An awkward pair. They’ve always been an awkward pair. Whether in the eyes of babys or their group members.

Yongguk doesn’t think much about it. He thinks it’s normal. Some people click. Some people don’t. He thinks people shouldn’t put so much attention on the lack of chemistry between him and Daehyun. There’s always a lot of difference whenever he’s with Himchan or the rest, even the quiet Jongup. But he thinks it’s all natural. It doesn’t matter if he can’t kick Daehyun’s like how he does to Zelo or send a poisonous glare to him like how he does to Himchan—it’s all natural.

Daehyun, on the other hand, feels that the space between them seems a little too glaring sometimes. Maybe glaring is a word too strong. It’s just that the distance disturbs him sometimes like an itch beneath your foot you can’t scratch. He and Yongguk are fine together but there’s just this bit of something missing. He can’t play with him like how he and Youngjae are. He can’t exercise his occasional games of torture on the maknaes on Yongguk and it makes him press his lips together sometimes because sometimes he plays it on Himchan too.

Both boys know of the permanent gap the size of a hair strand between them that can’t be closed and it’s bothering sometimes because it’s just one little thing keeping them from wrestling each other and kicking each other’s butts.

But Daehyun tosses the thought to the back of his mind with a flick of his wrist as he strolls up to stage, shifting the microphone in his hand as he sneaks a last glance at their leader, black towel around his long neck.

Yongguk smiles as the two youngest wrestle each other, the light illuminating Zelo’s head to a dim neon pink as they stumble into a streetlight with Himchan scolding them about carelessness. Their manager appears with the usual smile, car keys jingling in one hand and Yongguk pushes his back off the vehicle, opening the door to hop in first, checking the number of the heads in the van including the already sleeping one beside him in the corner, Daehyun.

The boisterous noise coupled with Himchan’s chiding soon faded down as the night pull them off to sleep. They’re already exhausted from the performances and fanmeets. Daehyun was the first one to doze off, climbed into their van while everyone else was outside for fresh air. Yongguk came in to see the lead vocal with his head lolled back, looking so silly with his mouth half open. He couldn’t help but grin when he remembers one of the candid shots their fans took of Daehyun. It looked exactly like Daehyun in his ungraceful sleeping form.

Sometimes Yongguk thinks Daehyun is good-looking, in a more than usual appreciative manner. Like right at this moment when his face is of a calm expression, side of his head resting against the cardoor, Daehyun looks like a handsome picture in magazines with the lights outside painting his tanned skin a bronze colour. Yongguk observes the sleeping man beside him, face just tilted slightly to watch Daehyun comfortably, with the others all asleep around him and their manager busy on the road. Zelo’s head falls onto his shoulder in a thud and he puts the maknae’s hand in a more comfortable position. He takes in a breath, careful to not inhale too much to wake the young one leaning on him as if he’s a pillow and continue watching Daehyun’s face.

Those lips do live up to the compliments fans talk about Daehyun. Yongguk smiles instead because he can’t let out a laugh in this quiet van when everyone else is somewhere in lalaland. Daehyun shifts when the vehicle rides over a bump and he makes a little moan before leaning his side against Yongguk who stares at the head of brown hair beside his face and then decides that the new body against him is a comfortable warmth. He lets himself sink a little down onto the seat and start making his way into sleep, the smell of Daehyun’s mild boyish deodorant faint beneath him.

Yongguk shuts his macbook, leaving it on the table in the dark living room before making a visit to the bathroom before bed. Sleep is long overdue and he’ll just have to complete those lyrics the next day—hours later. He doesn’t turn on the lights as he s his pants to carry on with his business. He squints his eyes at the seat cover. Must be Zelo or Youngjae. They always forget to put it up. He was just pulling the zip up and pushing the cover back to where it should be with his foot when he hears the sound of footsteps approaching. He keeps an eye on the open door as he rinses his hands. Daehyun stops abruptly at the door, silhouette a thick mess of hair, hand already on his pants.

“Oh, hyung.” He mumbles sleepily, hand on his middle.

“Hey.” Yongguk makes his way out, turning his body as he slides pass the sleepyhead Daehyun because they’re not that less awkward to go next to each other.

Yongguk stops, standing in the living room for a moment before sitting down on the couch, opting to stay and wait til Daehyun goes to bed before taking the duty to switch off the lights. The mop of brown hair appears after a flush of the toilet, his clothes crumpled around his body. Yongguk notices again the new physique Daehyun has taken ever since the start of a new gym schedule that didn’t even existed before. Despite the new muscles gained, Daehyun’s still a little clumsy. He’s a klutz sometimes.

He scratches his head while padding slowly on the tiles of their living room and Yongguk stands up to go over to the light switch. Yongguk turns around, a small smile on his face as he follows a half-asleep Daehyun who plops down on the couch to his surprise.

“Aren’t you going to bed?”

The brown locks bounce and sway slightly when he shakes his head.

