Archive of Our Own

Debuting as an idol was Riki’s dream and it was one that wasn’t easy for him to achieve. I-Land had been a painful experience to say the least : all the uncertainty, the criticism, him struggling with Korean and the trainees who called him arrogant and cold.

Riki knew that he wasn’t at his best during the show, but no one was. It was a brutal competition between twenty three boys who all wanted the same thing yet only seven would make it in the end. Riki watched as lots of his hyungs created close bonds with one another and developed friendships while he didn’t have that.

The only ones he felt like he could truly trust were K and Taki and when it was announced that neither of them would debut but Riki would, he held them and cried because he was scared. He was scared of trusting six new people, all of whom already had some of their own bonds and friendships while he didn’t, well not really at least.

Even a few months later when they’ve all debuted as Enhypen and begun their promotions as a group, Riki isn’t entirely sure if he could trust his six hyungs. It’s sad because they’re all so sweet and they show him so much kindness and care but Riki has always struggled with trusting people to be there for him. He knows that showed a bit on I-LAND and he thinks that due to the show, trusting people actually became harder in a way.

The hyungs all see it, this strange almost disconnect that their maknae has from them. Sometimes Riki would be happily clingy and close with them all before he suddenly pulled away, like he couldn’t trust the bond between them or that it would last.

But the hyungs wanted it to, they wanted to show their sweet maknae how much room he had in their hearts. So they all set out on a mission that they tried to not make glaringly obvious to Riki. It was a simple one.

Gain Riki’s trust.

one

The group had an early start to the day that morning and thus Jay had made breakfast to ensure everyone had energy to get through the day.

Riki has a small appetite, it was something that the hyungs noticed. The only time that he actually ate quite a lot was by Jay’s house during Christmas. The maknae was actually quite picky when it came to food so Jay had purposefully made some things that he knows Riki likes so he could eat sufficiently for the day.

Riki yawned as he entered the kitchen and sleepily greeted his hyungs before taking a seat at the table.

“Morning Riki-yah, did you sleep well?” Jay asked as he ruffled the youngest’s hair.

“Mhmm,” Riki hummed in response.

“Well we have a long day today, Riki-san, so eat up.” Jake gestured to the plate in front of the boy.

Riki looked at the plate and realized it had some of his favorites tteokguk and bungeoppang standing out in particular. Riki couldn’t help but smile a bit to himself as he took up his spoon and started having the soup.

He hummed in satisfaction at the taste, Jay always had really great cooking.

“You like Riki?” Jay asked him.

Riki nodded, “Yeah hyung, it’s really good.”

“Make sure and eat a lot Riki-yah, we have quite the day ahead of us. There’s more food if you want it as well,” Jay told him softly as he lightly patted the boy’s thigh.

Riki had grown used to hearing that, his hyungs always told him to eat a lot as he was still growing yet he had such a small appetite. He didn’t know why but this time feels a little different.

It felt like they all really mean it as even though when he starts feeling a bit full, Jake and Jay both encouraged him to have that much more so he wasn’t hungry and had energy throughout the day.

It actually felt really nice to have his hyungs looking out for him like this and for the first time, Riki really appreciated it and he finished his plate. Jay and Jake gave him a small smile and Jake leaned over and whispered something to him.

“There’s more bungeoppang, I’ll put some in a container so you can keep it in your bag, just in case you get hungry again.” He winked as he leaned back again.

Riki couldn’t help but give him a small smile, feeling touched at the clear care his hyungs are showing for him and Jake offering to do something as simple as pack a snack for him.

It made him feel truly cared for and he couldn’t help but smile to himself as he headed off to shower.

Jay and Jake both shared a small smile too once he was gone ; for some reason, today felt like a change.

two

Riki never got sick easily. The first time he got sick in Korea was very early into his trainee days when he was living in a studio apartment all by himself. At the time, all he craved was the care of his mother and her delicious chicken corn soup that always made him feel so much better.

He wished that he had his mom and his sisters who would come into his room and bring him snacks and sit on his bed and watch movies with him. It always made him feel so much better and gave him this wonderful feeling of warmth in his chest ; yet despite the high fever he had early on at that time, Riki just felt so cold as he craved the care that he had back at home.

Only K and Taki checked on him and brought him food and medicine but of course they were busy with their own commitments and they couldn’t be around all the time. Riki couldn’t help but feel like a burden for distracting them from their training and making them have to take time out of their day to come see him when all they wanted to do was fight for their dreams so Riki just downplayed how he was truly feeling so they would leave him alone.

He didn’t expect to make it a habit but when he woke up one morning when they had to go to dance practice, he almost immediately wished that he didn’t. Riki’s head was pounding and he felt an irritating itch at the back of his throat.

