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Sunwoo has fallen for his Changmin hyung from the moment he set eyes on the older.
At their first meeting at the company, back when he was just auditioning for the first time, Changmin hyung had been performing as part of the trainee showcase. His fluid yet powerful moves and the way his seemingly tiny body whirled, spun and hit exactly in time with the beat enthralled Sunwoo. The long, sleek dark hair was tied back into a short tail at the back of his head, his bangs falling forward to frame his sharp features prettily. There were a good 10 or so trainees performing altogether, but the dancer in the center outshone everyone else and enraptured his attention. It was at this moment that Sunwoo decided: yes, he was definitely joining the company. To be on the same team with such talented individuals or to get to know this mysterious trainee, Sunwoo decided he would deal with it once he entered the company and started training.
Life as a trainee was not all as smooth sailing as he expected, but Sunwoo was not that weak-willed either. In the initial days of his training period, he barely got to meet the nameless trainee that had virtually been the main reason why he had joined this foreign and relatively new company. No matter how hard he looked and asked around, all he managed to get was a name - Ji Changmin. He was apparently a legend in the company, the first trainee to have entered and also the reason why most of the trainees still stayed. He was an excellent dance teacher and a kind, albeit intimidating senior. Hearing all this just made Sunwoo more determined to get to know ‘Changmin’ better.
When he finally did, with an air of false confidence that earned him the brightest of smiles and twin dimples peeking out shyly at him, Sunwoo was completely swept away in an instant. Changmin hyung was sweet, yet extremely dedicated to his craft. His passion for dancing, performing and his seriousness during practices eventually fueled Sunwoo himself to do better, to work harder to meet his own goals. Outside of lessons, he was a fun and easygoing hyung and Sunwoo got along with him very well. This was someone who Sunwoo greatly respected, adored and treasured as a friend, a senior, and in time to come, a teammate.
It was only after they finally debuted together as The Boyz, that Sunwoo finally realized: oh, I love him .
In their years spent training together, then through the highs and lows of their hectic careers, Sunwoo witnessed Changmin hyung struggle through so many ups and downs. He witnessed breakdowns, fights, and crazy moments in the dorm that he’d better not speak of. Sunwoo had also gone through these hardships, felt acutely the pain and sacrifice each of them in the team were going through. But it was hearing how much Changmin hyung had struggled in the early days and eventually groomed not just his own skills, but the entire team’s to become the skilled performers they were today. Seeing him breakdown at their debut showcase, then for his sisters during an interview at a music show, all Sunwoo wanted to do so desperately was to give his smaller hyung a big hug and protect him forever. To crack jokes to make him laugh, or to simply be a source of comfort by his side. It was with these thoughts and desires, then Sunwoo realized whenever he faced Changmin hyung, all he could think about was the rapid thudding of his heart as the elder leaned a little too close for comfort and the blood rushing to his ears when a sunshine-bright smile was directed at him. Sunwoo wasn’t that big himself, given that he hated exercising. But Changmin hyung was even smaller and Sunwoo could easily dwarf him with his build from his years of soccer. He could give up whatever he had, if it meant that Changmin hyung was happy, and didn’t have to spend his days and nights worrying about their team.
“Ya, Kim Sunwoo! How could you be so careless?” Changmin hyung scolded him as he knelt on the floor beside Sunwoo. Their first broadcast and Sunwoo had already gone and twisted his ankle. He sincerely thought that his first broadcast sessions were bound to be cursed from now on. Changmin hyung’s words were harsh, but his touch especially gentle as he helped ice and massage the swelling of Sunwoo’s right ankle, the permanent crease in his forehead giving away just how worried he was.
“I’ll be fine, hyung.” Sunwoo murmured, cheeks dusted a light pink as Changmin hyung shot him an incredulous look. “Just rest it for a day or so and it’ll go back down.”
When they headed back to the dorm, the members fussed over Sunwoo some more, all of them agreeing to skip group practice in order to let him rest before their next broadcast recording a few days later. Changmin hyung stayed by Sunwoo’s side throughout, helping him to and fro the rooms in the dorm.
That night, Sunwoo couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried. His ankle was throbbing despite all the icing and massaging done to it. He felt absolutely miserable. Not only had he forced his team to push back their practice schedule, making things more hectic and tiring in the coming days, he couldn’t seem to recover fast enough either. If anything, his stupid injury was pulling his team down with him. Sunwoo pulled himself out of bed, letting out a dejected whine as his foot smacked the side of the bed on accident, aggravating his injury. There wasn’t really anywhere he was looking to get away to, but he found himself standing at the edge of Changmin and Kevin’s shared bunk bed, one hand hesitantly gripping the headboard.
“Hmm? Sunwoo what is it?” came the sleepy mumble from the bottom bunk. Changmin hyung cracked one eye open to take in Sunwoo’s current state and immediately opened his arms, beckoning him closer. It wasn’t the first time their members had sought each other out in such a manner anyway. “Is your ankle bothering you?”
