.”
Euijoo looked around dazedly, wondering how he even made it back into his room. “What time is it?”
“A little past midnight. We came home after you fell asleep in the practice room.”
“Oh.” Euijoo rubbed his eyes. “Wash up with me, hyung?”
K could only smile fondly before dragging Euijoo to the bathroom and ordering him to take a shower. K busied himself with digging through Euijoo’s closet to find something comfortable for both of them to wear while Euijoo showered. K helped Euijoo to squeeze toothpaste on his toothbrush and laid it on the sink counter while K himself brushed his teeth.
Steam emerged from the showers as Euijoo stepped out, looking adorably flushed from the hot water, with water droplets dripping off the strands of his hair. Euijoo put on the clothes K had set out for him diligently as began to brush his teeth while K took this time to step into the shower.
Euijoo was waiting for K on his bed when K came out of the shower in Euijoo’s clothes, looking as handsome as usual even without any makeup on.
“Come here, baby.” K said as he pulled Euijoo closer to him. “You’re gonna catch a cold if you don’t dry your hair properly.”
Euijoo leaned backwards into K’s chest, closing his eyes while listening to the small tune that K hummed under his breath.
K-hyung had always been like this, kind to a fault and always so ready to put others before himself. Euijoo didn’t really understand what they had. Sure, K-hyung might have called him baby, but he’s called all the younger members baby at least once before, so Euijoo didn’t think that really counted. And okay, maybe Harua mentioned once or twice before that K-hyung tended to dote on him more than the others, and not in the same way he doted on Taki. But Euijoo couldn’t just blindly believe Harua’s words, maybe K-hyung was just trying his best to support Euijoo who was struggling to be a good leader.
Euijoo sighed. This was all too confusing and he could feel himself falling back asleep, his head nodding back and forth as he tried to keep his eyes open despite having K’s fingers in his hair.
Ah… I really wish K-hyung was my boyfriend. Euijoo thought as he closed his eyes, ready to succumb to the tiredness he was feeling.
K’s hands stopped in his hair abruptly and Euijoo slowly peeled his eyes open with great effort.
“Whyda stop, hyung?”
“What did you say?” K asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Why’d you stop?” Euijoo replied, confused.
“No, before that.” K pushed at Euijoo’s shoulder to get him to turn around and face each other.
Euijoo suddenly felt wide awake, his hand flew to cover his mouth. Had he said that out loud? Euijoo’s mind began to race with a million thoughts at once. What would K-hyung think? Did he even like Euijoo like that? Does he even like Euijoo at all? How could he be so stupid to let his words slip like that? Is he going to have to leave the group? How could he jeopardise–
“Euijoo-ya.” Euijoo was brought out of his thoughts for the second time today with K’s hands on his face. K cupped the slide of Euijoo’s jaw, rubbing his thumb gently over it. “Did you mean what you said?”
Euijoo’s heart thumped in his chest as his voice got stuck in his throat. Euijoo’s mouth opened and closed with no sound coming out, he could feel the sting behind nose and his eyes filled with tears as he stared helplessly at K.
“I don’t know…”
“You don’t know?” K asked softly as he used his thumb to rub away the tears that fell from Euijoo’s eyes, his other hand coming up to tuck Euijoo’s hair behind his ears. “That’s okay, because hyung knows.”
Euijoo’s eyes shot up to look at K.
“I thought I made it obvious that I held a torch for you,” K said as he smiled that pretty smile of his, “but I guess our little leader was too busy taking care of all of us to notice my crush.”
Euijoo gasped quietly. Was K saying what he thought he was saying? “Does hyung like me too?”
K smiled so hard his eyes shone in the dark, “I thought you would never figure it out.” He leaned in as he pulled Euijoo closer by the nape and whispered, “Is this okay?”
Euijoo placed his hands on K’s shoulder and nodded his head, closing his eyes as K began to lean forward.
Their lips slotted together like pieces into place, and they broke off after lingering for a few seconds. Euijoo chased his lips as he opened his eyes, absolutely enraptured by K. Their first kiss felt nothing like how the books described fireworks to be exploding up in the sky. It felt like sitting by the fire on a snowy winter day, or stepping into a warm patch of sun when it’s been raining for the whole day. It felt like coming home.
Euijoo leaned forward this time to capture K’s lips in a chaste kiss, sighing into it and pulling away with a smile. “More than okay.”
K gave him one last peck before dragging them both beneath the covers. “As much as I love this new revelation, I think we should get some rest. You’ve had a long day, baby.”
Euijoo made himself comfortable in K’s arms, resting his head on K’s shoulder as K tugged him closer by the arm around his waist.
“We’ll talk more about this tomorrow okay?” K assured him. “I adore you.”
Euijoo’s eyes already started closing the moment his head hit the pillow, or in this case, K’s chest. He hummed back a sound of assent, “I adore you too, hyung. Goodnight.”
And if Euijoo woke up the next day from an abundance of kisses littered all over his face by his boyfriend–boyfriend!!–that would be a story for another time.