Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This was not happening.

He had literally just gotten to bed. Rehearsals didn't run as late as usual, considering they were making the final preparations before the film crew took over the Pledis offices and their dorms, but Seungcheol accosted him on the way back to the dorm for some last minute back-and-forth about a lyric or two. It took his hyung about an hour to finally be satisfied that the lyrics he would give to Jihoon wouldn't end up with him pouting on the way back from the recording booth. By the time he washed up, brushed his teeth and put on his pajamas, it was nearing 2AM.

And yet.

He knew it was Soonyoung before he even felt the finger poking into his ribs. He'd been restless all evening, calling for run after run, until even Seokmin's smile was starting to droop. Hyelim noona had to take him aside and convince him to call it a night because he was clearly hitting a creative wall and it would be pointless for all of them to just repeat steps he would end up taking out in ten minutes or so. He relented then, and promised to work harder to execute the image he had in mind.

Wonwoo actually wondered about asking him if he was okay, but he got sidetracked by Seungcheol. And his bed. Mostly his bed. His bed that he was now laying in, comfortably. His bed that was now cramped because someone had bunched up next to him, smelling of toothpaste and the cucumber soap that Soonyoung favored. He could hear Mingyu's faint snores from the bed below him.

"Wonwoo-ya."

He seriously considered not answering. His pillow felt so good against his cheek. Soonyoung poked him again.

"I know you're awake."

He grumbled. "You can't possibly know that."

"I want ice cream."

Wonwoo cracked an eye open. Soonyoung's face was only a few inches from his, contemplative and bare and entirely too close. He wrenched them shut again. Nope, this was seriously not happening.

"It's three in the fucking morning."

"It's actually just two. And the convenience store is still open."

"Aren't you tired?"

"I... can't sleep."

"Well I can. In fact, I really want to."

"Please?"

Wonwoo slowly opened his eyes. Soonyoung was staring at him pointedly, fingers still buried in the folds of Wonwoo's shirt. The poking was starting to get really annoying, and Wonwoo knew that when Soonyoung was in this kind of mood, it would last until he got what he wanted.

Besides, he could never say no to Soonyoung. A regrettable fact of Wonwoo's life.

With a heavy sigh, he threw off his covers. "I hope this is really good ice cream."

Soonyoung's face brightened. "My treat."

"It better be."

Chapter Text

"Can I come in?"

Wonwoo looks up, surprised. Jeonghan is leaning against the entrance to his usual dorm room (usual because no one bed is ever really 'theirs'), looking thoughtfully at him.

He gives his hyung a bright smile. "Of course, hyung!"

Jeonghan shoves past Seokmin's pile of laundry to make his way over to where Wonwoo was sitting, alone, on the lower bed of the bunk closest to the door. No one else was in the room -- some of the members were eating out at a nearby barbecue place and the rest were working on things at the Pledis offices. Wonwoo had finished early and decided to go back to the dorm to get some rest before practicing the choreography changes for their next music show stage. Promotions for their debut were moving steadily along, and it was all everyone could do to make time for school, practice and recordings. No one minded though. To get to debut after so long was the dream.

Wonwoo takes the free time when he can though. He loves his members but the constant cacophany when they are around makes him appreciate the quiet moments that much more.

Jeonghan stretches out lazily next to him, biding his time. Wonwoo briefly worries if he's said or done anything, to anyone, that would merit this "random" Jeonghan visit. Their relationship had become much better since debut but there were still things that they were wary about each other with. He mentally goes through the conversations he's had with the members recently and apart from the time when Seungkwan irritably told him to stop messing with his lint removers, he doesn't really remember anything significant.

"So..." Jeonghan swings his legs over the edge of the bed.

Ah, Wonwoo thinks, here it comes.

"Wonwoo-ya, do you remember that Andromeda broadcast the other week? The one we were both on?"

He furrows his brow. Well that was random. "... Yes?"

Jeonghan suddenly sits up to face him. The expression on his face is contemplative and... sympathetic, for lack of a better word. Wonwoo starts to worry about what this conversation is really going to be about.

"I watched it again. I was bored, and I wanted to see if it was as funny as the other members said it was."

Wonwoo is still clueless about where this conversation is trying to go. "I... thought it was funny?"

Jeonghan flashes a brilliant smile, and laughs a little. "I thought so too. I came out really good."

Wonwoo snorts, and Jeonghan nudges him playfully. The weirdness dissipates a little.

Jeonghan looks down at his lap. His hair is growing past his shoulders now, a nice deep brown.

"So how long have you had feelings for him?"

Okay this conversation definitely took a left turn. "Wh-huh?"

Jeonghan chuckles warmly. "Your face is hilarious right now," he says, pointing a finger at him.

"It's probably because I'm really... really confused right now." But he's not, not really, because he remembers that broadcast. Remembers how he had the last laugh and took the victory away from a whiny Seungkwan, how he and Jeonghan had awkwardly high-fived, how he felt when certain people kept interacting closely... But he was careful. Surely his hyung hadn't caught on.

