Fantastic (1/5; N/Hongbin, PG)
Title: Today's The Day (That I'll Be Flying Away) ("Fantastic" part 1| 2| 3|4ABC|5ABC)
Pairing: N/Hongbin (this part)
Rating: PG
Words: ~2900
Warnings: none
Summary: They all wake up with the wrong superpowers.
It starts with a frightened, completely unmanly shriek from Hongbin that rouses the rest of the members from their beds long before anyone's alarm was set to go off. Wonsik rolls back over to fall asleep again and the others grumble, but Hakyeon sits up and pushes his hair back, and puts his N face on. He's the leader. This is his problem.
"Hongbin," he begins, trying very hard not to be cranky from exhaustion. "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"
"Hyung--" Hongbin's voice is choked and seems to be coming from the wrong place in the room, nowhere near his bunk. "--help."
Hakyeon peers over to the bed where Hongbin should be, blinks, rubs the sleep out of his eyes, peers again. The visual's sheets are in a tangle on the floor but he himself is nowhere to be found, which Hakyeon supposes explains the misplaced voice.
"Hongbin? Are you stuck somewh--"
"Hyung," he's interrupted by the exclamation and a hand waving frantically in the top of his peripheral vision. "Please." Hongbin sounds this close to sobbing.
And Hakyeon looks up, up to where Hongbin is plastered against the ceiling, one arm reaching out to him. He sees the look of stark terror on Hongbin's face and he doesn't have time to consider how insane it is that he’s floating in midair because he remembers abruptly that Hongbin, Hongbin is afraid of heights, so he just grabs the outstretched hand and pulls. Hongbin crashes inelegantly onto Hakyeon's bed but immediately starts drifting upward again, desperately squeezing Hakyeon's hand and clutching at the covers with the other. Hakyeon tugs him back down and rolls across him, using his own body weight to pin Hongbin’s arms and legs so that he can't escape.
"Are you okay?" He asks the sheets next to Hongbin's left ear because they're so close he can't comfortably look him in the eye. (Truthfully, he can't comfortably look Hongbin in the eye most days anyway; Hongbin always gives that smile when their gazes meet, dimples creasing his cheeks, and Hakyeon finds it entirely too adorable to bear.)
"Getting there," Hongbin breathes. "You're heavy." The long-suffering leader N side of Hakyeon considers sliding off him in a huff, letting him fly away again and seeing how he likes that, but the rest of Hakyeon can't stand the thought of deliberately allowing Hongbin to be that frightened. He settles for making a mean face that Hongbin can't see anyway and asking, "What happened?"
"I don't know," Hongbin says. "I just--woke up. Like that. On the way...up."
Hakyeon purses his lips. "Well, I've...got you now, I guess. Let's just try to sleep and see if you're still like this in the morning."
"Okay," Hongbin replies softly. "Thanks, hyung." Worn down from the shock of the evening, he closes his eyes and his breathing evens out shortly after.
Hakyeon spends too much time pointedly not watching Hongbin sleep, too much time trying to find a place to put his head that isn't directly on the other boy. When he finally gives up and lays on Hongbin's shoulder, he definitely spends way too much time ignoring how comfortable it is before succumbing to oblivion himself.
---
Morning comes and everything seems back to normal. At least, that is, until they can't find Jaehwan anywhere and when Hakyeon checks the bathroom he notices Hongbin hovering a couple inches off the floor as he sleepily brushes his teeth.
Eventually Jaehwan turns up - he's apparently been in his bunk the whole time, dozing through the other members calling his name; they just couldn't tell because he's, well, he's invisible. They only actually find him when he finally wakes up and responds, voice issuing from the seemingly empty bed and startling Wonsik into breathing fire.
Of course, Hakyeon thinks. Of course one of them got fire.
It's not the last of course he thinks over the span of the group meeting he calls in the living room. Everyone shuffles (or, in Hongbin's case, floats) in, gathering around the coffee table. Ken reaches the couch first, still invisible except for the dip of the cushion under his weight, and squeaks indignantly when first Ravi, then Leo sits on him as they squeeze on either side. Hakyeon takes a moment to survey them, his little not-quite-ordinary troupe, through N's eyes.
"So," he starts, "we've got superpowers."
"Your superhero name should totally be Captain Obvious!" pipes a voice from the space between Ravi and Leo. N glares in what he hopes is Ken's direction and is a little disappointed that his power is not, apparently, laser beam eyes.
Pointedly not responding to the singer's quip, he continues. "Ken's invisible, Hongbin flies, Ravi does, uh, fire stuff...anyone else?"
"Not me, hyung." Hyuk replies. "What about you?" Leo, of course, doesn't say anything at all.
"Nothing yet. Are any of you having trouble with your powers that we can help with?"
Ravi shakes his head (lips firmly pressed together in case speaking produces more fire) and Ken is silent so N takes that as a no, but Hongbin smiles at him, dimples on full display. "You already did, hyung."