He let out a cough into the crook of his elbow, his frame wracking violently as his throat burned from the sensation. Riki suddenly felt a hand rubbing at his back and he looks up through his watery eyes to see Jungwon looking down at him with concern and worry and he couldn’t help but feel guilty.

They had such a busy schedule and him being sick would absolutely take away from the valuable time they need to prepare for their performances and appearances.

“Riki-yah, are you feeling okay? You feel pretty warm.” Jungwon said worriedly as he placed a hand on Riki’s forehead.

Riki pulled away from Jungwon’s hand and shook his head ; Jungwon already has so much to worry about and he shouldn’t have to worry about this and neither should the rest of the hyungs. He fared just fine on his own being sick before, he really doesn’t need them to worry about him, Riki isn’t someone who needed to be worried about.

“I’m fine hyung. Don’t we have to go since we have a schedule today?” Riki questioned, cringing from how his throat burned as he spoke.

“Don’t lie to me, Ki.” Jungwon told him sternly, “You’re not fine. You feel like you definitely have a fever and your voice is so scratchy. It’s okay to not feel well.”

“But we have things to do today and me being sick is such a setback. Don’t worry about me. I can’t burden you guys by making you take care of me.” Riki said, not wanting his hyungs to completely turn their day around just for him.

Jungwon looked down at him and frowned, his eyes looking almost calculating before he turned around and headed out of the room. Riki felt his heart sink even though he was the one who told Jungwon not to worry about him yet seeing him turn away without a word made his stomach uncomfortably knot.

The door opened again only a minute later and
his six hyungs come in with Jungwon leading them in. Sunghoon and Sunoo hurry over to his side and the ice prince pressed his cool hands onto Riki’s face which really let Riki know how warm he actually was from how icy the older’s hands felt against his cheeks and he leaned into them as his eyes slipped shut while he savored the contact.

“Wonie told us that you’re sick, Riki.” Sunoo spoke up, making the youngest open his eyes to look at him.

Sunoo’s brow was furrowed, the concern clear on his face as he reached a hand forward and brushed some of Riki’s dark hair from his face.

“But he also told us something else that really worried us…” Sunoo said as he glanced from Riki to the leader.

“Why would you think that you’re burdening us by being sick, Riki?” Heeseung asked him, his voice sounding so disbelieving and worried as he asked, “It’s not your fault that you got sick and you would never, never burden us by telling us.”

“You’re our maknae Riki. You’re our bandmate and our little brother.” Jay told him in that particular honey soft voice that eases Riki’s mind, “We will always worry about you and you would never be a burden to us. Fuck our schedules and anything else; you come first.”

“You’ll always come before all of that shit to all of us.” Sunghoon said to him as he lightly rubbed his thumbs over Riki’s warm cheeks.

The action was so soft and so loving that Riki felt a warmth rush through him that wasn’t just from his fever. His hyungs really did care; Riki of course knew that they did but this just reminded him that they were there and that maybe he really didn’t have to tough things out alone.

“Thank you hyungs.” Riki said sincerely.

“Of course Ki.” Jungwon responded as he offered Riki a gentle smile, “Now lay down and rest. Your hyungs will take care of you.”

And as Jay fed him chicken soup throughout the day that reminded him so much of his dear mother’s— a soup that Riki could truly just taste the love and care in while Jake made sure that Riki took his medication and brought him water to keep him hydrated.

Jungwon and Sunoo stayed with him, rubbing soothing circles onto his back when he would be wracked by a coughing fit and feeding him water after to soothe his scratchy throat. Sunghoon and Heeseung would come and change the wet rag on Riki’s forehead that they left there to cool down his fever and the former ice skater would gently graze his cold fingers over Riki’s face, noticing how it soothed the younger.

As all of his hyungs worked to take care of him with no complaints, giving their all to ensure Riki was actually okay and feeling better, Riki realized something. He realized that he could rely on them, that he could trust his hyungs to take care of him and he wasn’t a burden for being vulnerable around them. They cared regardless and Riki realized that he can put a bit more trust in them.

And the hyungs realized that too.

three

Riki and Heeseung had stayed back at the building a little late into the night for a dance jam and unfortunately for them, there ended up being no cars left downstairs to take them home.

Heeseung was used to walking around various areas Korea at night and although it’s admittedly pretty safe; he knows that realistically late into the hours of night anything could happen and he felt a little unsettled that his only seventeen year old maknae was with him whilst they had to walk home.

