Chapter Text
Hoongjoong was already exhausted after only five minutes of being awake. Given he was the captain, he was tasked with the more or less impossible task of waking the team up. Of course, Seonghwa had already woken him up, and was currently downstairs in the kitchen, the smell of coffee and Gyeran Bap wafting up the stairs.
Sighing, he knocked on Wooyoung's door. "Wooyoung-ah, get up."
The silence from the other end of the door was enough to invite him inside the dark room. Clothes were everywhere, piled on top of the edge of the bed and trailing to the half opened suitcase, products and headphones thrown haphazardly against the floor.
"Five more minutes, Hyung," A drowsy, sleep slurred voice mumbled out from beneath the duvet covered lump that was Wooyoung.
"Aish, I already waited later than I should have." Hoongjoong sighed though he half heartedly moved the mess of clothes into a neater pile.
Deciding on a particularly firm pillow on the ground, he glanced up at Wooyoung again, the object earning a shocked and offended huff as it landed on the younger's face. "Yah, I said get up you brat. You need to pack your suitcase."
Most of the hallway was bustling with groggy voices. The moment the bathroom door had cracked open, Minho's now freshly washed face emerged, increasingly unimpressed as Chan scrambled for the door handle.
Mingi grabbed the back of his hoodie, tugging Chan down. "I was here first!"
"No you weren't!"
"I literally called it!"
"So? That doesn't matter-"
But Jungho had already shut the door in their faces as Minho passed by with a simple, "Idiots."
Hoongjoong patted them both on the shoulder. "You'll get your turns eventually." He effortlessly pried away Mingi's hand from a hot headed Chan's hoodie. "Go use your energy for something good and help Wooyoung finish packing."
The familiar ring of voices filled the hallways of the second story as Hoongjoong made his way back downstairs, glancing absentmindedly at the dark morning light seeping through the curtains. Sighing as the clock struck 2 AM, he nursed a simple cup of coffee Seonghwa had passed him absentmindedly between cleaning the countertops, watching with mild amusement as Yunho ate with a rapid speed, somehow managing to even make Mingi ignore his energetic words.
And surprisingly, they managed to pile into the previously packed car only four minutes behind schedule. Groans echoed as Mingi announced he forgot his charger only halfway down the neighborhood street. Between Yeosang teasing San about spilling coffee over his shoes and Minho and Chan's bickering about seatbelts, Hoongjoong already had a headache. Seonghawa didn't look much better, passing the leader a look halfway between exasperation and affection before he turned on the soft hum of the radio.
And the shallow peace of half asleep men in the middle of the night lasted only until the sun rose and the boisterous chatter filled the small vehicle.
"Anyone bring wired headphones?" Mingi's voice shouted over the sound of Chan's singing San had insisted on, his shrill yells filling a grouchy Minho's ears which resulted in more angry shouts.
Hoongjoong was incredibly relieved as Seonghwa silently handed him an Advil from the passenger's seat. This was going to be an incredibly long ride.
The sun was jarringly bright by midday, as Minho and Chan fought over the shades by the windows. As to who allowed the two to sit together...Hoongjoong pretended not to notice.
"Yah! Who stole my chips?" Mingi yelled, shoving a hand over Chan's mouth so he could hear a response from the chaos of the others.
"Oh, Wooyoung found them!" Seonghwa called from where he was focused on his phone in the passenger's seat.
"No, I ate them." Wooyoung muttered, laughing as Mingi turned to throw a shoe at him.
Minho rolled his eyes though he hummed, "Who eats chips so early in the morning?"
"Why are you focused on chips, there is so much more to complain about," Chan shot back absentmindedly though he smiled at the next song on the playlist.
"I wasn't talking to you." Minho muttered as he stared back out at the window, arms crossed stubbornly.
And with still hours left and nearly an entire day gone by, Hoongjoong had decided the next argument was not his problem. And even as the sun began to dip below the moving horizon, conversations continued though lacking the original energy. After an equally chaotic stop for lunch and gas, Seonghwa had switched positions with Hoongjoong at the diver's seat.
Chan and San had long since stopped singing, voices hoarse as they laugh at the sound of Mingi's obnoxious snores. The low hum of the engine and faint melody of the car's radio filled the car, tired eyes blinking sluggishly and head lulling against windows and shoulders with soft, rhythmic breaths.
"What? You never sleep in cars?" Chan's voice filled the quiet silence, a low murmur compared to Hoongjoong's steady conversation with Seonghawa at the front of the car.
Minho didn't look up from where his gaze was focused on his phone. "I do."
The silence hung between them as Chan waited for more of an answer, staring at Minho's unreadable expression for several more moments before he added, "I mean, you've been awake since this morning. That's like...what? Nine hours or something?"
Eyebrows furrowing slightly in confusion, Minho glanced up. "Why are you counting?"
Chan shrugged, leaning back in his chair as his gaze wandered around the car-the crumbs and chip bags scattered across the floor underneath countless blankets, the small earbud case Mingi was complaining about, the passport surely someone was missing. He didn't quite notice when Hoongjoong's own conversation began to ebb with time as the silence of the evening settled over.
His gaze found Minho again, and Chan peered over at his phone, earring a glare from the younger boy next to him. "What?"
Chan blinked. "I just thought I've seen that show before." He gestured to the screen. "Dragon Ball, right?"
Minho's expression didn't change, but he didn't move his phone away either, staring up at Chan with an expectant gaze. "And?"
Chan leaned in closer, focused on the figures on the small screen, the warmth from Minho's breathing prickling the back of his neck. "Yeah, I mean I think I've seen it before. When I was younger." Chan stared for a few more seconds before he glanced up at Minho's unimpressed stare. "What season are you on?"
Hoongjoong couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips. The kids were such nerds. He glanced at Seonghwa, unsurprised to find the older man asleep, head lulled against the dark window. With a soft sigh, he glanced up at the rearview mirror just enough to catch a glimpse of Chan and Minho's faces, the hint of curiosity that both would deny tomorrow. Leaning back against his carseat, he focused back on the road, listening to the gentle murmur of voices.