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Chapter Text

*the boys are on a short break visiting home*

"So, are you still happy in that boy group?" Jongseob's dad asks as he hands his son the rice bowl. Jongseob answers excitedly; "Yeah it's pretty awesome actually! And the boys are so nice. It feels like a family." The moment that word leaves his mouth, he sees his mother stiffen. "Don't worry mama, I'm not going to forget you." He softly squeezes her arm and she lightens up a bit. "Tell us more about the boys!" She says, "what are they like?"

The boy can't help but laugh, because so many happy memories wash over him, making him smile. "Well, we have Keeho, he's from Canada actually. He picked up Korean really quickly and he has a fancy accent when he speaks it." He starts off. "And there's Theo, he played as a princess in a few of our videos." He snickers at the memory of Theo choosing him as the winner for her hand. They had so much fun filming that episode.

Jongseob continues, "Then of course Jiung, he never fails to hype us up. The way he loves his fans and the crowd is so admirable." He vividly remembers his friend jumping excitedly on stage as they sang Last Call and seeing him shed a tear when he realised how far they had come. That moment will forever be engraved in his memory. Looking out over the sea of lights and fans cheering them on and enjoying every minute with them, while the confetti rained around them like soft snow. It was magical.

"Oh and Intak! He is also a rapper like me. He looks cool and tough but he's very sweet." He smiles as he recalls him doing the cutest ending fairies. "Lastly we have Soul. He's actually from Japan. He had a hard time learning Korean too so I picked up Japanese to help him. He's an amazing breakdancer and he's so talented. He's always a little bit quiet, but very fun to be around." Jongseob remembers seeing him dance and thinking his back would give out. They always play video games together when they have the time. When they're together, Soul's real character comes out. Jongseob loves those moments.

"You look so grown up." His mom says, stroking his hair. "I'm glad you could find the time to come and visit us." Her son smiles at her. "I miss you guys, I'm very glad the group is so much like a family, but I miss my real family too." He admits. "We're happy you're chasing your dreams son." His dad adds.

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"Shota!" His sister comes running up to him as he walks up to the house. "Long time no see!" He notices she has gotten taller since the last time he saw her.
"How is life as a superstar?" His mom asks while she hugs him tightly. His dogs Mochi and Kinako follow her closely, immediately jumping up at Soul when they see him.
It's nice to speak in his native language again, it feels like he can finally let go, so once he sits down at the table, he starts talking and only stops to sip from the tea his mother offers him. His whole family listens attentively as he tells them all the amazing and fun stories he remembers. Mostly about the shows and the tour, where they traveled to and what they saw.

He tells them about Europe, how beautiful the cities are that they visited. “Amsterdam was so pretty at night, with the lights shining over the canal.” Soul continues, “And Paris! I wish I could take you guys with me to see it, it's so beautiful.” He shows them some of the pictures they took while touring the cities.

“Tell us more about the members!” His sister insists. She's been keeping up with their activities since they debuted. “Tell me all the inside stories.” She begs him. Soul laughs at her assertiveness.
He starts telling them about his friends; "Keeho is kind of like a mother to us, we're both not from Korea and he cares for me." He explains. "And Jongseob, we play a lot of games together. He is very sweet. He picked up Japanese to help me learn Korean!" His mom smiles. "That is very sweet of him." Soul nods in agreement. He had felt out of place in the group at the beginning, not being able to adapt as quickly as Keeho. But Jongseob had really made him feel welcome and now he feels like he can be himself around the members.

When bedtime rolls around, he walks into his old bedroom for the first time after joining the group. He has seen his family for dinners and a few other events, but he's never stayed at his own house during these things. His room is the same as he left it, it seems his mom had been afraid to touch it all this time, in fear of his old self disappearing with anything she touched. His star stickers on the ceiling and space ships all around the room, even his galaxy blankets are still on the bed.
As he tucks himself in, he suddenly feels very alone. In the group house, they share rooms. They always talk before sleeping and Soul can hear the others snore a little bit. Here, it is dead quiet. He taps his fingers on the blanket while trying to think of what to do, how to fall asleep. He finally decides to call Jongseob and see if he's still up.

