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"Don't worry too much. Hyuk is going to be fine," Hakyeon said as he reached out to pat Hongbin's shoulder. But then he pulled back, thinking the members were probably too upset about Hyuk's accident to want to deal with his unwanted touch at the moment.
They just got off the elevator and were walking towards their room. Taekwoon was not far behind them, while Jaehwan and Wonshik dropped by a convenience store before going back to their hotel.
"Speak for yourself, hyung," Hongbin replied. "You look worried as fuck."
"I'm not. I'm just tired," Hakyeon sighed. "I mean, of course, I'm worried about Hyuk too. But they said he's fine."
Hakyeon hated where his train of thought was going. Normally, he would have been the most worried about an injured member's condition. And he was. When Hyuk fell down and was taken to the hospital, he was worried sick. But he had to keep calm or the others would get more scared of the situation. He had to lead the others back onstage. Thankfully, having already heard from the managers and staff that Hyuk got nothing but a swollen eye made him feel less worried. Suddenly, he felt more exhausted thinking about everything that happened during the day. And he felt selfish for being more absorbed in his self-doubt than being worried about Hyuk.
Hakyeon stopped by the door of his shared room with Taekwoon, and Hongbin just walked past him towards the adjacent room he shared with Hyuk.
"I'm just tired of everything," Hakyeon murmured without realizing Hongbin could still hear him.
"Hyung?" Hongbin turned and faced him, suddenly looking concerned. "Are you okay?"
Hakyeon looked like he snapped out of himself. He straightened his posture and wore a smile as if he was erasing the visible exhaustion from his face. "Yeah. Sorry. Did I sound weird?" He laughed gently and dismissed Hongbin's concern.
Taekwoon had reached them by now. Hakyeon turned to him and asked, "Can I shower first?"
"Huh? Yeah, sure." Taekwoon replied, slightly confused why the two were still standing by their door.
"Let us know when Hyuk comes back from the hospital," Hakyeon said before finally going inside their room without glancing back at Hongbin. Taekwoon was going to follow inside right away but Hongbin suddenly grabbed his arm.
More confused at Hongbin's expression, Taekwoon let the door close first and stood back with Hongbin.
"What is it?"
Hongbin let go of Taekwoon's arm and opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say. He was worried about Hyuk but now he's more worried about Hakyeon and he couldn't really explain why.
"Hongbin, what is it?" Taekwoon prodded.
Hongbin opened his mouth again but nothing came out.
"Hurry up, I'm tired."
"Right," Hongbin sighed, looking down. "I guess we're all just tired. Sorry, hyung. You can go in and rest." He turned and to his side and started walking towards his room.
This time it was Taekwoon who grabbed Hongbin's arm.
"What is it? I've asked three times. Please don't make me ask again." Taekwoon's hold was firm but his voice was gentle.
"I..." Hongbin started. "I don't know? Just... Hakyeon-hyung seems... Weird?"
"He's always weird. What kind of weird are we talking about?"
"That, I suppose?" Hongbin looked just as confused as Taekwoon. "That he wasn't being his weird self? He said he's just tired, but I feel like there's something bothering him, and I don't know how to explain?"
"Do you want to go inside and talk to him?"
"No," Hongbin stepped back in panic, pulling his arm out of Taekwoon's grip. "I'm... Not good at this, you know. Talking about feelings and shit."
Taekwoon crossed his arms. "Then why did you stop me from going in?"
"Ahh," Hongbin scratched his head. "I don't know." he faked a laugh. "Maybe you could talk to him?"
"You think I'm good with feelings?"
"Well, no. Not really."
Taekwoon raised a brow.
"But at least you don't get as cringy and sarcastic as me. I really don't know, hyung. Just try asking him if you want. Or just forget what I said. I could be wrong anyway. He could just be really tired."
