Work Text:
1
Wooseok thought Hyeongjun was absolutely adorable, the cutest baby on the entire planet. There was an overwhelming urge to wrap a fuzzy blanket around him and keep him safe from all evil. Jinhyuk called it 'maternal instinct'. It came in the most natural way, it was hard to not keep an eye on the talented young boy during the show and even harder when he was this adorable ball of fluffy sunshine wherever he went. His accent was endearing, his curly hair made him look like a poodle and those puffy cheeks would be Wooseoks death.
"Hyung! Let's go out for food together?" Wooseok was always the first he would ask, just a few days before the finale. They were all desperate to spend time with their friends, afraid of being unable to see each other again for a long time should they not debut together. He had grown attached to the young dancer, his happy smile and bright big eyes but he didn't have time for food, not when he was still shaky on a few steps.
"Maybe next time Hyeongjunie, ask the other kids?" He pretends to miss the pout that graced the boys puffy lips, the way his round eyes seemed to turn sad, afraid of giving in or melting on the spot. Wooseok tried his best to learn the steps quickly enough to catch dinner with his baby the next day or at least have lunch together
2
"Hyung, should I-" Wooseok heard Hyeongjun start but then Hangyul was already by his side, correcting his posture in the mirror. It's a little embarrassing, he's so much taller and broader than Wooseok despite being younger.
"You need to move like this hyung, or else you won't have time for the next steps"
for a moment he thinks there's that pout on Hyeongjuns face again but it's gone in the blink of an eye so he doesn't put too much weight onto it, pushes it to the back of his head. He has to focus. "Got it, like this?" He confirms instead, slowly going over the choreography again under Hangyuls watchful gaze.
"No, move your hips more hyung and your hands are supposed to be up here" He's corrected again, Hangyuls large hands moving his lithe body into the correct position before pushing him through the movements. He feels like a doll, unable to move on his own without Hangyuls touch in the right direction. It's just a little embarrassing but it's nothing he hasn't experienced before.
Hyeongjuns eyes meet his through the mirror and just for a moment there's something dark, something so unlike their lovely vitamin in his gaze. It's gone the next though, replaced by a shy smile that doesn't reach his eyes. Wooseok is sure he didn't imagine it but smiles back nonetheless, repeating the choreography to Hangyuls liking before continuing with practice.
3
After the final episode it took everyone only a few days to move into the dorms. He ended up getting one of the bigger rooms completely to himself, a benefit of being one of the older members with debut experience, but it doesn't mean much when everyone is in his room already as soon as everything is put away. They decided to celebrate their debut, him and Seungwoo having gotten some soju for the grownups. Not wanting to be mean they let the younger kids drink some beer too if they promised to behave. Seungwoo was keeping an eye on them anyways and Dohyun had rejected the alcoholic beverages so there was nothing to worry about on Wooseoks part.
Well into the makeshift party, pizza and chicken ordered to arrive in half an hour, they decided to play truth or dare with the beer bottle Wooseok had killed earlier. Conversation was pleasant and Dongpyo was having a field day with nasty dares for most of the night. Sometimes he caught Hyeongjun staring, by some luck the dancer hadn't gotten called on in the past ten or so rounds, but whenever he looked over to ask what was up the younger took another sip of beer and that was the end of it.
"Kids, help hyung with the food will you!" Seungyeon called after having paid for four boxes of pizza and five whole chickens, a punishment from Seungwoo for being annoying and loud. Like good dongsaengs Dohyun and Eunsang were up In just a second, Minhee and Jinho cleared up a space for food while Dongpyo and Hyeongjun got some cola and cider from the fridge. With food present the game was on hold for a while, everyone chatting away and sharing stories from the produce time, getting to really know each other more.
It was close to midnight when half their members went upstairs to their own dorm, Wooseok and Seungwoo trying to get the sleeping kids into their respective bedrooms. Hyeongjun, Minhee, Seungwoo and he himself were the only ones still feeling too awake to call it a night yet, Junho having gone to sleep in his room. With a little hesitation they let the kids have a shot of Soju or two (under very close supervision of the bottles and a promise they would go to bed at one am) as they continued the game long forgotten.
