just a prank (oneshot)
just a prank
vixx, leo/hyuk
pg, 1957w
The week leading up to it, Taekwoon was in a unique state of distress. Every night he went to bed wishing that it could disappear, just never happen, or at least be conveniently wiped from the minds of his bandmates until it was safely over and done with. How nice it would be if, just this once, it could pass by quietly, no surprises or parties or gifts.
For his birthday, all Taekwoon wanted was peace.
Until he got his wish.
Sanghyuk liked the plan from the moment Jaehwan suggested it. The plan was likely more revenge for his own birthday prank, but Jaehwan was in rare form as he detailed what they were going to do, which was essentially nothing.
That was it. They'd do nothing. In exactly one week Taekwoon would wake up no doubt expecting all the insanity that usually accompanied birthdays in the VIXX dorm, and he'd get nothing.
Sanghyuk couldn't wait.
That morning Taekwoon woke up knowing nothing was going to go his way. Jaehwan had rolled in his sleep-- again-- and was now half-slung across Taekwoon's legs. Hongbin was mumbling something in his sleep and Hakyeon was surprisingly quiet, which was never a good sign. All of them had planned to take advantage of this day off to rest, but the second Taekwoon's eyes cracked open, he knew he wouldn't be able to nod off again.
Detangling himself from Jaehwan took time, and Taekwoon paused to yawn and run a hand through his hair when he was finally free. The way Jaehwan's mouth was hanging open made Takewoon want to stuff a sock into it, but he refrained. At least they'd let him sleep, let him have his morning to himself before they started their antics. He knew he didn't have much time before this period of silence, a gift in itself, really, would come to an end.
The next one to wake was Hongbin, and that wasn't for another hour. In the meantime Taekwoon fixed himself some breakfast, checked the fancafe and watched a little television. All in all a nice, slow morning. Hongbin didn't show signs of interrupting it either, heading straight to the bathroom to shower.
But, Taekwoon noticed, no "happy birthday". Even half-asleep Hongbin wasn't the kind of person to forget something like that.
Hakyeon was the next to stir, stumbling out of the bedroom while Hongbin was still showering. He groaned to find the bathroom occupied and turned to settle on the floor in front of Taekwoon. Taekwoon tensed and readied himself, because of all people, Hakyeon was the one who enjoyed making a scene the most. "Morning," was all Hakyeon mumbled.
That was it. Taekwoon sat, stunned, and waited for something more, but Hakyeon seemed content with lounging and watching the re-runs of last week's music shows.
An uncomfortable tension settled into the small of Taekwoon's back, and no matter how he shifted on the couch, he couldn't get it to go away.
Sanghyuk never had to worry about being the last to wake up, not with Wonsik around. As always he awoke to the gentle grinding of Wonsik's sinuses and as always the first thing he did was kick his hyung in the side, not nearly so gently. The comatose lump just grunted and rolled over until its nose was pressed against the wall. It did nothing to muffle the snores.
After pulling on a sweatshirt, Sanghyuk padded out of the room and gazed around at the others. Hakyeon and Jaehwan were sprawled across the floor. Jaehwan looked ready to fall back asleep. Hongbin was making something in the kitchen which Sanghyuk was immediately determined to obtain for himself. The only one who seemed out of place was Taekwoon, who was perched on the edge of the couch like he wasn't sure what to do with himself. His eyes shifted around the room now and then, as if expecting something to happen.
Right. Sanghyuk nearly grinned. He bounced into the kitchen and didn't leave until he had a small bowl of Hongbin's breakfast. By then Wonsik had emerged from his cave, groggily looking about like he couldn't remember why the hell he lived with five other men. When he seemed to figure out the answer, he slouched off to the bathroom.
The spot on the couch beside Taekwoon was open, so Sanghyuk plopped down to join the others in front of the tv. Taekwoon glanced over as the couch shfited under Sanghyuk's weight. Sanghyuk returned the glance and smiled. "Hyung," he began, and he saw the faintest gleam of expectation in Taekwoon's eyes. "Are you hungry?"
