Hakyeon decided that it’d been too long since he last heard Hongbin’s beautiful laugh. Maybe it sounded weird just saying it outright like that, but it was the truth. For someone who had never once been able to hold back his giggles and brilliant smiles it seemed a bit strange that Hakyeon hadn’t even been graced with Hongbin’s dimples for almost a week now. Surely the others had to have noticed that something was up, but Hakyeon was in everyone’s business all the time and he still had no idea as to what could be wrong.

All the members knew how great the visual could be at acting, so no one thought to bother him when he stood emotionless in front of the VIXX TV camera for this week’s episode. Hakyeon pulled a few gags to try and get a reaction out of Hongbin, but it was of no use. Hyuk made one of his many jabs at Hakyeon’s tan complexion and the leader felt his mood drop when the maknae’s usual partner in crime didn’t even crack a smile.

On the drive back to their dorm Hakyeon stole numerous glances at Hongbin through the rearview mirror, observing how the younger kept his head against the window fighting to keep his eyes open. Not wanting to disturb the others, Hakyeon pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Hongbin.

Hakyeon: are you feeling okay, binnie?

Hakyeon smiled when he saw the younger jump from the new text notification and turned his face away from the mirror right as Hongbin looked up. He kept his eyes on the scenery passing outside his window as he waited for a reply.

Hongbin: mm, just sleepy. why?

Hakyeon frowned at the message and attempted to steal another glance in the mirror only to be met with the younger’s tired gaze already on him. There was obviously something he wasn’t telling Hakyeon which bothered the leader to no end. He made a mental note to observe Hongbin a little better once they were back home, but for now he’d just have to push a few buttons.

Hakyeon: you just seemed out of it during rehearsal earlier. if you can’t handle the new choreo. let me know now. or is it singing? should I have Leo pull you from rehearsal to work on your parts?

He watched Hongbin’s face as he read the new message, feeling guilty when he saw how the younger’s already dull face fall even more. He didn’t mean to hurt him, but Hakyeon figured if his assumptions were wrong then Hongbin would at least try to correct him.

Hongbin: i did? i’m sorry, i was just really tired. i’ll do better tomorrow. i personally think i’m doing just fine with the choreo and my parts sound fine, no need to worry about me hyung :)

The leader let out a soft sigh after reading the younger’s message. Attaching a smiley face at the end of the message doesn’t make anything better, dummy. Hakyeon thought to himself as he watched Hongbin resume his position of staring out the window.

Once they arrived back at the dorm Hongbin headed straight to shower while the others opted to eat dinner together first. The atmosphere was slightly off but no one brought up the touchy subject. Hyuk and Ken did their best to keep the mood up with the occasional help from Ravi while the eldest two observed them quietly. Hakyeon was thankful to have them at a time like this. It kept his mind from worrying about Hongbin too much for a little while.

Ravi was the first to excuse himself from the table, claiming that he had a bunch sleep to catch up on. Ken was next to leave since the shower in his room was unoccupied and Hyuk followed soon after when they heard Hongbin emerging from the main bathroom. Leo gave Hakyeon a questioning glance silently asking the older member if he needed to stick around or not. Hakyeon shook his head with a small smile, he enjoyed the fact that he could so easily communicate with Leo without having to even speak. The leader watched as Leo stood up from the table and walked into the kitchen to rinse his dishes in the sink just as Hongbin walked in to fix his plate of food. Hakyeon's smile spread even wider when Leo reached his hand up to ruffle Hongbin's still-damp hair for a moment before leaving the kitchen. He was just as worried as Hakyeon but Leo knew that their leader was going to do everything he could to help the younger member.

Hongbin eyed Hakyeon's near-empty plate of food and raised his eyebrows in question. "Aren't you going to go take a shower or something?" He asked.

"Or something." Hakyeon answered. "Both of the showers are occupied at the moment so I figured I'd keep you company while you ate. Unless you want to be alone, I'll leave if you want me to."

