A/N: This story is turning out to be longer than I anticipated, but I'm hoping not to exceed 10 chapters, if possible. It may appear like it's moving too fast, but I wanted to get to the nitty gritty's fairly soon, highlighting WooGyu's transition from fan/idol to friends and eventually, to something more. Please let me know if you think I'm moving too fast and I'll try to slow down as much as possible to make sure you all enjoy the pace and not feel like I'm rushing you!

“Hyung!” Woohyun sent a heart to Sunggyu and winked, cutely.

The latter scrunched up his nose in disgust. “Ugh. Greasy.”

The younger winked again, receiving a groan of annoyance in return.

The two were in a waiting room at the hospital's cancer ward for a check-up with Sunggyu’s doctor on his prognosis. If the last chemotherapy went well, then Sunggyu can proceed to the next phase of the treatment. If that worked, then he was closer to complete remission and getting better. If it didn’t, well, they would worry about that if it happened. 

Sunggyu did his best to explain it all to Woohyun, but there was a reason why the latter became a singer and not a doctor. He was never the best at school.

But, he was good at cheering people up, which was what he was doing for Sunggyu now.

The weather was getting colder and colder. In the last couple of weeks, the more Woohyun got to know the older, the more he discovered that the shy and meek Sunggyu was just a front. As soon as he got comfortable with someone, Sunggyu turned naggy, mean, and sarcastic and had a sharp tongue and enough eye rolls to last a lifetime. Overall, he was so not the sweet hamster that Woohyun first met!

But, strangely enough, Woohyun found the real Sunggyu much more endearing… more refreshing. He was starting to know Sunggyu as well as he knew the lyrics to all of Infinite's songs.

Thus, he also knew that despite the older’s insistence that he was fine, he was nervous, judging by the tight grip he had on the wheelchair he was sitting on at that moment.

And so Woohyun had laid on the grease, which he hoped would take the Sunggyu’s mind off the appointment. Thankfully, there was no one else aside from the nurse and Sunggyu’s sister in the waiting room with them. So, he could be as cute and as silly as he wanted!

“Come on, hyung, you know you love it,” he cajoled, throwing him more hearts with his hands and fingers.

From beside Woohyun, Sunghee snickered as she read a magazine.

Sunggyu frowned at him with narrow eyes. “I don’t know what I saw in you,” he stated. “That’s it, I’m changing my favorite to L.”

Woohyun gasped, feeling offended. “Myungsoo?! Why?!”

“He’s handsome.”

“Looks aren’t everything! I’m handsome too!”

“He has a nice voice.”

“I’m the main vocal!”

“He’s not a greasy tree like you.”

“That’s because he’s a cold, ice prince. You don’t need that in your life, hyung. Trust me.”

Sunggyu stared at him before bursting into laughter. Woohyun felt quite smug and secretly pleased. He loved making Sunggyu laugh.

“Hyung, I’m serious!” he whined, taking Sunggyu’s arm gently and shaking it. “You can’t like Myungsoo! You like me! Me! Me! Me!”

“Yah, stop that, you’re an idol!”

“I’m still your favorite, right, hyung?”

“Woohyun…”

“Bbuing bbuing!”

The older’s eye twitched. “Woo-.”

“Sunggyu-shii, Dr. Choi is ready for you now,” the nurse interrupted, gently, trying to hold her laughter.

That was Sunghee’s cue to stand up and get behind Sunggyu’s wheelchair to wheel him into the doctor’s office.

“Will you be okay out here, Woohyun?” she asked.

The idol gave her a thumbs up before lifting his mask to his face, ready to wait until they were done.

Honestly, Woohyun wasn’t sure why he was so invested in this friendship with Sunggyu. Maybe because he was the first fan that he actually befriended? Could it be that he felt sorry for Sunggyu?

But, no, he didn’t pity Sunggyu, not at all! In fact, he kind of sort of admired the older. After everything he had gone through, he was staying strong through it. Woohyun had to admit that he was attracted to that strength and determination. Not to mention, Sunggyu was really adorable… They were no longer just idol and fan… they were friends… really good friends.

His phone beeped and he checked to see a message from Hoya.

Where are you? I can’t keep covering for you! Dongwoo hyung keeps asking if you’re on your way.

