Work Text:
“Wooyoung, you better be dressed when I get there!”
Hongjoong’s voice ripped Wooyoung out of deep sleep. His eyes flew open as he rolled to face the door, only to lose his balance and tumble straight to the floor in a tangle of sheets. While struggling to unwrap himself, he somehow managed to get on his feet and quickly slammed the door shut on his way to his massive chest of drawers where he kept the majority of his clothes.
“I’ll be right out!” he shouted as he began digging out his underwear, socks, sweatpants and a clean t-shirt. He cleared his throat when he realized how rough his voice must’ve sounded and cursed under his breath.
He could hear Hongjoong’s footsteps pause right outside the door. “Were you seriously asleep until just now?”
Wooyoung bit his lip as he contemplated whether to lie or not. “No.”
Hongjoong sighed loud enough to penetrate the door. “Young-ah, you know how tight our schedule is right now…”
“I promise, I’ll be out before the cars get here!” Wooyoung said as he flung aside his pajamas and threw on his clothes in quick succession.
“Alright, but please keep your focus today, okay?”
The words made Wooyoung wince. It was a bit humiliating to be talked to like this. “I will!”
Hongjoong’s footsteps faded back down the hallway while Wooyoung was left to mentally beat himself up. He couldn’t believe he overslept so close to award season. And the fact that it had been their captain, his longtime crush, who’d had to get him out of bed? Hongjoong already had more than enough on his plate as it was.
Dashing into the bathroom across the hall, Wooyoung made quick work of relieving himself, washing his face, smearing on some moisturizer and sorting out his hair, all while taking note of how red his eyes were as a result of the extreme sleep deprivation he’d been dealing with over the last two weeks.
He didn’t know why but his insomnia had been acting up like crazy recently and it was really starting to wear him down. Every day, he was dead tired and achy throughout their schedules but then, the moment his head hit the pillow, his thoughts ran haywire.
Senseless phrases and images, random movie quotes, snippets of conversations with his members, it all just blurred together and created a bottomless pit of chaos and noise in his head. It drove him insane and he’d tried everything at this point: yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, lavender oil, ASMR (thanks Seonghwa, but that didn’t help at all) and, after talking to their manager, even different types of over the counter sleep medication. He’d had a lot of hope for the latter but all the meds had done was make him feel more exhausted the next day because his nights were too short for the effects to fully wear off in time.
Because of all that, he now snatched up a black bucket hat on his way out and pulled it deep into his face to hide his palor, dark circles and bloodshot eyes. Thankfully, he made it downstairs to the parking lot with time to spare.
“Alright, we’ve got the steps down so let’s all focus on our expressions on the next run through,” Yunho called out over the music on his way to the audio setup.
Once the song was paused, Hongjoong took the opportunity to clap his hands and get everyone’s attention. “We all know how bad the camera work is at these shows so there aren’t gonna be a lot of closeups but the live audience can still see us so let’s still put on our best performance as always, alright?”
An audibly tired but still enthusiastic cheer filled the room and made Hongjoong smile.
Further back and partially hidden behind Mingi’s tall frame, Wooyoung didn’t feel like smiling. His vision was getting blurry and vertigo was starting to set in. How was he gonna pull this off without any mistakes? He really didn’t want to hold the others back from making it to lunch on time.
He tried to make it look casual as he turned around and ducked his head while pinching the bridge of his nose. Deep breath in for four. Hold for four. Breathe out for six. Hold for four. Deep breath in for four. Hold for four. Breathe out for six. Hold for four.
A hand landed on his shoulder and made him jump. His head shot up. Seonghwa.
“Everything okay?” Seonghwa’s voice was warm and caring and, despite using the brim of his hat to avoid eye contact, Wooyoung knew there was concern in Seonghwa’s gaze. He could feel it burn into him and fill him with guilt. He’d gotten used to those looks over the last two weeks.
“Yeah, just tired.” Wooyoung did his best to sound casual.