"You can stay, I don't mind." The younger said before turning back to his meal. Hakyeon took this opportunity to really observe Hongbin. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen the younger member without makeup, and right now it was such stark contrast in comparison to when he was all made up. There were deep dark circles under Hongbin's eyes that Hakyeon had never seen before, and across his forehead were just the beginnings of a few stress lines. What could be going on that's causing all of this? This isn't the Hongbin that Hakyeon knows, this was someone else. Someone who so often wore his heart on his sleeve and shared his honest opinions without a second thought had built up walls around himself and wasn’t letting anyone in.

"So, do you want to talk about it now or should I bother you about it later?" Hakyeon chanced.

"What is there to talk about?" Hongbin answered, blatantly wanting to avoid the subject. Hakyeon dismissed the topic with a sigh and shake of his head. He had already assumed ahead of time that Hongbin wouldn't want to talk, but the leader was growing impatient with worry. Tomorrow would be the last day he sat quietly, he decided to himself as he watched Hongbin take a few bites of rice.

"I told you not to worry about me, hyung." The younger said after a while.

"Do you really think that a freaking smiley face in a stupid text message would stop me from worrying about you? Bin-ah, really?!" Hongbin winced at Hakyeon's pleading tone. Hakyeon knew that he sounded pathetic, but he was hurt. It actually hurt the leader to be pushed away by Hongbin after all this time and all he'd done for the younger member in the past.

"I- I’m sorry, but I’m really tired. I think I'll going to go to bed now." Hongbin excused himself from the table and went to the kitchen to rinse his dishes. and thanks to the noise of the water running he didn't notice when Hakyeon got up to follow him. Had it not been for the tense atmosphere between them, Hakyeon might have actually laughed when Hongbin turned around and jumped in surprise upon seeing him.

"I'm not going to stop worrying, you know." Hakyeon said quietly, absentmindedly tugging at the hem of his sweater.

"I know. But this is just something I need to deal with on my own for now, okay?" Hakyeon was the one to avoid Hongbin's gaze now, pushing himself away from where he was leaning on the door frame and walking past the younger member to start on the dirty dishes.

"Sleep well, Bin-ah." Hakyeon mumbled softly without glancing towards Hongbin, but he listened closely for a reply, nonetheless.

"Yeah," Hongbin replied with a short huff of laughter. "You too, hyung." 

Hakyeon busied himself with the dishes, taking his time to make sure they were spotless before drying them off with a hand towel. Hakyeon knew that he wasn't going to be getting any sleep tonight now, not with the worry eating away at him like it was. So he decided to keep himself busy, doing anything and everything he could to put off sleep. First he started with laundry since there would always be clothes that needed to be washed. Once a new load of wash was started Hakyeon went to where the group's dry clothes were hanging and began to take them down. He neatly folded each piece of clothing and separated them into piles for each member before hanging the most recently finished wash up to dry. From there Hakyeon decided that the living room and kitchen needed to be picked up and swept. After that he started organizing all of the members' shoes into the cabinet that they were meant to be in.

The leader had lost all track of time by time he finished all the chores around the house that Hongbin usually did. When he finally glanced at the clock Hakyeon's eyes widened when he read the numbers. It was already a quarter past three in the morning and he hadn't even showered yet! And there was no way he could just get away without one tonight after basically cleaning the entire house.

Hakyeon took a clean change of clothes from his laundry pile and tip-toed into his shared bedroom. Leo and Ken seemed to be sleeping peacefully, their breathing matching in time with each other, whereas Hongbin looked rather stiff and uncomfortable with the way he was laying flat on his back. Hakyeon was about to lean down and make sure that the younger member was at least breathing when Hongbin suddenly peaked his eyes open at him. Oh, whoops! Hakyeon thought and turned away quickly walking to the bathroom. He hadn't meant to wake anyone up.

Hakyeon returned from his shower feeling refreshed and finally exhausted enough to fall asleep as soon as he flopped face down onto his futon. Or so he thought. He looked to his left to find the futon next to his empty. Hakyeon sighed to himself, he knew that there was no way he'd be able to sleep peacefully unless he knew that everyone else was asleep. He dragged himself out of bed and ventured to the living room, stopping dead in his tracks when he spotted Hongbin on the couch. The younger was laying on his back like he'd been earlier when Hakyeon thought he was asleep but now he was crying with an arm cradled to his chest.

"Hongbin-ah! What's wrong?" The leader asked in a hushed tone that was seeped with worry.

