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- Taeyong
Taeyong prides himself on knowing a lot of things about the members of his group. Everything that assures the smooth sailing of a group with a large number of members and with no shortage of drama.
It's not easy work but he has the experience and the patience to make it happen. So he is. He tries to keep his eyes and ears open to catch all kinds of information to file them up for future use. He doesn't use them for bad reasons! Sometimes he doesn't use what he knows at all if it's not necessary. He wants to know about arguments, inside jokes, private outings and most importantly...their flames.
Dating will never be easy as an idol, never has been, but Taeyong does his best as a friend and a leader to help when he can. Most of them just tell him, late at night, a simple 'I'm going and I'll be back sometime in the morning.' and Taeyong knows so when managers ask him he can make up an excuse so no one is left out and scandals are kept at bay.
He thinks he's doing a good job too. 127 have been coached early in their career that they should just speak up and they usually do, stunted, awkward or maybe confident and sure, they tell Taeyong what's going on. They're about the same age and they understand each other. Taeyong tells them stuff too, it's an equal exchange of uncomfortable information.
For Dream it's harder because they're all reasonably younger than Taeyong and they like keeping their secrets. While Mark and Donghyuck are easier to manage due to their constant proximity to the entire 127, the remaining 5 Dream members are sometimes a bit too much. They know everything about each other in an impenetrable fortress kind of way.
He doesn't like thinking back to how he, with the help of Johnny, weeded information out from Donghyuck. He couldn't bear not knowing what the hell was going on over there. He could see the interactions as much as any other member of the group. Something was going on.
Jeno and Jaemin turned out to be very much together and very much blooming with young love and Taeyong was very happy for them but they could have just told him to avoid a coronary. He'd still sat them down and watched them stumble over words and explanations in just a mild vindictive manner.
Dream is still one of his biggest headaches. They still tend to keep everything to themselves until they are pushed just a little bit.
Dream should have remained his biggest headache.
He didn't expect to have WayV worry him. They've been, thankfully, laid back as much as drama is concerned. Whatever happens there it is usually Kun who solves it, quick and efficient just as a leader should be. Taeyong understands that they're more comfortable with telling whatever is on their minds to Kun.
It's normal.
Ten is one of his best friends, though, has always been. So why is Ten making him worry? Ten is not the type to smile at his phone and then hide the screen. Ten is the type to smile at the screen and immediately turn it around to show Taeyong some cat pictures.
"What is it?" Taeyong asks him, pressing himself close to his friend on the couch. They rarely get to hang around like that. Doyoung is on the other side of the room, immersed in his lines and unlikely to comment on Taeyong meddling attitudes.
Ten is distracted. Ten is rarely distracted. His mind usually works at high intensity in many directions at the same time, not allowing for details to escape him. They're alike in that sense and have always found it easy to connect.
"Ah, nothing. The boys just sent me a picture of Leon and Louis," he says with a smile.
"Can I see?"
Ten should know better than to lie to him.
The younger man is quiet for a moment. "Ah, hyung, the picture is not in my room. I wouldn't want to expose the mess in other rooms."
Taeyong would never believe that smile of Ten's. They've known each other for too long. His friend lives in an apartment with just two others. Taeyong knows that neither Ten nor Kun are messy people. So that leaves their youngest. Taeyong can't say he knows much about him given that the young man has always been under Kun's direct observation.
"I've never seen a mess before in my life," Taeyong says with a raised brow.
From the periphery of his vision, he can see that Doyoung raised his head to observe what was going on.
"Shhh hyung! You wouldn't want to expose your room either without cleaning and pretty lights!"
Ten is humorous and intelligent and can work things up in his favour relatively easily. Doyoung looks at him with a knowing look. He loves his boyfriend but Doyoung never truly agreed with the idea of knowing everything about everyone.
It's fine. He can drop it.
"Fine, fine. But make sure to tell your boys to clean before management gets upset at us once again."
"Will do, hyung!"
He twisted it around nicely, he thinks. It was unlikely he'd get anything out of Ten that day with Doyoung looking over him.
To get anything out of Ten he needs either Kun, Jaehyun or Johnny. Or all three for success.
"I'll go fill the popcorn bowl," he says, lifting himself up and paddling to the kitchen on stiff legs. There is surely something there, Ten is not the type to lie so blatantly, at least not to him.
When he returns he tries one more thing, seeing as Ten is once again focused on his phone, a small smile on his lips. His smile looks sweet and genuine and Taeyong is pleased to see it, but it boggles him.