Truthfully, if it was only him Heeseung wouldn’t really worry too much but as the mathyung of Enhypen he has a responsibility for all of his dongsaengs no matter how much they can take care of themselves and Riki was certainly no exception from that.

They were walking through the quiet streets in this area of Seoul, rarely passing other people before they stopped at a convenience store since Heeseung was honestly hungry and he knew that Riki was as well. They only went inside for a few minutes and they just grabbed some snacks, ensuring to get things for the other members as well.

They had only just stepped out into the parking lot when the plastic bag in Heeseung’s hand ripped right at the bottom and the snacks inside went tumbling onto the ground of the parking lot.

“Shit.” Heeseung muttered as he and Riki crouched down to grab what had fallen from the bag and stack it into their arms.

“Well, we can’t carry all of this by ourselves.” Riki snorted as he tried to balance the items in his arms.

Heeseung chuckled, “You’re right about that, Ki. Give them to me, let’s go grab another bag.”

Riki already had two bags in his hand while Heeseung only had the one so he thinks that it’s only fair for him to hold the rest.

“I can wait for you out here hyung. I know you won’t be long anyway,” Riki said, not really thinking that it made much sense for them to both have to go in for what should only take a few seconds.

Heeseung bit his lip, feeling a little hesitant for some reason about leaving Riki out here in the dimly lit parking lot of a convenience store alone, even if only for a few seconds. Although it may sound unfair : if it was anyone else then he would probably agree quickly and leave them for only a minute max as he ran back in but it’s Riki, his little baby maknae and for some reason even though the boy is built like a lamppost he doesn’t really want to. But he knew how Riki got about his hyungs being overprotective and how it really annoyed him when they were overbearing and babying him just a bit too excessively and he didn’t want to upset him especially when Riki was already tired and thus more irritable, so he reluctantly agreed.

“I’ll only be a few seconds.” Heeseung told the younger male as he took everything that was in the ripped bag and turned on his heel before re-entering the store.

Riki stood and waited for his hyung, feeling tired from the long day they had and honestly wanting to go back to the dorm to eat and sleep. He noticed that more than two minutes have passed now and wondered what was taking his hyung so long for something that only should have taken a few seconds.

He turned to face the store and looked through the windows, seeing if he could spot the older but he didn't. Riki turned on his heel, ready to go in and get Heeseung himself when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Hey! Hey kid!” Someone called out to him.

Riki turned back around in the direction of the parking lot to see a man coming towards him. He looked to be only in his mid thirties but his long black hair looked straggly and greasy as it partially hung down into his face. His beard looked a little scruffy and his eyes were blown wide, the sclera of his eyes looking far more red than white. He got uncomfortably close to Riki which made the teen back up slightly but the man just moved closer again, the smell of smoke on him glaringly obvious.

“Got any cigarettes?” The man asked, looking Riki closely in the eye.

Riki felt sweat building on the back of his neck as he nervously swallowed, really wishing that Heeseung would just come out of the store already.

“No, I don’t smoke. Sorry sir,” Riki answered, trying to sound as polite as possible despite how his stomach nervously stirs.

“Bullshit!” The man spat, his tone far more aggressive now, “I can smell it on you.”

“I don’t smoke. I can’t help you, I’m sorry.” Riki apologized, keeping his tone level despite how anxious he felt to try to not aggravate the man further.

The man only looked further aggravated and Riki really didn’t want this situation to escalate as he could feel in his gut that it certainly was not safe for him. He turned around to try and head into the store but he felt a hand wrap tightly around his arm and yank him back.

Riki yelped as he stumbled and nearly lost his footing.

“Don’t touch me!” He yelled panickedly as he ripped his arm away from the man’s grasp.

“I know you have one, I can fucking smell it on you!” The man yelled as he got up in Riki’s face and grabbed the boy's arm again, the grip feeling almost bruising as he uncomfortably twists the skin and digs his sharp nails into the flesh, making Riki wince as he swears the man draws blood. Riki’s heart thundered in his chest as his stomach twisted in fear and anxiety. He really just wanted Heeseung to come back and help him.

And thankfully, his prayers were answered.

“Get the fuck away from him!” Heeseung’s voice echoed through the parking lot.

Riki swore he had never seen the eldest seething with so much rage as he stormed towards them and shoved the man away from Riki, placing himself between his youngest and the man he saw grab Riki right as he got out the store.

The man clearly felt far more threatened by Heeseung’s presence as the taller man loomed over him, his eyes narrowed in the fiercest slits as he glared at the man.

“Get the fuck out of here or you’ll be sorry.” Heeseung lowly growled at the man.

“I-I wasn’t looking for any trouble man,” The man said, sounding far more subdued and nervous now.

