Title: Kiss Me to My Dreams

Author: miss2l

For: ice420

♥규 성♥

Kyuhyun had been having a blast.  The lights, the friends, the food, the music, the drinks, it had been brilliant.  It wasn’t a large occasion, really, considering the amount of connections he had, it could have been much bigger.  It wasn’t like turning twenty-six was some life changing event, so he  decided to keep it small, kind of, with just a few close friends from here and there. Just some of the SNSD girls, about half of the SHINee boys, the few EXO kids that he knew (and thank goodness that list didn’t include the minors of the group), his Kyu-line and, of course, his beloved Super Junior Hyungs.  It wasn’t an extensive list, really.

He had booked out a club that was just around the corner from the dorm, a small nice place that he had a few years of history with.  His guests had come flooding in as soon as the clock struck eight, each bearing gifts, some wrapped in bright pink bows and others just simple and plain. He had been quite tempted to rip open the seals and wrapping paper immediately, but quickly forgot about his growing pile of gifts when the alcohol came out.  It was no secret that Kyuhyun enjoyed his liquor and this place did them just right.  Colourful martinis and shots came out and they were being downed in a matter of seconds.  The bartender was having a hard time keeping up from all the orders, hardly any lightweights present at this event.

Having long lost count of just how many drinks he had had, he popped the shot of single malt Macallan, uncaring to his state of mind.  Kyuhyun liked all kinds of alcohol; he appreciated the fine wines and adored the hard liquors, and could handle it all with little to no problem.  He had played several drinking games, downed a few for the sake of it, and still came out of it all only a little tipsy.  The world had that telltale haze and fog that indicated that he was crossing the line into full out drunk but who cared?  It was his birthday!  Well, almost his birthday.  He wasn’t really one to get terrible hangovers so it wasn’t a big deal, he could shake off the night of drinking and still perform tomorrow… Okay, bad thought, bad thought, he was just groaning at having to work the next day, on his birthday.

He stumbled to his shaky feet, glancing around the room, betting that more than half of the guests hadn’t had even a fraction of the alcohol he had had.  He knew the SNSD girls couldn’t get too wasted because they had just had comeback but he could see Sooyoung breaking down into some strange movement, the usually graceful girl only dancing with some extent of coordination, and Yuri was trying to move to the beat whilst laughing her guts out. Yoona looked like the most sober but even then she was mostly following along with the insanity that was happening on the dance floor. The three girls seemed to dominate the little dancing that was going on with their wild arm flailing but he saw Minho, Donghae and Eunhyuk having their own little sways and grinds, almost like some mini competition between the guys and the girls was going on.

“Kyuhyunnie!” Being drunk really was not the best time to be tackled, especially by Sungmin and Ryeowook who seemed to get extra hyperactive when they had some alcohol in their system.  “So…” Ryeowook drawled out, his eyes opened wide and grin in full blast, it seemed like he had eaten all the sugar in the world rather than had a couple of drinks.  “How’s it like?  It’s like fifteen minutes to midnight, feel any older?”

“Don’t worry Ryeowook-ah…” Kyuhyun chuckled sloppily, still conscious and sober enough to think up some sort of retort.  “I haven’t felt the unfortunate signs of old age like you have yet.” He decided to top the whole thing off with a sneaky little smirk and Ryeowook pouted, grumbling incoherently.  Always fun to poke at his Hyungs’ ages… No matter how much he aged, he would still be the youngest and that was a great advantage, especially when some of them experienced aching backs and cracking joints.

“You spoilt brat.” Sungmin laughed, slapping Kyuhyun on the back a little too hard.  It was no joke when Sungmin, as in muscular buff martial arts Sungmin, decided to whack him, even if it was in jest. 

“You notice Yesung-hyung?” Sungmin nudged his head in the general direction of one of the deep blue couches, Yesung sated upon it, sipping at a clear liquid that didn’t look like it had a drop of alcohol of it.  He was chatting animatedly to Kangin and Yuri who had taken a short break from the intense dance floor, sweaty and still giggling like a maniac.  From the pretty, amused smile on Yesung’s lips, it looked like she was pretty drunk and spouting absolute nonsense.  Kangin looked a little tipsy, perhaps only having had one or two drinks, red in face and laughing heartily.

“He’s playing the ‘sober friend’ again.”

“So, me and Sungminnie-hyung were thinking, maybe the birthday boy should convince Yesungie-hyung to have a little fun and loosen up!” Ryeowook said with hopeful eyes, giggling and clapping like what he had suggested was idea of the century. “I mean Hyung does have a majorrrrrrr soft spot for you.” Ryeowook slurred clearly, mischievous smile in place, raising a thin well shaped eyebrow.  “And I bet our cute Kyuhyun wouldn’t like if his favourite Hyung wasn’t having the time of his life by having a few drinks.”

Kyuhyun couldn’t help but scowl and roll his eyes at the clear implication Ryeowook was making out with his suggestive looks.  It was possibly Kyuhyun’s biggest secret that he may have had a tiny, teensy weensy crush on his Yesung-hyung (which might show how bad he is at keeping secrets).  He didn’t even know where it all started.  It could’ve been his pretty almond eyes, that gorgeous smile, those cute baby fingers, the coffee and vanilla scented skin… it could’ve been any of those but it probably was that quirky personality of his. 

Yesung had this thing about just naturally making people smile without having done anything much.  He was a klutz and fail to adorableness and negative to a fault but also tended to care infinitely more than the average Joe.  Those talks in the afternoons to midnight, from dusk to dawn, were highly valued and the inside jokes and quiet laughs they stifled in the wee hours of night were beyond valuable.

Somewhere, sometime, somehow, Yesung had managed to nab Kyuhyun’s heart with his tiny fingers and sometimes it was a little hard to conceal.  Sometimes he just couldn’t help that his gazes lasted too long, that his hand sometimes unconsciously supported Yesung’s lower back, that he couldn’t fight a smile, that he couldn’t help but pry someone away that was standing a little too close.  He couldn’t help grabbing Yesung’s tiny fingers in his hand or sometimes discretely smell the coffee-vanilla scented skin.  He didn’t even need to tell Ryeowook and Sungmin about the heart palpitations and slight face flushing he had to experience whenever he thought of smiling eyes and a stunning smile, they noticed anyway.  They never outright stated anything but they implied things all the time and they relished in the power they had over the usually manipulative maknae.

