“I need you.”

 

Sunggyu. The unique taste of Sunggyu flooded Woohyun’s senses when the elder sealed those words with a kiss that opened his eyes and threw him back to reality. He had heard...everything, for the most part, and as Sunggyu said all those words, a swelling just grew larger and larger inside his chest until he couldn’t take it anymore. Sunggyu had been angry before, but Woohyun could also just tell that the leader breaking to pieces inside. And knowing that fact tore at his insides so much that in that moment Woohyun just knew that he couldn’t listen to it anymore.

 

That kiss was the last straw for Woohyun. Or maybe it was the ‘I need you’.  Woohyun didn’t know if whether it was Sunggyu’s words, or Sunggyu’s smell, or Sunggyu’s touch, or Sunggyu’s taste that woke him up, maybe it was all of them, but all that he knew was that opening his eyes had been like a gasp of fresh air after a lifetime of drowning in an ocean, because finally he was awake and alive and with Sunggyu.

 

“I need you too,” Woohyun whispered back in a raspy voice that hadn’t been used in a week.

 

Sunggyu gasped and pulled away instantly.

 

“...W-Woohyun?” he half-whispered, eyes widened in disbelief. Hand shaking uncontrollably, Sunggyu brought his hand up to cup the man’s cheek, as if uncertain that the younger would fall back unconscious again, or maybe if this was all a dream and the leader was just hallucinating.

 

“It’s me,” Woohyun cracked a smile, nuzzling into his touch and bringing up his fingers to clutch Sunggyu’s hand. “I’m awake.”

 

And that was apparently all the reassurance that Sunggyu needed, because in the next second, Woohyun was pulled into an inescapable embrace by the elder. Sunggyu pressed his face against the crook of Woohyun’s neck, and said nothing. His hold was crushing, as if he feared that Woohyun would leave again if he didn’t squeeze any tighter, and as Woohyun weakly returned the hug, he realized that the leader was crying.

 

“Do you know how ing long I waited?” Sunggyu said, the younger’s hospital gown and pressing his eyes against Woohyun’s shoulder. “Do you-” His voice cracked.

 

“I’m sorry,” Woohyun murmured, massaging the leader’s scalp as he threaded fingers through his hair. “Sorry I took so long.”

 

It had been a hard battle, a long and grueling one indeed, for the both of them. It had been one thing to have been out cold, but it was another to be able to hear those around him, to fight for consciousness but keep losing every time. Woohyun did not know what exactly he did to wake himself up, but maybe it wasn’t him who woke himself up. It was Sunggyu.

 

“I worried,” Sunggyu muttered hoarsely, tightening his hold. “I thought that you were going to-”

 

“I love you.”

 

The words came very suddenly, out of some last-second thought of Woohyun’s that if he didn’t say it now, he would never be able to say it. In and out of his coma-state, he had pondered over that a lot. Without a doubt, he just knew that if he never woke up, then he will regret for the rest of his life not saying those words to Sunggyu.

 

Kim Sunggyu deserved to hear those three truthful words, and to hell if the leader wasn’t ready to hear them. From this experience, Woohyun learned that he did not have all the time in the world to say them, so he better say them now, than regret it later.

 

Sunggyu froze, and slowly pulled back.

 

At first glance, Woohyun could see that the leader’s eyes were puffy and red. Dark bags underlined his small eyes, and the younger thought, Dongwoo was right. Sunggyu does look terrible.

 

But upon looking into the emotions and feelings that those eyes beheld, the younger man saw something else. As opposed to what Woohyun had expected, disbelief was not in the leader’s eyes. He couldn’t read his eyes completely, he had never been good at doing that, but if he had to guess Woohyun would say that he saw curiosity, understanding, gratitude, and most surprisingly, wonder.

 

Sunggyu slowly took Woohyun’s hand and placed it back over his own chest. Sunggyu’s heart was beating like a wild rabbit’s but Woohyun didn’t take note of that, instead intent on listening to the leader’s next words.

 

“Woo-”

 

“Woohyun?”

 

The lights , putting the two of them in spotlight, and Sunggyu instinctively let go of the younger’s hand, and immediately looked away, in an attempt to hide his puffy eyes and increasing embarrassment from whoever dared disturb their moment.

 

Hoya stood at the light switch (How had he gotten there? Last time Sunggyu checked, he was asleep! And how much had he heard?), a surprised look on his face as he took in the scene before him.

 

“He’s awake!” Sungjong’s voice.

“Woohyun!” Dongwoo.

 

Wait, what…?

 

Sunggyu turned around and saw all five pairs of wide eyes peering at him and Woohyun.

 

...Damn.

 

“God,” Sunggyu muttered under his breath, facepalming himself and unable to hide his embarrassment.

 

“Hey guys,” Woohyun waved at them, smiling and completely unaware of the reddening leader right next to him. “So, what’s up?”

