Archive of Our Own

Wumuti was tentatively excited to relax for the next few hours. Though it was impossible for him to take the entire evening off - he still wanted to revise some lyrics so he could hopefully squeeze another song into their next release - he was able to give in to his members’ pleading and agreed to watch a movie with them. He hadn’t indulged in a simple pleasure like this in a long time. 

“I better not catch you thinking about work,” Rui warned as he sat down next to him, hugging his arm. 

“Of course, your highness,” Wumuti laughed. 

Haru graciously handed him an open bag. “Chips?” 

Wumuti took one. He didn’t usually care for them, but much like people were social drinkers, he was a social chips consumer. He did like the crunch, and the spicy barbecue flavour was much more pleasant than he expected. 

Hyun scrolled through the list of movies. “Alright, we can vote. How about - “ 

A loud crackle drowned out his next words, the room going dark as the lightbulb imploded in a shower of sparks. Haru jumped several metres into the air, while Rui squeaked and flinched into Wumuti’s arms. 

“Yikes.” Hyun warily looked up, hand hovering protectively over his head. “It’s not going to actually explode, is it?” 

“I hope not,” Rui said nervously. “Hyunie, don’t get so close.” 

“How else am I gonna replace it?” Hyun countered. He had a point; he was the only one tall enough to reach the bulb without the help of a step stool, which firmly sealed his candidacy. 

Wumuti sighed and gently pried Rui off. “I’ll go find a replacement.” 

There was no replacement. Wumuti looked into every single box full of miscellaneous items they owned, dug through his and Haru’s room, checked every storage space, and even glanced in the kitchen cabinets for good measure. All they had was a still-packaged nightlight and a wad of broken string lights that, for some reason, was never thrown out. 

Wumuti tossed the long-perished lights into the trash and came back. “No good. I’m gonna go buy one.” 

“Hyung!” The disappointment in Hyun’s voice was palpable. “It was supposed to be your break… at least let me do it.” 

“Can’t we do it later, anyways?” Haru pouted. “We don’t need a light to watch the movie.” 

“All the stores will be closed by the time the movie’s over,” Wumuti pointed out. “And there’s no way we’ll find the time tomorrow, or the day after that, probably. You know how busy we are.” 

“Maybe we can ask a staff member to do it for us?” Rui suggested. 

“They have a lot to take care of already, let’s not bother them.” Wumuti picked up Hyun’s hoodie off the back of the couch and casually put it on. “I’ll be quick. I’ll just find a cheap replacement for now, and if we need a better one, we’ll get it later.” 

“At least let me come with you,” Rui chirped, rushing to put on his shoes. “You’re gonna be so bored without me.” 

Wumuti hummed. “You’re right, sure.” 

Hyun kissed each of them in turn. “Hurry back.” 

Haru stayed seated, blowing them an obnoxiously loud air kiss. “Hurry back!” He parroted. 

The evening air was nice and cool, if a bit humid with the promise of an upcoming thunderstorm. Usually Wumuti would pause to appreciate this kind of weather, savouring the ozone-tinted scent of moisture as it filled his lungs, but not this time. He grabbed Rui and speed walked the entire way, eager to get to the store before they started to shut down for the night. He kept glancing at his phone to check the GPS directions, the minutes they had left ticking by much slower than he would’ve liked. Rui stumbled along after him, gripping his arm for dear life. 

Bone-deep resignation flashed on the store employee’s face before she schooled it back into polite indifference. Wumuti greeted her with an apologetic smile and rushed to where he thought lightbulbs might be, promptly got lost, spun around in a circle a few times, then picked up Rui - who somehow ended up halfway across the store with a bag of jellies under his arm - and sheepishly came back to the cash register. The store employee looked at him expectantly. 

“I’m looking for a lightbulb,” Wumuti said awkwardly. 

“What kind?” She understandably asked. 

Wumuti cursed internally. He didn’t remember what the packaging looked like, and he never took a picture of the broken one. “Um, it’s like…” He pondered for a bit, then opened a sketching app on his phone and carefully drew out an approximate lightbulb shape with his finger. “Kind of like this?” 

“Fluorescent?” The employee’s eyes kept darting towards the wall clock. 

“Um. Probably?” Wumuti was starting to think that Haru might’ve had a point. 

She smiled politely. “I think I know what you’re talking about. Let me go find it for you.” 

As soon as she left their sight, Rui folded himself against Wumuti, hugging him from behind. “You’re so hot when you get flustered.” 

“Shut up,” Wumuti grumbled. 

“See? Hot.” Wumuti could feel Rui’s cheeks stretch in a smile as he nuzzled the back of his neck. 

“Behave yourself,” Wumuti whispered, nevertheless leaning into the touch. 

“I always do,” Rui purred. “Also, I’m catching up on my time with you. You got home so late yesterday.” 

“I had to work,” Wumuti said, stroking Rui’s arms where they were wrapped around his waist. 

“A-Hyun and I were so lonely,” Rui lamented, resting his chin on the dip between Wumuti’s shoulder and neck. “We had to have fun all by ourselves.” 

“So you still had fun,” Wumuti noted slyly. “Sounds like you weren’t badly off.” 

“You have no idea how hard it was for us,” Rui said dismissively. “It was so cold without you, we had to huddle together for warmth.” 

“Sure,” Wumuti snorted. 

“You know how warm Hyun gets,” Rui continued, hugging Wumuti tighter. “Especially when he gets back from the gym. You put your hands under his shirt, and it’s like warming your hands at a fireplace.” 

“Um, yeah.” Wumuti’s ears began to turn red. 

“Or you can warm your hands between his thighs,” Rui murmured, tilting his head so his lips were right next to Wumuti’s ear. “His skin is so soft there. If you place your hand just right, you can hear his pulse a little bit.” Rui’s breath caressed the shell of his ear. “Real high up.” 

Wumuti squirmed. “Rui, we’re in public,” he hissed. 

“What? I’m just talking.” There was an audibly evil smile in Rui’s voice. “And the way his breathing gets messed up if you touch him the right way… His mouth drops open, and he makes those cute little gasps…” 

Heat flared between Wumuti’s legs so suddenly he nearly went dizzy. “Rui, please.” 

“He always wears those thin, flimsy shirts these days,” Rui kept going, merciless. “You can see his nipples right through them. You know how much he loves it when we play with them.” 