Right. He had asked the main dancer to cover for him, telling their leader that he was making a pit stop at his brother Boohyun’s restaurant to wish his sister-in-law a Happy Birthday (it wasn’t her birthday). Hoya was the only one who knew he was at the hospital with a friend.

Infinite had a schedule that night, a performance at a birthday party of a Korean Senator’s daughter. Apparently, she was a fan and wanted them to perform for her 16^th. He was supposed to be at vocal practice with the others, but when Sunggyu told him about today’s appointment, he just had to accompany them. He wanted to be one of the first to know the status of Sunggyu’s health.

He quickly texted back.

Tell him that there’s a lot of traffic. The taxi can’t find a way out of it. I’ll be there soon. He’s almost done.

He put the phone away again and leaned his head back against the wall.

s were all curious about the mysterious friend he had been texting and calling almost every day in the past couple of weeks. He and Sunggyu talked whenever he had a free moment in between schedules. They conversed about everything and nothing at the same time. Sometimes, he would spoil taped music shows for Sunggyu, who would then berate him for it. The older also never failed to nag him about eating and sleeping.

Woohyun loved it.

He waited about 20 more minutes until Sunggyu and Sunghee emerged from the office.

Sunggyu’s chemo was a success and he was set for phase two in two weeks!

Obviously delighted by the news, Sunggyu chattered happily as Woohyun wheeled him to the front of the hospital while Sunghee got the car. Woohyun, equally happy and relieved, allowed him to do so, not interrupting once, as he enjoyed it when Sunggyu talked. The older was usually quiet, so this talkative Sunggyu was a treat.

“Are you sure you don’t need a ride?” Sunggyu asked as Woohyun helped him into the passenger seat. “We can drop you off, right, noona?”

Sunghee agreed.

As much as Woohyun would like to, he shook his head. “There could be cameras lurking around there, and I don’t want to accidentally put you guys in the spotlight. I’ll be fine, really.” He smiled at Sunggyu and reached over to fix his beanie more firmly over his ears. “I’ll text you when I get home from the party tonight, okay? But, don’t wait up. Sleep if you’re tired already.”

The older rolled his eyes. “Yes, Umma.”

“Yah!” Woohyun reached out to pinch Sunggyu’s cheek, gently. “You’re so mean to me, hyung.”

Sunggyu only stuck his tongue out before closing his door. “Whatever, Hyun,” he said in an annoyed tone, but his smile said otherwise.

Woohyun watched the car as it drove away from him, feeling something very warm and pleasant in his chest.

A ‘ping’ from his cellphone reminded him that he had somewhere to be, so he quickly hailed a cab and was off to his idol responsibilities.

+++++++

The night before Sunggyu’s second treatment, Woohyun couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed, even tried counting sheep, but nothing was working. Frustrated, he got up and climbed down the bunk bed. His roommate, Sungjong, was still fast asleep, so he grabbed his phone and tiptoed quietly out of the room.

He headed into the kitchen to make himself a cup of calming tea for his nerves. He wasn’t sure exactly why he was feeling so anxious. It wasn’t like he was the one getting treatment. He had visited Sunggyu at the hospital that afternoon after his schedules were done, and the older admitted to him that he was frightened. Although it wasn’t his first time undergoing the treatment, the older was still scared that it wouldn’t work, that he would relapse again and again.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can take, Hyun,” he had quietly admitted to Woohyun.

The only thing the idol could do was take his hand and say, “You’re strong, Sunggyu-hyung. You can fight this. And I’ll fight alongside you, okay? I’m not leaving you.”

The older had blushed at that and tried to take his hand back, but Woohyun refused. He refused to let go until hospital staff had to kick him out because visiting hours were over.

Woohyun sighed into his tea as he sat on the living room floor.

He wished he could be with Sunggyu in the morning before he went in for the treatment, but he had a full day of schedules: radio and TV interviews and then meeting up with composers and songwriters for his solo album. Yes, the company had confirmed it, finally, and officially announcing it to the fans soon. When exactly, they weren’t sure yet, but they were aiming for the release to be in the Spring of next year. He probably wouldn’t be able to see Sunggyu for a couple of days, while he went to these meetings.

“Woohyun? What are you doing still up?”

Dongwoo walked into the living room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“I should be asking you that, hyung. You sleep like the dead.” 

“I had to go to the bathroom. Hold on.”

