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Hey, can I come over?
Yeah, just let yourself in. Kwannie probably will be in the shower and I’m too lazy to get up.
Jeonghan had been expecting it, but he was still surprised when not even 15 minutes after his reply, the door to his room was quietly opened without a knock. He paused his mindless scrolling and put down his phone to look at the newcomer. Seungcheol smiled as he shuffled towards the other lying in bed, his gait a little slow.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself. Just finished your therapy?”
Seungcheol hummed in assent, looming over Jeonghan. His eyes flickered over the other, taking in the dry hair, messed up on the pillow, rumpled T-shirt which looks suspiciously familiar, and little peeks of Jeonghan’s favourite threadbare sweats hidden under the heavy blanket. He looks warm and cosy and homey and Seungcheol just wants to melt into him. Instead, he scrunched up his nose and pretended to take a sniff. “Did you shower after your practice?”
Jeonghan scoffed and rolled his eyes, pretending to be offended. “Yah! Of course I did. You know if I don't do it first thing, I’ll be too lazy to do it at all.” He looked at the other in accusation, eyes going up and down as though scrutinising, but honestly he’s just checking him out. Seungcheol is in his baggy pants that cover his feet, an oversized tee that Jeonghan's going to add to his own collection after this, and his face bare and hair fluffy, obviously after a good shower. He looks good enough to eat. But a banter is a banter, and Jeonghan’s not going to be the one who loses.
“Did you shower? I know you don’t smell like roses after your sessions either.”
Dropping the teasing, Seungcheol grinned and nodded, his dimple popping out. Jeonghan can’t help but to smile too in response as he opened his arms to welcome the other in his embrace.
Only to regret it right in the next second.
“Ugh, do you realise how heavy you are? You’re crushing me, Cheollie!” Jeonghan wheezed as Seungcheol landed on top of him none too gently, his bad knee giving way at the last minute.
“Your knee, you idiot!”
With a groan, Seungcheol plopped a bit to the side so that his full weight was not completely resting on Jeonghan. He looked up from his position just under Jeonghan’s ribs, puppy eyes in full force as he batted his long eyelashes and pushed his lips into a pout. Those baby cow eyes and pout are definitely Jeonghan’s weakness, because how can a man like Seungcheol who deadlifts 100kg for fun looks that cute.
Unfair, really.
So he flicked Seungcheol lightly on his forehead, causing his dramatic ass to yelp and flinch. Not one to lose, he dug in his bony chin to Jeonghan’s chest in retaliation, making Jeonghan let out an involuntary hiss in pain before he smacked the back of Seungcheol’s head, and was rewarded with a whine for his trouble.
In the middle of their playful scuffle, there was a knock on the door.
“Hyung, Jeonghanie-hyung! I saw Seungcheolie-hyung’s shoes at the front door. Is he staying over tonight?” Seungkwan’s voice can be heard right outside Jeonghan’s room.
They exchanged a look and Seungcheol shrugged, laying his head back on Jeonghan’s chest. His hand automatically comb through the older’s hair, longer now that he is on a break.
“Yeah, he’s sleeping over tonight.” Jeonghan answered on behalf of them, still playing with Seungcheol’s hair as the older made himself more comfortable, settling more weight on him, warm palm running up and down on Jeonghan’s side, occasionally stopping to knead slightly.
They heard a snort from outside, “Okay then, just don’t be too loud. Especially you, Jeonghan-hyung. Remember, I’m here too. Good night!” Jeonghan gasped in offence as Seungcheol muffled his laugh into Jeonghan’s shirt, his warm breath coming out in puffs.
“Yah Kwan-ah, he’s injured! I’m not gonna do anything with an injured person!” Jeonghan yelled to defend himself, but they both heard the sound of the door closing in the distance. Seungkwan had already walked away without even bothering to wait for an answer, which is a double blow.
Kids these days! Where are the manners?
Seungcheol continued to giggle slightly, now scooching upwards to nuzzle his face to Jeonghan’s collar bone, which would've been cute if he didn’t open his goddamn mouth.
“Only my knee is injured, the rest of me is still functioning though.” Seungcheol lifted his head to shoot him a sleazy grin, with his stupid, sexy eyebrows wiggling. Jeonghan rolled his eyes, pretending to not be affected.
But he is, just a tiny bit. So in the end, he asked coyly. “Do you want to, though?”
Seungcheol paused, looking like he was really, seriously , thinking it over. But then he shook his head as he let himself slide off further to the side.
“I’ll always want you.” He finally answered with a smirk, and if it was anyone else, Jeonghan would cackle straight to their face considering how cringe it is. But it’s Seungcheol, and Jeonghan is just so weak for him! So now his heart is beating like he just finished an intense performance, and he can feel his blood pumping to his cheeks (and some other unmentionable places) .
