-"¡callarse la boca!" -"Hazme."

SunKi - Swallow me up like a lie

Sunoo would like to believe he's a good liar.

He has, after all, gone through most of his life convincing everyone that he's nothing short of kind, bubbly, and easy. He's mastered the art of persuasion through the flutter of his eyelashes and a honeyed smile-not too much for it to be nauseating, but just sweet enough to have people wanting more.

The thing is, there's a certain advantage to being seemingly nice, and that's an open secret more people should acknowledge. Still, a huge portion of the population has the tendency to tell themselves that all forms of pleasantries should be done sincerely-a notion that Sunoo completely abhors. If you played your cards right, the luck of the world might just fall onto your palm. He learns this at the ripe age of six when children are drawn towards things they perceive as good-natured. Decency is something that's more easily digestible because apparently, being upfront about your desires is deserving of contempt.

So Sunoo has learned how to mask any indication of want. He's learned how to maneuver through life with faux compliance as a shield. He's learned how to be a good liar to live life like he's always wanted to.

And yet, it is with great regret that he stirs at dawn, too early even with his usual schedule, to find Ni-ki wedged between him and the railings of Sunoo's bed, swaddled in Sunoo's blanket, and using Sunoo's pillow as his own.

This wasn't an unusual sight in any way-Ni-ki would climb into his bed despite Sunoo's initial protests, glaring down at the maknae with mild annoyance as Ni-ki stares up at him with a shit-eating grin, and Sunoo wonders why he still gives in every single time.

Sunoo wouldn't have minded the welcomed intrusion in his bed space on normal days. But today, in particular, has him gripping at his sheets, back against the cold wall, as the vision of their youngest's bare torso penetrates the part of Sunoo's brain that he only entertains when he's alone.

The golden slice of sunlight cutting through the slats of the window provides him with enough illumination to glimpse at the well-defined muscles of Ni-ki's abdomen, hidden slightly by the duvet they share.

God, he's never wanted to discard a blanket this much until today.

He does try to avert his eyes and close them to wash away any inconvenient thoughts with the light bleeding into red stains beneath his eyelids. It's been a while since they've last slept next to each other. They haven't been doing so considering the back-to-back preparations for their comeback and other idol activities-which meant the maximum hours Sunoo slept a night rarely surpassed four hours, and that definitely did not leave much time for them to hold each other to sleep like they used to.

He remembers going to bed hours ago by himself, and he definitely remembers Ni-ki going to his own bed with a shirt on.

But a lot of things can happen in between sleep and wakefulness, and that includes Ni-ki stealing his bed space, discarding his shirt in the middle of the night, and disturbing Sunoo's peace of mind first thing in the morning with a partial display of his abs.

He would like to blame it on his sleep-addled brain-the only time his impulses are unguarded, and the consequences of his actions aren't as tangible as they should be. It's the only crack in his mask he's willing to tolerate, if only for a dream-stained moment.

Sunoo is a good liar, but not good enough to stop his hand from reaching over, quiet as a mouse, as he peels off the blanket to reveal skin that goes down, down and-

A groan, then a voice hoarse from sleep, "Mm, cold...."

Lightning quick, Sunoo yanks his arm away and presses himself further into the wall behind him, heart slowing down from the jump of the adrenaline that had spiked through him.