D-3o to Lee Sungjong's Birthday!

Pairing: Dongwoo/Sungjong

Prompt: Holding Hands

(Depend On Me)

Dongwoo has an interesting habit in regards to their lovely little maknae.

And while it’s nothing serious or problematic and is something rather adorable-

He blames the habit entirely on their debut MV.

-

Dongwoo is a skinship kind of guy.

He always knew that- embraced it, even.

What he didn’t know was that a little bit of innocent skinship would change and define his relationship with one of s for the rest of what was to come of their friendship.

-

When Dongwoo is first told of what is expected of him for his scenes in ‘Come Back Again’ he smiles. Filming doesn’t actually happen that day- they are just being told the rough details.

He gets a lot of scenes with Sungjong; cute and delicate and young Sungjong. He allows himself a moment of nostalgia. When he first met Sungjong, all he could think about was that he needed to befriend the boy, to be his hyung.

All he remembers of his first impression is thinking how delicate Sungjong’s wrists and waist looked like. And all he remembers thinking is that he definitely, for sure, must protect him. It was like the innate desire to protect had suddenly come to life because of slight and slender and beautiful Lee Sungjong.

But that was years ago, when Sungjong was a young teenager. Now Sungjong stands next to him, seventeen years old, and a bandmate, ready to debut with him. It has been many years, and while Dongwoo has long since learned that Sungjong is in no way as delicate as he appears-

The desire to protect still remains. Dongwoo figures that it is something that will never fully go away. Not really. And not ever.

-

On the first day of filming for their debut mv, everyone is all nervous jitters and determined faces as they try not to let anyone down. Especially not themselves. The seven of them have done the choreography a thousand times, with the moves practically becoming muscle memory. The synchronization that they have managed to achieve speaks wonders about how hard they’ve worked for this, how hard they want it.

Dongwoo smiles as he gets briefed by the director. He bounces up and down on his heels, filled with nervous energy and the desire to do well. Apparently, he get to sit on a wooden chair, hold hands with Sungjong, and then run away with him.

Next to him, Sungjong smiles a little and something about the little smile makes Dongwoo feels a little bit of the wired up tension fade. Sungjong looks calm and collected next to him and that cements Dongwoo’s feelings of it going to be a very good filming.

It sounds like the makings of fun and easy scenes. He’ll get through it all, easy peasy and with a bright smile on his face.

That is all it sounds like.

-

Dongwoo is proven wrong about it being all easy fun. So, so wrong.

It is surprisingly hard to get the appropriate shots for the music video.

The dancing isn’t the problem. They’ve done the dance so many times, they could run through it multiple times with absolutely no mistakes. So no- it’s not the dancing.

It’s the close ups and the lip-synching.

They’re all trying their damn hardest, but when they replay the footage over again, they all look stiff and unnatural, like they don’t belong in front of the camera.

Like they’re complete rookies.

Which, he knows, they are. But they’re not supposed to look it. They can’t expect to wow the k-pop world with awkward smirks and shaky charisma.

There are constant retakes and heavy sighs, along with desolate confidence that brings down the whole group morale.

Dongwoo takes it hard. He depends a lot on the group’s energy as a whole, being the self-proclaimed vitamin. If the rest of the group isn’t happy, then he is supposed to make them happy.

But he can’t even do that, not when he’s stressing over his own mistakes.

There’s something off about his first scene with Sungjong, when they’re sitting on the wooden chairs. It doesn’t look easy-going, natural enough.

They’ve been called out for it more than once and Dongwoo is at a loss. If he can’t even do a short scene like this, he doesn’t know how he’s going to survive the individual face shots later.

Dongwoo and Sungjong are given a short break to sort themselves out as the director goes off to shoot Woohyun driving the little truck thing instead.

The first thing Sungjong thinks to do is diffuse the tension that has built up in Dongwoo's shoulders. “Can someone please tell me why Sungyeol hyung gets super speed?” he complains, haughty little pout on his face.

When Dongwoo doesn’t react to the question with his usual smile, Sungjong is immediately worried.

“Hyung,” Sungjong pokes him lightly, cocking his head to the side. “Are you okay?”

Dongwoo waves off the question with an airy laugh. “I’m fine. Don't worry about me.” Because as nervous as Dongwoo is, he still feels the responsibility to do well for himself and the people around him. Especially Sungjong. "Just trust me," he adds. Trust me to do well, trust me to protect you, trust me to be fine.

All Sungjong does is smile impatiently, not happy with how his question had gotten brushed aside. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Dongwoo just smiles again.

And then their break is over.

-

They somehow manage to get a good enough take in which the director is pleased with them.

Dongwoo isn’t as happy as he thought he would be in finishing.

Sungjong notices immediately.

His hyung is still nervous.

-

INFINITE moves onto the running scenes and Dongwoo thinks there is no way to mess them up. It’s just running. In other cases, driving a motorized vehicle. In Sungyeol's case, it's just running really fast.

But Dongwoo is, once more, proven wrong.

