Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Sehyuk, do we have any ibuprofen?”

At the sound of his boyfriend’s voice, Sehyuk turned away from the dishes he was drying and began to speak. “Yeah, we should-” His voice became infused with sympathy when he saw his swollen chest and the tired look on Sanggyun’s broken-out face. “We should have some in the cabinet to your left. I thought you weren’t supposed to start your cycle for another week.”

“So did I,” Sanggyun muttered, rummaging around in the cabinets. Given that he had an immensely abnormal cycle due to his biology, it was hard to pin down exactly when his period started and ended, but they had managed to figure out it came in the first or second week of every third month- and even that was unreliable. Still, having a schedule of sorts made it easier to know when to restock the house’s supply of menstrual hygiene products and chocolate.

Sanggyun located the ibuprofen and took two of the pills, dry swallowing them with no hesitation. He then walked over to Sehyuk, lacing his arms around his boyfriend’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder. “My cramps are really bad right now,” He murmured, his voice bordering on a whimper. Sehyuk realized Sanggyun was in a lot more pain than he was letting on.

He held Sanggyun close for a moment, rubbing his back gently before saying, “Go lay down upstairs, I’ll bring you the heating pad and some water in a minute, okay?” Sanggyun nodded and let Sehyuk press a gentle kiss to his forehead before disappearing up the stairs.

When Sehyuk returned, Sanggyun was lying on his side with his back turned to Sehyuk, blankets barely up to his knees. The first thing Sehyuk noticed was the patch of red that had seeped through Sanggyun’s sweatpants. He set the glass of water down on the bedside table and plugged the heating pad in, turning the setting up to high and setting it down. “Sanggyun, love?”

“Yeah?”

“You bled through.”

“Are you serious?” Sanggyun struggled to look over his own shoulder at the bloodstain on his pants. He groaned in exasperation and flopped back down onto the pillows.

Sehyuk chuckled and shook his head. “At least the sheets aren’t stained. Go change and I’ll throw that stuff in the wash.”

Sanggyun let out a soft whine and pushed himself up with what seemed like immense effort, walking over to the dresser and grabbing a fresh pair of sweatpants and briefs before walking to the bathroom. Sehyuk took the time to change the sheets anyways and gathered up the dirty laundry, including the dirtied clothing that Sanggyun had set in a small pile outside the bathroom door while Sehyuk was changing the sheets. After bringing the laundry downstairs, he returned to the bedroom to find Sanggyun laying on the bed, watching some nondescript cooking video. Immediately, Sehyuk noticed something was different- his posture, the way his shirt fell across his torso was different.

“Are you wearing your binder?” Sehyuk walked over to the bed and leaned down a bit, ignoring how Sanggyun squirmed away from him. Sure enough, the thick hems of his binder were visible through the thin cotton material of his t-shirt.

Normally, Sanggyun’s chest was fairly flat, not even enough to fill an A-cup. But the hormonal fluctuations accompanying his period made his chest swell just enough to bother Sanggyun. And so the binder went on, and Sanggyun would bite his lip at the pain it caused his tender chest. Sehyuk had been okay with it at first, reasoning that Sanggyun knew his limits and wouldn’t push his body too far, but that changed when Sehyuk found Sanggyun sobbing in the bathroom in the early morning, vomiting because of how bad his cramps and chest pain were. That’s where Sehyuk had drawn the line.

Before Sehyuk could say anything, Sanggyun looked up at him with sad eyes. “I’m almost out of pads, could you run to the store and grab some for me, please?”

There was no way Sehyuk could say no, especially with Sanggyun giving him puppy eyes. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to Sanggyun’s forehead. “Yeah, I’ll go there now. Is there anything else you want me to grab?”

“If you brought chocolate home, I wouldn’t not eat it.”

Sehyuk rolled his eyes playfully. “Alright, you dork. I’ll be back in fifteen.”

