Work Text:
Mondays weren't as dreadful for idols as it was for those with normal jobs. Instead of a painful return to the corporate world, idol’s schedules continued through the weekend putting hours into new choreography, learning languages, vocal lessons, or whatever else the company decides to throw their way that week.
In short, it wasn’t just one day to not look forward to. Today was no different, they found themselves in the practice room in the early hours of the morning once again.
The leaves were already turning, signifying the start of fall, their whirlwind of a summer long gone. The air is colder on Euijoo’s cheeks this morning, his breath forming clouds, hands finding their home in pockets.
He reminisces on the days before he was a trainee, where he used to stop by a convenience store on his way home from his classes. Often, he would sit down for a bowl of ramen, letting it warm his hands and fog up his glasses. It was an oddly fond memory for him now, though it was probably a lonely one at that moment. Around this time of year, the stores were probably covered in boxes of—
Pocky.
Their manager turns from his place in the passenger seat and hands him a small gift bag when they get in the car. His smile is mischievous when he speaks.
“Euijoo, do you know what day it is?”
Games were nothing new from him. It was part of what made the toughest schedules bearable. For most of them, at least. Some of the others didn’t appreciate his sarcasm first thing in the morning, earning whining and grumbling from the kids that stayed up too late playing games. Nicholas in particular just wasn’t pleased with anything before 1 pm. Euijoo was grateful they had a manager that was more than just an employee. He was a core part of their team, too.
He returns the smile, corners curling into a playful smirk.
“Of course I know what day it is. I was actually just thinking about all the Pepero displays back home.” He knows it sounds a little more sad than he meant it to.
Taking the bag, he glances to his right. Fuma is already asleep next to him, and a check of the rear-view mirror is enough to know Harua and Taki are not far behind in the backseat.
“I know it’s not the same, but have some fun today.” Their manager sighs and reaches back to place a hand on Euijoo’s knee. It was bittersweet, the way he’s always been comforted gently when he starts feeling homesick.
“Give them out to everyone, take lots of pictures~” His knee is given a few light pats and he can’t help but let out a breathy laugh. No matter how much he misses it, he knows that this is his home too.
He moves a lone piece of tissue paper to reveal a variety of Pocky in different flavours, and much more than 9 boxes in the bag given to him. In fact, it’s almost filled to the brim. Euijoo has learnt to love the little things that make each day special. He makes a note to send an extra ‘thank you’ at the end of the day. The rest of the drive is spent in his own silence, and the sound of Fuma’s light snoring, with a small smile on his face.
Their car arrives after the others, who wasted no time finding their space in the familiar practice room. Everyone is tired these days. Between their individual schedules and the preparations for their final comeback of the year, it was tough. The weather weighed on them too, bodies feeling stiffer each morning. Most of them are just starting to remove their jackets, hands kneading at their shoulders or settling into a stretch on the floor. Euijoo discards his own jacket and makes his way around the room.
He crouches next to their youngest, already sprawled out on the floor, dangling the bag next to his face.
“Pick one.” He says, barely above a whisper. Maki, always puppy-like, springs up to sort through the contents of the bag. Soon enough, they’re crowded by most of the younger members too.
After much deliberation, a few rounds of rock paper scissors, and only a little whining from Taki, Euijoo lifts himself from the floor. He finds his way to the other side of the room, spotting Nicholas resting on a bench. His normal spot, his normal pose. He’s lying on his back, one leg up, phone in hand. No words are exchanged, Euijoo simply points the bag in his direction.
Nicholas glances up at him briefly before picking the lone strawberry box. So predictable. Even if Euijoo approached him last out of everyone, he knows the others would have left it for him too.
Nicholas gives him a questioning look, his phone discarded to the side as he props himself up on his elbows.
“They’re from manager-nim, send your thanks to him instead of me.” Euijoo says, first directed at the boy laying in front of him, but he turns and speaks a little louder, announcing it to the rest of the room too.
He checks the remaining, moving to where Kei and Fuma are stretching together to give them their share. 8 packs, leaving 5 extra. He pulls out a caramel one for himself after the two quickly make their decisions. They weren’t picky, it was always an unspoken rule to give their youngest members the first choice on anything really.
“Oh and be sure to take pictures with them! Manager’s orders.” Euijoo calls out as he places the remainder next to their bags. A chorus of agreement follows.
Across the room Yuma opens his box, and shoves a stick in Taki’s direction. He says a silent prayer that the kids behave themselves, but the menacing smile on Yuma’s face might prove to be a problem.
