It’s warm when Hyuntak stirs awake. His sleep-fogged brain hasn’t quite caught up yet as he shifts slightly, instinctively burrowing his nose against the warmth beside him. A soft sigh leaves his lips when he realizes he’s being held, arms loosely wrapped around him.

And then it hits him. Unlike last time, it’s not panic that comes first. Just mild surprise. One quiet heartbeat of realization, followed by the slow crawl of awkwardness, embarrassment catching up to him.

His hand is still slung around a waist. His face is tucked too close to the other’s throat, bodies pressed close. He doesn’t dare move. The memories of last night start piecing themselves together.

The conversation at the hush of the night, tentative hands, that lingering hug.. and the kiss. The kiss he initiated. The things they said after. His grip tightens slightly on Suho’s back. He’s not spiraling (thank god) but the embarrassment is hot beneath his skin.

He still wants to scream into a pillow. A few minutes pass like that. Then Suho shifts, just pulls closer. And then Suho does it again. He groans, overly dramatic, dragging a leg over Hyuntak’s hips, pulling him in like there’s still space left to close between them.

They’re already pressed together chest to chest, yet Suho somehow manages to squeeze him tighter. That’s when Hyuntak finally catches on. He smacks Suho’s back with a weak, sleepy hand. “Stop pretending you’re still asleep.”

Silence stretches for half a second before it shatters with Suho’s laughter. Low, gravelly, and laced with sleep. It rumbles deep from his chest and vibrates against Hyuntak’s skin. “You’re so stiff,” he teases, amused.

Hyuntak doesn’t say anything, but something stirs in his chest. Something stupidly fond. Maybe it’s the intimacy of this moment. Maybe it’s the fact that waking up like this, in Suho’s room, wrapped up in Suho’s arms, feels more intimate than anything they’ve ever shared.

Suho snuggles closer with a pleased sound, nosing into Hyuntak’s hair. One hand is still draped across his middle, the other tucked beneath his neck like a pillow. “Good morning.”

Hyuntak’s fingers twitch again before he slowly starts tracing lazy circles on Suho’s back. “…Morning,” he mumbles.

“Did you sleep okay?” There’s a teasing there, but it doesn’t bother him. Not really. That voice.. deep and low, drowsy makes the question feel endearing more than anything. Hyuntak still feels shy about it, though.

“…Fine,” He’s actually kind of proud of himself for managing to answer. Suho shifts again like he wants to look at him, but Hyuntak holds firm, arms tightening, forehead buried even deeper against his chest. “Are you shy?” “Ask that again and I’ll kick you off this bed.”

Suho snorts. “It’s my bed, though.” “Don’t care.” A pause. Then Suho’s hand slides from Hyuntak’s shoulder, down the curve of his side. It’s a lazy, affectionate gesture that makes Hyuntak’s skin buzz. “Could be our bed from now on,” he whispers.

This crazy bastard. Hyuntak genuinely considers kicking him now. Why is he already fucking flirting first thing in the morning? Then again he doesn’t really mind it. Which probably makes him just as crazy.

"Sieun's not gonna fit in here. Maybe in his room when he comes back..." Hyuntak murmurs, heart thudding in his chest. There’s something in those words—an implication, something like a promise, still unspoken but undeniably there.

Suho doesn’t respond right away but his arms tighten around him. And now Hyuntak can feel Suho’s rising heartbeat. It catches him off guard but makes him think he likes it. The same way he likes hearing Sieun’s. He likes knowing Suho’s heart does that around him, too.

“When are you letting me see your face?” Hyuntak says nothing, cheeks warming. His entire body feels like it's on fire. How the hell is he supposed to survive this level of soft teasing? He badly wants to play it cool but he couldn’t help feeling shy.

Especially after last night where they basically shared spit for fuck’s sake. “Why do you need to see my face so bad?” he mumbles into Suho’s shirt. “I just want to.” “You’re so full of shit. Stop messing with me.” “I want to look at your embarrassed face,” Suho grins.

Hyuntak groans. “Don’t bother. You know I’m cute.” “I bet you are.” Fucking bastard. He screams internally. “Shut up.” "Come on," Suho whines, dragging the word out. “Go Hyuntak.” He stays still. Stupid Suho. "Gotak-ah, come on."

Now he’s smiling. Suho’s whines are weirdly satisfying. There's something funny about it (and flattering, honestly) that Suho sounds like a desperate idiot just to see his face. It’s about damn time Hyuntak started teasing him more often.

Suho leans in even closer. “Tak-ah.” A jolt. “Let hyung see Tak-ah’s face, hm?” Fucking. Bastard. Hyuntak shoots up, startled, especially since Suho’s lying against the wall. His hand flies to his ear, face burning as their eyes meet for the first time this morning.