“Bullshit. You put your hands on my kid. Now go!” Heeseung barked as he shoved the man further away from them, “Get the fuck away from him. Go!”

The man muttered and swore to himself as he turned on his heel, giving the two young men a dirty glance as he walked out of the parking lot. Riki felt frozen in his spot as he watched Heeseung glare after the man, pure fury etched into his face as he watched until the stranger finally disappeared from their view.

Once he was gone, he finally turned back to Riki and his gaze almost instantly softened; the intimidating anger even though in this case— it only made Riki feel protected and well taken care of— was replaced with the look of the soft and gentle hyung that Riki had always known.

“Ki, oh my god, your arm.” Heeseung muttered worriedly as he gently grabbed Riki’s right arm in his own. He rolled up the sleeve of Riki’s black t-shirt and Riki swore at the sight.

The skin on his upper arm right beneath his triceps had red splotches, the skin already bruising from where the man had grabbed him whilst there were several crescents dug into his arms and three of them had blood running down from them along his bicep.

He only now registered the burning and aching in his arm and he hissed when Heeseung lightly brushed the injury with his finger and the older’s face immediately fell as he looked at Riki.

“Shit, sorry baby. Let me grab you something-“

“Can we go home?” Riki cut off his hyung, feeling pretty shaken up by the whole incident. He knew they could take care of his arm at the dorm so he really just wanted to go and feel warm and safe instead of being out here any longer.

The shake and desperation in the maknae’s voice really got Heeseung and as he looked up at Riki’s wide, still anxious looking eyes, he knew it was best to agree.

“Yeah, of course Riki. Of course.”

Heeseung wrapped an arm around Riki’s shoulders and Riki couldn’t help but lean into the eldest’s side as they walked down the sidewalk, their pace much more quickened as they headed back towards the door. Heeseung really felt like the embodiment of safety and warmth and being close to him as they walked home made Riki feel at least a little better despite how his skin buzzed with anxiety the whole way there.

The eldest was hyper-vigilant the entire time, holding Riki close as he closely observed their surroundings, pulling them further from the entrances to dark alleys as they walked through the quiet streets until they finally arrived at the dorm.

Heeseung typed in the code for the door and let Riki in before entering behind him. Riki slipped off his shoes and placed them on the rack and Heeseung quickly followed suit.

“Heeseung? Riki? Is that you?” Jay’s voice called out to them from the living room just down the hall.

“Yeah Jay-ah.” Heeseung called back in response.

Hearing Jay’s voice made Riki feel a little more at ease as the older had always been a source of comfort for him. For some reason he was actually really craving the company of the members and he headed towards the living room before he could even entirely register his legs moving and he could hear Heeseung follow behind him.

The members were all seated around the living room and immediately looked up at the oldest and youngest when they entered but their eyes narrowed as they immediately realized something was wrong.

“Riki, is that blood?” Jake asked worriedly as he shot up off the chair he was sitting on and hurried over to the maknae.

That garnered the full attention of all the other members, Jay pausing the movie that was playing on the TV as they all looked over at the youngest.

Jake gasped when he gently took Riki’s arm and saw that there was dried blood caked on his arm with some fresh blood oozing from the crescent shaped cuts.

“Oh my god. What the fuck happened?” Jungwon asked in shock as he went over and scanned Riki’s arm. The leader’s jaw set in tension and his brow furrowed in the way that it only did when he was worried about one of his members.

“There was some guy at the convenience store who came up to me while Heeseung was inside and started asking me for cigarettes. I told him I didn’t have any but he got aggressive when I said that. I tried to go back into the store and find Heeseung-hyung but he grabbed me. But Heeseung-hyung came out and he saved me. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he wasn’t there.” Riki explained quietly.

“Someone fucking grabbed you?” Jay seethed, his jaw tensing as he clenched his hand into a fist, “I swear to God, I’m going to-”

“Jay!” Heeseung cut the second oldest off, knowing that that was really not what Riki needed to hear right now. He needed his hyungs to take care of him, “Cool it.”

Jay glanced from Heeseung to the shaken expression still painted over Riki’s face and took a deep breath to keep his anger in check. He really didn’t need to add any more stress onto the poor boy.

“Come and sit down Ki. Let’s take a look at that arm,” Sunghoon told the youngest calmly even though the worried edge in his voice was clear.

Jake led Riki over to the couch and sat down on his left side before wrapping his arm around the younger’s waist pulling Riki into a comforting side hug. Heeseung really didn’t want to be far from Riki at the moment— his papa bear instincts still in overdrive at the moment and he sat down on the floor in front of the younger and comfortingly placed his hand over the maknae’s leg.

