"Why won't this ING. CHAPTER. COME OUT??????"  

Kihyun chuckles knowingly at the irate screams coming from the office. He sets the knife down, stifling a tired sigh as he begins massaging his hands as he walks towards the source of the noise. He goes down the hall and raps his knuckles softly against the wooden door.  

"Kitten~" he calls, resting his forehead against the cool wood as his eyes fall shut. "Why don't you take a break and come help me make dinner?" 

"I can't, babe," Hyungwon replies, his voice muffled. "I've fallen behind on my work... I need to catch up tonight." Kihyun grumbles low in his throat, pouting in dismay. 

"You're not going to get anything done in the mood you're in, Wonnie," he states simply. "Now come on out. I need someone to chop up veggies for me." He hears a sigh, and he almost thinks that Hyungwon is going to deny him. After a few silent moments, though, the door unexpectedly opens. Kihyun falls forward, but lands with a slight 'oof' against his boyfriend's thin frame. A warm chuckle resounds in his ears, and he smiles faintly at the delightful sound. 

"You know, I'm actually in the mood for some takeout tonight," he begins to say, wrapping his arms around the older and petting his back consolingly. Kihyun releases an amused breath as he pulls away, forcing himself to straighten up and seem much more energized than he actually feels.  

“We’ve already spent our monthly eating-out part of the budget,” he tells the younger, as if he should already know this. “Besides, what I’m making will be much better than delivery.” Hyungwon hums, unable to keep himself from caressing Kihyun’s cheek absentmindedly. The older has been getting thin lately, and it shows in his face more than anywhere else. The typically chubby cheeks have thinned out and sunken in, making him seem more like a ghost of his former self than anything else. Hyungwon knows it’s because the older is overworking himself, but if there’s one thing you can’t tell Kihyun, it’s to slow down.  

“Okay, I’ll help,” he says willingly. Kihyun gives him a grateful smile before nodding and turning away, heading back to the kitchen. Hyungwon notes the way the older’s clothes hang off him, seeming about twenty sizes too big… He’d find it cute if he knew those clothes had fit him perfectly only two months ago.  

He knows it’s because of the second job Kihyun had had to undertake to make ends meet. The older is currently in school for nursing, as if having one broke member of the relationship wasn’t bad enough. And now, he’s working two jobs… Hyungwon had offered to get a job himself, to help out in some way with the bills, but Kihyun had insisted he keep his time open exclusively for the freelance gigs that come his way every once in a blue moon. They’d fought about it for a couple days before Hyungwon had finally given in.  

Though, he’s still filled to no end with guilt over the situation. Kihyun just does so much for him, to support his dream of being a successful novelist. He does whatever he can to show Kihyun how thankful he is, and he types his fingers down to the marrow to try and finally land a publishing contract. Such a big break hasn’t come yet, but it will. He’s sure of it.  

Hyungwon does everything the older asks of him that night, even going so far as to shoo him off to do the dishes. Kihyun goes off reluctantly, shooting the younger a bemused little grin. 

“I’ll be studying if you need me,” he tells his boyfriend, smirking in slight disbelief as Hyungwon starts up the dishwater. “Just... remember to use the blue dish soap, okay? Not that cheap yellow stuff you got last time. It doesn’t get all the grease off the pans... And, make sure to put everything away in the right place. There’s a diagram in the drawer beside the sink if you need help, or you could just come as—" 

“Ki,” Hyungwon interrupts, chuckling good-naturedly despite his growing annoyance, “I’ve got this. You go study for that big exam you’ve got tomorrow, okay?” Kihyun hovers in the archway for a moment, one foot in the hall and the other still in the kitchen. He chews on his lower lip, his eyes shining with hesitation, before giving a small nod. He shuffles off, and Hyungwon waits to breathe out a sigh until he hears the bedroom door creak. 

He knows Kihyun’s only being extra- about the dishes because of the exam. He knows Kihyun will be fine tomorrow, will be just his usual amount of nitpicky after he gets out of class... But, that doesn’t make it all the easier to bear now, especially when he’s just trying to do something nice for the older in the first place. After all, Kihyun knows Hyungwon knows how to clean dishes and put them up, he knows the younger is a grown man and not a hapless five year-old. He knows that... 

Hyungwon scrubs at the dishes a little harder than is necessary, his long fingers gripping onto the pink sponge in aggravation. He takes his sweet time cleaning, needing to get out all his annoyance at the shorter before joining the older and bringing more negative energies amidst Kihyun’s already-existing stress. 

He finishes up the task, putting away everything exactly how it should be. He goes off to the bedroom, rubbing at his eyes. He knows he should probably be back in the office, trying to get that damned chapter out of his head for a bit longer, but he’s burned out. He’s been staring at that digitized screen for too many hours than is natural today. 

Hyungwon doesn’t glance at the bed as he passes through to the adjoining bathroom to take out his contact lenses and trade them for glasses. He doesn't take note of the lack of movement from the older until he’s lying beside him, pushing the man’s textbooks and notes out of the way.  

He can’t help the small smile pulling at his lips, gaze affectionate as he finally realizes Kihyun’s out like a light. The older’s lips are slightly parted, a soft snore escaping through them. His glasses are askew on his face, crooked and so adorable. Hyungwon chuckles softly, affectionate. He shifts around to gather the last of the notes and cards and puts them on the bedside table, plucking Kihyun’s glasses off, as well, before shutting off the light. 

The writer throws the blanket over them both, snuggling into Kihyun’s side and resting his head on his chest. 

“Good night, Kihyunnie,” Hyungwon mumbles, his voice already thickened by drowsiness. “I love you... even if you annoy the out of me with all your nagging sometimes.”