Archive of Our Own

Yes, it was true that he was his only dongsaeng in the group, but there were a lot of factors that made Jungwon really adore him. They were both passionate about dancing, fascinated about zombies (when he found Ni-ki watching zombie movies on Netflix, he almost jumped for joy), loved pranking the hyungs (although sometimes, he unfortunately became the receiving end of those pranks), and they understood each other in a way that the hyungs wouldn't. Apart from being closer in age, Jungwon felt a little protective of Ni-ki since he was the youngest, and so he would do anything to make his favorite dongsaeng comfortable. 

Anything.. but sleep next to him.

"Jungwon hyung! Will you sleep with me tonight?" Jungwon turned around to find Ni-ki giving him one of his puppy dog eyes and cutely intertwined fingers. That was another thing he and Ni-ki had in common; they were bad at acting cute, but it came in naturally when needed.

With his best leader-like voice, Jungwon said, "Ni-ki, I think it's time for you to start sleeping on your own bed."

"Just this once? Please?" As if it couldn't get any more difficult, Ni-ki inched closer to his face, bringing a finger up with a pout. Jungwon was astounded by his unconscious aegyo attack. 

He almost caved in. Almost. Until he remembered the reason why he cannot sleep next to him. 

"Good night Ni-ki!" Jungwon said after their second day of debuting in I-LAND. He had agreed to sleep next to Ni-ki that night and was looking forward to a moment of rest and relaxation with the maknae. 

"Thanks for this hyung!" Ni-ki grinned at him from ear to ear as they settled on the bunk bed. Prior to that time, they had been roommates at the survival show, but Ni-ki spent most of his nights with Jake since they had a lot of heart to heart conversations together. Jungwon figured that because they were now officially together, this would also be one of the best moments to get closer to his only dongsaeng in the group.

"No problem. Sleep well!" He gave him a light pat on the head before curling up in his sheets and heading off to sleep.

Little did he know, the morning after, he would wake up feeling like he went through a battle overnight. His muscles felt sore, arms limp, and whole body aching.

The cause? Ni-ki's bear hugs and sleep dancing. 

"Good night Ni-ki." Jungwon replied firmly, turning to the other side of his bed to end the conversation. He heard Ni-ki grumble a soft "you're always like this" and then a faraway "Sunoo hyung! Can you sleep next to me again?" before completely tuning out.

Truth be told, it's not that Jungwon won't sleep next to Ni-ki, but he simply can't. He can't afford to ache all over his body or he won't be in his best shape to work and lead the members. As much as he loved the maknae, that was the one thing he couldn't do. Fortunately, there were a few occasions when he was actually able to make exceptions for his favorite dongsaeng.

-

The first time was after a long day at the practice room. Everyone had gotten so exhausted after rehearsing for debut, so they decided to take a break. The others went out to buy some snacks, Jake and Heeseung stayed to go over some of the steps, while Jungwon sat on the mats to rest. 

He was quietly chugging down his water when he felt a weight over his shoulders—and he didn't mean it figuratively. There were literally arms encircled around his neck. Before he could even check who it was, he heard a yawn next to his ear. "I'm so sleepy, hyung."

Of course it was Ni-ki. There was no way to separate him and his love for sleep. If Jungwon could illustrate it simply, Ni-ki's relationship with sleep was like his love for the modern hanbok that Jungkook-sunbaenim gave him; it was undeniable. Additionally, he had been dancing too hard moments ago, so it was only natural for him to want to recharge. 

"Aren't you uncomfortable in that position?" Jungwon was a little worried because Ni-ki could be straining a muscle with the way he was situated behind him, but then again, he was the type to sleep anywhere—whether it was the sofa, the car, or the floor. Still, Jungwon didn't want to risk the comfort of the maknae.

Funnily, the answer Jungwon got was neither a yes or a no. It was a soft snore, lips tickling his ear with a steady vibration.

Ni-ki just fell asleep on his back. And it was surprisingly comforting. 