“Are you still struggling with your insomnia?”
“Yes.” There was no point in lying, Seonghwa could always tell.
The hand on his shoulder gently angled him to fully face Seonghwa now but Wooyoung firmly kept his chin tucked. “You should consider talking to a doctor. We still have nearly a month before our schedule clears up. You can’t run on steam for so long, you’ll only get sick and hurt yourself.”
“I know. I’ll go soon if it doesn’t get better.” Wooyoung reached up to squeeze the hand on his shoulder in appreciation but still refused to meet his eyes. “Thanks, Seonghwa.”
“Anytime.”
“You two!” Yunho called out. “Everything okay? Are you ready to go?”
They both looked up and skittered to fill their positions in the formation. Wooyoung closed his eyes and ignored all the worried eyes he could feel on himself as he took one last deep breath before the music forced his muscle memory to kick in and carry him through the motions.
It was rough. There were multiple points at which he knew he’d fallen out of sync with the others but no one called him on it and practice commenced song after song until it flowed right into the special dance breaks for the various award shows they’d be attending.
An eternity later, Yunho finally called it a wrap and cheers for lunch filled the practice room as everyone made a beeline for the door. Everyone except Wooyoung who sank to the floor, legs crossed, before his body could cause further trouble by collapsing on him.
“Are you staying back to practice?” Hongjoong’s voice came both unexpected and expected. It made sense he’d be there to call him out on his shortcomings but Wooyoung thought he’d already left. “I can bring you something from lunch if you do.”
Actually, Wooyoung had been looking forward to a shared lunch but the question made him reconsider. He should be practicing more after all those mistakes he’d made, shouldn’t he? “Yeah, I think I will. Thank you.”
“What would you like? You’re not dieting right now, are you?”
Wooyoung shook his head and tried to figure out what he felt like but nothing seemed all that appealing so he simply shrugged.
“I’ll just see if they have one of your favorites then.” Hongjoong sounded like he was smiling but Wooyoung didn’t want to risk looking up to see for himself. He just wanted to be alone for now and figure out how he was going to survive the rest of the day without causing delays or more worry.
“Thanks, captain.”
Without further fanfare, Hongjoong patted him on his bucket hat in goodbye and left. The thump of the soundproof door falling shut behind him echoed through the practice room.
Alone, Wooyoung took a few more deep breaths. He wrapped his arms around his shins and pillowed his head on his knees as he tried to gather the motivation to get back on his feet. But it was tough when the color of his closed lids darkened and that free falling sensation started to kick in. His body tried to fend off sleep but maybe a nap would be nice. Maybe it would be exactly what he needed. Maybe it would help him focus better the rest of the day.
“Young-ah! Young-ah! Wooyoung!”
A familiar voice called his name. There was a warm hand on his upper arm, shaking him. And for just a second, Wooyoung felt comforted at not being alone. Then his eyes flew open. He immediately pushed off the gym flooring to sit up.
“What’s going on?” He looked around himself but found there was no one there except for him and Hongjoong. “Where’s everyone else?”
“I thought you’d meet us in the parking lot, what the hell are you doing here napping?” Hongjoong’s voice was slightly raised but he didn’t sound angry. The teasing edge, however, was gone. “We’ve got the video shoot before evening practice, remember? I know you’re tired but there are a ton of people already waiting for us on set.” He stood up to full height before bending down to drag Wooyoung to his feet as well. “Come on, the others are waiting and the first car already left!”
Still extremely disoriented, Wooyoung let himself be dragged around until he was pushed into the waiting car and Hongjoong handed him his promised lunch. Guilt and embarrassment were gnawing at him every step of the way. What the hell was he doing today? He needed to get his shit together before everyone’s patience with him snapped.
The drive was largely silent as Yeosang and Jongho dozed off in the back, Hongjoong and their manager were focused on their iPhones and Wooyoung was forcing down his lunch, tasting next to nothing. He hoped at least the next schedule would be fun for all of them.
