☆ advent day 2 - Made My Bed, I'll Lie In It (Baekho/Ren, PG)
Made My Bed, I'll Lie In It
NU'EST, Baekho/Ren, PG, 725 words
Baekho and Ren cuddling for yellowesque. Title from The Maccabee's "First Love". ( advent calendar)
Dongho approaches them about it a month after they've started training together.
"It's just that I sleep better when I'm with someone else," he explains, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
Jonghyun smiles, reassuringly, like the leader he is, or is going to be. "It's okay, you can share with Minki and me. We'll just take turns so it's fair."
Out of the corner of his eye, Minki shoots Jonghyun a look that is meant to convey 'excuse me, what did you just volunteer me for?' His bed is his sacred place, the only thing that he can claim is his in this training process. There is no way he's willing to share it with some neanderthal that can't sleep on his own. But then Dongho smiles, all seven million of his big, obnoxious teeth bared, and Minki deflates.
Jonghyun takes the first night. At bedtime, Dongho settles into bed behind him, leaving several inches of space between their bodies except for the hand that he drapes over Jonghyun's waist. "Thank you again," Minki hears Dongho whisper in the dark. Minki resists telling him to shut up.
The next night is Minki's turn. He's the last one out of the bathroom as usual and he's forgotten all about their sleeping arrangement until he spots Dongho curled up in his bed. His eyes are shut but he sits up when Minki shuffles into the room.
"Which side of the bed do you want?" Dongho asks.
Minki prefers to sleep next to the wall, so Dongho moves out of the way until Minki settles in. When Minki stops shifting, Dongho lays down behind him, knees pressed to the back of Minki's legs, feet brushing against his, a tentative arm draped over Minki's waist. Dongho is solid and warm behind him, odd, but comforting in a way that Minki didn't expect.
"Good night," Dongho whispers, and his breath tickles Minki's neck.
Sometimes Dongho sleeps with him and sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he falls asleep with his feet tangled up with Aaron's, complaining about the cold. Sometimes he drools all over Minhyun's neck and wakes up to petty smacks across his shoulders. Sometimes it's Jonghyun, no longer a carefully measured amount of space between them but little at all, because it's what Jonghyun needs. But sometimes it is him.
Dongho doesn't stop him from sleeping, but maybe Minki wishes he did, because he's getting real tired of the reverse. It's not like Minki doesn't sleep when Dongho's not behind him, but the sleep he gets is different. Less fulfilling, less warm, less something that makes Minki furious at Dongho for ever asking anyone to sleep with him in the first place.
Awake, Dongho is just as annoying, constantly wrapping his arms around Minki or tugging on his long hair. It's hard to tell what's fanservice or just because he's the maknae (even it's only by a few months) and what's because it's him. Minki could do without the affection, but he'd like to know if it's fake or because Dongho likes something about him.
And maybe, Minki thinks as he rubs moisturizer in small circles across his skin, that's what bothers him the most. The imbalance. That he benefits from the feeling of his head cradled in Dongho's arms and for Dongho, he's just a glorified body pillow. Maybe, months ago, he wouldn't have minded if Dongho crawled into his bed out of homesickness, the need for company- if he'd done it because he wanted to and not because it was convenient for him.
Minki spends an extra ten minutes pacing around the bathroom, retracing the same ten tiles of the gleaming hostel bathroom floor as he thinks. Dongho is waiting for him on the mat they'd set out ready for Minki to slip under the covers. Minki knows that Dongho could fall asleep in a second flat, but he always waits for him to get into bed first. He doesn't know what to make of that either.
He's quiet when he tiptoes up the stairs to the loft, guided by the glow of Jonghyun's cellphone charging. Minki can only make out the shadow of Dongho's body, the dim light reflecting off of the skin of his exposed arm. Dongho shifts as Minki crawls between the sheets.
"Took you long enough," Dongho whispers. "Good night."
---
I'm sry this is mostly pointless but here you go anyway. ♥ (If you haven't come across it in your stanning yet, basically everyone in NU'EST takes turns sleeping with Baekho because he's a big baby.)