"Oooh, Hyeongjunie! Lemme see…. Did you ever have a crush on one of the girls you did cover dances with?" Hyeongjun stuttered out a very bashful no, cheeks red from both shame and the alcohol. Wooseok thought he looked absolutely precious, hazel eyes peeking at him every do often. Hyeongjun looked almost too beautiful under the blue and pink fairy lights of the room, like a little fairy.
Maybe he's just drunk.
4
Wooseok is pretty sure that Hyeongjun is the type to get really attached to people. The dancer had been following him around for days now, every new schedule for a radio Station or a variety show, even backstage at music shows, Hyeongjun was just an arms reach away.
"I can't help it hyung, I'm nervous" and he wants to understand it. Hyeongjun is young but he's been on camera so many times now, always so confident on stage. Hyeongjun knows who he is, who he wants to be and what he wants to show everyone but here he is, holding onto Wooseoks sleeve as they walk back to their waiting room from the bathroom.
They're all trusting him too much. The younger ones do it all (except for Dongpyo maybe), they have that unwavering faith and doubt in their hyungs because they debuted before. Wooseok knows his ways through the halls here, yes, but in front of the camera, the audience, he feels a lot shyer than Hyeongjun will ever understand. There's a pressure that will always follow him, having gone on hiatus for a full year, then leaving his friends, his beloved members for a simple 'maybe' that came in the form of ProduceX101… it was familiar, the calling of fans but in his heart was still a doubt. Did he deserves all this, was he allowed to be loved like this after all that has happened?
Lost in deep thought he didn't notice he was walking straight past their waiting room until Hyeongjun tugged him back into reality.
"Don't get lost now, hyung" he said softly, as if he knew of the maze of worries in Wooseoks mind, one he had almost given up on escaping.
"I won't" Wooseok breathed out, eyes wide as his chest tightens. Hyeongjun wouldn't know the unspoken promise, the weight his words carried, but that's fine. He didn't have to know.
5
The lower floor dorm had been suspiciously quiet all day long, no commotion going on yet despite members from the upper floor having dropped by. Thinking back it was probably the silence before the storm.
"HYUNGS!"
"SON DONGPYO, GET BACK HERE!"
"SEUNGWOO HYUNG!"
Hyeongjun was chasing the shortest, cheeks deep red and hair a mess. Dongpyo was small but he was fast enough to not get caught, laughing loudly as he escaped to the hallway and upstairs. Hyeongjun didn't follow, couldn't follow because he wasn't wearing any pants right now for whatever reason, stuck behind the door leading outside.
"What's wrong? Are you fighting?" It didn't seem like a fight, not with the way Dongpyo was laughing but Hyeongjun was close to tears as he looked up at Wooseok. He sniffed again before dashing to his shared room and Wooseok was left staring after his back. He better find Dongpyo fast before any of this escalates.
New Message
X1
Seungwoo hyung: Group meeting on the lower floor at 8pm, be showered.
Seungwoo never leaves a full stop after his messages. He never messages them in their group chat anyways, usually just calls them individually or goes in their rooms so something must have happened. Dongpyo is very probably the cause of that, if the tears on Hyeongjuns little face meant anything.
6
The meeting was quite… solemn, that's a fitting word. Nobody had any idea what it was about but just as their leader had asked them to, they were currently all sitting in the living space of the first floor dorm, freshly showered and with expectations of bad news. Seungwoo had never called a group meeting before, things had been going great for the past two or so months which made the seriousness of this situation even scarier.
Most members (Wooseok and '02 line) knew what this was about, had seen or been part of the chase and drama earlier that day or heard about it from Dongpyo but the members thad been playing video games on the top floor were blissfully unaware. Wooseok was sitting next to Hyeongjun on the ground, an arm protectively wrapped around his waist as he kept staring between him and Dongpyo who was sharing a loveseat with Yohan.