With that, he left Woohyun to do his business. When he returned, he settled himself on the floor next to the younger vocalist.

“I should be scolding you since we have to be up for 8am practice, but I’ll overlook this for once. What’s wrong?”

Woohyun gave a start. “Why do you think something’s wrong?”

“You’re drinking tea at 3 in the morning. You always do that the night before a comeback when you get nervous.” Dongwoo patted his knee. “Now, tell Leader-nim what’s wrong.”

Woohyun hesitated. He was absent-minded most of the time, but when it came to problems, nothing could escape the Leader's eyes. Could he really tell Dongwoo everything that was on his mind? He knew he could trust the Leader. He may be soft-hearted and had a difficult time getting the kids to listen to him most of the time, but if there was one thing his Leader could do was listen to problems and give advice.

As the older idol continued to flash him a look of understanding, Woohyun gave in.

“You see… I have… a friend,” he started but Dongwoo interrupted.

“By friend, do you mean yourself or an actual friend?”

Woohyun sighed. “An actual friend. He…” The idol ran a hand through his already messy hair. “He’s… sick. Like… life-threatening sick… He has cancer.”

Dongwoo’s eyes widened. “I… I’m sorry, Woohyun-ah.”

The younger placed his head on his hands, sighing deeply again. “And I don’t want to lose him. I know we just met and we only started getting to know each other, but… I think…”

He paused, not sure if he should continue. To be honest, this was the first time he was actually examining his feelings when it came to Sunggyu. As in, really examining and thinking about it. It terrified him, what these new feelings meant. But, Dongwoo was pretty open-minded, considering he grabbed other men’s butts for fun, so this wouldn’t be weird to him, right?

Dongwoo prodded his knee with a finger. “You think what?”

Woohyun took a deep breath and prepared himself. “I think I like him… Like… Really…. Like him…”

He carefully watched the older’s face as comprehension dawned on him, slowly but surely.

Dongwoo’s mouth dropped open with an, “Ahhh…”

“I… I mean… I don’t know! I’ve never liked a guy before! I don’t even know if I actually like him like him, or just admire him or find him cute or-.”

“Woohyun-ah,” Dongwoo gently interrupted with a smile. “Is this talk about you being worried about your sick friend or your feelings for your sick friend?”

The younger pursed his lips. “Both, I guess.”

Dongwoo chuckled. “Why don’t you start from the beginning so I can understand a bit better?”

The leader was flashing him those kind, understanding eyes, the ones that make the members’ resolve crumble and give in to their sweet sunshine of a leader. And give in was what Woohyun did.

He told him everything about how he met Sunggyu through the show (“He’s really cute!” Dongwoo commented, having watched the episode when it aired), about how he had been spending all his free time visiting him (“So that’s where you go when our schedules finish!” the older realized, nodding his head in understanding now), and the weird feelings that bubble up inside him whenever he was hanging out with Sunggyu.

“… I could have sworn I was straight this whole time. But when I met him, I started feeling all these weird… stuff… Like when he smiles, my stomach is all in knots, and when he laughs, my heart starts beating like it’s going to jump out, and when he looks at me all irritated, it just makes me want to pinch his cheeks ‘cause he’s so cute.”

Woohyun didn’t realize that he had a goofy smile on his face this entire time until Dongwoo flashed him a teasing grin.

 “You really like him, huh?” the older asked.

He nodded. “I do.”

“You do look happier these days… happier than most days I’ve seen you, even Myungsoo noticed. He complained about it.”

“When Sunggyu-hyung talks to me, I feel like nothing can ever make me sad again.”

“Then… why don’t you tell him how you feel?”

Woohyun looked alarmed. “Tell him how I feel?! I don’t even know how he feels! I don’t even know if he likes men!”

“Well, you said you’re his favorite member.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean he has a crush on me! He said he likes my voice. I don’t even know if he finds me handsome! He said Myungsoo is more handsome than me! Can you believe that?!”

Dongwoo chuckled at the vocal’s offended and jealous tone. “Okay, then, why don’t you ask him on a date?”

“Hyung! I’ve never gone on a date with a guy before! I don’t know how it works! What if he hates it? Or worse, what if he actually doesn’t feel anything for me and he thinks I’m being a creeper?!”

Woohyun was practically hyperventilating now in worry and Dongwoo made him take deep calm breaths. Once his breathing and heart rate were back to normal, Dongwoo spoke again.

