It's a soft beep that shakes him from sleep. The sort to be annoying but not loud enough to not piss him off, and he thinks that maybe he can ignore it and it'll sink into the pile of cloth between him and his phone. There's a muffle of folds of a seemingly ocean of sheets between him and the sound and-

. There it goes again, louder this time. He thinks that it's not worth it. Not worth it to move, to check the sound, to wake up when he swore he just fell asleep...

But there it is. A beep. Henry reaches out, searching vaguely in the near darkness for the blue glow of his screen.

He can't find it right away and it really just . His mind is still murky water, unclear, but it stirs with each awake moment.

He'd just fallen asleep (or at least, that's what it seemed) and now he has to answer texts from? Who? What did it matter when he was sure he could have had a good few more hours left before he had to clock in for schedules.

And boy, there were a lot of those coming up. The new year was coming and coming fast and before he knew it, the negotiations and planning and upcoming promotions were being flung at him like bricks from across a river bank.

He needed his sleep. He was sure he was never going to be able to get sleep again. And now he was slightly more awake than before, hand's numb from being slept on, and the blue light is a lot more bright up close.

One message, one minute ago. 3:43 AM, and it was from him.

You won‘t believe the call I just got.

Oh.

He squinted bleary-eyed at the message on the screen. He really wouldn't be able to guess, but he really wanted to know and he guessed that was the point. To entice him, despite what the clock says.

He was awake but you know what? It wasn't too bad. Not really. That little ball of growing anger building in his lungs suddenly deflated, at the snap of the metaphorical fingers - or maybe just the pinprick of a text that came from Ryeowook and the realization that they'd be seeing each other tomorrow.

That was okay. That meant he was thinking about him and it was like lighting a bonfire in Henry's heart, chasing away the dark.

He hesitated, fingers twitching over the keys, but he soon replied. Because when it came to Ryeowook, his better judgment also had a habit of being chased away, but his heart was already speeding up a little bit at the thought of hearing from him, listening to him spill out secrets in the night. He couldn't race towards that fast enough, just like the thumping he could feel in his chest, each breath catching on its beat.

Maybe you should tell me about it and I'll see if I can believe it.

The reply is quick, and Henry's smile at the screen turns into a yawn before he can try to stop it.

Can I call you? I could tell it better.

Henry dials Ryeowook's number and grins to himself when he hears the tone on the other end of the line. The sort of huffy and tired voice that answered like he was scolding but also whispering because it‘s late and he has a roommate that night.

“Why did you call me? I was going to call you.”

Henry snorted. “What does it matter? We're talking.”

“It's four in the morning and my phone is loud and... Donghae really hates that he's awake now.”

Henry rolled his eyes, folded his hand over his chest, laughed a little. His voice returned to the small it was before, the reserved, the calm surrounding Christmas fireplace in favor of his quietly protesting body. “Keep it turned down, it's not a good idea to keep it up at night. Do I need to teach you?”

The warmth on the other side was just as tired, just as amused. A gentle chuckle, and Henry knew he was trying to be as quiet as possible for his roommate. He could imagine the sprawl, the way Ryeowook was probably stretched across his bed as his sleep-worn voice came down from muffled chuckles. “Ah, no. I'll manage. Thank you, though.”

“So what... was this unbelievable call you got? The one that you could only explain in person at four in the morning.”

There was no regret in Ryeowook's voice, nothing in the immediate response that read anything but we're in the same boat. Which Henry guessed was right, considering how quickly the clock's hands were turning. They're both awake, both resigned to the same coffee-chugging day (and days) that were coming, and that was the mutual understanding they both came to when the silence returned.

Ryeowook's breath was soft, relaxed - Henry felt an ache somewhere deep in his chest, maybe it was his heart, or maybe his lungs, and he knew it would go away as soon as Ryeowook was beside him.

Just twelve more hours.

“...So, ah, what call did you get? Was it the call giving you the okay to make your solo debut and travel the world, selling out every venue with screaming fans?”