"It hurts!" Hakyeon's heart broke at the sound of Hongbin's voice. It was quiet but Hakyeon could practically hear the pain in the younger's voice.

"What hurts? Where?" Hakyeon asked, absently brushing Hongbin's bangs aside. He didn't know exactly what was hurting so Hakyeon refrained from touching him anywhere else.

"E-Everything!" He choked between quiet sobs. "My head feels like it's going to burst open at any moment and my arms are killing me. Make it stop, hyung. Please!"

"Have you taken anything?" Hakyeon asked, he didn't want to give Hongbin any strong painkillers if he already had some in his system. The younger shook his head and that was all Hakyeon needed before he made a quick trip to the kitchen to pour a glass of water and grab the bottle of pills from the medicine cabinet.

"Can you sit up a little bit to take the medicine?" Hakyeon asked softly. Hongbin nodded and sat up from where he was laying on the couch to take the medicine. Hakyeon took this opportunity to slip himself between Hongbin and the arm of the couch.

"Is this okay?" He asked as he began to rub his hands soothingly up and down the top Hongbin's arms. The younger nodded and so Hakyeon continued to hold him like that until the crying had subsided into the occasional sniffle. After about forty-five minutes Hakyeon could feel himself getting drowsy and decided that they should at least try to get some sleep in their own beds.

"Bin-ah," He whispered, not too sure if Hongbin's headache was still there. "Can you make it to your bed? You'll be a lot more comfortable there, I promise." The younger nodded silently and began to stand up from the couch. Hakyeon kept his arm around him until they reached their beds and let go only to tuck Hongbin into the covers before crawling under his own.

So this is what's been going on. Was the last thing Hakyeon thought to himself before giving into sleep.

. . .

"Hyung! Why didn’t you wake me up?!" Hongbin yelled, frantically getting up from his bed and rushing out of the room only to return moments later with a change of clothes. "Where are the others?" He asked when he realized they were the only two left in the apartment.

"Out, I guess." Hakyeon shrugged, watching the younger from his own bed in silent amusement. "They left around two hours ago to eat brunch but I haven’t heard from them since then." The other four members were the least of his worries right now. Hakyeon knew that as long as Leo was there he would keep them in line without a problem.

"Wait, I thought we had a morning sched-"

"Do you even know what day it is, Bin-ah?" Hakyeon asked, cutting him off.

Hongbin paused his movements for a second to think. "Thursday?" He answered, earning a hard thump on the head from the older member. "Yah! That hurt!"

"It's Saturday, dummy." Hakyeon said softly trying to get the other to look him in the face.

"When's the last time you got a full night of sleep, Hongbin-ah? You know, one without the muscle pains or a migraine that hurts so bad that you cry yourself to the point of exhaustion just to to catch a couple hours of sleep before having to get up for a morning schedule?"

Silence.

​"I'm taking you to a doctor today. Your condition is bad and it’s only going to get worse if you continue having nights like last night. And don’t you even try to argue with me Hongbin because I am way past the point of convincing." Hakyeon said sternly. When the younger didn't reply Hakyeon brought his hand up to Hongbin's chin, forcing him to look the leader in the eyes. He spoke again, but this time much softer. "I’m not going to let you suffer alone anymore, okay?"

Hongbin avoided the leader’s gaze but nodded his head slowly without any further argument.

°°°

After about an hour spent in the hospital's waiting room, Hongbin was called in to get blood tests done. The younger member tugged on Hakyeon's sleeve, silently asking the older member to accompany him for the tests. Hakyeon hated needles and blood as much as the next person, but he sat through the entire ordeal with his hand gripped tightly around Hongbin's. Once the tests were done a nurse escorted the two boys to a small hospital room that contained nothing but a bed and a chair. There was an ancient looking TV attached to the wall, but of course, to Hakyeon's disappointment, it was out of order.

"You okay?" He asked the younger after they'd spent a good while waiting. Hakyeon could tell from the moment Hongbin laid on the bed that he was anxious as hell, but what he didn't notice until just now were the tears that were gathered in the younger's eyes.

"Well... I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared." Hongbin said, letting his tears fall silently. 