 

“You’re awake!” Dongwoo exclaimed, and then before Woohyun knew it, he was bombarded in a mess of warm arms, hugs, and words.

 

“We missed you so much!” Sungyeol slapped the man’s cheek a little, and Woohyun tried to bat the offending hand away. “You’re really alive!”

 

“Yes, I’m alive!” Woohyun whined.

 

“We thought you’d never wake up,” Dongwoo brushed a tear away with his finger. “I’m so happy!”

 

Myungsoo stared down at the main vocalist, arms crossed, “Do you know how long you’ve been in coma?”

 

“Seven days, right?” Woohyun answered after successfully batting away the members’ attempts to smother him (“Sungjong! I’m not your teddy bear! And Sungyeol, I can’t breath!”). “I’ve been sleeping for seven days.”

 

“Seven days of torture,” Myungsoo shot back. “Probably more for us than you, though.”

 

“Did Gyu tell you?” Hoya asked.

 

“Huh?”

 

“That you’ve been asleep for seven days.”

 

“Oh,” Woohyun nodded in understanding “No, not really.”

 

Woohyun took a moment to think about it, “I might have, uh, heard you guys in my sleep…?”

 

“What!” Sungyeol yelped. “You did?”

 

Myungsoo burst into a laugh all of the sudden, catching the attention of all the members, and desperately tried to cover his face with his arm. Sungyeol started hitting the visual to stop gloating, to no avail.

 

“Yah, Myungsoo! It’s not funny!”

 

“You are funny!” Myungsoo gasped between chuckles.

 

“Aish, I don’t even know what you are laughing about,” Sungyeol clapped a hand over Myungsoo’s mouth. The tall man then muttered, “When is cool silent L when you need him…”

 

The atmosphere had visibly lightened, and Infinite found themselves back to where they once were, one happy group, with 7 members.

 

“So,” Sungjong looked shyly at Woohyun. “You probably know..?” The maknae trailed off.

 

“Don’t worry, Sungjong,” Woohyun chuckled, ruffling the maknae’s hair. “I’m not mad at you for stealing my chips.”

 

“So he does know!” Sungyeol gasped dramatically, pointing accusingly at Sungjong. “He knows that you’re a stealing stealer!”

 

“Woohyun-hyung just said that he’s not mad at me!” Sungjong protested. “And stop trying to get me in trouble!”

 

“I’m not trying to get you in trouble,” Sungyeol defended. “I’m trying to make you a good person, one who doesn’t steal and hoard food. Just like the perfect hyung that I am~,” the tall man nudged the younger.

 

“Hmph,” Sungjong crossed his arms, nose in the air. “Sunggyu and Woohyun are more perfect hyungs than you.”

 

“So not!”

 

“So too!”

 

“Well, you were the one who interrupted when they were having a moment!”

 

Woohyun laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. “W-Wait, what?”

 

“Nah, that was me,” Hoya smirked, arms crossed. “I the light right in the nick of time, eh?”

 

“How much did you see, Howon?” Sunggyu asked quietly, finally facing the group with reddened cheeks. Despite the threatening look that the leader was shooting at the members, the group paid no heed, and even Woohyun thought that Sunggyu looked unbearably endearing with that pink blush.

 

“We saw everything!” Dongwoo announced happily.

 

“E-Everything?” Sunggyu said nervously.

 

“Yeah, everything,” Myungsoo said boredly. “I mean, you weren't exactly being discreet when you cursed Woohyun off, you know?”

 

“You woke up because of that?” Sunggyu asked, trying to ignore his embarrassment. “I thought you were the deepest sleeper in Infinite!”

 

“I am,” Myungsoo nodded, inspecting his nails.

 

“But I’m not,” Sungjong chirped, and all eyes traveled towards the maknae. “I woke up first. Then I woke up the rest of the members!”

 

“No!” Sunggyu moaned, slapping a hand over his face. “Y-You did? Sungjong-!”

 

“I thought you were going to pull something!” Sungjong defended, waving his hands assuredly. “I didn’t think that Woohyun would actually wake up!”

 

“Hello, I’m right here,” the said main vocalist deadpanned.

 

“God,” Sunggyu muttered, voice muffled through his hands. “How much did you guys see?”

 

“Woohyun, I need you!” Sungyeol reenacted dramatically, a hand over his chest. Myungsoo burst out into laughter, yet again as the tall man continued, “I don’t want to live without you!”

 

Woohyun unknowingly beamed with a content look, and he literally felt like bursting into hearts and flowers, unaware of Sunggyu’s look of horror on his face. Kim Sunggyu had really said those words to him, didn’t he? Woohyun’s heart fluttered hearing the words again, even if it was reiterated by the choding.

 

“Stop,” the leader groaned and covered his ears, as an attempt to escape from the sound.