Wumuti’s legs trembled. “Rui, you…” 

“Is one lightbulb okay?” The store employee materialised in front of them, neutrally taking in Wumuti’s predicament. Wumuti flinched and scrambled to pull out his phone. 

“Yes, yes, thank you so much,” he rambled, his cheeks red-hot. He was so flustered he didn’t even comment when Rui wordlessly slid his bag of jelly candy onto the counter for the employee to scan. 

Finally leaving the store and feeling the cool breeze on his heated face was the best moment of Wumuti’s life. He took a deep breath, the precipitated air and asphalt and ozone, then threw an arm over Rui’s shoulders and pulled him close. “What was that?” 

“What was what?” Rui nonchalantly opened his bag and, after careful deliberation, chose a strawberry jelly. “Anyways, let’s go home.” 

Wumuti rolled his eyes. Rui grinned and suddenly popped the jelly into Wumuti’s mouth, nearly making him choke. 

Wumuti secretly hoped that the old lightbulb would magically fix itself while they were gone, but when they got back, the living room was still mostly dark, only somewhat illuminated by the light coming from the open kitchen door. Haru set up a chair right in the doorway, sitting on it backwards with his chin resting over the back. 

“You guys took forever,” he commented. 

“It was less than an hour,” Wumuti huffed, producing the box from his pocket. 

“You got it?” Hyun poked his head out of the kitchen, then carefully manoeuvred around Haru’s chair to give Wumuti a kiss, then Rui. Affection flared in Wumuti’s chest, and not for the first time, he felt the kind of domestic bliss that could only come from being welcomed home by a long-time spouse. 

“Yeah.” When Hyun pulled away from Rui, Wumuti caught him in a hug. “Did you know our princess is a menace?” 

Hyun snickered. “I had my suspicions.” 

Rui gave Wumuti a suspiciously wide smile as he draped himself over Hyun. “I have no idea what he means. Do you want a jelly?” 

“I do!” Haru called out behind them. 

While Haru was taking ten minutes to choose a jelly flavour out of a grand total of three options, Hyun extracted the old lightbulb and slowly began to screw in the new one. Wumuti very productively hovered around him without doing anything, humming and nodding approvingly every once in a while as Hyun did all the work. 

Then his eyes flicked down, and he couldn’t resist; as soon as Hyun went up on tiptoes to get better leverage, Wumuti reached out and squeezed his ass. 

Hyun swayed, then narrowed his eyes after stabilising himself. “What’s your hand doing?” 

“I’m keeping you steady,” Wumuti said. 

“Very helpful, thanks,” Hyun snorted. 

“At least I’m trying.” Wumuti nodded in Rui’s direction. Rui was so busy shaking his ass to some unknown melody playing in his head and not paying attention that he didn’t notice Wumuti and Hyun looking at him. 

“Wait,” Haru suddenly said. “Did we ever turn the light switch off?” 

Just then, Hyun twisted the bulb far enough for the electric current to reach its insides and make it glow with heat, and Hyun yanked his hand away with a hiss that caught even Rui’s attention. Thankfully, the bulb didn’t fall, and was quickly secured as soon as Haru flicked the switch off. When they tested the new lightbulb, it worked just fine, its light even brighter than the old one’s. 

“Your poor hand,” Rui cooed, cradling Hyun’s fingers close to his face to take a better look. “Does it hurt, love?” 

“No, it’s fine,” Hyun said. 

Rui pouted. 

“I mean, it hurts so much, I can’t stand it,” Hyun said, just as calmly. 

Rui leaned down and kissed each fingertip. “Aw. How about I make you feel better, mm?” 

Haru made long-suffering eye contact with Wumuti from behind Hyun’s back. Wumuti just barely managed to hold back a laugh as he bumped his cheek against Hyun’s shoulder. “Thank you for risking your life, sweetie.” 

“Anything for you, dear,” Hyun said without missing a beat, his arms looped around Rui’s waist as he clung to Hyun like a koala. 

Wumuti smiled and nuzzled Hyun’s arm, then glanced at the abandoned TV and sighed. Looks like their movie night was a bust. 

-

Wumuti didn’t mean to fall asleep in the recording studio, and when he blinked awake, he was shrimped up in the chair so badly that every single one of his bones cracked when he unfolded into a humanly acceptable pose. He was so sore, and still horribly sleepy. He blearily checked his phone and cried internally when he saw several missed calls, a bunch of texts he’ll have to answer right away, and endless emails. 

He unglued himself from the chair, haphazardly gathered his belongings, finished his iced coffee - which was less coffee and more lukewarm melted ice at this point - and stumbled outside. His eyes stung when sunlight hit his face, and he made a motion to pull a cap over his forehead before realising that he had no cap. He didn’t find sunglasses in his bag either, and couldn’t remember if he never brought them, or if he forgot them in the studio. 

When he dragged himself into the dorm, massaging his poor eyes, Rui’s and Haru’s shoes were missing in front of the door. After digging through his barely-awake brain, Wumuti remembered that they chose to take an extra vocal lesson before their practice together, and wondered if he should’ve joined them. There was always room for improvement. 

“Muti?” Hyun found Wumuti blankly staring at the wall, one shoe off and the other still on, holding his bag up as though unsure where to put it. Wumuti blinked at him, then slowly looked around and opted to set his bag on the floor, leaning it against the wall. 

“Okay, come here.” Hyun side-hugged him and led him to sit on the living room couch, then got him a glass of water. 

Wumuti rubbed his smarting eyes and took the glass, then frowned and looked up at Hyun. “Could I have some tea, instead?” 

Hyun went to turn on the kettle. When he got back, Wumuti was stretched out on the couch with his eyes shut, using the pages of lyrics Hyun laid out on the cushions as a pillow. He hazily opened his eyes when Hyun sat down next to him. 

“Go ahead and take a nap,” Hyun said gently, stroking his hair. “We have two hours until practice.” 

Wumuti vigorously shook his head. “No, I wanna spend time with you.” 

He’d only managed to catch brief glimpses of Hyun yesterday, and hadn’t talked to him properly outside of work since the day before that. He was so busy running around finalising details for the styling of their next comeback that he barely got a chance to text him a few times, and he missed him and Rui so badly. 

“I’ll stay right here,” Hyun said. “Dream of me, okay?” 

Wumuti hummed and shifted around, crinkling the printer paper until he could properly lay his head on Hyun’s lap. He laid still for a while, eyelids drooping, then sighed and looked up at Hyun. “You like me, right?” 