"Everything is going to be okay, Bin-ah. I promise." Hakyeon cooed, taking Hongbin's hand in his own once again and wiping away the tear tracks with his free hand. The doctor finally arrived after what felt like hours to the two boys. He went over Hongbin's charts and asked all the normal questions doctors have to ask before letting them in on the news.

“It seems as though you have anemia, which can be caused by many things but in your case it’s due to low iron levels in your blood.” Hakyeon felt his whole body relax at the news. He knew a little about anemia but most importantly, he knew that it was treatable in this case.

“But at the same time it looks as if you’re also troubled with insomnia, which coupled with the anemia makes for a dangerous duo.” The doctor went on to explain how the anemia can cause fatigue and exhaustion which probably lead to the extreme headaches and muscle pains that Hongbin was experiencing.

“Suffering from both at the same time makes me wonder how you weren’t sent here sooner from collapsing altogether. You must be a really tough kid.” The doctor said with a chuckle.

“He is.” Hakyeon answered, tightening his grip on Hongbin’s hand with a smile.

“Ah, thank you.” The younger responded with the smallest smile playing at his lips unknowingly causing a shallow dimple to appear. Hakyeon was beaming at the sight, he was ready to spew off countless praises if it meant seeing that smile again.

Hongbin was given a prescription for iron supplements to take with every meal and another for a sleeping aid to take half an hour before bed. The two members thanked the doctor and set out to find a pharmacy to get the prescriptions filled as soon as possible. There was an address written on the prescription for the nearest pharmacy so Hakyeon put it into the GPS on his phone before they got too far from the hospital.

The walk was silent, but Hakyeon had grown accustomed to Hongbin being quiet over the past couple of weeks so it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. Hakyeon understood that it was a lot for the younger member to take in for one day. Hongbin would be fine, but it was going to take a while for him to fully get back to how he used to be.

It wasn't until they were walking out of the pharmacy that Hongbin finally spoke up, catching Hakyeon off guard.

"Can we go out to eat, hyung? I'll pay." He asked hopefully while bouncing lightly on his toes.

"I was going to suggest treating you to dinner, actually. I don't mind buying, Binnie." Hakyeon answered, unknowingly taking the younger's bait.

"Truthfully, I didn't bring much money with me. So if you agreed to let me buy we wouldn't have had anything really delicious. But I'll let you pay if you buy us something good!" Hongbin admitted with a shy giggle. Hakyeon nearly doubled over in laughter and felt as if he was going to burst with joy right then and there. The brutal honesty he'd grown to love from the younger member was back in full force complete with the uncontrollable giggles. 

"Whatever you want to eat, I'll buy it." That was all Hakyeon managed to say before the younger member practically tackled him into a hug. "You're rather cheery despite not even having your medication yet." Hakyeon said as he wrapped his arms around Hongbin's waist hugging him close.

Hongbin pulled back after a moment but kept an arm linked through Hakyeon's as he started to lead the older member to his favorite ramen shop nearby.

"I.. I know that I caused you and the others to worry a lot. I was so scared, though. I thought I was dying, or that's what it felt like anyway. I was too stubborn to ask for help and it only made everything worse in the end. And now I know it's treatable and that I'm going to be just fine, it's like a huge weight off my shoulders, ya know?" Hongbin pulled them to a stop once they were outside the restaurant, facing Hakyeon so that he could look the older in the eyes.

"What I'm trying to say is... even though it's annoying that you worry about the rest of us so much, I'm very grateful for you. Especially today. Thank you for continuously doing your best to make sure that the rest of us are in good condition mentally and physically. You go above and beyond everyone's expectations for a leader and I'm so lucky to have you as a hyung." Hongbin finished with a genuine smile spreading across his features. Hakyeon was touched at the younger's gratitude, rapidly blinking away the tears that threatened to fall at any second.

"No need to thank me, Hongbin-ah. I'm just glad to see you smile again."

A/N - Sorry this took a while to write. I wrote it over the course of two days only to lose all of it when my laptop restarted itself when I wasn't around (so if the ending seems a bit rushed, that's why). I realize this is so much dialog but *shrug* it can't be helped. Also I can't really figure out the deal with the fonts and why it keeps switching sizes, so sorry for that. Hope you enjoyed it<3 (Which member do you want to see next?)