Obviously, his crush took away his ability to think because before he could even nod or decline he had two drinks shoved into his hands and was pushed in the general direction of Yesung.  He clearly wasn’t drunk enough to be too dazed  to stare at Yesung throw his head back as he laughed whole heartedly (and that neck, that smooth creamy neck that he might have thought about biting a few times) to really put up a resistance.  He was left only with a “Just give this to him, I don’t know the name of it but it’s pretty and purple and will get him pretty drunk in no time” from Ryeowook before he half swayed, half walked to the dark couches. 

Reaching his destination, he put the drinks on the glass table as steadily as a drunk man could and shooed Kangin away.  Yuri had already returned to the dance floor, currently dancing in extremely close proximity to Minho but Kyuhyun decided maybe he should just leave that as something negligible. 

“Shoo Kangin-hyung, I wanna talk to Yesung-hyung.” Kyuhyun gave Kangin’s shoulder a few ungraceful, sloppy pushes and childishly growling in the back of his throat when the older man barely budged.

“Just how hammered are you?  Wanting to hang out with this weirdo?” Kangin chortled, getting up anyway and gesturing to Yesung who scowled.  He slapped Kangin’s arm with a pout and narrowed his eyes at the slight. Kangin snickered and ruffled Yesung’s hair who growled audibly, slapping away at the big hand that was violating his carefully styled locks.  He was Kim Jongwoon, Super Junior’s Yesung for goodness sakes!  He had spent close to half an hour getting his look just right.

“Bastard, you’re not exactly peaches and cream to stay around either.” Yesung rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and glaring vehemently, Kangin just grinning down at him and squeezing his cheeks.  Clearly insulted by the implied slur, Yesung kicked his shin from his sitting position and Kangin was ready to smack Yesung across the face as he held his leg in pain.

“Just go Kangin-hyung, talk to Yoona or something.” Kyuhyun whined, putting more force into his push as he shoved Kangin to where the SNSD girls had slowed their dancing significantly, flirting a little with the SHINee boys and Super Junior Hyungs.  The prospect seemed quite desirable to Kangin who honed in the fun he could have speaking suggestively with the cute younger girls in their company. 

Usually he wouldn’t dare, managers and all other kinds of people would reprimand him, but in his alcohol clouded mind he really didn’t give a .  Plus, they were wearing short skirts and high heels, colourful accessories and crop tops… what fun, what fun! Why hadn’t he done this before?  He had how many hours to flirt shamelessly?  He’d been too preoccupied catching up with s that he missed out hours of opportunity. Shaking his head at his stupidity, he gestured at his two members before he quickly made his way over to Sooyoung and her legs that went on forever.

“So Kyu what did you want to- Hey!” Before a proper sentence could even be said, Kyuhyun sprawled himself all over the couch, long limbs flung in random places and his torso half lying on Yesung’s lap. “Get off you , you’re heavy!  Do you even know how heavy you are?” He whacked the man slumped on him but that had little effect. The younger man’s much larger hands were great at protecting him from the violent baby hands of his Hyung.

“You sat on my lap while I was standing up, you can handle this.” Kyuhyun chuckled, shifting until he was totally comfortable, looking up extra cutely at his annoyed Hyung.  They had been caught in the moment at the time and Kyuhyun just loved to tease Yesung about the little incident, lap sitting for Yesung being a bit too intimate despite his affectionate personality.  It was hilarious how red Yesung could become with just a simple mention of it and it seriously stood out on Yesung’s smooth, pale complexion.

Kyuhyun squinted his eyes as her took in Yesung’s reaction.  As he assumed, his Hyung was flushing a pretty pink colour, like always.  Tonight, though, there seemed to be something more gorgeous than usual.  There was just something about Yesung from this particular angle was ridiculously beautiful; like his skin was glowing or that his eyes were shining.  Okay, that was probably corny and the alcohol talking, but it was still part truth that Yesung was enchanting (that might be his crush filled mind talking, but that’s irrelevant) with or without the additional time he always spent to doll up before an outing. 

“You’re such a brat.”

“You’re such a party pooper light weight.” Insert giggle and a little roll on Kyuhyun’s part as Yesung looked at him with an adorably shocked look, eyes wide and mouth agape.

 “Drink a little Hyung, live it up, have fun, you’re just getting older!” Kyuhyun slurred, pointing unsteadily at the cocktails standing tall on the table, “Just one drink Hyung, it’s my birthday.  You can’t get that drunk off one drink.”

“You know very well how drunk I’ll get from one drink, Kyuhyun-ah.  I’ll probably end up worse than you.  Blame it on old age all you want, you .” Yesung said sighing, looking down at the reasonably drunk male on his lap.  Kyuhyun wasn’t totally lost, just not coordinated, not really in the right state of mind and speaking a bit like a sentence was one giant word.  Kyuhyun as a drunk was quite subdued, when totally gone from the realistic world to the highs of alcohol, he was floppy and flailing at his worst, not acting like the usual Kyuhyun in his messy comebacks and muddled movements.  He’d seen much, much worse (read: himself).

“Just one drink, Hyung, come on…” Kyuhyun droned, his coherency notably deteriorating by the minute.  Must’ve been the Macallan he downed, that thing was powerful and the world was becoming a misty mess.  “Jongwoon-ah, please…” And now the ‘Jongwoon-ah’ came out.  It was only in those late night talks that lasted to day break, in the hours of talking without any boundaries, that all barriers of respect were dropped, where Yesung-hyung became just ‘Jongwoon’. 