He walks around the couch enough that he can catch on the screen before Ten can tell he's behind. There is a picture that he's looking at and Taeyong can make up the form of a long, fat cat. He can also easily recognize the colouring of naked skin. The cat laying on someone who is at the very least topless if not naked.
He can't make up any face or specific body before Ten shuts down the screen and places his phone in his lap, looking in the direction of the kitchen.
Is Ten seeing someone? Is Ten seeing someone and is that serious that they're allowed next to his cats?!
That's serious. That's super serious. Taeyong glances at Doyoung, who's shaking his head once more.
"Done with the popcorn?"
"Done, done."
This needs investigating, for sure.
- Shotaro
He doesn't know much. Probably he knows the least out of everyone involved. Basic stuff and whatever he'd managed to squeeze out of Yuta (who spoke a lot, especially after a couple of glasses of whatever), and Sungchan who was simply too easy to interrogate and who had a good supply of information from Jungwoo.
Still, NCT World 2.0 is still a chance for him to see everyone together and gauge some new stuff about them. To confirm a couple of things too. Being quiet and cute has its advantages and Shotaro is more than prepared to use his strong points to the fullest.
His team is fine, great even, and the fact that he already knows most people quite well is an advantage for his emotions. He likes them too. All fun people are ready to welcome him in their midst.
He lives with Renjun, Jaemin and Jeno who are familiar to him. Their dynamics and relationships too. Though he'll probably need more exposure to them not to be surprised when Jeno and Jaemin do something blatantly romantic with no regard to who is around them. They're cute, don't get him wrong, but he sometimes has the urge to hide them from view.
He's always been a romantic soul and Yuta thinks he's a bit ridiculous about it. Shotaro doesn't mind it much and knows that his older friend only says that because he knows better. Nonetheless, Shotaro is very happy to see people together, happy and content to have found someone with whom they can share their lives.
So he's observant.
Doyoung and Taeyong are an open secret too, much like Jeno and Jaemin. They have a different feeling from his housemates in their relationship, something more cemented and more mature. They bicker and comment and push each other, but they're gentle about it. Shotaro can see them communicating only with one glance and smiling at each other in quiet moments.
They hold hands too when they're close enough to do so. It's subtle, under the table, none of them seeming too aware that they're doing it. Shotaro wants to coo at them. Shotaro thinks that Taeyong wouldn't mind, but he's doubtful about Doyoung's reaction. The older man still intimidates him a little bit.
There are other things that strike him, people who spend way too much time on their phone and people who seem completely exhausted and uninterested by the many games and events that were going on.
It was one of his own teammates that attracted his attention. He didn't know much about YangYang besides the fact that he was pretty easy-going, reasonably loud and quite close to Renjun. He's seen him around the dorm once or twice. Said hi and the other boy returned the attention enthusiastically. Shotaro thought he was pretty damn cool.
It was not necessarily YangYang by himself that caught Shotaro's eyes and he couldn't help but wonder how people could not see what he was seeing.
While during the games his teammate was always around their table, during the breaks he just disappeared.
"Where's YangYang?" He asks Donghyuck, who's busy patting his forehead with probably too many napkins.
The older boy looks around then shrugs his shoulders. "Probably with his WayV hyungs. As usual."
Shotaro nods because of course, he'd also go to the people he was the most comfortable with. So he walks around, curious to see if Donghyuck is right. There's nothing much for him to do at their table either so he has the perfect excuse.
Walking towards the other tables he has no trouble in finding YangYang, perched on top of one of the tables and gesticulating wildly as he spoke. True to Donghyuck's prediction, he is with his WayV members. Better said, with just one of the members, Hendery nowhere to be found.
There's just him and Ten, their attention focused solely on one another. That wouldn't be anything curious, but the way in which the younger man was sitting on the table while Ten was sitting down on the chair, said chair in between Yangyang's legs. Which was quite an odd position to have.
No one appeared to have caught onto the fact that it was a strange position to have.
They don't seem bothered and Shotaro isn't about to bother them. He's a tactful guy and the conversation despite being animated looks somewhat private.
Is it just standard practice to sit like that, patting your group mate's thighs as he is speaking and looking at them with an intensity that could rival the sun? Are they usually like this?
He doesn't know much about WayV and YangYang has been plenty liberal with his celebratory hugs every time the 00600 team succeeded in a game. Maybe it is just the way that he is. He doesn't know WayV group dynamics, could be anything really. He can't really ask either, because that would be odd. He's not that close with any of them.