Hyun looked surprised. “Obviously.” 

Wumuti nodded. “Okay, great.” 

Hyun studied him with his head tilted for a few moments, then scooped him up to hold him close, burying his face in Wumuti’s neck. “I love you so, so much. You’re one of the best things to ever happen to me.” 

Wumuti couldn’t help but giggle. “Well, when you put it that way.” 

Hyun chuckled. “Anyways, what’s with the question? Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Wumuti relaxed into Hyun’s hold. This close, he could catch a whiff of something soft and a little powdery clinging to his body. “It just feels like I don’t spend much time with you two. Like, outside of the group.” 

Hyun lifted his head, and Wumuti’s nose immediately went for his neck, inhaling deeply. The fresh, musky scent tinted with artificial flowers combined beautifully with Hyun’s natural scent, flirtatiously strong one moment, fleeting the next. 

This was a perfume Wumuti himself gave Hyun as a gift a few years ago. He was happy to note that Hyun’s been wearing it pretty often lately. 

“You could take more breaks,” Hyun said sagely. 

“I’ll take a break when we’re financially secure for good.” 

“You don’t have to wring yourself out like this, though.” Hyun kissed his cheek. “We’re always here to help you if you need it, remember?” 

“You guys are tired too.” He was so comfortable in Hyun’s warm arms that he was getting dangerously close to falling back asleep. Hyun’s scent enveloped him like a warm blanket, clean, delicately fragrant. 

“Yeah, but a little less than you,” Hyun countered. “Is it really worth it if you’re so exhausted all the time?” 

Wumuti was only half listening to him, suddenly finding the way Hyun’s throat moved very interesting, zeroing in on the shifting curve of his Adam’s apple. As though hypnotised, Wumuti slowly put his hand there, carefully prodding at the soft skin. 

Hyun fell silent and went completely still. His chest rose and fell more rapidly as Wumuti softly kneaded at his throat with the pads of his fingers, pausing when he pressed against a vein and felt Hyun’s pulse staccato under his fingertips. He glanced up at his face; Hyun was looking back at him, visibly disoriented. 

Wumuti’s own heartbeat sped up, dissipating some of his drowsiness. He gently stroked the long expanse of Hyun’s throat, then moved down to press against the base of his neck, above the dip of his collarbone. Hyun’s breath hitched, eyes gone unfocused. 

“Hyun-ah,” Wumuti said quietly, “Do you like this?” 

“…It’s nice,” Hyun exhaled after a pause. Wumuti hummed, more alert now. He crawled onto his knees to sit in Hyun’s lap, bracketing Hyun’s hips with his legs, and slowly stroked the circle of his hand up and down Hyun’s neck. Hyun’s entire body went lax, powerlessly slumping against the back of the couch. 

Wumuti’s other hand traveled down to the waistband of Hyun’s pants. He could already feel Hyun grow excited, and was eager to indulge him. He really did miss him; these days, he was either too busy to see him, or too tired to do anything besides fall asleep next to him. 

“Ah, wait - “ Hyun tried to raise his head, a little moan spilling from his lips when the motion pressed his Adam’s apple tightly against Wumuti’s hand. “We’re… on the couch, remember?” 

“We’ll be careful,” Wumuti promised. He didn’t want to ruin the mood they’ve built up by having to move somewhere else. He wanted to keep the reverie going, lose himself in the pleasant anticipation already thrumming under his skin, keep looking at Hyun’s slack, shiny-eyed face, his parted lips, the small mole under his eyelid. 

“I - I don’t know if I can, Muti…” Hyun rocked his hips, trying to grind against him. He was half hard already, and Wumuti could guess that he won’t last long. Excitement shot trough his veins, waking him up completely. 

“Let me take care of you,” Wumuti whispered, kissing the corner of Hyun’s jaw. “Don’t worry about anything.” 

“That’s what I was supposed to do!” Hyun whined, but couldn’t argue when Wumuti was already pulling down his waistband, palming between his legs. He kept a loose hold on Hyun’s neck, not squeezing, but Hyun kept instinctively holding his breath, gasping rather than breathing. 

He was so stunning. Wumuti stole another kiss, pulling on Hyun’s bottom lip with his teeth before slipping his tongue inside. Hyun bucked into his hand, moaning into his mouth. His scent combined with their arousal, turning muskier. 

Wumuti’s cock was growing heavy between his legs. He tried to ignore his own need, keep his focus on Hyun whining and whimpering under him with every stroke of Wumuti’s palm over his dick, but it was getting difficult. The grip Hyun was keeping on Wumuti’s waist was too light when Wumuti wanted to feel his hands on him, have him sink his fingers into his flesh, leave nail marks on his skin. 

“Hyunie,” Wumuti breathed, briefly letting his dick go to unzip his own pants. Hyun let out a helpless noise as he looked down, taking in Wumuti’s hard, leaking cock, precum dribbling from the tip. 

“Like this,” Wumuti gasped, guiding Hyun’s hand to wrap around his cock, moaning at the contact. Hyun swiped his thumb over the head to catch the fluids, then stroked him slowly, just the way he knew Wumuti liked it. Wumuti breathlessly kissed the corner of his lips and went back to pumping Hyun’s cock, faster and faster, his hand still firmly on his neck. 

Hyun tensed up, squeezing Wumuti’s cock tighter, hips lifting as far as they could go under Wumuti’s weight, then came with a helpless sob, dripping all over Wumuti’s hand. Wumuti stroked him through it until Hyun’s noises turned brittle, then finally let him go, his hand leaving Hyun’s throat. He used that hand to tighten Hyun’s slackening grip on his own cock, using Hyun’s hand to jerk himself off to completion. 

They breathed heavily, folded over each other. Wumuti delightedly squeezed his eyes shut when Hyun pressed several quick kisses to his neck, then his cheeks, his lips, his neck again. He felt Hyun lift his stained hand up to his mouth, laving his tongue over it to clean him off. His breathing was still uneven, and Wumuti wondered how much more intense this could’ve been if he actually choked him when Hyun fell apart so easily just from having a hand on his throat. 

They completely forgot about the kettle, and didn’t hear it click off in the kitchen. By the time they remembered it, they were already cleaned up and cuddling together on the thankfully unblemished couch, innocently enough to not raise any suspicions no matter who walked in. 