“But rehab has been hell lately, and it’s been a long day for you too. You need to rest, baby.”
Baby?! Oh, now Jeonghan feels like biting him.
Play it cool, Han-ah. Remember, you’ve got the upper hand in this relationship.
(He really doesn't.)
“I’m trying to, but I've got this huge leech stuck to me that won’t let me.” He countered, and Seungcheol frowned as he started to sit up.
“Am I really bothering you? I can leave if -” He didn’t manage to finish when Jeonghan pulled him firmly back into his arms, because okay, teasing time is over. It’s cuddling time now.
“Don’t be stupid, Cheollie.”
As they settled in, Jeonghan was showing Seungcheol the pictures of them all during Nana Tour, fawning over every bit and detail, still on a vacation high. Which is why it took him an embarrassingly long time to notice that his boyfriend had gone from offering little commentaries to some noises of acknowledgement to complete silence.
“Cheollie? What’s wrong?”
“...nothing.”
Jeonghan paused, before locking the screen and putting away his phone. He tried to get a good look at the other, because that nothing was definitely not nothing .
“Cheol-ah, look at me. Talk to me.”
The other merely shook his head, suddenly releasing his hold on Jeonghan before turning his body away so he’s facing the wall instead, obviously avoiding the other. Jeonghan felt the loss immediately, but didn’t let it deter him. Despite the other being so obviously bigger than he is, he has tenacity and stubbornness on his side. So he pulled at Seungcheol’s shoulder, making him lay flat on his back instead, and immediately climbed on top of the other, forcefully caging him in.
“Come on, you know you can’t escape me. Talk to me, Cheollie.”
“Nothing, it’s stupid. It’s just, you guys seemed like you’re having so much fun during this trip, and I felt a bit left out. I know you guys are trying to keep me in the loop by the video calls and all, but I..”
Seungcheol clams up, biting onto his bottom lip before he blows out a frustrated sigh.
“Call me selfish, but it hurts. You guys went through so many milestones while I was gone, and you all seemed to manage well without me. Hell, it looks like our team is growing and flourishing just fine without me. And it got me thinking, what am I doing here? I don’t feel like I’m needed anymore. I felt like the members got used to me not being around, and I’m scared. I’m scared that they won’t need me, scared that you won’t need me, that you all won’t love me anymore and then I…I’ll just be forgotten.”
Jeonghan reached out to caress his face, desperate to reassure him. “You know that’s not true! We love -”
Seungcheol cut him off exasperatedly.
“I know it’s not true! It’s just, my mind doesn’t want to accept it. It’s all these thoughts, like I know that’s not true, I know you guys love me and all, but these thoughts, they don’t make it easy.”
Jeonghan paused, looking down at the other beneath him. Seungcheol had his head turned to the side, actively trying to avoid eye contact. He’s trying to battle his own demon, and Jeonghan knows it’s hard to get it through his stubborn mind now. He needs to be louder, to be more forceful. He needs to call in reinforcement.
Literally.
Mind made up, Jeonghan sucked in a deep breath, and then started to yell, startling Seungcheol who was pinned underneath him.
“Kwannie! Kwan-ah! Boo Seungkwan!”
“Yah, what are you doing?! Are you crazy? It’s almost 1!” Seungcheol speaks in an urgent hush, his hands flailing around trying to quiet down Jeonghan, but the other is not deterred as he keeps on screaming for his housemate.
A few seconds later they can hear the sound of door opening, before Seungkwan can be heard screeching back.
“Aish, what do you want, Yoon Jeonghan?!”
“Kwannie, Coups says he doesn’t feel loved by the members.”
“What?! That’s stupid! Coups-hyung, we love you! I love you!”
Jeonghan raised an eyebrow as he looked down at a flabbergasted Seungcheol. “If you don’t reply, Kwannie’s gonna try to break down the door.”
And sure enough, they could hear footsteps coming closer, and then the door was shaking as Seungkwan pounds on it, his voice getting louder and louder. Seungcheol is now sure that they will definitely get a complaint from their neighbours.
“Coups-hyung, Seungcheolie-hyung, I love you. We love you. We miss you when you’re not around.”
Seungcheol swallowed a lump and cleared his throat, glancing between Jeonghan and the door. “Oh, I love you too, Kwannie.”
“Okay, good that you know that. Now tell Jeonghan-hyung to shut up!”
“Love you too, Kwannie!” Jeonghan replied in a sing-song voice, not looking bothered by the slamming door from across the apartment.
“See?” He began, cupping Seungcheol’s face before smushing his cheeks together, inevitably making the other’s lips form an irresistible pout, which Jeonghan dropped a quick peck on before continuing. “Kwannie loves you, I love you, the members all love you.”
There's a beginning of a smile that tugged on the edges of Seungcheol's lips, but Jeonghan can see that he's trying so hard not to show that he's pleased with the attention.