He tears his attention away with a little sigh, opening his own box. They still had some time left before their practice officially started, it was a good opportunity to take some pictures now. It wasn’t like Euijoo to forget this kind of thing, but he’d prefer if he looked his best rather than dishevelled after hours of dancing.
He pulls out his phone and takes a selfie, peace sign pose, packet in hand, unopened. The realization hits him only a little belatedly, his mouth forming a small ‘o’ as he glances at his hand. He laughs to himself and opens the pack, letting one hang loosely from his lips and tries again. Lunés will probably like the first one anyway.
Satisfied, he moves the phone down to check the pictures. Pocky forgotten as he opens the camera app and suddenly, Nicholas is in front of him. The other side of the stick is resting between his teeth, shown off by that stupid grin.
Euijoo’s eyes grow stupidly wide, he knows they do. His back against the only real wall of the studio, with mirrors on every other side of him, and somehow he hadn’t even heard the other approach until they were just inches apart.
His panic must be obvious, because it isn’t long before Nicholas’ cheeky smile drops and he’s backing away. He doesn’t know how long they stayed like that, but it takes another long second for Euijoo to catch up. The pocky falls from his lips now, without Nicholas holding on and his own jaw going slack. He only spares it a short glance before Nicholas is speaking.
“I’m sorry that was so stupid I just,” The top of his head is all Euijoo sees as he speaks, his eyes fixed on the ground. His hair is a darker red now, his roots blending into the dyed parts nicely. While he’s looking, he doesn’t miss the way the tops of Nicholas’ ears turn red, too.
“I thought it would be funny, I really wasn’t thinking about the…” He’s punishing himself again. It snaps Euijoo’s focus back to the boy in front of him. It was all too familiar to him.
Having his boundaries tested by Nicholas was nothing new and still, each time Nicholas found a new way to blame himself for the poor reactions Euijoo gave. If it was anyone other than Euijoo, it would have been a story to tell on a livestream later, to think fondly of down the road. But since it was Euijoo, it only ended in apologies and a strange tension in the air until they ‘talked’ about it. In moments like this, all the times he’s fallen short as a leader make themselves known. He knows his members don’t think the same, that they praise him daily and that he does a good job leading their team, but he’s been the root to their hurt one too many times. It was usually Nicholas on the receiving end of his cold reactions.
It’s Euijoo’s turn to sigh. He knows his cheeks are flushed, suddenly regretting the extra layer he wore today. Nicholas is still glancing at the ground, taking interest in the wooden floors, or his shoes, probably nothing at all if Euijoo knows any better. Right now, he doesn’t pay mind to his surroundings. He’s moving before he really thinks about it.
“God, you’re so stupid.” It’s barely audible, Euijoo mumbling under his breath as he reaches back into the packet. Finally Nicholas looks up at him, mouth opening to speak but Euijoo beats him to it.
“If you’re gonna do stuff like that, at least do it properly.” His mumbling is a little louder now, meeting the older’s eyes.
The expression on his face is one Euijoo curses himself for. Nicholas looks hurt, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, his confidence that was there mere seconds ago entirely depleted.
Euijoo tries to shake the feeling of guilt as he holds the new stick between them and looks at Nicholas pointedly, who complies without even knowing what’s being asked of him. He parts his mouth slightly, eyes fixed on Euijoo.
Once the pocky rests between his lips, Euijoo’s hand finds a firm hold on the back of his neck. The skin is hot on his palm, he feels Nicholas flinch, a reminder of the changing season. Their eyes drift down as Euijoo takes the other end between his teeth. He looks back up, and they only make eye-contact for a second before Nicholas shuts his tight.
He can feel Euijoo biting, inching closer. If Nicholas wasn’t hyper-aware of their current situation he might have missed the way Euijoo’s hand finds a place on his waist. It’s painfully light, still holding the rest of the packet, nearly ghosting over the fabric of his clothes. Classic Euijoo.
The grip on his neck tightens, just the smallest amount. His eyes flutter open instinctively, and he wishes so badly that he had kept them closed. The sight of Euijoo in front of him, eyes looking down at the pocky, at his lips, is enough for one lifetime. He curses himself knowing that image will never leave his mind. It should be considered a blessing to see Euijoo like this, but Nicholas knows it will only haunt him.
Finally, he starts biting down on his end too. The caramel taste is sweet on his tongue as he passes the uncoated part, getting dangerously close to the boy on the other side.
He can feel Euijoo’s breath across his lips now. They shouldn’t be doing this, he was probably misreading the situation, as always Nicholas bites down, and pulls back.