“Drive safe. I love you, Sehyuk.”

“I love you too.”

When Sehyuk returned, he found Sanggyun sound asleep in their bed, almost completely hidden under the blankets. He smiled fondly and set the box of pads in the bathroom. It had taken him a while to find them- there was a specific brand that Sanggyun liked because they fit well in his briefs, and the store Sehyuk had gone to was nearly out. He wasn’t sure what he would have done if they were out completely.

He went back downstairs and turned the television on, only half paying attention to whatever reality show was on as he checked his social media. About twenty minutes had passed when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Just as he looked up, Sanggyun plopped himself down on the couch next to Sehyuk, obviously still drowsy. Sehyuk laughed softly and brushed Sanggyun’s hair away from his forehead.

“How was your nap? Are your cramps better?” Sehyuk’s questions were met with a sleepy mumble from Sanggyun, who simply nuzzled into the curve of Sehyuk’s neck.
He wrapped his arm around Sanggyun’s shoulders, and the motion caused the knit cotton of his t-shirt to catch on something beneath it. Sehyuk glanced down and realized Sanggyun was still wearing the black compression garment he’d donned earlier.

“Sanggyun, did you sleep in your binder?” Sanggyun looked up at Sehyuk with a sheepish expression.

Sehyuk sat up and pulled away from his boyfriend, suddenly filled with concern that masqueraded as anger. “I- Sanggyun, what the hell? You know how dangerous that is! God, I know being on your period makes you dysphoric, but you can’t just ignore your own health and safety- you should know this.”

Sanggyun gave Sehyuk an irritated look. “I know, b-”

“If you know, then act like it! This- do you not remember what happened the last time you slept with your binder on? Do you really want a repeat of that?”

“It was an accident!” Sanggyun lamented, effectively shutting Sehyuk up. “God, Sehyuk, I didn’t mean to fall asleep with it on. Why the hell are you yelling at me?”

Sehyuk knew he had crossed a line when tears began welling up in Sanggyun’s eyes. Normally, Sanggyun had a thick skin and wasn’t legitimately upset by a lot. But his emotional boundaries shifted during this time of the month, and Sehyuk had just violated those boundaries.

“I didn’t mean to yell at you, babe. I’m sorry.” Sehyuk gently pulled Sanggyun into a hug and let the younger cry softly into his chest. “I was just worried about you, love. I shouldn’t have gotten mad at you, you didn’t do anything wrong,” He said in a soft, reassuring voice, running his fingers through Sanggyun’s messy hair. His boyfriend nodded, face still pressed into the material of Sehyuk’s shirt.

“S’okay,” Sanggyun murmured, sniffling and cuddling into Sehyuk’s touch.

Sehyuk pressed a soft kiss to the top of Sanggyun’s head before softly asking, “Can you take it off, baby? I don’t want your beautiful body to be hurting.”
Sanggyun gave a small, watery laugh at Sehyuk’s compliment and stood up, stretching his arms behind his back the way he’d learned to while wearing a binder. He went back upstairs, presumably to change, and Sehyuk made quick work of turning the couch into a nest of pillows and blankets before turning on an episode of the medical show that Sanggyun was hooked on.

When Sanggyun returned, binderless, he laughed at the setup. “Babe, you should’ve told me if you wanted to make a pillow fort. It would’ve been much better with my help.”

“Oh, shut up,” Sehyuk said teasingly, handing Sanggyun a bar of rich milk chocolate and laughing when his boyfriend’s eyes laughed in delight. “Do you forgive me?”

“Yes, I forgive you, idiot.” Sanggyun lovingly kissed Sehyuk’s cheek before settling down in the blankets next to him. “You take such good care of me,” He murmured, snuggling into Sehyuk’s side.

Sehyuk pulled Sanggyun close to him and kissed his forehead. Sanggyun smiled, head resting against Sehyuk’s chest, and soon fell asleep to the rhythm of his heart beating.