They’re all getting reprimanded for their lackluster scenes and the atmosphere is plummeting to ground level as the strict director expects things from them that they don’t know how to give.

“I’m sorry, Jongie.” Dongwoo doesn’t know why he apologizes to Sungjong, he just feels like he has to.

"It's fine," Sungjong responds with a tiny smile. "No need for apologies."

"But," Dongwoo is about to ramble about how he has flubbed all the scenes, but Sungjong holds up a hand and cuts him off.

Sungjong purses his lips and then says the one thing he figures Dongwoo needs to hear. “Depend on me, hyung.”

Dongwoo looks rightly confused. If anything, he should be saying that to Sungjong.

But Sungjong looks as calm and collected as ever. “Don’t be so burdened about our scenes- we’ll be fine. Trust me.” He repeats Dongwoo's words, but he gives a different effect entirely.

Sungjong takes his hand and Dongwoo looks rather confused for a little bit until he remembers that is what Sungjong is supposed to do in their upcoming scene. Except they’re not filming yet.

Before Dongwoo can ask, Sungjong gives a comforting squeeze and a bright smile. “Really. We’ll be fine. Be yourself, and we’ll be fine.”

Something about feeling Sungjong’s warm palm against his own, his slender fingers, and the sheer affection in Sungjong’s smile does something to him. Something about Sungjong holding his hand placates the nervousness in him and only fuels the energy to do well for the sake of Sungjong, for INFINITE. Because while Sungjong is the maknae, he is lending Dongwoo his strength- and who is Dongwoo to deny that?

Dongwoo only nods wordlessly.

-

It’s time for Dongwoo and Sungjong’s running scene.

Like previously rehearsed, Sungjong runs up to him while he’s on his skateboard, jumps on the balls of his feet, and looks adamant about going with him.

The scene is later cut from the MV, but it’s actually Sungjong who takes Dongwoo’s hand first, even though Dongwoo is leading the run.

The rest of the MV shooting from then onward was a slight blur- all Dongwoo really remembers is the feel of Sungjong’s hand against his own, even as they filmed with the motorbike later on.

Even as they filmed the car scenes. Even all the way up to the ending scene.

A tingly, serene feeling has been driven into Dongwoo, and it spreads through him like the warmth of Lee Sungjong.

-

He laughs loudly and proudly when filming is finished.

Dongwoo doesn’t even remember being nervous.

-

He loved holding Sungjong’s hands that day.

It calmed him down, grounded him, made him remember that it wasn’t like him to be nervous and stressed.

He didn’t think that filming ‘Come Back Again’ would be so important to his relationship with Sungjong.

After all, Dongwoo never would have thought that he, as the second oldest, would come to depend on their maknae so much.

But it is what it is.

Dongwoo comes to accept that.

Sungjong always has.

-

Fast forward three years of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears-

And INFINITE is about to kick off their One Great Step World Tour.

Dongwoo feels like a ball of nervousness and restless energy that he hasn’t felt like in this magnitude since debut.

The concert is set to start in a few minutes and there is last minute chaos surrounding them.

Dongwoo feels slender fingers reach for his hand and Dongwoo automatically moves to intertwine their fingers. There is that familiar tingle that comes with the calm serenity of quiet and affectionate skinship.

He turns his head to the side and is met with Sungjong’s calm smile; he looks down towards their interlocked hands and there is an immediate calming effect.

Dongwoo still loves holding Sungjong’s hands.

He is a guy that loves skinship, but this type the most.

Dongwoo has adored the type of calm that only Sungjong can give him since they filmed ‘Come Back Again’ and will love it for eternity.

And just like he will love it for eternity, he'll want to protect Sungjong for eternity as well.

Because Dongwoo has learned that a maknae as precious as Sungjong, someone who is so mature and loving- even when he doesn’t outrightly speak of his affection- has his actions speak for himself. And within those actions, Dongwoo somewhere along the lines, grows so much affection for Sungjong that he wants to protect Sungjong from the world.

Just as he depends on Sungjong, he wants Sungjong to be able to depend on them.

Just as he receives that type of warmth, he wants to give it.

INFINITE has moved towards their starting positions and are getting ready for their opening number. Dongwoo and Sungjong are still holding hands, hiding behind the curtain that they are soon to burst out of.

“Ready, hyung?” Sungjong asks, giving their locked hands a little shake.

Dongwoo beams at the question, squeezing Sungjong’s hand in retaliation. “Ready.”

“INFINITE on in three, two...”

Dongwoo lets go of that hand, but feels that warmth for the rest of the concert.

e n d.

because sungjong is the forever fresh maknae. keke. ^^

sungjong asks dongwoo the question that i still ask today. i called sungyeol “speedy guy” for a long time. heh.

inspired by this and lots of replaying of the come back again mv. brought back a lot of memories. i still remembering watching this for the first time and seeing nam woohyun do his little twirl thing in the kitchen- which consequently moved my fangirl heart. and then before i knew it, i fell in too deep. ohoho.