Hakyeon let out a yawn as he stretched his arms above his head, arching his body as much as he can to get rid of the cricks in his joints. He’d been spending the past several hours bent over the desk, slaving away at the numerous papers littering the wooden surface. A grimace settled on his features when he noticed that he was nowhere near done, mentally counting the amount of papers he still had to go through. He almost wanted to weep pathetically at it.

It wasn’t that he hated his job - he just really wasn’t fond of the negative sides to it. He knew being a teacher wasn’t going to be easy, but Hakyeon had always possessed the knack to take on challenges with unrelenting dedication and held the ability to motivate people, convince them to keep moving forward, and encourage them to do better. It's what made him good at his job.

Hakyeon loved his students, and it was obvious to anyone that most of them looked up to him as well. He just really wished that they loved him enough to actually write papers with proper grammar and minimal spelling mistakes. He may not be teaching a subject on languages - he was a Music teacher if anyone was wondering - but the least his students could do was to make his life easier by abiding to the simple rules of sentence structure because, half of the time, he had no idea what he was reading anymore. It wasn’t helping that it was already well-past midnight, his body was aching from inactivity, and his vision was already swimming from all the essays about historical composers that influenced modern music. He needed sleep. He wanted to sleep. Preferably soon.

Hakyeon chanced a glance to his side - to the other desk located not far from his own - wondering if he was the only one who was stressing over work, just to find a sight that was not all different from his predicament.

The other table was also in a mess - with books strewn all over, pencils rolling off the surface, and papers - no, music sheets - scattered around. Taekwoon was hunched over all the chaos, scribbling furiously, with no signs of being disturbed (though, it would be difficult to disturb him in the first place with those earphones plugged in his ears). His features were set on intense concentration - with eyebrows furrowed and lips bitten red. His long fingers held the pen so tightly that it was a wonder how it still hasn’t snapped from the pressure.

The only reason he would pause from work was to reach for one of the mugs on the side and take a large gulp. Hakyeon wondered how much coffee the guy's consumed the past few hours. Knowing him, probably a lot. He took a mental note to monitor Taekwoon's caffeine intake because the man's reliance on the beverage was verging on unhealthy. (Then again, he really shouldn't be one to talk considering the numerous bottles of banana milk littering his own desk).

However, despite the obvious stress reflecting from his body language, Hakyeon still couldn't stop the smile that tugged on his lips. Taekwoon lost in his passion, no matter his state, would always be an amazing sight. It was nothing compared to when he was singing his compositions (perfectly belting incredibly high notes with eyes closed and emotions clear on his often stoic features). However, him pouring his thoughts into words and creating beautiful songs was still captivating in itself. He'd get so lost in his craft that he would never be aware of the expressions that cross his features. If he was making a cute song, his mouth would quirk into a small smile. If it was sad, his eyebrows would crease and he'd bite his lips raw.

(Hakyeon's favorite would always be when he wrote romantic songs because he would often catch Taekwoon staring at him or at their other lover with a fond look and a small, shy smile.)

Speaking of which, Hakyeon directed his attention towards one end of the room, where the bed - or beds - were.

There, in the middle of the two singles pushed together, was Hongbin, curled into a ball, with a pillow hugged tightly to his chest, a book laid open beside him, and earphones still in his ears. Hakyeon's smile widened and he inwardly cooed at the positively adorable sight, momentarily forgetting that he still had a couple of papers to review.

Hongbin had come home from the animal clinic he worked in a few hours earlier, greeting him and Taekwoon with one of his dimpled smiles, before setting out the take out he had bought for them. They even had to coerce Taekwoon into taking a break to eat (for all his chic attitude, the man really could never say no to Hongbin's pleading pout). Hakyeon vaguely remembered Hongbin cleaning the mess before proceeding to make coffee for Taekwoon and bringing banana milk for Hakyeon, then settling on the bed with a book in hand and music in his ears.

A feeling of fondness settled on Hakyeon's chest and his heart swelled as he realised that Hongbin must've tried to stay awake for them but ended up falling asleep instead.

The younger man looked so peaceful and cute, his mouth slightly parted as soft snores escaped his lips. Hakyeon had to hold off from going over and snuggling with him. To fall asleep hugging the younger man (or Hongbin hugging him - he kind of felt jealous of that pillow now). The thought of cuddling was very very tempting. Much more tempting than going back to work.

Unfortunately, he really did have to finish his task.

With great reluctance, he tore his eyes away from the sleeping figure - only to catch sight of Taekwoon stifling a yawn. He frowned. As much as he wanted to tell Taekwoon to take a rest, he knew that the composer had a deadline to meet.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

A mischievous grin slowly made its way onto his lips. He was probably going to get hit with this idea. Maybe he could aegyo his way into avoiding Taekwoon's wrath (or he could wake Hongbin up to save him with the power of his dimples). Well, either way, it would be so worth it. Besides, his papers can wait (not really, but he was taking every chance he can get to put it off).