“Do you want lukewarm tea?” Hyun mumbled into his hair. “I don’t think the water’s hot anymore.” 

“Nah.” Wumuti yawned. “I think I’ll take that nap now.” 

“You have maybe an hour,” Hyun said apologetically. 

Wumuti sighed quietly and closed his eyes. “I’ll take it.” 

-

Wumuti dragged himself awake extra early for the third day in a row, this time so he could look over styling ideas for the upcoming music shows one more time. He needed it to be perfect, and now he was having seconds thoughts on whether their hairstyles should be kept as planned, or tweaked. 

He made himself eat some mango slices, unable to eat a proper meal this early in the morning, and quickly packed his bag. He didn’t expect anyone else to be awake - not even Hyun would be up for another half hour - but when he was already at the door, he suddenly felt sweater-clad arms wrap around him. 

“Hi, pretty.” Rui pressed himself against his back. “A-Hyun said you miss us, so I’m gonna have to stay attached to you all day.” He paused. “Well, except when I can’t.” 

Rui was wearing perfume, which he usually didn’t do so early in the morning unless they had a public appearance. The light, creamy scent suited him so much, and Wumuti turned his head to brush his nose against his cheek to search for the hints of iris and vanilla he knew were hidden close to his skin. He loved this scent on him. 

“You’re gonna be sitting in on a bunch of meetings,” Wumuti warned, kissing his cheek. He didn’t want to pull away, the prospect of spending all day wrapped up in Rui’s embrace dangerously tempting. 

“Perfect, I can be your arm candy,” Rui said lightly. “I’m gonna rank everyone’s outfits, too.” 

He did exactly that. By the end of the day, every staff member Wumuti met in Rui’s presence received a detailed review of their entire outfit, including jewellery and makeup alongside suggestions of what else would look good on them. Their manager very attentively listened to Rui’s excited lecture on bronzer bringing out the glow of a gold chain necklace, and promised to try that out one day, which Wumuti immediately filed away in his mental storage. Just in case he happened to have an extra bronzer to give away. 

Wumuti was in such a good mood. Rui stayed close to him all day like a charm, and any time Wumuti felt frustrated or tired, he just looked at him, drew him closer to catch a hint of his light, sweet scent, and immediately felt better. Rui kept catching his eye and giving him a bright smile, and it was impossible for Wumuti not to smile back. 

He was still pretty burnt out, though. He wasn’t looking forward to typing away on his laptop late into the night again, but at least he could do that at home, surrounded by his favourite people. It was almost a good enough replacement for their failed movie night, except Wumuti wasn’t looking at the TV at all and missed most of the dialogue. He couldn’t even remember what the title of the movie was. 

The lights flickered, making the quiet conversation next to him die out as everyone looked around in confusion. A second later, the entire dorm went completely dark. 

Wumuti’s eyes flicked to the top of his laptop screen to see zero bars, confirming the worst; the electricity was out, and so was the WiFi. 

“Ugh!” Wumuti hid his face in his hands. “Why is this happening now? I’m doing research!” 

“It’ll be fixed soon,” Hyun soothed, stroking his back. 

“I’m never gonna get anything done,” Wumuti lamented, obviously fishing for pity as he fell powerlessly onto Hyun. “It’s over.” 

Rui giggled, scooting closer to Hyun’s other side and reaching over to pat Wumuti’s head. Rui’s phone flashlight passed over Wumuti’s face, making him squint. “It’s not that big of a deal, hyung.” 

“I’m the most miserable person in the world,” Wumuti declared, stretching his arms out as far as they would go to try hugging both Rui and Hyun at the same time. He almost succeeded. 

“Let’s light some candles!” Haru perked up. 

“Yeah, might as well burn down the building,” Wumuti grumbled. 

Rui laughed harder. “You’re so grumpy, it’s cute.” 

Wumuti buried his face in Hyun’s chest. His head was starting to hurt, which he knew was from stress more than anything else. The weight of responsibility for the careers of several people was so crushing he couldn’t even be happy at the excuse to sneak a quick break. He might have to check if the company building had internet and go there, if this persisted. 

The front door opened, then shut a few minutes later. “Everything’s dark,” Rui announced. “Looks like it’s the whole building, not just us.” 

“Well, that means they’ll fix it soon, right?” Hyun stroked Wumuti’s hair. “Don’t worry so much.” 

Wumuti groaned quietly. 

“Hey, we can tell each other scary stories!” Haru said excitedly, placing his phone flashlight directly under his chin, though the harsh shadows it painted on his face made him look silly rather than scary. 

“No!” Rui shrank back. “Don’t you dare!” 

“I got one,” Wumuti said solemnly, lifting his head. 

Haru’s eyes lit up. “What is it?” 

“Comeback delay,” Wumuti announced tragically, expressively gesturing towards the laptop taunting him with a blank browser window and an error message. “Because I’ll never get anything done ever again.” 

“Oh, boo.” Haru pouted. 

“Muti,” Hyun said softly, “I’m sure it’ll be fine.” 

Wumuti sagged against Hyun again. He knew he was being childish, but he was really looking forward to finishing up the references and moodboards for the upcoming music video and maybe stealing away a few minutes to relax with the rest of the members, even if he didn’t care about the movie. He didn’t want to finish his work and then drop into bed with no time to unwind in between. Again. 

“Oh, sweetheart.” Rui pulled him out of Hyun’s arms and into his own. “Hyunie’s right, it’ll be fixed soon. Don’t be upset.” 

He still smelled like that lovely, creamy perfume he put on this morning. Wumuti took a deep breath and reoriented himself. He was their leader, their support; he shouldn’t be throwing a tantrum like this in front of them, especially not Haru. 

“I’m just being dramatic, I’m okay.” Wumuti sat up and tried to make his face look acceptably cheerful. “Um, someone said something about candles?” 

“We have some, right?” Haru went off to snoop around with Wumuti in tow. After checking the entire apartment, they found five candles overall, though Wumuti suspected Rui had some scented ones stashed away somewhere that he forgot about. Five were more than enough, though. 

“It’s so romantic now.” Hyun sat on the floor with his chin propped up on his hands, the orange light washing over his features making him look like an oil painting. Wumuti couldn’t help but admire him. 

“Very atmospheric,” Rui agreed from where he was tucked into Hyun’s side, his profile sharp and beautiful against the dark, the muted light of the candles reflected in his eyes. “It’s like we’re on a date.” 

