Early to bed, early to rise, is Jongdae’s motto. So what if going to bed at 10pm and waking up every morning at 6am makes him seem like a 40-year-old suburban dad with a thinning hairline ( you, Baekhyun, you’re the one with a thinning hairline, no thanks to all the bad dye jobs)? Sleeping and rising at a punctual hour makes him feel good, feel energized and productive, and he’d be damned if he let anyone change his perfectly well-adjusted sleep schedule.

Well, that was before he started dating Park Chanyeol.

Having a giant, loud, hyperactive, and stupidly y golden retriever of a boyfriend definitely made sticking to a regular sleep schedule much harder, in more ways than one. Unlike Jongdae, Chanyeol seemed to become more invigorated the further the sun retreated. He was a true night owl in all ways, gaining an almost manic fuel of productivity and creativity when most regular human beings were deep in dreamland.

Three months into dating and Jongdae had tried every method he could think of to get Chanyeol to retire to bed early, to no avail. Even that one time he had goaded Chanyeol into ing him against a wall, then again in the shower, then again on Baekhyun’s desk, he had still woken up at 2am to find Chanyeol at his desk, furiously scribbling down music notes under the pale light of the single desk lamp.

Luckily, Baekhyun was an incredibly heavy sleeper, a fact thoroughly tested by risky late night shenanigans that the former would have Hapkido kicked them for if he hadn’t blissfully snored his way through it all.

That left just Jongdae to briefly wake up every night and grumpily herd his sheepish boyfriend back to the warmth of his tiny twin-sized bed. Much to his chagrin, this habit is now ingrained in his circadian rhythm, something he always makes a point to complain about to Chanyeol every morning even as he presses iced coffee into the barely-awake boy’s hands (because Chanyeol couldn’t be trusted with hot drinks before noon without the severe risk of injuring himself and others).

“Mothers also wake up in the middle of the night to put their babies to sleep,” Baekhyun had once pointed out with a stupid smirk on his pointy face. Having been best friends with Baekhyun since they were both in the womb, Jongdae, like always, had ignored him.

Then one night, Jongdae finds himself waking up to someone gently running their fingers through his hair, thumb caressing down his temples and along his cheekbones.

“Wake up, Dae,” a low voice whispers above him.

Jongdae blinks blearily and squints at the neon green digits of the alarm clock next to his bed.

“It’s only 1:21, Yeol, it’s not time yet,” he mumbles, turning his face into the large, warm hand and sighing contentedly.

“I know, I’m sorry, but you have to wake up babe. I have a surprise for you.”

Jongdae pries his eyes open again to squint suspiciously at Chanyeol’s beaming grin.

“A surprise?”

Chanyeol nods furiously in excitement, hair flopping up and down. “Yeah, you’ll love it, I promise, but you have to come with me.”

Stupid y golden retriever, Jongdae thinks with a huff. Still, he blinks both eyes fully open and sits up under the covers, reaching his arms out to Chanyeol.

“Fine, but if you want to show me your surprise, you have to take me there. My body isn’t ready for physical activity right now,” he grumbles.

Chanyeol chuckles fondly, a low rumble in his chest that sends a slight shiver down Jongdae’s spine.

“If that’s what you want,” Chanyeol acquiesces easily, eyes curving happily.

Jongdae’s breath hitches as Chanyeol slides strong arms underneath his shoulders and his knees and scoops him up easily, his arms automatically circling around Chanyeol’s neck to hold on. All those hours at the gym really seemed to be paying off after all, Jongdae thinks as he buries his face into the crook of Chanyeol’s neck, blowing a small puff of air against the sensitive skin there to make Chanyeol jump and giggle.

“Don’t do that, I’m going to drop you,” Chanyeol complains, even as he begins making his way to the bedroom door.

Jongdae turns to smirk lazily at him. “You drop me and I’ll tell Baekhyun you came all over his desk.”

“You wouldn’t dare!” Chanyeol gasps in mock outrage. “If I go down, I’m taking you down with me!”

“Nuh-uh, Baekhyun and I are soulmates. If he kills me, he knows that he’ll die too,” Jongdae says breezily, helping Chanyeol turn the doorknob before they make their way out into the dorm hallway.

“Is that the only reason you guys haven’t murdered each other yet? What a cruel fate, to have your life force bound to your greatest foe,” Chanyeol laments dramatically, heading for the back stairwell.

“I know, every day I curse the divine forces that chained me to that harlot.”

Back in the dorm room, Baekhyun sneezes in his sleep as the two continue to insult Baekhyun’s personal character all the way to the stairwell.

At the foot of the stairs, Jongdae raises an eyebrow. “Are we going up?” At Chanyeol’s nod, he tugs on his boyfriend’s shirt. “Let me down, I can walk by myself. You shouldn’t strain your legs, you know you get shin splints.”

Chanyeol smiles fondly at him again, kissing his nose as he gently sets Jongdae down. “Always so considerate, babe.”

