Hoseok shivers in the cold, wrapping his arms tight around himself and tucking his hands under them, trying to warm up. “Knew I should’ve brought gloves.”

“Cold?” Hyungwon mocks with a grin as he’s all bundled up in sweaters under a hoodie and overcoat, long sleeves to shield his hands from the cold, and pockets to bury them in for some extra warmth.

“Maybe if someone would give me one of his twenty-five coats I wouldn’t be so cold,” Hoseok glares at Hyungwon from the corner of his eyes, watching as Hyungwon’s only response is to throw his hood up as well.

“You’re the one that would faster be sick than wear anything that you deem unfashionable.”

Hoseok ignores Hyungwon’s comment and pouts. His lip quivers from the cold wind blowing almost directly into his face and his teeth are practically chattering. It was fun to have gone out with Hyungwon, to have snuck out of the dorm for five hours just watching a movie, eating, playing games and just spending their break together. But now at one in the morning the chilling wind is much stronger but there is still about fifteen more minutes back to the dorm.

“Think Kihyun’s worried?” he mumbles. He brings a hand up to cover his mouth, the wind making his throat dry and harsh.

With a sigh, Hyungwon stares off into the distance, barely paying attention to where he’s going. “This’ll probably be our last walk, just so you know. He’s just gonna suffocate us in our sleep, I know it already. I least I get to go out in my sleep.”

Hoseok throws an arm over Hyungwon’s shoulders for a quick, sympathetic hug as they walk their last steps. “We could always just run away,” he suggests, wiping away at an imaginary tear on his cheek.

Hyungwon pouts behind his hood and his hands buried in the pockets of his overcoat. “He’d find us. No matter where we go, he’d find us.” His gaze is fixed into the distance, his eyes focused but not on something Hoseok could see. It’s as though Hyungwon is reminiscing.

With a hard, supporting slap on the shoulder (or trying to be supportive) to snap Hyungwon out of his trance with a choke, Hoseok clicks his tongue in disapproval. “We die tonight all because you wanted to go on a date.”

“Me?” Hyungwon halts, his steps coming to a full and sudden stop and he stares at Hoseok’s back in surprise but a wide smile on his face nonetheless. Hoseok just keeps walking, a proud grin on his face.. “This was your idea! I could be in bed right now sleeping for more hours than I’ll ever get again but here I am with you for the past five hours instead!”

Hoseok shrugs off his complaints and keeps walking with his head held high in an odd sense of pride that he doesn’t quite understand either. He can hear Hyungwon’s hurried steps behind him as the younger is forced to run just to catch up with him. “And what the hell was that you just said?” Hyungwon chases after him, coming up beside him a smirk and raised brow.

“Hm?” Hoseok doesn’t even glance at him as he doesn’t need to to know that Hyungwon’s got the widest smirk on his face right now. And Hoseok doesn’t much care as to why. “What was what?”

“That. How you said date.” Hyungwon’s smirk only gets wider as Hoseok’s grin drops the moment he points that out, the moment he realises what he had said and he’s regretting everything in this moment, mentally kicking himself for somehow letting that slip. “Tonight was a date?” Hyungwon questions, a bit of a tease even in the way he speaks.

Hoseok doesn’t say anything. His steps get quicker and suddenly he’s wanting to get home faster, hoping to cut those last fifteen minutes into five minutes because anymore time spent alone with Hyungwon like this will be the death of him. He really can’t believe he said that, that… date slipped out like that he really didn’t know why. Was it like a date? He doesn’t think it was especially because he and Hyungwon had snuck out plenty of times before. What made this one different?

Maybe what has him so worked up is the way Hyungwon’s laughing at it, how he’s smiling so brightly and doesn’t seem to mind one bit. And the more Hoseok thinks on that the more he can feel the heat in his face rising and he hopes the blush on his face can pass for him just being cold.

“I like it.” Hyungwon keeps up with Hoseok’s pace easily, too easily. “Date it is then.”