“Don’t ‘Jongwoon-ah’ me.” Yesung scolded lightly, raising an eyebrow at the drowsy Kyuhyun sprawled in his lap.  Kyuhyun pulled a pout up at him and Yesung wanted to either smack him senseless or cuddle him forever.  There seemed to be a very fine line between the two and he really couldn’t be bothered trying to distinguish them.  He shook his head at the maknae and Kyuhyun simply grinned, trying to win his favour.

“Hyung, please.  It’s my birthday, you have to do whatever I want.” Kyuhyun reminded,  as he gestured to the drinks on the table and gave Yesung the most condescending look he could muster in severely drunk state. “Who cares if you’ll get drunk?  You won’t die off one drink.  Come on Hyung, for meeeeee.” He sighed and sat up a little, taking off most of his weight from Yesung, swaying a little from the movement.  He grabbed the closest vibrant purple cocktail and downed the whole thing in one gulp. “There, look, I drank one, now you have to drink one too.  Birthday boy gets to make the decisions, so you have to follow what I say.  Now drink.”

“I already told you, I don’t want to, birthday boy or not.  It’s not even your birthday yet anyway- hey wait!  Why are you biting me!” Yesung looked at the younger in mild (extreme) disgust as he literally grabbed Yesung’s arm and chomped on his forearm.  It wasn’t painful but the dull nibbling was a tad gross and he didn’t exactly enjoy Kyuhyun’s slobbery saliva sloshing over his arm.  If sober, Kyuhyun would never even dream of doing this, it was degrading, a hit to his pride and beyond childish.  His mind was clouded up with alcohol though, so in this moment, biting Yesung on the arm was very smart and reasonable.

“It’s practically my birthday and I won’t stop ‘til you do.” Kyuhyun drawled, or as much as he could with the drinks weighing his brain down and Yesung’s arm between his teeth.  Yesung looked down at the dilemma latched onto his limb, wondering if he should risk knocking some of Kyuhyun’s teeth out by violently yanking his poor arm away.   Caught in indecision, Yesung just sighed and decided to give in.  What was one drink, right?  (Seriously, why was he kidding himself?)  It should be better than getting spit all over his arm. 

“Fine, ok, fine!  Just stop eating my arm!” Yesung whined, clearly exasperated with the situation, he was stubborn as an ox so having to give in in this situation was just annoying.  Kyuhyun unlatched himself, grinned stupidly and the cocktail in Yesung’s face.  The elder looked at the vividly coloured drink with suspicion, the thing looking almost deadly or poisonous.  He weighed out his options again… He could take this thing and let the alcohol wreak havoc with his body like it did every time or he could have Kyuhyun bite him again and drool all over his arm… With that thought in mind he took the glass and quickly drank the whole thing in one shot. “There!” Yesung placed the empty glass on the table, already feeling a buzz and flush in his cheeks, “Happy?”

“Very.” Kyuhyun said somewhat smugly, eyes dropping, smile lazy.  He looked down at his watch, noting the time with blurry vision.  12.01am.  “Now it’s my birthday Hyung, now you really have to listen to me.”  With that Kyuhyun fell back down into Yesung’s lap, shifting and curling up as he pleased, trying to find the perfectly warm, perfectly comfortable position. “Mmmm, Hyung your thighs are the best pillow, I swear.”

Yesung didn’t even get the time to ask if he was implying he was fat before he felt Kyuhyun nuzzling his inner thigh and soft snores followed soon after.  The warmth was simply too much.  Kyuhyun was undoubtedly a dopey, sleepy drunk and the final drink did him in.  His head had been heavy, body begging for some shut eye and when he felt Yesung’s softness, his heat, it was impossible not to drift off into dreamland.  Yesung looked down at the peaceful Kyuhyun, chest rising slowly, breaths even, his fingers through the curly brown locks.  But he couldn’t even take it all in properly, his fingers moving as if a living separate entity only somewhat connected to him.

***

It was warm and bright.  That was all Kyuhyun could register.  That and it was like he was floating in an upright position.  He couldn’t really see either.  It was like he was wearing a blindfold and instead of covering him in darkness it surrounded him in this blinding light.  He tried to wander but quickly realised it wasn’t really getting him anywhere.  It wasn’t like he wanted to leave anyway, his skin tingled with the warmth that just lingered in the air, his heart palpitating happily and it was like he was enveloped in some great embrace.

He felt movement against his back and he couldn’t believe how out of it he must’ve been when he realised there was a person nestled against him and he didn’t even know it!  It was also only when that person began shuffling a bit more, nuzzling their nose into his shoulder blades and pressing even closer, that he realised they even had their arms wrapped tightly around his middle.  Just how dazed was he that he couldn’t even realise that there was someone hugging him?  It wasn’t like he was in an embrace, he really was in an embrace!

“Kyu…”

The calling most undoubtedly came from the person holding him desperately but it was almost like it was echoing in his head, sultry and gorgeous, needy and loving.  Kyuhyun’s heart sped up at the very sound, the arms squeezing him only adding to the quick drumming.  In Kyuhyun’s blind brightness, he felt the person shuffle some more, hands groping around his middle until he found his shoulders, turning Kyuhyun around.  The person tackled his chest, arms going around him once more, a head nestled in the juncture between his neck and shoulders this time. 

“Kyu…”

Kyuhyun somehow found himself reciprocating the embrace of this unidentified person as they murmured his name so sweet and gentle, rumbling against his chest and Kyuhyun couldn’t help but bury his nose in his hair.  The scent that practically radiated off in waves was simply too familiar… Something rich and creamy, just the tiniest bit spicy and tangy, undoubtedly bitter but undeniably sweet… Kyuhyun felt like an absolute idiot for not being able to name it because it was on the very tip of his tongue, his brain desperately trying to decipher the riddle that was this person.

“Kyu…”

The person called once more, softly, tenderly, fondly, almost as if they had been intimate for years.  They lifted their head from his chest and before Kyuhyun could really understand what was going on, a pair of lips pressed firmly against his, still as warm and kind as this person seemed to be.  The person pressed deeper, moving delicately and Kyuhyun could practically hear his name being called over and over again, except this time the sound being transferred not through sound but through touch. 