Stubborn little puppy.
“How do you know the members -” Seungcheol did not manage to finish his words when both their phones started dinging with an influx of notifications. Seungcheol looked at Jeonghan in surprise as Jeonghan smirked, running his thumb to smooth out the frown that had formed between the older’s raised brows.
He allows Seungcheol to stretch out a hand to grab his phone from the side table, but doesn't bother to move away from his perch on top of the other’s very solid, very nice stomach.
Seungcheol quickly scanned the notifications, jaw dropping in astonishment as he read through all the love declarations for him from the members in the group chat. Seungkwan’s been busy keeping everyone in the loop, apparently.
“You were saying?” Jeonghan asked, smug as Seungcheol turned his disbelieving eyes to him.
“What - How - How did you know?”
“Because I know Kwannie, I know the members, and I know you too. And the members know you too, just as much as you know them. You are loved, Cheollie. You are needed, you are respected, and we do miss you when you’re not around, you know. It just feels…empty when we’re not complete. And it's such a weird thing to say, considering we're such a large number of people, but it's true. It feels incomplete even if there's only one person missing.”
Jeonghan leaned in closer to steal another kiss before continuing.
“Especially you, our leader. Our spoiled oldest hyung who's always whining at everything, and hates to lose.”
“You hate to lose too!”
“I know, that's why we make such a great team. But back to you, our leader. You’re so dependable, we can always count on you because we know you'll be the first to defend us, and to fight for us. And it’s so reassuring, to know that you’ll always get our backs. But you need to know that we have your back too. Let us protect you too. Let us take care of you too. Trust us a little bit more, please. Have a little bit of faith in us, okay?”
Seungcheol started to get a little choked up, so touched by the love from his members. He swallowed back his tears, unconsciously distracting Jeonghan as his eyes followed the bobbing of his Adam's Apple with fascination, delicate fingers following the movement.
“I do trust you guys. With my everything, with my life.” Seungcheol replied in such an earnest way that Jeonghan couldn't help the way his lips stretched into a grin.
“Good. Love you.” Jeonghan said, sealing it with a kiss on the other's brow. “Love you.” He said again, this time his kiss landing on the cheek. “Love you, love you, love you.” He repeated over and over again, spreading kisses all over Seungcheol's face until the other let out a laugh, complaining that he's being so cheesy. But he didn't make a move to stop him though, not-so-secretly enjoying the attention.
“I love you, Choi Seungcheol.” Jeonghan finally says as he kissed his boyfriend on the lips. “I feel like you keep forgetting that, so I'll remind you again and again. Love you so much. The kids too, they love you.”
Seungcheol's eyes had already become watery, a little overwhelmed as he tried to turn his head to the side, trying to break eye contact but Jeonghan wouldn't let him. It's time like this when Jeonghan will be stubborn to make sure the other really receives his love and affirmations, because he knows the older one needs it.
“I…thank you.” Seungcheol sniffled, then cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed but very much pleased with the verbal affections. “I love you too, so much. The kids too. You're all I have.”
Trust Seungcheol to flip the table all the goddamn time.
Damn Seungcheol and his blatant sincerity!
Now it's Jeonghan's turn to be touched, biting his lips to stop it from wobbling, feeling hot behind his eyes. Seungcheol chuckled, already knowing that it's now his turn to shower the other with affection. He runs a hand through the other's hair, tucking it behind his ear like a habit.
“Thank you for taking over when I'm not around. Thank you for taking care of the kids even when you're not feeling so well yourself. You did such a great job, vice leader.”
Jeonghan pouts, smacking his boyfriend on the chest as he hid his face on the other's crook of neck. “Shut up! I'm supposed to be comforting you, why are you comforting me now?”
“Hey, we can comfort each other, no? Give and take, communication is key, and whatever it is that manager-hyung always says.”
As they were nuzzling over each other like puppies, just basking in the presence of each other, the peace was suddenly broken by the sound of a slamming door. Jeonghan sighed like he had lived a thousand years.
“Kwannie’s not happy with you, Cheollie.”
“What? What did I do now?” He started to ask, but was hushed by a finger to his mouth.
“It’s okay baby, I’ll handle this.” Jeonghan patted the older on the chest as they heard Seungkwan’s loud voice right outside the room.
“Hyung! Coups hyung! Why are you not answering the messages in the group?”
“Unh, right there Cheollie, you feel so good.” Jeonghan suddenly moaned out loud, startling Seungcheol who widened his eyes in shock, and Seungkwan who let out a disgusted shriek.
“Ew ew gross, Jeonghan you horny idiot, be quiet!” Then they heard the hurried footsteps, the slamming of the door, and it’s quiet once again.
Jeonghan grinned. “Works every time.”