"As some of you might have heard, Dongpyo and Hyeongjun had quite the, well, let's call it a disagreement this afternoon. Subject of it was what's on Hyeongjuns phone"
Seungwoo started, oddly serious and but even their oldest member seemed too tense and awkward. There was an affirmative sound from Seungyeon behind Wooseok on the couch but he had barely even heard it over the feeling of Hyeongjun shaking in his arms.
"I wouldn't be bringing this to everyone's attention if I didn't think this was something important for the group to know. I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I don't care what you have on your phones or whatever but this isn't something that is irrelevant to us and I hope you can understand that, Hyeongjun. Do you want to explain yourself or do we need to look at your phone?"
The longer he heard Seungwoo talk the more peeved and anxious Wooseok got. Whatever was on that phone must be important, Seungwoo wasn't usually so stern or serious but at the same time it really doesn't matter. It's Hyeongjuns privacy after all, there's no need to share anything like that.
Hangyul also seemed vaguely uncomfortable from this entire situation but lightly patted Hyeongjuns hair where he sat next to him, a silent encouragement. The dancer seemed to find his voice, looking up at his members with tears in his eyes and bright pink cheeks. For just a moment Wooseok thought he looked cute, even cuter than usually, and he wanted to protect this poor boy from whatever all this was. A smile still fit best on his face.
"I'll tell them, Hyung. I should've done so from the start, right?"
Seungwoo nodded and handed the phone back to its owner. Hyeongjun took a shaky breath, carefully moving both Wooseoks and Hangyuls arms away from himself as he curled into a ball.
"I'm Gay. I've always been, but I never told anyone because I was scared. I would never be able to debut if anyone knew and now you guys know. I know, you must feel d-disgusted to be living with someone like me and I can understand if you want me out of the Group now. It's not fair if I make you guys uncomfortable"
The confession was but a whisper, so quiet Wooseok was sure he missed almost half of it. He looked up to gauge the members reactions, Dongpyo seeming sincerely shocked at the whole thing. He sat up straight, eyes even bigger In a sense of panic.
"Wait- you're gay!? Oh my God, I didn't- I'm so sorry Hyeongjunie, I just thought it was funny that you would have porn on your phone, I never meant to force you to come out to us!"
The apology was sincere, Wooseok could tell as much but what did it mean when the damage was already done? Hangyul had moved a good bit away from Hyeongjun after the first sentence, looking very much surprised. Looking back at the members on the couch Seungyeon seemed downright shocked while Junho and Minhee looked quite indifferent. Dohyun had curled together at the end of the couch much like Hyeongjun himself while Eunsang appeared mildly uncomfortable in his spot on the armrest, but that might be because it wasn't a comfortable place to be sitting. Yohan was comforting Dongpyo, who had started crying but their center seemed too flustered to be called Normal.
Silence stretched from seconds to minutes, only Hyeongjuns little hiccups and Dongpyos shaky breaths being heard. Wooseok found it in himself to move again, wrapping Hyeongjun in his embrace and pulling the younger to his chest.
"It's okay, stop crying, hm? You didn't do anything wrong. How about we just go to bed for now, I'm still tired from my shower"
The agreement went silent as well as the upper floor systematically left the apartment to head to their own rooms. Wooseok tugged Hyeongjun into his own room, wanting to keep the young boy close overnight to further console him without annoying his roommates.
7
"Hyung… you're not mad?" Hyeongjun asked, changed into one of Wooseoks oversized sweaters which wasn't so oversized on him. Curse their different builds. He was standing in front of the bed looking unbelievably tiny, sweater pulled over his hands and head hung low. Wooseoks heart shattered into tiny pieces, opening his arms wide to hold the younger close to his chest and cuddle him into the fluffy blankets.
"I'm not mad, nor am I disgusted or anything else. I'm proud of you for telling us, even if it had to be like this. You're still our Hyeongjunie, talented dancer and mind-blowing performer, the cutest and sweetest boy on the planet with the most innocent smile. I treasure you just the same. I'm sure the others feel just the same"
He could tell that Hyeongjun didn't believe him but that doesn't matter. What matters is that he stopped crying and would finally go to bed, all tucked into the blanket and Wooseoks warm embrace.
