brightwin AUs

36: Heart whispers

prompt: When they lay asleep— at least one of them— the other builds up his courage to say something he can't when they're awake.

Their alarms were set beside each other. One, for an early photoshoot in the morning and the other for a graduation rehearsal in the afternoon.

The round of FIFA they were not able to finish still played on the big screen, illuminating the cream walls of his condo.

But he slept soundly with a hand under his chin, his back to him.

"Bright?" Win tested when his eyes momentarily opened to the unfinished game in front of them.

They fell asleep on the couch. Again.

But Bright remained unmoving as he heaved another peaceful breath, making the younger boy smile. The evidence of their earlier shoot for an endorsement knocked him straight to a sleep fest.

Biting his lip, Win hovered quietly to see if Bright was asleep as he should be. He then moved his eyes to the older boy's back where he was able to see the first line of his tattoo.

"You must be so tired, huh? I told you not to wait for me." Win started as he scooted closer to Bright whose back faced him.

"Charlotte misses you," Win lets out a silent laugh before he risked a tentative touch against Bright's back. A gentle swipe of his pointer finger against the thin material of Bright's muscle tee.

"I do too, it's crazy." He continued before drawing his name against Bright's back in soft touches. "Because we always see each other at work but when we don't, I find myself using my phone more often than I should."

The television still played as did the gentle purr of the air-condition making Win scoot closer to Bright. His fingers continued to trace invisible shapes on the older's back, only stopping when the familiar words that he's been keeping to himself, started to bring his fingers to trace it against Bright's back instead.

A shaky sigh left Win before he moved his fingers to write the short phrase; each stroke harder than the other and his eyes trembled in fear that Bright was awake to feel it.

But still, he continued.

He found himself whispering the words along as he traced them over and over against Bright's back.

I love you.

"I really do," Win whispered against his back hoping that Bright's heart would somehow hear what his ears couldn't.

After a few more lingering strokes, Win parted their distance back to what it was before they fell asleep. He returned on his side to face the other way, his heart a mixture of relieved and constricted from his recent actions.

Just when he was about to close his eyes to force the impending sleep to knock him too, he felt two lean arms wrapping themselves around his waist. The action dragging him back to where he laid not even a minute ago. His heart pounded against his ribcage as the monumental fear froze him from within.

Until a pair of lips settled against his ear.

"I love you too," Bright whispered back before pecking his neck in hushed kisses.

And somehow the world didn't have to know. 

happy birthday to the crescent eyed boy whose smile lulls everyone to him—Win and every other title you'll get to have.