“Cheers!”

Everyone raised their glasses, relief thick in the air. The first performance had gone off nearly perfectly. Fans were frenzied as always and Kyuhyun’s voice was angelic--Ryeowook would grudgingly admit. In the deepest parts of his heart, he’d go as far as saying that Kyuhyun’s voice had a healing quality to it. Listening to him sing was like taking a breath of fresh air after a lifetime of pollution.

But he would never tell him that. It would spell disaster.

Ryeowook downed half of his beer. Setting it down with a satisfied clack, he turned to see Kyuhyun watching him with wide eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“You...really know how to drink,” he stated.

“I do,” Ryeowook nodded a bit, “Is it weird?”

Kyuhyun shook his head quickly. “You’re just smaller, so I figured you’d be a lightweight.” He sipped his own drink, smiling without thinking. It was just another thing to learn about Ryeowook. They had been working together for nearly half a year, but it was the first time they had shared meals. Considering it was a foreign country though, it was hard to figure out what exactly Ryeowook enjoyed eating. He seemed pretty content with whatever they offered, but Kyuhyun wanted to know more.

“You also seem to be drinking a fair amount,” Ryeowook pointed out, eyeing the mostly empty wine glass. “Do you need a refill?”

Surprised, Kyuhyun took a second to nod, unsure if this was a trick. When Ryeowook just laughed at him, he relaxed. Ah. He’s just being nice. The glass was refilled about halfway before Kyuhyun waved Ryeowook away. “I don’t want to go beyond two glasses tonight. There’s still another performance tomorrow.”

“How responsible,” the stylist remarked, flashing a grin.

Kyuhyun’s heart squeezed. Maybe being this friendly with Ryeowook was a bad idea. His crush may have been a little too strong these days. Gulping, he distracted himself by taking a swig from his wine.

A couple hours later, and several drinks later, Kyuhyun was seeing the effects in his roommate. With a coaxing hand, he tugged Ryeowook out of the cab. The man stumbled, giggling and catching himself on Kyuhyun.

The hotel’s parking garage was thankfully secured, so no fans were nearby, however, that made little different to Kyuhyun’s current predicament. He held Ryeowook up as best he could, sagging slightly under the man’s weight. “Hey,” he called gently, “You gotta walk now.”

“Don’t wanna,” Ryeowook slurred, wrapping his arms around Kyuhyun’s neck. He blinked slowly up at him, their noses nearly brushing. His high cheekbones were glowing pink even in the dim lighting. “You’re really handsome...”

“I’m glad you’ve finally admitted it,” Kyuhyun replied, trying to drag Ryeowook toward the hotel doors, “but now is not the time.” Suddenly, an idea struck him. Pausing, he looked down at the drunk. “How about I carry you? Hop on my back.”

“Okay,” Ryeowook nodded, stumbling around until he latched his arms around Kyuhyun’s neck from behind and then jumped up clumsily.

Kyuhyun grunted as he wrapped his arms under Ryeowook’s thighs, holding him up securely. The first step was hard, but then his steps found a rhythm and he trudged through the hotel lobby to the elevators.

He set him down once the lift began ascending. Ryeowook almost immediately slumped to the floor, but Kyuhyun quickly caught him by the waist. “Gosh, you are really drunk,” he breathed, watching the stylist giggle and curl his fingers into Kyuhyun’s shirt.

“Mm, yeah, I am. It’s been a while,” Ryeowook explained, tripping over his words a bit. He smiled as the elevator halted, doors opening. “Is this us?”

Kyuhyun glanced behind him and nodded. “Yep, we’re almost back now.” He tugged one of Ryeowook’s arms over his shoulder, and supporting most of his weight as the shuffled to their room.

It was probably the greatest relief of Kyuhyun’s young life when they tumbled inside and the door shut. He had never taken care of a drunk friend before, let alone a drunk crush. Ryeowook probably wouldn’t appreciate any reminders about this night though.

Kyuhyun helped Ryeowook to his bed, sitting him down and removing the man’s shoes. “Get to bed now,” he ordered as calmly as possible.

“Take my clothes off for me.”

Kyuhyun paused for a long time, contemplating the pros and cons of that request. After what must have been a couple minutes, he finally said, “I’ve been dying for you to ask me that, but I think we better wait.”

“Why?” Ryeowook whined, trying to his shirt. “Let’s get together!”

Kyuhyun shot to his feet. Grabbing a complimentary water bottle off the counter, he tossed it to Ryeowook. “Drink that and go to bed.”

“Where are you going?” he pouted, open shirt sliding down on smooth shoulder.

Kyuhyun stared. With all his self-control, he went for the door. “I’m going to sleep in my manager’s room tonight. See you in the morning.” And then he bolted.