A lie. Hongbin was sure he wasn't imagining things. He was sure there was a light that didn't glimmer in Hakyeon's eyes when he forced himself to smile at him. He was sure Hakyeon avoided looking at him before going inside their room. But he was scared of talking to Hakyeon. He wanted to be reliable but he was afraid of making things worse when he unintentionally, automatically, cringed or talked back with sass. He didn't really think of asking Taekwoon about it, but there had to be someone Hakyeon could rely on. If Hongbin was bad at it, it might as well be Taekwoon.
"Go to sleep. Stop worrying." Taekwoon said. He wanted to reassure Hongbin. He wanted to promise he'll talk to Hakyeon but he wasn't exactly good at comforting people either.
As they both entered their own rooms, they were bugged by the very same thought. Hakyeon was always best at comforting people. He was their center and support, holding them up whenever they needed him. It's been years, and Hakyeon just steadily held them together. They relied on Hakyeon all the time, but they wondered if Hakyeon relied on them as much.
Sure, they could think of a few times when they took care of Hakyeon when he was sick or tired. Sometimes, they go out of their way and go to the convenience store to buy some banana milk, and a few other snacks that Hakyeon liked. Sometimes, when Hakyeon sincerely asked for it, they let him hug them for a good few minutes, whenever he said he needed to recharge his energy for the day. Sometimes. Really few times. When they think about it really hard, they could count exactly how many times Hakyeon asked them for support. But it's been more or less seven years. Could Hakyeon really be that strong on his own for such a long time?
Suddenly, both Taekwoon and Hongbin felt like they haven't done much to support Hakyeon.
-=oOo=-
"It's fine, hyung," Hyuk swatted Wonshik's hand away. "It hurts when you touch it, but I'm fine." He gave a cheerful smile and patted Jaehwan's hair. The latter was kneeling on the bed right beside where Hyuk was sitting. He was still a little teary-eyed, having witnessed Hyuk tumble down after he was hit.
"I was really scared when you didn't get up!" Jaehwan said, voice just as loud, but not as energetic as usual.
"I did get up! Just, you know... My face hurt and I knew it didn't look good so I couldn't face anyone." Another laugh, but this time a little forced. "I was kinda scared too, but they helped me right away so I knew I was going to be okay. And I am now!"
That was Hongbin's cue to make jokes about the accident in an attempt to lighten up the mood. It was a little awkward at first but Wonshik and Hyuk did the same and soon enough they were all just laughing about it.
"Where's Hakyeon-hyung, by the way?" Hyuk asked.
They all looked at Taekwoon.
"He was still in the shower when Hongbin called us. He's probably on his way now?" Taekwoon answered quietly.
"How long has he been in the shower?" Hongbin asked. Taekwoon just shrugged, but looking into Hongbin's eyes, he knew they were both worried now. Hakyeon went straight to the bathroom when they reached their rooms. Hongbin called after 15 minutes as promised, to let them know Hyuk was back from the hospital. They've been sitting around Hyuk's bed for at least another 15 minutes now, and still no Hakyeon.
"He has way too many essential oils and creams," Wonshik said.
"I'll go get him," Hongbin said, standing up. There was no way Hakyeon would prioritize his vanity oils before Hyuk. Hongbin could even imagine his loving hyung cutting his shower short as soon as he heard Hyuk was back. That was the type of person Hakyeon was. And yet he wasn't there.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Hakyeon at the hallway, turning around to face him.
"Hyung!"
"Hongbin," Hakyeon smiled. "I was just about to knock. Did you sense my presence?"
"I... Was going to get you. What took you so long?" Hongbin was growing more and more worried. Hakyeon was not about to knock. His back was on Hongbin when the door opened. He was about to walk away.
"Ahhh so you missed me?" Hakyeon laughed as he walked past Hongbin into their room.
Hongbin didn't even get to answer because Hakyeon went straight towards the foot of Hyuk's bed and sat on a corner.
"Hyukkie, how are you?"
"I'm fine, hyung," Hyuk smiled at him. He repeated that his bruise hurts when touched, but other than that, he felt perfectly fine.
"That's good to hear. I'm glad nothing worse happened. Let's be more careful next time." Hakyeon smiled weakly.