The shooting site was a giant warehouse housing a bunch of luxury sets for tv dramas and other scripted content which meant they’d either have to roleplay something for their own YouTube channel or they were about to meet the host of some show Wooyoung forgot they’d been invited to. Luckily, it turned out to be the former; on a day like this he’d rather be among their own camera team than a bunch of strangers.
“Oh, they’re couples costumes!” Jongho whined.
With all his struggles hidden under layers of makeup, Wooyoung finally felt confident looking at everyone again. And with all the lights and cameras on them but no script or choreo to memorize, not even the pressure of a live audience, he finally felt like he could just have fun with his family. “Rock paper scissors for the dark blue hanbok?”
Seven fists were immediately aimed his way and made him grin.
Wooyoung couldn’t lie and say his heart didn’t flutter a bit when he ended up paired with Hongjoong. Today had been rough so far and he hoped the designated play time would help them get back to normal. Not that it was easy for him to feel normal when Hongjoong was dressed to the nines in an unfairly well fitted three piece suit with partially slicked back hair while he himself was wearing an ill-fitted dress with some basketball shorts underneath and an itchy purple wig that kept poking his eyeballs.
“My wife and I just love winter, you know?” Yeosang said, his left arm wrapped around Yunho’s waist and the word ‘Christmas’ sticking out between his hair, attached to his headband. “He- she and I met for the first time during winter too so it’s a special time of year for us.” He side-eyed the producer, checking to see if he’d said his trigger word.
“Oh yeah?” Hongjoong replied, both hands folded on top of Wooyoung’s right shoulder in a way that felt both deeply familiar and relievingly comforting. There was a teasing smirk on his face and he was emitting an aura of confidence that made Wooyoung glad they were on the same team. “Where’d you meet?”
“Uh, oh - the office Christmas party.”
“Ha!” Hongjoong bounced excitedly off of Wooyoung and gestured broadly toward the producer. “We win again!”
Yeosang groaned in frustration and slipped off his headband to check his word. “ Christmas , really? But it’s a Christmas special!”
“Our turn!” San called out as he dragged Seonghwa over while lifting his swooping skirt so he wouldn’t trip on it again. There’d already been a small incident earlier when Jongho had chased him all around the upscaled living room replica they were shooting in to get his wig back.
“There’s no way you’re gonna beat us!” Wooyoung proclaimed.
“We’ll see about that!” San threatened.
“Okay, couples!” the producer called out. “The setting is ‘Hongjoong and San are exes and meeting again for the first time, each with their new spouse’.”
‘Ooooohs’ could be heard from the other members who’d by now all found their seats on the two couches set out for them.
Following the premise, Wooyoung and Seonghwa stepped aside for a moment to give the other two a moment to talk before they swooped in to save their significant others from further awkward conversation.
“Darling, who’s this?” Wooyoung asked as he wrapped himself around Hongjoong’s arm and eyed up San with feigned disgust. It was nice to have laughter aimed at him again after two weeks of nothing but concern and smiles that he couldn’t help but feel might be forced.
“He’s no one, don’t mind him,” Hongjoong reassured and patted the hand on his bicep, sending warmth all the way down to Wooyoung’s toes.
“If he’s no one, why were you talking to him?” Wooyoung challenged and relished in the dramatic reactions from their four members in the audience.
For now, he’d let himself enjoy the rest of the shoot.
Later, he’d go back to worrying about real life when it inevitably came for him.
He managed to get some sleep on the drive back but, as he stumbled his way to the front door of their dance studio for their evening practice, he knew it didn’t do him much good. His body felt heavy. His thoughts were jumbled. And all muscle memory seemed to have left him.
“You didn’t practice at all during lunch break, did you?” Hongjoong’s eyes were closed as he rubbed at his forehead.