“Uh.” Haru looked between them awkwardly. “Do you guys want to be alone?” 

The chorus of “No!”s was so instant and so loud that Haru raised his hands in surrender. “Okay - okay! Just checking.” 

“Come here.” Wumuti said, pulling Haru towards him for a cuddle. “You’re my stress toy right now.” 

“Sure, mom,” the stress toy agreed happily. 

“Our darling looks so worn out,” Rui stage-whispered loudly into Hyun’s ear, startling him into a laugh. “Should we do something?” 

“How about a nice dinner?” Hyun stage-whispered back, even louder somehow. 

“Do I hear anything?” Wumuti made a show of looking around in wonder. 

Rui fluttered his eyelashes. “Who would you rather go to a nice dinner with, me or Hyunie?” 

“Haru,” Wumuti said. 

Haru snickered. 

“You were supposed to say both of us!” Rui exclaimed, nudging Wumuti’s leg with his foot. “Fine then, we’ll go to dinner without you.” 

“Wait, wait.” Wumuti scrambled. “I take it back.” 

“We’ll bring you a box of leftovers,” Hyun promised graciously. 

“Guys,” Wumuti whined. “I misheard the question!” 

“I am right next to you, no you didn’t,” Rui grumbled. 

“It’s dark in here, I can’t hear very well,” Wumuti said. 

His phone buzzed. He unlocked it and quickly checked his notifications, careful to drain as little of his 5% remaining battery as possible. 

“The electricity will be back at two in the morning,” Wumuti groaned and squeezed Haru in distress, making him squeak. “This is terrible.” 

“You can look at it as being able to take a break until two in the morning,” Hyun suggested. 

Wumuti shook his head and sighed, getting up without letting go of Haru. Haru obediently followed him around as Wumuti kept one arm around his waist and used the other to shove his belongings into his bag. 

“Are you really going to the company building this late?” Rui asked cautiously. 

“I need to get something done,” Wumuti said, tucking his laptop into his bag. “Then I can take a break.” 

“What break? You might as well sleep by then.” Hyun frowned. 

“That’s the break.” Wumuti finally let go of Haru and kissed his forehead. “Alright, I’m off. Text me if they fix it earlier.” 

He didn’t stay to hear the response, flying out the door. He suffered another critical hit when he realised the elevator wouldn’t be working, and carried his tired legs to the stairwell with a resigned sigh. 

-

Wumuti finally got to sleep in for the first time in weeks, albeit at the expense of an extra dance lesson that he really wanted to take, but his partners made it their mission to bully him into staying home and catching up on rest, and he eventually gave in. He didn’t like the thought of missing out on extra training - he had to be as productive as possible, especially this close to their future activities - but he couldn’t say he regretted it. 

He took his time washing up and brushing his hair, feeling the kind of lightness he hadn’t experienced in days. He still didn’t feel completely revitalised, but he did feel much better, more alert and focused without a thin film of exhaustion stretched over his brain. 

He sat in front of his perfume collection for a while, meticulously choosing a fragrance for the day. He wanted something light and refreshing that would match his current well-rested state and last him the entire day. He eventually chose a clear round bottle; a spray on each wrist and one down his shirt. A clean, flowery scent settled in the air around him, similar to the smell of soft, freshly washed sheets. It put him in a better mood. 

He then remembered that he still had one last pudding left in the fridge, which lifted his mood even more. 

It deflated when he looked through the entire fridge and couldn’t find it. He could’ve sworn he put it in the back corner, far out of the way of his members’ grabby hands - mainly Rui’s and Haru’s - but maybe he ate it already and forgot. He wouldn’t be surprised with how inattentive and tired he’s been the past week. 

He let out a long sigh as he walked out of the kitchen, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew he should eat some real food, but he wanted his pudding, damn it. 

“Hi mom.” Haru looked up from his spot in the corner of the couch, marked-up song lyrics resting on its arm like it was a little desk. “What’s up?” 

“Have you seen my pudding?” Wumuti asked forlornly. 

“Nope.” 

Wumuti sighed again as he made to turn around. “I thought - “ His brain then registered something, and he looked at Haru again with suspicion. “Whatcha got there?” 

Haru glanced at him from the corner of his eye, then quickly shoved a spoonful of something in his mouth. 

“Let me see,” Wumuti insisted, diving onto the couch and sending the lyrics flying to the floor in a flurry of papers. 

He felt like he was wrestling a plastic wrapper away from a kitten. Haru put up a valiant fight, but he was severely hindered by his efforts not to spill the contents of the container all over the living room. When Wumuti dared to use the forbidden move - tickling - Haru surrendered completely. 

Wumuti held up the half empty container. “Haven’t seen it, huh?” 

Haru pouted. “You said someone else could have it.” 

“I said that to be polite,” Wumuti said grumpily. “I wasn’t serious.” 

“Aw, I’ll buy you more later, I promise.” Haru dipped his spoon into the cup Wumuti was still holding and brought up to Wumuti’s lips. “In my defence, I didn’t eat all of it yet.” 

Wumuti gave him an unimpressed look, but ate the peace offering. The silky texture of the caramel and chocolate pudding mellowed him out a little, and he now considered asking Haru to buy him ten containers as replacement instead of the twenty he was set on a few seconds ago. 

Haru scooped up another spoonful and fed it to Wumuti. “So did you sleep well?” 

“Very,” Wumuti admitted. He drifted off as soon as his head hit the pillow last night and slept deeply without waking up at all. 

Haru hummed, snuck a small bite of pudding for himself, then held up more for Wumuti. Wumuti ignored it and gave him back the container. “I’m gonna go brush my teeth.” 

Haru looked down at the half finished pudding, then up at Wumuti. “You don’t want it?” 

“No, I was just messing with you.” Wumuti ruffled Haru’s hair. “I’ll just get more later, I’m not actually mad.” 

“I’ll still get you some,” Haru offered. He was so cute. 

“It’s up to you,” Wumuti said, blowing him a kiss before disappearing into the corridor. He was surprised to see the bathroom door wide open with the light on, Rui’s ass up in the air on full display as he vigorously scrubbed something in the bathtub. 

“Oh!” Wumuti leaned over Rui, taking in the sponge and rubber gloves. “That was supposed to be my job this week…” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Rui said over his shoulder. “I had free time.” 

Wumuti squinted. “And you want to spend it like this?” 

