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Hyuk prided himself on being a very reasonable, logical person. He tried to think things through before doing anything rash that could significantly impact his life and well-being. But of course, there were always times where that thinking process just didn’t happen.
This was one of those times.
Hyuk was walking down the sidewalk past a couple of the academic buildings on campus, heading home after a long afternoon of studying at the library. His muscles were screaming at him for moving so much after sitting in one spot for hours upon hours. Even his eyes were tired, feeling blurry and sore with the effort it had taken to read over all of his notes. And of course, since it was a Friday night, Hyuk had the rather unfortunate luck of having a rather rambunctious group of older students trailing behind him on their way home. They were more than a bit drunk and maybe a bit worked up, speaking loudly as they stumbled and laughed, but it wasn’t until their conversation started to actually consist of words that weren't slurred that Hyuk started to pay attention. And once he did, he sincerely regretted it.
“You think that girl was bad? Try holding a conversation with Taekwoon. That guy is awful.” Hyuk’s step faltered for a moment, but he tried not to be too obvious about his sudden interest in the conversation behind him.
One of the other guys started laughing, the jovial, carefree sound making it very clear that he probably had a little too much alcohol in his system at the moment. “Yeah, and he’s so cold, too. I don't like hanging out with him sometimes. He makes me upset.”
“He’s a recluse,” another guy chimed in quickly. “I swear the only time I ever see that guy is in class or in the café. I don’t know when he gets out or if he ever does.”
The first guy chimed in again, voice slurring over a few of his words in his rush to stay in the conversation. “You think there’s a reason he’s always in his room and not out having fun?”
"Maybe he doesn't know how to have fun."
“Or maybe he’s hiding something,” one of the other guys said in a singsong voice, the sound of stumbling feet following his comment. A chorus of drunken laughter from his friends accompanied the noise before the conversation continued. Hyuk was trying very hard to stay calm, but he had glanced back a moment ago and recognized a few of the faces of the boys behind him. These were people Taekwoon often hung out with and had even introduced Hyuk to. Supposedly, these were Taekwoon’s friends.
“What do you think he’s hiding?” One of the guys finally asked, still sounding giggly from the stumbling episode. “You think he’s gay or something?”
Hyuk almost choked on the swell of rage in his throat. These people were horrible and Hyuk wondered how Taekwoon could even stand to look at them. Accusing someone of being gay just because they didn’t go out together on the weekends to parties. Taekwoon was shy and quiet and would absolutely hate being at a party. Some friends these guys were for not knowing that. Hyuk’s fingers curled into fists at his side. He knew that the kids behind him might not actually mean what they said, they were Taekwoon’s friends after all, and they were drunk. But they weren’t that drunk.
"Oh!" One of the guys chimed in, far too excited about that idea. "Yeah, maybe he has a little boyfriend! Maybe he brings him over on the weekends and fucks him and doesn't want anyone else to know. All the girls in class are always fawning over Taekwoon so maybe he's ashamed of being gay."
"Y'know," Hyuk said loudly, feeling something snap in his chest as he furiously turned to face down the drunken gaggle of assholes stumbling a couple paces behind him. "I was just going to let it go because you are all very obviously drunk and probably won't remember half of this, but fuck you guys."
"Whoa, kid," one guy slurred, standing a couple centimeters above Hyuk. "Take it easy. Do you even know who we're talking about?"
"You happen to be talking about one of my good friends, actually. Jung Taekwoon." Hyuk took immense, smug satisfaction in watching the surprised expressions dawn on these drunken assholes' faces. "And I really don't appreciate hearing you say all this about him."
"Why? You like 'im er somethin'?" One guy teased, leaning heavily against one of his friends, words slurred almost to a point where Hyuk couldn't understand. "Maybe 'e's the kid Taekoo's fuckin' e'ery day."
As the guy's friends laughed heartily at the idea of this little punk standing in front of them being fucked by Taekwoon, Hyuk felt a surge of white hot rage rush from his chest into his head, making his ears feel like they were popping. The next thing he knew, Hyuk was lunging forward and throwing his fist into one of the kid's faces.
Taekwoon was not a social person, and he preferred a quiet night in to a loud party. However, that did not mean that he would spend it sleeping. Taekwoon was a night owl and stayed up late into the night and early morning reading, cooking, watching a movie, or doing whatever it was that he felt like doing. He also lived with two roommates, his long time friend Hakyeon and their mutual friend Hongbin, both of whom were out at the moment. They didn't often go out, but when they did they usually stumbled back in around breakfast the following day. It was a routine Taekwoon was used to.