The remaining piece was admittedly not very short, but they had gone far enough. He wonders how long the silent treatment would be after this, why he let it go any further at all. Euijoo pulls the rest into his mouth, his hand loosening but continuing to hover. It’s lower now, settling on Nicholas’ shoulder. Their breaths are heavy, the silence is loud.
His eyes drop to the first stick, abandoned on the ground after it fell from Euijoo’s lips. Nicholas doesn’t dare to break the silence first. If he tries hard enough, he can will all of this away. He can come back to reality, where he’s still lying on the bench and scrolling through anything to pass the time.
He knows Euijoo is looking at him, and because he hasn’t made enough mistakes today, he meets his gaze. It only takes a second for Euijoo to pull him back in, hand finding his nape once again. Euijoo’s eyes drift down, hooded in a way Nicholas has only seen when Euijoo is too tired, fed up with his antics and on the verge of telling him off.
It was different than usual, though, and he doesn’t get the chance to figure it out before Euijoo crashes their lips together. Nicholas can’t help but gasp into the kiss. His hands that have been balled at his sides this entire time now move to match Euijoo’s, one on either side of his hips.
After the initial contact, the kiss is hesitant, a noticeable flicker of uncertainty between them. Each second they spend like this crosses their boundaries further and further. It’s not like it took them several years to get to this point, right?
There’s no time to think as the hand presses the back of his neck harder, Euijoo’s fingers still cold against his skin. It sends a chill up Nicholas’ spine, but his own hands find their way under the hem of Euijoo’s shirt. Nicholas presses into the kiss, deepening it. Their hearts are racing, chests pressed together, but it’s not just from the kiss. This is everything that’s been building up between them—years of small touches, unfinished sentences. All the little moments that almost meant something.
Euijoo pulls back first, just enough to catch his breath. They’re still impossibly close, hands gripping each other, no longer cold. Their surroundings are entirely forgotten as they search each other’s eyes. It’s clear that neither of them are sacrificing a single second of this moment.
Euijoo’s gaze is intense. If Nicholas wasn’t familiar with the fondness that lies underneath, it would shake him to his core. He can see the gears turning in Euijoo’s head, probably beginning to map out all the solutions to the problem they just created. That was their leader, afterall.
“I…” Nicholas starts, his breath shakier than he hoped. He knows he needs to do something, to come up with some sort of explanation or just brush it off, but he doesn’t get anything further before Euijoo is speaking too.
“I know, Nichol.” The words were hushed, the nickname familiar to both of them. The hand on his neck drops to his shoulder again, grounding him. Nicholas wants to push, to ask if this is really happening, what it means for them now. He knows it’s useless, that this was Euijoo’s way of saying they would figure it out later.
His mind was racing now, his hands slowly retreating from their place on the taller’s waist. He could taste the faint caramel on his tongue, and Euijoo on his lips. Instead of saying anything, he watches Euijoo’s expression carefully, watching his gaze drifting down to his lips again.
It’s just the two of them in the silence, an understanding passing between them that neither of them fully know how to handle this. Euijoo pulls his hands back as well, dropping to his sides. When they finally break the stare, Euijoo is met with two sets of eyes on him. On them . Nicholas quickly follows when he sees the other’s face fall.
Across the floor, Kei and Fuma share knowing looks, smirking as they return their attention to the pair. A quick glance around the rest of the room shows that by some miracle, the younger ones were caught up in their own world. Turned to face their oldest members now, Euijoo is first to gather his composure.
His cheeks are still flushed, but he stands tall. He forces a goofy smile, and earns deep laughter from the two that draw the attention of the room to them. Nicholas stares at the floor, hands shoved into the pocket of his sweater. It wouldn’t take a genius to put the pieces together based on the scene in front of them, and that’s why Fuma and Kei are quickly standing, announcing that they should start a proper warmup.
As the members gather, the two take an extra moment to themselves. Nicholas removes his hands from his pocket, and Euijoo takes a hand in his own, giving it a light squeeze. Nicholas looks up at Euijoo through his bangs, searching for an answer from the other. He’s only met with a nod and a shy smile.
As Euijoo drops his hand and moves from his side to join their members, all the thoughts are left swarming his mind. The words, the emotions, the feelings, were all tangled up inside him. Euijoo was always one to keep things close to his chest, never showing too much, never doing anything to put himself first, always holding back. Nicholas can’t help but wonder if they’ve just crossed a line, if they would ever be okay after this.
For now, they just need to keep moving forward. But when their eyes meet in the mirror, lingering just a bit longer than normal, it's apparent that this wasn’t just a joke taken too far. Nicholas is more certain that not only will they be alright, but maybe, just maybe, it would be the start of something new.