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There’s something so serene in the way that Daeyoung cards his fingers through Riku’s hair, soft and slow, right over the crown of his head. It almost makes him shiver with the way the feeling of it travels down Riku’s spine and to the rest of his extremities.
He’s lying on Daeyoung’s front, bracketed between strong arms and long legs, and there’s the soft scent of Daeyoung’s lavender detergent wafting off the front of his tracksuit. Riku laughs inwardly, thinking about how much Daeyoung loves the wretched blue thing, even going so far as to wear it as pajamas. But it’s nice, it’s familiar, and it’s Daeyoung, and that’s all he really needs at the end of the day.
The sound of Yushi and Sakuya playing games in the living room turns to background noise in Riku’s head, and he instead focuses on Daeyoung’s steady heartbeat beneath his ear. Having been given a free day for the first time in a while, all the members had spent it taking it easy.
Daeyoung had found Riku earlier in the day while he was unpacking the rest of his things from the old dorm, and the younger helped him finish putting the rest of his little trinkets and decor up. Riku’s room had actually gotten a bit bigger, so he had more space to play around with the arrangements, and Daeyoung was happy to give his input.
The rest of the day was spent lounging on Riku’s bed, watching movies, and only leaving those four walls when they’d each gone to shower and when Sion announced that he’d ordered chicken for everyone. After the table had been wiped and the takeout containers cleaned up, the couple had returned to Riku’s room, where the elder had claimed his rightful place atop Daeyoung’s chest.
The past few weeks had gone by in a blur, filled with practices upon practices, outfit fittings, recordings, the whole nine yards. Busy doesn’t even begin to describe their schedules these days, and yeah, they’ve been on tour before, but he’s starting to feel like the airport is his second home.
So Riku is simply tired — it's equal parts mind and body. Daeyoung’s hand moves from the top of his head to the small of his back, and Riku lets his eyes flutter closed when Daeyoung rubs small circles there. It’s soothing, with the gentle breeze from the cracked window brushing over their figures, and Riku would purr if he could.
They stay like that for a while, just breathing each other in, until the movement on Riku’s back slows to a stop. He looks up at Daeyoung, whose head is now lolled to the side and lips parted just a few centimeters. He looks so adorable, and Riku would love nothing more than to fall asleep in Daeyoung’s arms like that, but he should at least get Daeyoung situated a little more comfortably.
“Daeyoung,” Riku calls his name softly, trying not to startle Daeyoung too much. The other stirs, eyebrows furrowing a bit before relaxing again. He’s cute, so impossibly cute that Riku almost coos. “Do you want to go to bed?” Riku asks, and Daeyoung peeks one eye open slowly before closing it again.
“Too far,” Daeyoung responds, and it almost sounds like a whine. It reminds Riku of how he sounds whenever he wakes Daeyoung up on mornings when the younger has snoozed his alarm more times than he should. Daeyoung has been getting better at waking up on time, though.
Riku chuckles to himself, finding humor in how whiny Daeyoung gets when he’s sleepy. “Just sleep here, silly. Yushi will understand.” It might be a little greedy after spending what was essentially the whole day with Daeyoung, but could anyone really blame him for wanting his boyfriend to fall asleep in his bed? The thought of going to sleep beside Daeyoung and having his face be the first thing he sees in the morning makes Riku smile in anticipation.
After they moved into the new dorm, Sion and Riku continued to have their own rooms by virtue of being the first and second oldest. Riku and Daeyoung had no qualms with this because they both thought it was healthy for them to have their own spaces (even though he wouldn’t have minded sharing a room with Daeyoung in the slightest).
It takes no convincing on Riku’s end for Daeyoung to agree, and Riku leaves a small kiss on his jaw.
“Ah,” Daeyoung starts, eyes opening ever so slightly. “But what about Ryo’s live?”
Ryo had mentioned wanting to go on live during dinner, especially since all six of them could easily do it together now. And, of course, Daeyoung would be on the verge of passing out, but still worried about showing up for the rest of the group. Daeyoung’s always been so sweet, such a solid and dependable presence on their team that Riku has little choice but to love him. When it comes to Sakuya and Ryo, he tries even harder, just so that he can be a good hyung and won’t let them down (Riku doesn’t think Sakuya or Ryo could ever be disappointed in him, though).
“Daeng, you’re exhausted. I’ll go and tell them you were too sleepy.”
“But it’s the first live here, all together,” Daeyoung says, all sentimental, although the way he settles even further into the pillows gives no indication that he’s actually going to get up anytime soon, if at all.
“There will be other ones, baby. You—” Riku kisses Daeyoung before pushing himself up and off the younger’s chest. “Just focus on getting some sleep. You’re gonna need it for our schedule tomorrow, anyway.”
Daeyoung nods, gives a little Okay, and Riku busies himself with fixing the duvet properly over the younger’s form so as to keep some of the warmth in.
“How’s that?” Riku asks once he’s pulled the covers up to Daeyoung’s shoulder, the other now curled up on his side, and Riku can tell he’ll be out like a light soon.
Daeyoung nods. “Perfect.”
Riku locates his phone charger on his nightstand and plugs it in. “Baby, where’s your phone?”
Daeyoung shuffles a bit but manages to fish his phone out of his pocket, handing it to Riku with little fuss. The elder plugs it in, and a small chime comes from the device.
“Do you need anything before I go, Daeyoungie?” Riku asks, running a hand up and down the younger’s arm as he watches Daeyoung’s eyes fall closed again.
“Nuh uh,” Daeyoung mumbles softly. “You’re so sweet to me, hyung, always looking out for me,” he continues, and Riku smiles softly, fuzziness blooming in his chest at how saccharine Daeyoung can be.
He kisses Daeyoung on the forehead. “It’s the least I can do, Youngie. You’re always taking care of me, of everyone.” Riku says lightly, because it’s a fact. Daeyoung simply hums, and Riku can see the tiniest bit of a smile forming on his face. “I’ll be back soon.”
Daeyoung clutches the hem of Riku’s shirt when he turns towards the door, a silent plea for another parting kiss because one is just never enough. Even if Riku is going to return to Daeyoung later, the elder would be downright cruel to deny him, so he placed a knee on the bed to support his weight as he bent down to kiss Daeyoung, a proper one to his lips this time.
“Get some rest, love, hm?” Riku whispers, and Daeyoung nods.
“Love you, hyung.” Daeyoung mumbles in his half-conscious haze, and Riku feels it bubbling underneath his skin again, just like every other time. The sensation starts right at his diaphragm, somewhat small but quickly ballooning until it bursts, and Riku feels warm all over, even with the small draft coming in.
“I love you, Youngie. Goodnight.”
There’s nothing but the near-silent sound of Daeyoung’s exhales now, small breaths fanning out from his nose, and Riku has to stop himself from kissing all over Daeyoung’s face. He knows that when he comes back, they’ll see each other in their dreams.