So when someone knocked on Taekwoon's door at nearly twelve-thirty in the morning, he had no idea what to think. And of course, finding his boyfriend Hyuk standing in his doorway looking like crap was the last thing Taekwoon expected. The boy had been introduced to him through Hongbin, and he was obnoxious and loud and silly, hardly took anything other than schoolwork seriously and Taekwoon hadn't really known what to think of Hyuk at first. But after a couple months, they actually started to get along really well. And if Taekwoon was being honest with himself, he had never thought Hyuk would end up at his door this late at night covered in blood and bruises.
"Hey," Hyuk said casually, grinning broadly at Taekwoon. Even though he tried to play it off, Taekwoon did not miss Hyuk's wince, the split lip clearly giving him pain as he stretched the tender skin.
"What the hell happened to you?" Taekwoon hissed, reaching out and grabbing Hyuk by the wrist. He dragged his junior into the apartment and shut the door quickly. "I thought you were studying at the library? Never mind, go sit on the couch, I'm getting the first aid kit."
Without waiting to see if Hyuk obeyed his instructions, Taekwoon took the boy's backpack to place by the door and rushed off to the bathroom to dig out the kit.
When Taekwoon came back out, it was obvious that Hyuk was trying to hide how badly everything hurt. The younger boy was sitting in a slightly hunched position on Taekwoon’s couch, grinning only when he saw Taekwoon coming in, as if he were trying to hide the pain. But Taekwoon could see right through Hyuk’s facade.
“What happened?” Taekwoon asked again sitting down beside Hyuk. The younger boy shifted so he sat cross-legged on the cushions, facing Taekwoon as the older of the two pulled out some supplies from the kit.
“You should see the other guys,” Hyuk chuckled and tried to beam proudly at Taekwoon. However, he had momentarily forgotten his split lip and couldn’t hide the wince that came yet again with the movement of the tender skin.
“Guys? Plural?” Taekwoon asked, concern lacing his voice as he reached out and placed a steadying hand on Hyuk’s shoulder.
“Ah, hyung,” Hyuk chuckled, leaning his weight into Taekwoon’s hand. “You’re concerned voice is so cute.”
“Idiot,” Taekwoon mumbled, gently pushing Hyuk into a more upright position. “Hold still so I can take care of you. And you still haven’t told me why you got into a fight.”
“Ah, well I was on my way home from the library see, and there was this group of drunk guys behind me being very loud and very rude,” Hyuk started to explain to Taekwoon, using one hand to exaggerate his tale. Taekwoon had a hold on Hyuk’s other arm, having finally dug out the bandages and disinfectant so he could start taking care of Hyuk’s scrapes. There was a lot of dried blood around the wounds, but the cuts themselves were not actually all that bad. They looked more like scrapes from falling against pavement.
“So when they started getting really annoying I told them to shut up and they were only more rude so then I punched one and got into a fight. You should have seen me, hyung! I sent one of them home crying and I’m sure another one might have a broken nose now!”
“I’m not sure that’s something to be proud of,” Taekwoon admonished Hyuk as he cleaned and bandaged another scrape on Hyuk’s arm.
“You’re just jealous because I was so cool and beat the crap out of those losers.”
“Oh?” Taekwoon raised an eyebrow and put a bit too much pressure on one of Hyuk’s scrapes, drawing an irritated noise from the younger boy as he tried to yank his arm away from Taekwoon. “Then what are all these from if you were so cool?”
“Okay, maybe I exaggerated a bit. But I still think I won that fight.”
“What was it that was so worth going through all this trouble? Especially if they were drunk.”
Hyuk hesitated a moment before looking away and staring at something in the little kitchen across the room. Taekwoon paused his cleaning for a moment and watched Hyuk’s face.
“It was nothing, hyung,” Hyuk said in an airy voice, trying very obviously to come across as nonchalant. But the look on his face betrayed the light tone of his voice. “They were just being assholes.”
“About what?” Taekwoon asked in exasperation. “What were they being so rude about that you decided it was worth being beaten up over?”
Hyuk didn’t answer, instead turning his head all the way to the side and ducking it a little so that he faced away from Taekwoon’s imploring eyes. Huffing in surprise and annoyance, Taekwoon let it go for the moment and finished patching up Hyuk’s scrapes before he went to fetch some ice for the split lip. Upon closer inspection, Taekwoon was grateful to see that it wasn’t actually as bad as he had initially thought. The area around the split was just swollen, making it look much worse than it was.