Wordlessly, Sunwoo modded, feeling the helpless tears brimming in his eyes. Oh, heck. Was he this weak of a person? But when faced with the warm embrace of his hyung, Sunwoo resigned to his inner dongsaeng and fell into the duvet with Changmin hyung. A strangled gasp tore its way past his lips and he hid his face into the elder’s shoulder, warm tears of frustration soaking through the thin cotton. A gentle hand patted his back rhythmically, it’s soothing strokes gradually lulling him to sleep.
“Hyung, can you sing something?” Sunwoo mumbled, his eyes swollen from crying and half-lidded with sleep. There was an affirmative grunt from above him, before his hyung complied. With the gentle notes of a childhood lullaby in his ears, his head tucked carefully under Changmin hyung’s chin and his body wrapped in a warm embrace, Sunwoo finally let his worries go and slipped into the welcoming darkness.
When Sunwoo was roused from his sleep by a sudden voice, he cracked his eyes open slightly, expecting the brightness of the sun to blast him in the face. He was however met with the darkness of the room - Changmin hyung’s room.
“Ah, what…” Sunwoo sighed, confused. Who was it that woke him up then?
Just then, he heard a grunt from above him, followed by a sleepy mumble of gibberish that Sunwoo couldn’t make sense of. Changmin hyung...was talking in his sleep? Squinting carefully, he could barely make out the closed lids and felt the slow rise and fall of the warm chest his cheek was pressed against.
Oh, what the fuck- Sunwoo jerked abruptly, feeling his whole face grow warm as he realized how he was completely draped over the elder’s body like a weighted blanket. Of all people, why did I come to beg Changmin hyung to cuddle and sing me to sleep…
He must be so tired today, he’s even sleeptalking. He’s never done that before. Sunwoo gazed at his hyung, whose lips still moved as he mumbled a slew of words in his dreams. That’s kinda cute.
Sunwoo considered detangling himself for a brief moment and returning to his own bed for the rest of the night. The warmth and softness of his current position was far too tempting. I’ll deal with it tomorrow, he thought to himself sleepily, fighting back a yawn. Throwing all caution out the window, he allowed himself to slowly collapse back against Changmin’s body and let his eyelids drift shut with an odd sense of satisfaction.
When Sunwoo finally awoke, the dregs of afternoon light were already blasting through the blinds of their room. The bed felt oddly empty and as his arms closed around empty space, realization hit him like a jolt of thunder. It was afternoon!! He was late for practice!!
Why had no one woken him up!! Casting the blankets aside, Sunwoo staggered out of bed, his ankle making it’s complaints known immediately. Initially, he’d assumed that Changmin hyung (he felt the heat rise in his cheeks at the thought of their proximity last night he, before chiding himself sternly. It was nothing!! ) had woken up before him as he was an early riser, but he had been dead wrong.
Hobbling out into the living room en route to their shared bathroom, the sound and sight of his members had him skidding to a halt. Jacob hyung glanced up from his position on the couch, breaking into a cheery smile(?) at the sight of Sunwoo’s pajamas and messy bed hair. The rest of their team were all engaged in various activities on their own, with Changmin hyung and Juyeon hyung particularly engrossed in a conversation about some sort of choreography.
“Afternoon, sleepyhead!” He chirped, bringing their attention to their half-asleep younger member. Sunwoo’s gaze darted towards Changmin hyung’s only to quickly avert his eyes, praying his expression didn’t give away any of the fluttering in his chest.
“Don’t we have practice this morning? Why didn’t anyone wake me up?” Sunwoo blurted out in confusion. “Why aren’t y’all at the company?”
“We did, Sunwoo. But didn’t we agree to let your ankle rest? Changmin suggested we let you sleep in since you didn’t feel so good yesterday, so we all decided to take a break.” Sangyeon hyung answered readily, eyes still focused on the card game he was battling out with Kevin hyung. Oh…? Changmin hyung seemed a little embraced by that, ducking his head a little to avoid Sunwoo’s curious gaze. The younger tried his best to bite back a grin. It was such a simple gesture by the elder, but his heart went all warm and fuzzy at the thought. “We’ll be going to the company later for practice and we’ll see what we can do about our performance tomorrow.”
“Thank you, hyungs.” Sunwoo replied as genuinely as he could, directing his sincerity at all his members. Determination settled deep into his gut. They had already forfeited two practice sessions for his sake. He was going to make sure he rested his ankle enough to get it supporting him for the next day’s performance.
＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊
Ever since his little discovery about Changmin hyung’s sleep talking habit, Sunwoo had been secretly dying to see it again. Perhaps when he was in less of a clouded state of mind. Thinking about it, he felt borderline stalker-ish doing something like this to his hyung, but it was such a cute moment that it was stuck in his head.