Riki smiled a bit to himself, having Heeseung stay close to him and maintain physical contact which has always been such a big comfort for him. With Heeseung especially, his caring big brother aura was like an umbrella that could shelter you from the fiercest of storms. Especially after tonight, Riki felt like if he had his Heeseung-hyung around then nothing could hurt him.

“Sunoo can you grab the first aid kit please?” Sunghoon asked the oldest maknae.

The younger quickly obliged and hurried out of the room as Sunghoon moved onto the couch and rolled up Riki’s sleeve to look at his arm. As a former athlete, the older was really used to minor injuries and treating them himself. So, as much as his older brother instincts wanted to freak out and fuss over Riki, he would try his best to keep calm despite wanting to go with Jay and track down whoever hurt their baby.

“Hmm, this bruised pretty fast. How hard did that bastard grab you?” Sunghoon observed as he examined the limb. He muttered the last part, clearly addressing it to himself but Riki still heard it.

The red bruising and dried and fresh blood on Riki’s upper arm had the hyungs completely seething on the inside, absolutely infuriated that someone grabbed Riki so hard that they fucking bruised him and made him bleed.

Jay shifted beside his fellow 02 liner and gently brushed a finger over Riki’s arm, also examining the injury.

Riki hissed from the contact as Jay brushed right over one of the bruises which felt pretty tender at the moment and his heart filled with warmth when he glanced up and immediately saw a look of remorse and worry on Jay’s face.

“Shit, sorry sweetheart, sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Jay rushed out apologetically.

Riki reached out his free hand and gently patted Jay’s own, his entire body filled with the most comforting warmth from how gentle his hyungs were and how careful they were not to hurt him. Riki still didn’t soften up and let himself be vulnerable around the members all that much but the fact that he was letting them all take care of him was speaking volumes to the hyungs. It felt like Riki really trusted them to take care of him now.

“I’ve got it.” Sunoo announced as he re-entered the room and handed Sunghoon the ice pack.

“Thank you Sun.” Sunghoon said gratefully before turning back to Riki.

Sunoo hummed before and reached forward to gently card a hand through Riki’s hair before moving back and sitting on the floor next to Heeseung.

Sunghoon took an alcohol pad out of the first aid kit and lifted it to Riki’s arm, not quite touching it yet as he looked up at Riki.

“This may sting a bit, Ki.” Sunghoon said honestly.

“It’s okay hyung.” Riki shrugged off, “Just do it.”

Sunghoon nodded before pressing the wipe to Riki’s arm and thoroughly cleaning up the blood and especially making sure he cleaned the cuts well enough. It did sting— more than Riki was actually expecting but Jake rubbed soothing circles on his waist as Heeseung gently patted his knee and that just seemed to take all the pain away.

“I’m never leaving you alone in a public place again.” Heeseung piped up suddenly, his tone dead serious as he looked up at Riki, “I leave you for only two seconds and you manage to find trouble.”

“Yah! It’s not my fault,” Riki pouted at the eldest, his lips jutting out adorably to resemble a duck’s.

“Yeah, you just seem to bring trouble wherever you go kiddo. Good luck asking us to go anywhere by yourself again, especially at night.” Jungwon said in his leader voice : the one that Riki knew that he shouldn’t argue with but he couldn’t help but protest.

“But hyung! I’m not a baby. You guys can’t keep me from doing things by myself.” Riki argued.

“Yeah, but you’re our baby.” Sunoo said as Jay gently rubbed some ointment over the bruises on Riki’s arm.

“When you’re eighteen we can let you go out by yourself again.” Jake chimed in as he lightly rubbed shapes into Riki’s waist with his finger, “But until then; if you’re out at night, one of us will be with you.”

“But hyung-”

“No buts, Nishimura Riki.” Jungwon said, using both his leader voice and pulling out Riki’s full name. Yeah, it was curtains for the teen.

“Fine.” He begrudgingly gave in with a huff.

“It’s only because we worry about you Riki. It’s for your own good.” Sunghoon told him gently, “Because if you were out by yourself and someone hurt you again I can’t promise that we would not commit any illegal acts against whoever did it.”

Sunghoon’s tone is light but his words are deadly serious and mildly threatening— not to Riki but just in general. He actually wouldn’t put it past Sunghoon to make good on his word.

“So you can call us overprotective or overbearing all you want, Ki.” Jay said as he placed the ointment back in the first aid kit and put it aside, “We’re only like this because we care about you.”

Riki blushed slightly at his hyung’s words as he relaxed against the couch, “Thank you hyungs.”

“Of course, little one.” Heeseung told him as he gently patted Riki’s knee, “Of course.”