It was so sweet and wonderful, Kyuhyun moving perfectly in sync with the other, the two almost having the most beautiful harmony.  He couldn’t resist pulling the person closer, tilting his head a little to bring them closer, deeper.  It was like oxygen didn’t exist in this world because the kiss went on forever.  It was a delightful forever because Kyuhyun never wanted it to end.  He didn’t even know this person but it was like he did, everything was too familiar.  The scent, the way they fit together, the way they moved so harmoniously… It was the perfect situation.

And then something strange happened.  Kyuhyun didn’t question the unseeing state he was in, he accepted it and just continued to go with what his heart was furiously beating for – to continue moving along with this person.  Then, however, things started to get more blurry than bright, the light dimming if only slightly.  It was a slow process but Kyuhyun was pretty sure it wasn’t as dazzling as before, instead a softer brightness, almost as if someone was turning a dial for the dim on the light bulb that had been implanted in his eyes when he entered this world.  Soon, he could make a shape… a very fuzzy, blurry shape that he could barely make anything out of.  But that shape was pressed against him, impossibly close and kissing him.  Clarity was increasing by the second and Kyuhyun wondered who this person would turn out to be.

“Kyu… I love you.”

***

“Kyuhyun-ah, breakfast time!”

Kyuhyun would have thrown Sungmin off the bed if it weren’t for the splitting hangover.  Through squinted eyes he made out his bedroom as he remembered it always to be, messy desk, half thrown open closet, clothes lying all over the floor… The only difference was Sungmin who had pounced on him and was currently grinning from above him.  He was ready to swat at his annoying Hyung but the pounding in his head too difficult to ignore and he ended up grabbing his head instead.

“Finally!  The almighty Kyuhyun gets a hangover!  I’ve been waiting for this day for years!” Kyuhyun could only glare at Eunhyuk who was standing in the doorway, gummy smile large and cheeky.  Eunhyuk’s voice was extremely annoying at this point in time, ringing in his ears and making him beyond dizzy.  He glared at his Hyung as Sungmin pulled his half-dead body out of bed.  “How much did you drink last night?  This is the most hammered I’ve ever seen you.”

“Give him a break, Eunhyuk, it’s his birthday, he deserved to drink.” Sungmin said with a cheery smile, clearly not affected by the alcohol of the previous night at all.  He pulled Kyuhyun along, the maknae practically crawling from all the throbbing that was going on.  Just opening his eyes was a pain, how could his Hyung expect him to walk?  “Come on, Kyuhyun-ah, Ryeowookie made some hangover soup.”

“Yeah, Kyuhyunnie, you got work later, remember?” Eunhyuk teased, drawing out every word just to annoy the powerless maknae.  On his way out of the room, Eunhyuk managed to smack him over the shoulder and Kyuhyun just wanted to pass out.  Oh, the sweet revenge he would take on his monkey Hyung when he got in the right state of mind.  Suffering from a massive headache was definitely not it so had to deal with what Eunhyuk deemed payback for the years of torture he had to endure.

He was rather surprised he didn’t fall on the floor in a whining, aching mess on the way to the dining room but he made it in one piece, sitting down by the table while Sungmin went into the kitchen to help Ryeowook.  In his loneliness he planted his face onto the smooth surface of the table, taking deep controlled breaths to try and just lessen the pain.  He pressed his face deep into the table mat and breathed in a scent that seemed somewhat nostalgic.  Taking another slow breath with his nose he smelt it again.  Squeezing his eyes closed and concentrating he took another breath and couldn’t deny it now – there was something there.

It was like warmth defined, something cosy and safe.  It was like a soft mist that seeped through his skin, made him feel secure and loved, spreading through every inch, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.  It was the scent of contentment, the scent of soft wonderful afternoons, full and luscious to his nose.  It soothed his agonising headache, calming his aching body, relaxing him the way no antidote could.  He wanted to hold the scent, to hold it tight in his arms, almost like it had a tangible body he could grab and embrace.  He wanted to feel it against his fingers, feel it warm against his chest and feel it lovingly against his lips…

“Wait!” Kyuhyun sat up too quickly, his head immediately protesting at the sudden movement, his throat crying at his yelp.  That scent, that feeling, that kiss, that dream… He had woken up like many others, forgetting the hazy fantasy within a few seconds but then that smell… it brought everything back like a harsh slap to the face, almost like it was real.  But it was just a dream right?  Just a silly little concoction of his brain whilst he was sleeping.  Yet the scent lingered in the air, in the chair he was seated in, all over the table, just simply everywhere… he sniffed twice, three times, four times, the familiar yet unnameable aroma just teasing his nose, undoubtedly there but wandering freely.  The scent of someone in the dorm was floating around everyone and that someone kissed him. 

“What is wrong with you?” Sungmin asked incredulously with a raised eyebrow as he walked into the dining room, a tray in his hands.  He placed the tray in front of Kyuhyun, a bowl of tantalizing soup sitting before him.  Looking up at Sungmin, Kyuhyun registered his sceptical expression, thinking to himself only minimally before practically jumping on him based on pure instinct.  His body was protesting against the movement but he didn’t care, he buried his nose into Sungmin’s neck and took a nice long breath.  He didn’t get to stay there long before Sungmin violently pushed him away, a horrified look on his face.  He took a few long, slow, calming breaths before muttering to himself as he walked away, “It’s his birthday, Sungmin… calm down… it’s just the alcohol working… don’t kill him.”

Kyuhyun only got a slight whiff but it was definitely not Sungmin.  Sungmin smelt like cotton candy and mint, something too sweet to be the mystery person of his dreams (literally).  He sighed, staring at his reflection in the soup, wondering what the hell was going on through his mind. 

