Archive of Our Own ^beta

A rough tongue dragged through the glossy fur on the back of Jiho’s ear after a long pause, a soft noise of acknowledgement leaving him. His humble leader went back and forth between steadily grooming Jiho, and watching the small T.V. screen ahead of him, his tongue either poking out from between his lips when he stopped licking to recommence focusing on the movie, or freezing in its tracks mid-lick when his dilated pupils steadied on what was playing ahead. Jiho was lesser-focused on the movie, as he was being slowly lulled to sleep by Sehyuk’s gentle care, his fingers occasionally flexing and curling, kneading his claws into the bedsheets. Though every time Sehyuk would pause, Jiho’s eyes would flutter back open, and he’d shift in his spot, or grunt, often times prompting Sehyuk to focus again.

This was usually one or two nights out of every week, where Sehyuk would pick a particularly drowsy member with whom he wordlessly bonded until they both drifted off to sleep, their combined purrs or bodily heat always serving as the perfect lullaby. It was more common for every group member to be so wrung dry from a full day of general strenuous busywork that no one could set aside any extra time to relax at all. Most nights, Sehyuk, along with everyone else, would file into their homes or rooms and fall immediately asleep; extra-efforts to bond or dote on one another usually weren’t an option. It was simply too exhaustive. But some nights, Sehyuk would find stragglers. The few members who were awake a little later than everyone else, laid up in their bed, but still conscious enough to lift their heads when they heard a soft knock on their door. This particular night, Sehyuk found Jiho, who welcomed his leader in with a slowly growing smile. Jiho’s white teeth began to glitter from the nearby tv’s light when Sehyuk padded close enough to crawl up onto his bed and create his timelessly comforting new weight upon the mattress. Jiho’s toothy grin would never cease to immediately melt Sehyuk’s heart.

“P-Goonie…”

Jiho’s voice, soft and lilted with fondness, rumbled from the depths of his chest onto his lips. Sehyuk’s ears swiveled toward the distinct sound of his group member saying his name, the throatiness of it pleasantly unique to Jiho alone. Sehyuk liked to note that the way Jiho’s voice seemed to reverberate in his chest made it sound as though his speech was rather an enunciated purr. He couldn’t help a smile of his own as his thinner frame settled behind Jiho’s, his tail flipping up and down against the bedsheets with off-beat, happy thumps. Their legs began to entwine; upon this, Sehyuk spoke with a chuff.

“Sometimes you’re just like a kitten, it’s unbelievable.”

Nothing was easier for Jiho to own than a comment like that. He received it with a little trill that dissolved into a laugh, wiggling his shoulders at Sehyuk. His senior could only shake his head in response, before he leaned forward to commence grooming. Warm fingerpads took hold of Jiho’s ears, guiding them to an optimal grooming position. Finally, Sehyuk’s tongue pulled the first line up the back of a glossy, black ear. It only took a few moments until Jiho’s purr surfaced, his eyes falling contentedly shut as his hands stretched out in front of him to knead. Sehyuk found a place to keep his own fingers, settling them into the crook of his junior’s neck, where the warmth from their touching skin brought about intimate comfort.

“Will you clean my hair too?”

The question made another smile tug at Sehyuk’s lips. After two short licks, he shrugged.

“If you’re not asleep by the time I finish with your ears, maybe. Or maybe you should just go ahead and shower.”

Sehyuk’s suggestion received a nondescript “oh” from Jiho, then a nod. It was a good idea for him to take his leader up on that. But, at the moment, Jiho was tipping his head back to yawn, his tail falling across Sehyuk’s thigh when he heard a quiet “cute” behind his head.