Riki may have complained about their babying and overprotectiveness yet his hyungs’ care and comfort felt like the most secure and comforting blanket over him. Riki was glad to have them to protect him.

four

Riki didn’t know what it was about one of their managers but the man didn’t seem to like him much for whatever reason. Riki has been nothing but polite and respectful to the man yet Minsoo never even gave him the time of day unless he was around the other members.

The maknae never brought it up to the other members because they really liked Minsoo and Riki couldn’t blame them, not when the man was nice to them. He treated the other members well and bought them food. He praised them on their skills and dancing constantly, especially after performances and he overall acted like a father figure to everyone in the group, everyone besides Riki that is.

Riki would instead get snarky and mean side comments whenever he unfortunately ended up alone with the man. Even when he wasn’t, he would quietly make them to Riki but the manager always ensured that the members didn’t hear. He really tried not to let it get to him, he was unfortunately really used to people talking badly about him and constantly bringing him down, so he would just hang his head and let the man’s comments roll off his back or at least he tried to.

Admittedly, he never said anything as he wasn’t even sure if his hyungs would believe him. He worried that they wouldn’t take him seriously or listen to him because the man was so good to everyone else, it would sound preposterous if he was an asshole to Riki.

Riki was staying late in the company working on some choreography for their upcoming comeback. The choreographers and performance directors really enjoyed giving him freedom to create parts of the choreography for himself after Riki’s self-choreographed part in Future Perfect was so well received. They as well as the members trusted Riki’s creativity and talents and thus all encouraged him in his endeavor.

The other members had left briefly to get some snacks as well as use the bathroom but Riki was having a rush of inspiration and hence wanted to get the choreography he envisioned out of his brain and showcased by his body before sketching down some formation ideas on the scrap sheet in front of him.

Riki stood back up after he got the sketches down and went back to practicing the part he created in the mirror. The hyungs had been watching and encouraging him so wholeheartedly the entire night and Riki really wanted to make them proud by creating choreography that did them justice.

He heard the door open and assumed that it was just the members coming back into the room but when he looked up in the mirror he saw the most unwelcome face— the one of Minsoo.

“Oh, you’re here.” The man said in disgust as he entered the room. He spat out the word 'you' in such disgust and it caused a pang in Riki’s heart because he really didn’t get what this man had against him.

Riki sighed exasperatedly as he turned to face the manager, “What is your problem with me?”

He wasn’t harsh or defensive as he asked the question, just plain defeated. Riki has done nothing to constitute this man hating him yet he just seems to on such an unfairly founded basis.

“I have a problem with a brat like you sticking yourself in where you don’t belong.” Minsoo answered plainly.

“You’re not nearly as talented as the rest of the members, you fucking burden them and you cause this goddamn company so much trouble because everyone here insists on babying you. You may have everyone else charmed by your little act but you haven’t fooled me.” Minsoo spat, every word sharp cutting Riki like a knife as they embedded himself into the places it hurt most.

“What act?” Riki asked exasperatedly, “I don’t put on a fucking act for anyone! You just hate me for absolutely no reason.”

“I just gave you the reason you goddamn brat. Are you deaf as well as being fucking stupid?” Minsoo scowled at him, every word laced with so much venom.

Riki’s feelings were hurt, he would be an idiot to try and deny that but he’s used to Minsoo’s disgusting comments but it doesn’t mean that they don’t hurt. However he knew the best thing to do was ignore him.

“Whatever. I’m busy so I’m going to go back to what I was doing instead of wasting my time listening to your bullshit.” Riki rolled his eyes at the man before restarting the chorus part of the demo he has been using to choreograph.

“Oh so you’re actually trying to be useful for once? I’m so surprised. I don’t know why you bother though, since you’re so goddamn talentless and you’ll just drag this group down…” Minsoo trailed off as his head turned towards the door and Riki followed his movement, his eyes widening when he saw all six of his hyungs there absolutely seething.

“Oh please, don’t stop on our account. You sounded like you had a lot more to say.” Sunoo spat sarcastically as he came over besides Riki, placing himself between his maknae and the manager.

“Sunoo-yah, I am so sorry-”

“I’m not the one you should be fucking apologizing to.” Sunoo cut the man off, his tone as sharp as a knife.

Riki was completely stunned as he looked at Sunoo. His voice dripped with pure rage that the youngest had absolutely never heard from his hyung. Sunoo absolutely got irritated and annoyed with them sometimes, especially with Riki for how much the younger teased him but Riki absolutely never saw Sunoo get angry, not like this at least.

“You’re a real piece of shit, you know that?” Jay snarled at the man, “You play all nice with us and you fucking think that you can get away with bullying our kid?”