Their first runthrough had been a disaster, all thanks to Wooyoung who’d managed to nearly whack Mingi in the chin not just once but twice during a section where he was supposed to be all the way in the back, fully out of everyone’s reach.
“Do you want to just go back home and sleep?” Hongjoong asked as he looked back up, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
Wooyoung couldn’t help but feel like he’d disappointed him. It felt horrible. “I’m sorry. No. I’ll focus and do better this time.”
Hongjoong sighed but nodded and looked over at Yunho who was standing closest to the mirror wall. After giving him a nod, he side-eyed Wooyoung one last time before he retook his position, clearly trusting Wooyoung to follow suit and get his shit together.
Wooyoung kept messing up throughout the rest of practice, though he at least avoided interfering with anyone else. He was mostly missing minor gestures and falling out of sync here and there which spared him from getting pulled aside again but it didn’t make him feel any better. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him each step of the way. They were worried, some potentially slightly annoyed, he wasn’t sure. He couldn’t bring himself to check.
“You did good today!” Seonghwa said after Yunho called it a wrap and everyone started gathering their stuff to leave.
Wooyoung raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the words but accepted the light squeeze on his nape before Seonghwa headed for the door and exited behind Hongjoong who was likely heading straight for his recording studio again instead of the dorms.
“You wanna have dinner together?” San asked, drawing Wooyoung’s attention. His head was tilted and gaze intense. Wooyoung knew if he agreed, he’d be getting grilled on what had been up with him today and there was no doubt in his mind that San would have him confessing and in tears within minutes.
“Nah, you go ahead. I’ll see you at the dorm later.”
There was no missing the disappointment on San’s face.
“Ah, don’t pout.” Wooyoung put a smile on his face. “Let’s get lunch tomorrow, yeah?”
Visibly unhappy, San silently observed him for a lingering moment before he nodded. “Tomorrow. Now come here.” He tugged at Wooyoung’s wrist and pulled him into a sweaty hug that had Wooyoung squirming in genuine laughter before he surrendered and tightened his hold on San’s shoulders.
“You better put on a jacket before you step outside,” Wooyoung mumbled into San’s shoulder.
“You better talk tomorrow or I’ll call my dad on you.”
Moisture gathered rapidly in Wooyoung’s eyes at the idea and he quickly ducked to fully hide his face in the fabric clinging to San’s skin.
Knowingly, San’s hold on him tightened while gentle fingers began to card through the mostly product free hair at the back of his head. He could fall asleep like this if he let himself. As they let the moment linger, a few muttered goodbyes reached his ears, followed by the occasional pat on his crown or back as the rest of their members left.
Within a couple of minutes, they were fully alone but San had yet to make a move to pull away. It was clear to Wooyoung that he wouldn’t so he began to mentally collect himself before he stepped out of the embrace to meet San’s eyes. “Thank you.”
“For what?” San asked.
“You give good hugs?”
The smile was genuine but San still averted his gaze at the compliment. “Come on, let’s just go home. We could both need the extra rest.”
Wooyoung quickly shook his head. “You go, I’m gonna look for Hongjoong first.”
“Why?”
“I wanna talk to him about something.” Apologize. Explain myself.
San’s brow furrowed as his gaze darted between Wooyoung’s eyes but he accepted his wish with a small “alright” and picked up his water bottle. “Don’t let him keep you!” he ordered, his finger threateningly pointed right at Wooyoung’s nose who chuckled in response and watched San leave.
All alone, he picked up his own water and took a calming breath. He took stock of his headache and blurry vision, the heaviness of his eyelids and ache in his bones, the pain in his feet and weakness in his hands as he tried to fist them. After one more minute of swaying on the spot when he was trying to stay still, he sighed and exited the practice room, heading for the recording studio.
He found Hongjoong with his studio door wide open as always and seated at his desk with large headphones covering his ears. His laser focus was aimed at the track he was currently working on. Wooyoung always loved seeing him like this, an artist getting lost in his craft. In moments like these, he was just as cool as he came across on stage, it was a side of him outsiders rarely got to see but Wooyoung was privileged.