Deciding to give Hyuk some space, Taekwoon busied himself with putting away the first aid kit and fetching a fresh shirt for his stupid boyfriend. Sitting down next to Hyuk with said shirt in hand a few minutes later, Taekwoon decided to try again.
“Hyuk,” Taekwoon began softly. “What did they say that was so worth fighting over?”
“Nothing, hyung,” came Hyuk’s weary reply. “Please, just let it go.”
“No,” Taekwoon said firmly, surprising both Hyuk and himself. The younger boy looked around at Taekwoon, still holding the pack of ice cubes Taekwoon had gotten for him to his mouth. The shock was evident in Hyuk’s gaze as he studied Taekwoon quietly.
“I won’t let it go,” Taekwoon mumbled, embarrassed by the look that Hyuk was giving him. “You got beaten up over whatever they said so it must have been important. Plus, you’re my boyfriend…naturally I’m worried and angry about this.”
They watched each other for a tense, quiet moment. Taekwoon could feel his pulse pounding through his body, making him wonder if Hyuk could hear the insistent thumping in the quiet room. Feeling nervous and embarrassed about how long the quiet had been going on for, Taekwoon was about to insist that Hyuk tell him what had happened again. But the younger boy beat him to it.
“They were talking about you,” Hyuk said softly, his gaze flicking away from Taekwoon’s as the confession slipped out.
“What?”
“They were some boys that you’ve introduced me to before, from one of your classes. They were talking about how you never hang out with them and that you’re a cold recluse.”
Furrowing his brow, Taekwoon leaned forward a little to stare at Hyuk’s face, even though the boy was turned slightly away from him. Usually Hyuk was smarter than this. Did he really think that something like that bothered Taekwoon?
He said as much, the statement drawing an annoyed noise from Hyuk.
“Woonie, they were being mean about it. They also…” Hyuk paused, suddenly hesitant to continue. “They said you never went out because you were gay. They were making fun of you and saying you probably had a secret boyfriend and were ashamed about it.”
Taekwoon blinked once, staring at Hyuk’s downcast expression in quiet awe. This boy had gotten into a fight with a bunch of drunken guys because they had been bad-mouthing Taekwoon. Of all people, Hyuk was the last person Taekwoon had expected to do something like this. Sure, Hyuk was Taekwoon’s boyfriend, but Hyuk was never one to get into physical fights. It made him feel warm inside, his chest expanding with gratitude.
“Hyuk, you really got into a fight because of me?”
“I had to defend your honor, Taekwoon!” Hyuk insisted, turning at last to look at Taekwoon again. Some of the swelling around Hyuk’s lip had thankfully gone down with the application of the ice pack. But he still had angry bruises and scrapes covering his face and arms. Taekwoon was heartened by the idea of Hyuk defending him but if this was the cost, than it wasn’t worth it.
“No, you didn’t,” Taekwoon said with a little sigh, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You should know I don’t care what others think about that kind of stuff.”
“But they were being so rude!” Hyuk insisted. “I couldn’t let it go.”
“Fine,” Taekwoon held his hands up in surrender, shaking his head a little. “You absolutely had to defend my honor, and I’m grateful you did. But I still don’t think it was worth getting so beaten up over.”
Hyuk’s lower lip immediately stuck out, pouting about how little Taekwoon seemed to care about this situation.
“Woonie,” Hyuk whined, but Taekwoon cut him off by tossing the shirt he had brought out for the younger boy in Hyuk’s face. A muffled noise of surprise escaped Hyuk as he dropped the ice pack and swatted the shirt away from his face.
“You should change,” Taekwoon said casually, reaching over to pick up the discarded ice pack. “Your shirt has blood all over it.”
Starting to get up, Taekwoon was almost immediately stopped by Hyuk’s hand on his elbow, holding him in place. When Taekwoon looked down at Hyuk, halfway to standing, his brow furrowed in confusion when Hyuk’s gaze dropped and the younger boy’s cheeks colored.
“I-I think I need help…changing my shirt,” Hyuk mumbled, releasing Taekwoon’s arm after a moment so he could instead nervously pick at the hem of his dirty t-shirt. “It hurts to move my shoulders.”