Hyuk stared at him. Silently. Just waiting for him to do or say something more.
Nothing.
Hakyeon just smiled warmly at him.
"Hyung, are you angry?"
Hakyeon tilted his head, frowning in confusion. "Why would I be angry?"
"Because I got hurt and didn't finish the fanmeet? I don't know? You're at least disappointed, aren't you?"
"Oh, Hyukkie," Hakyeon lifted his legs from the edge of the bed and sat closer to Hyuk's feet, but didn't go too far onto the bed. It was pretty crowded with five of them there. Jaehwan was lying on Hyuk's left side, his head on Hyuk's lap. Wonshik was sitting beside Jaehwan and Taekwoon was sitting on Hyuk's right side. Hongbin was still standing behind Hakyeon.
"I'm sad that you got hurt. I don't want any of you to get hurt, no matter what reason. But I'll never be angry or disappointed that you couldn't finish a performance. Your safety comes above anything else. And it was an accident. None of us wanted that to happen. Don't ever think it's your fault. Nobody's disappointed in you, okay?"
"Okay," Hyuk answered flatly. It wasn't like he thought Hakyeon would really be mad at him, but his words reassured him. Still, it felt weird to him. He felt like something was missing. He also noticed Taekwoon and Hongbin kept staring at each other, and then at Hakyeon. He wondered if something happened while he was at the hospital.
"You're won't be participating in the upcoming fanmeets, so rest up. I'll see if I have anything that could make the swelling go away quickly, but right now, just go to sleep and rest. Don't think too much about it."
He turned to Jaehwan and Wonshik, telling them to go to their own room so Hyuk can rest. Taekwoon was already standing up as well, knowing Hakyeon would call him next. They bid goodnight to the youngest members before leaving the room.
Taekwoon gave Hongbin one last look before closing the door. He had to try. Nobody expected him to be reliable because Hakyeon was always there. But now that they think it was Hakyeon who needed someone to lean on, he needed to step up.
"I'll go ahead and sleep. You can turn off the lights when you're done washing up," Hakyeon said when he was about to slip under his blanket.
"Hakyeon," Taekwoon hesitated. Hakyeon's smile was still plastered on his face, but it felt empty.
"Hmm?"
What's wrong with you? Are you okay? What's bothering you? Did something happen?
Ten or fifty versions of this question were running in Taekwoon's head, and he felt stupid because Hakyeon would have obvious answers to all those questions and nothing would sound right.
"Hongbin is worried about you." I am, too, Taekwoon wanted to say.
"Aah," Hakyeon's smile faltered for a bit, but he recovered quickly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have told him I felt tired."
Taekwoon frowned. "You know you're allowed to feel tired, right?"
"Of course," Hakyeon replied. "I may look extraterrestrial sometimes, but I'm actually a human. I get tired too." He laughed a little but then looked suddenly serious. "Still, I probably shouldn't have let him know. I'm the leader. If they see me too tired or feeling down, how could they rely on me?"
"Hakyeon," Taekwoon sat on his own bed, facing Hakyeon. It hurt to hear such words from him. "You can rely on us too, don't you know that? We're here for you." He clutched the edge of the blanket under him. He wanted to go and hug Hakyeon, but he hesitated. He wondered if he was actually reliable enough for Hakyeon to lean on.
"Of course. Thank you, Taekwoon." The smile on Hakyeon's face felt genuine this time, like he was really touched by what Taekwoon said.
Taekwoon felt a little proud of himself. He waited until Hakyeon was fully settled on his bed, before turning off the lamp light on the bedside table between their beds. "Sleep well, Hakyeon. Goodnight."
"Hmmm... You too," Hakyeon mumbled. The ASMR effect of Taekwoon's soft voice making him drift off to sleep faster than the exhaustion from the day's activities.
When Taekwoon got back from his shower, he saw 3 messages from Hongbin asking how Hakyeon was doing. He just typed a quick "He's fine. Stop worrying." before setting his phone on silent mode.
