Kikwang was used to it; he was used to the teasing about his height. He would simply smile and let it go, it never bothered him at all but sometimes there would be days where those words would seep in through the cracks of the walls that he built up.

It was a full house in the dorm, it has truly been a while since everyone had been together and at this very moment they were in the process of promoting their upcoming comeback. It felt almost nostalgic for kikwang, to getting back in gear diving straight into vocal lessons and learning new dance routines, it was as if they were preparing for the debut stage all over again plus kikwang did really miss this.

They all just arrived back from dance practice right before the sun drowned; escaping from their van they hauled their aching limbs back into the dorm. Doojoon had opted to hog the bathroom again once to yoseobs and junhyung dismay whilst dongwoon was in the bedroom and hyunseung was somewhere around. Kikwang flopped himself onto the nearest sofa taking his phone out to skim through the fan sites, looking over the fan taken photos he couldn’t help but read the comments left by their fans.

He snickered to himself listening to junhyung and Yoseob bicker outside the bathroom door, after snooping around he finally landed on one of his own fan sites, he smiled reading the compliments and supportive messages. They honestly gave kikwang confidence in himself inspiring him to continue on giving everything he had just to make them proud however, there was one thing that kept bothering him in the comments and it was about his height.

It was obvious that he was painfully short compared to the others yet sometimes he wished he was at least as tall as doojoon but what can he do, it was in his genes to be short.

Even though being short wasn’t entirely bad.

“Kikwang, are you okay?” snapping out of his thoughts hyunseung appeared standing in front with a hint of concern in his pupils. Kikwang swiftly locked his phone “I’m fine hyung, is there something you need?”

“it’s time for dinner I was calling you before but you weren’t answering.” Standing up from the sofa kikwang sheepishly smiled scratching the back of his head “sorry about that I’ll be on my way, just need to go to the bathroom first.” as soon as the door closed kikwang sighed deeply to himself feeling the weight growing on his shoulders.


Hyunseung could tell that there was something going on with kikwang, ever since he caught the other frowning at his phone kikwang had been distracted a lot lately, he would often drift off into his own thoughts and a scowl would appear on his face. Each time hyunseung tried to approach kikwang about it the other would hastily change the subject.

“Is there something on kikwangs face?” junhyung appeared sitting down next to hyunseung, “you’ve been staring at him for a while or are you just spacing out again.” Hyunseung elbowed junhyungs side ignoring the smirk on his face, “there’s something kikwang isn’t telling us.” Now catching junhyungs attention, he faced the front seeing kikwang and dongwoon talking animatedly on the sofa, kikwang was showing something to dongwoon on his phone making the maknae burst into a fit of giggles.

“I don’t know but he seems fine to me.”

Hyunseung continued observing kikwang from the counter whilst peeling a clementine he took from the fruit bowl, “but haven’t you noticed that kikwang has been quite distant lately, I mean he’s been spacing out more recently and whenever he does he looks a bit distraught.” The rapper paused trying to recall the previous days, now that hyunseung has mentioned it junhyung had spotted kikwang like that a couple of times however he would just assume that kikwang was just spacing out and shrugged it off.

“What are you guys whispering about?” yoseob plopped down by hyunseungs left side, taking some of the celemntine that hyunseung was eating.

“Kikwang, hey have you noticed anything strange about him lately?” yoseob propped his hand under his chin as his eyebrows scrunched in thought. “Well he has been zoning out a lot, in fact more than you hyunseung hyung.” Hyunseung frowned mumbling under his breath as yoseob laughed chucking a piece of clementine into his mouth.

“Well, whatever has been on his mind I’m sure he’ll tell us whenever he’s ready, knowing him it’s probably something minor.” The youngest of the trio nodded at junhyungs conclusion, hyunseung was about to voice his opinion when the door slammed open, entering the room was none other than doojoon grinning widely with two plastic bags in his hands.

“Finally, it took you sixty years just to buy chicken.”

the sentence alone initiated a war of insults and jokes being thrown back at forth in the dorm.