“Well, then, just be there for him.”

The younger blinked. “Be there for him?”

Dongwoo nodded, looking serious (which was rare, since the leader was always all smiles and laughter).

“Before anything, you’re his friend and he needs someone by his side. You said that his friends don’t really visit and he doesn’t know anyone around here. He needs someone to lean on, and you can be that person for him. Just show him how much he means to you by doing that.”

He patted the younger’s hair, affectionately and Woohyun smiled.

“I’ll be there for him always, even if he doesn’t want me to be!” he swore, but then his face fell again. “But, he’s having his treatment tomorrow and I can’t see him off because of our schedules. And I’ll be busy in the next few days too.” He sighed, loudly. “I don’t like being an idol, sometimes.”

Dongwoo chuckled. “If you weren’t an idol, you wouldn’t have met him.”

The main vocal pursed his lips. “True. I guess I have my career to thank for letting me meet Sunggy-hyung.” He looked down at his phone. “I guess I could always call him before the chemo.”

The leader patted his shoulder. “You do that. But, for now, go to bed. Please. Jungryul-hyung will have my head in the morning if you’re not up to standards tomorrow.”

“Alright, alright.”

The two got up and started heading to their separate rooms. Before Dongwoo could enter his room, Woohyun called his name. The leader turned.

“Thank you, hyung,” he said, gratefully.

“No problem, Woohyunnie.”

The two proceeded to their respective bedrooms and Woohyun’s chaotic mind finally managed to calm down, allowing him sleep.

+++++++

The next morning, when the rest of Infinite were running around and getting ready, waiting for their managers to pick them up, Woohyun called Sunggyu. He actually expected it to go to voicemail since Sunggyu would never wake up this early.

So he was really surprised when his call was answered on the third ring.

 “Yah, why are you calling so early in the morning?” the older whined.

Woohyun paused. “You couldn’t sleep, huh?”

He knew that Sunggyu loved his sleep, but the only time he couldn’t was when he was nervous… or afraid.

There was silence on the other line until the older finally sighed. “I… slept for a little bit… I forgot to silence my phone so I woke up when you called.”

“Woohyun, have you seen my purple jacket?!”

“You probably left it in the shoe closet again, Hoya!” Woohyun answered before turning his attention back on the phone. “Are you nervous?”

The other didn’t answer.

“Don’t be afraid, hyung,” the idol said in the most reassuring tone he could muster. “You’re strong, I know you can get through it. You always did. I’m sorry I can’t be there today, but I promise to visit you as soon as I can, okay?”

“Okay,” Sunggyu finally answered.

“Wait for me, okay? I’ll bring you fruit.”

“Strawberries?” the older asked and Woohyun could almost see the glee in his eyes.

He chuckled. “Strawberries. Lots of them! I promise! So, wait for me, okay?”

“Okay… Thank you for calling, Woohyunnie. I feel… calmer now.”

Woohyun chuckled again. “Calm? Aish, I wanted to make your heart beat faster, hyung! Should I do some aegyo on the phone?”

“Don’t you dare-.”

“Chu! Bbuing bbuing! Sunggyu hyung is the best!”

“I’m hanging up, Woohyun.”

“Woohyun-ah! Say goodbye to your friend, we have to go!” Dongwoo called from the door.

“Okay, okay!” he called back to the leader. “I’ll text you tonight, okay, hyung? If you feel awful, you don’t have to reply.”

“I got it, Woohyun. Go before Dongwoo has your head.”

“Hyung, he’s really not that scary-.”

“Nam Woohyun!” Dongwoo growled.

“Gotta go, bye hyung, love you!”

Woohyun hung up and stuffed his phone into his jacket pocket before grabbing his shoes and running out to catch up with the others who were already on their way to the elevators. It wasn’t until he was seated in the van and had a few moments to think that he realized, to his horror, the last thing he said to Sunggyu before hanging up.

Did he actually say “love you” to Sunggyu?!?!

Again, really hope that the pace wasn't too fast. 

As mentioned before, my forte is fluff and I enjoy writing fluff and I'll do as much fluff as I can before the actual angst starts happening. Which, I believe, won't be for a while. I want to write lots and lots of fluff first, although I already have parts of the angst finished.

Leave me some comments to motivate me, please! Until the next one, chingus!