He couldn't sleep right away, though. He wanted to think Hakyeon was okay. If he was going to be rational about it, everything Hakyeon said made sense. They had to avoid making the younger members worry over simple things. Hakyeon did seem all right for the most part, but there was still a tinge of something that Taekwoon couldn't exactly describe.
-=oOo=-
Despite how exhausted he claimed he was, Hakyeon woke up earlier than the others. Taekwoon was woken up by the sound of the faucet in the bathroom, and then some more movements around their room. He thoight he could sleep in some more until Hakyeon decided to wake him up, but then he heard the door close. He pushed down his blanket and lifted his head, squinting around the room. Hakyeon left without waking him up.
He got up as quickly as he could, barely washed his face and then changed his clothes. He sent a message to Hakyeon, who quickly replied that he was having breakfast at the hotel's all-day dining.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Taekwoon asked as soon as he found Hakyeon eating a sausage roll at the far end of the restaurant.
"We don't have to be up early, so I figured I'll let you all sleep in."
"So why are you up so early?"
Hakyeon shrugged. "Felt hungry. Since you're awake now, go eat, too. The buffet spread is good."
Taekwoon had nothing else to say. And he felt hungry too, so he decided to just do as Hakyeon said. He went around the buffet table and put as much food as he could on his plate. And then fetched Hakyeon's omelette from the egg station, as Hakyeon requested before he left their table.
Hongbin joined them few minutes later. It was a pretty quiet breakfast. Their conversation was mostly about how good the food was. Taekwoon thought Hakyeon still look a little restless, but definitely more cheerful than the previous night.
"I'll go around for a bit. You guys go and wake the others up. Make sure they eat enough for breakfast. I'll be back before Hyuk leaves." Hakyeon finished eating first. Hongbin wasn't done yet, so he told Taekwoon to keep him company.
"Okay," was all Taekwoon could say. Hongbin nudged his side after Hakyeon left.
"Do you really think he's okay?" Hongbin asked.
"Yeah," Taekwoon answered, not completely sure. "He does look tired, as he said. He's sorry to worry you. And..." Taekwoon trailed off.
"And what?"
Taekwoon sighed. "You know him. He thinks he has to be strong for all of us. Maybe he's just really worn out."
Hongbin was about to buy it and relax. But then Wonshik joined them on the table and instead of greeting them good morning, his first words were "What's wrong with Hakyeon-hyung?"
"Why?" Hongbin's eyes widened with more concern. "Why? What happened?"
Wonshik was surprised by Hongbin's reaction, but he remained pretty calm. "Nothing really. I just saw him on my way here. He said he's going out but he didn't say where to."
"So why are you asking what's wrong with him?" Taekwoon asked.
"I don't know. He just... Feels different, I guess? I can't really pinpoint how. Just different."
Hongbin and Taekwoon looked at each other. Taekwoon let out a defeated sigh, while Hongbin waited for him to speak.
"I don't know either, okay?" Taekwoon mumbled. "I'm worried too, to be honest. But he insists that he's just tired."
Hongbin frowned. He hated this feeling. He knew something was wrong and he couldn't figure it out, meaning, he also couldn't do anything. And he wanted so badly to do something for Hakyeon. He would never say it out loud, but Hakyeon was his favorite hyung. His precious Hakyeon-hyung.
Wonshik was left mostly confused. His interaction with Hakyeon felt strange to him, but seeing Taekwoon and Hongbin worried made him even more uncomfortable. Did he miss anything? Why did it feel like he did something wrong?
It wasn't until they gathered again at Hyuk and Hongbin's room hours later that they figured it out. Sanghyuk didn't want to go out for breakfast with a swollen eye and Jaehwan was just not a morning person. Taekwoon took it upon himself to order late lunch for all of them before Hyuk had to go back to Seoul.
"Hakyeon-hyung's missing again?" It was Jaehwan who noticed.
