Serendipity | SunKi Au

40: Dad...

When Ni-Ki finally decided to go to his room, at 10 pm (totally not late on purpose), he found Sunoo sound asleep on his bed. The room was arranged with a bed next to a window, a desk in the middle, and another bed next to it. There was a dresser in front of them with a TV on top of it while the restroom was on Sunoo's side of the room. He tiptoes over to his bed, putting his things on the ground before taking his shoes off and finally getting relief as he lays on the bed. He had been tired since they got to the hotel but he was too scared to do as his Hyungs said which was going to sleep in his room. Instead, he had pretended to be energetic as he hung out with them on their free day before they got busy.

With final thoughts on the competition, he finally closes his eyes and drifts off to dreamland.

--

"Riki, wake up," there was a voice in the room, shaking him lightly by the shoulder.

He slowly opens his eyes, blinking a few times before being able to focus on who it was. "Sunoo-Hyung," he mumbles without much thought. "I'm up," he says calmly, his voice slightly raspy.

The other hums before walking away, putting his toothbrush in his mouth and moving it through his mouth as he heads over to the bathroom. 

"Sorry that you had to wake me up," he says sheepishly, going through his bag.

"I knew you would either not wake up or wake up late," he shrugs, "It's alright."

This seemed like an advancement. They were talking to each other. Good. That was a step further, they had both noted. Either of them could have ignored the other so this seemed to be going the right way. Unconsciously, they found themselves glancing at one another as they got ready and they couldn't help but draw small smiles onto their faces.

--

"Today the first rounds of the competition will start. Thankfully, we get more practice time as all our performances are scheduled for tomorrow," Heeseung informs. "We've got a room assigned to practice in, this is the schedule of when we can be there," he says, handing a sheet of paper to each member. "Make sure to take advantage of the time and practice as much as possible, as comfortable as you feel, but make sure it's a healthy amount," he says seriously. "You're dismissed."

"Soooo how do you guys feel?" Jay asks, putting his arms around either of his friends as they begin to walk away.

"Tired. Nervous. Anxious. Like I could faint," Riki answers, shrugging slightly, his eyes distant.

"Our turn in the practice room is four hours later. Do you guys want to do something in the meantime?" Sunghoon questions, turning to face them both.

"I'll practice in my room and then take a nap," the youngest announces as they step into the hotel building. "Call me if you guys need anything and also please come wake me up when it's time? I oversleep sometimes," he says, rubbing his nape with a sheepish smile.

They both smile in return, "Sure, don't worry about it, bub. We'll be in our room practicing as well if you need anything," the younger 2002-liner says before they separate ways. 

Ni-Ki did as he had said, he played the music to his performance and let the music carry him away with its flow. He wondered once or twice where Sunoo might be throughout it but knew better than to focus on those thoughts.

An hour or so later, he found himself tired enough to stop. He glanced at his phone which displayed the time '11:21.' Lunch was served at 1 and the practice room was theirs from 2-5. He took a relieved sigh, plopping onto his bed, closing his eyes, and letting his drowsiness take over.

--

"Niki?" A voice entered the room as the door shut close. 

Sunoo came into the room, inspecting it until his eyes landed on the curled-up figure on the bed against the wall by the window. He didn't know how to react, whether step back out of the room or coo. He went for option 3, instead. He goes to his drawer and grabs his practice clothes, getting ready for practice before lunch just like he had intended to do. 

He steps into the bathroom right after, changing before going to sit on his bed, taking his phone out. He went onto Instagram where people sent congratulatory messages to him and words of encouragement and a lot of good luck. He rolls his eyes. He doesn't know three-fourths of the people messaging on his DMs. Meanwhile, the people that he does care about probably didn't even know he wasn't at home. He always got empty words from those stuck-up people while he got none from his father and he still didn't know which one was better.

He was about to close his eyes for 20 minutes before lunch when he heard some shuffling coming from the other side of the room. He thought that maybe Ni-Ki was waking up but that turned out to be false when he turned his head over to see that the younger still had his eyes shut. However, there was now a small frown on his face. 

He stands up from his bed curiously, walking over step-by-step, making sure to not be too loud in the process. He kneels down in front of the other's face to hear him mumble, "Dad..." 

He recognized that Japanese word, his eyes softening at the realization of what he had said. But that wasn't the only thing he realized. There is a thin layer of sweat on the other's forehead which made him worry. Whatever was happening in his dream, it definitely wasn't pleasant.

Without thought, he moves one of his hands to cup the other's face soothingly. He ran his thumb over his cheek as he calls out his name, hoping for him to wake up. The frown was still on his face but it seemed to have subsided a little.

Seconds later, his eyes opened and Sunoo didn't move his position. Rather, he looked into them with concern and fondness while Ni-Ki hadn't really registered what had happened and stared back with a blank gaze. 

"Are you okay?" The older whispered softly after a few seconds.

The younger wondered why he was asking that. He couldn't remember what he had dreamt or why he shouldn't be okay. 

"We need to talk," was what he said instead almost making the other visibly flinch at the suddenness of the request. 

Nonetheless, he nodded, moving his hand away from the other.