“You doing okay?” Sungyeol asks as he looks down at Myungsoo’s slumped figure. His water bottle is crushed beside him while he rests his head against the wall behind him, eyes closed and mouth down turned into a frown. Sungyeol can see the frustration and fatigue in his features, despite Myungsoo not saying a word about how tired he is. How the lack of food—good food and an influx of pills, vitamins, and more pills has been his life for the past month or so. Myungsoo is just barely past the worst of his illnesses, but it’s obvious that he’s still feeling the effects, even if he won’t admit to it.

The hand on the knee and the occasional flicker of tension and pain is also more than enough to tell Sungyeol that Myungsoo’s not doing too hot. Hoya’s lack of presence is a hole that Infinite can’t fill just yet and none of them are taking to the changes as well as they should be. The constant dancing, singing, and performing in the company studio has left all of them in states of disarray that most aren’t used to feeling in months, especially since performing as six is still a bit hard to swallow. Lines that were never theirs to begin with become their own, and for Sungyeol especially, he can’t help but feel an onslaught of emotion that he can’t really put a name too.

Sungyeol was the one to take over most of Hoya’s lines—his rap lines, and it takes Sungyeol everything to not take the mic and throw it across the room. Rap classes have immensely improved his skills as a rapper, but Sungyeol can’t help but feel a little cheated at the thought of rapping instead of singing like he eventually came to want. Woohyun and Myungsoo took the bulk of Hoya’s singing lines, while out of all of them, Sungjong became the one with the least amount of lines within the group. A fact that Sungyeol couldn’t help but have mixed feelings about, especially since this would have never happened if Hoya was still in the group.

Sungyeol had gotten his chance to finally shine, but it was at the expense of another and that hurt more than he’d like to admit. Sometimes, it was even angering, because, with the departure of Hoya, the company focused even more of their attention on Myungsoo and Sunggyu. And deep down, whatever Myungsoo had tried to secure for himself, Sungyeol knew was going to be thrown to the wayside as the company tried to get their act together. Because as much as none of them knew when they were coming back, they would be back and by that point, Myungsoo would still be the most exhausted member within the group.

The most injured too if he kept on using his knee, because it didn’t escape Sungyeol’s notice that Myungsoo was constantly rubbing at whenever he thought no one was looking. His injury from last year flaring up from all the practicing that they’ve been doing—punishing the other for spreading himself too thin, Myungsoo has had more than enough time to get used to the idea of performing with some type of pain.

Lowering himself down until he’s sitting next to his best friend, it isn’t long before Sungyeol’s reaching out to put his hand on top of Myungsoo’s, stopping him from what he was doing. Myungsoo freezing at the gesture while shame shoots through him like a firework, before Sungyeol’s rubbing at the other’s knee in his stead, silently telling him that it’s okay. Even if Sungyeol may invite himself to Myungsoo’s home to help him do the RICE method later as he hopes that the elevation and ice will fix some of the swelling. While Byeol will be sure to lay himself across Myungsoo’s chest in what the cat deems as some sort of therapy because Byeol loves Myungsoo as much as a cat can love their owner. It’s terribly sweet, and Sungyeol knows that Myungsoo appreciates how much Byeol has taken to him.

Feeling Myungsoo relax against him, the other’s body warm—almost too warm against his, Sungyeol fights off the tears that threaten to cloud his eyes. He hates how weak the feeling makes him feel, and anger rushes through his blood like liquid fire. It’s been two months, and he hates how he’s not over it, especially since he was okay with Hoya leaving in the first place.

But when months pass and everyone’s more tired than they’ve ever been, Sungyeol can’t help but be a little angry.

He’s not necessarily angry at Hoya, but he’s angry at everything else, and Hoya’s just a convenient scapegoat that couldn’t deal with Woollim anymore. And sometimes, Sungyeol wishes he had gone with him, but every time he had thought about that and talked things over with Myungsoo and Woohyun, he knows that he wouldn’t have made it. It’s a hard thought to digest, but it makes him all the stronger for it.

At least now, Myungsoo has him, just like he’s always had him.

Letting out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding, Sungyeol pulls Myungsoo even closer. Myungsoo’s head now able to rest against his chest, Sungyeol finds himself whispering, “Take ten, I won’t tell anyone.”

While Myungsoo can only shake his head softly in thanks.

Letting his eyes fall shut, breath evening out so fast that Sungyeol knows Myungsoo effectively passed out from fatigue, Sungyeol holds him until Myungsoo’s head falls into his lap and his hand grips his thigh. The subconscious gesture letting him know how much Myungsoo appreciates this, Sungyeol easily gives him an extra twenty minutes to sleep. Because as much as Sungyeol’s just as tired, at least he doesn’t have the company breathing down his neck until all that’s left is fatigue and illness lining his bones like blood and muscles…

He wonders if he can smuggle Byeol into the studio one of these days.

(Or at the very least, get the company to give them more breaks.)