Ryeowook giggled, the sound that Henry was so familiar with that it almost felt like they were training together again, falling asleep on the floor and talking deliriously until they passed out.

“No, unfortunately it wasn't.”

Henry let out an exaggerated gasp. “How dare they.”

“Pshh, shh, be quiet. It was a call from Sungmin and guess what?”

“Just tell me.”

“I guess it was Leeteuk-hyung, since Sungmin was on his way back from the bar and was drunk before hyung took the phone from him. They're both on their way back now, but... Ah, it's so much drama. They finally broke up. I think it's for good this time.”

Henry almost didn't realize what he was talking about but then it hit him. He ignored the finally in that sentence, the way everyone saw what was going downhill ever since that first breakup. “Wait? What? They did?”

“That's what Sungmin said two seconds before hyung took the phone. I'm waiting for them to get back but can you believe it?”

And he couldn't - not exactly. Not really. All he had for the past year was second-hand word to go by, the whats and whens and whys already told and answered and given to him over text. But in all honesty, to his eyes and through the small talks here and there that he snagged with Sungmin, Hyukjae and Sungmin's relationship seemed to be as good as it ever was. Not perfect, but the same as ever - with its breaks and personal space and the way it always ended up in the same place: back in bed.

Sharing a dorm with the two was hard with thin walls.

When he takes a minute to respond, he can feel the impatience on the other side of the line, wariness catching up to them both. “I guess I can't? I'm sorry but if this is better for them... I guess it's for the best?”

Ryeowook clicked his tongue on the static end of the call, humming with thought. “I suppose so. I expected it, but not just before promotions. And ah... some people- I mean, it’s bad to take bets on relationships, but some of the members did. I didn’t expect this, I thought they’d stick it out. Just until the end of promotions, you know? This is going to be a lot more tense.”

Henry also ignored the fact that some of them gambled on their relationship and sighed. He was close to asking if Ryeowook did, but didn’t press.

He felt bad. He really did. But...

“Well, at least one good thing'll come out of this.”

“And that is?”

Henry's eyes were heavy, a sign to move on or move faster or get to the end. Not that he wanted to, but his body was speaking for him more than his will ever could at four AM.

“At least we won‘t have to hear them ing through the walls.”

The snort he heard was sudden, caught off guard - the stifling Ryeowook was so obviously trying to do in his pillow wasn't doing as much as he intended.

Donghae's voice ghosted through the speakers, a shut the up that Henry kind of agreed with.

Frankly, there was no more room for sleeping. At least, not for him. He sat up, cricks in his neck and back making themselves more known with each wider range of motion he put himself through.

“Is that all you wanted to tell me? That they broke up?”

The hesitation was short lived, but Henry heard it in the small pause. “Hm. Yeah.”

“You sure? That’s one hell of a reason to wake me up.”

“If I had to be woken up with bad news, I needed to share it and I... I thought you’d like to know. You know, before we arrive.”

Maybe, just maybe...

“Go to bed,” Henry said, a haze to his voice that was as sleepy as it was hopeful.

There was a hum on the other end. “I don’t know, I’m already up.”

“But you’ll need rest. Trust me, go to bed, let Leeteuk take care of Sungmin, and hurry up tomorrow so I can see you.”

Ryeowook was just a soft sound by now, all drained and ready for sleep. “Ah, okay. I can't wait to see you tomorrow too.”

I miss you.

“Rest well, okay?”

Henry cleared his throat. “Okay.”

“Hmm. Good night.”

The dead end static on the other end filled his room and he was stuck holding his phone to his ear after the connection was cut. The emptiness was apparent now, as dense as the dark gray of the early morning.

He might want to see Ryeowook - his heart, his hands, his every ounce of soul, wanted to see him - but he knew the way it would hurt him to fall back into that routine.

The one that reawoke the yearning he'd never been able to put to rest. Not really.

Henry fell into sleep quicker than he thought possible, even with the waves of uncertainty that filled his mind.