Hoseok is screaming inside. Hyungwon says he likes it, that he likes the idea of it being a date. But he always says. Any time he spends more than an hour alone with another member, just outside spending their free time together, Hyungwon likes to call it a date. Hoseok hates that Hyungwon is calling it a date now as he probably means nothing behind it. And Hoseok hates it even more that that even matters to him.

Then he feels something brush against his hand and before he can even react he feels Hyungwon’s fingers lace themselves with his, slotting so perfectly between each other. “H-Hyungwon...?” Hoseok stutters more than once and he can’t even find any words. Nothing he can say sounds right or he just can’t get them out. He feels his heart race a little more and he swears it’s probably pathetic how worked up he’s getting over this. He and Hyungwon held hands before, they held hands with the other members as well and it was never much of a deal then. Yet as Hyungwon squeezes his hand in his, a sense of warm washes over him and suddenly he can’t even feel the cold breeze on his cheeks.

All he can feel is Hyungwon’s hand in his and the warmth radiating off of him.

“Because it’s cold,” Hyungwon lets out under his breath, barely loud enough for even Hoseok to hear. But he does, he catches it and it rings in ears loud and clear. His cheeks flush, the warmth building up and he can only imagine how red he is right now.

Hoseok finally works up the courage to look at Hyungwon, to glance at him under his hood and he makes out the hint of a smile underneath it and within the dark. And Hoseok tries to fight the way his own smile begins to form, the way his lips curve just at the sight of Hyungwon’s smile so precious.

“Why’re you blushing?” Hyungwon’s hold on Hoseok’s hand only gets tighter. Either Hyungwon is doing it to reassure him, to make sure the blush doesn’t mean he’s getting sick, or he does that just to make Hoseok blush more, make him even more of a mess. And Hoseok swears it’s the latter.

“Because it’s cold,” Hoseok repeats back to him.

---

“Quiet!” Hoseok growls lowly so only Hyungwon will hear as they push open the front door and slip inside as quietly as possible. Carefully removing their shoes and coats as well and even they are surprised with how little noise they manage to make in the process. They peek around the living room for Kihyun, wary that he might be waiting around the corner ready to ambush them (as Hoseok constantly said he would on their walk back home). But it seems to be clear so they tiptoe their way to their shared room with Hyunwoo. Just as Hyungwon reaches for the doorknob though, they hear the creaking of another door and glance to the side to see Kihyun stepping out of the room with his arms folded over his chest and a smile on his face that sends shivers down their spines.

“And now, where the hell have you two been for the past five and a half hours?”

Hyungwon is first to open his mouth to give an answer, to give some kind of excuse and just make one up on the spot. But Kihyun raises his hand, shushing him immediately and Hyungwon’s mouth just hangs open, his brows furrowed with worry.

Kihyun glares at them both from behind his pink fringe, his soft smile completely gone with less than a second. “Hyungwon, there are times when your ‘I fell asleep’ excuse doesn’t work and this is one of many of them.” Hyungwon shuts his mouth with a pout and drops his gaze to the floor, shifting awkwardly where he stood and not knowing what else to say. With a sigh, Kihyun straightens himself. “Next time you two plan to go see a movie at night, please remind me that you’ll be gone for the rest of the night so I know not to panic when you’re gone for 4 hours longer than you should be.”

Hoseok says a quick thank you under his breath as he and Hyungwon nod their understanding, Kihyun actually letting them off easy considering what they just did. They had joked about it on the way home but now that they hear Kihyun repeat it they finally realise just how horrible it is.

Kihyun walks off in the direction of the kitchen, leaving the two there to finally get some sleep. Hoseok, with his head still low, reaches for the doorknob again and pushes it open with his body suddenly heavy. It feels awkward now to even be next to Hyungwon, but before he can step inside, Hyungwon grabs his wrist and pulls him back to face him.

“Hyung, thank you for tonight,” he whispers, having to be careful so they wouldn’t wake Hyunwoo up or disturb Kihyun once again.