Taekwoon watched Hyuk’s nervous fiddling for a moment longer before he moved back to sit on the couch in front of Hyuk. The younger of the two was deeply invested in scratching at a spot of dried blood near the bottom of his shirt, purposefully avoiding Taekwoon’s eyes.
“Why does your shoulder hurt? Did something happen to it while you were fighting?” Hyuk’s only response was a nod, to which Taekwoon let out a sharp breath and stood to move behind Hyuk, who was still sitting facing sideways. Reaching down, Taekwoon felt his chest constrict with worry, apprehensive as to what he might find under the thin fabric. Sure that his expression was betraying him, Taekwoon was suddenly grateful that his boyfriend couldn’t see his face.
“Ready?” Taekwoon asked quietly, gripping the hem gingerly. “I’m going to pull it up and then help you pull your arms out so you don’t have to move your shoulders too much.”
At Hyuk’s confirmation, Taekwoon began working the shirt cautiously up Hyuk’s back and towards his shoulders. After a few minutes of mild struggling – and lots of griping on Hyuk’s part – the bloodied shirt was finally removed and tossed over the back of the sofa.
Taekwoon stared with an open mouth, knowing he probably looked ridiculous, but that didn’t really matter because Hyuk couldn’t see his face anyway. But the sight that greeted Taekwoon was shocking enough to warrant his reaction. He wanted to ask how this had happened, but Taekwoon had a feeling that Hyuk was only going to clam up about it and try to play it off the way he had before. The angry red skin surrounding large bruises and scrapes stretched across the expanse of Hyuk’s shoulders. Taekwoon wondered briefly why Hyuk hadn’t said anything about these before he had put the first aid kit away. But remembering how Hyuk had tried to defend his actions, Taekwoon couldn’t help but feel guilty.
He was the reason that Hyuk was hurt this much.
“Hyuk-” Taekwoon started to say, his voice tight with the anger that people he had called friends had done this. Before he could continue, Hyuk was speaking over him.
“Taekwoon just-just don’t say anything, okay? It hurts but I don’t regret what I did.” There was a quiet conviction in Hyuk’s voice that made Taekwoon’s protests die on his lips. He hated the fact that this was his fault, but right now that didn’t matter. Hyuk was all that mattered and Taekwoon had to take care of him.
“I’m going to get the first aid kid again. I’ll be right back,” Taekwoon said, gently placing a hand on the top of Hyuk’s head as a small comfort. There was a little noise of response from Hyuk as Taekwoon climbed off the couch and made his was back to the bathroom to get the kit.
Taekwoon put one hand on Hyuk’s shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze as he prepared to put the disinfectant on the violent scrapes. The muscles of Hyuk’s back were visibly wound tight with the anticipation of the sting that would certainly come. Taekwoon didn’t want to cause Hyuk any more pain, but this had to be done.
“It’ll be okay-”
“Just do it, Woonie. Once you do it, I know it won’t hurt as much after that.” Hyuk’s voice was tight, even as he tried to sound nonchalant. The pair took deep breaths in preparation as Taekwoon gingerly began spreading the disinfectant over the wound. As expected, Hyuk’s already coiled muscles became even more taught with the initial application, making Taekwoon wince with guilt.
“Sorry,” came Hyuk’s breathy voice, his shoulders already relaxing a little. “It was more cold than anything. I’m okay.” They were quiet for a few minutes as Taekwoon continued to carefully massage the disinfectant over the large scrapes on Hyuk’s shoulders. The tension wound into Hyuk’s muscles was nearly gone by the time Taekwoon smoothed bandages over the exposed skin, fingers working deftly so as not to cause Hyuk anymore pain.
“I’m sorry,” Taekwoon whispered, his hands resting against the warm skin just below the bandages he had just applied to Hyuk’s back. The latter twisted around to look at his boyfriend in confusion.
“Why are you sorry? I’m the one who showed up at your door at this ungodly hour after getting beaten up. If anything I should be apologizing and making you food or something.” Hyuk shifted so he now sat facing Taekwoon, shirtless and covered in bandages and looking as innocent as a child despite the events that had lead to this moment. “Speaking of which, I’m hungry so maybe I will make some food.”
“Hyuk,” Taekwoon said seriously, drawing the younger’s gaze back to him. “I’m apologizing since you ended up like this because you felt you had to defend me. I never wanted you to get hurt because of me.” Dropping his gaze, Taekwoon mumbled, “I care too much about you to let this happen without getting upset.”