Hakyeon looks away, trying not to remember the solid warmth of Hongbin's body, for once grateful for his darker skin as it hides the flush he can feel racing up his neck. "Good." It comes out more curt than he'd intended. "Well. If there is anything just let me know." They all nod in response.
Hyuk claps his hands and grins. "Well, now that that's settled, I want breakfast! Ceeereal!" He bounces over to the kitchen, grabs a cabinet handle, and promptly rips the whole door off its hinges. A stunned hush falls over the kitchen, Ravi emitting a surprised puff of smoke.
"Hyung." The maknae hangs his head sheepishly while Ken fades slowly into view, mouth comically agape. "I think I found my power."
---
Hakyeon spends a lot of time during the next few days holding Hongbin down. None of the members who've expressed their powers can quite control them yet, and the visual has an alarming tendency to gradually float away if nothing is tethering him to the ground. Given the amount of time they're spending in front of cameras for "Superhero" promotions, this is a fairly significant problem. Sanghyuk offers to help once, to give N a reprieve from the constant vigilance the leader has to hold any time they're being filmed, ready to sling a casual arm over Hongbin's shoulders as soon as he shows signs of liftoff, but it's Hakyeon, not N, who turns the maknae down.
If he's honest with himself, it's because he's jealous. He knows it would be so easy to let Sanghyuk lend a hand - after all, with the maknae's new super strength it probably wouldn't take more than a single finger to keep Hongbin out of the air. Hakyeon's not even worried about Sanghyuk accidentally hurting Hongbin; he's seen how hard Sanghyuk is working, knows that just like with everything else he does, he's thrown himself wholeheartedly into learning to manage his strength. Hakyeon thinks it's profoundly unfair that their sweet-natured baby Hyuk wound up with the power most likely to do harm (even Wonsik is safe as long as he keeps his mouth shut, and he doesn't have the maknae's tendency to flail when excited), but he's so proud of how well Sanghyuk has managed to rein it in.
No, Hakyeon doesn't have a good reason for wanting to keep Hongbin to himself. But he's more than a little bitter that he's one of the only members without a power, might even be the only one because who knows what Taekwoon isn't telling them when he's being silent. So even if every time Hongbin inadvertently drifts upward and gains another couple inches on him is a reminder that this is just one more way in which the handsome visual is better than, is too good for him, Hakyeon clings to his role as human sandbag. If he can't be special he can at least be necessary.
---
When Hakyeon finally does discover his own superpower, a couple days later, he's not at all sure how to feel about it.
Funnily enough, it's another scream from Hongbin that sets things off this time, too. He’s been trying to learn to direct his flight, and he's spent the better part of an hour jerkily dipping and darting around the room they keep their clothes in. Hakyeon's been puttering around the common area, sort of cleaning up but mostly keeping an eye on Hongbin’s antics, so he's prepared for when Hongbin lets out a startled shout as he abruptly nosedives toward the floor.
Hakyeon's prepared, but unfortunately he's also across the living room, almost as far away from the falling boy as he can be in their small dorm. He immediately breaks into a run even though he knows his chances of reaching Hongbin in time are slim to none. There's just too much area to cover.
He's as surprised as Hongbin, then, when he catches the visual well before he hits the ground (though his knees buckle under the unexpected weight and they tumble to the floor anyway). Rolling off of him, he demands, "What were you thinking? Were you trying to do tricks or something? Pabo! That could have been really bad! Aish, I should--"
"Hyung," Hongbin interrupts. "You're talking way too quickly, I can't understand you. Slow down!"
"Slow down? Slow down? What's with that disrespectful manner, huh? First you scare the hell out of me pulling dangerous stunts and now you're talking back? Aiiish, what should I do with a rude dongsaeng like you?" Agitated, N stands up and begins pacing with frustration.
He smacks face-first into the wall before he's taken more than a couple steps. Rubbing at his sore nose, he frowns; they'd been in the center of the room, well away from any hard surfaces. Turning around, Hakyeon stalks back toward where Hongbin is still sitting, wide-eyed, a few mattress-lengths from him - and suddenly finds himself several feet on the other side of him.
"Hyung," comes Hongbin's timid voice from behind Hakyeon. "Do you have super speed?"
---
What a useless power, Hakyeon thinks, curling into himself even further. They're performing tonight for the first time since getting their powers and he's huddled on a chair in the waiting room, avoiding doing anything that could be considered moving. After all, for the past week it's done nothing but get him into trouble - weird looks when he moves too quickly, unable to control his speed; even weirder looks when, trying too hard to control it, he moves like he's wading through molasses. He's already bumped into several people backstage today because he can't seem to gauge distance any more, and he's developing a reputation for clumsiness that's totally unbecoming on a dancer. He just wants to sit here, completely still so that he can't make a fool of himself, until they go on stage and he has to concentrate on not messing up the rhythm of the choreography.
Of course, his groupmates have different ideas. Within minutes of Hakyeon sitting down, Ken wanders over, trailed by a dawdling Hongbin.
