A Source of Happiness | Beomgyu x Heeseung

- 2 -

Heeseung laid in bed, quietly staring up at the ceiling. It had been a long time since his members had fallen asleep, but despite the silence, he was wide awake. He couldn't stop thinking about that morning in the practice room. How Beomgyu's touch seemed to linger on his skin like a memory that didn't want to be forgotten.

Another dreadfully long minute passed. Heeseung finally caved, rolling over to grab his phone from his nightstand. He texted Beomgyu his gamer tag, writing, "Let's play together sometime."

Three dots popped up immediately. Heeseung nearly dropped his phone in surprise.

"Okay!" Beomgyu had written back. "I added you. Want to play a quick game now?"

Now? Heeseung thought. It's nearly two in the morning.

He contemplated the idea for a second before throwing off his covers and making his way over to his desk. His heart pounded as he logged into his account and added Beomgyu back as a friend.

Bearpaws01? That's stupid gamer tag.

He bit his lip.

Cute, though.

His phone suddenly started buzzing, Beomgyu's caller ID popping up on his screen. He hit accept and awkwardly waved into the camera, propping his phone up against the tape dispenser on his desk. "Hey."

"Hey," Beomgyu breathed. "Just thought we should FaceTime. You know, so we can discuss strategies and... stuff."

"Yeah. Sounds good." Heeseung tried to focus on his computer screen, finding it hard when Beomgyu's face was right there in his peripheral vision. He glanced over at the older boy, taking in every curve on Beomgyu's cheeks, every strand of hair that fell across his forehead, every-

"Do you mind if I play music? It helps me focus." Beomgyu turned towards the camera, and Heeseung immediately looked away, blushing.

"Yeah, no, not at all. Feel free to, uh... do whatever."

"Okay, cool." Beomgyu returned his attention to his laptop and began playing some ridiculous R&B pop song that truthfully got Heeseung's nerves; it was far too slow to match the fast pace of the game they were playing.

"Heeseung." Beomgyu suddenly stopped typing and gazed into the camera again, willing the younger boy to look over.

"Hm?" Heeseung mumbled, staring at his desk to avoid eye contact with Beomgyu.

"Do you ever feel like... I don't know. It's like, you have everything in the world, but it's not enough? Like no matter how happy you are, there's something holding you back from being truly carefree? Cause lately, everything's been going right for me, but for some reason I just can't bring myself to relax."

Heeseung slowly nodded, glancing up at Beomgyu. "I get that feeling too. The only times it ever goes away is when I'm with my friends."

"It goes away when I'm with you," Beomgyu suddenly blurted out.

Heeseung tilted his head, confused. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying- I'm saying we.... Never mind." Beomgyu retreated back into his chair, his confidence withdrawing. Right now, he wasn't a handsome, famous K-pop idol sitting in front of Heeseung. He was just a boy, a boy with a million dreams he'd achieved, and a million more he wanted to follow.

Heeseung's voice caught in his throat. "Let's play together tomorrow too."

Beomgyu smiled. "Okay. I'm looking forward to it."

***

"Hyung, your eye bags are getting worse," Jungwon scolded as they left the HYBE practice room. "You need to start sleeping earlier."

"It's because he's gaming," Ni-ki snorted. "I can hear his mouse and keyboard clicking all night."

"I- No, I'm not," Heeseung stammered. "I just..."

"Oi! Lee Heeseung!" Beomgyu appeared around a corner, eagerly yanking Heeseung away. "Look what level I just hit."

Heeseung stared at the older boy. His wrist where Beomgyu's fingers clasped burned with a gentle warmth.

"Seung," Beomgyu said again. "Look!"

Heeseung looked at the picture and offered a compliment to Beomgyu, whose smile grew as wide as his face.