Blinking, Hyuk watched Taekwoon for a beat of silence before he leaned forward and made Taekwoon look him in the eye. “Woonie, I don’t regret what I did, I would go back to that moment a hundred times and still do the same thing every time.”
“Why?” Taekwoon asked imploringly. “Why do you feel like you have to do that? If it gets you hurt or in trouble then it’s not worth it. You’re too important to me.”
Hyuk leaned forward quickly, meeting Taekwoon’s lips with a gentle pressure that was almost chaste, until it quickly turned into a needy movement. Taekwoon was swift to respond, reaching out and placing his hands on Hyuk’s hips to draw the younger closer at the same time Hyuk moved to crawl onto Taekwoon’s lap, straddling him. Using his new position to his advantage, Hyuk angled his head just so and pressed downward against Taekwoon’s lips.
There was desperation to their movements now, like something they didn’t know they needed had been uncovered and now they were afraid of losing it if they let it sit too long. Taekwoon’s hands roamed greedily up and down Hyuk’s back, the pads of his fingers skimming over smooth skin before gripping Hyuk’s hips. With a little moan of satisfaction at the feeling, Hyuk licked into Taekwoon’s mouth, taking immense pleasure in the sound that drew from his boyfriend.
“That was hot, Woonie,” Hyuk teased breathily, breaking their kiss so he could jab at Taekwoon. But his smugness was short-lived, Taekwoon taking the opportunity to lean up a little and bite Hyuk’s lip. An indignant noise slipped out of Hyuk as Taekwoon chuckled, leaning in to press a line gentle kisses against the base of Hyuk’s neck.
“I’m not going to forgive you for that,” Hyuk grumbled. “No matter how good that fe-ah.” Hyuk was cut off when Taekwoon started to gently nip and suck at a spot he had just showered with kisses against Hyuk’s collarbone. Pressing his lips together, Hyuk tilted his head down to nuzzle into Taekwoon’s hair as he left his mark on Hyuk’s skin. One hand carded through Taekwoon’s thick hair as Hyuk’s other hand rubbed little circles over the skin near his hyung’s hipbone. He had to awkwardly dip his fingers below the waistband of Taekwoon’s jeans, but the soft hitch of Taekwoon’s breath at Hyuk’s touch was a satisfying reward.
Taekwoon removed his lips from Hyuk’s collarbone and instead nuzzled into the crook of Hyuk’s neck. He murmured sweet nothings in content against the warm, smooth skin there. Hyuk was humming happily at the action, his fingers still carding gently through his boyfriend’s hair. His back was starting to ache from sitting erect. One of Taekwoon’s hands roamed cautiously across Hyuk’s back and he gasped softly but sharply.
Hyuk regretted the involuntary noise because Taekwoon immediately pulled back, his warmth retreating and leaving his skin feeling chilled. Making a noise like a petulant child, Hyuk twisted his fingers into Taekwoon’s shirt front and pouted.
“Woonie-” Hyuk started to whine, but Taekwoon cut him off with a little peck straight on Hyuk’s lips.
“No, we aren’t going to continue this because you are very clearly in pain and so I’m enforcing mandatory bed time for both of us.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now,” Taekwoon frowned and shifted; trying to get Hyuk to understand that he was serious. But unfortunately for Taekwoon, his boyfriend was no longer the cute baby-faced freshman he had been last year. Now he was broad shouldered, tall and lanky, and very keen on using these new advantages to lovingly torture Taekwoon.
He was doing this now, draping himself stiffly over Taekwoon’s shoulders and whining in a child like voice about how he didn’t want to. Taekwoon rolled his eyes and carefully tried to push Hyuk back into an upright position. But Hyuk might as well have been a sack of bricks because he was not budging, despite his injuries.
“Woonie,” Hyuk mumbled, leaning in to whisper in his boyfriend’s ear. “I wanna keep making out and then maybe do something a little more fun.”
“Hyuk,” Taekwoon all but choked out his boyfriend’s name. He could feel himself turning red and in that moment he really hated that Hyuk knew exactly how easy it was to get Taekwoon flustered.
“You’re injured, Hyuk. If I promise to cuddle you and kiss you in bed, we can keep going with whatever you want when you aren’t a bloody mess.”
Hyuk seems to ponder this compromise for a moment, frowning as he pretends to think very deeply about it. Taekwoon hopes that Hyuk doesn’t keep this up for too long because as much as he loves his boyfriend, Taekwoon’s legs are going numb and he’s actually really tired. But then suddenly Hyuk is leaning forward and pecking Taekwoon’s lips while smiling softly.