"What's Ni-ki doing?" Jungwon glanced up to see Jake and Heeseung giggling as they watched their awkwardly cute position. They sat in front of him to take a closer look.

Jungwon couldn't help but smile. "What else? He's sleeping."

Later on, Jungwon would find he didn't mind Ni-ki sleeping on his back, and even giving or receiving a little more back hugs with Ni-ki. 

-

The second time was during one of their monthly review shoots. The room was particularly cold that day and they had previously went over debut preparations, which was probably why Ni-ki seemed to be much drowsier than usual. Jungwon also thought it was because he was going through puberty, but then again maybe it was just the power of Ni-ki's love of sleep.

They were almost through with their shoot, updating if they were able to follow their goals from the previous month and also sharing what their next month goals were. During that time, Jungwon found himself absentmindedly carding his hands through Ni-ki's hair; he always needed to keep his hands busy and Ni-ki's soft strands were readily available. 

However, towards the end, Jungwon started to notice Ni-ki dozing off, so he kept his hands to himself and listened to the other members as they gave their explanations. But just a few seconds after he let go of the maknae's hair, he felt a light bump on his hands, as if Ni-ki was signaling for him to pet him again. 

Jungwon couldn't help but laugh, automatically putting his hands back on the younger's head and covering his own face. Why did Ni-ki have to be so cute?

A few minutes later, Jungwon got too immersed in their conversation and let go of the maknae's hair again, to which he readily responded to with another head bump.

Jungwon managed to keep his face composed, but inside he was squealing over his cuteness. Agh, Nishimura Riki.

He didn't mind it at all though, because if he couldn't sleep next to his dongsaeng, the least he could do was pet his hair when he was sleepy. And judging from Ni-ki's repetitive head bumps, he was apparently good at it. 

-

While those certain occasions made the "Ni-ki and sleep" equation a bit more enjoyable for Jungwon, there were times when it was seriously challenging.

And Jungwon called this game: hide or don't sleep.

"Jungwon hyung!" Ni-ki singsonged his way into the bedroom with a loud skip on his feet. Jungwon could feel the maknae's excitement, while he could feel his own dread. Ni-ki always wanted to do so many things before they slept and Jungwon really didn't have the energy to do it. Immediately, he dropped his head on his pillow, along with his phone in his hand, and pretended to snore. Please don't notice me, please don't notice me, please don't—

"Hyung! Are you awake?" Jungwon suddenly started moving back and forth, Ni-ki continuously shaking him out of 'sleep'. He fought the urge to move his face, trying to keep it as blank as possible, but Ni-ki kept poking his cheek. "Hyung, let's do a staring contest so I can sleep better!"

Jungwon knew it was a trap. Ni-ki was so competitive that he could probably last more than five minutes of staring at him. He even does it whenever they do their finger heart selcas! How is he supposed to win against that?

"Hyung!"

Resist it, Jungwon.

"Hyuung!"

You can do it.

"Jungwonie-hyung!"

Crap, he just had to say it cutely.

Jungwon was just about to open his eyes and get it over with, but then he heard the sound of footsteps fading away from him. 

"He must be asleep again." A sigh. "He's always like this."

As the sounds slowly came to a halt, something in him stiffened. Jungwon knew it was a good thing that Ni-ki wasn't bothering him anymore, but why did he suddenly feel like a splash of cold water just hit him? 

"He's always like this."

Jungwon sighed. He really had to find a way to make it up to Ni-ki.

-

It was the night of Ni-ki's birthday. They all had finished celebrating, posting greetings—Jungwon made sure he posted more than enough photos to show that Ni-ki was his favorite—and were ready to lay low for the day. But Jungwon prepared himself physically, mentally and emotionally, because he was going to do the impossible. 

He was going to sleep next to Ni-ki.

