Jookyun. Exhaustion. Rated T.
Changkyun watches Jooheon from the corner of his eye, vision pulled to his face over and over in concern. The other man is silent, usual dimples nowhere to be found- the makeup on his face making him almost look gaunt with the shadows of his hat playing on his face. His fingers itch to pull the hat free, scratch through his hair sprayed hair and watch his shoulders drop in relaxation, but they’re still waiting, surrounded by staff.
They’re finally done with the performances at least- the entirety of Christmas day spent waiting long hours and practicing sets over and over. They’re all exhausted, and they’re asked to post one last time to twitter- to show more love to Monbebe, so they do.
Jooheon can barely muster up a smile for the pictures, eyes blinking heavy and creasing into a double lid- a clear sign of his exhaustion. He seemed to be more tired than the rest- having performed his own set a few days prior- then theirs, and writing for the OST- he’s had almost no down time at all.
They’re all quiet as they file out the van, Jooheon sticking close to his side as they shuffle like zombies.
They steal the back seat, pressing in close to one another- and Changkyun can finally turn full attention to Jooheon.
“Sleep” He says softly, and Jooheon nods, head already lolling over to rest on his shoulder. He reaches subtly, squeezes the others hand soft and gets a gentle squeeze back- then Jooheon falls asleep.
The hotel rooms are a scramble, even though they’re all tired they’re grabbing bags and water bottles from the staff- hustling to get to their beds.
They’re on the 14th floor, highest up and they catch an elevator before anyone else, escaping finally to quiet where they both sigh heavily. He and Jooheon get to be together for once - he’s unbelievably thankful that manager hyung decided to get own this time. He’s sure if they hadn’t he would have spent the night worrying.
Once they’re in, door closed and locked secure, he gets their bags and dumps them down on the bed. They’ll only be using one anyway- so he plucks the extra pillows off and throws them to the bed near the window.
Jooheon is shuffling towards their bed, his face blank and still a little bit swollen from the sleep he got on the drive. It would be adorable if it didn’t twist Changkyun’s heart to see his usually animated lover so subdued.
“Hey” Changkyun calls soft, and dark eyes look up, small warm smile for him when he hooks their fingers.
He kisses soft lips, nuzzles the other’s nose.
“lets shower” a soft suggestion, and Jooheon is too tired to disagree to anything, so he nods and gets up to rummage through his bag.
Changkyun makes his way to the small washroom, shedding his clothes as he goes. The shower is big enough for them both, thankfully- and he opens the glass panel to turn it on hot.
He feels more than hears Jooheon, soft breath against his shoulder, a gentle kiss and then the other’s forehead resting in the curve of his neck.
“the water will feel good” he says, and gets a soft “mmm” back.
He lets Jooheon stay still for a second longer, and then turns- starts plucking at the buttons of his shirt.
This gets him a real smile, fingers brushing his away to undo it himself.
“I can I can” a little laugh, but Changkyun’s not having it.
“let me” he pushes, untucking the silk and undoing the heavy leather belt.
Fingers fall away, their eyes meeting- smiles shifting a little and then Jooheon leans in and kisses him, a quiet “thank you” against his lips.
As much as Jooheon was the cute one, was the baby, the one to throw tantrums when he was mad- he wasn’t someone that usually let others take care of him. He was fiercely independent- and he almost thought of it as a weakness. It had taken Changkyun some time to get him to allow himself to be cared for, loved in the way he liked to take care of others.
So when Changkyun had the opportunity, he always took it- and tonight he needed it more than he would admit. He remembers what Jooheon looked like before his hiatus, fraying at the edges- and he was more sensitive to his lover now more than ever.
Finally, both naked- he turned, pulling the other into the now hazy warm stall.
Letting the water run over his face, Changkyun felt immediate relief in his shoulders and back. He smoothed his hair back, wiping water out of his face and then they switched places.
Quietly he observed, the little spots where Jooheon’s ribs stuck out a tiny bit more, where his defined jaw looked a little sharper. The cut of his hip even more pronounced. It made him worry.
The other stayed still a long while, letting the water wash over him, run down his face and across his chest. He was still so long Changkyun stepped against him, close enough to pull him gently out of the water.
“are you okay?” he asked, eyes serious when they met- and he watched the emotions flit across Jooheon’s face.
“I’m exhausted” like a confession- and Changkyun smoothed his dark locks back, smearing his eyeshadow across his soft skin, but he needed to touch.
“we have an open schedule the next two days, lets stay here- sleep tomorrow and spend the day in bed” He watched the war, knew Jooheon wanted to go home, do what he did best- work and work.
“please” He tacked on, wanting to finally take care of Jooheon the way he always craved.
“okay” and he smiled at the agreement.
He plucked at the soap then, getting suds in the loofa and pulled a little until Jooheon let him scrub over his chest, down his sides.
It was intimate in a different way, a level of trust that he relished- to watch dark eyes slip closed, completely confident in Changkyun. The stress was gone for now, he could tell- and he gently scrubbed the other’s skin, almost reverent in his touch.
Clean and rinsed, he tilted his head back- sunk soapy fingers into the others hair- and watched him melt further and further.
Once he was done, he rinsed- rushing his own routine as Jooheon watched him through heavily lidded eyes.
Nothing sexual about it, but it made his skin prickle all the same- the amount of obvious adoration in his gaze intoxicating.
Finally done, they shuffled out, wrapping themselves in the fuzzy white towels the hotel provided.
Checking his phone, Changkyun felt his own exhaustion hit him- 3:20 am. He pulled on shorts, not bothering with anything else- Jooheon was always a heater when he slept.
When he turned he found the other laying back on the bed covers, arms straight out at his sides- completely passed out.
He walked over a little closer, used his own towel to gently dry the water droplets left over on his chest and stomach. His face was completely lax, dark wet locks curling across his forehead.
Sometimes he loved this man so much he felt like it would suffocate him. Like it wanted to come out of his throat in torrents of poetry- it made his heart thud so hard against his ribs it felt like he would burst.
Softly, he traced the other’s brow- and leaned down to kiss his cheek, the gentle touch enough to rouse him.
“do you want sweats or shorts?” He asked, and Jooheon blinked sleepily, reaching for the shorts.
He dropped his towel, tugged them on, and was crawling into bed the next second.
Changkyun watched him fluff the pillows while he put his sleep cream on, and once the other laid back heavy- finally satisfied, he switched the lights off.
When he climbed in, hands found him quick- pulling him over until they were tight together- Jooheon’s cool hair pressed just below his chin.
Sometimes they slept like this, with Jooheon curled against him wanting to be held- but it was rare, and it always made his heart soft. Wrapping arms around him, he pulled the blankets up, tucking them into a cozy cocoon of warmth.
“I love you” raspy and deep against his sternum and he kissed wet locks, whispering the words back.
He didn’t fall asleep until he felt Jooheon go lax against him, finally lulled down into dreams by the others soft breathing.
