Again.

Dong Woon was once again staring at the empty bed, wondering where the heck had the leader ran off to. He refused to believe that the leader was out drinking again. No way. He wouldn’t. Will he? Dong Woon had a bad feeling in his gut. He knew, even if he refused to believe. He couldn’t afford to believe the fact that Doo Jun went out drinking the second night in a row. He waited up, wanting to prove to himself that the leader wasn’t off in a bar drinking, but his hopes crashed the moment Doo Jun stumbled into the dorm a little unsteadily, once again reeking of alcohol, almost as if he poured them on his shirt rather than drinking it. His on the couch, his heart in his throat, he held his breath as he observed the leader’s progress.

Doo Jun managed to safely navigate through the mound of shoes in the hallway and was now moving towards the room. The couch was between the room and the door, so Dong Woon got a good seat to watch the whole process. He stared at the leader, trying to reconcile the man he knew with this drunken creature stumbling in front of him, when Doo Jun lurched towards Dong Woon, as if drawn to him by some invisible string. Dong Woon flinched and whimpered, frozen to where he was seated on the couch. He started trembling, unable to get his limbs to move where he wanted them to, a scream stuck in his throat, trying to break free. When Doo Jun finally arrived in front of him, Dong Woon cringed and scuttle as far away from the leader as the couch would allow. When the leader reached out a hand towards him, he almost freaked out and screamed, but then Doo Jun toppled onto the couch like a sack of potatoes and didn’t stir again. Dong Woon didn’t even notice he had jumped up from the couch but there he was, standing a few feet away from the couch and looking at the peaceful features of the sleeping leader. This isn’t the same man I love.

Dong Woon couldn’t stand looking at the leader any longer and he ran back into his room. Huddled in his blankets, he tried to control his trembling body, trying to straighten out his chaotic thoughts. Most of them centred about how he screwed up the leader. Doo Jun wasn’t a drinker, but now he was. And all because of Dong Woon. Dong Woon stifled a sob, not wanting to disturb any of the others. He was surprised they didn’t hear Doo Jun’s drunken stumble around the dorm but he was glad. He didn’t know how the other hyungs were going to react, but he could be sure of one thing. It wouldn’t be very pretty.

The next day, Doo Jun woke up with a pounding headache and a parched throat. He sat up, finally realizing he wasn’t in his bed, but on the couch. His gaze flew to the clock on the living room wall and he heaved a sigh of relief. He woke up earlier than the rest out of habit so no one saw him sleeping on the couch. That would be hard to explain. He quietly tip toed into his own room, gaze automatically going over to the bed opposite his. He spied a figure under all the blankets and chuckled soundlessly. He grabbed some fresh clothes and headed for a shower, careful not to wake the person hiding under the bundle of blankets.

In the shower, he was thanking all his stars no one saw him out sleeping on the couch. He only remembered reaching the dorm but nothing after that. He was glad he slept on the couch and not on the floor. He has a neck crick as it is.

Once he was done with his shower, he put the coffee on and dug out some aspirin. He swallowed them on the way to Jun Hyung and Hyun Seung’s room. Slowly opening the door, he poked his head in. Seeing Hyun Seung already up, he left those two to get up by themselves and went to Ki Kwang and Yo Seob’s room. The both of them haven’t woken up yet, so he went to tap on Ki Kwang’s shoulders, earning a groan from the man. He gently coaxed the younger man into a sitting position before leaving the room, trusting Ki Kwang to wake Yo Seob. Approaching his own room, he hastened his pace. For the past week, he and Dong Woon seemed to be less tense around each other and he was sure he would be able to wake the maknae without getting his head bitten off this time.

He slowly uncovered the hidden man in the pile of blankets, taking them away from the still sleeping form. He slowly laid a hand on Dong Woon’s shoulders and was rewarded by the opening of a pair of gorgeous brown eyes. The eyes were originally sleepy but the moment they landed on Doo Jun, they immediately widened. Dong Woon scrambled away from him, his back hitting the wall knocking the wind out of him. Doo Jun also got his breath knocked out of him. The fear in the maknae’s eyes were so prominent, he felt seared just by looking at them. He wanted to say something to placate the younger man, but his words refused to be said, and he could only stare. Dong Woon tried to get his breath back, trying to get rid of the images running through his head. He was just so shocked when he saw Doo Jun looming over him, he reacted without thinking. He could see the leader’s pain just by his posture alone. He was hunched, his knuckles were white with the force of his fists clenching. He knew he should say something to reassure the leader it wasn’t him at fault. But that would be a lie. So he opted for a smile, hoping it wouldn’t be too strained.

‘Sorry. I was having a bad dream when you woke me up.’ Dong Woon softly exhaled, not meeting the other’s eyes. He was ashamed at how he reacted just now. He knew Doo Jun didn’t have any intention of causing him fear. The leader simply did not realize how his action had scared him.

‘Sorry I startled you. Are you okay?’ Doo Jun’s eyes turned from pained to concerned.

‘Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?’ Dong Woon bit back the sarcasm in his tone. Doo Jun’s eyes narrowed, but seeing nothing to prove otherwise, he let it go.

‘Alright. Come on, we need to go for practice soon.’ He turned to go.

‘Hope you slept well.’ Dong Woon whispered towards the back of Doo Jun, the elder didn’t hear anything as he headed back to the kitchen.

[a/n: hey guys! yeah im back! finally! :D im rly sorry for leaving this hanging for so long, forgive me? pwetty pwease? kekeke <3]