It was most likely some fiction his mind made up, he should just ignore it instead of searching for something that most likely did not even exist.  But the scent some more, arousing his interest as his heart sped up the way it raced in his dreams.  Then a crazy, insane thought entered his head – maybe he’d just search for today.  If he doesn’t find this mystery person by the end of the day, they officially didn’t exist and he wouldn’t ponder on it any further.  He didn’t even know why he silently agreed to the proposal in his head, knowing all the stupidity and irrationality behind it. However, all thoughts of logic flew out the window when Ryeowook walked in, a possible candidate to sniff and analyse.

“Kyuhyunnie? Sungmin-hyung said you were acting weird…” Ryeowook said cautiously as he approached Kyuhyun, the maknae looking like he was deep contemplation before he entered.  According to Sungmin, Kyuhyun had tackled him for no good reason, something very strange for the usually collected younger.  He came closer with slow and unsure steps, Kyuhyun’s gaze that had turned him scaring him a little.  It looked so focused, like a scientist examining his specimen.  Ryeowook hoped to death Kyuhyun wasn’t planning to dissect him for his birthday.

“Ryeowook, can I have your hand?” Kyuhyun said with a stiff smile, trying not to creep out Ryeowook.  He knew if he was going to do this without too much hassle he couldn’t go around pouncing and sniffing loudly.  His band mates would just label him insane and then he’d lose all hope in his hunt.  He looked up to Ryeowook with pleading puppy dog eyes and with a hesitant nod, Ryeowook extended his hand.  Kyuhyun took it calmly, placing it close enough to his face to smell Ryeowook’s distinct scent but not so much as to bury his face in it.  That would’ve surely aroused the elder’s suspicions.

For a brief moment, Kyuhyun contemplated simply asking Ryeowook, or someone else, about last night.  But that was before he realised how dumb and creepy “Do you know if anyone kissed me last night while I was passed out drunk?” sounded.  That was another sure fire way to get confused looks and a few steps away from him.  Kyuhyun would also not like disclose that his only proof was a dream and a scent that might just be a figment of his imagination; he had a reputation to upkeep.  He would be teased for forever and a day if revealed even the slightest hint of it.

Going back to Ryeowook’s hand, he took a few quiet, indiscrete breaths, quickly deeming Ryeowook a definite no-no.  His scent was too sharp, like syrup and freshly cut grass.  The mystery’s person’s scent was much softer and warmer; Ryeowook’s a lot harsher and almost cold.  He gave Ryeowook a deceitfully pretty smile before giving him his hand back, not offering any explanation before turning to the soup.  He took a nice big spoonful, looking at Ryeowook with bright thankful eyes.  The trick worked and Ryeowook brushed off the weird interaction before retreating back into the kitchen where he and Sungmin could discuss how insane their maknae was acting this morning.

“Urghhh, my head hurts like a .” Kyuhyun turned to the new occupant, and candidate, in the room, the big burly man clutching his head like a child, footsteps thundering.  Kangin collapsed into the chair next to Kyuhyun and groaned loudly.  Kyuhyun almost laughed at the black eye Kangin sported but kept it to himself, he would tease later, scent identifying came first.  Lucky for Kyuhyun, he was sitting just close enough to get a quick sniff without needing to act suspicious.  He took a few spoonfuls of the tummy tickling soup, his hangover fading gradually, most of the throbbing having disappeared when the glorious scent surrounded his senses.

Leaning just a smidge closer to Kangin, he breathed quietly through his nose and quickly crossed Kangin out from his list of possible mystery people.  He smelt warm, that was for sure, but it was the overwhelming type, he smelt like a musky warm beach in the middle of summer.  It was too strong and too dense to possibly be the right person.  He sighed, leaning back in his chair and pushing his half-full bowl of soup to Kangin.  He smirked at the pained older man and decided to have some fun to dampen the disappointment he felt after having a totally unsuccessful search thus far. 

Although he’s quite glad it wasn’t Kangin that kissed him, he might’ve cried if it was.  He had standards dammit and Kangin met none of them.  Kyuhyun wasn’t saying Kangin was ugly (though he liked to that he was), just that he preferred someone that wouldn’t break his bones by accident.  He liked softer, smaller, cuter, gentler, more Yesung-like people (or just Yesung really).  He almost got lost in his fantasy of soft white skin beneath his fingers but quickly snapped out of it.  He felt reasonably bad at this point in time, it was like he was cheating on Yesung (not that they were dating or anything… ok, maybe they were… in Kyuhyun’s wildest dreams) but then the wonderful scent floated from the air into his nostrils and his mission was reinforced.

“Can you even remember who gave you that black eye, Hyung?  You look like you had a few too many drinks.” Kyuhyun chuckled, it was obvious that Kangin’s endless groaning was from his massive hangover as well as the dark bruise on his face.  Kangin threw a death glare at him and Kyuhyun almost gave in to the urge to make a comment about how Kangin really looked like a raccoon now.

“ you, Kyuhyun, why didn’t you tell me Yuri was taken?  I copped a feel and apparently Minho wasn’t drunk enough to let it pass and decked me.” Kangin growled menacingly, wanting to wrap his hands around Kyuhyun’s pretty little neck and strangle him.  He knew Kyuhyun was especially close to the three SNSD girls present at the party and that little piece of information he knew about Yuri could’ve saved him a lot of pain on the right side of his face.  The evil brat had even pushed him in the direction of the skimpily clad girls and obviously knew he was going to make a move.

It had been an awesome night for Kangin, for the most part.  He got to flirt with Sooyoung, she even let him touch her legs a little, and Yoona was more than happy to accept his light caresses along her neck.  Then he went to Yuri, Yuri with her gorgeous S-line and toned abs, dressed in a revealing purple crop top and black shorts.  Normal Kangin would’ve gotten a problem in his pants and dealt with it himself, drunk Kangin took a chance grabbed her .  Bad choice apparently, Minho’s a possessive bastard and as soon as he realised what conspired he wasted no time in giving him a lovely present on his face.

“I said to talk to Yoona, never said you could touch Yuri.” Kyuhyun practically sang, grinning at his Hyung’s misfortune.  Minho had a competitive streak and basically any guy that so much as looked at Yuri wrong, got a kick in the nuts.  Kyuhyun was mildly surprised Kangin wasn’t limping to the table after what he did.  Having had his fun, he stood up, turning to leave and get ready for the day before noticing a heap of blankets and pillows on the couch in the living room.  “Who stayed over?”