As Jongseob almost drifts off to sleep, his phone rings. "Hello?" He says sleepily, squinting his eyes at the bright screen. "Hi Seobiee!" It sounds on the other end. "Hi Soul!" He sits up. "What's going on?" He hopes he’s okay. He's far away from the other members at his own house in Japan.
"I'm okay. It's just really quiet here. I was thinking maybe you'd want to play a game?" Jongseob smirks. "Sure, what game are you thinking of? Something I can beat you in?" Soul scoffs through the phone. "As if you could beat me at any game!" "I sure could!" Jongseob answers, challenging him. "I was thinking of playing Portal." Soul suggests. “Mmh I can’t beat you in that.” It sounds through the phone. “But okay, let me turn on my PC.”

After a few hours, they’re halfway through the game. "Shota, I should go to sleep. I’m losing focus." "Oh yeah I understand." Soul sounds sad. Jongseob feels his heart sting. He always tries to make sure Soul goes to sleep happy, since he's working so hard to learn Korean on top of their usual schedule, it usually leaves him completely drained.
"We could still talk if you like?" Jongseob offers, as he lies back down in his bed, propped up on one elbow. "Yes!" Soul says excitedly. "How was coming home for you?" Jongseob asks him. "It was nice. I missed my family. But now I miss you guys." Soul replies. "I miss everyone too. I just realized how much the guys feel like family." Jongseob says. "Yeah, family." Soul agrees.

"Are you tired Shota?" Jongseob asks him. "No I am not. Are you Seobie?" His friend's voice is clearly heavy with sleep. "You sound cute when you're sleepy." Jongseob tells him. "Bully." Soul says. It's quiet for a while, so Jongseob assumes Soul fell asleep.
"Shota, are you still there?" Jongseob wants to make sure he is asleep before he hangs up. "Yes I am here." Soul can barely keep his eyes open. But it's so nice to talk to him, he misses Jongseob's voice. "You sound sleepy too, your voice is deeper." He states, to distract Jongseob. "Oh yeah? I think you are the sleepiest. Go sleep Shota, I'll see you soon, yeah?" He says. Soul wants to tell him to stay, but all he can say is "okay." As he drifts off to sleep.

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Soul shoots up in his bed, trying to figure out where he is. He's breathing fast and he can feel his shirt cling to his back with sweat. "Jongseob?" He tries calling his friend over, he always calms Soul down after he has a nightmare. "I'm here." The younger one says, voice raspy because he had been asleep. But instead of coming over to him, he hears Jongseob from his phone.

He suddenly remembers he is in his childhood home, in his bed, alone.
"I had a nightmare." He tells Jongseob. "I wasn't able to dance, and I had to perform or I would be out of the group." A shiver rolls down his spine like a shockwave as he relives the nightmare, how he felt on the stage in the spotlights. "You're okay. I'm here." Jongseob replies. "It was just a bad dream." Soul nods, trying to shake off the panicked feeling.

"Wait, you didn't hang up?" He suddenly realises he fell asleep without hanging up, but Jongseob did not either. Soul can hear him shift in his bed. "No, I kind of feel lonely here too, I can't sleep without your snoring." Jongseob teases. "I do not snore!" Soul cries out. He can hear giggling on the other side of the phone, "Yes you do dummy!" Soul wishes he was back with him so he could shut him up. "Nuh uh." "Yuh uh." Soul feels his sleep come back, hitting him like a truck. As suddenly as he woke up, he falls back asleep.

Jongseob stands with his bags packed in the doorway. Today he's traveling back to the group house. Training starts again tomorrow for their comeback. "Take care son." His dad pats him on the shoulder. His mom half hides behind his dad, Jongseob can see tears start to form in her eyes. He goes to hug her tightly, hoping to comfort her. "I'll be back when I can." Jongseob reassures her. "I love you guys." He tells them, and then he turns to get in the taxi that's waiting for him.
He's happy he's going back to the guys again, but also sad to leave his family. He wonders what time Soul would be arriving, he hopes he can see him before everyone arrives so they can chat a bit about how his trip home was.

When he arrives at the dorms however, he hears waves of chatter coming from the shared living room. From the giggles he could make out that most of the guys were back already. "Jongseob! How can you be even cuter after not seeing you for a few days?!" Keeho calls him over. He squeezes Jongseob's cheeks in his usual way. "HI guys! How was your time back home?" Jongseob asks, while scanning the room to see who are there already. He sees everyone, except Soul. He feels a little bit disappointed, because he had hoped to spend this little bit of free time they had with Soul.