Sometimes, he felt in awe when he observed Hongjoong despite how long they’d known each other and how attached at the hip they often were. Hongjoong had been a tough nut to crack but Wooyoung had been determined to earn his love and respect. Over time, he’d not only managed to worm his way into Hongjoong’s affections but also became one of the few who knew what it felt like to be showered with Hongjoong’s casual touches and even the occasional self-initiated hug.
Wooyoung craved that side of their relationship right now. Merely existing was feeling so brutal recently. The stupid headache kept stabbing his eyes and blurring his vision, the ache in his bones made him feel like he could break any second, there was a weird muscle ache in his feet and legs, and overall he was just so tired. So so goddamn tired. But he hadn’t exactly earned Hongjoong’s affection today and he was highly aware of it.
He backed away from the door and sunk against the wall, his eyes closed as he steeled himself for a potential scolding. Rationally, he knew he should just go home and leave Hongjoong to work but there was no way he was getting any sleep tonight if he didn’t apologize.
With one last deep breath, Wooyoung pushed off the wall and walked into Hongjoong’s studio. It was silent, sans the rapid clicks of Hongjoong’s mouse since the noise canceling headphones meant he hadn’t heard Wooyoung come in. This left Wooyoung in an awkward position but his vision kept getting spotty as he tried to make up his mind about what to do. Fuck, he was so tired. Focus, brain. But no clear thought would come. He was getting frustrated.
“Hongjoong.” He kept his voice a bit lower, hoping not to startle him but all it did was keep him unaware of Wooyoung’s presence. Wincing as a shooting pain traveled from his temple to his eye, Wooyoung tensed his jaw. “Hongjoong?” He stepped closer to the chair and reached for Hongjoong’s shoulder but before he could make contact, Hongjoong jumped in his seat and inhaled sharply.
“Wooyoung!” He ripped off his headset and looked up at him with wide eyes for just a moment before he got up. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I… I just wanted to talk to you about something.”
Hongjoong glanced toward his desk setup. “Can it wait? I wanted to get the hook done before I head back to the dorm.”
Nervousness messed up Wooyoung’s train of thought even further, leaving him fully dissociated from the moment. “Um, I- I actually…”
“Just take a seat, alright?” Hongjoong gestured toward the couch before he gently nudged him toward it. “You can think about what you wanted to say while I get some work done, sound good?”
The request left Wooyoung feeling helpless, reduced to an annoying child or pet that was getting in the adults’ way, but with how unsteady he was on his feet at the moment, he simply obeyed and sunk into the cushions.
“Feel free to nap,” was the last thing Hongjoong said before he put his headphones back on and turned his back on Wooyoung.
Embarrassed, that was how Wooyoung felt. Humiliated. He showed up to apologize but only caused more trouble by breaking Hongjoong’s focus. Why couldn’t he just function like everyone else? They were all on the same schedule but he’d been the only one messing up all day. Heck, Hongjoong was even going overtime for all their sakes without breaking down.
There was a sting in Wooyoung’s nose as he toed off his shoes and brought his feet up onto the cushions so he could hug his knees. He really wished he hadn’t left his bucket hat with the stylist, it would’ve made him feel more secure right now. He sniffed and dropped his forehead on his folded arms.
Unlike last time, the added darkness didn’t make him fall asleep, it just made his chest hurt. He tried to think of the right words to say that would fix the situation, something that would impress Hongjoong or at least redeem Wooyoung in his eyes but his mind remained painfully empty.
“What the fuck am I even doing here?” he whispered to himself and winced as his voice cracked at the squeeze of his throat. “Don’t cry. Not here.” He lightly banged his head against his knees as his arms slid lower down his shins. “Don’t you dare.”