Suho looks surprised too, maybe because of how hard he was shoved but before either of them can say anything, Hyuntak feels himself tipping near the edge of the bed, seconds from falling.

Suho catches him by the waist and pulls him in, Hyuntak’s face ending up pressed against Suho’s collarbone again. “You could’ve hit that pretty head of yours.” Okay. That’s it. Hyuntak shoots upright, grabs a pillow, and smacks Suho with it. Hard.

Suho bursts out laughing beneath him, but Hyuntak doesn’t stop, he keeps slamming the pillow into his face. This asshole really is pushing his limits. But then, in the middle of it all, Suho grabs him again, pulling him close.

Hyuntak’s hands instinctively plant themselves on either side of Suho’s face to avoid crushing him. He’s bent over him now, staring right into those wide, laughing eyes. And Suho’s gaze doesn’t waver. If anything, it’s shining. From the laughter or... something else entirely.

“There’s that cute face.” Hyuntak’s stomach flips violently. He actually wants to squeeze at it just to stop that twisting feeling. “Good morning,” Suho says again, grinning up at him, fond.

Hyuntak tries to look away. He really does. But how is this man already so attractive fresh out of sleep? His gaze drops to Suho’s mouth and for a second, he forgets he’s still awkwardly bent over like this.

“...Good morning,” he mutters, brain absolutely short-circuiting, eyes glued to his lips. Suho bites back a smile, and Hyuntak’s eyes follow the motion like he’s lost his damn mind.

“Wanna pick up where we left off last night?” Suho asks, tone light, affectionate. Hyuntak stares. Lips, eyes, face, and finally forces himself to speak like he hasn’t been ogling this man for two whole minutes. “...Let’s brush our teeth first.” Suho bursts out laughing.

Mortified, Hyuntak yanks himself away, bolts upright, and heads straight for the bathroom door without a single backward glance. Fuck. He hears Suho’s laughter echoing across the living room. He presses his forehead against the bathroom door and lets it thunk there.

Fucking idiot. He gave himself away. Again. It always backfires when he tries to tease. Always. Ten times harder. After a while, he cools down and washes his face, trying to scrub the shame out with it. When he exits the bathroom, Suho is lounging on the couch, head tilted.

“Thought you died in there. I want to brush my teeth already.” Hyuntak flips him off in response. “Cut it out, seriously.” Thankfully, Suho drops it, laughing, and disappears into the bathroom. Hyuntak exhales, heading to the kitchen for a glass of water. It’s nearly noon.

He walks back to his room, grabs his phone, sends Sieun a quick good morning, and checks his other messages. His stomach drops when he sees the unread texts from Juntae. Oh shit, right. They’d talked about meeting today.

Thankfully, the meetup’s not until 1 PM, so he still has time. He fires off a reply. By the time Suho reappears, drying his hands on a towel, he’s asking, “What do you want for lunch?” “Not eating lunch,” Hyuntak replies. Suho frowns. “Why not?” “I’m heading out.”

Suho squints at him suspiciously. “Are you running away?” Hyuntak’s face warms at the implication, but he plays it off with an eye roll. “Who’s running away? This shit's been planned days ago.”

Suho keeps squinting at him like a sulky kid, then starts walking over as Hyuntak leans on the kitchen counter. “You sure?” With a groan, Hyuntak pulls his phone up and thrusts it toward Suho’s face, showing the messages with Juntae.

Before Suho can react, he drops his arm and heads for his room. “Gonna get ready.” He hops into the bathroom again, rinses off, throws on some fresh clothes, and rushes through getting dressed. He plans to take the bus and barely make it on time.

When he finally finishes and crouches at the door to tie his shoes, Suho’s there, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching him. “You’re really gonna go?” Hyuntak glances up briefly. “It’s literally the first time I’m going out since Sieun left. Been holed up for days.”

“Yeah,” Suho mutters. “But today, of all days?” He stands, meeting Suho’s eyes. “It was scheduled days ago.” There’s something almost funny about the way Suho stands there, sulky without the actual pout. His face is blank, but the rest of him is brimming with a quiet protest.

He’s being so whiny today. Maybe he’s finally gotten comfortable enough to act like this around him. “Can you cancel?” Suho mumbles, just loud enough to be heard. “Yah,” Hyuntak says, exasperated, but there’s no real bite.

“No way. And I won’t even be gone that long. I’ll probably be back around six or seven.” Suho sighs and crosses his legs. “Fine. I’ll cook dinner. Be home by then.” “You’re acting like a housewife,” Hyuntak teases, grinning now. “I really have to go—” “No goodbye kiss?”