“I want to take care of my leader,” Rui said sweetly, scrubbing harder. “It’s no trouble.” 

“Did you and a-Hyun do something in here again?” Wumuti raised an eyebrow. 

“…No?” Rui smiled sheepishly. 

“…If you say so.” Wumuti wasn’t about to complain about having one less thing to do. He stepped over Rui, trying to find a place to stand comfortably in such a cramped space. “Mind if I brush my teeth?” 

“Why would I stop you?” Rui snorted, turning on the faucet. Water rushed into the bathtub to wash away the cleaner. 

Wumuti hastily brushed his teeth, the buzzing of the electric toothbrush accompanying the sound of Rui scrubbing the tub. The way Rui arched his back was definitely unnecessary, but with how natural it looked, he probably didn’t even realise he was doing it. 

Wumuti’s eyes kept being drawn to his lower half. Rui was wearing tight yoga pants instead of sweatpants for once, showing off the curves of his ass and more. He nearly swallowed a mouthful of toothpaste-tinted saliva when Rui thrust his ass out more, legs spread for leverage as he wiped water over the cleaner stuck to the sides of the tub. 

The toothbrush in Wumuti’s hand turned into a lead weight. Rui let out a satisfied noise and moved to sit up, but before he could do it, Wumuti sat down behind him and put a hand on the small of his back. 

“Don’t move yet,” Wumuti said. 

Rui paused. “What? Why?” 

Wumuti squeezed the toothbrush in his hand. “Just stay like this.” 

“Okay, but why?” Rui stressed. “The cleaner smells bad.” 

“It won’t take long,” Wumuti said ambiguously, shutting the bathroom door. The sound of the lock clicking made Rui turn his head and give Wumuti a deep look over his shoulder, his cheeks beginning to turn pink. 

“You want me so bad,” he said mischievously. 

Wumuti smiled lightly and grabbed handfuls of his ass, kneading the soft flesh. He was considering whether to pull Rui’s pants down, but after careful deliberation, decided to leave them on. They looked a little too clean. 

“Do we have lube in here?” Rui asked casually, pulling off the gloves and folding his arms over the lip of the tub to pillow his head. 

Wumuti didn’t respond, too busy pushing Rui’s thighs apart to spread him out further. The position looked uncomfortable, but it only made the whole thing hotter. He wanted to see Rui fight to keep himself kneeling. 

The click and ensuing buzz of the toothbrush made Rui lift his head. “Wha - “ 

He made a choked off noise as the hard tip of the toothbrush pressed against his taint through his pants. His legs spasmed out of shock, nearly making him topple over. 

“Stay still,” Wumuti instructed giddily, grabbing his hip to keep him in place. As Rui trembled in front of him, he slid the toothbrush further between his legs, far enough for the vibration to reach his balls. Rui whined, legs jerking as though he wanted to close them, but ultimately managed to keep them apart. 

“Good girl,” Wumuti said gently, squeezing his hip. Rui moaned quietly, visibly struggling to stay up as Wumuti loosely looped the toothbrush between his legs, pressing harder, then softer, lingering in one place and passing quickly over another. Wumuti could sense the bulge at the front of Rui’s pants grow bigger every time the wand passed over it. 

“Jiejie,” Rui mewled. He rocked his hips, voice breaking on a wail as Wumuti slid the vibrating toothbrush forward to press it against the base of his cock. 

“Keep it down,” Wumuti said quietly. “Someone could hear us.” 

Rui gasped into his arm. “You - you could - n’t, ah, Muti… wait until the - they left? Oh…” He thrust uselessly into the air, no doubt trying to catch some friction from the fabric now pulled taut over his hard cock. 

“Shh,” Wumuti cooed, leaning forward to kiss the middle of his back. Rui’s legs were quivering deliciously from both pleasure and the effort of keeping himself in position, his back tense with exertion. Wumuti pressed the toothbrush harder against his cock, startling Rui into a moan so loud that he quickly pressed a hand to his mouth, though it was an open question as to how useful that was. 

“Could you cum like this?” Wumuti whispered, tracing his nose along Rui’s spine. “Without me touching you?” 

Rui let out a small sob. “But I want you to touch me,” he mumbled into his palm. 

“Do you?” Wumuti inquired, lazily sliding the toothbrush along Rui’s thighs and then back up, digging the tip into his perineum. Rui wailed so loudly the sound rang in Wumuti’s ears. 

“I want it so bad, please, Muti…” Rui’s thighs tensed, relaxed, tensed again. “Don’t be mean to me…” 

Wumuti could imagine how Rui’s cock looked where it was trapped inside his pants; painfully hard and red, straining futilely against the fabric, leaking enough precum to leave a huge stain at his crotch. 

Wumuti pressed the entire length of the toothbrush between Rui’s legs, the vibration hitting as many sensitive spots as it could reach. Rui whimpered at full volume, giving up on being quiet, hand helplessly dipping into the bathtub. 

Judging him undone enough, Wumuti finally reached for his dick. He wasn’t ready for how fast Rui snapped, coming hard the moment Wumuti squeezed him through the fabric, cum thoroughly soaking his pants and making Wumuti’s hand come away wet. Rui’s high pitched wails definitely shook the entire dorm, and Wumuti could only hope Haru had headphones in or shut himself in his room. 

Rui sniffled as he gingerly lowered himself to the floor, legs shaking, and immediately pulled off his pants and underwear. Cum dripped onto the floor. 

“Now I have to clean again,” he complained. 

“Yeah, exactly. Why did you leak all over the place?” Wumuti giggled when Rui gave him a withering look. 

“Who uses a toothbrush?” Rui muttered, wetting a towel from the bathtub faucet and wiping the cum off the floor without getting up. “I have a perfectly good vibrator. You have a perfectly good vibrator!” 

“I like being spontaneous,” Wumuti said, throwing the toothbrush in the sink and sitting down next to Rui. 

“You like torturing me,” Rui whined, flopping bonelessly against him, hand falling between Wumuti’s legs. Wumuti squirmed, Rui’s touch only slightly ghosting over the seam of his pants, but it was enough to make his cock noticeably twitch. 

A smile formed on Rui’s lips. “Oh? Is there something wrong, hyung?” 

Wumuti swallowed. He had a feeling that Rui won’t be merciful with him. 