“I think that sounds like a good deal. Throw in some back rubbing and I won’t even bother you tomorrow morning about making me food.”
“Deal,” Taekwoon agrees quickly, nudging Hyuk to move him off of his lap. Grunting softly with the effort of getting up, Hyuk was grateful for the steadying, gentle hands of Taekwoon at his elbows. Smiling gratefully over his shoulder at Taekwoon, Hyuk stumbled his way into Taekwoon’s bedroom first. Taekwoon stayed in the living room a couple moments longer to put the first aid kit away again and gather up Hyuk’s discarded shirt, as well as the unused clean shirt Taekwoon had gotten for him. Eventually, Taekwoon followed Hyuk into the bedroom, suppressing a chuckle when he found his boyfriend already collapsed on Taekwoon’s bed. He was face down in the pillow with his limbs sprawled across the mattress, one leg hanging over the edge of the bed.
“Hyogie?” Taekwoon whispered, just loud enough to be heard. There was a soft grumble from the sheets and Taekwoon figured that was about as much of an answer as he was going to get at the moment.
“Do you want a shirt?”
“Nmph.”
“I have no idea what you just said but I’m going with a no,” Taekwoon whispered half to himself. He moved around, putting the unused shirt away and then piling Hyuk’s stuff up next to his dresser. Yawning as he wandered over to his bed, Taekwoon climbed over Hyuk’s sprawled limbs and tucked himself comfortably into Hyuk’s side. Absently, Taekwoon’s hand reached out and began lightly tracing patterns over Hyuk’s back. He was careful to avoid the bandages on his boyfriend’s shoulders, and didn’t apply too much pressure just in case. There was a soft, contented hum from Hyuk and he shifted closer to Taekwoon. Pausing in his rubbing, Taekwoon sat up and reached for the blankets at the end of the bed, tugging them up and over himself and Hyuk.
“Woonie?” Hyuk’s muffled voice drew Taekwoon’s attention from the tired daze it had been wandering in. His hand had begun rubbing gently over Hyuk’s back again, the action almost involuntary as Taekwoon hadn’t even realized he had begun doing it again.
“What is it?” Taekwoon managed to get out around another yawn.
“I love you. Thank you for taking care of me.”
“I love you, too, Hyuk. I’ll always be here for you. Just promise me you won’t show up on my door covered in blood again.”
“I’ll do my best,” came the sleepy mumble.
“Hyuk-” Taekwoon began in exasperation, reaching his hand up to tug lightly at the brown fringe against the nape of his boyfriend’s neck.
“Taekwoon,” Hyuk’s voice cut off his boyfriend. “I said I would do my best, and I’m not going to actively search for a fight. But I don’t want to talk about this right now.” Hyuk flipped onto his side and winced a little at the sudden pressure on his shoulder. He looked at Taekwoon through sleepy, lidded eyes and yawned softly. “Please let it go for tonight.”
Studying Hyuk’s face, Taekwoon scooted a little closer and pressed his lips gently against Hyuk’s, drawing a surprised yet pleased noise from the younger boy.
Pulling away, Taekwoon ran his fingers lovingly through Hyuk’s hair and then gestured for him to flip back onto his stomach so he could fulfill his promise of back rubs. With a happy noise, Hyuk complied, and they soon fell asleep with Taekwoon’s arm draped over Hyuk’s back and tucked into his side.
Taekwoon was always the first one to wake up out of the two of them, and today was no different. Hyuk’s soft snoring filled the dim bedroom of Taekwoon’s apartment, gently pulling Taekwoon from unconsciousness. With a soft grunt, Taekwoon pushed himself up onto his elbow and reached across the broad back of his boyfriend to reach his phone on the desk beside the bed. Checking the time, Taekwoon noticed that Hakyeon had messaged him at nearly six in the morning. It was almost eight now.
Taekwoon tapped out a quick reply to the message that confirmed Hakyeon and Hongbin were both sleeping peacefully in the room adjacent to Taekwoon’s. Of course, they probably wouldn’t be asleep for too long since Taekwoon knew they would both be nursing hangovers sooner rather than later.
Putting his phone back on the desk, Taekwoon settled down to contentedly watch Hyuk’s sleeping face for a few moments. The boy’s features were soft to begin with, but when he was asleep Hyuk looked almost child-like with his cute cheeks and full lips. Smiling fondly, Taekwoon leaned over and left a feather light kiss on Hyuk’s nose, watched as the boy’s face scrunched cutely at the contact, but didn’t wake up.