“Jongwoon.  You know how he gets when he’s drunk.  Would not let go of Donghae when we were leaving, kept kissing his cheeks like some overly clingy mother.  We decided to bring him back to the dorms.”  Kangin chuckled through the searing pain, remembering how Donghae had to practically carry Yesung back to the dorms as the older man showered his face in kisses.  Yesung, when drunk, in Kangin’s opinion, was absolutely hilarious.  He was affectionate when sober but when he had just one drink?  It was like Siwon tenfold! 

“Sungmin had to go without blankets last night ‘cause our dear Jongwoon decided that his blankets were a person to cling onto.” He snickered at this, remembering Sungmin’s pout as Yesung snuggled deep into the blankets, unrelenting in his hold. 

“Where is Yesung-hyung?” Kyuhyun asked, taking glances between Kangin and the pile of blankets.  He saw no sign of Yesung in the dorm, but there was clear evidence that he had been in it, at least for the night.  If he wasn’t in the dorm then…

“I reckon he left early to help his parents.  I’m sure he’ll back for cake later today though.” Kangin said, shrugging his shoulders.  Yesung had moved out of the dorms a few weeks ago and whilst he did spend a considerable amount of time in it, he spent much more out of it.  He hadn’t seen any sign of the raven haired man on his painful trudge to the dining room, their dorm wasn’t big, if he was home, they probably would have heard him or something.

Seeing a perfect opportunity, Kyuhyun took a quick detour to the couch.  Kangin focused on Kyuhyun’s half-drunk soup and just drank it anyway, too much in pain to care, and thus paid Kyuhyun no heed.  The maknae sat in the soft cushions and quickly buried his face in the blankets, hoping to find some hint of the same aroma weaved through the material.  Taking a long whiff, he only came out with disappointment.  It smelt more like Sungmin and detergent than anything else.  Not entirely crossing Yesung from the list, he stood up, demotivated for the rest of the day.  Work, work, work, and on his birthday.

***

For the rest of the day, Kyuhyun half investigated, half worked.  s had to deal with him looking deep and contemplative before having to endure some weird interactions with the maknae.  They wanted to write it off as Kyuhyun simply milking his birthday, choosing to do strange things because they couldn’t lash out at him.  But even then… It was simply too peculiar.  He was burying his face in backs, taking hands, touching hair… It was too un-Kyuhyun-like to be just some fun he was having. 

It was too hard to get a straight answer out of him though.  Whenever questioned as to what the hell he was doing he simply smirked, brushed them off and left them with a mildly insulting but undoubtedly smart comment.  Usually it was hard to figure out the maknae but this was different, it was like he became enigma overnight.  With the answers they were getting, they had to push their curiosity aside because he wasn’t giving them a single clue.

Kyuhyun, on the other hand, was reasonably frustrated.  He sniffed and smelt everyone in Super Junior-M, some members even twice or thrice!  They were all so blaringly off.  The scent teased his memory, constantly reminding him how much the members didn’t smell like the person he dreamed of.

He had sniffed his Korean members first, Siwon, Eunhyuk and Donghae suspicious but usually more than happy that the maknae wanted a hug.  As weird and long lasting as the hug would turn out to be.  Siwon practically reeked of Abercrombie and Fitch cologne, masking anything that could’ve been warm and bittersweet.  Underneath the overpowering musk there was a hint of roses and perhaps rain.  It was similar but not entirely, smelling a little sweet and aromatic, but the freshness and dampness of the scent made it impossible for Siwon to be it.  Eunhyuk smelt like strawberries and bananas, kind of like a fruit smoothie, and whilst the creaminess matched it was too tropical and fruity.  Kyuhyun didn’t remember smelling a hint of fruit in his desired scent and quickly disregarded Eunhyuk.  Donghae was kind of similar, but definitely not it.  He was like caramel and freshly baked muffins, or perhaps muffins drizzled in the most aromatic caramel.  It was warm and sweet but too sugary, not enough bitterness, not enough spiciness, just not alluring enough.

His Chinese members had been especially bewildered though, especially Henry.  The young boy was severely creeped out when Kyuhyun stood behind him, gave him a sudden back hug and buried his face in his hair.  In the US, any interaction like this would have been labelled gay in less than a second but no one seemed to be having violent reactions so he just thought it to be another weird Korean tradition.  Kyuhyun had frowned when he pulled his face out of Henry’s hair, smelling nothing but plums, peaches and cream.  It was sour yet sweet and smooth, obviously not what he was searching for.  Zhou Mi was more accepting, grinning as Kyuhyun latched onto him and nuzzled his neck.  Unlike Kyuhyun, but hugging was always Zhou Mi’s thing.  Kyuhyun had pulled away with disappointment once more, honey and oranges being the obvious cause.  It was too citrusy, too drippy, too syrupy.

Hell, he had gotten so desperate he even went to SNSD’s waiting room in a guise of wishing them luck.  He hugged all three girls that attended his party, saying his congratulations and happy wishes to them, all the while sniffing quickly at their scented skin.  Yoona smelt like a baked apple pie, heart-warming and stomach tickling but not it.  It had that tell-tale sweetness mixed with some nice spice but it was mixing that distinct bitterness.  Sooyoung smelt like something right out of aromatherapy, jasmine tea and lemongrass, the kind of thing people would spritz on their pillows to help them sleep.  She smelt too fragrant, just simply not what he was looking for.  He didn’t know why he had smelt Yuri too, she had Minho, but he did so anyway.  She smelt so similar it wasn’t it.  Cinnamon and hot chocolate wafted into his nose, warm and creamy, spicy and sweet.  It was so close, closer than anyone else, but sadly, did not fit the bill. 