 

“Aww, but that scene was so romantic!” Sungyeol formed a heart with his hands.

 

“This...This…” Sunggyu turned around and hid his face with his hands, shielding himself at the far corner of Woohyun’s bed. “This is too much.”

 

“Guys,” Woohyun cut them off, chuckling. “That’s enough for now.”

 

He looked out the window and Infinite followed his gaze, and much to his pleasant surprise, the sun was just peeking out of the horizon. As the sun started to rise, morning came, along with back to the start of Woohyun’s life, full of Infinite, Sunggyu, and contentment.

“Let’s go.”

 

And the start of a new day, for all of them, it was.

 

 

“It’s the sunrise,” Hoya observed, amazed.

 

“It’s beautiful,” Sungjong agreed. “We never even have the time to watch sunrises these days.”

 

“So breakfast, anyone?” Dongwoo announced. “How about all of us, go out for breakfast?”

 

“Yes!” Sungjong exclaimed. “Woohyun is back, we’re Infinite again!”

 

“Sounds great!” and for the first time in many days, Woohyun’s smile outshone the sun. He hadn’t been that happy in a very long time, happy to be alive, happy to have such wonderful members, and happy to have Sunggyu, who supported him so much along the way. But all of that had probably been there all this time, and it only took this trip to numbing darkness that made Woohyun realize just how important these people were in his life, and how thankful he should be that he is here now, living and breathing in the same air with the people he loved most.

 

“We’re really happy that you’re awake, Woohyun,” Hoya nodded, as if reading his mind.

 

“Yeah, I would hate to lose our awkward moments together, too,” Woohyun grinned, unable to hold it in.

 

“Y-You heard that?” Hoya closed his eyes, a light blush coming to his cheeks.

 

“Yeah, and now we’re even,” Woohyun nodded, referring to the eavesdropping. He turned to Dongwoo, and said with cheery eyes, “And Dongwoo, of course 2Woo will be forever! We’re one of the best ships!”

 

“Woohyun…” And then Dongwoo wrapped Woohyun into a hug. “I don’t even know what to say! You’re the best.”

 

Woohyun returned the hug in full, happy and thankful that he could return and give hugs now.

 

“So, breakfast!” Woohyun beamed at the group. “I’ll meet you guys downstairs; I’ll be out in a bit.”

 

“We’ll see you,” Myungsoo nodded, as the members waved their goodbyes before filing out the door, whooping and laughing as if a new light had been brought into them.

 

Sunggyu had gotten up to leave, but Woohyun held him back by the sleeve, motioning for him to stay.

 

“I’ll be down there soon,” Woohyun smiled to Myungsoo.

 

When the door shut, silence instantly reigned throughout the room.

 

Woohyun finally let out a content sigh, “I still can’t believe I’m back. I really missed them.”

 

“You’re awake, now.”

 

“And thank goodness,” Woohyun groaned. “I wouldn’t know what I’d do, if I couldn’t wake up awhile back... It was as if walls were closing in around me, and I couldn’t escape or break free no matter how hard I try.”

 

Sunggyu looked at him in unreadable eyes, and once again Woohyun felt himself enraptured in those debts.

 

“Thank you, Sunggyu.”

 

“For what?” the leader murmured.

 

Still on the bed, Woohyun brought his hands around the leader’s waist, and pulled him close, resting his head against Sunggyu’s middle. “For always being there for me.”

 

Sunggyu’s heart softened, as he let himself get pulled in. Assured that no one was watching, the leader’s arms wrapped themselves around the younger, returning the hug. “I’m sorry,” Sunggyu said, but he didn’t even know what he was apologizing for. Probably everything.

 

The younger man took no heed of the words, though.

 

“I think I finally figured it out, Gyu.”

 

“Hm?”

 

“It was you,” Woohyun whispered, tightening his hold. “The reason why I woke up. It had always been you.”

 

Woohyun’s hand found its way around Sunggyu’s neck, and pulled the leader down for a kiss.

 

It was unlike any of the other kisses they’ve shared, because this time, Woohyun kissed with all of the emotions that had been bottled up in his very being. He kissed out of grief, out of joy...and out of love.

 

“I missed you,” Woohyun murmured, already knowing that similar words have been said by the other man earlier. “I really, really missed you.”

 

“I’m glad you’re back,” Sunggyu whispered sincerely, breaking the kiss and holding eye contact.

 

“Glad to be back, too,” Woohyun mumbled.

 

“I’ve been thinking about a lot of things, while you were gone.”

 

“You did?” Woohyun’s voice was muffled against Sunggyu’s neck as he sniffed in the smell of the leader. “What did you think about?”

 

“Us,” Sunggyu admitted. “When you were asleep and wouldn’t wake up, I felt horrible. Like until it was hard to breath and I wanted to rip my own heart out.”