But somehow he doubts that’s the case.
Realizing he's been staring for a while looking like an idiot he decides to turn around to their table, making himself comfortable once again, his mind still reeling from what he's seen.
"Found him?" Donghyuck asks him as he sits down.
"He's with Ten," he answers, waiting to see the other boy's expression.
There is no change and Donghyuck just nods, unbothered. "Sure he is, probably got tired of speaking Korean all day."
Oh . Shotaro didn't think of that. Sometimes he gets tired of speaking Korean too and he goes to Yuta to speak to him for the ease of conversation. YangYang truly spoke a lot that day, attempting to get himself out there and be friendly.
He doesn’t sit like that, though. But he decides that he shouldn't say that. He doubts he can really explain what he thinks, so he lets it go. If no one speaks about it, it's probably not relevant.
- Renjun
He doesn't expect to have a random trip lined up at that particular time, but he doesn't mind either. It's fun, being around his friends and getting out of the city for a while.
As much as he's taken to spending time at the WayV dorm hanging around with Yangyang, the cats and sometimes with Ten and Kun, nothing really beats a good ole fashioned road trip, managers or not. He's happy to go out anyway and the plan Ten put out sounds like a lot of fun. Visiting Dejun and Kun at their filming site followed by eating a delicious meal together and then surfing the next day.
Perfect day.
It's all good really, but Renjun thinks something has changed. He can't put his finger on it but there has to be something. YangYang is the same as usual, and so is Ten, both loud and chatty but there is something that is undeniably different.
Renjun has always been observant and perceptive of little changes. He had to deal with how fast things changed around him and how much his best friends tended to hide their secrets. So Renjun got very good at just feeling things before he truly knew something.
So he feels that something is going on. He just hopes that no one fought with anyone. His two partners for the road trip don't seem tense and their manager is calm around them, which makes Renjun believe that it's not a fight and that whatever he feels is either very small or something that their manager is unaware of.
With the rapid succession of events and the filming they do, he almost forgets about his initial feeling, calling it a fluke caused by excitement and bad weather. Their meeting with Kun and Dejun further pushes him from his observations, happy to see how their filming is going and the stunning, natural sights they have as a backdrop for their music video.
The feeling, however, returns tenfold the moment the cameras stop rolling and there are just the three of them.
There is nothing blatant to make him feel this way, just a sort of heaviness in the air that wasn't there before. He's eaten with Ten and YangYang before. Ten is bouncier than normal, louder too, and his movements seem to shift from fast and detached to hovering too close. He speaks and seeks YangYang's eyes from across the table.
Renjun thinks they're sharing some inside joke. Maybe an inside joke about him. But YangYang doesn't look amused, he doesn't wear his wide mischievous grin. It's not a joke.
Whatever is going on, it seems to chill the moment they reach the filming site for Kun and Xiaojun’s music video and they are pulled by other events and cameras rolling in their faces and it’s all fine. It’s normal. They all tease Kun and Dejun the right amount and their shoes get too wet due to the rain but it’s a fun evening.
The dinner passes without a hitch too, and Renjun almost forgets there’s something even going on. They eat and they chat and Renjun happily joins YangYang in teasing their older friend, making poor jabs at his worst looks and his fretting over the cats. It’s all good and this is what he remembers from hanging out with them two. That’s how it always has been.
By the end of the evening they’re all in good spirits, the drinks plentiful and perhaps too many when Ten decides that he should be the responsible one and bring them to the accommodation.
It’s really just a couple of steps away from the restaurant, but they stumble the short distance with serious threats of falling down and making themselves acquaintances with the dirt road. It’s all in good fun and none of them is the wiser. Ten keeps saying that he should be able to hold his two juniors up but neither Renjun nor YangYang believes him. Sometimes they have to remind Ten that no matter how his personality is, he’s not actually as big and strong as Xuxi.
It’s the thought that counts, Ten reminds them and they laugh even harder because everything is funnier and glows brighter when you’ve had a couple of drinks with some of your favourite people.
Renjun remembers none of his previous worries for hours, losing all his troubles for a wonderful day. Tomorrow will be even better, he thinks, because they will get to learn surfing as Ten promised. Learning surfing hasn’t been on Renjun’s to do list but it has been on YangYang’s and Renjun is nothing if not a supportive friend. And anyway, knowing how to surf is considered an attractive skill to have. He is not talented with sports but he is sure that he can manage standing still on a moving plaque for a couple of moments.