Riki doesn’t know why but hearing his hyung referring to him as their kid really made his heart flutter. He didn’t know why but it just felt flattering to hear as they so sincerely defended him.

“Riki is an amazing and talented person and you’re a complete fool to not see that. You’re even more of a fool to think that you could get away with bringing him down without us knowing.” Sunghoon rolled his eyes at the manager.

“Apologize to Riki right now and then get out of our practice room and go start packing up your office. If you work again, it certainly won’t be in this company.” Heeseung told the man, his voice cold and authoritative as he stared at the man with a look that would kill if it could.

“I’m sorry Riki-ssi.” Minsoo said flatly as he glanced at the teenager.

Riki rolled his eyes as he folded his arms over his chest, “Shove your apology up your ass and just get the hell out of here. I’ve been tired of your shit for months.”

Riki heard a snort and looked over to see Jungwon covering his mouth with his hand as his hyungs looked at him with the amused glances, biting down on their lips to stifle their laughs.

Minsoo sighed defeatedly before spinning on his heel and leaving the practice room. When the door clicked shut behind him, the hyungs all doubled over in laughter. Riki couldn’t help but join in seeing how amused his hyungs were by him as their contagious laughs filled the room.

Jungwon managed to collect himself first and walked over and placed his hand on Riki’s shoulder, “As hilarious as that was ; 'months', Riki? How long was he saying shit like that to you? Why the hell didn’t you tell us?”

Riki couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed now as the atmosphere became a lot more serious and the hyungs all looked at Riki with questioning glances, ones that tell him that they really want an answer.

“I’m sorry hyungs.” Riki said quietly, “It’s just, he was so nice to everyone and I thought that if I said anything you guys… wouldn’t believe me.” Riki admitted the last part quietly as he stared down at the floor, slightly ashamed that he didn’t have enough faith in his hyungs.

“Riki-yah.” Sunoo called his name as he gently tilted the boy’s head up to look at him, “We would never not believe you over something like this. That man was a bully and he was belittling you and hurting you for months. You should have told us, you can tell us anything.”

“You joke around a lot but we know you Riki and you’re an honest kid. We know you wouldn’t lie to us.” Jake chimed in as he offered Riki a small smile.

“You can always be honest with us, Riki.” Sunghoon told him sincerely, “Always, we love you and we’re here for you. You can come to us whenever you need to.”

Yeah, he can. Riki thought that they have all more than proven that he can come to them when he needed despite how hesitant he had been about it and how hesitant he has continued to be about putting his full trust in his hyungs over the years.

He internally cursed himself for being so idiotic because despite his fears from before, they’ve all shown him in even their smallest of action that he can rely on them and more importantly, he can trust them.

“Thank you hyungs… for looking out for me, I mean.” Riki told them quietly.

“Always Ki.” Jungwon said as he pulled Riki into a side hug and leaned his head on the taller’s shoulder, his words sounding nothing short of a promise— which they were. Jungwon meant them as nothing short of a promise, Riki could always come to them, always.

+ one

Riki hadn’t really been doing well lately.

Things had gotten pretty overwhelming in terms of comeback preparations and on top of that there had just been a giant influx of hate towards him online for some ridiculous reasons yet again.

It had all been because he just made a teasing comment to Sunoo, it hadn’t even been anything nasty or at all personally offensive to his hyung— he had learned from the past to always watch what he said both on camera and to his hyungs in person because he would never want to actually hurt or insult anyone when simply making a joke.

Yet once again, he was bombarded by people calling him a bully and an ungrateful brat, people insulting him and his talents and saying that he didn’t deserve his hyungs or to be in the group and of course the oh so lovely death threats and people saying that he should go back to Japan and that the members would all be happier without him.

He had heard it so many times before, it really shouldn’t bother him, it shouldn’t keep getting to him but it’s like the first time it was said it just put a permanent nail in his heart and every time it happened again it just drilled it deeper and deeper in, increasing the pain more each time.

It hurt and Riki was tired of pretending that it didn’t. And he was tired of always lying to his hyungs and saying it didn’t bother him and leaving himself to deal with everything alone as his pillow soaked up his tears instead of having one of his hyungs to wipe them away as they cuddle him close.

Riki had six reliable hyungs and he was so tired of holding in his emotions and not opening up to them when all he wanted to really do was lay his heart bare and let them help it through it all.

So with that thought in mind, Riki trudged out of his bedroom where he had been laid alone for a few hours after dinner, opting out of watching a movie with the others which he would usually jump at the opportunity to do.