Sanghyuk wanted to cackle as that gleam disappeared, but then something else clouded Taekwoon's expression, something Sanghyuk couldn't remember having seen before.
This was exactly what Taekwoon wanted, but why didn't he feel content? Quite the opposite, he felt hollow, listless, and he knew he was sulking more than usual. Speaking even less. Taking everything too damn personally.
Around noon Hakyeon, Wonsik and Hongbin went off to grab lunch. They invited Taekwoon, but he didn't feel up to it. Jaehwan was still watching cartoons and Sanghyuk was studying, so the group split up for the afternoon.
Taekwoon sought refuge in his music. At least this way he looked unaffected. Even listening to his music did nothing to soothe his anxiety, though, and eventually he tossed away his headphones and groaned. He had yet to leave the couch, yet to eat, now that he thought about it. His stomach growled and Jaehwan turned to grin. Taekwoon kicked him in the leg before Jaehwan could say anything.
The kitchen was a wreck. Hongbin was usually relatively clean, but Wonsik had left rice and crumbs, dirty dishes in the sink, used pans on the stove. Frowning, Taekwoon got to work. He knew he was being unnecessarily loud about it, and that worsened when Jaehwan turned up the volume on the tv in response.
In the bedroom, Sanghyuk winced at the banging coming from the kitchen. This prank was supposed to be fun, but Sanghyuk found that it was escalating into something he wasn't sure any of them could handle. Taekwoon had seemed sulky at first, which had been plenty fun, but once the other three had wandered off everything seemed to be getting worse. Even a prank had its limits.
sanghyuk: this is bad, come home
He sent off the text with another startled peek into the kitchen. The dishes were clean now, or perhaps broken, because Taekwoon had stopped scrubbing and was now cooking. The way he was whisking his eggs looked more like he was beating them into submission. As the youngest, and taking into consideration that Jaehwan was very good at redirecting Taekwoon's anger, Sanghyuk had reason to fear for his well being.
That, and he just plain felt bad. This prank seemed innocent at first, but Sanghyuk was beginning to feel they'd picked the wrong target. Taekwoon wasn't the type to show how he felt beyond his usual anger or embarrassment. If this was bothering him, which Sanghyuk highly suspected it did, he wasn't going to say anything about it.
This was where Hakyeon was supposed to be the leader, damn it. Sanghyuk felt a rush of relief as his phone vibrated in his hand.
hakyeon: no way
By the time evening rolled around, Taekwoon wasn't sure what he was feeling. All six of them were together again, but the more noise and bodies filled the room, the more Taekwoon felt his control slipping. He wanted to bang their heads together, one by one, until they remembered.
I'm here, for fuck's sake. Doesn't that matter?
An entirely irrational and over the top reaction, he knew that, but time wasn't lessening the frustration. When he'd wished for this to happen he thought he'd feel restful and calm. Now he felt antsy and annoyed at every little things his friends did. Nothing pleased him, not even the snacks Hakyeon brought back from his trip out. He munched his bag of chips and pulled them out of reach when Wonsik went for some. Hakyeon scolded him playfully and Taekwoon threw the entire thing in his friend's face.
Hakyeon's expression seemed to understand something was wrong, but Taekwoon wasn't having any of that, either. He wanted recognition, not pity. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but bottled it up instead.
Lurching to his feet, Taekwoon shoved his way past everyone towards the bedroom.
"Where are you going?" Hakyeon asked, an edge of annoyance in his voice.
"To bed," Taekwoon mumbled before he slammed the door behind him.
Whatever impulse had led Sanghyuk to hide and wait in the bedroom now eluded him. In part he was hiding because he couldn't look at Taekwoon without feeling terribly guilty. Another part wanted not to be around when Taekwoon finally exploded, which was going to happen at any moment. He was perfectly content to sit in the corner and play in their ipad in the dark.
And then Taekwoon stormed in and slammed the door. The sound made Sanghyuk jump and something like a squeak escaped his lips. Taekwoon turned and glared in disbelief to find Sanghyuk there.
"Oh, that's where you went."
