Chapter Text
It's past midnight when Gyuvin steps into the dorms.
His back hurts, and the pants he wore for the airport are uncomfortable enough for him to get occasional itching. He looks great on them, though. And god, his feet are sore.
His members realized at some point in that trip that he was a bit out of orbit. Winning the award had improved his humor, needless to say, but he couldn't help the unwelcome and undeniable guilty melancholy that lodged itself between his ribs during the time being. Gyuvin was not happy to have traveled for the award show without Ricky — none of the members were.
Hanbin approached him at some point to talk to him about it, while Zhang Hao waited his turn to scold Gyuvin for being so sulky, that it was terribly unpleasant Ricky couldn't be there with them, but Gyuvin needed to suck it up — it made him feel a little better, because even though Hao was firm, his eyes were always warm and he hugged Gyuvin soon after.
(Gyuvin might or might not have heard Zhang Hao sniffling around to Hanbin and Jiwoong about how difficult it is to be steady and professional in moments like these. He knows for a fact how sensible his Hao hyung is, and he loves him for that).
He aggressively takes off his shoes when he gets to the room, trying to not immediately scan his surroundings for his roommate. When he lifts his eyes to search for a head of blonde hair tucked on the sheets, he doesn't see one. Gyuvin turns on the light.
The door of the corridor bathroom opens as he does it. Gyuvin looks behind himself and he has a second to lay his eyes on Ricky before a sleepy Seok Matthew is hugging him tight. Taerae and Gunwook smile at the scene as they cross paths to climb to their respective rooms, talking a few words with Ricky that Gyuvin can't listen to.
When his teammates are gone from his sight, Ricky's eyes turn back to Gyuvin, and he quickly starts to peel off his socks as he holds back to not just run and crush his ribs into a hug.
Yes, that is something Gyuvin would usually do, but sometimes he has got to feel a little sorry for his dignity — once in a full moon, at least. Maybe two full moons, because this is about Ricky.
“You worked hard.” the voice on the back of his head – literally – says. Gyuvin almost jumps out of his skin, even though there's no reason for him to actually do so, since he knew Ricky was coming.
Gyuvin turns around, and the sane part of his brain chooses to ignore the hyperawareness in which his body reacts to Ricky. Ricky who has his blonde hair falling over his forehead, slightly dampness that indicates it hasn't been long since he's showered. Ricky's skin, in which he presents the slightest tone of red over his nose, around his cheeks, a few nail marks and scratches here and there, some fresher than others. Ricky's chapped lips who somehow still manage to look velvety.
Ricky's eyes — which are sharp and deep, but soft enough that in moments like now, when he's staring at Gyuvin with an intensity he's unable to grasp and dissect, wraps his heart in warm coats of a feeling that scares him and he wishes he could understand more at the same time.
“Thank you.” his voice is low, and he smiles with no teeth.
Ricky contours him to enter the room, sitting audibly on Gyuvin's bed, the creaking sound of its joints making into the cacophony of the dorms in the moment — doors opening and closing, glasses and silverware clinking on the kitchen, the sound of the water running on the showers.
“Qubing.” his voice is so soft. If it was any softer, Gyuvin could easily confuse it for a little purr from a cat they don't own, or the slightest singing of a bird outside.
He turns around, finding that a very bad choice. He's doing it again. Ricky, that is. His eyes are rounder, melting around the edges. Gyuvin can't find another way to describe that look that adorns his face. Ricky's gorgeous, sure, anyone with eyes can see that. But there's just something so intricate about him when he looks this beautiful with that lovely expression on him — something so warm in a sweet, suave way. His Lovelicky.
“Hmm?” Gyuvin hums in response, trying to cover up the fact that he just momentarily lost himself in his best friend. Once again. Which is normal. One hundred percent.
“Are you shy?” Ricky chuckles, and oh. Gyuvin's face is red. So much effort for his own blood to betray him like that.
“No.” his voice almost cracks as he takes off a few layers of clothing to distract himself.
Gyuvin's muscles are sore, and he sighs deeply to let some of the tiredness out as he sinks on his own bed next to Ricky. He fishes his phone from his pocket, seeing a missing call from his mom and a few messages from his group chat with Gunwook and Junhyeon.
He takes a side-eyed look at Ricky, who's laying on his side with his elbow propped up, his cheek resting on his palm as he scrolls through his phone. Probably sensing Gyuvin's stare, he raises his eyes.
