Dream-catcher; Sunggyu/Woohyun
Dream-catcher
1296 words. PG-13.
- Infinite; Sunggyu/Woohyun.
author onew.
summary There are dreams that are hard to ignore.
notes For compatable because she is awesome and sadteeth because she has just gotten into Infinite. Special thanks to dream_of_orange for looking this over and spotting my fail, haha.
The dreams have been coming to Woohyun more frequently these days, most of them pertinent to their upcoming debut. Sunggyu has told him to not think about it too much, but when the dreams begin to form a cohesive story, he starts having doubts about every single promise he has once heard - debuting in six months, coming home early from vocal practice, tucking in Sungjong with no worries in mind.
"Don't think about it too much," Sunggyu insists, squeezing his shoulder lightly. He gulps down hard.
He runs on two hours of uninterrupted sleep everyday. Bad dreams are relieved by taking a cold shower, smoking two sticks just outside the house, sometimes taking a jog. Woohyun doesn't know it, but Sunggyu has been running on two hours of sleep, too, only because the dorm doesn't feel right when there's at least one person missing at 3 a.m..
"You've been sneaking out a lot lately," Sunggyu comments when Woohyun comes back from his jog-slash-dream debriefing session. "I've been watching you, you know."
Woohyun remains silent for a couple of minutes, mostly because his mind is still somewhere in between limbo and dream land, and partly because he's already seen this in his dream and he knows there's no escaping from this. Why have you been sneaking out? It's not like you; you love sleeping, comes Sunggyu's follow up statement. Woohyun takes a deep breath. "People change," he says casually, eyes fixed on Sunggyu's cup of coffee. He can almost see the frown on Sunggyu's lips, thanks to the reflection, but he can't be too sure - it's just a reflection, after all, much like a dream.
"That's a really lame answer."
"Tablo hyung's putting off the debut," Woohyun confesses when Sunggyu prods too much, rolling his eyes in the process. "We'll have to wait for another year."
"You're kidding," Sunggyu says into his morning cup of coffee. "That's not a good joke."
"My thoughts exactly."
The next few minutes are spent dissecting random dreams and interpreting them. Sunggyu only ever reminds Woohyun that dreams are not real. "They can be your innermost desires, too," Sunggyu kids. "I won't be surprised if you wanted to push back the debut date or something..." Woohyun hits Sunggyu hard on the arm, to which Sunggyu only replies with soft laughter.
Just like that, the dread that dreams bring is forgotten and Woohyun is awake, eyes wide open to the reality happening before his eyes.
The dreams become more disturbing by the minute. Myungsoo breaks a leg quite literally while performing; Sungyeol gets into a car accident and goes into a coma for at least three months. Woohyun doesn't tell anyone about all these and keeps a log of his dreams, instead. He reviews them when he has the chance, comparing each other and trying to find a link. Only one thing is common in all his dreams - they all talk about the disbandment of his little group, be it even before debut or years after they have debuted.
"This is stupid." He throws his dream log at the door, and Sunggyu promptly catches it when he enters the room. "Shit, hyung, I didn't mean to-" Sunggyu holds a hand up.
"Hey, relax. I won't hate you for throwing something at me. What is this, anyway?" Sunggyu laughs a little and opens the notebook, taking a quick look at the entries. After a while, his features contort a little, and Woohyun prepares to take some questions.
"These are just dreams, right?"
Woohyun worries his lower lip. "Um, yeah."
"Good. Wet dreams are normal for someone your age."
"Yeah. Wait. What-" Woohyun's eyebrows furrow in confusion and Suggyu just shakes his head, ruffling Woohyun's hair in the process.
Woohyun knows Sunggyu doesn't really mean that and has probably read more than he should; he's just trying hard not to believe what he has seen in the dream log. Nevertheless, Woohyun indulges in the thought that he not so alone in this anymore; one other person knowing about his dreams might just be enough for now. But only just.
The worst has come. It's just a week before their debut when Woohyun dreams about the management pulling them out from their various music show appearances, eventually withdrawing support from their group altogether. "You're not yet fit to debut. Not now, maybe never" he remembers one of the managers saying. He doesn't argue with the manager in his dream, but when he wakes up his fists are clenched and he mumbles all the things he would have told the manager as an effective retort.
"It was just a dream," he says to himself quietly in an attempt to calm himself down. "Just a dream, Woohyun. Just a dream."
"That's right. It's just a dream."
"Hyung!" Woohyun covers his mouth with his hands, careful to not wake up any of the members. His voice drops down to a whisper. "I thought you were asleep. And you're supposed to be there beside Sungjong! I-"
Sunggyu draws his index finger to his lips, then says, "Ssh. No more questions. Just go back to sleep." Mildly dejected, Woohyun turns to his side, his back facing Sunggyu.
Woohyun doesn't know how it happens, but soon Sunggyu's so close, head rested on his back. It's enough to calm him down, but not enough to make him forget about the nightmare he just had. "Hyung," he says in a tiny voice, "I- I had a dream."
Woohyun isn't asking for an audience, isn't expecting Sunggyu to listen, but Sunggyu lets out a small sound of acknowledgment as if urging Woohyun to go on. Woohyun then turns around so that they're facing each other and briefly regrets his move when he realizes that they're barely centimeters from each other.
"Hyung," Woohyun begins, the lack of breathing space evident in his heavy breathing. "In the dream-" A sigh escapes his lips, instead.
Woohyun's words get stuck in his throat, falling back into his gut as Sunggyu envelops him in a hug. He holds his breath, turns his head just slightly. There's a tentative pause in Sunggyu's actions as his arms circle Woohyun's waist, pulling the latter closer.
"Sleep. Just sleep. If the bad dreams come again, wake me up. I'll drive them away for you."
He's hesitant at first, but he eventually snuggles closer to find a perfect fit and closes his eyes, drifting into a much awaited slumber.
He falls asleep at two in the morning, wakes up at six. Four hours of sleep isn't much, but it's definitely an improvement. When he wakes up, his hair is sticking up in at least three different directions, but Sunggyu looks worse with his hair all over his face. He laughs a little.
This is definitely an improvement.
It's the day of their debut. Sungyeol and Howon are visibly running low on sleep; Sungjong and Dongwoo are unbelievably quiet. Myungsoo has zoned out, but that's nothing new; what's different is that he's smiling despite the lack of expression on his face.
After doing his rounds (the pats on the back are needed now more than ever), Woohyun sinks in his seat and runs his lines in his head. Sunggyu sits beside him.
"So, your dream-" Sunggyu says, a teasing glint in the curve of his smile. Woohyun chuckles.
"Don't even think about it."
"Infinite, you're up next! Five minutes!"
They all shuffle to their places, nervousness still at their fingertips. Woohyun reaches out for Sunggyu's hand, squeezing it lightly for a boost of confidence.
"Time to prove your dreams wrong," Sunggyu whispers to him, and Woohyun smiles.
No, Woohyun thinks to himself. He's not here to disprove his dreams.
He's here to make another dream happen.
"Give it up for Infinite and their song, Dashi dorawa!"