A Long Night with Advice and Promises

The night seem to stretch on forever, with the group raving about Cube’s upcoming events and the surprising revelation of Eunkwang’s and Minhyuk’s birthday coincidently being a week apart.  There was constant chatter simultaneously occurring throughout the encampment, laughter and sometimes screams of joy echoing within the confines of the park. The guides regularly walked by ensuring the safety of the trainees and warning some to lower their voices in consideration to thoses who had left the campfires early for rest.

Although the beginning of the day had not started out as plan, Changsub found himself thoroughly enjoying the company of his companions and did not want it to end. He was having a great time just being with his friends, old and new, although he still had reservations about the young boy, Ilhoon, who had the audacity to dare Sungjae to kiss him on the cheek, embarrassing the boy in front of the others.

He still did not understand what this boy,Ilhoon had against Sungjae but he planned to confront him later on when he was given the chance. He could see that Sungjae had begun to act a little funny after the dare and he did not want this to cause a rift between their friendship so he had tried his best to make Sungjae comfortable, drawing him out to have fun with him. However, he had to admit, he was a little curious about whom Sungjae had a crush on. When they had begun the game, Ilhoon had targeted him but he had spotted Ilhoon suspiciously eyeing Sungjae beside him during his part of the game causing him to question why.

His thoughts getting the best of him, he shook his head and re-focused on the now, where his friends were currently using the campfire to roast marshmallows. A guide walked behind them notifying them that they had ten minutes before everyone had to head to bed. Eating the last bit of the roasted marshmallows, they slowly gathered their things and started heading to their tents.

“Two to a tent, please! I do not want to hear anymore chatter once it passes ten minutes!” a guide could be heard screaming, alerting the trainees still gathered near the campfires.

“Is everyone partnered up, or should we play a game to decide?” Eunkwang asked out loud to the others walking behind him, turning around to view their faces when asking them.

“I want to partner with you though,” Minhyuk whispered audibly beside him, smiling at Eunkwang. Eunkwang smiled back shyly at his suggestive response. Changsub snickered at Eunkwang’s reaction, noticing his close friend’s tell-tale signs of hidden embarrassment but with masked amusement reflecting in his eyes.

“Ilhoon can stay with me,” Sungjae said out of nowhere, surprising Changsub. Changsub turned around to look at him oddly. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Why would Sungjae want to partner with the boy who had embarrassed him earlier?

“I guess, it’s me and you then, Changsub hyung,” Hyunsik said quietly, looking over at Ilhoon who was already standing beside Sungjae.

“Looks like everyone’s chosen their partners for the night,” Eunkwang said. “I’ll see you guys in the morning. Good night!” Eunkwang was already being dragged off by Minhyuk to the furthest right tent.

Changsub stood there watching as Sungjae began to walk off with Ilhoon, a strange feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

“Wait!” Changsub called out, running after them. Sungjae stopped when he heard his voice and turned around with eyes wide opened. Ilhoon had also turned but with an unreadable smile placed on his face. “I need something to sleep in. Remember? You told me I could rely on you when it came to clothing and hygiene since my bag was forgotten back at the dorm.”

“Aaah….yeah. I’ll be right back. Wait here,” Sungjae said, his face relaxing once Changsub had spoken. Sungjae disappeared into the tent he’d left his bag in, leaving Changsub behind to stand with Ilhoon alone. Hyunsik had already left to the tent they would be sleeping in, between Eunkwang’s and Sungjae’s tent.

“Hey,” Changsub begun, glaring at Ilhoon, speaking quietly as not to be heard from eavesdroppers nearby. “I don’t know what you have over Sungjae but leave him alone. Okay!?”

Ilhoon responded by giving him a small laugh. “What do you mean?”

"I mean, I’ve caught you watching us, and I know you’ve been bothering him. I just don’t know why. Why are you bothering him? What did he do to you?” Changsub interrogated.

“Nothing. I’ve already solved the issue,” Ilhoon confessed. Changsub was confused at his response. Solved what? In that small amount of time? When? What had he missed?

“What are you talking about? Solved what?” Changsub asked desperately.

“If you want to know, you should ask Sungjae,” Ilhoon said in a mocking tone. “Although, he probably won’t admit it to you,” he hinted further. Sungjae came running back then, handing Changsub a pair of large black sweatpants with a matching hoodie and a white undershirt.

“It’ll get cold tonight so you might need these instead of thin pajamas,” Sungjae explained. Changsub nodded his head waiting for Sungjae to say anything else but he didn’t. He knew it. Sungjae was still acting weird ever since the incident that the boy standing beside him had caused and now he was heading off with that boy into his tent.

Changsub turned around disgruntled and a little peeved and began heading to the tent that Hyunsik was occupying, showing frustration at the whole situation by stomping his feet against the ground along the path there. In the tent, he changed into the sweats that Sungjae had given him, noticing in the light that the hoodie had a large number six stitched in white on the back and his surname Yook, but with an ‘s added at the end marking the hoodie as Sungjae’s, in the front right side. Changsub smiled to himself at Sungjae’s fascination with the number six.

