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Taerae has never taken care of a drunk person before.
He can’t gauge how drunk Gunwook is from his messages but if the younger didn’t drink as much like he said he did, Taerae’s guessing he just happens to be a lightweight. The members mostly aren’t a fan of alcohol—as well as his family so this was a first for Taerae. Getting a drunk almost-confession was a first for him too. No, he’s not blushing just thinking about it. But he will say drunk Gunwook is.. cute.
Taerae arrives back at their dorm with a warm samgyetang from a place they visit nearby often. According to the internet, soup can help lessen the tipsiness. Makes sense. He knows people eat soup the day after but he isn’t sure about.. right after. He bought the soup anyway.
When he sees that the younger isn’t in the living room, he figures he’s in his own room so he sets the soup aside on the counter for now and grabs a glass of water for Gunwook.
He carefully treads towards the younger’s room with light steps—Gunwook might’ve fallen asleep waiting for him and he didn’t want to wake him up if he did. He can drink water and heat the soup up when he wakes up. He was about to knock when suddenly—
“Oh! It’s Taerae hyung… hehe,” a giggly Gunwook with a soft flush on his cheeks opens the door, his words a little slurred.
Taerae almost coos at the sight. He shakes his head to snap out of it and hand him the glass of water. “Drink up. I don’t know how drunk you are but according to the internet, you need to hydrate yourself.”
Gunwook nods slowly before drinking from the glass and letting out that sound people make after drinking. “Done!” He says with glee, smiling with his teeth out, hope shining through his half-lidded eyes as if waiting to be praised.
“Um. G-Good boy?” Taerae says to indulge drunk Gunwook. He really hopes he doesn’t remember any of this when he’s back to normal. “Are you sleepy?” He asks with concern.
“I was sleepy. But…” he drawls out the but in a singsong tone, “Hyungie is here now so, I can sleep later.”
Taerae was already feeling overwhelmed but that wasn’t the end of it.
“I missed you, hyung…” Gunwook says with a pout, lightly tugging at the older’s sleeve, wriggling his body like a child.
This was foul. He never should have put his damn drink at the juice spot. What was in that drink anyway? Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Sure, he may or may not have had such a scenario stored in his memories from his fantasies but he was not physically or mentally prepared for it to actually happen today. All because he misplaced his drink in the fridge.
“Yeah, I—I missed you too,” Taerae responds, meek but not.. dishonest. He meant it—he did miss Gunwook.
He was out for a few hours to go play at a PC Cafe because he didn’t want to disturb his roommates’ rest day. Usually, he had no problems with leaving everything to Gunwook because he was reliable like that. He’s the one usually taking care of others. Today was.. an exception, clearly. He didn’t mind all that much, though. Like this, he could repay all the other times Gunwook has taken care of him and Yujin throughout their arrangement. Getting to see the younger in this state, as pitiful as he looks, is.. a treat.
Taerae guides Gunwook inside his room gently by putting the younger’s arm over his shoulders while one hand hovers behind his back in case he stumbles. (He’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to handle the younger’s weight on his own but, you know. Just in case.)
He doesn’t, thankfully—just wobbles a little, smiling after like he’s proud of himself for staying upright. Taerae helps him sit on his bed. Gunwook bounces a little, making him giggle. He blinks slowly and then looks up at Taerae (Only slightly because his bed is tall enough for there to be any gap between his and Taerae’s heights.) with his eyes half-closed and a soft smile spread across his face. Taerae gives him a smile back.
“You should sleep, Wook-ah,” Taerae says, almost whispering.
“I told you, I’m not sleepy,” The younger replies, whining. Says he wants to talk so, Taerae relents, sitting beside him with their shoulders touching. They talk about nothing. About practice. About a show Gunwook half-remembers watching. About Taerae’s matches earlier. About how Taerae smells like because that’s apparently very important information.
Gunwook suddenly goes silent, he faces Taerae—watching him with heavy-lidded eyes, unfocused.
“You’re really here,” he murmurs, like it’s a fascinating fact.
“Yeah. I told you I’d be quick and come back,” Taerae replies softly.
“Mm. You always do.” His head starts to tip forward, lightly knocking his forehead against Taerae’s shoulder. He doesn’t move away. Neither of them does. He lets him rest there.
Taerae’s heart thumps in his chest. Thump, thump, thump.
He thinks about Gunwook waiting for him. During the few times he was out and the younger was left here (with Yujin), did Gunwook also wait for him like this—despite knowing he’d always come back? His heart hurts. Strangely enough.
“Gunwook-ah,” Taerae says gently, in case he might’ve fallen asleep on his shoulder.
“Yeah?” comes the immediate answer.
“You.. you shouldn’t say things like that when you’re drunk..”
Gunwook frowns. He slowly raises his head off Taerae’s shoulder, now facing him—his brows furrowed in concentration. “But I mean it.”
Taerae gulps. “I know,” he says, voice quieter. “That’s why—”
Gunwook looks at him then, really looks—eyes clearer than they were a moment ago, with a hint of uncertainty in them. “Do you.. do you not like it? Are you uncomfortable? I’m sorry, hyung.”
Taerae opens his mouth and closes it. He sighs.
He could deflect. Joke to lighten up the mood. Blame the alcohol. Tell Gunwook to sleep and just forget it.
He chooses to be honest.
