pairing: ChenLay
length: 971 words

“I’m exhausted.” Chen dropped onto his bed like a brick. His legs were still aching from dancing on stage and his throat felt hoarse. He knew he needed to prepare a cup of tea to soothe his scratchy throat right away, but he was too tired to move an inch. The soft, smooth blankets felt so good as they cushioned beneath him. Chen sighed deeply in contentment and closed his eyes, letting his fatigue take over him.

“Do you want to shower first or shall I?” Lay asked as he sat on the edge of his bed, prying his black leather shoes and peeling his long white socks off of his feet.

Chen’s eyelids fluttered open as he glanced at the older male. “You go first. I don’t think I can move right now.”

Lay nodded before grabbing his pajamas that were hanging from one of the bedposts and heading into their shared bathroom.

A few minutes later, Chen heard the sound of running water through the walls and could feel his mind shutting down as the quiet hum of noise surrounded him. He knew he shouldn’t fall asleep now since Lay would be done showering in a few minutes, but before Chen could stop himself, he drifted off into dreamland.

--

“Chen, wake up. It’s your turn.” Lay lightly shook the younger male awake, accidentally sending droplets of water from his wet hair flying every which way.

Chen sat up groggily, feeling a little more refreshed after that brief nap. “My turn for what?” he croaked out while rubbing his eyes sleepily, his mind slightly blank from being woken up abruptly.

“To shower. You can’t go to sleep while you’re all sweaty,” Lay pointed out while pulling the tired boy up from the bed. The Chinese male piled Chen’s pajamas into the younger male’s arms before lightly pushing him to the bathroom. “I’ll make some tea for you in the meantime.”

“Thanks,” Chen said gratefully before closing the bathroom door shut. Fresh steam swirled around him from Lay’s earlier shower and the vocalist inhaled deeply, feeling his vocal cords relax immediately.

While Chen began his shower, Lay walked down to the kitchen to prepare a cup of licorice root tea for his roommate. After setting the kettle to boil for several minutes, Lay pawed through the extremely filled and messy refrigerator. His fingers wrapped around a small jar of Jarrah honey, pulling it from the shelf, and then he firmly shut the fridge door. Once the tea finished boiling, he carefully poured it into Chen’s favorite mug. He then scooped three dollops of the honey into the mug and slowly stirred the drink with a small spoon that D.O usually used for adding condiments to the food he cooked.

The dorm was quiet as all of the members were in their rooms after coming back home from a tiring day of schedules and performances. So Lay silently crept back up the stairs to his and Chen’s bedroom, tightly gripping the handle of Chen’s mug. He could hear Baekhyun playing video games despite it being so late and shook his head slightly with an amused smile at the younger male’s obsession.

Chen was running a towel over his wet hair, having finished showering while Lay was downstairs. He felt so much better now that he was clean and clear-headed. And when he walked out of the bathroom to see Lay holding a mug of tea in his hands, Chen felt so blessed to have such a caring roommate. “Thank you,” the vocalist said as he appreciatively took the mug from Lay. It felt so good to feel the warm tea slide down his throat with the hint of honey pleasing his taste buds as he gulped down the drink.

“I’ll take that back down to the kitchen for you,” Lay offered with his hand held out once Chen finished drinking the tea.

“Are you sure?” Chen felt bad that the Chinese male was doing so much for him when he must be just as exhausted after their strenuous day.

Lay nodded and took the empty mug out of Chen’s hand before the vocalist could say anything. He swiftly disappeared from the bedroom, so Chen just let him go. When the dancer returned from the kitchen, he looked at his bed in surprise upon seeing the younger male laying there instead of on his own bed. “Chen, what are you doing?”

“I’m sleeping here tonight,” Chen answered matter-of-factly, snuggling deep in between Lay’s blankets. “Come here.”

A lopsided smile appeared on Lay’s face as he obligingly joined Chen. The bed dipped slightly with the added weight before readjusting as Lay scooted closer to the middle where Chen was. “You’re so weird,” the Chinese male commented as he pulled on Chen’s ears affectionately.

If it had been anyone else touching his ears, Chen would’ve immediately slapped their hands away. But since it was Lay, the vocalist made no move to stop the older male from playing with his ears. “I just felt like cuddling tonight.”

“Get some rest. We have to be up in a few hours,” Lay reminded him as he let go of Chen’s ears before circling his arms around the smaller male.

Chen snuggled up against Lay’s broad, firm chest and exhaled in satisfaction as he wrapped his arms around the dancer as well. “Good night, Lay.”

“Good night, Chen.” Lay looked down at his roommate in his embrace and smiled softly before closing his eyes. He buried his nose in Chen’s freshly washed hair, inhaling the younger male's sweet scent before falling asleep.

Chen tightened his hold around Lay as he listened to the comforting resonance of the older male's steady heartbeat, slowly sliding into dreamland once more that night with the ends of his lips curved up happily.

♈♈♈