With as much stealth he can muster, utilising his grace and litheness as a dancer - he wasn't the moderator of the dance club for nothing after all - he snuck behind an unsuspecting Taekwoon, waiting for the other to put down his pen. He didn't want to ruin whatever progress the composer made.

As soon as Taekwoon paused to reach for a blank sheet, Hakyeon pounced, wrapped his arms around the broader man and pulled him off the chair. "Taekwoonie~"

Taekwoon's eyes widened in surprise before his features went back to being apathetic, if not with a bit of annoyance mixed in. "Hakyeon, what are you doing?" He hissed in irritation, like some kind of bristled cat. It still sounded intimidating though, despite the low tone. If it was anyone else, they might've instantly knelt on the ground begging for forgiveness before running to the mountains, far away from an angry Taekwoon. But Hakyeon was used to it now that the tone barely fazed him anymore. In fact, sometimes he even thought it was adorable - as long as it wasn't one of those times that Taekwoon was completely serious. He relished in the knowledge that he was one of the few people who could bother the intimidating man and get away unscathed (well, relatively unscathed - Taekwoon wouldn't be Taekwoon without his mock-violent streak).

“Come on, Taekwoon, dance with me!” Hakyeon insisted as he forced the other to face him, grabbing him by the arms, and making him move while he hummed random tunes.

"Hakyeon, I have work."

"Come on, it's just for a while!" Hakyeon replied. "Ya! Start moving or I'll make you dance!"

"Hakye--"

"You were drowsing off, Woonie! Just do as I say!"

For a moment, Taekwoon looked a tad flustered at Hakyeon's words. He must've been trying hard to keep his exhaustion to himself. Idiot, of course Hakyeon would notice. He made it his business to be aware of their limits. That's why he was amazing, if he did say so himself.

"Come on, Taekwoon! One, two, three! One, two, three!" Hakyeon counted whilst swinging their clasped hands, forcing Taekwoon into following his steps. It was largely uncoordinated, mostly because Taekwoon tried to resist and ended up stumbling while the other male enthusiastically skipped around.

"Hakyeon..."

"What's going on?" Another voice heavily slurred by sleep cut in, causing the two to stop in their steps and whirl around towards the source.

Hongbin had always been a light sleeper so it was no surprise that the commotion woke him up. There he was, sitting on the bed, his hair in a complete yet adorable mess, earphones dangling off his neck, one hand clutching the pillow whilst the other covered his yawn.

Taekwoon's gaze softened and Hakyeon chuckled at the sight.

Hongbin blinked both in drowsiness and in confusion. "Hm?"

"Come on, Binnie, join us!" Hakyeon insisted, pulling the dazed man to his feet and twirling him around as well.

"Ya, hyung!" The younger cried out in surprise. He was able to get his composure for a few moments before Hakyeon decided that dancing was necessary again, causing Hongbin to trip over his own feet and run into Taekwoon, who caught him easily by the arm. Hongbin's hands immediately flew around the older's waist as he eyed Hakyeon warily.

However, Hakyeon offered no further explanation. Instead - with a wide, mischievous grin on his face - he latched onto Taekwoon's left wrist, pried Hongbin's right hand into his grasp, then led them into skipping (well, more of lumbering from the other two) in a circle. Like some kind of human merry-go-round.

"Ya, what is this?"

"Hakyeon, do you want to die?"

The said man only laughed while singing some girl-group song in a ridiculously boisterous and off-key manner.

It didn't take long for Hongbin to start chuckling at his antics. He loved that about the younger man - the fact that it was easy to make him laugh. He knew he abused that knowledge far too much and often acted silly just to see those dimples and that ridiculously adorable eye-smile. If only Hongbin didn't have that habit of covering his face when he laughed - it was a shame to hide that radiant expression.

Besides he wasn't the only one who loved the sight when he spied Taekwoon's lips curl up ever-so-slightly. He resisted the urge to stop the off-key singing so he could grab Hongbin's camera and snap a picture of them. He had to resist - he shouldn't disrupt the moment. Especially when Taekwoon was finally relaxing and looking less strained.

Finally, to the delight of both Hakyeon and Hongbin, a laugh escaped the silent man's lips.

Hakyeon felt his heart soar. He didn't care about his aching cheeks, or how he looked absolutely silly, or how much work he's putting off. He'd do it as many times as possible to see those expressions over and over again.

Laughter echoed throughout the room until they were all but trying to keep themselves upright.

Hongbin ended up sitting on the bed, holding his stomach with one hand while his other wiped the tears that gathered at the corner of his eyes. Taekwoon was crouching on the floor, burrowing his face into his crossed arms, no doubt trying to muffle his mirth. Hakyeon was leaning on a nearby chair, grinning widely while trying to catch his breath.

He eyed the other two fondly, searing the warm image into his mind. He really wished he had Hongbin's camera at the moment.

"You'll bust a gut at this rate." Hongbin quipped while moving to sit beside Taekwoon, who was still muffling his hysterics. Hakyeon followed Hongbin's lead and occupied the composer's other side.