"He left early this morning," Taekwoon answered. "Said he's going to look around. But he should be back soon. I also texted him we're having lunch here."
"Did something happen after my accident?" Hyuk looked around at each of them, but his eyes landed on Hongbin. "Why does everything feel so tensed? Something's up with him, no?"
"I was wondering the same too!" Jaehwan chirped in.
Hongbin gritted his teeth. If even Hyuk and Jaehwan felt it, they couldn't dismiss it anymore.
"Do you think he's really upset with me bec of the accident?" Hyuk asked jokingly, but the way he curled up on his bed told Taekwoon he was really half-scared about the possibility.
"He already told you he isn't. It's not something to be angry about."
"I know," Hyuk forced a smile. "But he didn't hug me when he said it. Not even a single pat on the head when he said goodnight. It kinda felt weird."
Again, he found Hongbin and Taekwoon looking at each other.
The gears in Hongbin's head suddenly clicked, and it looked like Taekwoon had the same eureka moment because they both hissed in frustration.
Hakyeon hasn't touched any of them since the previous night.
Hongbin rolled his eyes. "This hyung! Seriously!"
"What? What is it?" Jaehwan asked, while Wonshik sat frozen.
Before Hongbin could answer, the doorbell rang and a hotel staff called out room service delivery. Jaehwan opened the door and the staff pushed in a cart carrying their lunch.
Hongbin was biting his lower lip the whole time, but it wasn't because of how delicious their lunch looked. He was annoyed. He was even half angry.
So as soon as Hakyeon appeared by the door just as the hotel staff was leaving, Hongbin couldn't help but cry out in in frustration.
"Cha Hakyeon! You stupid hyung!"
Hakyeon stared at him, surprised at the sudden accusation. He unconsciously placed one hand on his chest as if silently asking, "Me? Stupid?"
Taekwoon walked towards the door. He carefully placed a hand in Hakyeon's shoulder and ushered him in.
"What did I do? I just came here for lunch?"
"Hyung," Wonshik started, but Hongbin growled and stomped his way towards Hakyeon. Instead of facing him though, Hongbin went past him. He stood behind Hakyeon and hugged him from behind. Taekwoon stepped back to give them space, but not without giving Hongbin's shoulder a light pat first.
"You..." Hongbin breathed out. He pressed his forehead hard against the back of Hakyeon's head. His arms were tight around the narrow shoulders in front if him. "You are so frustrating!"
Hakyeon didn't know how to react. Hongbin definitely sounded upset, but his actions were very affectionate. Hakyeon couldn't tell what was actually happening. He was touched and confused at the same time.
"Hakyeon," Taekwoon suddenly spoke. Hakyeon turned his head towards him. "Haven't we already settled this before? We've already told you, right? Whatever we say when we're playing around, we don't hate you touching us."
Aaah, Hakyeon thought. So they noticed.
"I... I know that?" Hakyeon answered weakly.
"If you know, then what's your problem?" Hongbin hasn't released him, and still sounded upset.
"I don't know." Hakyeon held Hongbin's tiny hands which were on either side of his shoulders, so that in effect, he was also hugging himself. "I'm sorry. I know it was stupid."
"You should be sorry. You are stupid," Hongbin toned his voice down as he closed his eyes, feeling Hakyeon's touch on his hands. "We got really worried because you were acting strange!"
"Can I turn around and hug you?"
"No," Hongbin replied quickly. He didn't want Hakyeon to see his face because he was sure he was about to cry for some reason he didn't know. Or maybe he knew, he just wouldn't admit it. He ached for Hakyeon's touch and he wanted nothing else but to be held by his hyung, but it was so embarrassing that just the thought of it was making him cringe. "You wouldn't touch us since last night, why would you do it now?"
Hakyeon chuckled. "I missed you!"
"Then why did you avoid contact in the first place!" Hongbin slightly raised his voice again.