 

It wasn’t until four days later that soon everyone suspected that something really was bothering kikwang, they even dropped blatant hints for kikwang to open up to them, in the end he was completely unaware to the obvious hints. Today was one of the rare day offs where for once everyone got to relax for a bit despite the jam packed schedule they have. Kikwang was settled in the sofa slouching in his seat with his eyes glued to his phone. Dongwoon and hyunseung were also occupied on the sofa watching the tv in front of them, the sound of the audience laughing resonated through the room every once in a while as the host continued spitting out witty jokes.

Kikwang felt as if the audience were mocking him.

He was back at it again, looking through his fan sites and reading their comments. Kikwang would often come across comments about his height and each time he read them he couldn’t help but linger a little longer before trying to brushing it off. For kikwang it felt as if he was climbing down a never ending ladder the longer he went on the more they would come up, it was honestly frustrating he knew that he shouldn’t be so hooked up over something petty like this yet he couldn’t help it. The sofa shook as dongwoon and hyunseung laughed their heads off over whatever just happened on TV, luckily it broke kikwang out of his trance just before he could break himself down even more with flaws about himself that he couldn’t change.

“I’m gonna go and take a nap, wake me up when the others come back.” Kikwang dragged his heavy feet through the living room he was out of the room before the other two could speak, heaving a deep sigh kikwang headed to the bedroom. Maybe I really do need a nap the invisible load on his shoulders grew heavier weighing him down with each step, he finally dropped down into his bed letting his heavy thoughts sink into his pillow.

Junhyung came out the kitchen in time to see kikwang shuffle his way into the bedroom with his shoulders unusually low, curious, junhyung peaked into the living room seeing hyunseung and dongwoon exchange worried looks.

“What happened to kikwang?” junhyung asked shifting his weight onto his other foot, his coke can grasped in his right hand.

“I don’t know, he said that he was going to nap and just left.”

“but you both did manage to catch a glimpse of his face, right?” hyunseung questioned the two, junhyung nodded staring at the closed bedroom door. Dongwoon fiddled with his fingers, he was stuck between wanting to just squeeze the answer out of his hyung on what was bothering him or just giving kikwang more space and time to open up.

However the maknae couldn’t stand the way kikwang was bearing the heavy burden by himself whilst he and the others were left in the dark, it hurt him to see kikwang not being the way he usually is. He missed seeing his dorky hyung, the hyung whose eye smile shined as he bent over laughing over something he found hilarious, the same hyung who would always be involved with yoseobs antics brightening up the dorm.

Where did that hyung go?

Dongwoon decided, “I’m gonna go talk to kikwang hyung.” And with that dongwoon left ignoring hyunseung and junhyungs calls.

Entering the bedroom dongwoon spotted kikwang laying on his side with his back facing towards him, closing the door behind him dongwoon made his way to kikwangs bed as he slowly sat behind his hyung.

“Is there something wrong dongwoon-ah?” the maknae was startled for a second, how did kikwang know it was him when he didn’t even turn around.

“I could tell it’s you by your footsteps.” Kikwang chuckled as if he could see dongwoons confused face right now. dongwoon on the other hand was baffled scratching the back of his head, “what did you mean you could tell that it was me by my footsteps?” the maknae felt the bed shift as kikwang turned over so he was now facing the maknae with a small smile on his face.

“Well, I don’t know how to describe it but everyone has their own walk. I mean since we’ve lived together in the dorm for a long time now you get used to everyone’s little habit that they do, take Yoseob for example when he walks he does this little skip in his step or if it was Doojoon he would basically just shake the ground with each step he takes, If that makes sense somehow?”

“I can kind of guess what you’re getting at hyung, or you know, you could just be some psychic alien like hyunseung hyung for all I know.”

Kikwang laughed at the accusation playfully hitting the maknaes knee, dongwoon felt a bit better seeing his hyung laugh freely like that. When kikwangs laughter died down he sat himself up shoving the pillow behind his back so he could lean against the wall behind him comfortably.

“Also I thought you were taking a nap?”

“Ah, I couldn’t fall asleep in the end so I was just lying down listening to music for a bit.” Dongwoon watched as kikwang fidgeted with his phone in his hand, staring at it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world right now. But dongwoon didn’t miss seeing the hint of drowsiness in kikwangs eyes. The look reminded him the reason why he was in the bedroom in the first place.

“Hyung, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, ask away.” Finally putting his phone to the side kikwang turned his full attention to the maknae.

“What’s been bothering you lately?”