"Our Taekwoonie is so cute!"

Before anyone could even add to that, long limbs shot out. One grabbed a hold of Hakyeon's shirt and the other clamped down on the back of Hongbin's neck.

Hakyeon and Hongbin, however, anticipated the move and it only served to crack them up. It didn't help either that Taekwoon's lips were still set into a smile in spite of his efforts to tone it down.

"Are you done with your work, hyung?" Hongbin asked after catching his breath.

Taekwoon shook his head while Hakyeon groaned at the reminder. Although, the disgruntlement easily melted away when Hongbin laughed at their reactions.

"I'll get you some snacks and something to drink, okay?" Hongbin suggested while gently taking Taekwoon's hand off his neck, entwining their fingers together, and giving it a brief squeeze. The other returned the gesture with a small smile. Hakyeon beamed. They weren't as expressive of their emotions as he was, but even the little things they did made him want to sing praises to whichever deity blessed him with such endearing lovers.

Hongbin moved to get up, but his efforts were instantly hindered when Hakyeon hooked his arm around the younger’s neck and pulled him back to press a kiss on his cheek.

"Gross, Hakyeon." Hongbin teasingly complained.

"What’s with that informality? I’m still older than you, brat!" Hakyeon countered with a jab to the side. The latter stuck a tongue out at him before merrily exiting the room. Normally, he would’ve bounded after the younger man and annoyed him with overflowing affection until he apologised. But, thinking of his work, Hakyeon held himself back from doing so. Perhaps, next time.

Taekwoon, stood up as well, already heading for his desk.

Hakyeon eyed him critically. He seemed a bit calmer now and not as stressed as earlier. "Feel better?"

"Yeah." Taekwoon answered. His lips doing that little quirk that made Hakyeon weak in the knees. "Thanks." He spoke before leaning in to place a kiss on the corner of the other’s lips, and then turning around to get back to work - as if he didn’t just melt Hakyeon’s insides into mush with his sudden show of endearment.

What a jerk, having the audacity to suddenly be cute and render him gaping like an idiot in the middle of the room. The only thing that jarred him out of his stupor was the sound of the kettle whistling from the kitchen. Hakyeon settled back on his chair, ready to continue his task (not really, it was the last thing he wanted to do actually) when Hongbin came back with a cup of coffee in one hand and banana milk in the other.

“Aigoo, our Binnie is so sweet!” Hakyeon cooed teasingly when the banana milk was handed to him. Hongbin only rolled his eyes at that.

Before he could move away though, Hakyeon wound his arms around his waist. “Where’s my goodnight kiss?”

“Why would I give you one?”

“Because I told you to.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

Hakyeon pinched him on the back. Hongbin yelped.

“You’re too abusive. I’m breaking up with you.” The younger petulantly declared.

Hakyeon tightened his hold around Hongbin’s waist. “Just try and I’ll--” He wasn’t able to continue though when soft lips pressed against his own. It was just a quick peck but it was enough to catch him off-guard and give the latter the opportunity to escape.

“Kidding.” Hongbin winked as he headed over to Taekwoon’s desk to give him his coffee, leaning over the composer’s shoulder to see his work. That tease. Wait till Hakyeon wasn’t so busy. He’ll get back at him for being so cheeky.

As he got back to his papers, a yawn tore through his concentration. He blinked. Okay, that dancing stunt probably wasn't a good idea for what little energy he had left. But - he looked over at the two - with that small smile still lingering on Taekwoon's lips, and the dimples still prominent on Hongbin's cheeks, he decided that it didn't matter.

It really was worth it.

---

Hakyeon blinked his eyes, his vision bleary from sleep. Slowly, he sat up, his back aching from his position, the blanket around his shoulders falling off. Huh? When had he fallen asleep? Did he have the blanket before?

“We dozed off while working.” A familiar soft voice came from his right.

There was Taekwoon, sporting an incredible bedhead, staring at him with his usual pokerface, but with a hint of amusement in his eyes. He must've noticed the confused look Hakyeon was directing at the blanket. "Hongbin." Was his only explanation, to which the other couldn't help but smile at.

"Where is he?"

“Making breakfast.”

Hakyeon blinked faster, now slightly more awake. “What time is it?” He croaked out.

“It’s Saturday. Doesn’t matter.”

“Taekwoon-hyung!” A whine echoed from their kitchen, the elongating of the ‘u’ in ‘hyung’ just adding to the effect. “I thought you were going to make the soup!”

Taekwoon let out a huff of laughter as he slowly got up, offering his hand to Hakyeon. Once he was steady on his feet, the silent man padded out of the room, gesturing for Hakyeon to come as well.

Before following Taekwoon into the kitchen, however, Hakyeon stopped in his steps. He glanced back into the room. At the nightstand beside the beds.

Making a split second decision, he bounded back and carefully took the object he was eyeing and, with a grin on his face, he headed for the kitchen with a new spring in his step.

With Hongbin's camera secured in his hands.