"Where's-" before he can ask the question, Jiung offers him a drink." Soul's flying back in today, but his flight got delayed. He should be here after midnight." Jongseob pouts. "That's not fun." He says. "AWWWHH LOOK AT YOU CUTIE PIEE I COULD EAT YOUU!" Keeho comes back up to Jongseob to squeeze his cheeks again, more firmly this time. "Keeho be careful with our maknae, his face needs to be cute for the comeback." Theo warns him. Keeho mocks him and sits back down on the couch. "It's not fun to talk about our trips home without Soul though, he must have amazing stories too." Intak says. He's always so thoughtful. "Let's just play some games and go to bed then okay? It's nine already so our baby has to go sleep soon anyway." Keeho ruffles Jongseob's hair. "Sure." they all agree.

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The game is moved to their bedrooms, playing truth or dare together while getting ready for bed. They are all tired from traveling so this seems like the best option. "Jongseob, truth." Intak lies above him in the bunk bed, popping his head over the edge to look down at him with his head cocked to the side like a puppy. "Mmh truth." Jongseob has absolutely no intent to get up for a dare. "Okay, why are you in Soul's bed?" Intak smiles. Jongseob had thrown himself on Soul's bed because it was closer to Intak for the truth or dare came, it would be easier than calling over to the other side of the room. "I just felt like it." He answers simply. He doesn't say he also really likes the way Soul smelled, especially sleepy Soul.

Since the first time Soul had called him over in the middle of the night, it had been like a drug he could not get enough of. He doesn't know what to do with that. No one had ever smelled that nice to him. It's probably just because he feels comfortable around Soul.
"Jongseob? It's your turn." Intak says above him. "Oh, yeah. Intak, truth or dare?" Just then, Theo comes into the room. "Did you start without us?" He acts hurt. "Warm up round!" Intak explains, jumping down from his bed. "God where do you get the energy?" Theo looks at him sideways with his signature judging look, while Intak bounces up and down. "Is that a ‘truth’ you're asking me?" Intak teases him. "I'm just excited to start training for our comeback!" Intak says, still jumping up and down. "You really are like a puppy, I feel like we have to walk you to get your energy down." Jiung comes in, giggling while he says that. They all laugh at his comment.

"Are you leaving me out of the joke?" Keeho pops his head in. "Keeho! We've been waiting for you, let's start the game!" Jongseob says. "Okay, Theo, truth or dare?" Theo rolls his eyes. "Why me first," he whines. "Truth." He sighs, while pulling a few pillows from Jongseob's bed on the floor for the boys to sit on. They make a circle around the bed Jongseob is still laying on, Soul's bed. None of the guys seem to mind and Jongseob is too tired to move, so he stays where he is.

Sooner than he wants, he feels his eyes get heavy with sleep. He tries fighting it for two rounds of truth or dare, groggily answering the member's questions. They're getting deeper and more serious, but he can't keep his mind in the game anymore. Keeho notices and decides to let their youngest member get some shut-eye. He had traveled the longest out of all of them today, leaving early in the morning and arriving after dinner. So Keeho decides to focus on the other members.

"Jiung, truth or dare?" Jiung smiles at Keeho, as if he's challenging him. "Dare." Jiung is the first person to choose dare tonight. Keeho thinks a bit. "Since our maknae decided we were too boring, you can tuck him in. Make sure he doesn't wake up or you have to order us all pizza." Keeho points at Jongseob, who is now softly snoring. He looks a little bit like a kitten the way he's curled up in Soul's bed.

"Easy." Jiung stands up and unfolds the blankets over Jongseob, the sleepy boy's chest rhythmically rising and falling while he drifts farther and farther asleep. "Good night Jsup, may you have sweet rapper dreams." Jiung suppresses a chuckle and plants a quick, soft kiss on Jongseob's temple. He tucks in the blankets a little bit more before he sits back down. "I'm actually also tired, seeing him so nicely tucked in.

Can you tuck me in too Jiung?" Theo mocks, but then he also starts yawning. "Actually, let's go to bed guys. It's eleven already and we have to be up early tomorrow." Keeho starts gathering the pillows and blankets they had collected to make themselves comfortable. "Let's also put some food out for Soul, he may be hungry when he gets back." Keeho drags Jiung into the kitchen to cook for their second youngest member.

