HEY, I don't know if you've been writing recently, but I have a daeho request...... hear me out, sad daeho and fem reader comforting him and putting him to sleep. that would be js so cute ☹️☹️☹️
STAY WITH ME TONIGHT
pairing: kang daeho x fem!reader
genre: hurt/comfort, soft fluff, a little angst
warnings: mentions of stress, mild frustration, reader comforting daeho
word count: ~4.2k
a/n: HI ANON I HAVENG BEEN WRITING FOR SO LONGOMGi hope this is good.Iloveyou THIS SI SOC UTE
it’s past midnight when you hear the sound.
a quiet, muffled thump, like someone had dropped something — followed by an irritated sigh.
you glance at the clock. 12:43 a.m.
your first thought is that it’s just daeho messing around in the living room again, probably still awake after another long night of whatever it is he’s been dealing with lately.
you pad out of the bedroom, the cool wooden floor against your feet making you shiver. the apartment is dim except for the faint orange glow from the streetlamp outside, seeping in through the blinds.
daeho’s on the couch. hunched over. his elbows rest on his knees, head in his hands. his hair falls forward, hiding most of his face, but you can still see his jaw tighten.
there’s an empty takeout container on the coffee table. a half-empty bottle of water. his phone sits face-down beside him, like he can’t even stand to look at it.
“daeho?” your voice is soft, but he flinches like you startled him.
he looks up, and that’s when you see it. the heaviness in his eyes. they’re not red from crying, not exactly, but they look… tired. weighed down.
“what are you doing awake?” he mutters. it’s not sharp, just quiet.
you walk over, kneeling a little so you’re level with him.
“couldn’t sleep. what’s going on?”
“nothing,” he says, but it’s unconvincing. he doesn’t meet your gaze.
you don’t push. not yet. instead, you rest your hand lightly on his knee. “daeho.”
that gets him. he exhales, the sound heavy.
“i don’t know,” he admits, voice barely above a whisper. “it’s just- everything feels like too much right now.”
you wait. you’ve learned that if you give him time, he’ll keep talking.
and he does. “every day it’s… calls, messages, people wanting something from me. i keep thinking i’m doing enough, but then there’s always something else i didn’t do, something i messed up. i try not to care, but i do.”
his hands clench into loose fists.
“i can’t even remember the last time i felt… normal.”
your chest aches. you’ve seen him like this before. on the edge, worn thin. but tonight feels different, like he’s been holding it in too long.
you shift closer on the couch and gently take one of his hands, prying it open so you can lace your fingers with his.
“you don’t have to be ‘normal’ right now,” you tell him quietly. “you just have to be here. with me.”
his lips twitch like he’s about to smile, but it doesn’t quite happen.
“come on,” you say, tugging lightly on his hand. “bed.”
he resists at first. “i’m not-”
“dae..” your tone leaves no room for argument.
he sighs but lets you pull him up. his movements are slow, like his body is weighed down, and when you lead him to the bedroom, he sits on the edge of the bed without a word.
you crawl in beside him, grabbing the blanket and wrapping it over both of you. the room is dark now except for the faint light from the hallway.
he lies down stiffly at first, but when you shift closer and rest your head against his chest, you feel the tension in him start to ease. your hand rests lightly over his heart, feeling the steady beat beneath your palm.
“you’re quiet,” you murmur.
“don’t know what to say,” he replies.
“you don’t have to say anything.”
a beat of silence. then he admits, even softer, “i hate feeling like this.”
you tilt your head up slightly. “like what?”
“weak. like i can’t handle my own life.”
“you’re not weak,” you say instantly, the words firm. “you’re human. and humans get tired, daeho. you’ve been carrying so much on your own— of course it’s heavy.”
he swallows, and you feel it against your temple. his arm comes around you almost hesitantly, holding you a little closer.
“what if i mess everything up?”
“then we deal with it,” you say simply. “together.”
you don’t know how long you stay like that. just breathing, the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath you. eventually, you feel his body loosen, his breathing evening out.
“you’re not going anywhere, right?” he asks suddenly, voice barely audible.
“not a chance.”
finally, he closes his eyes. you stay awake a little longer, brushing your thumb lightly over his side until you’re sure he’s asleep.
and when you eventually drift off too, it’s with the quiet satisfaction of knowing that, for tonight at least, he’s at peace.