He drunkenly entertains thoughts on surfing, waves and friendship until they reach the hotel and Renjun remembers he knows nothing about how they are supposed to room. Sure, he was assured that they took care of everything, but he didn’t think to answer what that actually meant.
Ten is the one who goes to pick up their key cards from the front desk, letting Renjun and YangYang to fawn over the large fish tank in the reception, discussing their brand new passion regarding pretty fish. Renjun has also never been interested in fish tanks, that’s more Taeyong’s thing, but he enjoys having one now in his room. It doesn’t require much of him and is a quiet companion when he can’t handle humans bugging him.
Buying it turned out to be a good idea which Renjun doesn’t regret.
It takes a couple of minutes (or maybe less...or maybe more…) when Ten calls them over, just two key cards in his hands.
Just… two? The hotel looks painfully empty and surely there shouldn’t be a problem paying for three rooms. It must have been a misunderstanding.
“Are we rooming together?” he asks YangYang. It seems like the only logical solution. Maybe his friend asked for them to room together with the purpose of playing something. He didn’t ask YangYang if he brought his Switch but he also didn’t check anyone’s overnight bag, so that was a possibility.
His friend, instead of answering, exchanges a look with Ten which is almost impossible to decode.
It’s Ten who answers.
“I was the one to make the reservations and since I didn’t know you were coming until last minute so-” it smells like a lie, but Renjun says nothing, “so I only got two rooms.”
“I can room with YangYang there’s no problem,” he says. Every time he comes over and stays the night he sleeps in YangYang’s room, it wouldn’t be anything new.
Ten shakes his head at the idea, “No no, we decided you’d take the single room.”
“You’re our guest, Renjunnie, so you can take it. We don’t mind sharing.”
Somehow, Renjun doesn’t doubt that. Obviously, he doesn’t mind having a room all to himself. He’s gotten used to having his room and enjoys the peace and quiet. Not to say that when he’s tired and his nose is a bit stuffed, YangYang snores a little bit. Renjun’s not a heavy sleeper, anyway.
He doesn’t mind, but he does find it odd.
“Sure, ok, if you’re sure,” he agrees. Ten doesn’t look like he’s willing to argue his choice and YangYang looks everywhere else but not at him.
The feeling of strangeness returns to him twofold and the daze of the drinks washes off with the odd occurrence. It’s the same as before and it feels like he should know something, should have more awareness, but he simply does not.
“We are-,” he makes a little noise in the back of his throat. “I am.”
He doesn’t tell them that they should have simply asked for another room. It’s not his place to say and he fears that it would make the situation even weirder and more awkward than it already is. And it already pickles Renjun’s skin with the sheer stiffness of it.
“I’m tired, let’s go,” YangYang urges them and they all agree it’s late and they should get moving. They take their bags and make their way to the elevator. The discussion shifts briefly to the sorry state of the lift and how that kind of design went out of style years ago.
“What floor?” Renjun asks, being the one closest to the buttons.
“First for you, second for us.”
He looks at them confused, not understanding why the difference. Surely, two rooms reserved at the same time in a basically empty hotel should be on the same floor.
“Singles are on the first floor,” Ten explains quickly, not catching Renjun’s eyes when he does so. The buttons are pushed and the carriage moves slowly upwards, soon stopping at the first floor.
He still has questions when he exits the elevator, having his two friends goodnight and promising to meet them early in the morning the next day. Being on the beach is best during the early morning and they don’t want to miss out on a good start.
The door of the elevator closes again before he can get another word out.
Why would they order a single and a double before they even knew that Renjun was coming?
- Xuxi
Being observant has never been his forte and there were times when he felt truly envious of their most observant members. Those who knew what was going on even without being told to. In time, that feeling faded away, he had his own strong points even if being observant would never be one of them.
Lately, he concerns himself with the inner workings of WayV more than anything else. He has no chance of ever learning everything about all their members in all the units so he just lets it go. He’s a good listener, he’s been told, very empathetic, and sometimes information slips to him in the form of a friend coming to him to unpack and rant.
Xuxi is happy to lend an ear and a shoulder to cry to. Talking about feelings, as uncomfortable as it is for some, comes naturally to him.
He’s been away for six long months and his heart aches with it, feels strange sometimes in his own house. So many things have happened since he left. His members, his best friends, seem to have grown, changed at least a little bit since he’s been gone. He’s seen them through video calls and on shows but it’s not quite the same. Nothing really feels like being there and being part of their lives.