Riki walked into the living room where all his hyungs were sitting around, their eyes focused on the television as whatever they watched played at a high volume.

Jake was seated on the couch and the Aussie was always someone who brought him a lot of comfort and the member Riki always felt comfortable being physically affectionate with.

Riki plopped down onto Jake’s lap and buried his face in the older’s neck, inhaling the older’s sweet honey scent that always brought him so much comfort and security.

“Riki-san?” Jake asked in surprise as Riki never really did this out of nowhere, “Is something wrong buddy?”

Jake’s gentle tone as he asked that specific question just made something in Riki snap and he felt tears run down his face as he loudly sniffled into Jake’s neck.

“Riki, baby?” Jake asked, so much more worried as he felt something wet on his neck. He leaned Riki’s head off his shoulder and the members hearts all completely broke when they saw Riki’s shiny eyes and red nose as tears cascaded down his cheeks.

Jay hurriedly paused the movie and scooted closer to Jake before placing his hand on Riki’s back and rubbing circles over it. They could all tell that something has been off with their maknae recently but they didn’t want to push him to talk about it if he didn’t want to. But they were only more worried by Riki suddenly coming to them and crying like this especially when he so rarely cries as it is.

“What is it sweetheart? What’s wrong, talk to hyungs.” Jay told the youngest in that particular soft voice that always made Riki feel so at ease.

Riki loudly sniffled as he looked at his hyungs who had all gathered by the couch to check on their maknae, all completely crushed seeing him so upset.

“I’m not a bully...” Riki loudly sniffled, almost choking on the simple words as he begun. Tears were still falling down his face and his throat felt closed up so he had to compose himself to continue but those simple words let the members all know what this was about.

They’ve all unfortunately also seen the horrible things that people were saying about Riki after taking one clip from a live and completely spinning a bullshit tale about it to suit their narrative all because they don’t like their kid, not because it’s true or because they cared about the members but just because they hated Riki for whatever reason.

The hyungs could never understand how anyone could hate a person so precious yet people do and it’s clear their comments got to Riki far more than he admitted all the time. But they’re really glad that Riki came to them about this.

“We know you’re not Riki. You’re not a bully or a brat or anything that people say about you.” Jake told him reassuringly as he rubbed soothing circles into Riki’s back.

“But everyone keeps calling me one!” Riki exclaimed in frustration, taking the members aback a little.

“I’ve become so much more conscious of what I say and how I say it. I’m so careful to not say anything mean or offensive and I don’t go too far when teasing you guys because I never want to hurt any of you but everyone keeps saying that I do.” Riki rambled out as more tears flowed down his cheeks.

“It’s been constant for so many years and I’m so t-tired of it hyungs. I try my best, I try my best to be good enough yet I’m just not. People always tell me that I’m not and I’m tired of pretending that it doesn’t hurt because it does hyungs. It hurts so bad.” Riki sniffled as he started crying even louder.

“Oh baby,” Sunoo sighed as he reached up and took one of Riki’s hands, “You know that nothing that those people say is true, absolutely none of it and of course we all know too. We’re the people who know you Riki and you don’t have to pretend with us.”

“All those people online are so full of shit, Riki. They just see what they want to see and they insist on trying to see you as a bad person when you’re not.” Heeseung told him, his voice firm yet gentle as he tried to remind Riki of how incredible he was.

“Unfortunately those people are always going to be around,” Sunghoon chimed in, “But you listen to us : the people that love you and know you and think you’re the most precious person on the planet because you are, Riki-yah.”

“Sunghoon-hyung’s right.” Jungwon nodded as he gently patted Riki’s back, “But when those shitty people get to you again, don’t be afraid to say it hurts you.”

“You’re only human Ki and you’re the strongest person I know.” Jay praised as he gave the youngest a small smile which he managed to return as he listened to his hyungs’ words, “When assholes get you down, we will always be here to pick you back up.”

“We’re here for you Riki-san and we’ll be here to remind you how incredible you are and put that adorable smile of yours back on your face or just be a shoulder to cry on when you need us.” Jake said as he pulled Riki into a warm and tight hug, his embrace as secure as ever.

The other members all jump up and join in, the seven of them becoming a mess of limbs on the couch as they hold their maknae close.

“We’ve got you, Riki. Always.” Jake emphasized before he pressed a kiss to Riki’s temple.

There that word was again, always. Riki finally realized what it really was : it was their promise to him, their promise that he was safe with them.

Riki really couldn’t put anymore of his love or trust into the members; they’ve earned every ounce of it and shown Riki that he was not nearly as alone as he feared he would be when they started this Enhypen thing. His fear to put his trust in them was long gone.

They were his always after all.