Carefully, Taekwoon climbed over the spread eagle limbs of his boyfriend and slipped quietly into the living area of the apartment. Padding over to the kitchenette, Taekwoon pulled out a large pan as quietly as he could and started moving around to make pancakes for everyone. He didn’t always go out of his way to make a big breakfast like this, but he figured that Hyuk deserved it after going through all that trouble last night. Plus, Taekwoon knew the two drunken idiots in the other room would need something after drinking so much.
He was just putting the third round of pancakes into the pan to cook when the sound of a door opening drew Taekwoon’s attention away from the food. All Taekwoon saw before the sound of the bathroom door slamming shut was a blur of a person dashing by. Blinking a couple times, Taekwoon watched Hakyeon stumble out of his room, yawning and stretching his arms above his head.
“Morning, Woonie,” Hakyeon mumbled, plopping himself down at one of the barstools lined up at the counter top. It was really more of a wide half wall that gave the idea of the kitchen being a separate room from the rest of the living area, but it provided a surface to eat on so that’s how it was used.
“Morning,” Taekwoon said as he turned back to the pancakes to make sure they weren’t burning. “I take it Hongbin overestimated his abilities again?”
There was the slightest sign of Hakyeon wincing in Taekwoon’s peripheral vision that was conformation enough. But he waited until Hakyeon sighed and answered anyway.
“A bit,” came the weary reply. “I managed to stop him before he threw up at the party like last time. But he’s definitely going to be royally hung over for most of today.”
“And you’re fine as always?”
“Aren’t I just amazing?”
“That’s one word for it.”
The pair’s easy banter was interrupted by the sound of a door opening again. Glancing over his shoulder, Taekwoon was expecting Hongbin to come staggering out of the bathroom, but instead it was a sleep Hyuk trudging into the kitchen while blearily rubbing at his eyes. Taekwoon winced when he realized that Hyuk was still shirtless and Hakyeon could see just how beat up Taekwoon’s boyfriend was.
“Jesus, Hyuk,” Hakyeon said with a sharp intake of breath. “What the hell happened to you?”
“This idiot of mine got himself into a fight with a bunch of drunk students last night because he heard them badmouthing me. Showed up at our door at twelve thirty in the morning covered in blood and bruises.” Said bruises looked so much worse in the daylight streaming in through the windows of the apartment, but Hyuk wasn’t giving any sign that he was in a remarkable amount of pain, so Taekwoon took the small mercy and huffed as he fixed his attention on the pan again.
“You got this beat up because you were defending your boyfriend’s name?” Hakyeon asked, awe evident in his tone. Taekwoon really wished that Hakyeon wouldn’t sound like that, afraid it would only feed Hyuk’s ego.
“I had to,” Hyuk mumbled sleepily, his arms suddenly winding around Taekwoon’s waist as he leaned into his boyfriend and propped his chin on Taekwoon’s shoulder. “He’s my boyfriend and they were being assholes.”
Hakyeon was silent, prompting both Hyuk and Taekwoon to look over at him curiously. Taekwoon immediately wrinkled his nose and looked back at the pancakes while Hyuk’s chest shook with laughter against Taekwoon’s back. Hakyeon’s eyes were sparkling with fondness and he was hiding a large grin behind his hand.
“I can’t believe it, Woonie,” Hakyeon cooed, making Taekwoon’s cheeks flush with color at the overly sweet tone of voice. “You have such a loyal boyfriend.”
“Don’t encourage him,” Taekwoon mumbled, flipping the pancakes as he continued to grumble about how reckless his boyfriend was. Hakyeon continued to coo at Hyuk and Taekwoon as Hyuk watched Taekwoon make pancakes. Every few seconds, Hyuk would leave a small kiss right behind Taekwoon’s ear, drawing more cooing out of Hakyeon as he started snapping pictures of the boyfriends. This continued until Hongbin finally emerged from the bathroom, looking haggard and a little pale. Hakyeon pulled out the stool next to him for Hongbin to climb onto, running his fingers soothingly through Hongbin’s fringe once his boyfriend was settled.
“Do you feel any better?” Hakyeon asked, his voice soft for Hongbin’s sake. The only response was a small groan before Hongbin slumped into Hakyeon’s shoulder and nuzzled a little closer. Shutting his eyes and letting out a long sigh, Hongbin let himself be coddled by Hakyeon, even though he usually wasn’t one for acting all lovey in front of others.