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Soul wakes up from the plane shocking as it touches ground. He's back in Korea, finally. Now he has to take a taxi back to the group house. He wishes he was there already, just so he could sleep and see his friends again. His back feels like he had just had the worst breakdance training ever, he clearly had been sleeping in a weird position. He checks his phone, and there are some texts from the group chat:

Keeho: Souliee, we hope you landed allright, I'm putting everyone to bed because tomorrow is an early day. We love you!
Jiung: There's food on the kitchen counter for you, you better be hungry because I made your favorite!
Theo: Safe travels Soulie <3
Intak: Jongseob is asleep already so safe travels from both of us!

Soul smiles at his phone. The guys are so sweet to him. He also feels a little bit sad though, he had hoped to talk to Jongseob for a little bit. But it's okay, Jongseob should sleep, he thinks to himself. It doesn't resolve the tight feeling in his stomach.
He steps into the group house quietly. Trying to not make a sound and wake the guys up. "Hey Soul!" Jiung shoots up from the couch. He had been waiting for him, wanting to make sure he was okay. "Here, eat." Jiung whispers while pulling out a chair and motioning for Soul to sit down. Soul has to admit, he is starving, he hadn't eaten since before lunch. His plane had been delayed, but there was no food served on board.

"Thank you for making this for me Jiung." He means it, Jiung's cooking is incredible and he had missed it while he was gone. Jiung also took the time to make Soul's favorite dishes, kimchi jjigae and some Gimbap with fried chicken pieces inside. Soul smiles at Jiung, while hungrily shoveling the food into his mouth. "Enjoy, little one." Jiung ruffles his hair and pads over to his bedroom. "Good night." Jiung says as Soul slurps the last bit of his kimchi jjigae. "Good night!" He manages to call out just before Jiung shuts his bedroom door.

And then Soul is alone again. He likes the quiet of the group house though. It's far more comforting than the quiet at his childhood home.

The gimbap is the best he had in a long while, maybe also because of his long journey and how happy he is to be back. Just as quickly as he started eating, all the food is gone. He lets out a content sigh, feeling nice and full again. Suddenly, he feels incredibly tired, like someone just placed a way too comfortable blanket over him. He decides to head to bed.
The room is dark except for a line of silvery moonlight fighting its way through the half open curtains. In the sliver of light, Soul can see Intak hanging over the edge of the top bed, one arm and one leg loosely hanging down.

He looks very peaceful, passed out while still in his travel clothes. Soul changes into his night shirt, an oversized shirt with dinosaurs he has had for years, and the only shirt he deems comfortable enough to sleep in. When he climbs into his bed however, he suddenly feels it's already warm and someone is laying there. He jumps back and swallows yelp. He then notices that Jongseob's bed is empty.

Did Jongseob take his bed? Why would he do that? Soul wouldn't mind if Jongseob is actually waiting for him to join him, but he never did that before so Soul does not expect that to be the case now. What should he do? Jongseob knows Soul isn't comfortable sleeping in any other bed than his own. The older boy told him about that last time they were gaming together.

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Soul is standing indecisive in the middle of their room for so long, his toes are starting to go numb from the cold. He starts shivering because he's only wearing boxers and a t-shirt and their room heater is off. He finally decides a pre-heated bed is actually quite a good choice… And maybe Jongseob will wake up, apologize and move to his own bed.
Not that Soul would want him to? He would like to be close to Jongseob, because they are such good friends, it feels logical to him. They've been close together on the couch while playing games countless times and he'd always felt really comfortable next to his friend. It should feel natural, but he notices his heart thumping against his ribs like a heavy drum. Maybe because he doesn't usually like people in his bed.

He carefully positions himself next to Jongseob, who is in a far too deep sleep to notice him. "Jongseob..." Soul tries shaking his friend awake, to no avail. "Hey, you gotta get back in your own bed." Soul tries again. "Mmmh." Jongseob mumbles and turns, now facing the older boy. Soul's breath staggers. Jongseob looks so pretty, his face slightly puffy and relaxed. Then, the sleeping boy wraps himself around Soul, burying his face in the taller one's neck. Their bodies fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces, as if they were made for each other. Soul isn't cold anymore, that's for sure. He's burning up to his ears. A tight feeling keeps a hold of his chest, and he can't fall asleep for the life of him.