Kikwang felt it. He felt his heart plunged into his stomach it wasn’t the question that made his heart drop, it was the way dongwoon looked at him. Shock was an understatement, kikwang was astonished. The warm and gentle look that dongwoon always had was completely gone, instead replaced with thin straight lips curved downwards etching a frown into his face, eyebrows wrinkled in distress and his pupils were coloured with pure concern.

And to make it all worse he was the reason why dongwoon was making that face.

He couldn’t look away, kikwangs words were dried up in his throat while the two were bounded by the heavy atmosphere and he couldn’t stand it at all. Kikwang gripped the duvet underneath him as he forced himself to put up a fake smile.

“w-what do you mean? Nothing’s bothering me – really”

kikwang heard dongwoon exhale through his nose as the broad shoulders relaxed, “hyung, please don’t lie to me. It’s obvious that something is bothering you everyone can see it, don’t bare all the burden to yourself – just please let me help you hyung.”

The fake smile melted off kikwangs face, he knew he couldn’t keep this charade going on forever. Brushing his hand through his hair kikwang sat up straight looking straight into dongwoon’s eyes, “if I tell you what’s been bothering me, you better not laugh or anything.”

Dongwoons eyes hardened, “hyung, I would never laugh at whatever is bothering you.”

Satisfied with the answer kikwang broke his stare to play with the ends of his top, mentally relaxing himself and his rapid heart kikwang softly said his answer. The maknae tilted his head, he didn’t manage to catch a word at what his hyung just said, “Hyung, can you repeat that again I couldn’t hear you clearly.”

Kikwang cleared his throat, “my height.”

“Your height?” puzzled with kikwangs answer.

“My height – that’s what’s been bothering me, okay. I was snooping around our fan sites reading comments about us and all yet it kept bothering me how they keep mentioning how short I am compared to the rest of you guys. I mean, I’m not even the shortest in our group I’m pretty sure yoseob is. I don’t know what happened or why this was even bothering me but before I knew it I dug myself deeper wishing I was at least as tall as you.”

kikwangs answer sunk into dongwoons ear, soon everything made sense as if the missing jigsaw piece was finally found to complete the puzzle, dongwoon couldn’t believe how worried he was for something as little as this. Honestly the maknae wanted to laugh but he knew it would only upset his hyung further more.

“Hyung” dongwoon clasped both of kikwangs hands into his holding them tight “there’s nothing wrong with your height, you’re fine just the way you are and honestly sometimes I wish I was your height because the amount of times I’ve accidentally hit my head against the door frame is ridiculous not to mention not getting enough leg space in transportation vehicles. Please don’t hate the things that you don’t like about yourself because even if you don’t like them someone else will, like me” kikwang chuckled when dongwoon proudly pointed at himself.

“Okay then, what’s good about my height?” he stared at his hands bathing in dongwoons warmer ones.

“that you fit with me perfectly with our height difference” the maknae let go of their hands to pull his hyung on his lap, his arms wrapping around kikwangs torso keeping him in place “especially when I can easily wrap my arm around your shoulders, or when you fall asleep with your head just reaching at the top of my shoulders, however my favourite thing of all is when you’re sitting on my lap giving me the chance to bury my face in the crook of your neck.”

The eldest of the two felt his face fluster pink, relaxing into dongwoons hold he finally let his guard down melting into the other slowly wrapping his arms around dongwoon too.

“This is one of the reasons why you’re my favourite.”

dongwoon couldn’t stop the wide grin that was hidden in kikwangs neck, kikwang was warm and content. The most relaxed he’d been in a while, letting his eyelids close listening to dongwoons heart.

The door smacked against the wall followed by hasty footsteps heading towards where they are, it wasn’t long until yoseob had thrown himself onto the two wrapping his arms over them wanting to get into the hug.

“I told you it was just a minor problem.” Junhyung spoke watching the trio in bed merge together wobbling around. Doojoon ran past junhyung and hyunseung who were by the doorway just to add more tangled limbs into the mess of people on the bed, a mixture of laughter and complaints were leaked into the room when the other two finally joined in.
 

Blatantly ignores the fact that I’m 2 months late for this ahahaaa now that this is finally done I’m off to finish of a bunch of prompts that are on my list, I hope you enjoy this very belated birthday fic!! ( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