It seemed that no one could match his mysterious scent blueprint.  They all missed at least one thing, none of them having that magic concoction written into their skin.  By the time they finished performing, heading back to the dorm for a small celebration with cake for his birthday, he was pretty sure his mystery person didn’t exist.  He had smelt every M member more than once, smelt the SNSD girls and was willing to bet his career that it wasn’t the SHINee boys or EXO kids. 

Entering the dorm with a semi-heavy heart (only semi because it was still his birthday, he still got his gifts, his Hyungs were still super extra nice), the same scent attacked his senses like a tsunami.  It was strong and lovely, seeping into his skin and taunting him with its tantalising aroma.  Taking off his shoes and dumping his bag anyhow, he scanned the dorm for where this wonderful source was.  This morning it had been nowhere as strong, now it was practically invading every possible inch of the dorm and taking over his body.  He spotted Shindong, Kangin and Yesung setting up the dining table, an iced cake sitting on it, the oldest of the three merrily planting a single blue candle in the middle. 

It wasn’t Kangin and Shindong had left before he had fallen asleep so… His eyes honed in on Yesung, the man grinning at something Kangin had said, slapping the bigger man on the shoulder.  Then it hit him, like a tonne of very heavy bricks, making him want to smack himself silly for not realising.  That scent, that scent, that scent that tortured him the whole day, he had had a name for it for years.  Its creamy fullness, soft sweetness, blatant bitterness, gorgeous spiciness… It couldn’t have been anything else!  How could he have missed it?  It was so painfully obvious, what kind of idiot was he?

The three men turned to M who had just arrived and greeted them with loudness and boisterous ‘hello’s, just the regular Super Junior.  Yesung had hugged him tight, wishing him a soft ‘happy birthday’, the scent so concentrated that Kyuhyun wanted to kiss him senseless.  But before he could even say a word, ask a single question, Yesung had rushed off, to the kitchen perhaps, and left only a shadow of his beautiful aroma.  It was strong, overwhelming that he was surprised he didn’t pass out from his realisation. 

His face was probably hilarious with how lost he looked, but Kangin brought him back to reality, with a powerful smack to his back. He glared but Kangin just laughed it off, dragging the scowling maknae to where his pretty cake sat. Happy birthday was sung, terribly at that, champagne bottles were popped and the cake was cut.  Kyuhyun, albeit happy and smiling and grateful, was trying to figure out a way to talk to Yesung.  The older man had been skirting around him the whole night, sitting far away as possible as they dug into the cake, cutting conversations short and sometimes even blatantly hiding behind Siwon and Donghae.

The mini party lasted a few hours and was slowing down significantly when Kyuhyun decided to put his grand master plan into action.  He hadn’t really planned it out too thoroughly, the champagne was kind of getting to his brain, but it involved something along the lines of dragging Yesung with him and if he resisted, he would throw the older man over his shoulder.  The shoulder throwing idea probably wouldn’t work, considering he wasn’t like Siwon who was practically built of muscle and could lift Yesung with little to no problem.

When he approached Yesung to confront him though, apparently no dragging or carrying was really necessary.  He hadn’t even gotten the older man’s name out before Yesung grabbed his wrist and said “Kyuhyun-ah, I need to tell you something.” Kyuhyun hadn’t been too resistant, he got what he wanted and without having to do anything!  Yesung brought him to Kyuhyun’s room, closing the door quietly as to not arouse suspicion. 

In this solitude, Kyuhyun couldn’t help but notice how the familiar scent just invaded his senses, practically consuming him and everything else in the room.  He could barely concentrate with the slight buzz of alcohol and hypnotising scent wafting in and out of his nose.  He could hardly register the blushing Yesung in front of him, staring down at his feet like it was the most interesting thing in the world, fidgeting and mumbling.  He just wanted to gather Yesung in his arms, squeeze the life out of him, bury himself in the aroma that was uniquely him and kiss him just like last night.  It was the best birthday gift, to be honest, his long-time crush would end up appearing in his dreams and giving him the best kiss of his entire life (though to be fair, he hasn’t really had many).  The man had enamoured him in real life and in fantasy.

“Kyu, I-I have something to tell you…” Yesung unsteady voice broke the maknae out of his scent induced reverie, clearly nervous and dying on the inside.  Why had he agreed with himself to do this?  The maknae had clearly forgotten what had transpired and yet he was willing to torture himself, possibly ruin their friendship and give himself so much embarrassment.  It wasn’t like he disliked what he did per se but he was literally flushing all the normalness of their relationship right down the toilet. 

Taking a deep breath, he met Kyuhyun’s dark eyes for about half a second before quickly blurting out something like “Iaccidentallykissedyoulastnight, I’msorryIwasdrunkyouknowhowIamwhenI’mdrunk, pleaseforgiveme.”

“Hyung, slow down.” Kyuhyun said as he clapped a hand on Yesung’s shoulder, the older man practically suffocating with how fast he was speaking, trying to spit out a whole bunch of words with only one breath.  He had caught most of it and almost laughed at the irony of the whole situation.  Yesung was apologising for something he had been yearning to find out… oh how fate worked, it was borderline hilarious.

“I… I kissed you last night when you were sleeping… I’m really sorry… I was drunk…” Yesung said as slow as possible, face impossibly red and fingers trembling.  How was Kyuhyun going to take it?  All the members knew how clingy and affectionate he got when drunk but kissing was taking it to a whole other level… To top it off, with the magic of alcohol working down the barriers of his brain he had said a few words too many… A few words that were too meaningful… Not that he didn’t mean it, but never in his right mind would he ever utter them.  “I’m sorry, Kyu, if you’re uncomfortable I understand, I just… I just had to tell you.”

Kyuhyun decided he was too tempted and there was nothing really stopping him so he just grabbed Yesung, wrapping him in the tightest hug possible.  He smirked into Yesung’s hair, feeling just the way it felt in his dreams, Yesung’s smaller build fitting into his frame just as it had in his blind fantasy.  He took deep breaths, relishing in the wonderful scent that just took his breath away.  Leaning down slightly to the clearly stunned to paralysis Yesung, he couldn’t help himself – “You didn’t happen to say three very special words to me last night too, did you Hyung?”