He pauses mid-turn, glancing at him over his shoulder, giving him a pointed look. “Are you still not fucking done with the teasing?” “I’m dead serious,” he says quietly, and Hyuntak can feel the truth behind it.

Hyuntak narrows his eyes, but Suho takes a step forward and gently grabs his hand. “Can you go tomorrow instead?” What even is this? Suho’s voice is soft, but there’s something desperate under the surface. It throws Hyuntak off.

Normally, Suho’s cool with this kind of thing, never says too much, lets everything slide with a grin or snide remark. But now he’s... different. Raw. Before Hyuntak can answer, Suho breaks the moment himself, turning his head slightly as if it’s no big deal.

“What’s the difference?” Hyuntak asks, genuinely confused now. Suho rubs a thumb over the back of Hyuntak’s hand, still avoiding his gaze. “Nothing. Just... because.” “No,” Hyuntak says. “Tell me.”

Suho sighs again and speaks quietly. “It just feels like... if you go out, it’ll knock the momentum out of this. What happened. Last night, this morning. Like you’ll leave and forget it happened.” Oh. So that’s what this is about.

Suho’s worried. That once Hyuntak steps outside, the spell will break. That he’ll go back to avoiding things, pretending none of this is real. And maybe that’s fair. Hyuntak does have a habit of running the moment things get complicated. With Suho, at least.

He doesn’t answer right away, but Suho’s already pulling back, dropping his hand and giving a weak smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Nevermind. Tell Juntae I said hi.”

Hyuntak catches his wrist and gently tugs him closer. He leans in, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Suho’s mouth. It’s brief, but he hopes it says enough. When he pulls away, his cheeks are red. “Looking forward to dinner,” he mumbles, stumbling a bit over the words.

He quickly turns and leaves, shutting the door behind him. Once outside, he leans on the wall, breath caught in his throat. Shit. That is the first time Suho’s been this openly needy, this vulnerable with him. And not in that teasing, cocky way he usually hides behind.

No, this was the side he’s only seen Suho show to Sieun. God, he can be so fucking cute sometimes. Hyuntak tells himself he’s got the upper hand after everything earlier but he’s honestly just as much of a wreck.

When Hyuntak finally spots Juntae across the street, he waves enthusiastically. Juntae, grinning, waves back and walks over with a bounce in his step. Hyuntak pulls him into a hug, nearly lifting him off the ground out of sheer excitement.

They haven’t seen each other in person for a while. Not that they don’t talk almost every day. Juntae and Baku are his closest friends. But both of them had gone off the grid for nearly two weeks, visiting family or disappearing into countryside peace.

Sometimes Hyuntak’s a little bitter about that. He doesn’t have a “hometown” to escape to, born and raised in the city, surrounded by cement and the hum of traffic.

"I'm starving. I haven’t eaten anything all day,” Hyuntak groans as they slide into their seats at their favorite restaurant or well, Baku’s favorite, which they’ve collectively adopted.

"You weren’t replying this morning, I thought you forgot about our hangout," Juntae says with a pout that’s too cute for his own good. Hyuntak offers a sheepish grin. "Sorry, overslept a bit." The food arrives, and they dig in, talking between bites.

“Sieun’s not back yet?” Juntae asks. “I miss him too.” “Not yet,” Hyuntak says around a mouthful. “He’ll be back next week. I miss him like crazy.” They catch up, bouncing between topics.

Apparently, there’s a new live-action anime film Juntae’s been dying to watch, and Hyuntak quickly agrees to join him. He teases him at first, suggesting Juntae’s only hanging out with him because his mate isn’t free, which earns him a solid shove and an indignant denial.

After the movie, they roam around the mall a bit before settling into a cafe. Juntae orders his usual strawberry yogurt latte, while Hyuntak tries the blueberry one. It’s easy with them.

Juntae may seem quiet to outsiders, but when he’s with Hyuntak and Baku, he turns chatty, opinions spilling out comfortably. Baku’s definitely the loudest in the group, Hyuntak a close second, while Sieun remains the quiet heart of their circle.

Suho hangs out with them too sometimes, but he’s always had his own other friends to float between. Then, Juntae turns the conversation. “So,” Juntae starts innocently, sipping his drink, “how are you and Suho?” Hyuntak chokes, nearly doubling over.

“What?” he says, still coughing, and Juntae’s got that look on his face. “I said, how are you and Suho? The group chat’s been suspiciously tame. You used to cuss him out almost daily.” Hyuntak clears his throat, playing with his straw. “We’re good,” he mutters.