Work Text:
It was getting late, the night was down. But the chatter still echoing between the walls in that beef eatery. Everyone was laughing, everyone was smiling including Hyunjae who was sitting at the end of the table. He didn’t join the younger ones to crack a joke as usual yet he was just observing them with affection in his eyes. Everyone looked so happy, and so he was.
Getting back to the dorm, the members went into their room to clean up and prepare themselves to get some rest. These past few months were excessively draining their energy and their mental state. Some of them got injured, but they still had to push themselves forward.
Hyunjae didn’t immediately go to sleep, instead he walked to the couch and plopped himself there. The others were starting to get inside their blanket, the dorm was almost quiet. Hyunjae turned on his phone, looking at the articles, the greetings from the fans for their win. It still felt bizarre for him, everything happened so fast. They showed their long-prepared performance, he even still could feel the adrenaline rushing through his blood. The announcement that felt like forever his heart couldn’t handle but he had to hold it in for the sake of his brothers. And when they announced his group name Hyunjae could feel his heart almost dropped. His members were crying but he still had to hold back, though he finally broke down when his school friend who stood at the same stage approached him to give him a hug.
“Hyung, you’re not sleeping?”
Hearing the familiar voice, Hyunjae lifted his head from his phone.
“Oh, Changmin.”
Changmin with blanket draped around him slowly walked toward him, settling himself beside Hyunjae.
“What are you doing?” He asked whilst trying to peek into the older’s phone.
Hyunjae swayed his phone, showing the screen to the smaller. “Reading the comments.”
Changmin hummed, following Hyunjae to read the fans’ comments. He smiled at himself before letting a sigh, putting his head on Hyunjae’s shoulder and hugging his arm.
“Hyung, is this not a dream?” he mumbled softly.
Hyunjae let out a soft chuckle. “Hmm, not a dream. You still can’t believe it?”
Changmin nodded, tightening his hug on the older’s arm. “But I’m happy.”
Hyunjae couldn’t help but moving his hand to ruffle Changmin’s hair, pulling him into his own embrace and hugging the smaller. Changmin made himself comfortable in Hyunjae’s embrace before looking up to see his face. He smiled at him which the latter responded with a smile back.
“Hyung.” Changmin called. Hyunjae replied him with a hum. “Are you happy?”
There was a pause. Was he happy? Of course he was happy. But there was something that bothering Hyunjae. Did he deserve it?
About Hyunjae, Changmin knew how much the members depended on him. Including himself. Hyunjae would be the first one to reach out to him when things got hard, be the first one to catch him when he fell, the first one to distract him from his negative thoughts, cheering him up with his jokes or his sometimes annoying act. It worked though. Changmin knew he didn’t thank him enough for being a reliable support. He wanted to show how much he appreciated him. How much he deserved everything.
Changmin held out his arm, holding the sides of Hyunjae’s face with his palms before getting up to hug the older, wrapping his arms around his neck. He loves Hyunjae, a lot. Thanking him about everything he had done wasn’t enough to pay him back.
Hyunjae held a smile, patting Changmin’s head. The smaller buried his face into the crook of Hyunjae’s neck, murmuring things.
“Hyung, you’ve worked hard. I don’t know how to say it to you, but I’m so thankful you’re here with us. With me. I hope you’re as happy as me today.”
Being such a pillar in the group surely gave him certain amount of burden. To always act tough for the others, he couldn’t be the first to break down when things happened. He had to make sure his brothers were okay before he checked on himself. But hearing what Changmin said, he realized that the members would appreciate him just as much and it gave him some kind of reassurance.
Hyunjae lowered his head to place a kiss on Changmin’s forehead. Not only the members, but the one who kept him going even when he was carrying the burden on his shoulders, it was no other than the boy in his embrace. The way Changmin always managed to put a smile on his lips without even trying, sometimes it was easier to go through the day as long as he had Changmin beside him.
“I’m happy, Changmin. So happy.”
Listening to Hyunjae’s words, Changmin smiled to himself. He closed his eyes, falling asleep in two sturdy arms that always ready to protect him. Night getting deeper as both of them snuggling up to keep each other warm. They ended the day with smiles on their face.