“What’s this all of a sudden?”

“It’s just… I didn’t get to properly thank you for everything. After what Kihyun said I know you’re probably feeling guilty for asking me to join you tonight but… thank you. Y’know, for taking me out to dinner, for the movie, for the games, and well, just tonight in general.” Hyungwon’s cheeks flush a bright hue of red and he avoids Hoseok’s gaze, trying to hide the flush on his cheeks by covering them and his mouth with the long sleeve of his sweater. He wasn’t always very good at these sorts of things but he felt like he should say something, anything to show that he’s grateful for their time tonight. And being rushed to find the right words really only made it all much worse.

“You’re really making it sound like a... d-date when you say all that.” Hoseok lets out an awkward laugh to try and drown out the sound of his heart pounding against his chest. He hopes it helps but he doubts it, his slightly furrowed brows and face probably redder than it has ever been, his breath unsteady, stumbling over his words as his tongue twists around itself whenever he tries to speak. And his body trembling, his knees weak and for once Hoseok knew what it’s like to practically melt in someone’s presence. But all Hyungwon did was hold his wrist, smile at him and say thanks. And Hyungwon just smiles a little brighter at the sight.

“Wasn’t it?” Hyungwon’s voice is so low, so quiet, and not even he’s sure if he meant for Hoseok to hear it or not, but he did. And it rings in Hoseok’s ears loud and clear.

With an awkward nod, Hoseok keeps his gaze on Hyungwon, unable to tear his eyes away or blink, afraid he’ll miss anything. “Y-Yeah…”

Hyungwon takes in a deep breath and finally releases Hoseok’s wrist, only realising in that moment that he’s still holding onto him. But Hoseok is taken by surprise when Hyungwon cups his cheeks, leaning close and letting their lips brush together. It isn’t a kiss, not yet, but they can feel each other’s breaths on their slightly parted lips. And Hoseok closes his eyes, letting himself drown in the moment.

Hyungwon’s staring at his lips though, seeing how in the blur of vision from the lack distance between them, Hoseok is still so beautiful even out of focus, even when his breath is getting heavy, harsh, and Hyungwon swears he can hear a little whine of disappoint in his breaths at how he hasn’t kissed him yet. He feels a smile tug on lips as he speaks, “You’re so cute.” He sees Hoseok’s lips move to reply, but he doesn’t give him a chance to before capturing his lips into a slow and soft kiss.

Hoseok is barely even given any time to react before it happens, and Hyungwon is so still. Their lips press together so perfectly and they melt into each other almost immediately, Hoseok’s legs becoming weak. Hyungwon’s thumbs rub gentle circles over his cheeks, adding to that light feeling like Hoseok is being lifted right off his feet. He feels so weightless and it’s like everything around them disappeared except for them. Except for him and Hyungwon together. His body is heating up and he leans more into the kiss, his hands sliding up to Hyungwon’s arms, holding onto them so carefully but also like his life depends on it. And he lets Hyungwon lead him, he lets him start moving his lips against his before he follows and they both drown further in it, in each other.

Everything’s so smooth, so perfect and almost magical. Hoseok never wants it to end and he can tell by the way Hyungwon kisses him that he, too, never wants it to end.

Just them, together.

But the moment is disturbed when someone clears their throat. The two immediately pull away with a start, a small gasp from Hoseok, and disappointment washes over them both so quickly. There, with his arms folded over his chest and leaned up against the wall, is Kihyun with a smirk.

“I just wanted to get something to drink quickly but I come back to this.” Kihyun waves a hand at the two, signalling to them both as they both flush a brighter red than ever before. Hyungwon takes a step away, clearing his throat awkwardly while Hoseok fidgets in place, scratching at the back of his head. They both figure that’ll work seeing as they obviously can’t make an excuse this time either. But they hope the awkward gestures and atmosphere will be enough of a hint for Kihyun to go away.

But it doesn’t seem like it.