"I'm sorry," Hakyeon repeated, rubbing Hongbin's hands. "You guys didn't have to worry. You know I'm very confident, right? I know you will never hate me. It's just... I just get this phase sometimes, when I get overly sensitive and once in a while, I doubt myself, too. I feel like nobody wants me around and everyone has fun without me. But it usually passes quickly. I didn't think you guys would notice this time."
"You're stupid," Hongbin couldn't say anything else. He slightly loosened his embrace so Hakyeon could turn around, and once he did, Hongbin just hugged him tighter. He tipped his head back, willing his tears to go back inside the ducts where they came from. The thought of Hakyeon going through anxiety and self-doubt every once in a while without any of them noticing made him feel useless. Hakyeon always noticed when the members go through such things, and yet they didn't notice his struggles until now.
Hakyeon was trying hard not to cry too. It was a really silly thing that got them all worked up, but he was deeply touched by how the members worried about him.
"Hyung..." Jaehwan approached the pair and embraced them both. Sanghyuk followed suit.
Taekwoon just watched them awkardly, thinking he would let Hakyeon breathe and just wait for his turn later. But then he noticed Wonshik sitting quietly on one of the beds, looking down at his feet.
"Wonshik?" Taekwoon called.
"I'm sorry. It's my fault, isn't it?"
Hakyeon pulled back from the other three, much to Hongbin's disappointment. But all of them turned to look at Wonshik.
Hakyeon knelt in front of Wonshik. "No, no, Wonshik, don't..." Hakyeon held his hand tightly. "It's not like that. You didn't do anything."
"I went too far? With my jokes? I've been telling you to stop touching me, I didn't realize..." Wonshik was still staring at his feet. "I... I'm sorry, hyung. I didn't mean to."
"Hey, listen to me," Hakyeon cupped Wonshik's face and raised his chin, forcing him to look into Hakyeon's eyes. "It's not your fault. You could have joked about it any other day and I wouldn't be bothered by it. It's not you. I told you, I just occasionally get these mood swings and right now, I'm just really over sensitive. You don't have to feel bad about it. If anything, I was more upset about all of you not wanting to pair up with me for our games yesterday."
"Wait, that's it?" Hyuk's injured eye twitched as he blinked rapidly, taking in what Hakyeon just said. "You were upset about that? Hyung!"
"No, Hyukkie. How do I explain this?" Hakyeon bit his lip as his stood up again. "I'm not upset about anything specific. It's just that I happened to be in this mood right now. A part of me takes some jokes a little seriously when I feel like this. It doesn't mean you can't ever joke with me again."
"How do we know, then?" Hongbin felt stupid for asking. Hakyeon would know just by looking if a member was up for jokes or not. Times like this, he wished he had Hakyeon's parental instincts.
Hakyeon shrugged. He went over the cart and picked a chicken wing from the tray. Taekwoon took this chance to walk up behind him and casually slip his arms around Hakyeon's narrow waist and rest his head on Hakyeon's shoulder. He opened his mouth and made an "Aaahh" sound, letting Hakyeon know he was asking to be fed.
Hakyeon chuckled as he deboned a strip and fed it to Taekwoon.
"Next time," Taekwoon said while eating. "Let us know when you feel like this again. We're a bunch of foolish kids but please lean on us when you need to."
Hakyeon laughed. "You just called yourself a foolish kid, Jung Taekwoon! We're the same age!"
Taekwoon leaned his head against Hakyeon's. "Yeah, but we're not like you. If you don't tell us, we wouldn't know."
Somehow, Taekwoon saying it out loud made it easier for Hongbin to accept. None of them were like Hakyeon. He was just one of a kind.
Hongbin walked towards the cart too. He was going to get food for himself, but Hakyeon held out a chicken strip to him. Hongbin would not usually eat straight out of Hakyeon's hand but he wouldn't refuse now. He should probably learn to reject Hakyeon's affection less often from now on.
The rest of the group started crowding around the cart to get their own food. Suddenly, Hakyeon was laughing so hard, Taekwoon had to release him and stand back.