How could he? His friend is cuddled up with him in his bed, snoring. Soul's thoughts are racing, a thousand things run through his head. What is he feeling right now? Where does it come from? What does it mean? He's also thinking about the next morning. What if Intak wakes up first and finds them? What if Jongseob wakes up and he realizes Soul is in the bed with him? Would he be okay with that?

He looks back at Jongseob beside him, his blonde hair falling over his head, some of it reaching his eyes. That can't be comfortable, he's sure about that. Soul slowly reaches over to brush the stray hairs off Jongseob's face, careful not to wake him up. He looks like an angel, Soul wonders how he could end up like this. Why did his friend choose to sleep in his bed?
There is no way out for him now though, and he should really get some sleep. Soul takes a deep breath and starts reciting lyrics to distract himself. It usually helps calm him down, Jongseob discovered that when Soul had a nightmare and called him over. It had been so scary that Soul couldn't fall back asleep, so Jongseob had started to try to distract him by reciting lyrics of his favorite song. Soul decides to use that song tonight too. Not even halfway into the song, he drifts off to sleep.

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Jongseob jolts awake and notices the room is already starting to fill with light. The sun is slowly rising and trying her best to cast her orange glow through the curtains. Following the sun rays, Jongseob sees Soul's blonde hair light up like gold. It looks like he came straight from heaven with his hair shining so intensely. Jongseob props himself up on his elbow and attempts to rub the sleep from his eyes.

He begins realizing that Soul is next to him. Sleeping. In the same bed. Not only that, his own head was on Soul's arm just now. He then remembers that he fell asleep in Soul's bed yesterday evening. He was so tired he couldn't keep his eyes open, so he just decided to stay in this bed. He thought the guys would wake him up when they left to go to sleep, or that Soul would wake him up when he came back home. He lays back down and looks over at the boy sleeping next to him. His cheeks are rosy with the warmth of the sun on him. He still smells so nice, Jongseob thinks. It wouldn't hurt to stay here for a little bit, would it? As long as no one noticed…

He keeps staring at Soul, exploring his facial features as if trying to engrave them in this memory, to never forget what he looks like right now, bathing in morning sunlight.
"Hi," Soul is suddenly looking back at him, his eyes half open. "Good morning.." His voice is a bit raspy. Jongseob feels his heart skip a beat before he answers, whispering to make sure he does not wake up their friend who is still sleeping above them. "Hey, good morning." They both don't know how to feel about this new situation, but they're not uncomfortable. Neither of them moves from the position they have just found themselves in.

"How was your flight?" Jongseob decides to try and ease the tension that has built up between them. "It was all right, I was a bit annoyed that it got delayed though. And then I also didn't have anything to eat, so I was really glad Jiung made me some food." Soul looks down at Jongseob, still laying on his arm. The sun is touching his face, making him look so soft and pretty. He wants to reach out and hold Jongseob's face, maybe even kiss him? He doesn't know this feeling that's slowly taking over his chest.
The boys get snapped out of their moment by Keeho banging on their bedroom door. "Guys, practice in half an hour! Get ready!"

Intak stirs in his bed above them. Jongseob and Soul look at each other in slight panic, trying to think of what to do next. If they don't step out of their room soon, Keeho will come barging in and see them. But if they make too much noise now, Intak might wake up completely and notice Jongseob is in the wrong bed..
Soul offers Jongseob an apologetic smile and hops out of his bed, light as a feather. Without making a sound, he quickly throws on his sweatpants and disappears out of the room. The bed instantly feels cold and too big. Jongseob can feel something tug at his chest, he can't quite place it. He decides it's time to get dressed.
He quickly searches his closet for some practice clothes, something comfortable and loose so he can move freely. "Intak, get up man." He calls over to his friend, trying to get him out of bed before their leader barges in and drags him out. "Mmmh, just a few minutes." Intak answers.

Too late though, because there he is. Keeho slams open the door, almost hitting Jongseob. "Oh good, you're up. Did you have a good long sleep?" He looks at Jongseob half-mockingly. "Did you end up sleeping in your own bed?" He then asks. Jongseob swallows. "Uhh yeah, Soul woke me up when he came home." Keeho nods in agreement and moves on to waking up Intak, who's still snoozing. "Wake up Takkii!" Jongseob sees Keeho jump up into the top bunk bed onto Intak, who is finally startled awake. "Wuhh?" He seems so confused at the energetic boy trying to wake him up. "Hi Intak, good morning! It's practice time, come on." Keeho climbs back down and throws Intak some clothes from his pile on the floor.