His face scrunched up against his will as the tears built up along his lash line and his heart hammered against his ribcage. “No.” He dug his fingers into his sweatpants, pressed his lips together and tried to focus on the clicks and clacks of Hongjoong’s workflow. It didn’t help.
Why couldn’t he just sleep? Why wouldn’t his brain let him rest? “It hurts.” He hated the pain, hated feeling useless and like a liability. He was supposed to be an equal, an asset, and he knew he could be so why? Two weeks. He’d been letting everyone down for two weeks. How much longer would they put up with it before they told him to sit out for award season? Would they make Hongjoong tell him? “Fuck… Shit.” He knocked his forehead against his knees a few more times to get the thought out.
The idea wouldn’t let him go. He could picture Hongjoong’s disappointed face, the parental sympathy. He couldn’t bear it. He wanted to go back to being equals, to being relied on. He wanted Hongjoong to feel like he could lean on him without any fears or doubts. Why was this happening to him? Was he being punished? His throat felt so tight. His chest hurt.
“Wooyoung?”
He hadn’t meant to sob but his lungs were craving air.
“What’s wrong? Are you crying?”
Hongjoong wasn’t meant to hear. What the fuck was he supposed to do now?
“Hey, it’s alright.” Beside Wooyoung, the cushion dipped under Hongjoong’s weight. “Please don’t cry, you know I’ll just join in if you do.” The concerned joking only brought on another unwilling sob. “Ah shit, alright. Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
Wooyoung quickly shook his head, not trusting his voice right now. He knew he’d have to explain eventually but it’d have to wait until his body calmed down enough to let him.
“You’ve been having a real rough time lately, right?” Hongjoong asked in a tone so soft, Wooyoung could barely comprehend it. A hand was firmly placed between Wooyoung’s shoulder blades, sending warm shivers up and down his spine and causing his scalp to tingle. “I’m sorry I didn’t take enough time to talk to you about it. There’s just been so much going on and I was trying to keep everything on schedule so we wouldn’t have to do overtime and miss out on sleep but… I’m just making excuses, aren’t I? I’m sorry.”
Wooyoung lifted his head, ignoring the stabbing pain it caused in his skull and eyes, to look over at Hongjoong with a confused frown as the meaning of his uttered words sunk in.
“Oh…” There was not just shock but outright open pain on Hongjoong’s face as he met his gaze. “Youngie, I’m so sorry.” He reached out with his free hand to cup his cheek, causing warmth to bloom, and thumbed away tears already fallen and ones still gathering. “You were right there suffering and I was looking at you but not seeing you. I wish you would’ve told me.” Hongjoong shook his head. “I wish I’d noticed. Come here.” He took both hands off Wooyoung, leaving him colder, only to open his arms and look right into Wooyoung’s eyes.
Confusion ran deep in Wooyoung’s mind at that moment. His breathing had calmed down somewhat as he was listening to Hongjoong’s words. Now all he could think was: what the fuck was happening? Hongjoong was apologizing? He was apologizing and offering…
“You don’t feel like hugging?” Hongjoong cocked his head.
No second thoughts wasted, Wooyoung dropped his hand to the cushions, turned and launched himself right into Hongjoong’s lap and arms. Straddling his leader’s thighs, with his eyes squeezed shut, he buried his face in the crook of Hongjoong’s neck and clung onto the soft fabric of his shirt. He wasn’t sure what any of it meant but, for now, he’d let himself relish the comfort and safety and let his mind wander.
The minutes ticked by but Hongjoong kept holding him without complaint. Every now and again, he’d tangle his fingers in the hair at Wooyoung's nape or tap his fingers in a silent rhythm along his back, but no further words were uttered and no move was made to push him away.
“I’m sorry,” Wooyoung eventually got out, his voice muffled by their embrace since he couldn’t bring himself to properly sit up just yet.
Hongjoong tensed up momentarily at the sound of his voice before he relaxed and replied: “For what?”