The next morning felt just as heavy as they had anticipated it to be. Breakfast on the lower floor was downright unbearable, everyone seemed hyper aware of everything Hyeongjun did. Only when Minhee got very visibly flustered when Hyeongjun reached for more cornflakes at the same time as him did Wooseok explode, unable to bear this sad sight.
"Can you guys just act normal for fucks sake? It's still just Hyeongjun, he didn't change a bit, do you really have that much of a problem with him being gay?"
Minhee had the drecency to look ashamed of himself while Seungwoo tried to actively avoid being looked at.
"Not really but it's just weird. I don't want my group member to look at me like that"
Junho spoke reluctantly, staring at his cereal like it would present an answer to this mess.
"You must be really confident if you automatically assume he would fall in love with you. Look, I get it guys, but this is ridiculous. You're all also friends with girls from school, you're not concerned about them liking you, are you? Stop making everything awkward, you've been rooming with Hyeongjun for months now, is it really that different now?"
Breakfast ended On that note, Wooseok pulling Hyeongjun up and back into the safety of his room. It's annoying, how can they act like this around their lovely member? Hyeongjun doesn't deserve to be treated like this.
8
It takes a few more days for all the members to come around, but they survived the initial awkwardness. Turns out all they needed to get over themselves was the right hours of dance practice and Hyeongjun doing his darn best to help everyone out.
Hyeongjun himself was over the moon that he didn't have to hide anything anymore and was especially glad that he could move back into his own dorm room. Wooseok won't admit that he misses the warmth in his bed at night, Hyeongjun is a cuddler. The members have gotten probably more comfortable around Hyeongjun than they were before, showering him in love and attention as if to make up for the days they avoided him. Dongpyo went as far as to bake a cake to apologize for outing him in the first place. It didn't taste good but it's the thought that counts.
"Hyeongjun-ah, from your point of view, who of us is the best looking?"
Eunsang asked over dinner, a delivery mix of black bean noodles and Pizza.
"Don't ask that, it's definitely Wooseok hyung. If you had the choice, who would you go out with?"
Hangyul amended, stuffing pizza in his still full mouth and Wooseok was almost disgusted by the sight. It was also kind of impressive. They had taken to asking Hyeongjun all kinds of questions they couldn't just ask girls, more as a substitute really at least until Wooseok told them off. Hyeongjun didn't mind though really, almost happy to be sharing things he couldn't say anywhere else before.
He was so focused on watching Hangyul choke on pizza that he almost didn't notice Hyeongjun blushing and looking his way for a few seconds before coming up with a makeshift lie to avoid the topic all together. Wooseok had noticed though, a little smile on his lips at the thought of Hyeongjun thinking he would be a good boyfriend.
If his heart felt a little lighter thinking about it he doesn't say anything.
9
Hyeongjun had become a regular in his bed. Ever since the whole incident Wooseoks room had become his little sanctuary with Wooseoks soft cushions and comfy blanket being his safe space. Sometimes Wooseok would find him buried under the covers, hair damp from showering and face all puffy and relaxed and he never wanted to wake him up again. It was his favorite sight though waking up to a sleepy, puffy Hyeongjun in the morning was a close second.
They ended up moving in with each other almost naturally, Hyeongjun spending more nights in Wooseoks bed than his own and Wooseok somehow ending up with half of Hyeongjuns clothes in his closet. They were slightly big on his petite frame, making him look softer and cuter and Hyeongjun never let him forget how tiny he looked all cuddled up in a bright green sweater with his round glasses. Wooseok won't admit that he likes being the little spoon.
The members have taken to calling them a married couple (with Wooseok as the wife, much to his dismay) and he wants to hate it but how can he when Hyeongjun always looks so adorably flustered whenever asked if his wife was going to come to dinner. Maybe he felt it too, the fuzzy warmth that came with going along the jokes, calling for his much younger (fake) husband when Hyeongjun was lagging behind yet again.
Wooseok doesn't mind the idea of being coupled with Hyeongjun all that much as long as Hyeongjun doesn't mind.
10
Their members like celebrating too much.
