Jihoon let his head fall against the desk in front of him. He sighed, clasping his hands on the back of his neck. He sighed once more and stood, pushing his chair back. He yawned, raising his arms above his head in a stretch. He relished in the satisfying pop as his joints cracked after a long period of stiffness. He opened a window to the stuffy apartment, glancing at the wall clock. One in the morning. He caught himself wondering if Soonyoung was still up. He shook the thought off as a silly idea and headed to the kitchen, leaving the half-finished song behind him for the moment.

Jihoon was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee a few minutes later when his doorbell rang. He looked through the peep hole, confused as to who could be there at that time. He saw Soonyoung standing there, shifting from foot to foot. Jihoon opened the door.

“Hey, what’re you doing here at this time?”

“I was lonely and couldn’t sleep. What are you doing awake?”

“Music. Come in, it smells like in that hallway.”

Soonyoung let out a light chuckle as he entered the small apartment. As he glanced around at the mess of documents and papers and notebooks and instruments, Jihoon took a moment to take in his appearance. Soonyoung was wearing a pair of simple black sweats and a loose white shirt. He had shrugged on a hoodie to bear the cold of autumn. His hair was ruffled slightly, making him look cuter, in a way. 

Hours later, Jihoon was wrapped up in Soonyoung’s arms on his couch, half asleep as the older boy absentmindedly ran his fingers through Jihoon’s hair. The “stay out of the bedroom and stay alive” rule was still in place, and soon enough both boys found themselves drifting to sleep. Right before his eyes closed for the last time that night before he slept, Jihoon realized Soonyoung might very well be the last man he’ll ever want or need.