Yongguk inhales, feeling his shoulders creak quite a bit. He wants to go to bed but one of his boys isn’t. He doesn’t sleep until everyone else sleeps. He steps slowly towards the couch, standing at a distance in front of Daehyun who has his head hanging in a sleeping manner, tilted in a such a way that his brown locks hang to one side, shining under the living room light. He has his knees put together, back hunched to rest both arms in his lap. One end of Yongguk’s mouth quirks up when he notices the hair sticking out on the top of Daehyun’s head. With one hand on his hip and weight shifted to one foot, Yongguk just stares at the sleepy form before him, entertaining himself with the amusing way Daehyun stays completely still in this position.

“Let’s go to sleep.”

He pats the side of Daehyun’s arm but the boy just shakes his head again. Yongguk presses his lip together at the stubbornness. He feels like a tired father coaxing his kid to bed. He crosses over Daehyun’s legs and plops down next to him.

His eyes are closed, fringe tickling his lashes and he looks like a sleepy pup that Yongguk would like to pet if only this cute thing would go to bed right now so he could. He places a hand on Daehyun’s back and shakes him slightly. Daehyun breaths noisily and Yongguk’s hand goes into the hair at the back of his head.

“Let’s go to bed, Daehyun.”

Yongguk drags out Daehyun’s name, as if to drag the boy to bed but the mop of brown hair stays where he is.

“Bad dream, hyung.”

He croaks out, sounding like a whimper. Yongguk pets Daehyun’s head, getting amusement from imagining touching a small animal. Yongguk sighs. It seems like bad dream duty thing. Last week was Youngjae and now Daehyun. The only ones who haven’t got their nightmares yet are Jongup and himself.

But god, he wants to sleep right now.

“It’s alright, Daehyun.”

He rests his hand on Daehyun’s nape, thumb over the soft locks.

“Come on, we have a schedule tomorrow.”

“Hyung…”

Yongguk ignores Daehyun’s whine and slaps the lightswitch, turning the living room into complete darkness. He hears Daehyun exhale and scratchy sounds on the couch. He quirks an eyebrow in the dark and makes his way to the couch without looking.

“Come on.”

He drawls, a yawn tickling him as he fumbles for Daehyun only to find the younger boy already lying on the couch when he touches a head of hair on the armrest.

“Get up, you.”

Yongguk pulls on the younger boy, wondering why he’s so amused when being kept awake. He grabs Daehyun’s arms and pulls him up, laughing when there’s a groan followed by a whimper. He puts both hands underneath Daehyun’s arms when the younger’s head hit his stomach in a sleepy loll. Daehyun whimpers again when he gets lifted off the couch but he chooses to stay stubborn, not putting any force in his legs even when his face mashes into Yongguk’s chest and he scrunches his nose at the uncomfortable hard surface.

“Come on, Daehyun, you can do this.” The strain is obvious in his voice as Yongguk tries to keep the heavy body against his own. Urgh, why won’t he go to sleep. Daehyun’s gain some muscle mass ever since BAP camp but Yongguk thinks he still can lift him up.

“Hyung, you go sleep first…”

Yongguk presses his lips together and wraps both arms underneath Daehyun’s buttocks, lifting the younger boy up with surprising ease and starts making his way towards the bedroom, hoping not to knock into a wall while he chuckles. Daehyun hangs his frame over his leader meekly, unmoving as he gets carried to bed. He moans with his neck on Yongguk’s shoulder when he hears the door open. The back of his head meets the bed and Yongguk reshuffles him in the dark, putting his feet on the bed and straightening his body before pulling the covers over him, tucking him in like he was a child. But Daehyun keeps his arms around his leader’s neck and begins to wind his legs around lean waist. Because he doesn’t deserve bedtime when he forces somebody to go to bed.

“Daehyun.”

Yongguk’s low rumble makes Daehyun smile with his eyes close as he grips onto him tighter. Hands try to pry him off but Daehyun clings on like twining tendrils. Yongguk’s patience is running a little low and Daehyun don’t often pull this kind of thing on him. He grabs onto Daehyun’s waist and tickles him, just to make him get off. There are sharp inhales and whimpers and then a laugh escapes a little too loud. Yongguk bites back a chuckle when Daehyun freezes slightly before continuing to squirm away from his fingers. But those legs just wont get off him.

“Get off me, you punk.”

Yongguk whispers as he grips onto Daehyun’s ankles but the warning hiss only makes it harder to contain the laughter bubbling inside him. He sighs when those legs refuse to budge and is surprised when a force presses into his back to bring him down onto the lower bunk. He would have glared if the room wasn’t a complete darkness. Daehyun shifts underneath him but doesn’t let go and Yongguk finds himself wrapped up in Daehyun. He decides it would be faster to just sleep on Daehyun’s bed.

There’s a whimper and Daehyun rubs his face into Yongguk’s arm, pulling himself extremely close until Yongguk feels it would be more comfortable to swing his leg over Daehyun’s body. Maybe they aren’t so awkward in the dark.