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Practice feels like coming home, everyone is happy to be back in front of the mirrors again, figuring out choreography together. The room is filled with laughter and chatter about their trips back home, while they try to come up with some signature moves to add in during their performance. Jongseob is sitting crouched down, hugging his knees while watching Soul try to figure out how to jump up from laying flat on the floor. It looks like he's starting to get it. Jongseob loves watching Soul move. The way his limbs move into impossible positions but he makes it seem so effortless and flowy. The way his muscles move while he's pushing himself up, showing off how hard he'd been training recently.

"Do you like it?" Soul's lips curl into a smug smile. He'd noticed Jongseob staring at him for a little while already. Jongseob stands up quickly, "Yeah, you look pretty cool." He softly punches Soul's arm. He tries his best not to linger on Soul's deep dark eyes which seem to lure him in, he feels like he could drown in them.
Soul offers him a sweet smile this time. "Let's practice yours then, okay?" He says while dragging Jongseob in front of the mirrors. "Okay, I was thinking something like this?" Jongseob improvises.

He'd actually not been thinking about his signature moves at all, but rather about this morning. He'd felt so calm and comfortable laying with Soul, that he's disappointed the moment didn't last longer. "Hmm that looks a bit weird." Soul says, laughing at him. Jongseob loves that laugh, it's so light and full of whimsy. As if the boy standing next to him pours his whole character into one little sound.

"I know," Jongseob admits sheepishly, "I was just trying something." Soul steps closer, positioning himself behind him. He's grown slightly taller than Jongseob and Soul makes good use of that, keeping his eyes locked on the younger one's in the mirror in front of them. "What if... you try it like this?" He places one hand on Jongseob's waist and the other on his arm to softly guide him into the position he's suggesting. "And then like this?" He guides him further. Jongseob tries to catch his breath while also attempting to regain his focus on what Soul is suggesting him to do. He can't seem to do either, because he stumbles and falls forward, already bracing for the impact on the floor.

"Woah careful Seobie." Instead of crashing into the ground, he lands in familiar arms. He looks up in the mirror, and realises the scene they created looks like something straight out of a k-drama. Soul caught Jongseob in his arms, the impact clearly enhancing the visibility of his muscles. "Silly." He chuckles, beaming down at Jongseob. "Uhh yeah, sorry, I'm gonna take five." Jongseob stutters as he bounces out of Soul's arms and jogs towards his bag. Leaving Soul behind, his arms still outstretched to catch his friend.

The other members stare at him, wondering what just happened. "What in the k-drama was that!?" Theo says dumbfounded while Jiung stares at the scene with his mouth open in shock. "He looked up at you like a princess in a knight's arms!" Theo chuckles, mimicking the movement. "Yeah, that was funny." Soul snickers in agreement, but he keeps his eyes on Jongseob. The boy in question is crouched down in the corner of the dance studio, downing almost half his bottle of water in one go.

Did he feel the same just now? Did his heart flutter too? For Soul it feels like there are millions of little ladybugs fluttering around in his chest and they're eager to burst out. But he can't. Not here, not now. He doesn't even know if Jongseob feels the same way. Hell, he doesn't even know what he's feeling himself. For now he has to focus on the dance moves, they are preparing for a comeback after all.

"Okay once more from the top and then we're done for today guys." Keeho motions for everyone to join in. "This time with the signature moves so we can see if they fit together."
Jongseob puts away his water bottle and makes his way back to the formation. Soul is desperately trying to make eye contact with him, to check if he is okay. To confirm they are still okay. Maybe even to see some recognition for his feelings. A sign that whatever he feels is real and not just a fantasy. Instead, Jongseob joins them quietly and keeps his eyes fixed on his shoes, not meeting Soul's gaze. It’s one he can feel burning on his face, begging Jongseob to look back at him. He can’t though, it’s too hard. He still has to figure out what's going on between them, and more importantly, within him.

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Back at the dorms, the boys all fall on the couches together in content exhaustion. "So, who's cooking?" Intak looks over at Jiung hopefully. "Sure, I'll make us something to eat! But everyone has to freshen up, because you guys stink oh my god!" Jiung says as he pinches his nose mockingly. A chuckle waves through them as the boys all get up to switch clothes and take a shower.