Jeonghan shifts closer until their knees are touching. The smile on his face is not unkind. It is taking everything inside Wonwoo to maintain a poker face. He's managed to do it for four years, he can do it for the remainder of this conversation and maybe the rest of his life if he has to.

"Ya, Wonwoo-ya... you think your blank expression can fool me. But I've always been looking at you this whole time even if we haven't spoken as much as the other members," Jeonghan says, and Wonwoo maybe wants to die. A voice at the back of his head prays fervently for the ground to swallow him up so that he wouldn't have to participate in this conversation.

"I always thought... maybe, when we were training, and I saw the way you were together. But I didn't think it meant anything until I saw the broadcast again, and then I saw the way you looked at him. At them, anyway. I kind of just... put two and two together."

Shit, shit, shit.

Honestly, it's stupid to harbor feelings for someone when your goal is to become an idol, but it is certifiably idiotic to get them for someone in the same group as you. Wonwoo was never very smart to begin with. And spending that much time with the other person just made it that much harder to ignore. Four years is a long period of time to train. Four years is an eternity when you figure out that you care about your best friend as more than that.

He wants to laugh off what his hyung said but there's always been something about Jeonghan that makes you want to open up to him. There was a reason why Seokmin went to Jeonghan first when he was having a hard time about his voice; a reason why, when Seungcheol was having difficulties reaching out to his dongsaengs, he asked Jeonghan to take care of it first. Jeonghan-hyung always looked at you as if he knew what exactly you were thinking about.

But shit, this was something Wonwoo swore he would take to his grave and a talk with Jeonghan wasn't going to change that.

He smiles at Jeonghan, hoping his hyung doesn't notice his fingers clutching at the book he was reading. "Hyung, you must be getting old. That's just my face. I was... just competitive."

Jeonghan looks at him.

"Hyung, I seriously don't know what you mean."

"I see."

"Seriously! I just... I really... I just really like stickers." It sounds dumb even to him, and he's the one talking and maybe he wasn't talking about the stickers, not entirely at least. Jeonghan blinks, and then smiles. Wonwoo wants to fidget under his understanding gaze. He also maybe wants to hit his hyung, just a little bit.

"Okay, okay. I'm not going to pry." Jeonghan pats him on the knee before standing up. "But you know, if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me."

Really, this hyung.

Jeonghan is halfway out the door before he looks back at Wonwoo. "And, just throwing this out there, maybe you should consider... letting the stickers know how much you care."

Wonwoo makes a face at him. "Ahhh, hyung, what is this?!"

Jeonghan laughs and turns to leave, nearly bumping into Soonyoung.

"Oh, hyung! I thought you were at the studio!"

"I'm about to go back. How was lunch?"

Soonyoung laughs heartily. "Excellent. We should go back there, all of us. Seungkwannie brought home some leftovers if you want some before practice."

Jeonghan sighs at the thought of leftover ribs that Seungkwan favored. "Maybe later, I just ate ramen." He looks at Wonwoo, then Soonyoung, then back at Wonwoo and raises his eyebrows significantly. "You should think about it."

Wonwoo definitely wants to hit his hyung. He settles for shooting him an annoyed look.

He is still glaring at Jeonghan's back as Soonyoung plants himself in front of him.

"What was that about?"

Honest to God, all he wanted to do was read and maybe sleep a little, not be suddenly besieged by inquiries about stickers and relationships and love. Especially by Soonyoung. The one person who should never know about the whole stickers... situation.

"What? Huh?"

"You and Jeonghannie-hyung." Soonyoung tilts his head and peers at him closely. "Also, your face is red."

Normally Wonwoo can keep it together in front of everyone, but the conversation with Jeonghan has him flustered. Soonyoung is far too close and all of his defenses are wonky. He covers his flaming cheeks with sweater paws-encased hands and prays for this all to be a dream.

"I'm fine," he mutters from behind his palms.

Cool hands press against his neck, and Wonwoo nearly jumps at the sudden contact. He stops himself from leaning into the touch. "Well, you're not sick," Soonyoung declares.

Wonwoo sighs and gives himself five seconds to collect himself. When he puts down his hands, Soonyoung is still staring at him. "If you don't stop looking at me, I /might/ get sick."

Soonyoung pouts. "This is the thanks I get for trying to be nice to you." He holds his hand out, waiting for Wonwoo to grab it. "Time for practice. Get your lazy butt out of bed."

"Lazy butt," Wonwoo scoffs, but he grabs onto Soonyoung's hand and the latter hauls him out of bed.

He looks up after tying his shoelaces, and sees Soonyoung hovering by the door, playing with his phone. His bleached blond hair is swinging into his eyes, and he's completely engrossed, tapping out a quick message (probably answering Chan's question on the groupchat) and humming under his breath. Wonwoo smiles at the image. Classic Soonyoung.

He really did... like his stickers.