They’ve moved too, and the new arrangements tilt him out of the axis for a bit. It’s nothing like his time in China, where he mostly stayed by himself or just with Sicheng, or with their old dorm which was way too crowded with seven grown men, two cats and one dog. It’s more spacious, for sure, and Kunhang and Dejun are waiting for him to come home. He’s going to share a room the moment Sicheng comes back but that’s fine. The lack of three other people and their cats freaks him out a little bit.
When he can finally interact freely with everyone they have a fun get together just to soak up each other’s company after so long. Kun and Dejun tell him about promoting their song, Kunhang about his drum practices, YangYang about taking vocal lessons and Ten about his merchandise and dances. He’s got much to say too.
It lasts for so long, everyone speaks over everyone and Xuxi feels at home. His second home that’s no less a real home.
After Kun, Ten and YangYang leave for their own apartment, he lounges some more with Kunhang and Dejun, their conversation slowing down, becoming lazier with sleepiness. He asks them about personal updates.
“For us, no, but we think…” Dejun starts but Kunhang stops him.
“You cannot talk about other people!”
“I think it’s better if he’s aware!”
“He’ll see for himself!”
It is a testament to how tired he is that he doesn’t ask for more information. Instead, he just pats Dejun’s back, telling him it’s alright. Xuxi realizes he didn’t get any real answer to his original question but he lets it go with the decision of keeping his eyes open for any new information.
Kunhang wouldn’t have reacted like that if he didn’t have a reason to.
It’s not even hard to notice, even for someone who is not terribly observant. Something has shifted in the other apartment and it’s obvious for everyone. It’s nothing bad but there is something new that Xuxi is unaware of. He’d have thought he went crazy but if Kunhang and Dejun also noticed,
There is a tension that wasn't there before. An air of secrecy that Xuxi finds odd. They all have their secrets, of course, but there aren't things to concern all of them.
They've agreed to be honest with each other.
Initially, he thinks that something bad happened, that there has been a misunderstanding of some sort and the tension comes from this. It's easy enough to say it isn't the case. So- Xuxi keeps guessing.
A secret project? That would be nice but why would anyone keep a project a secret. After all, they all have the same job and are updated on everyone's personal activities. It doesn't really make sense.
He arrives on dating quite late in his list of possible scenarios and when he does, it is glaringly obvious that's the case. The people in the other apartment are all dating! It's so clear! He's so blind!
While Dejun and Kunhang don't want to say a word, it's obvious to the naked eye! They are all in better moods, more relaxed and energetic but also more secretive. He has to knock before entering! Which is wild.
They're dating. But who? That's the question that boggles Xuxi. He knows that Ten likes men just as he knows that Kun doesn't discriminate, that he's attracted to intellect and personality alone. When asked YangYang shrugged his shoulders, saying he doesn't know but he's pretty sure he found both women and men attractive in his life. Which is fine! Xuxi is a good supporter and will always be there for his friends!
But they don't tell him anything. That makes him a bit upset. Do they not trust him? Has he been a bad friend?
He discards this thinking quickly because, after all, it appears like they haven’t told anyone so Xuxi is not singular in his confusion. All friends Xuxi ever had were very keen to talk about the development of their relationships but none of those friends were idols or attracted to men. Maybe more subtlety is needed in this case. Maybe they’re not very sure of where they stand either. Some think that speaking about unsure situations gives them more reason to turn sour, which is a wild superstition in Xuxi’s opinion, but he believes in dream messages and he’s not about to comment on anyone’s thinking.
He’d just be good and wait.
Xuxi subtly asks Kunhang if he knows anything for sure now that he's figured it out as well and his friend tells him that they've been waiting too. He also tells Xuxi that he should be entertaining a closer look at Ten and YangYang.
And so Xuxi does.
He doesn't think there's anything much different about the two of them than he has previously observed. They've always been close, finding it more comfortable to speak in English at times. Familiarity is important, Xuxi is very much aware of this.
They do seem a bit closer than they used to be, but shouldn't that be a good thing? If YangYang found that he has a good confident in their second eldest members, then good for him. Ten is incredibly wise when he applies himself, giving sound advice and gentle encouragement.
"Have you and Ten-ge gotten closer lately?" He asks YangYang one evening when they're watching TV in their apartment. Ten and Kun are bickering in the kitchen over something or another, not paying much attention.
YangYang's expression is strange though, at the question. Xuxi expects him to shrug and say that it's nothing big, nothing has changed, but instead, he flushes. And it's all so visible! His cheeks and ears turn easily into a cute scarlet shade.
