“Hyung,” Ryeowook says for the fourth time.

“What,” Jongwoon says, as if he doesn’t know what Ryeowook is about to say.

He’s calm, content, and hearing it feels nice. No reason to be an .

“I love you,” Ryeowook murmurs on his shoulder, or at least that’s what Jongwoon assumes it is. Ryeowook’s face is basically planted into his shirt, and Ryeowook slurs a lot when he’s sleepy. It still feels nice. “Y’know.”

“He knows,” Kyuhyun echoes from the other side of the bed, his legs tangled with Jongwoon’s and his arm safely wrapped around his torso. That feels nice, too. “Come up with something else.”

“Shut the hell up,” Ryeowook concludes, and even raises his head a bit to say it, so it must be a serious threat. Jongwoon lets out a small whine and drags him back down. “Hmm. Hyung.”

“What,” Jongwoon says for the fifth time.

“Kyuhyun loves you,” Ryeowook mumbles, now on his neck. His breath is hot and familiar against Jongwoon’s skin. Safe. “He told me not to say that.”

“As if he doesn’t know that too,” Kyuhyun shoots back, his chin hooked between Jongwoon’s shoulder and neck. “And I never told you not to do it.”

“Liar,” is Ryeowook’s only response.

“Ryeowook-ah,” Jongwoon says, not really expecting a response.

It’s just nice to say his name out loud. He doesn’t need anything back to know Ryeowook is there—he already knows he’s not going anywhere. He just feels like letting the syllables hang in the air for a while, sometimes.

“I’m right here,” Kyuhyun says instead, which is pretty much default behavior, and that steals a smirk right out of the corner of Jongwoon’s mouth. “Don’t laugh.”

“You, Cho Kyuhyun,” Jongwoon murmurs, then turns his head to the side inhabited by the younger, “you’re all bark and no bite.”

“Never said I wasn’t,” is Kyuhyun’s diplomatic response.

Jongwoon’s smirk evolves into a subdued smile. It still doesn’t reach his lips all the way through, but that would require too much effort. Kyuhyun doesn’t need the encouragement, anyway. His eyes have already been looking at one thing only for quite a while.

Slow breaths graze Jongwoon’s cheeks as the distance between them slowly fades. Silence is dominating the room, and the only thing still betraying Ryeowook’s presence is the soothing touch of his chest rising and falling against Jongwoon’s left side. Kyuhyun’s gaze grows slightly wider, fonder, quieter. Jongwoon doesn’t do anything to disturb the silence—wouldn’t do it for any less than life-threatening reasons, let alone just for the hell of it.

Kyuhyun tastes like comfort when he leans in, as he always does, and his cheeks are warm against Jongwoon’s nose when they come apart mere seconds later. He leaves a peck on his chin, then on his jawline, and Kyuhyun hums, albeit somewhat shakily. Jongwoon runs his fingers through Kyuhyun’s hair. He’s soft under his lips, a touch of coarse just on the edge of his acne scars, now that he’s make-up free, and it’s something like an innate instinct that brings him to pepper kisses all over it. Slowly, one by one. They’re in no rush—not anymore.

Kyuhyun scrunches up his nose, a last attempt at trying to be the brat of the situation, but Jongwoon knows better than that. He plants a feather-like kiss on the tip of his nose and watches Kyuhyun’s expression melt into a softer one. One that lingers on his face when Jongwoon captures his upper lip in a delicate kiss, before doing the same to the lower one. Kyuhyun doesn’t react vocally, yet his arm’s grip on the elder’s b