“I’ve been a mess the last two weeks. I know it’s been causing trouble during practice and that we should be at the top of our game with the holidays and award season so close. I didn’t mean to make your job harder or cause trouble for the team.”
“No offense but you’re imagining things.” Wooyoung moved back to look at Hongjoong who immediately met his eyes with a slight smile. “I’m serious! You didn’t cause trouble for anyone. So what if you make some mistakes here and there? It happens. I fucked up much worse by not checking in on you a lot more frequently. I knew we were all keeping an eye on you but clearly, we weren’t doing a good enough job if it got this bad.”
Wooyoung was already shaking his head while Hongjoong was still talking. “That’s bullshit and you know it. I’m in charge of my own health and I was trying to manage it but I just couldn’t sleep and I got so much advice from everyone and I tried it all but I still couldn’t sleep and- and I kept getting new symptoms and I’ve been so tired but every time I lay down, my mind is racing and and it’s- it’s not even like there’s a reason for it, it’s just jumbled up nonsense but it’s so loud and I can’t control it but then when I’m meant to function, I’m so tired I could pass out and-”
“Young-ah, it’s okay,” Hongjoong interrupted gently. He brushed the bangs back from Wooyoung’s eyes and let the hand fall onto his shoulder where it stayed put while his free hand kept smoothing up and down the side of Wooyoung’s back. “I’m familiar with insomnia. I know how badly it can mess you up. Dealing with it for this long when it’s already been so hectic must’ve been awful.”
Wooyoung stared back at Hongjoong and still couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing. Not even in his wildest insomnia-induced daydreams could he have imagined something like this. He was actively seated in Hongjoong’s lap, getting coddled and cuddled and his feelings acknowledged and all that while they were alone in Hongjoong’s studio in the middle of the night with no one expecting them to be anywhere until the next morning. Was this actually real life?
“Do you still remember everything you’ve tried so far to deal with this?”
Blinking repeatedly, Wooyoung tried to focus on the question. “Um… yoga, breathing exercises, ASMR, various sleep meds, essential oils, meditation, and… I think that’s about it.”
“Hmm…”
“Is there something that helped you when you were dealing with this?”
Hongjoong averted his gaze and pursed his lips, clearly deep in thought.
For a moment, Wooyoung’s dazed brain got lost studying his side profile. Their captain was really beautiful, wasn’t he? Fun to tease, too. Extremely talented. And so so kind. Even after all those years, he still wondered what it’d be like to kiss him. He didn’t dare do it. The risk was too high. Ateez was both their lives, their family. But then again, he doubted a relationship among the members could ruin anything. They’d all gotten pretty good at dealing with awkwardness, especially among the team…
“Sleeping with someone helped a lot of times.”
Wooyoung’s thoughts screeched to a halt. “Huh?”
Hongjoong smacked him lightly over the side of the head. “Not like that, you idiot.”
“I didn’t-”
Hongjoong silenced him with no more than a look. “Sleeping beside someone else may help,” he rephrased. “Have you tried that yet?”
“Why? Are you offering?”
Hongjoong rolled his eyes. “I see, you’re all better now. Get off me then!”
Panicked, Wooyoung fisted his hands in Hongjoong’s shirt. “Wait! I wanna sleep here with you! Or we can do it back at the dorm, whichever you want.” He could feel the heat rise in his cheeks at his own words but knew it’d be worth it if it meant getting to share a bed with his crush.
“Now you’re the one phrasing stuff weirdly,” Hongjoong complained.
Wooyoung pouted at the lack of an answer.
With a sigh, Hongjoong sunk back against the cushions. “So much for getting the hook done tonight.”
His heart rate increased as Wooyoung felt a smile spread across his face. “So where are we doing it?”
“You need to stop phrasing things like this.”
“Are we doing it here?”
“I swear, Youngie-”
“Or are we doing it at the dorm where anyone could see us?”
“I’m not doing anything with you if you don’t shut up!”