'hyung, you can't sleep in that,' sehun coaxes baekhyun awake from the couch, a gentle graze of fingertips across his cheek, fatigue seeping through baekhyun’s bones as his musicals come to an end. it almost takes sehun by surprise to find him here after coming home from his own dance practice. the smaller man reeked of champagne, glitters dusting the locks of his hair gold, silver, and blue, marking the end of his endeavor with triumph and festivity. his suit is disheveled under the throw pillows, his bowtie a messy knot on his chest.

the clock reads 3:48 AM, and in a couple of hours, they were bound to wake for another day of rehearsals and vocal training. sehun knows baekhyun needs the extra hours of sleep as his hyung cracks a tired eye open, slow and weary. ‘… too tired…’

'c'mon, i'll shower with you,' sehun pulls baekhyun from the bed, catching him momentarily in his arms, baekhyun’s mumbled protests too weak for sehun to take to heart. ‘it’ll be quick, i promise.’

baekhyun collapses atop the sealed toilet seat, eyelids heavy with fatigue. 'raise your arms, hyung,' sehun whispers before tugging the smaller one's shirt off, ridding the lead singer of the rest of his clothing, then proceeding to rid of his own. he pushes a wobbling baekhyun inside the shower, the latter seemingly half-asleep as he leans against the wall. sehun turns the shower knob, jumping slightly at the water contact too icy for his liking, and after adjusting the temperature, pulls baekhyun with him under the downpour. baekhyun's eyes remain half-closed, even as sehun lathers a generous amount of shampoo onto his head.

‘hmm, water's too cold,' baekhyun mumbles, shivering slightly, but sehun doesn't respond, only traces baekhyun's face with soapy fingertips. he feels somewhat nostalgic, remember when, stepping over soapy suds out of the shower and drying baekhyun’s hair with a towel in affectionate rubs, i thought you’d blinded me with yifan-hyung’s body wash?

he chuckles at the memory while he dresses himself in a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, and grabs baekhyun’s boxers and pajamas before bending down to have him step inside of them. sehun pecks baekhyun’s nose as his head pops out of the neckline of his top, playful and teasing. ‘you’re adorable when you’re like this.’

‘likewise,’ baekhyun coos weakly, gesturing for the door towards the room. he climbs onto the bed, pulling sehun under the covers and adjusting to a comfortable position. he curls his arm around the taller man, sighing a thank you through the front of sehun’s shirt.

sehun merely smiles, and combs his fingers warily through the smaller man’s hair. ‘you did well, don lockwood,’ he whispers with finality, placing a soft kiss on baekhyun’s forehead. ‘i’m proud of you.’

and he truly is because he’s seen and loved baekhyun in his worst, when the weight of world is heavy on his shoulders, but so much more when he’s in his best with light of life dancing in his eyes. baekhyun grins through his lethargy, pulling sehun much closer and breathing him in. ‘i’ll see you in the morning, sehun.’

but sehun thinks he is most beautiful just like this—the perfect image of quietude and warmth, of security, comfort, and the feeling of being home.

‘i can’t wait.’