That's the conclusion Wooseok reached when they had a spontaneous party to celebrate their first Wins and a successful debut album. Thanks to Seungyeon and Hangyul there was alcohol involved once again though this time they did the responsible thing and didn't let the maknae line have any.
Still, with half their members rendered useless it was much too easy for Eunsang to rope everyone into yet another game of truth or dare.
"I don't want to drink this!"
"You have to, it's a dare! It's not that bad!"
"That thing is made up of Tabasco and vinegar, I'm NOT drinking that!"
Between Junho and Dohyun arguing about the deadly poison the youngest had concocted in their kitchen Wooseok found a few moments to hold Hyeongjun close to his side. He could handle his liquor well, barely felt a bit buzzed, but it was hard to not touch Hyeongjun when he was literally right there, curled into a blanket while blinking tiredly. Adorable.
"Oh, Wooseokie hyung! Truth or Dare?"
Dongpyo asked and Wooseok pretended to think about the choice before choosing Truth. There's no way he's choosing dare, not when Dohyun had forced poison down Junhos throat and Seungwoo was now topless with the word 'Idiot' written all over his chest (Seungyeon did that). Definitely not.
"So boring… I know, would you actually marry Hyeongjunie?" Wooseok found himself blushing, ready to call Dongpyo out but his brain was faster. He could easily imagine it, waking up to Hyeongjun petting his hair, legs intertwined, cooking together and fighting about stupid things, going on dates and wearing couple shirts, protecting this sweet little boy from the entire world forever.
"I think I would"
+1
"Wooseokie hyung?"
They're laying on his bed again, Wooseok chatting with the Up10tion members while Hyeongjun was supposedly trying to sleep. They've been laying like this for the past twenty minutes at least and Hyeongjun was no closer to blissful sleep than he had been when he first came inside. Wooseok didn't mind, he never minded Hyeongjun next to him.
"Yes Hyeongjunie?"
He answers almost instantly, dropping his phone onto his chest as he turned around to face the younger boy. Hyeongjun however was facing the ceiling, eyes unmoving. The dark blush on his cheeks was still visible in the darkened room and Wooseok thought he looked beautiful like this.
"... Do you really not hate it? The members coupling us. You're fine with it?"
It sounded doubtful, full of fear but Wooseok didn't have to think before answering, the truth came easily to him after all.
"Of course not. It's cute, I like it to be honest. Why? Do you hate it? Should I tell them to stop?"
He never wanted Hyeongjun to feel uncomfortable or like they were making fun of him because they really weren't. Wooseok would do anything humanly possible to make sure his baby would feel happy.
"Really? Even though I like guys, you don't hate it?"
Hyeongjun still seemed doubtful, so afraid and Wooseok decided they wasn't a good look on such a cute face. He wrapped his arms around Hyeongjuns (sadly) larger frame, pulling him close into a loving embrace.
"I don't hate it~ don't worry about useless stuff like that, I could never hate you, Hyeongjunie"
Hyeongjun nodded, obviously still not convinced but Wooseok could accept that for now. With arms around him Hyeongjun seemed to finally find sleep, his breath evening out and heartbeat slowing. Wooseok looked up at him one last time before giving into sleep himself, curled against Hyeongjuns side with his head on his chest.
"And if I loved you? You'd surely hate me then"
The words woke Wooseok even though they were spoken in nothing more than a sad whisper. He didn't look up, didn't have to to notice Hyeongjun was shaking, taking irregular breaths like he was choking- crying.
He thought about it for a few seconds- how he would feel if Hyeongjun confessed to him.
"If you loved me... I couldn't accept it, of course. You're too young, that's illegal and I don't think jail is a fun place. I'd selfishly ask you to confess in two years, probably"
He muttered but it was obvious Hyeongjun heard from the way his little hiccups stopped. Wooseok felt quite content with his answer, easily falling back asleep when Hyeongjun stopped crying.
If Hyeongjun stuck to his side even more the next morning nobody said a thing.
"Hyeongjun-ah, hyung with get jealous if you keep sticking to your wife like that. Can't I get a hug too?"
Okay so maybe Seungyeon did.