yungi ☆ 871 ☆ cw: none ☆ ateez+ aftermath ☆ ao3
the mountain road is quiet in the late evening. yunho hasn't seen another car for probably an hour, the only headlights other than his coming from the film crew behind them. the air turned chillier as the sun set and they left the restaurant and the first thing mingi did when he hopped into the passenger seat was turn the heat on. yunho only rolled his eyes affectionately at wordlessly being made to drive them back. he knows his boyfriend loves the perks of being passenger princess.
their mic packs had been taken off before they left the restaurant and the crew had taken the camera out of the car while they ate, which they were both glad for. mingi was going to do it anyway if they hadn't, just so they could get a little semblance of privacy even with the car tailing them.
at some point during the drive, their hands had naturally drifted together over the console, fingers intertwined as the conversation dwindled into comfortable silence. partly due to mingi drifting off with a full belly, partly because they never needed to fill the air with words.
yunho spares a glance at the passenger seat. mingi is still asleep, his head resting on the seatbelt. their fingers are still laced together. he wishes that mingi would let the world see this side of himself more often—softer edges and blinding brightness, the cutness that comes to him naturally and isn't forced for the camera.
yunho rubs his thumb across the smooth skin of his boyfriend's hand absentmindedly. the gps says there's a four way stop coming up and he has half a mind to turn in the direction that would ditch the filming crew behind him and lead them to the nearest hotel. check himself and mingi in even though they have nothing but their phones on them so he can end their "date" properly in a way that would make them feel like a normal couple for once.
he can't do any of that, though. not if he wants to get them both in trouble with their managers when mingi had no clue at all. plus, its too risky. he could probably get away with it if it was just himself, but adding mingi into the mix would just be adding fuel to the flames. too many eyes and ears and the risks of someone running off to dispatch.
so yunho just sighs quietly and readjusts his grip on the steering wheel. they'll be back to the studio in half an hour, depending on traffic going into the city, and then they'll take the company van back to the dorms, where mingi will most likely bunk with him and yeosang for the night. its a routine yunho knows like the back of his hand.
luckily, traffic isn't too bad and yunho pulls into the studio parking garage earlier than planned. he puts the car into park as the crew start unloading their van and gives himself a minute to just look at mingi. to feel wave after wave of affection and nostalgia both churn in his chest. yunho reaches out with his free hand and brushes away the strands of hair that had fallen in mingi's face.
"mingi-ya," he calls quietly, gently stroking his boyfriend's cheek. "jagi."
mingi stirs with a cute noise that makes yunho's heart stutter and stretches his limbs the best he can in the cramped car. he turns his sleepy gaze onto yunho and yunho practically melts.
"sorry, princess," he says, voice quiet so mingi can wake up at his own pace. "the van will take us home and then you can go back to sleep, okay?"
mingi's answer is a nod and another incoherent sound. before he can let go of yunho's hand to unbuckle his seatbelt, yunho lifts them to his lips and presses a kiss to the back of mingi's.
"thank you for today, mingi," he says earnestly. "it really meant a lot to me. you didn't have to go out of your comfort zone to make me happy, but you did, and i'm incredibly proud of you for it."
"knew it was something you'd be excited for," mingi says, voice scratchy from sleep. "'s my job to make you happy, not only as your boyfriend, but as your friend, too."
they meet in the middle for a kiss. nothing heavy, just a soft press of lips that still makes yunho's head fuzzy when they pull apart.
"i love you," yunho says, brushing their noses together. "i'll take you on a proper date soon, i promise."
mingi hums with a teasing smile. "i'm gonna hold you to that, you know, so you better make good on it."
they get out of the car and are herded into the company van. yunho hardly remembers the ride back to the dorms; exhaustion taking over now that he's not the one behind the wheel, with mingi's head tucked onto his shoulder where he's also fallen back to sleep.
eventually, they make it to their final destination for the night and collapse into yunho's bed after stripping down to their boxers, curling into each other like two puzzle pieces and letting sleep overtake them.