Soul is alone in the room he shares with Jongseob and Intak, trying to find something comfortable and clean to wear for dinner. He peels off his practice clothes and throws them in the hamper. Just as he has one leg into a pair of clean pants, the door creaks. "Oh! Uhm, I'll come back later. Sorry." Jongseob stands stammering in the doorway, holding his practice bag. "No it's okay, come in." Soul says with a genuine smile.

They have seen each other in their underwear countless times during shoots and in their dorm. It's nothing out of the ordinary for them. "Come on, don't leave the door open for everyone to see..." Soul jokes, in hopes that Jongseob would finally come in. "Okay," Jongseob steps in and carefully shuts the door. Soul decides to follow up on their scene earlier that day. "Are you okay?" He asks Jongseob, searching his face for an answer. The youngest takes a while to reply, seeming like he doesn't quite know what to do with himself. "Yeah, I'm just..." He hesitates. "I have to get used to being back here. I think. You know, back with everyone in the dance studio… It's quite hectic." It sounds like a lie. It feels like a lie too, they both know it. "I get it. You'll get used to us again in no-time!" Soul ensures him. He doesn't want to push his friend to talk to him. If he's not ready, Soul will wait.
Before he can say anything else, Jiung calls out from the kitchen; "DINNER IS READY!"

After dinner, the group huddles up in front of the TV. They always love watching nature documentaries or very bad k-drama's together. Today, it's a nature documentary on penguins. The reporter talks about how they pick out shiny pebbles for their partner to show their interest. "So cute, I love that!" Keeho fawns over the penguins. Soul sits at the corner of the couch and even though he really loves learning about animals, he feels very tired.

Before he can announce that he wants to go to bed, Jiung jumps up. "Let's play a game!" He says as he rushes over to the kitchen cabinets, pulling out shot glasses and soju. "Never have I ever?" Theo suggests, grinning at his friends. Keeho clears the table,"Sounds good." Jongseob nods and Intak puts both his thumbs up in agreement, "Yes! We haven't played that in so long!" He says. "Okay I'll do one round, I'm pretty tired." Soul admits. He loves playing games with the members. He’d take any chance to get to know them even better. Usually it's hard for him to really connect with them because he's more quiet in group conversations, so games are perfect for him. That way, everyone gets a turn.

"Okay then. Since Soul is only playing one round, he can start." Jiung says as he sets down the bottles of soju. Soul thinks for a little bit. He should make sure most members have to drink, but what statement would make that happen? "Never have I ever... kissed a girl." He exclaims. His friends are a bit shocked by his strong start, but they pick up their glasses anyways. Each member except Theo and Jongseob takes a shot. "You've never kissed anyone?" Keeho raises his eyebrows at Theo in surprise.
"Soul said, kissed a girl." Theo answers. "Ooohhh" They all chuckle. Next up is Jiung. "Never have I ever thrown up after drinking." He states, making eye contact with Keeho, who defeatedly takes a sip.

After a few rounds, Soul is beyond tired. He should really go to sleep, but it's so fun hanging out together. The room is buzzing with excitement and connection. Everyone is laughing and getting tipsy.
"I'm going to bed guys." Soul finally announces. "I'm so tired, but I had a lot of fun!" He adds. "Aww noo stay one more round Soulie, please?" Keeho pouts at him. "No, I'm gonna fall asleep right here if I stay one more round." Soul jokes. Jiung shakes his head in disagreement, "We'll put you in bed if you do." Soul chuckles, but he gets up. "Good night guys, see you tomorrow." He makes his way past his friends to the bedroom. "Good night Soul!" They say unanimously.

Chapter Text

As soon as Soul is in bed, he falls asleep. He can hear the group still playing ‘never have I ever’ in the living room. It's like a faint hum, ensuring him that they're still out there and having fun.