Jongdae flushes. “Shut up, just take me to this surprise you’re hiding. I’m losing precious beauty sleep!” he whines, smacking Chanyeol lightly on the shoulder. Chanyeol laughs, grabbing his hand before he can take it back. “Ok, just a little further, I promise.”   

He pulls Jongdae up one, two, three flights of stairs.

“Where are we going that we couldn’t have taken the elevator?” Jongdae gripes.

Chanyeol turns back to smirk conspiratorially at him.

“Roof,” he answers shortly before producing a key from his pants pocket.

Jongdae gapes at him. “Are you serious? How did you even get that? Don’t tell me you stole it, Park Chanyeol!”

Chanyeol laughs. “Relax, babe. Junmyeon, the RA, owed me a favor, so I just called it in.”

Jongdae narrows his eyes at his boyfriend as the pair finally stop in front of the rooftop door. “Still doesn’t sound legal, but ok.”

“Who cares about the law when you can have—” Chanyeol inserts the key and slams open the door dramatically, “—this!”

In the middle of the concrete rooftop, someone had laid down a pile of blankets with numerous pillows and cushions surrounding it, forming a little nest of sorts. A little bit past the blankets stood a telescope, angled to look up into the night sky.

“The roof is the perfect place for stargazing,” Chanyeol explains, suddenly a little shy. “I found it recently and brought my telescope up here. But tonight, there’s a meteor shower! It’ll be super visible from here, and I thought you’d like it. And I know you’re tired, so I put down some blankets too, so we can just lie down and stargaze that way.” He glances hopefully at Jongdae, seeking his approval.

Jongdae’s heart swells with such a sudden, all-consuming wave of affection that he’s rendered temporarily speechless.

“I – this is amazing, Chanyeol,” he finally breathes out, a little choked up for some reason. “I love it, I really do.”

Chanyeol flushes but smiles blindingly at him. He gestures with his free hand to the rooftop. “Shall we, then?”

Jongdae lets Chanyeol pull him to the blanket pile and settle them down, Jongdae curled up comfortably into Chanyeol’s side, Chanyeol’s arm around his shoulder a warm, familiar weight.

Apparently, Chanyeol had timed their arrival perfectly, because a few minutes later shooting stars begin streaking across the night sky. 

It’s beautiful. Jongdae stares at the sky, mesmerized, as one by one the meteoroids begin their descent through the heavens, burning trails of light in their wake. Chanyeol was right; up on the rooftop, they really do have the perfect view of the dazzling show, and Jongdae is entranced by every second of it.

“Did you see that one? It looked so close!” Jongdae finally breaks his silence, turning in excitement to Chanyeol, only to find the latter already looking back, a soft smile on his face and something unbearably tender in his eyes. Jongdae feels himself turning warm under Chanyeol’s gaze, but doesn’t break eye contact.

“Aren’t you supposed to be looking at the stars?” Jongdae asks pointedly.

“I am,” Chanyeol responds easily. “I’m admiring my favorites. The ones right here…”

His hand comes up to gently trace the moles on Jongdae’s right temple.

“…And the one right here…”

He gently taps the mole on his nose.

“And especially the one right here.”

Jongdae gasps as Chanyeol leans his head down to press a soft butterfly kiss against the mole on his left collarbone.

Coming back up, Chanyeol murmurs into Jongdae’s ear, “You’re always the brightest star in my sky.”

Jongdae can’t help but burst into a laughing fit at the cheesiness, slapping Chanyeol’s chest repeatedly. “Stop, you’re so gross!” he complains with no heat, eyes crinkling with the force of his mirth. Chanyeol grins back before wrapping his arms around Jongdae like an octopus and throwing them both down into the pile of blankets, smothering a still-laughing Jongdae with his body weight.

“Just admit that you love me and my cheesiness,” he taunts, rolling them around and getting them tangled in the blankets.

“I’d rather die,” Jongdae wheezes, struggling to claw his way out of the sheets and Chanyeol’s octopus hold.

They wrestle for a few more minutes before settling down, both panting and smiling at each other uncontrollably as Jongdae lies atop Chanyeol’s chest.  

Jongdae presses his ear to Chanyeol’s heartbeat, listening to the soothing rhythm, a little fast from their play-fighting but always steady.

“Thank you for bringing me up here tonight,” he says sincerely.

Chanyeol brings a hand up to card gentle fingers through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp just the way Jongdae likes.

“Of course. Anytime.”

“Sometimes I get so caught up in my own routine,” Jongdae continues. “I’m content to live life the same way every day. But ever since I met you, it feels like I’ve experienced so many amazing new things that I would have never tried myself.”

Chanyeol hums thoughtfully, and Jongdae can hear the vibrations spread through his chest.

“Every moment I spend with you is an amazing new experience, Jongdae. Doing things with you makes everything more beautiful and bright, like I’m experiencing it again for the first time.”

Jongdae doesn’t call Chanyeol out on his cheesiness again because he can hear the sincerity in every word, can see the love in Chanyeol’s eyes without even looking up. Instead, he turns his head to press his lips against Chanyeol’s chest, right above his heart.

“You’re the brightest star in my sky, too.”