"Heyy hyuuuuung," Ken drawls, then giggles. "Or am I speaking too slowly for you?"
He's been doing this ever since N had admitted his newfound power to the group, poking fun at the leader's struggle to control his speed now that he's got some kind of handle on his own invisibility. Hakyeon feels his grip tighten on the arms of his chair and reminds himself that Ken isn't malicious, they just all know he's completely incapable of letting a joke go.
"Hey hyung!" Hakyeon narrows his eyes, returning his attention to the singer. "Show us your auctioneer impression!"
It confuses Hakyeon enough that he responds before he can stop himself. "My what?"
Ken's eyes sparkle and Hakyeon immediately knows he's just set himself up. "Don't worry, it's easy! All you have to do is talk!"
It's an awful insult but Ken nearly falls over laughing and even Hongbin lets out a quiet chuckle, eyes crinkling at the corners as he watches Ken, and Hakyeon is abruptly done. He rockets out of the chair, barely glancing at Ken and Hongbin's startled faces as he stalks toward the entrance to the stage wings. There's a tug on his jacket but he shakes it off, focusing on the way anger courses icy through his veins. Then the venue staff is calling them to their places and there's no time for anything except last-minute preparations before they go on.
Hakyeon is bitterly glad, as they track through the familiar steps, that the cold fury slows him down enough that he can actually keep the beat.
---
He refuses to speak to anyone in the van on the way home, pointedly ignoring the open seat next to Hongbin in favor of squeezing in next to Leo. Ken takes the spot instead; Hakyeon feels his face harden as they start whispering to each other. Leo touches his wrist, pulls Hakyeon's head down to rest against his shoulder, and Hakyeon is grateful for the silent comfort.
Finally they reach the dorms. He's up and out of his seat before anyone else, so that by the time the other members straggle in he's already rummaging through the kitchen cabinets for their dinner. It's just instant noodles like usual, but at least it gives him an excuse not to talk to anyone.
Someone enters the kitchen behind him and Hakyeon immediately ducks his head over the pot to hide what he knows has to be an expression like doom. But it's just Leo, who carefully takes the spoon from his hand and pushes him toward the door. "Go. I've got this."
Hakyeon meets his gaze and manages to whisper "thank you" before he slips out of the dorm so quickly that no one will know he's gone until the door latches behind him, already at the other end of the hall. He's both mollified and resentful at how it seems like his speed responds to his emotions; he's never been able to control those, either, but maybe it's a start.
---
The roof is empty concrete and loud with refracted noise from the streets below, but Hakyeon's always found a measure of peace in the anonymity the roar affords. Up here no one can listen too closely, just waiting for the telltale shake in his voice. He curls into a corner and rests his head on his knees.
Really, he's not sure why Ken's teasing had hit so hard. It's not like it's the first time or even the hundredth, and it's not like he couldn't have found a dozen different insults to throw right back at him in return. But Hakyeon thinks about the laundry list of other things the members poke fun at him for, thinks about Hongbin's dimples as he'd looked at Ken, thinks about Hongbin, and thinks, well, shit.
Hakyeon drops his head further and sighs heavily. He's so screwed.
---
Just as he's considering whether it's time to head back, the door to the roof swings open and Hongbin's voice rings out. "Hyung! Hakyeon hyung, are you up here?"
Standing up to reply, Hakyeon is interrupted by Hongbin whirling around the corner and barreling into him, wrapping his arms around Hakyeon. "Hyung," Hongbin says, sounding choked. "Hyung, I'm so sorry."
Hakyeon pulls back to look at his face but Hongbin refuses to let go all the way, shifting to grip both his hands. He's a little bit of a mess, almost teary-eyed, and Hakyeon can't help but slip into worried leader N.
"Hongbin-ah," he shakes their linked fingers. "Beanie. What's wrong?"
"We made you mad," comes the shaky reply. "Me and Ken, and we, I didn't mean to--"
"It's oka--," Hakyeon starts to say, but Hongbin interrupts him.
"It's not okay, we were, I was mean and hyung, hyung I'm sorry!"
And then a lot of things happen at once. Hongbin begins to cry in earnest and as he does so he rockets into the air, terrifying the hell out of Hakyeon before he remembers their clasped hands and tugs sharply, bringing Hongbin crashing down to land in a heap on top of him.
"Pabo," Hakyeon hisses around a mouthful of Hongbin's hair. "Pabo!! You could have flown away forever!"
Hongbin laughs tearily at that, tilting his head back to look at Hakyeon. "It's okay, hyung, you'll catch me."
Of course, Hakyeon almost says, but stops himself. "Aish, do I have to?"
"Yeah." Hongbin grins wider. "You do. Because you like me."
Hakyeon goes cold. He opens his mouth to deny it, crack a joke, say anything at all, but Hongbin continues, ducking his head.
"And," he peeks back up, "I like you, too."
Hakyeon stares, and whatever he'd been about to say just comes out as "Yah."
When Hongbin leans up, carefully pressing their lips together, Hakyeon feels like he's the one who should be floating away.
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