Chapter Text
It wasn’t super hard to figure out Jungwon’s maknae. Niki reacted accordingly to things that happened in front of him, but left the future to the hyungs so he could enjoy the moment. It’s why he got so shy when they mentioned how tall he got- 13 inches in a year and still growing.
To be honest, Jungwon was jealous. Not of his height (which was a lie, he was jealous of that), but of the way he could just set worries for the future aside and live in the moment. As a leader, Jungwon didn’t have that kind of luxury- he was constantly juggling schedules, making sure everyone slept, making sure everyone ate, making sure nobody was fighting, and meeting with the company staff to make sure things were going smoothly. It was a lot of responsibility for a 16-year-old to handle, but the members constantly praised him on how well he was doing.
He couldn’t help but get frustrated sometimes, though. Why couldn’t they have chosen someone else to be leader? Like Jay or Heeseung? But as soon as he thought such a thing, his emotions kicked in and he remembered why that would end up a disaster. Jay, as much as he loved him, had a temper to rival that of their former vocal coach who forgot his coffee once and spent the entire day yelling at a few poor trainees (most of which quit after that). He was also rather impulsive, but that was less of a problem than the anger issues. Jungwon had only been on the receiving end of that anger a few times, and while the other hyungs and Niki had been there to back him up, he knew that there would come a day where they wouldn’t be and Jungwon would need to stand up for himself as leader.
As for Heeseung, his heart hurt at the thought of it. Heeseung was already exhausted all the time. He helped Jungwon as it was, using his position as the eldest member to help get everyone where they needed to go and to help keep them in line. He helped make sure the dorms stayed clean and Jungwon had even witnessed him gently talking to the other members after a particularly hard day or a nightmare. He was their rock, so he couldn’t be their foundation as well. Jungwon had to have that position.
So when he collapsed into bed around 1 in the morning, having just gotten back from a meeting with the company that had dragged on for hours, he was in shock to see Niki still up- especially since he was one of the first few to usually retire, usually to claim someone else’s bed as his for the night before its owner could come and kick him out, causing them to give up and eventually just climb into bed with him.
“Niki?” He asked tiredly, not bothering to be as perky as he usually seemed. This seemed to confuse Niki a bit, and he cocked his head at the elder boy, blinking. “... hyung? Are you okay?” He asked hesitantly, enunciating the words carefully.
Jungwon didn’t bother shaking or nodding his head, just trudged over to the chair across the table from Niki and slumping into it, laying his head in his arms.
“Mmm. Just tired.” Niki seemed at a loss of what to do, before he noticed the faint whistling of the teapot he had started to heat, his eyes widening in joyful realization. He quickly jumped up, nearly tripping over his own ridiculously long legs as he quickly got out a second mug to put next to his own. Jungwon snorted at the sight of it.
It was an atrocious white thing, the words “Best Leader Ever” inscribed on it in English black cursive (at least that’s what Jake said). On one side, there was a picture of a donkey, with the writing “Other Leaders” above it, and on the other side was a dabbing Unicorn with the writing “You” above it. In other words, it was the Christmas gift that Jungwon had gotten from all the members, and he had a love-hate relationship with the thing.
He watched, eyes drooping, as Niki carefully poured the hot water into both of their mugs before reaching towards the back of the cupboard and pulling out a box of tea that everyone knew not to touch, else they face their maknae’s wrath.
Niki carefully dropped a teabag into each mug before adding a bit of honey and bringing the mugs over to the table, thankfully not tripping this time. He slid the “Best Leader” mug over to where Jungwon was sitting, now more vertical than he had been just a moment ago. The smell of the tea wafted up and his eyes went wide.
Niki chuckled at the reaction. “It’s Sobacha, from my Mama.” He explained, still not entirely comfortable with using the Korean form of mother when talking about his mother. “It was the only tea I liked for a very long time, and it always helped me relax. It’s why I don’t like anyone else having it.” Jungwon hesitated, looking up at him. “Then… are you sure you want me to have some?”
Niki waved him off. “It’s fine. You look like you need it.” He said, and Jungwon nodded, raising the mug and carefully sipping at the tea. And sure enough, he started to relax almost instantly, the scent of sweet nuttiness making him sigh in pleasure, reminding him of the times he had tried the Korean version of this tea, only to be rather disappointed. Nothing beat the original, after all.
“Come on,” Niki said softly after they had both finished their teas. Jungwon pliantly followed him, leaning on him as the taller boy led him to the couch in the living room, allowing him to lay down before basically collapsing onto him, wiggling until he found a comfortable-enough spot, his head resting on Niki’s chest. He hummed in exhausted delight, causing Niki to chuckle as he turned off the lights, grabbing the remote and turning on a random k-drama.
The last thing Jungwon heard or felt that night were Niki’s fingers, which had been gently brushing through his hair, pausing, and a soft rumbling chuckle emitting from Niki’s chest.
“Good night, Jungwonie-hyung.” And a soft kiss pressed to Jungwon’s lips.