“No, no, no! Don’t stop just because I’m here! Please, continue,” he teases, laughing loudly as the two throw glares at him that are not even close to being intimidating with those bright hues of red spreading over their ears and cheeks. “You two are precious!” he says under his breath but just loud enough for the two to hear as he disappears back into his shared room.

The two don’t say a word to each other as they sneak back into their room and into their beds, not even so much as whispering a ‘goodnight’ to each other before curling themselves under their blankets and finding a comfortable spot to sleep.

Hoseok tosses and turns for a while though, unable to get comfortable as every time he stilled for just a moment and closed his eyes, flashes of their time together tonight would play again and he’s reminded. He’s reminded of how Hyungwon’s hand felt in his, how they walked hand in hand back hope and no words were even needed. How Hyungwon called it a date and that he loved it that way. But most of all, Hoseok always goes back to the kiss, to how Hyungwon held him, his hands on his cheeks and his lips against his.

He remembers every last detail, but still it isn’t enough. He feels like he doesn’t remember enough. He curses Kihyun for disturbing them like that. Just a few more seconds with Hyungwon like that would’ve been enough, just a few more seconds in his arms like that.

All he can think about was how beautiful and amazing it felt to have Hyungwon so close, to have him all to himself for hours without any schedules. How magical it was to spend their free time together doing nothing but also everything. That’s all Hoseok can think about and his mind is too active for him to sleep. He doesn’t realise just how active it is, though, until he notices the pressure on the bed behind him only when it presses up against his back. And a sudden whiff of vanilla hits him.

“H-Hyungwon?” he whispers into the darkness, his eyes trying to find the younger without turning around. And he hears a gentle groan in response. Hyungwon sounds like he is barely still awake, probably having a much easier time falling asleep than Hoseok is having. Hyungwon wraps his arms around Hoseok’s waist, holding him close as he presses his forehead into the nape of Hoseok’s neck, burying it there and taking in Hoseok’s scent and drowning in his presence. And Hoseok drowns in the way Hyungwon holds him. His arms are so warm, so comfortable, and despite how his heart beats a little faster at the way Hyungwon holds him, he immediately feels more at ease to have him there.

Hoseok les out a steady breath and presses himself against Hyungwon as well, feeling how his hold on his waist just tightens in response and Hoseok slides his hands down to Hyungwon’s, rubbing gentle and relaxing patterns over the back of the brunet’s hand with his fingers.

“Hyungwon? What are you doing?” Hoseok’s tone is hushed, careful to not wake Hyunwoo as well. He doesn’t think he’d be able to handle their time together being disturbed again. Though this is the first time they’ve slept together like this, cuddled close together, taking in each other’s scents and falling asleep to the sounds of their breaths together. He still just wants Hyungwon to himself, to not hear anyone. And Hyungwon only wants to hear Hoseok, he only wants to hear his light snores and feel his hands on his, holding him close as sleep takes them over.

They only want to fall asleep in each other’s presence.

Hoseok can feel Hyungwon cuddle closer to him still and the younger threw a leg over his, wrapping them all up together and Hoseok feels warmth wash over him, feels it overflow around him as though Hyungwon is radiating the heat, as though he is there just to make Hoseok feel safe, secure, warm, and light. That same feeling of weightlessness returns again and Hoseok’s breathing becomes somehow easier thanks to it. He can feel Hyungwon’s breath against his neck and he lets his eyes slip closed, his mind finally at rest as they really are the only two there in that moment to them. Only they exist to each other in this moment and that’s just how they want it. They can deal with the teases and the comments in the morning. They’ll deal with the others when Kihyun likely tells them of the kiss over breakfast, because tonight they have each other instead.

“Because it’s cold,” Hyungwon whispers into his neck at last and Hoseok turns over, facing him and smiling at his tired expression. Hyungwon really is barely awake. Hoseok presses his forehead against Hyungwon’s chest, falling asleep to the sound of his snores and his scent of vanilla.