"Happy birthday again, Ni-ki! Good night!" A series of greetings from the hyungs filled the room as they all settled in their beds. Jungwon kept his mouth shut as he navigated through the room, watching as Ni-ki thanked the hyungs and went back on his phone, probably to check online greetings from their fans. The maknae was so focused on reading his messages that he didn't notice who sat next to him.

"Sunoo hyung, I think I'll—eh?" Ni-ki's eyes widened as he found Jungwon blinking at him blankly. "Do you need anything, hyung?"

"Um," Jungwon scratched his head. "Happy birthday?"

Ni-ki stared at him for a while, before breaking into a smile. "Thanks hyung! I love the photos you posted on Twitter. I look really cool in that solo pic, huh?"

He always looked cool to Jungwon, sometimes even cooler than himself to the point where Ni-ki could be mistaken as his hyung. But Jungwon wouldn't dare to tell him that. He'll always be his cute and adorable little baby.

"Of course! I took that picture so naturally it looks cool." Jungwon shrugged nonchalantly, adding a smirk that made both of them burst into laughter. 

"No, but really, why are you here hyung?" Ni-ki still looked at him with a smile, but there was a curious look in his eyes. 

Jungwon looked down at his hands for a moment, took a breath, and then smiled at Ni-ki. Here goes nothing. "Can I sleep next to you?"

A moment of silence. Ni-ki squinting his eyes at him. And then a resounding, "Is that even a question?!"

Before Jungwon knew it, they had settled comfortably on Ni-ki's bed, with Jungwon holding his breath as the younger curled next to him. Jungwon could really never get used to it, but if this would make his dongsaeng happy, he was ready to pay the small price for it. 

"Good night, Ni-ki." Jungwon decided to stroke Ni-ki's head, knowing that helped him sleep better, and he wasn't surprised when Ni-ki leaned closer to him. He felt him snake his hands around his torso, just enough to hug him lightly.

"It sounds weird to hear you say good night and actually be next to me." They both laughed at that, although Jungwon felt a little guilt at the comment.

"I'm sorry if you feel like I'm rejecting you when I don't sleep next to you." He said quietly. "Hyung really cares about you, but..."

Ni-ki shook his head. "I did feel kind of hurt, but I can't blame you hyung. Whenever you ignore me, I just think that if we sleep next to each other, we'd probably do a sleep dance battle every time."

Jungwon chuckled.

"And I'd probably win."

Of course Ni-ki had to say it.

"No way! Did you see my video in I-LAND? I've got better popping skills than you when I'm asleep."

"Wait till you hear what Heeseung hyung said about my sleep dancing skills."

They ended up bickering and then talking about all kinds of things, from random topics to serious topics, and topics that only they would comprehend (like how watermelon was a vegetable). They talked for so long that Jungwon wasn't even surprised to check the time and see that it was already near four am. 

When they finally decided to call it a night, Jungwon felt the need to speak.

"I have to say though, I can't promise that I'll be able to endure the night in this bed if you start hitting me in your sleep again." He admitted honestly. Better to give a warning than to suddenly leave and make Ni-ki upset again.

Jungwon was surprised when he giggled, not the least offended. Instead, Ni-ki hugged him slightly tighter than awhile ago. "That's fine. At least you chose to stay for a while." 

With that short sentence, Jungwon easily concluded: sleep is one of Ni-ki's love languages.

-

The next day, Jungwon least expected it when Ni-ki gave him a heartfelt message during their radio show.

"Jungwon hyung, it was my birthday yesterday. Hyung along with other members and a lot of people wished me on my birthday so I felt very happy, and my happiest gift is my members." Ni-ki stumbled through his words shyly, and the hyungs let out a chorus of 'aww's.

"Yesterday, for a little while, you slept beside me right? Just for a while, you remember right?" The maknae cheekily grinned at him, waiting for him to nod.

Ni-ki laughed, Jungwon laughed, and the other members ended up laughing as well, but Jungwon knew how sincere Ni-ki was when he said,

"I was really happy that time."

He smiled. Those body aches were definitely worth it.