-

Wumuti yawned. He was checking over the notes for an upcoming meeting with the film crew that’ll work on their next music video, but he couldn’t focus, the words blurring in front of his eyes. He sighed and turned off the tablet, holding it up for Hyun to see. “I’ll put it on your desk.” 

“S-sure,” Hyun stuttered, already three fingers deep inside Rui, languidly stroking his own cock with his free hand. Rui canted his hips to meet Hyun’s slow thrusts, and tipped his head back to give Wumuti a flirty wink before his face went lax, mouth dropping open in a moan - Hyun hit a good spot. 

Wumuti had no idea why he was even trying to work here in the first place. He should’ve called it quits the moment Rui put his hand over Hyun’s lap, or even earlier, when he tried to leave and both of them begged for him to stay and take notes in their room. He should’ve known they’d get up to something. 

He couldn’t be mad, though. Every time he’d look up from the tablet screen, he’d get a delicious eyeful of either Rui or Hyun with their faces already glistening from sweat, lips parted, tongues lolling out, their noises louder than usual - or maybe it was Wumuti’s imagination. Every sound amplified in his head as though inside a cave. 

“Hyung,” Hyun called out breathily, “Do you want to do it?” Wumuti glanced at them to see Rui flipped onto his stomach, invitingly lifting his hips as Hyun stroked the curve of his ass with his knuckles. Rui’s hard cock bobbed under him, visibly dripping. 

Wumuti shook his head. “You go ahead.” He swallowed, eyes wandering over their bodies. “I want to watch this time.” 

Hyun nodded and wasted no time in lining himself up, slowly pushing inside Rui completely raw; for the first time that Wumuti could remember, Rui didn’t ask for a condom. Maybe he got inspired by the multiple times he and Hyun let Rui fuck them sloppy. 

Wumuti closed his eyes and took a deep breath, clearing his mind. Rui’s and Hyun’s quiet whines rang in his ears alongside the squelching noise of Hyun shallowly thrusting into Rui. The bed creaked. 

Judging himself relaxed enough, and somewhat certain that he won’t suddenly remember something he forgot to do for work, Wumuti dropped his pants at the foot of the bed and crawled back onto the mattress. He settled down against the wall with his legs spread and lazily stroked his cock as he watched Hyun ram into Rui, picking up the pace when he saw Wumuti looking at them. Rui squirmed on the bed, arching his back with his ass up, hands desperately fisting the sheets, a foxy smile on his face even as he whimpered from pleasure. 

They were so stunning together, their bodies fully in tune with each other’s, their movements as mesmerising as a choreographed dance. Hyun’s fingers dug into Rui’s waist, each thrust making Rui’s entire body shake. Rui squeezed his eyes shut, not even trying to muffle his gasps. His lips were shiny with spit, and Wumuti instinctively brought his hand up to his own lips, smearing some of his own precum over them. 

“Hyunie,” Wumuti said breathlessly, “Make him sit on it.” 

He said this on a whim; most of the time when they were up to their voyeuristic scenarios, they’d either tease him about his requests or ignore them entirely. This time, though, Hyun let out an overwhelmed whine. 

Rui let out a surprised moan when he felt Hyun slow down. “A-Hyun…” 

“Up,” Hyun whispered, pulling out with a wet noise. Rui gasped when he felt Hyun’s cock leave his body in a copious spill of lube and precum. Before he could complain, though, Hyun pulled him onto his lap, chest pressed against Rui’s back, and slowly lowered him down onto his cock again. Rui moaned and spread his legs as far as they would go, offering himself to Wumuti’s hungry gaze. 

Wumuti squeezed his cock shakily, watching Rui’s legs tremble as he sank fully onto Hyun’s length, his eyes hazy, jaw slack. 

Wumuti’s mouth went dry as he watched Hyun get a firm grip on Rui’s hips, fingertips deeply kneading Rui’s skin, and lift him up again. Rui sobbed at the slow drag of Hyun’s cock inside him, voice tumbling into a wail when Hyun roughly dragged him back down, thrusting up at the same time. Rui went cross eyed, his cock jerking and dribbling clear fluid. He couldn’t stop whimpering as he put his hands over Hyun’s and worked out his thighs to rise and fall onto Hyun’s cock at a dizzying pace. 

“Don’t be so rough,” Wumuti scolded, lightly palming himself. He had to slow down, too close to getting carried away too soon. “We have performances coming up.” 

One of Hyun’s hands slipped down to squeeze the inside of Rui’s open thigh. “D-do you… ah… want me to be - be gentler?” 

“No,” Rui hissed, somehow managing to move his hips even faster. “Don’t you dare.” He threw his head back and moaned as Hyun pressed down on his hips, preventing him from bouncing back up; Rui’s voice rose in pitch as the pressure drove Hyun’s cock impossibly deeper. His hand spasmed over Hyun’s, nails digging into Hyun’s knuckles. 

Wumuti was a little worried about Rui’s insides, but the sight was so hot, and Rui was undeniably enjoying himself - he couldn’t possibly interrupt now and ruin their princess’s pleasure. 

Rui looked over at him, mouth dropping open further to let a ribbon of drool run down his chin. Wumuti let out a shuddering moan, shakily squeezing his cock and forcing himself to stroke it slowly. Rui would never let him hear the end of it if Wumuti came before he did. 

Wumuti’s eyes fell on Hyun, sweaty and flushed, skin glistening like a bronze statue. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, a bead of sweat enticingly making its way down the side of his neck. 

“Rui, put your hand on his throat,” Wumuti instructed, voice trembling. “Don’t press down, just lay it there.” 

Rui blinked at Wumuti, then looked over his shoulder at Hyun in wonder, still making small, whiny noises. Wumuti was surprised to see that Rui seemed not to know what he was talking about, and a warm feeling curled in the pit of his stomach. He found something about Hyun that Rui didn’t know yet. 

Rui twisted his body to throw an arm over Hyun’s shoulders and bring his hand up to Hyun’s neck. Hyun’s face went completely vulnerable as he looked at Rui; Rui was watching him with rapt attention, hungrily tracking the slightest change in his expression as he draped an elegant hand over Hyun’s throat. 

Hyun instinctively held his breath, hips stuttering. Rui marvelled at him, fingers twitching lightly over Hyun’s Adam’s apple. 

“Hyunie,” Wumuti said quietly, breaking them out of their reverie. “Faster.” 