Taekwoon, meanwhile, had finished off another couple rounds of pancakes and slid a plate with a small pile of the still warm patties towards the pair. Hyuk made an indignant noise and gave Taekwoon’s waist a small squeeze.
“I know, I know, you big puppy,” Taekwoon mumbled, starting to pile up another plate with pancakes. He wanted to cook a few more before he finished up though, so to tide over his hungry boyfriend, Taekwoon handed one back to Hyuk, watching fondly as Hyuk opened his mouth and took the whole pancake. The golden patty flopped over when Taekwoon released it, sitting in Hyuk’s mouth by one end as the younger happily munched away at it.
“What happened to you?” Hongbin mumbled, waiting to eat as he leaned against Hakyeon’s shoulder. The latter of the two was currently cutting up the pancakes and drowning them in syrup and butter.
“I got into a fight last night defending my boyfriend’s honor,” Hyuk explained shortly, removing the half eaten pancake from his mouth so he could speak properly. He had released Taekwoon’s waist so he could lean against the counter beside Hongbin to talk. Taekwoon missed Hyuk’s body heat, but it was now significantly easier to move about the kitchen as he finished cooking, so he wasn’t going to complain.
“Really?” Hongbin asked, raising an eyebrow at his junior.
Beaming, Hyuk nodded and blew a cheesy kiss in Taekwoon’s direction. “I’m his knight in shining armor. I had to, of course.”
“If you keep being this cheesy I’m dumping you,” Taekwoon deadpanned as he flipped the last batch of pancakes on the stove.
“Woonie,” Hyuk whined, returning to Taekwoon’s side so he could latch onto his boyfriend’s waist once more. “Don’t be like that.”
“Don’t say dumb things, then,” Taekwoon retorted.
Hyuk continued to whine playfully, continuously pecking Taekwoon’s ear, neck, cheek, even sneaking a couple onto Taekwoon’s lips. All the while Hongbin and Hakyeon smiled and laughed at the sight while eating their pile of drowned pancakes. Eventually, Taekwoon gave up his brooding act and kissed Hyuk in return, promising that he wouldn’t dump Hyuk because he was being cheesy.
“You two are all talk,” Hakyeon cooed. “So dramatic but you never actually do anything.” Hakyeon threw a grin in Taekwoon’s direction when the latter tossed a glare in Hakyeon’s direction. Grabbing Hongbin’s arm, Hakyeon pulled the younger boy back towards their room, waving as they left. “I’m going to take care of Binnie for now. You two have fun!”
Taekwoon sighed as Hakyeon shut his door and turned around in Hyuk’s hold, facing his slightly taller boyfriend with a little frown tugging the corners of his mouth downward. Hyuk pouted at Taekwoon’s look and bent to kiss his boyfriend gently. The kiss lasted a few moments before Hyuk pulled back and tipped their foreheads together, sighing softly.
“Don’t give me that face, Taekwoon,” Hyuk said in an exhausted whisper. “I said I wouldn’t pick fights anymore. And it’s not like this is a reoccurring problem.”
“I hate seeing you hurt, Hyuk,” Taekwoon countered, his voice at the same volume as Hyuk’s. He was shaking a little, the sunlight revealing to Taekwoon just how dark the bruises actually were, just how angry and red the surrounding skin of multiple scrapes was. It pulled at Taekwoon’s heart to see Hyuk’s skin marred this way all for his sake.
“Woonie,” Hyuk’s voice broke through Taekwoon’s upsetting thoughts. Hyuk’s large hands were warm as they cupped the elder’s cheeks, grounding Taekwoon and allowing him to focus entirely on Hyuk. He hadn’t even realized how badly he had been shaking, how his eyes were now stinging with tears that were on the verge of falling down his cheeks. Hyuk – wonderful, caring, and warm Hyuk – leaned forward to kiss Taekwoon’s cheek gently. Taekwoon’s hands shot up to grip onto Hyuk’s wrists, reminding him that Hyuk was actually okay. It had been terrifying to see his boyfriend covered in blood, but Hyuk was okay. Even his split lip looked significantly better despite the angry colors.
“Just don’t scare me like that again,” Taekwoon eventually heard himself murmured into Hyuk’s palm.
Hyuk smiled fondly at his worrisome boyfriend and leaned down again for another soft kiss, breathing into Taekwoon’s mouth as he did, “I promise."