Which is...out of character? YangYang doesn't blush and stumble, that's not his thing. YangYang lies with confidence and looks into your eyes and smiles brightly when he's embarrassed.
He doesn't blush. It's cute. But Xuxi is just a bit shocked.
"We filmed a lot lately…live together. You know…"
Xuxi nods because of course, he knows. Proximity had him a lot closer to all the members of the group, but he's never reacted like that.
"That's good for you," he says with a grin, clapping a big hand over YangYang's shoulder in the universal language of deep support. "Ten-ge is great!"
Ten is great. And YangYang appears to agree because he smiles, turning his head away and avoiding Xuxi's eyes.
“He is, isn’t he?”
This is not the normal YangYang, he doesn’t sound like the regular YangYang. Xuxi feels a need to press one of his hands to the boy’s forehead to check for his temperature. Ever since when is YangYang shy ?
Huh? Maybe Kunhang had a point when he told Xuxi to pay a bit more attention.
- Kun
There was no question about it, Ten and YangYang had something going on. It was impossible not to notice given he was living in the same house as the two of them and they don't bother being subtle most of the time.
He's worried, of course, because these are the closest people to him. They work and live together, and are in each other's space all the time. Their group needs as much unity as it can get.
He hears them bickering in the living room and wonders just how real this is. If they're just having a casual thing or it is real. If they're in love.
He'd go on a whim and say that indeed, they are, but he can't be sure and Ten won't talk to him about it. As he should! Kun doesn't want to push either of them, knows that relationships need time and privacy and he's not the one to not understand that there are situations when it's better to wait.
It would ease his mind if Ten just came to him and explained what was going on. That was what they agreed on at the beginning of their careers when they got stuck together waiting for their chance to truly shine.
While Kun was sure something was going on, there was really no doubt about it, he wanted to know if Ten kept his part of the promise.
They’d long agreed that they would not be seeking other members to relieve their tension on, that they would not sleep with anyone unless they were serious intentions involved. If not, they’d seek one another.
It worked well for them, often placed together as they were. There was a lot of stress and a lot of frustration and they all knew too well that it shouldn’t get to their heads, couldn’t allow for anything to ruin their chances. The agreement came at the perfect time and cemented their friendship beyond Kun’s expectations.
There was always the possibility of their deal turning sour and making them awkward with each other but thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Ten was not the kind of man he found himself wishing to be in a relationship with and it was the same for the younger man. At least their compatibility was good.
So when Ten stopped seeking him for midnight stress-relieving activities, Kun didn’t question it. He didn’t need it and neither did Kun, and they didn’t speak about it. But Kun still lived with him and could easily tell apart Ten’s moods after so many years in close proximity.
Ten had that glow about him. He was more energetic, more artistic, his smile was brighter and happier. While sex made him feel better and he often looked better after he let go of some of the steam, it was nothing compared to the current. The current Ten looked like he’d won the lottery and also found a way to pet every single cat in the world all melted into one. Truly, a wonderful combination.
It took Kun an embarrassing amount of them to figure out what changed. It was just after they changed dorms that it was obvious to him. Ten was seeing YangYang, and not in a very platonic way. There were hints here and there, some which he could pass as simple we-live-together kind of things, like sharing clothes and having little movie nights by themselves. Until there were hints which Kun couldn’t explain as simple roommates stuff: coming out of each other’s room in the early mornings, kiss-bruised lips and secret glances.
He didn’t know YangYang for that long, but YangYang was significantly worse at hiding his secrets than Ten was. One could see it in everything he did. How he moved and the way in which his eyes seemed to linger on Ten no matter what the older man was doing. It was quite adorable, Kun thought, to see young love (?) blossom like that.
There was no doubt that YangYang had feelings for the other man, and Kun could only hope that his feelings were returned. The Ten he knew wouldn’t play with someone’s feelings like that. While he was a huge flirt who lived to see men and women flustered by his sheer presence, he was a good man. One of the best Kun had ever known.
And yet, there he was, worried once again.
He’d sworn himself to not allowing worries and stress to get to him.
He should have known it wasn’t a feasible plan.
“Ten,” he starts, one evening. There’s just the two of them in the apartment, YangYang away to play with Bella.
Ten hums, looking into the fridge and knocking some things around. Jars of...something? Kun is never truly sure what they have in all their jars and he thinks he’s happier not knowing.
"Ten, are you happy?"