“You’ okay?” Gyuvin asks, and he doesn't know where it comes from.
Ricky's expression changes, light warmth overcoming his features. It's like watching very subtle, slight waves on a crystal watered pond, but it's definitely there.
(Gyuvin wants to drown in shallow water).
“Yeah. I… I think so.” he answers, the beginning of a gummy smile making itself present. Ricky scoots closer, it's barely perceptible, languid and cat-like. His fluffy sweater riding up his waist, and Gyuvin’s vision blurs for a full second.
A moment of silence. Gyuvin goes through three different puppy videos Junhyeon has sent him.
“Qubing,” Ricky says, stretching his paws to reach Gyuvin's shoulder. Gyuvin watches as Ricky rests his chin there. It's possible to hear the continuation tone in Ricky's voice, so Gyuvin doesn't answer anything. “Thank you for that. Mentioning me in the speech, I mean. It means a lot.”
Gyuvin pretends his heart doesn't make the most audible thud against his ribcage.
“You should have been there. It's the bare minimum.” he says, much less confidence in his voice than he would like.
Ricky rests his cheek on his shoulder, nuzzling at his side.
“No, it's not.” simple as that.
Gyuvin's heart picks up, a ball of tangled wires getting stuck in his throat. He knows he's acting like a lovesick fool, which is so boring — but it's just unusual for Ricky to be acting like this. To fully entertain Gyuvin's necessity for skinship, to be the one starting it.
“You should've been there.” Gyuvin repeats. Ricky seems to feel the sentence, because he raises his head, and then they are facing each other.
Ricky is the one clinging to him, but Gyuvin meets him in the strange fusion of thawing limbs just as easily. He smirks.
“You're weird today.” is what Ricky says as he makes Gyuvin's heart flutter with the way they trade air, noses nudging into each other.
The kiss doesn't come unannounced. It usually starts with this, a sequence of unusual interactions that snowball into Ricky leaning those soft, plump lips against Gyuvin's own.
It's a too long, too swift of a kiss. Lips pressing as their breath is put on hold. As everything else is put on hold for a second too short. Gyuvin sighs as they separate, having no control to not just reach back and steal another kiss, whining as it turns out to be a shorter one.
“Greedy.” Ricky smiles, wetting his lips. Gyuvin almost whimpers at the sight, and there goes all the so-called dignity that he wanted to preserve.
“Give me a break, will ya?” Gyuvin murmurs, grumpily. He exhales, and he can see Ricky faltering in his nonchalance as he belatedly mirrors the action of dragging his tongue above his lips.
Ricky seems to be thinking. He bites his cheek, his eyes flicking up and down, not sustaining Gyuvin's look.
“Okay, one more.” he says, hushedly, as if deciding something at the last minute.
Gyuvin has barely time to even laugh about it, because Ricky's soft palms are being placed on his cheeks, guiding him back to Ricky — not that Gyuvin ever left at all.
A pouty, quick peck is exchanged and Gyuvin feels his organs all fluttering and turning into moths inside of him. He's not sure if Ricky had the intention of stopping there, if that's what his “one more” meant, but when Gyuvin starts sniff-kissing his cheek and then goes back to plant their lips together, Ricky doesn't object.
It's comforting. It's just like an unassuming act of affection — a deep hug after not meeting for a while, a caring word of appreciation —, it's as simple as that for them.
At least in their little world, at that moment in time.
Gyuvin sighs, hooking his chin on Ricky's shoulder, letting himself breathe in his strawberry body lotion as the tension leaves his shoulders for a bit.
“Woah, I'm so tired. We should go to sleep.” Gyuvin says. The hair on the nape of Ricky's neck tickles his nose.
“Don't you have to shower?” Gyuvin knows the frown and nose scrunch taking over Ricky's face based on his voice tone only.
“I'm not stinky, am I?” he muffles against Ricky's shirt as he starts weighting them both down, taking a whining Ricky with him to lay on the bed.
“Yes.” Ricky answers after sniffing Gyuvin for half a second. He chuckles.
“Liar.” Gyuvin hums as he presses his cheek to the pillow, and he swears he feels Ricky wincing at the proximity of Gyuvin's lips to his ear. “You wouldn't even have touched me if I did.”
Ricky mumbles something not even Gyuvin can hear, but he knows he's right.
It doesn't take long before Ricky's breath evens, and Gyuvin hugs his waist before plunging into deep sleep.