“How did you know!?” Yesung shoved at Kyuhyun’s chest, feeling coming back into his body and gave Kyuhyun the most adorably shocked look.  How could he have possibly known?  He knew that the maknae was asleep in his lap, his alcohol induced brain and his real affections had blended together, he couldn’t resist leaning down and capturing Kyuhyun’s lips in a short breath taking moment.  With the maknae’s even breathing, he was sure he was asleep, so had stolen a few more.  Nothing much, just careful pecks and measured kisses.  Kyuhyun slept like a log, it was impossible for him to know… Unless he was awake!  Yesung smacked his chest for good measure.  “You , you were awake and didn’t stop me!”

“I wasn’t awake but I still felt it.  I also heard you say something very nice.” Kyuhyun grinned and Yesung clearly didn’t get the message.  He slapped Kyuhyun some more, wrenching himself out of his grasp.  His scowl was firm and serious, looking annoyed and furious. 

“Fine, make fun of me, run away from me, get weirded out, whatever!” Yesung huffed, exasperated and infinitely tortured.  He was so anguished and yet so angry.  What right did Kyuhyun have to about it?  He had taken it so seriously, pondered about it the whole day, even running to his parents’ café to try and clear his head (as well as to avoid Kyuhyun at all costs).  He had been so conflicted and Kyuhyun had the nerve to smile at him stupidly.  He had felt, heard and known about what had transpired, he was more humiliated than anything. 

Yesung had been eyeing and blushing around the maknae for an extended period of time.  His crush was no simple crush, it transcended that a long time ago and there had been many instances he wished to take it further.  He wanted to feel curly brown hair in his fingers, kiss those adorable chubby cheeks, inhale up close that wonderful apple hazelnut concoction that lay embedded in Kyuhyun’s skin.  He had been enthralled, staring too long, fingers lingering too long, heart palpitating at dangerous rates, and he had destroyed all chances he had to remain close to the object of his affections with one simple drunken confession.  And to think Kyuhyun dared to be so cheeky.

Turning to leave, turning to leave and just cry himself to sleep, to wallow in his misery that he had just lost something so important and was going to ridiculed for it.  Before he could escape though, his face was quite literally grabbed by two large hands and his lips claimed by another.  Kyuhyun had acted on impulse, half not wanting to let Yesung walk away with the wrong idea and half having wanted to kiss the older man the whole evening.  He cradled Yesung’s jaw in his palm, trying his best to imitate the wonderful transpiration from last night.  He pressed closer and closer and closer until they had unceremoniously backed into the bed, Yesung’s knees collapsing beneath him and both of them fell onto it in the most awkward of positions.  Their teeth knocked and they were sprawled all over each other, tangled in an impossible arrangement.

Still confused by the whole situation, having been kissed by his love so suddenly, Yesung remained completely shell shocked whilst Kyuhyun practically laughed his lungs out.  He buried his face in Yesung’s chest to stifle the endless guffawing but it just wouldn’t stop.  He lifted his head from its place, hovering over Yesung as he balanced unsteadily on his elbows and kissed his chin, still giggling a little. 

“Hyung, you are an absolute idiot.”

“I am not, what is even…” he didn’t even get to finish before Kyuhyun captured his lips once more, a bit less forceful this time, much more gentle and tender, fond and adoring.  Kyuhyun moved with invitation, this time not trying to force his feelings into the kiss and just allowed Yesung to go along with it, allow him to kiss back and realise it for himself. 

Kyuhyun shifted a little, tilting his head, eyes half lidded, noting with love how Yesung’s eyelashes fluttered as his eyes fully closed, looking positively angelic.  The older man’s tiny baby fingers clutched at Kyuhyun’s shirt, scrunching it up messily as he unconsciously lifted his head to deepen the kiss, to make it more intimate and amazing.  Suddenly they weren’t on Kyuhyun’s bed anymore, they were in that bar again, on that couch having a few lovely kisses and Yesung let everything go.  He pulled Kyuhyun down so roughly that the maknae lost all sense of balance and practically collapsed on Yesung.  The kiss did not break though and Yesung lost himself in the sensation.  Softness against softness, a dream, it must’ve been a dream if he could do this… Either that or Kyuhyun was asleep and he was drunk again.

“I love you…” Yesung whispered against Kyuhyun’s lips as they parted for a short instance, eyes still closed, not even realising he had been so spellbound by the kiss that he had uttered those three words again.  Not wanting Yesung to break out of his pliant state, Kyuhyun leaned down and kissed him again and again and again, taking Yesung’s breath away with every movement.  It was nothing intrusive, everything was sweet and pure, nothing but love floating around.

“I love you too, Jongwoon-ah.” Kyuhyun said as they separated after what seemed to be a hundred kisses.  Yesung’s eyes slowly opened, taking in the sight before him, Kyuhyun practically glowing from above him.  He blinked a few times, noting that no, this was not a dream before breaking out into what Kyuhyun deemed the most beautiful smile possible.  Staring into each other’s eyes, it was impossible to not see how much true love was lingering there, impossible to take it as something else and Yesung had never been so sure of something in his entire life.

“I hate you, you brat… I love you.” Yesung beamed before throwing his arms around Kyuhyun’s neck and pulling him down for another mind-blowing kiss.  Kyuhyun smiled into the kiss and pressed deeper, the wonderful scent overwhelming his senses every time.  He cherished every second he could drown in it, every second he could feel Yesung’s arms around him, every second they could be together, loving.  If he had thought last night’s dream was great, this reality was beyond remarkable.  And as the clock struck twelve, signalling the end of his 26^th birthday, he knew it wasn’t a dream, it wasn’t a fantasy spell concocted just for his birthday, it was a brilliant reality that he never wanted to leave.  To think it was all induced by one magnificent scent.

Yup, coffee and vanilla really was the best.

♥규 성♥

Kyusungcentral: *sobbing at this perfection!! ......Leann *hugs*.