“It’s not that,” Taerae starts. “It’s just.. if you say stuff like that and– and I pretend it doesn’t matter, it’s..” he takes a deep breath, “.. not fair.”
Gunwook’s eyes soften, less uncertain, more.. hopeful. “Does it matter to you, hyung?” he asks, voice a soft whisper.
Yes, Taerae thinks. Too much. Unexpectedly. Being confronted with his feelings certainly wasn’t part of his agendas of the day.
He reaches out before he can overthink it, brushing Gunwook’s hair away from his forehead. The touch is brief, but it sends a quiet shiver through him all the same.
“.. Yeah,” Taerae answers, eyes on anywhere but the boy in front of him, “It does.”
Gunwook blinks. And then slowly, he smiles, pleased, like he’s solved a puzzle. “Then that’s okay, hyung,” he says and promptly slumps sideways, eyelids drooping again.
Taerae exhales a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He lets out a laugh in relief.
“Sleep,” he murmurs, easing Gunwook down properly. He pulls the blanket over him, tucks him in. His fingers linger at the edge of the fabric, reluctant.
As he stands to leave, Gunwook’s fingers catch his sleeve again—loosely, this time. Barely holding on.
“Hyung,” he whispers, already half-asleep, “Don’t disappear.”
“I won’t. We’ll talk again later. Properly. When you’re sober.”
Gunwook hums, satisfied, and lets go.
Taerae sits there a little longer, watching Gunwook breathe evenly, a soft warmth seeping into his chest where anxiety had been before.
Gunwook wakes up a little disoriented.
The room is dark, mouth dry, head clearer than he expected. He blinks at the clock—an ungodly hour, usually happens to people that fall asleep earlier by accident.
For a brief, horrifying moment, everything comes rushing back in—the yellow drink, their messages, and Taerae. Taerae…
Oh god.
He sits up quick, too quickly, giving himself whiplash. He grabs the glass of water that Taerae probably left for him, and gulps it down. He just sits there for a full minute, trying to process everything that happened. Their conversation before he fell asleep. What the hell. His face feels warm thinking about how he’s going to face Taerae now.
It’s quiet when he steps out of his room—save for the living room.
The TV’s volume is on low, casting a dim blue light on Taerae’s face. He’s curled on one end of the couch, knees pulled up, eyes fixed on the screen but unfocused, like he’s been awake for a while.
They look at each other at the same time.
“You’re up,” Taerae says, voice soft, yawning right after.
Gunwook gulps. “Hyung, w–why are you still up?”
The older shrugs a little, rubbing his eyes. “Couldn’t sleep,” he admits. He had a lot to think about. He was feeling.. giddy and a little nervous at the same time.
Gunwook nods. He’s giving it his all trying not to get flustered now—now that all that’s been said. He hesitates before stepping closer, stopping just short of the couch.
“About earlier,” he starts, but then he falters.
Taerae pats the empty space beside him instead. “Sit. Eat first.”
Gunwook blinks. “Huh?”
“The soup,” Taerae says, already standing up, “I bought it for you earlier, can’t let it go to waste.”
Gunwook follows him into the kitchen in a daze, watching Taerae reheat the soup like this was just another ordinary night. Like Gunwook didn’t kinda sorta confess a few hours prior. The normalcy is almost.. comforting.
They sit at the table. Gunwook eats slowly, the warmth of the broth settling in his stomach, his chest. Taerae watches him quietly, a small, fond smile on his face. He pretends not to notice how Gunwook keeps sneaking glances at him.
When the bowl is empty, Gunwook finally exhales.
“Hyung,” he starts. “I remember everything.” he says quietly, eyes fixed on the bowl in front of him.
Taerae stills for a moment, and then he nods. “I figured.”
“I meant what I said,” Gunwook adds quickly. “I know I was drunk, but—”
“I know,” Taerae interrupts gently. He sighs and looks at him then, fully. “You were being honest, I could tell.”
Gunwook swallows. “Then.. hyung, you..”
Taerae takes a breath and lets it out slowly.
“I.. I wasn’t lying either,” he says. “I just never knew how to.. how to even bring it up. Until you did it yourself..” he continues, his cheeks flushing.
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
Silence stretches between them. Not awkward—it was comfortable. Normal. Very.. them.
Gunwook breaks that silence when he suddenly bursts into giggles, burying his face into his hands.
Taerae blinks, startled. “What?” he asks, smiling despite himself.
“I just—” Gunwook peeks at him through his fingers, still laughing softly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m laughing.”
“Is it funny?” Taerae teases gently.
“A little,” Gunwook admits. “I spent months being scared to say anything and then it just… happened—all because you put a weird drink in the juice spot.”
The older huffs a quiet laugh. “You’re never going to let that go, aren’t you?”
Gunwook shrugs. “I mean, we both wouldn’t be here right now without it.” Taerae nods in agreement, an amused smile on his face.
“You could say it changed my life,” the younger adds dramatically.
Taerae rolls his eyes, but he’s still smiling. “You’re impossible.”
“But you like me.”
Taerae doesn’t argue. He just reaches out, nudging Gunwook’s knee under the table lightly with his own. “Drink some water,” he says instead, nodding towards the glass of water on the table. Gunwook does so while smiling to himself.
The TV hums softly in the background, forgotten. Outside, the night feels calm, settled. The two continue talking a bit more with Taerae looking at Gunwook with fond eyes, warmth seeping into his chest again.