“What are you smiling about,” Hyunsik asked curiously.

“Nothing,” Changsub answered, forgetting that Hyunsik was there. Reflecting back on the problem at hand, Changsub observed Hyunsik who was looking over sheets of music scores he’d written during the bus trip. “You sat next to the boy, Ilhoon, right? Did you notice anything weird about him?” Changsub asked, digging for background information about the culprit behind Sungjae’s strange behavior.

“No, not at all. But we didn’t really talk much. He was reading a book most of the time we were in the bus and I didn’t want to seem rude and interrupt his reading,” Hyunsik replied. Changsub nodded at this.

“Lights out!” a guide yelled close by, probably spotting their tent still lit up. Hyunsik hurriedly shut off the lamp while Changsub grabbed a blanket and wrapped his body completely, lying down and trying to find a comfortable position on the ground.

                                                                                                                                                       *****

“....Hey! …..sub, Changsub!” Changsub heard his name being called in his ear. He cracked his eyes open to blurringly see the boy Ilhoon kneeling above him. Changsub eyes flew wide open and he sat up fast, putting distance between himself and Ilhoon.

“What are doing here? What time is it?” Changsub said blinking rapidly, looking around lost. It was still dark outside.

“I can’t do it. You go sleep with him,” Ilhoon said out of frustration.

“Wha?” Changsub said, confused.

“He’s a snorer! I can’t deal with that. I’ll sleep here. You go sleep next to him,” Ilhoon said exasperatedly. He scooted himself between Changsub and the sleeping form of Hyunsik, pushing Changsub off his spot and eventually out of the tent.

“What a rude brat…” Changsub grumbled to himself, but too tired to argue. He stumbled over sticks and twigs, causing him to curse a few profanities along the way. “It can’t be that bad…”Changsub said, carefully walking to Sungjae’s tent but the closer he came to his tent, the more he heard what sounded like a bear growling.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Changsub said irritably. It was going to be a very long night.

                                                                                                                                             ~~~~~

Changsub hyung, I like you,” Sungjae confessed to a shocked Changsub. Changsub remained quiet, digesting his confession that sprung out of nowhere.

“I like you too, Sungjae-ah,” Changsub said, smiling back at Sungjae, his face lighting up as he said the words.

“Really?” Sungjae asked, shocked but happy. He walked up closer and leaning down…..

Sungjae woke up with a huge smile, hugging up against the cozy blanket lying next to him. If only his dream would come true but he highly doubt that Changsub would react the same way he did in his dream. Sighing, he opened his eyes slowly and received a shock, his heart jumping in his chest. Changsub was laying beside him, his face lying against his chest. Sungjae noticed he had his arm comfortably wrapped around Changsub’s waist and immediately snapped his arm back, frightened that he would wake his hyung up in the position they were in.

A few moments later when he realized he wouldn’t wake up soon, he laid back on his side watching closely as Changsub slept, breathing rhythmically, memorizing all creases and curves on his face. When did he get here and why was he here in the first place? And where the hell was Ilhoon? Changsub started to move, turning his back on him and stretching his arms out, yawning. Sungjae pretended to be asleep, hearing his hyung begin to sit up. He felt Changsub’s hand touch his shoulder and gently shook him a little.

“Sungjae-ah, wake...up,” Changsub said in mid yawn. “Wake up, it’s morning.” Sungjae opened his eyes to see Changsub leaning over him, bags formed beneath his eyes. Sitting up, he stretch his arms up and feigned a yawn.

“Hyung, did you not sleep well? You have bag beneath your eyes. You look like a panda,” Sungjae .

“Yaaa….this,” he said while pointing his index finger beneath his eyes, “is your fault!” Changsub glared at him, pouting his lower lip out.

“What do you mean?” Sungjae asked apprehensively.

“You should at least warn someone before they sleep around or near you,” Changsub continued to complain. “You kept me up most of the night with your obnoxious snoring! First, Ilhoon wakes me up in god knows what hour and then proceeds to kick me out, telling me he can’t deal with your incessant snoring and for me to deal with it.”

“Ohh…..sorry,” Sungjae apologized.

“That’s not all!” He looked at Sungjae pointedly, moving closer while still glaring at him, making Sungjae feel guilty for keeping his hyung up all night. No wonder he was sleeping peacefully in his arms earlier, Sungjae thought.

“Yaaaaah...you aren’t listening. Quit daydreaming!” Sungjae looked at Changsub, waiting for him to go on. “You had your body all over me last night, you kicked me in my legs and stomach and then you crushed me with your arms like I was some kind of teddy bear. I thought I was going to suffocate to death,” Changsub half screamed at Sungjae.

Sungjae could feel his face become a slight touch of red at the latter part of Changsub’s statement. Sungjae scratched the back of his head out of embarrassment, remembering the dream he had last night. He hoped he didn’t sleep talk during the fiasco of the night that Changsub described because he knew he would be further embarrassed by any words he may had said during it.