At the very least Taekwoon's anger wasn't pointed at Sanghyuk. He didn't even try to kick Sanghyuk out. He grabbed a blanket and spread it on the floor, all but collapsing onto it. Sanghyuk's presence didn't seem to bother him, and Sanghyuk didn't dare move until he was sure he was safe to do so. The ipad's glow faded as it shut off and, very slowly, Sanghyuk stretched out his numb legs. The pins and needles made him wince, but Taekwoon didn't seem to notice.
"Sanghyuk."
The boy jerked back and held the ipad close. "Hyung?"
There was a pause. Taekwoon's fingers flexed in the blanket on either side of him. "Did you have fun today?" he finally asked in a resigned sigh.
"I-" Sanghyuk started to reply, but Taekwoon turned and stared at him. In the darkness it was hard to see Taekwoon's eyes, but Sanghyuk could feel them watching. "Happy birthday, hyung."
As if the room could have gotten more tense. Silence stretched between them, and Sanghyuk almost started to apologize, but was cut off by a quiet, tired laugh. It took him a moment to realize it was coming from Taekwoon and not someone beyond the door. "You knew?" Taekwoon asked. He sounded surprised and yet not at all.
"We thought it'd be funny, you know, because pranks are what we usually do and you always hate it when we make a big deal about your birthday and Jaehwan hyung said--" Sanghyuk stopped himself from stammering and laughed awkwardly.
Taekwoon laughed, too, and Sanghyuk could just make out the curve of a smile on his hyung's face. "So when does this prank end?"
"It was supposed to end five minutes after you came in here." Sanghyuk shook his head and could picture the others standing around outside, not knowing what to do. Everything had gone so totally wrong.
Something grabbed Sanghyuk by the ankle and dragged him across the room. He yelped and slipped down to join Taekwoon on the floor. Yawning, Taekwoon kept Sanghyuk from scooting away with an iron grip on the boy's wrist. "How about we make them wait a little longer?" Taekwoon mused and Sanghyuk chuckled in response. Taekwoon was never the type to get this close of his own free will, and Sanghyuk just froze as an arm flopped over him and Taekwoon moved a little closer.
"And thank you, by the way."
Have a request? Prompt me!
vixx, leo/hyuk
pg, 1957w
The week leading up to it, Taekwoon was in a unique state of distress. Every night he went to bed wishing that it could disappear, just never happen, or at least be conveniently wiped from the minds of his bandmates until it was safely over and done with. How nice it would be if, just this once, it could pass by quietly, no surprises or parties or gifts.
For his birthday, all Taekwoon wanted was peace.
Until he got his wish.
Sanghyuk liked the plan from the moment Jaehwan suggested it. The plan was likely more revenge for his own birthday prank, but Jaehwan was in rare form as he detailed what they were going to do, which was essentially nothing.
That was it. They'd do nothing. In exactly one week Taekwoon would wake up no doubt expecting all the insanity that usually accompanied birthdays in the VIXX dorm, and he'd get nothing.
Sanghyuk couldn't wait.
That morning Taekwoon woke up knowing nothing was going to go his way. Jaehwan had rolled in his sleep-- again-- and was now half-slung across Taekwoon's legs. Hongbin was mumbling something in his sleep and Hakyeon was surprisingly quiet, which was never a good sign. All of them had planned to take advantage of this day off to rest, but the second Taekwoon's eyes cracked open, he knew he wouldn't be able to nod off again.
Detangling himself from Jaehwan took time, and Taekwoon paused to yawn and run a hand through his hair when he was finally free. The way Jaehwan's mouth was hanging open made Takewoon want to stuff a sock into it, but he refrained. At least they'd let him sleep, let him have his morning to himself before they started their antics. He knew he didn't have much time before this period of silence, a gift in itself, really, would come to an end.
The next one to wake was Hongbin, and that wasn't for another hour. In the meantime Taekwoon fixed himself some breakfast, checked the fancafe and watched a little television. All in all a nice, slow morning. Hongbin didn't show signs of interrupting it either, heading straight to the bathroom to shower.
But, Taekwoon noticed, no "happy birthday". Even half-asleep Hongbin wasn't the kind of person to forget something like that.