"Did he suddenly go crazy?" Hyuk chuckled. It was weird seeing Hakyeon like that but the laughter kind of felt contagious. The rest of them were also smiling fondly at Hakyeon.
"Sorry, I just... It's so strange and funny. You guys always complain about me being touchy but then I stop touching you in like... Less than half a day? And you all freak out."
Hakyeon wiped a tear with the back of his hand. He was actually crying from laughing so hard. "Should I do it more often then?"
"Hey, don't get the wrong idea. It's not like we were craving for it," Hongbin growled. Whatever happened to the thought rejecting Hakyeon less often?
Taekwoon smiled knowingly. Hongbin was such a tsundere. Well, much like himself.
"It's because you didn't do it when you normally would," Hyuk supplied. "When you came to check on me or when you reassured me that you weren't mad at me..."
"Yeah, when you told me not to worry about Hyuk too. You would normally... Like, put an arm around our shoulder in such cases," Hongbin added.
"When you greet us every morning, you at least touch us on the arm or shoulder too." That was why Wonshik felt something was missing when he came across Hakyeon that morning.
"Last night," Taekwoon's voice was lower than usual, as if a bit shy. "When we talked, I was half-expecting you to hug me." His cheeks were slightly flushed and Hakyeon couldn't help but coo at him.
"Aaww, Taekwoonnie," Hakyeon wrapped his arms around Taekwoon, careful not to touch with his hands because of the oil and sauce from the chicken he'd been feeding the members with. He squeezed as hard as he could though, making Taekwoon grunt in pain. "I did want to hug you last night. It felt nice to hear those words from you."
Hongbin raised a brow, wondering what they actually talked about the previous night. Taekwoon noticed him staring, but he decided to just stuff his mouth with food.
"Anyway, we're all settled, right?" Hakyeon seemed like his usual self by then. "Hyukkie needs to leave in two hours. I bought something for your eye earlier but I forgot to bring it here. Uhhh... It's sad that you don't get to go to the fanmeet with us, but we'll cover for you, okay?"
Sanghyuk smiled at him. "Ahh, but now that you'll be missing one member, who'll be your partner on the badminton game?"
"We'll just draw lots again and re-group. Right?" Hakyeon faced the other members, who awkwardly avoided eye contact with him and just looked at each other.
"Yah!" Hakyeon placed his hands on his hips. "These kids! Do you really not like teaming up with me? Seriously? What makes Jung Taekwoon better than me?"
"Wait, what? Why are you dragging me into this?" Taekwoon complained.
"You're both bad at games," Hongbin answered flatly.
Taekwoon pouted. But it just made Hakyeon more worked up. "Exactly, so why are you okay with being his partner, but not with me?" He was sulking, but in a playful way that told the others he wasn't really hurt by it.
"He was supposed to be athletic," Jaehwan answered.
"But then we later realized being a former athlete didn't make him much better than you. You're pretty much the same, to be honest," Sanghyuk teased, earning him a light punch on the arm from Taekwoon, which he returned by a doubly strong push. Taekwoon tumbled off his feet and just laughed helplessly as Hyuk continued bumping into him.
"I guess we just got used to it? You used to react better when we tease you," Wonshik continued. "And he could be just a tiny bit better in some games."
"Whoa, you really think he's better than me?" Hakyeon smirked as he pulled his sleeves up a little with his clean fingers. "I'm gonna show you all I'm better than you think I am!"
Hakyeon didn't realize Hongbin had stepped back behind him again until Hongbin spoke and he realized how close they were to each other.
"Don't get worked up about games, hyung." He said sweetly, which surprised Hakyeon. "Even if you suck at childish games, there are many things that you do better than the rest of us. That's why we will always follow your lead."
Hongbin was cringing inside, but the warm expression on Hakyeon's face when he turned around made Hongbin feel proud. If it was to see Hakyeon make that face again, he just might be willing to say more cheesy things in the future.
"Thank you, Hongbin." It was just the kind of reassurance that Hakyeon needed. But it didn't mean he won't get competitive with games anymore. ^_^