NU'EST, Baekho/Ren, PG, 725 words
Baekho and Ren cuddling for yellowesque. Title from The Maccabee's "First Love". ( advent calendar)
Dongho approaches them about it a month after they've started training together.
"It's just that I sleep better when I'm with someone else," he explains, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
Jonghyun smiles, reassuringly, like the leader he is, or is going to be. "It's okay, you can share with Minki and me. We'll just take turns so it's fair."
Out of the corner of his eye, Minki shoots Jonghyun a look that is meant to convey 'excuse me, what did you just volunteer me for?' His bed is his sacred place, the only thing that he can claim is his in this training process. There is no way he's willing to share it with some neanderthal that can't sleep on his own. But then Dongho smiles, all seven million of his big, obnoxious teeth bared, and Minki deflates.
Jonghyun takes the first night. At bedtime, Dongho settles into bed behind him, leaving several inches of space between their bodies except for the hand that he drapes over Jonghyun's waist. "Thank you again," Minki hears Dongho whisper in the dark. Minki resists telling him to shut up.
The next night is Minki's turn. He's the last one out of the bathroom as usual and he's forgotten all about their sleeping arrangement until he spots Dongho curled up in his bed. His eyes are shut but he sits up when Minki shuffles into the room.
"Which side of the bed do you want?" Dongho asks.
Minki prefers to sleep next to the wall, so Dongho moves out of the way until Minki settles in. When Minki stops shifting, Dongho lays down behind him, knees pressed to the back of Minki's legs, feet brushing against his, a tentative arm draped over Minki's waist. Dongho is solid and warm behind him, odd, but comforting in a way that Minki didn't expect.
"Good night," Dongho whispers, and his breath tickles Minki's neck.
Sometimes Dongho sleeps with him and sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he falls asleep with his feet tangled up with Aaron's, complaining about the cold. Sometimes he drools all over Minhyun's neck and wakes up to petty smacks across his shoulders. Sometimes it's Jonghyun, no longer a carefully measured amount of space between them but little at all, because it's what Jonghyun needs. But sometimes it is him.
Dongho doesn't stop him from sleeping, but maybe Minki wishes he did, because he's getting real tired of the reverse. It's not like Minki doesn't sleep when Dongho's not behind him, but the sleep he gets is different. Less fulfilling, less warm, less something that makes Minki furious at Dongho for ever asking anyone to sleep with him in the first place.
Awake, Dongho is just as annoying, constantly wrapping his arms around Minki or tugging on his long hair. It's hard to tell what's fanservice or just because he's the maknae (even it's only by a few months) and what's because it's him. Minki could do without the affection, but he'd like to know if it's fake or because Dongho likes something about him.
And maybe, Minki thinks as he rubs moisturizer in small circles across his skin, that's what bothers him the most. The imbalance. That he benefits from the feeling of his head cradled in Dongho's arms and for Dongho, he's just a glorified body pillow. Maybe, months ago, he wouldn't have minded if Dongho crawled into his bed out of homesickness, the need for company- if he'd done it because he wanted to and not because it was convenient for him.
Minki spends an extra ten minutes pacing around the bathroom, retracing the same ten tiles of the gleaming hostel bathroom floor as he thinks. Dongho is waiting for him on the mat they'd set out ready for Minki to slip under the covers. Minki knows that Dongho could fall asleep in a second flat, but he always waits for him to get into bed first. He doesn't know what to make of that either.
He's quiet when he tiptoes up the stairs to the loft, guided by the glow of Jonghyun's cellphone charging. Minki can only make out the shadow of Dongho's body, the dim light reflecting off of the skin of his exposed arm. Dongho shifts as Minki crawls between the sheets.
"Took you long enough," Dongho whispers. "Good night."
---
I'm sry this is mostly pointless but here you go anyway. ♥ (If you haven't come across it in your stanning yet, basically everyone in NU'EST takes turns sleeping with Baekho because he's a big baby.)