It's a stupid question and Kun realizes it is the moment he opens his mouth. He couldn't be vaguer even if he tried to.
But Ten knows him for so long, long enough that when he emerges from scavenging in the fridge, he doesn't look confused by the question, not weirded out, but he smiles, relaxed and kind and something is Kun's heart settles.
"I think I am. I think I'm the happiest I've been in a while."
And that's it, that's all the answer that he needs. Kun is no idiot, he can read between the lines. And it's enough for him, strangely so, he understands what Ten means without too many words.
He thinks that Ten is also attuned enough to understand the meaning of the question without him having to elaborate and the answer came accordingly.
"I am glad, then," Kun pushes past the sprinkling of awkwardness in the conversation, "I hope you continue to be happy for a long time."
Ten faces him properly then, and there is something hard to explain in his eyes. The younger man has never been one for dramatic shows of emotion, for teary embraces or whispered words, but Kun knows that whatever he's feeling he's feeling intensely, ardently, and he expressed it in an individual Ten way.
"I hope you're happy too," Ten starts and Kun opens his mouth to question his motives but Ten shakes his head, smiling. "Don't try me."
The delicate emotion before is replaced swiftly by mischievousness and Kun feels heat raise up the back of his neck. Ah- well, he supposes that it is not only Ten who's due a good talk.
Perhaps they should just sit down one day to do so. When the time is right.
"I am, I think I am too."
+1 Johnny
Johnny's face down on the bed, a cat shifting against one of his sides when he remembers the speculations circulating across the dorms of the 3 units.
He's never been one to beat around the bush and consider rumours but this one concerns his best friend which makes him just as curious as everyone one. The only difference is that he is not going to just suppose . It's been too long already.
"Are you seeing someone?" He asks, moving just a bit so he can actually look at Ten.
The younger man is perched on the other side of the bed, leaning on one arm comfortably. He appears surprised by the question, one of his eyebrows raising in question.
"What kind of question is that?"
"Just a question. Answer it?"
Ten tilts his head. "I do, actually."
Johnny should have expected it given the content of the rumours, but Ten's easy admission takes him by surprise.
"And are you serious about it?"
"I am very serious about it and about him, yes."
For a long time, Ten said he wasn't about serious relationships, wasn't looking for them, but something was to appear, he wouldn't say no to his own happiness. He'd been serious when he said it, aware that his job and his sexuality would be a hurdle.
Johnny is happy for his best friend. Ten is someone who deserves all the happiness in the world. He should have it.
He opens his mouth to ask for more information when the door swings open and in comes WayV's youngest member, a charger in his hand and a crestfallen expression. Just the guy who's on everyone's mind.
"I think I stepped on it -- I don't know how that happened-- "
"Hi," Johnny greets mid-rant.
YangYang's face whips to him and his eyes widen with surprise. "Oh hyung! I didn't know you were here!"
"I've been very loud when I came here," Johnny tells him. He cooed-shouted at the cats when he came inside which was a fairly loud entrance. He heard Kun shouting something back from the inside of his room. Johnny took it as a welcome.
"He was probably playing games with his headphones on," Ten tells him, rolling his eyes.
The younger man scrunches his nose and responds with an equally dissatisfied roll of his eyes. Johnny can't help but laugh at him. He's a cute guy, he isn't going to lie.
"I am no longer sorry for breaking your cable."
"You'll buy me another one anyway~" Ten singsongs. "And we were just talking about you."
They weren't talking about YangYang at all.
"About me? What about me?" He peers at Johnny curiously as if trying to gauge the secret from Johnny's eyeballs alone. Asking if Ten said something about him that is less than positive. Ten has said nothing, though.
"Come here," Ten tells him, stretching one hand in his direction, his expression unreadable. Johnny's heartbeat picks up and he shifts on the bed so he can see his best friend better.
The younger man does what he is told and approaches them. He drops the charger on the desk before he catches Ten's hand and lets himself be pulled towards the bed. Johnny is aware that YangYang is a bit taller than Ten, a bit wider too, but he folds himself perfectly to fit in his best friend's arms once he is close enough to touch.
"Nothing bad, I swear," Ten says and Johnny is not that stupid to not understand where this is going. YangYang raises a thin brow as Ten's arms wrap around his middle, holding him close. They're not play-fighting or anything like that, the younger man is unusually quiet for a moment. Ten's relaxed with his gentle hold on the younger man's waist and YangYang becomes lax in just a couple of moments. He seems sleepy too. It's pretty late, anyway.
