Chapter Text
How It Began...
It started out with an innocent suggestion one morning soon after AB6IX’s debut promotions ended. On the first full day off in a long time, Woong and his fellow Daejeon mate were alone in the dorms. Youngmin wanted to capture the first memories of post-promotions with his camera, Woojin was determined to have his first real meal in forever, and Daehwi…well, Woong wasn’t sure what the maknae was up to, but the youngest was in such a rush, Woong couldn’t ask.
And so, that left him and Donghyun lazing about, eating ramen, and playing games. They planned to browse the channels afterwards, too. Nothing out of the ordinary, but now that the chaos of debuting and being an idol was temporarily over and things were settling down, Woong’s senses seemed to regain consciousness. He thought about now and the past, his own and what he knew of the others’. What events led him here—and just like that, something so stupidly obvious jumped out at him, Woong had to restrain mimicking Daehwi’s famous squawk.
“What is it?” Donghyun had asked, catching the older’s wide-eyed frozen state only seconds later. When the main vocal didn’t answer right away, he eyed Woong for a moment and, detecting something a bit more serious than losing, paused the game and shifted toward the shorter a bit more. “Something wrong?”
Woong bit his lip and glanced down to his autumn-leaf-print pajama pants. “Sorry, I…” He thought a moment, then laughed softly at himself, the tension melting away almost as quickly as it came. “Oh, I’m so stupid. I just realized how selfish I’ve been and I just feel a little sorry.”
Donghyun raised a brow. “Sorry for what? What did you do?” He chuckled, eyes alight and nose scrunched in curiosity.
“Take so much of your time.” The grin on the younger’s face turned to confusion. He wasn’t really expecting a serious answer. Woong smiled, half in guilt and half in fondness. “All of you have been great since day one, and I’m especially thankful for the time you spent with me so I wasn’t so awkward, but it’s okay now.”
To be honest, Woong didn’t know what he was so afraid of in the beginning of his idol journey. Getting approved by not only their CEO, but the public to stand next to the famous Brand New Boys from Produce 101, yes, but the members themselves? He knew most of them already and performed with MXM many times. Of course, they’d likely get along, yet his nerves got the best of him anyway and Donghyun came like the reliable friend he was to make sure Woong was always included and comfortable.
How lucky he was to have a friend like him, and a leader so understanding and accommodating as Youngmin. Woong had to pay them back one day, and the thought made him smile bright. There was no hint of sadness or hesitation this time. “Thank you for helping me adjust,” the redhead said. “But now that I’m settled, I think it would be a waste for you to miss another day with a certain someone.” He smirked.
But Donghyun only gave him a blank stare. He blinked once, twice, three times…Woong saw the gears turning in the younger’s head as his eyes trailed to one side then back at Woong. There was something besides puzzlement and bewilderment in those eyes, but Woong couldn’t pinpoint what. Eyebrows furrowed slightly, the brunette tilted his head. “Uh…what? Certain someone?”
Woong made a gesture with his hands, as if it were obvious. “It’s been a while since you spent proper time with Youngminie-hyung, right?” The younger’s jaw clenched. Woong paused.
The silence lasted about two seconds too long before Donghyun replied. Woong was sure he meant it to be casual, but his voice came out a tad too defensive and quiet. “What about Hyung? Why bring him up all of a sudden?”
It was Woong’s turn to blink. “I just thought you might like to spend the day off with your boyfriend.”
The redhead was met with another blank stare. This time, however, no gears were turning, and no confusion marked the sculpted brows. Donghyun slowly turned away to look back at the still screen of the television, an unreadable expression on his face. “What are you talking about, dummy?” His voice was steady, but soft. “We’re not dating.”
Woong’s brows shot up. “Are you kidding me? You two were all over each other during MXM promotions, even on-camera!” He shuddered, recalling the amount of times those ‘moments’ border-lined 19+. He was shocked no articles or controversy ever came from them. “Not to mention that staring contest at our showcase… I’m not stupid, Dongdong. You can’t tell me nothing’s going on between you two.”
It was all meant as a tease. A way to make the younger break out into a bashful grin and cringe from embarrassment.
Woong truly did think the leader and lead vocal were an item, though. They were way too bold and suggestively affectionate to be trying to ‘keep it a secret.’ Woong was surprised the first time he walked into Donghyun trapping Youngmin against a wall between his arms in a corridor. Youngmin was slightly taken aback, but obviously didn’t disapprove. Donghyun himself played it off like a joke and moved away seconds later, but both boys were completely flustered and the younger couldn’t look the alpaca in the eyes. Woong didn’t think too much of it at the time, but when he became MXM’s backup dancer later, he couldn’t help noticing how often this same action occurred between the two, and how confident and daring these events gradually became. Soon enough, Youngmin was the one nonchalantly pulling his own suggestive moves—on-camera, no less—that momentarily made Donghyun become red and silent and Woong choke on his drinks.
There was absolutely none of those kinds of interactions between the two since they’ve reunited in AB6IX, so it was only natural for Woong to think his spending time with Donghyun had something to do with it.
But seeing the ruby color that now filled the younger’s neck, and the way the boy lowered his head so that his bangs covered his swelling eyes told Woong perhaps he touched on something he shouldn’t have. Donghyun said nothing, but the redness extended to his cheeks and his breathing became a bit labored. That’s when, a bit too late, Woong thought that maybe the two had a falling out and the relationship was a sensitive topic. Hopefully it was not because of him, though Woong couldn’t help the guilt forming in his belly again as he watched his best friend slowly close in on himself.
Instantly, Woong pulled the vocal into an embrace, and just like that, the charismatic visual lost all composure. He clung to the cotton fabric of Woong’s pajamas and allowed his tears to wet the shoulder offered to him. Woong could say nothing, fearing he’d only make things worse. So, he pulled his friend closer and rubbed small circles along his back instead.
Woong didn’t know how long they stayed there, but it was long enough for him to vaguely wonder what he would say or do if one of the others were to come back and see them like this.
That’s a lot of questions he wasn’t ready for—let alone Donghyun.
However, his worries were unnecessary. With a deep intake of breath, Donghyun relaxed fully in his hold. The tears had long since ended, but sniffles or hiccups echoed the room. Now, only the vocal’s breathing remained in the air, which gradually became more and more even.
When a voice broke through the silence, Woong almost couldn’t make out the words despite the source so close to his ear. “He hates me…”
He heard wrong—or was it that they changed topic without him noticing? “What?” was all he could muster.
“He hates me, hyung…” came the broken croak. “Youngmin-hyung hates me and it’s all my fault.”