 

Surprise was evident in the younger’s face; the leader wasn’t one to share such private information with anyone. But then again, Woohyun wasn’t just anyone.

 

Sunggyu sighed, “I just don’t know what we are.”

 

“I don’t know either,” Woohyun murmured, nuzzling the leader’s neck. “But I know I’m happy. Are you happy, Gyu?”

 

“I’m happy that you’re alive, idiot,” Sunggyu emphasized, squeezing both of the younger man’s shoulders. “Never, never do something like that again, you hear me?”

 

“I’ll do my best not to,” Woohyun smiled. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than with you and Infinite, Gyu. With all the perks that come with numbing darkness,” Woohyun reached up and pecked at Sunggyu’s forehead, “I think I like you a little bit more.”

 

“A little bit?” Something flashed by Sunggyu’s eyes.

 

Woohyun laughed, “Jealous, Gyu?”

 

“What-!” the leader was incredulous. “N-No! Have dramas been doing this to you, Hyun? You’re-”

 

“Whatever~” Woohyun singsonged, that lopsided smile back on his face. “So! Breakfast? The guys are probably waiting by now!”

 

“Don’t really feel like going down, thanks,” Sunggyu muttered, holding Woohyun closer. “I’ve been made enough a fool to last a lifetime.”

 

“You weren’t made a fool.”

 

“I was. They’ll never let me live it down. If they bring up something like that next time on Weekly Idol...” Sunggyu shuddered at the thought.

 

“They won’t,” Woohyun promised. “This is private information.”

 

“I’ll trust them. I hope,” Sunggyu replied, closing his eyes.

 

“Hey, it’s not everyday Infinite can tease you about something,” Woohyun pointed out, moving to get out of bed. “You’re always so perfect.”

 

“I am not.”

 

“You are,” Woohyun beamed up at the leader for the nth time that morning. “You voice is perfect and you care about us and-”

 

“Okay, okay,” Sunggyu said, giving up. “Need help getting up?”

 

“No, I’m fine,” Woohyun assured. “I feel like a new person!”

 

But as soon as he was on his feet, Woohyun’s knees buckled under him as he found himself falling down. An arm had prevented his hard fall though, at the last moment. Sunggyu’s arm.

 

“Careful,” the leader warned. “Maybe you shouldn’t go to breakfast.”

 

“But I want to!” Woohyun whined. “Do you know when was the last time I had a real decent meal? Over a week ago! And breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

 

“You’re not well,” Sunggyu pointed out. “You can’t even stand by yourself.”

 

“Then help me get around.”

 

Sunggyu shot him a skeptical look.

 

“Hyung, it’s not everyday that I get to eat out with Infinite. I missed them so much,” Woohyun pointed out, and that seemed to reason well with the leader.

 

“Fine,” he sighed, and Woohyun beamed.

 

“Alright! Down we go.”

 

“You’re not going to change out of that hospital gown?”

 

“No? This feels comfortable. Besides we don’t have time, they’re waiting.”

 

“And you know what’s going to show up on the news tomorrow? Nam Woohyun, walking about the streets in a hospital gown. The Inspirits will go crazy.”

 

“So let them go crazy!” Woohyun announced. “Come on, it’s not as bad as the time when Sungyeol came to the airport in a bathrobe.”

 

“No, but you won’t be wearing anything-”

 

Woohyun shut the leader up with a kiss.

 

“Let’s go, I’m hungry,” Woohyun said against those lips.

 

Sunggyu sighed, and wrapped Woohyun’s arm around his neck. “Fine.”

 

They were barely walking, and it was going so slowly and Woohyun’s strength seemed so minimal that halfway down Sunggyu just thought it and carried Woohyun up into his arms, lifting the man bridal style at his back and legs.

 

“Sunggyu!”

 

“God, what?” Sunggyu groaned, annoyed.

 

“Put me down. The members are going to think you’re crazy or something.”

 

“This is taking too long, you’ll get your wheelchair before we leave, alright?”

 

“...Okay.” And that was the end of that.

 

Woohyun had never been carried by anyone in his life, ever since he was a baby, and for some reason, Sunggyu carrying him right now instilled in him a feeling of safety and reassurance, almost so that if not for his pride, he would want Sunggyu to hold him like this all the time, and he would want to hold Sunggyu like that all the time so he can know how nice it felt, and right now he just felt so much love for the leader that he just wanted to pull him close and never let go.

 

Woohyun stared up appreciatively at the leader’s face, his eyes so full of meaning and unspoken words, while Sunggyu tried his best to ignore the stare and keep his eyes in front of him as he carried the younger man down to breakfast.

 

“Shut up,” Sunggyu muttered.

 

Woohyun laughed a genuine laugh, tightening his hold around the leader’s neck, and for the first time in a very long time, he was convinced, that he was happy.

Truly happy.