“Hyung, I’m sorry,” Sungjae emphasized his apology, hoping to get Changsub out of the tantrum he was displaying. He knew Changsub couldn’t help it though. Sungjae had interrupted the sleep that Changsub loves so much he would have to endure it. Changsub would probably be grumpy for most of the day and it was his fault.

Scratch that! It was Ilhoon’s fault!

Sungjae mulled over the night before. He had suggested for Ilhoon to sleep with him for the night, hoping to seek the advice that Ilhoon had offered earlier, but was a bit surprised to see his Hyung look at him expectantly when he did so. Changsub had looked confused and shocked that he had offered to stay with Ilhoon but Sungjae couldn’t outright tell him the reason behind it. He knew Changsub had been expecting to stay with him especially with him offering to take care of Changsub’s needs for the trip since he had no luggage with him. When Changsub had called for him to wait he had been frightened that his secret had been discovered by his Hyung but was relieved when Changsub had asked for pajamas for the night.

Later in the tent, Sungjae had asked Ilhoon questions but he couldn’t get anything out of him for the first few minutes because he kept teasing him about how Changsub had been so protective over Sungjae.

“You should of seen it! He looked like he was going to jump me any moment, like I was going to eat you or something. I can see what you like about him,” Ilhoon had said with a large grin.

“Yeah, okay,” Sungjae said secretly happy but trying to focus on his current predicament. “You said I could come to you for advice. What should I do? You were right. This is my first time crushing on someone and it’s a boy. What do I do?” Sungjae begged. Ilhoon silently thought for a moment.

“First, you need to see what he thinks about relationships between same and then go from there,” Ilhoon told him. “That is, if you are planning to form an intimate relationship with him. If not, don’t say anything. Just let it remain a crush and stay friends, if you value your friendship. You have to be sure on how you feel before you bring him into the fold. You understand.” Sungjae had nodded his head in agreement. He didn’t want to destroy his friendship but he did want to know if there was anything beyond his current relationship with his hyung.

“He definitely cares for you though, I’ll tell you that much,” Ilhoon had added with an obvious smirk crossing his face.

“Yaaaahh...you’re daydreaming again! I should be the one daydreaming here. You slept like a baby while I hardly had an ounce of sleep,” Changsub yelled, displeased that Sungjae was ignoring his morning rants.

“It’s not my fault you slept here, Hyung. Remember, I asked for Ilhoon. I don’t know how you ended up here. Blame Ilhoon!” Sungjae said, feeling a bit guilty the more he talked. Changsub stopped mid sentence and glared at him.

“I see...Alright, I can see I’m not wanted here,” Changsub said while slowly beginning to stand up opening the tent flap to leave. Sungjae reach out immediately, grabbing his arm.

“Hyung, that’s not what I meant. I’m happy your here and I’m sorry that I kept you up for most of the night. What do I need to do to make you forgive me?” Sungjae asked Changsub, desperate to relieve the frustration and anger he had caused his hyung.

“Hmm...you can tell me what Ilhoon meant last night,” Changsub said, observing Sungjae’s response closely.

“Huh, what do you mean? What did he say?” Sungjae asked nervously. Ilhoon had not mention him saying anything to Changsub.

“He said he solved the issue you guys were having and that if I was curious about it I should directly ask you. So, what was the issue?” Changsub asked, crossing his arms in front of him, waiting patiently for Sungjae’s answer to his question.

Sungjae was momentarily caught off guard at Changsub’s question, his mind racing on how to answer his hyung without raising suspicions. Now was not the time for Changsub to discover his secret. Sungjae still needed time to readjust himself to the possibility that he may be different from others and he didn’t need another problem piled on top of it. He mentally cursed Ilhoon for even hinting to Changsub about it without consulting him first but then what did he expect out of him. Ilhoon seemed to enjoy teasing others by playing mind games and causing mischief.

Shaking his head, Changsub threw his arms down in defeat. “I guess it’s a secret, huh? If you don’t want to tell me, it’s fine. I was just really concerned that Ilhoon may be causing you trouble but if you guys already solved the problem between you guys then I guess I don’t need to worry about it. I just thought that since I’m your hyung you would at least consult with me…,” Changsub said looking a bit hurt. Sungjae felt sorry to his hyung but this was a secret he couldn’t tell him yet.

“I’m sorry, hyung. I’ll tell you when I’m ready, okay,” Sungjae said apologetically. “I promise!”

Changsub looked up at him and smiled. “You promise? Okay. I’ll be waiting. Don’t forget, okay?” He extended his pinky out waiting for Sungjae to hook his pinky with him. Sungjae smiled and reached out his hand, extending his pinky to hook with his hyung, silently promising to himself that he will confess to Changsub when he felt it was time.

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Yay! Next Chapter is here. What do you guys think? Thank you to those who have subscribed. I'm currently brainstorming on a few other fanfics that I'm working on. I may post teasers eventually on here just to see what you guys may think. :)