Hakyeon was the next to stir, stumbling out of the bedroom while Hongbin was still showering. He groaned to find the bathroom occupied and turned to settle on the floor in front of Taekwoon. Taekwoon tensed and readied himself, because of all people, Hakyeon was the one who enjoyed making a scene the most. "Morning," was all Hakyeon mumbled.
That was it. Taekwoon sat, stunned, and waited for something more, but Hakyeon seemed content with lounging and watching the re-runs of last week's music shows.
An uncomfortable tension settled into the small of Taekwoon's back, and no matter how he shifted on the couch, he couldn't get it to go away.
Sanghyuk never had to worry about being the last to wake up, not with Wonsik around. As always he awoke to the gentle grinding of Wonsik's sinuses and as always the first thing he did was kick his hyung in the side, not nearly so gently. The comatose lump just grunted and rolled over until its nose was pressed against the wall. It did nothing to muffle the snores.
After pulling on a sweatshirt, Sanghyuk padded out of the room and gazed around at the others. Hakyeon and Jaehwan were sprawled across the floor. Jaehwan looked ready to fall back asleep. Hongbin was making something in the kitchen which Sanghyuk was immediately determined to obtain for himself. The only one who seemed out of place was Taekwoon, who was perched on the edge of the couch like he wasn't sure what to do with himself. His eyes shifted around the room now and then, as if expecting something to happen.
Right. Sanghyuk nearly grinned. He bounced into the kitchen and didn't leave until he had a small bowl of Hongbin's breakfast. By then Wonsik had emerged from his cave, groggily looking about like he couldn't remember why the hell he lived with five other men. When he seemed to figure out the answer, he slouched off to the bathroom.
The spot on the couch beside Taekwoon was open, so Sanghyuk plopped down to join the others in front of the tv. Taekwoon glanced over as the couch shfited under Sanghyuk's weight. Sanghyuk returned the glance and smiled. "Hyung," he began, and he saw the faintest gleam of expectation in Taekwoon's eyes. "Are you hungry?"
Sanghyuk wanted to cackle as that gleam disappeared, but then something else clouded Taekwoon's expression, something Sanghyuk couldn't remember having seen before.
This was exactly what Taekwoon wanted, but why didn't he feel content? Quite the opposite, he felt hollow, listless, and he knew he was sulking more than usual. Speaking even less. Taking everything too damn personally.
Around noon Hakyeon, Wonsik and Hongbin went off to grab lunch. They invited Taekwoon, but he didn't feel up to it. Jaehwan was still watching cartoons and Sanghyuk was studying, so the group split up for the afternoon.
Taekwoon sought refuge in his music. At least this way he looked unaffected. Even listening to his music did nothing to soothe his anxiety, though, and eventually he tossed away his headphones and groaned. He had yet to leave the couch, yet to eat, now that he thought about it. His stomach growled and Jaehwan turned to grin. Taekwoon kicked him in the leg before Jaehwan could say anything.
The kitchen was a wreck. Hongbin was usually relatively clean, but Wonsik had left rice and crumbs, dirty dishes in the sink, used pans on the stove. Frowning, Taekwoon got to work. He knew he was being unnecessarily loud about it, and that worsened when Jaehwan turned up the volume on the tv in response.
In the bedroom, Sanghyuk winced at the banging coming from the kitchen. This prank was supposed to be fun, but Sanghyuk found that it was escalating into something he wasn't sure any of them could handle. Taekwoon had seemed sulky at first, which had been plenty fun, but once the other three had wandered off everything seemed to be getting worse. Even a prank had its limits.
sanghyuk: this is bad, come home
He sent off the text with another startled peek into the kitchen. The dishes were clean now, or perhaps broken, because Taekwoon had stopped scrubbing and was now cooking. The way he was whisking his eggs looked more like he was beating them into submission. As the youngest, and taking into consideration that Jaehwan was very good at redirecting Taekwoon's anger, Sanghyuk had reason to fear for his well being.
That, and he just plain felt bad. This prank seemed innocent at first, but Sanghyuk was beginning to feel they'd picked the wrong target. Taekwoon wasn't the type to show how he felt beyond his usual anger or embarrassment. If this was bothering him, which Sanghyuk highly suspected it did, he wasn't going to say anything about it.