"Never have I ever..." Jiung pauses, seemingly checking the youngest trio's bedroom door. "Fallen asleep in someone else's bed." He chuckles, side-eyeing their youngest member. Jongseob sighs and takes a shot. “Okay my turn.” Theo states. “Never have I ever drunk texted my crush.”
Normally when they have a drink Jongseob is the first to go to bed, because the alcohol makes him sleepy. Today however, he is filled with a strange kind of adrenaline that makes him pour drink after drink and go wild with the game they are playing. He throws back another shot of soju like it's water and continues. "Never have I ever had sex with someone." Theo looks over at Intak, "How much did he have?" He asks him quietly. "I don't know, I haven't been counting." Intak answers. Keeho holds up three fingers. "Three shots?" Theo chuckles at the idea that Jongseob is that drunk after just three shots. Keeho shakes his head, "No, three bottles."

"Jongseob, maybe it's time to go to bed?" Theo suggests, a little worried for their youngest member now. "No I'm fine, just answer the never have I ever." Jongseob mumbles, before pouring himself another glass. "That's enough." Jiung says as he gently takes the bottle from his hands. "Go drink some water and sleep it off, yeah?" He adds, patting Jongseob's shoulder. The boy sighs and attempts to stand up, but loses his balance and he falls right back down on the pillows he was sitting on. He giggles uncontrollably while the others laugh at his futile attempt to stand up. "Come on." Jiung helps him up. "Let's get you some water."

Jongseob immediately feels better after chugging two glasses of water. "I'm okay, go back to the game." He nudges Jiung to go. "You're going to sleep right?" Jiung asks doubtfully. Jongseob nods, "Yeah, I'm actually pretty tired." He'd noticed he can't keep his eyes open properly in the cold bathroom light. Jiung pats him on the shoulder before going back to take his seat on the floor. "Good night Jsup."

The strange feeling of adrenaline lingers in Jongseob's body. He can feel it all the way down his spine. He stumbles into the bedroom, half attempting to not wake up his sleeping friend. He can hear light snoring coming from Soul's bed.
Somehow, Jongseob manages to bump over the hamper, spilling clothes all over the floor. He then proceeds to trip over those same clothes. "Fuck." He quickly gets to his feet and looks over at Soul. Did he wake him? The boy in question rustles in his bed, but does not say anything. "Soul?" Jongseob whispers, he feels giggles coming on. "Did you see that?" He asks, walking over to his friend's bed. "I totally tripped there!" He laughs now, hanging over Soul. He must be in a very deep sleep, because he still does not notice the boy standing over him. "Soul?" Jongseob nudges him. Every thought of being quiet and letting his friend sleep went out the window as soon as he tripped over that hamper.

"Mmh?" Soul struggles to open his eyes. "What is it?" His voice hoarse with sleep. He quickly follows up with "ugh your breath," waving his hand between them. "How much soju did you have?" Soul asks Jongseob, who is still looming over him. "Oh I don't know exactly." He answers, shrugging. "You should have seen me just now, I made a mess." He giggles. "It was so funny!" Jongseob plops down on the edge of Soul's bed, and points at the hamper on the floor so his friend can see the mess he made. "Ohh Jongseob, what did you do?" Soul looks at the mess of clothes on the floor, spread all throughout the room. "I told you I tripped." Jongseob rolls over from laughing, bumping against a sleepy Soul. His breath catches and he stops laughing as he notices their faces suddenly close together. “What's with you and tripping today?” Soul asks the boy next to him. He can feel his warmth radiating through the sheets.

"I don't know, maybe I'm falling for you." Jongseob answers mockingly. Soul stiffens next to him. He knows his friend has had too much to drink, but his recent struggles with his feelings have him trying to find truth in those words.
The silence that follows has Jongseob furrowing his brows, "What? You thought I liked you? I'm not gay Shota." He says it like it's dirty. For some reason, his words sting like needles.

Soul shakes his head. "No. I just didn't know what to say." He tries to fight the lump in his throat. Why does this affect him so much? He shouldn't care about Jongseob's orientation. He decides it's too late at night for these kinds of conversations, so to close off the topic and simultaneously hide his emotions, he says "Get in your own bed Jongseob. It's late already." And he tries pushing his friend out of his bed, softly but firmly.

"Wait I'm sorry Shota," the clearly drunk boy tries to fight back "I didn't-" Soul cuts him off; "you've said enough. Go to your own bed." Soul pushes him away, this time hard enough to push him off the bed. He then rolls over so his back is facing his friend, who is standing confused in the middle of the room. "Soul I really didn't mean to say it like that. I'm not homophobic if that's the problem." Jongseob tries, shaking his friend's shoulder. He doesn't get an answer. Soul is pretending to be asleep.