Hyun swallowed, shuddering, and started to bounce Rui on his cock again, hips jerking chaotically every time Rui’s hand slid over his throat, stroked his collarbones, traced over his veins. Rui easily adjusted to the dizzying pace, desperately throwing himself onto Hyun’s cock, lifting himself high enough to leave in just the tip, then sinking down all the way. Hyun’s breathing grew even more haphazard as he switched between holding his breath every time Rui moved his hand, and gasping for air. Colour bloomed high on his cheeks, beautifully complimenting Rui’s entirely pink face. 

Wumuti pumped his own cock faster, each thrust of Hyun’s hips, every bounce of Rui’s ass over Hyun’s lap, echoing deep in his core. Wumuti tipped his head back, watching them through half lidded eyes as they unraveled together, Rui letting out the loveliest, most overwhelmed moan Wumuti’s ever heard as he trembled in Hyun’s grip, spilling untouched. Hyun followed a few seconds after, letting out a choked off whine that quickly turned into a sob as Rui kept moving his hips, milking him empty. 

As soon as Wumuti saw the first drops of Hyun’s cum spill languidly out of Rui’s still plugged-up hole, a lightning flash of pleasure went through his entire body, cock jumping in his hand. He cried out as he came, squeezing himself tightly to ride out the aftershocks. 

Only when Wumuti finished did Rui slow down with a small, satisfied sigh and go limp against Hyun. Hyun looked completely fucked out, but made the effort to stay upright for Rui’s benefit despite his visible shakiness. 

Rui glanced at Wumuti and extended a hand towards him. “Come here, love.” 

Wumuti crawled over and kissed him deeply, groping Rui’s hips, running his hands down his open thighs and dipping further in, brushing his fingers over the wet, intimate place Hyun and Rui were still connected. Rui gasped; Hyun let out a shuddering sigh, hips flinching. 

“How does it feel?” Wumuti murmured, kissing Rui’s neck, then turning his head to kiss Hyun. 

“Me?” Rui blinked languidly, like a cat after a nap, and pressed his cheek against Wumuti’s shoulder while Wumuti pried Hyun’s mouth open with his tongue. “It’s really wet. And hot.” 

In the corner of his eye, Wumuti saw Hyun wordlessly reach over to put his hand on Rui’s navel. 

“Yes, right here,” Rui murmured, pressing Hyun’s hand firmly over his core. “So good.” 

Hyun parted from Wumuti with a string of saliva to press a tender kiss to Rui’s shoulder. 

Wumuti leant against them, his bare legs warm where they touched theirs. He felt so blissfully sated, so comfortable, that he was growing sleepy. God, he really was so tired. 

“Go ahead and rest,” Rui whispered, stroking Wumuti’s hair. “Don’t think about anything anymore.” 

Wumuti wanted to retort that he was the leader of the group, that he was responsible for the careers of his members and had to consider their staff, that many creative decisions were his own and if he didn’t do what he must, nothing will get done at all. 

But he was so cosy, their proximity incredibly relaxing, the scent of their post-orgasm bodies intoxicating. Maybe his notes could wait. 

-

Wumuti sincerely intended to take a break, as promised. A few days ago, Rui, Hyun, and their manager had to band together and wrestle him away from all electronics after he stayed awake for almost two days straight and started typing every message and email with so many mistakes they’d need a linguist to decipher what he meant. He was grateful that they did that, except now they were strict on making him do nothing every once in a while. 

But perhaps writing a little lyric wouldn’t hurt. Maybe even a few lines. He wasn’t writing for any specific album, just for fun, so it could certainly count as taking a break. It was sound logic. 

He was halfway through an entire song he planned out within the past hour when Hyun walked into the room, back from the gym. Wumuti’s eyes were immediately glued to his bare, gorgeous arms and the sheen of sweat over his cheeks. Convincing him to come home to shower instead of doing it at the gym was a fantastic idea. 

Hyun gave him a bright, sunny smile, and Wumuti smiled back. It warmed his heart how sincerely happy Hyun always was to see him. 

Then Hyun’s eyes flicked down to the notebook on Wumuti’s lap. “…No.” 

Wumuti scrambled to cover it. “I can explain.” 

“Muti, come on!” Hyun made a lunge for the notebook, and had to grapple with Wumuti when he tried to protect his precious lyrics. “We said take a break!” 

“I am taking a break!” Wumuti was torn between wriggling out of Hyun’s grip and pressing as close to him as possible so he could smell the sweat and adrenaline of fresh exercise coming off of him. “This is just for fun!” 

“So it won’t end up on the next album?” Hyun paused and stared at him. Wumuti wanted to stare back, but couldn’t bring himself to look him in the eye. In his defence, the song would fit a concept he’d wanted to try so well. 

Hyun huffed and reached for the notebook again. Wumuti grabbed it and held it as far away from Hyun as possible, which wasn’t enough considering their height difference. 

“Haru, help me!” Wumuti extended a hand towards Haru, who appeared in the doorway to watch the scuffle with interest. 

“Don’t help him!” Hyun objected, trying to fold Wumuti into a position where he could get at his notebook. 

Haru’s eyes darted from one to the other. “I’ll help whoever gets me the strawberry cream puffs we had the other week.” 

“Ungrateful child!” Wumuti scolded, giving up and letting Hyun take away his precious book. To his credit, Hyun very carefully set it aside on the table, then sheepishly picked up the pencil that toppled onto the floor when they started wrestling. 

“All you had to do was relax until I got back from the gym,” Hyun sighed, wrapping his arms around Wumuti. Wumuti surrendered to his fate and figured he might as well enjoy it, shamelessly snuggling into him. “That’s three hours. Less than that! Two hours. All you had to do.” 

“Sorry, Hyunie,” Wumuti said in a singsong voice, pouting cutely. “I just really wanted to write my ideas down.” 

Hyun sighed, exasperated. “Maybe we do need a real break. You need a real break.” 

“We should go to the park again,” Haru suggested. “Or the beach? Is there a beach nearby?” 

Wumuti closed his eyes, his hands slipping towards Hyun’s sweaty armpits. “Maybe, dunno.” 

“It doesn’t have to be a - Muti!” Hyun sounded adorably scandalised as he squirmed to dislodge Wumuti’s hands from his armpits. “I haven’t showered!” 

Haru wrinkled his nose. “Wow.” 

Wumuti laughed and returned his hands to a much safer place at the small of Hyun’s back, fingertips hovering over his ass. Though the prospect of taking time off was tempting, right now, he could only dream of it.