This was where Hakyeon was supposed to be the leader, damn it. Sanghyuk felt a rush of relief as his phone vibrated in his hand.
hakyeon: no way
By the time evening rolled around, Taekwoon wasn't sure what he was feeling. All six of them were together again, but the more noise and bodies filled the room, the more Taekwoon felt his control slipping. He wanted to bang their heads together, one by one, until they remembered.
I'm here, for fuck's sake. Doesn't that matter?
An entirely irrational and over the top reaction, he knew that, but time wasn't lessening the frustration. When he'd wished for this to happen he thought he'd feel restful and calm. Now he felt antsy and annoyed at every little things his friends did. Nothing pleased him, not even the snacks Hakyeon brought back from his trip out. He munched his bag of chips and pulled them out of reach when Wonsik went for some. Hakyeon scolded him playfully and Taekwoon threw the entire thing in his friend's face.
Hakyeon's expression seemed to understand something was wrong, but Taekwoon wasn't having any of that, either. He wanted recognition, not pity. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but bottled it up instead.
Lurching to his feet, Taekwoon shoved his way past everyone towards the bedroom.
"Where are you going?" Hakyeon asked, an edge of annoyance in his voice.
"To bed," Taekwoon mumbled before he slammed the door behind him.
Whatever impulse had led Sanghyuk to hide and wait in the bedroom now eluded him. In part he was hiding because he couldn't look at Taekwoon without feeling terribly guilty. Another part wanted not to be around when Taekwoon finally exploded, which was going to happen at any moment. He was perfectly content to sit in the corner and play in their ipad in the dark.
And then Taekwoon stormed in and slammed the door. The sound made Sanghyuk jump and something like a squeak escaped his lips. Taekwoon turned and glared in disbelief to find Sanghyuk there.
"Oh, that's where you went."
At the very least Taekwoon's anger wasn't pointed at Sanghyuk. He didn't even try to kick Sanghyuk out. He grabbed a blanket and spread it on the floor, all but collapsing onto it. Sanghyuk's presence didn't seem to bother him, and Sanghyuk didn't dare move until he was sure he was safe to do so. The ipad's glow faded as it shut off and, very slowly, Sanghyuk stretched out his numb legs. The pins and needles made him wince, but Taekwoon didn't seem to notice.
"Sanghyuk."
The boy jerked back and held the ipad close. "Hyung?"
There was a pause. Taekwoon's fingers flexed in the blanket on either side of him. "Did you have fun today?" he finally asked in a resigned sigh.
"I-" Sanghyuk started to reply, but Taekwoon turned and stared at him. In the darkness it was hard to see Taekwoon's eyes, but Sanghyuk could feel them watching. "Happy birthday, hyung."
As if the room could have gotten more tense. Silence stretched between them, and Sanghyuk almost started to apologize, but was cut off by a quiet, tired laugh. It took him a moment to realize it was coming from Taekwoon and not someone beyond the door. "You knew?" Taekwoon asked. He sounded surprised and yet not at all.
"We thought it'd be funny, you know, because pranks are what we usually do and you always hate it when we make a big deal about your birthday and Jaehwan hyung said--" Sanghyuk stopped himself from stammering and laughed awkwardly.
Taekwoon laughed, too, and Sanghyuk could just make out the curve of a smile on his hyung's face. "So when does this prank end?"
"It was supposed to end five minutes after you came in here." Sanghyuk shook his head and could picture the others standing around outside, not knowing what to do. Everything had gone so totally wrong.
Something grabbed Sanghyuk by the ankle and dragged him across the room. He yelped and slipped down to join Taekwoon on the floor. Yawning, Taekwoon kept Sanghyuk from scooting away with an iron grip on the boy's wrist. "How about we make them wait a little longer?" Taekwoon mused and Sanghyuk chuckled in response. Taekwoon was never the type to get this close of his own free will, and Sanghyuk just froze as an arm flopped over him and Taekwoon moved a little closer.
"And thank you, by the way."
Have a request? Prompt me!