But alas, he never got lucky enough to witness it again, especially not with their constant promotions. By the time they reached the dorm, both Sunwoo and Changmin were often so tired that they fell asleep within seconds of each other, the moment their heads touched the soft pillows of their bed. Try as he might, the younger simply decided to shelve this memory into the deepest, darkest part of his mind for safekeeping.
Perhaps the opportune moment came when they finally had an off day. Sunwoo had spent it working on his solo song, his most precious piece of work with hours of composing and writing invested into it. He’d make it thinking of his own special someone, with the scenes of romantic movies and novels flashing in his mind’s eye. When he’d finally reached their dorms, most of the members were already asleep, save the few night owls. With a familiar heaviness in his bones, Sunwoo hurried to take a quick shower and turn in for the night as well, worn out from his long day at the company studio.
Stepping through the doorway to his shared room, Sunwoo was just about ready to collapse onto his bed and pass out when a soft voice called out to him.
“Sunwoo-ah,” came the sleepy murmur from the lower bunk. Changmin hyung was still awake? “What are you doing?”
It sounded much more like “Whaddayoodoooooeurng” and he had no idea how he understood that.
“Hyung? You’re still awake?” Sunwoo asked softly, careful not to wake up Kevin hyung in the bunk above. That hyung was a light sleeper and an early riser - he hated to rob him of his precious sleep. “I just got back from the company.”
Sunwoo had expected to be talking to a sleepy Changmin hyung, but the elder’s eyes were firmly shut, dark hair splayed out against his colorful pillowcase. There was a slight upturn to his lips, a small smile giving rise to the familiar dimpling of his cheeks. Oh. He was sleep talking again.
Biting back a fond smile, Sunwoo stepped closer to the bed, settling himself on the floor next to his sleeping roommate. Changmin hyung was cute in the day, scary during their practices but at night, there was something peaceful to his expression. Slackened with sleep, there was no longer that worried crease of his eyebrows, or the crinkling to his forehead whenever he observed their practices. Sunwoo found this version Changmin hyung very much precious - a rare chance for his hyung to let go of his many concerns for the team, at least momentarily.
“Tell me…” came another sleepy mumble, the rest of his sentence incoherent even despite Sunwoo’s greatest efforts. There was something really endearing about his hyung’s sleep talking. After a moment of deliberation, he grasped the hand that had flopped over the edge of the bed, succumbing to his inner romantic. A part of him itched to poke that dimple and finally find out if those cheeks were as soft as they looked, but Changmin hyung was sometimes sensitive about things like that and Sunwoo didn’t want to do something the elder didn’t like.
“Okay hyung, I’ll tell you more about my day.” Sunwoo murmured in response, trying to think of interesting things that happened. Perhaps Changmin hyung could hear them and would even dream of him. Is that how dreams worked? That was an interesting theory…
It was a little strange to have a conversation with a sleeping person, but it was Changmin hyung anyway. Most things they did together were strange, but they had fun doing it with each other’s company. Perhaps the elder would think he was acting strange doing this, or perhaps he would think that it was funny. That hyung had a weird sense of humor, but Sunwoo liked it. Because he always laughed at all his attempts to joke. Or maybe that was just because Sunwoo just liked him.
Their conversation went pretty well, with Sunwoo rambling on about his self-composed song and the thought process behind it - almost like a confession, in a way, about why he wrote the song in the first place to his very own muse. Are you proud of me, hyung? He almost wanted to ask. But he’d rather have a proper response to that than the sleepy noises of assent and acknowledgment that Changmin hyung was quite comically giving out whenever Sunwoo paused in his storytelling. Almost like a real conversation.
“Sunwoo, what are you doing?” Chanhee’s voice was a hushed whisper, a stray giggle breaking free as he stood in the doorway of their room. Sunwoo must have looked like a complete, lovesick fool, he presumed, for New hyung to be laughing at him like this. Gently placing Changmin hyung’s hand back to his side, Sunwoo hurriedly stood up.
“Changmin hyung was sleep talking,” Sunwoo replied, feeling his cheeks burn all the way from the tips of his ears down to his neck under Chanhee hyung’s knowing gaze. “And I thought he’d be lonely in that conversation.”
“So you were holding his hand and talking to him?” Sunwoo agreed with Chanhee hyung’s incredulous tone - it sounded ridiculous out loud as well. With a laugh, the younger flopped onto his own bed. “I think you’ve gone crazy, Sunwoo-ah.”
Yeah, I’m crazy. Crazy in love.
Sunwoo chortled internally at his own low-quality pun, before waving a hand at Chanhee hyung disinterestedly. The elder cocked an eyebrow at him, a sign that he knew and an expression that also said “We’ll talk more about this later.” Once he was safely out of earshot, Sunwoo opted to bury his face into his pillow with an inward groan.
What.
Did he just do.
Chanhee hyung was going to tease him to death about this forever. If he wasn’t going to die first from embarrassment when Changmin hyung found out, that is.