Jeongin stirred, his ears pricking up. Was that Channie hyung home at last? He listened intently for a few seconds and then let his head fall back onto the pillow. No, it couldn't be Channie hyung - he'd be able to hear his footsteps going past the bedroom in that case. No, it must've been something else. Something wholly insignificant and inconsequential in Jeongin's view.
In his current state of mind, Jeongin was focused solely on one thing: the honey-voiced Australian who filled up his heart and mind 24/7. Not only in his waking moments, but in his troubled dreams as well. Chan was an angel in Jeongin's eyes and could do no wrong - except for times like tonight, when he worked really late at the studio, and Jeongin was left lying awake for hours, waiting for him to come home.
The maknae felt like he was being tortured; his heart ached so much he thought it would break at any moment. He couldn't cope when his hyung wasn't around: he always found himself worrying about the older, constantly imagining terrible things happening to him. Jeongin could only truly relax once Chan was safe at home. Until then, there was no way he could fall asleep, no matter how tired he was.
Rolling over for the thousandth time, trying desperately to get comfortable, Jeongin had a sudden idea. If he couldn't relax in his own bed, maybe he could in Chan's? He longed for the comfort of the older's presence, and maybe, just maybe, he could find that by lying in Chan's bed.
Not for very long of course - the last thing he wanted was for Chan to come home and find the younger in his bed! He shuddered as he imagined what might happen, and nearly called the whole thing off. But in his weakened state he knew he needed to do it, for his own well-being, so he eased himself out of bed, careful not to make a sound that might wake Jisung.
Having successfully made it out of the room in silence, he tip-toed down the hallway to the room that Chan shared with Minho and Changbin. He listened at the door and heard two distinct sets of snores, so he carefully pushed it open and went in, closing it behind him as quietly as he could. Breathing a sigh of relief, he started climbing the ladder up to Chan's top bunk. As he got to the top he smiled, already feeling better just by being there.
He picked up Chan's plushie and slid under the sheet, holding it tight. As his head touched the pillow, a beautiful scent enveloped him - it was Channie hyung's scent, the one he loved so much. Breathing it in, he felt an immeasurable calm wash over him. Smiling in relief, he closed his eyes, and immediately drifted off to sleep.
~~~~~♡~~~~~
Chan slipped through the front door of the dorm and kicked off his shoes. God, he was tired! He knew he shouldn't have stayed so late at the studio, but he'd really wanted to finish that song.
He wearily walked down the hall to his bedroom and went inside. Working on autopilot, he grabbed his pyjamas from the drawer beside his bed and then made his way to the bathroom. He got changed, put his dirty clothes in the washing basket, and brushed his teeth. By the time he got back into the bedroom, his eyes were half-closed, and his mind full of fog.
He climbed up the ladder, head drooping, but as he got to the top, he saw something that made his eyes open wide and his head clear in an instant. There was someone in his bed! Chan stared at the dark shape in confusion, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Who could it be?? He listened for a few seconds, concluding quickly that Changbin and Minho were fast asleep in their own beds. So who was in his?
Chan tried to make out the details of the sleeping figure, but it was too dark. As he stood on the ladder pondering, the person suddenly started mumbling. Chan leaned forward, trying to make out what they were saying.
"Channie hyung ... where are you? ... I need you ... please don't leave me ..."
Chan now knew who the sleeper was: it was Jeongin, his adorable maknae. Chan would recognise that voice anywhere. The younger's words were very troubling, though, and Chan instinctively put his hand on Jeongin's head, hoping to soothe him.
Surprisingly, the younger stopped talking immediately, his anguished words morphing into soft snores instead. Chan smiled wonderingly, then climbed onto the bed and slipped under the sheet behind Jeongin. He wrapped his arm around the younger's waist, careful not to wake him, and settled his head on the pillow. Nuzzling the back of Jeongin's neck gently, Chan breathed in the younger's intoxicating scent, then exhaled slowly, his warm breath ghosting over the maknae's soft skin.
~~~~~♡~~~~~
Jeongin opened his eyes with a start. He had no idea what had woken him, but now he was awake, he suddenly felt as though something was wrong. He couldn't put his finger on what, but something felt different. First of all, why could he hear two sets of snores, when he only had one roommate? And why was the plushie in his arms so soft? He knew his own plushie was well-worn from age and ferocious cuddling.
As he was wondering all this, Jeongin felt a soft, warm breath on the back of his neck. Someone's in my bed!! he thought, panicking. He started to roll over, and immediately launched himself backwards as a face appeared right in front of his own.
Now with his back against the wall, Jeongin's face cycled through shock, horror, panic, and then guilt, as he finally registered who was in front of him. As soon as he recognised Chan's face, the full force of his current situation hit him, and he remembered everything. Channie hyung wasn't in his bed, he was in Channie hyung's bed.
And Channie hyung was home.
~♡~