"What about, then?"
They are still having this discussion.
"We're talking about this."
He doesn't say anything else but he presses a quick kiss to YangYang's lips, quick enough for the younger man not to have time to respond. Instead, Ten pulled back as quick as he kissed him.
"Ten!"
Johnny laughs, unable to stop himself. It's fond though, he thinks that his dear friend finally found himself a good match. Someone who is as much of a challenge as he is. Someone to keep him on his toes.
"Yes, baby?"
YangYang huffs but doesn't move from where Ten is holding him but returns his gaze to Johnny. He looks uncertain about Johnny's reaction. Johnny doubts they've been so open with their relationship before. He feels proud of them and happy with himself that he inspires enough trust in Ten to do so.
"Were you talking about us?"
YangYang's eyes are wide and innocent when he looks at Ten, a delicate hand coming to comb through the older man's hair.
"I asked him if he was in a relationship," Johnny intervenes, finally deciding that he should sit up for this conversation. "A lot of people noticed a shift in how he acts and well-- I was personally curious too."
"Was it... obvious?" It's Ten who asks, his grip on YangYang's waist tightening.
Johnny shakes his head. "Not to managers and staff. To us, I guess."
YangYang seems to settle on curious for his general demeanour, a little smile on his face. "How's he different?" Johnny remembers that YangYang has been with them for too little time to know just how loud and aloof Ten used to be when it came to discussing serious, feelings-based, relationships.
"He's whipped, apparently."
Ten rolls his eyes and sighs but his grip doesn't loosen, mock offended on Johnny but holding the boy like he's about to disappear.
"Ohhh, are you?"
YangYang looks incredibly amused at the information and Johnny is just a weak man, way too soft for the glee of the small ones in their group. (That's why their youngest took advantage of him. It happened. Johnny was okay with that.)
He laughs and nods. "Yes, smiling at his phone, not paying attention to his surroundings, generally being an airhead. Very cute, apparently."
"I wasn't doing that!" Ten complaints.
"You totally were," Johnny tells with a smirk, "apparently even Taro noticed. Not to say about the rest of us."
Ten is flushing, embarrassed but YangYang is laughing loudly and unabashedly, clapping his hands in excitement. Kun’s never been the type to really make fun of Ten, but that’s hardly the case for Johnny. Just like Ten, he takes great pleasure in seeing his fellow group mates flustered.
"This is great!"
"This is horrible!" Ten disagrees. “I’m going to kick both of you out!”
It’s a terrible threat, so neither Johnny nor YangYang stops laughing, instead of laughing ever louder, the youngest of them almost losing his equilibrium with how hard his body shook. Despite the murderous glint in his eyes and the redness of his ears, Ten doesn’t let go of his boyfriend even for a moment, his grip secure and not allowing YangYang to slide off his lap.
“It’s worrisome that none of you fears me,” he continues, a little pout on his lips. Ten is very cute when he acts like that, Johnny would know, but he had enough exposure therapy to know it’s not allowed for it to impress him.
“I’m shaking,” YangYang mocks, cupping Ten’s cheeks in his palms, “Like I’m not going to sleep in here anyway.”
“Not if you’re being a little brat-”
“Never been one!”
Even Johnny knows that’s a complete lie. All of the 00 liners are brats to a certain degree and from what he’s seen YangYang is just as much of a menace as Donghyuck. That’s probably the reason for which they get along so well.
“You’re a little shit that’s what you are,” Ten sounds just a bit annoyed and a lot more fond and Johnny should have expected that upon turning around he’d see the two of them locked into a kiss. Which-- cute, but still.
He clears his throat and the two of them part easily but with matching smiles on their lips.
“Happy for you but please, the PDA.”
“You’re the one coming into my room asking about my relationship,” Ten points out, “I am not asking you what you are doing all the other times you come to our dorm and not even say hi to me.”
Ten has always been crazily observant, so Johnny somewhat expected for him to have noticed. But that’s a discussion for another day and he won’t give in to the quip. It’s thrown like an opening for Johnny to spill all his secrets.
He won’t.
So he clears his throat again. Ten raises a brow. “So, I think you should tell Taeyong, he’s been worrying his pretty little head over you bringing weird men into your dorm and letting them play with your cats,”
YangYang snorts at the idea.
“I will tell him to come over,” Ten agrees. “He’ll seriously go bald like that.”
“That’s how he’s always been.”
"Remember the NoMin episode?"
"No one wants to remember that, I thought he's going to lose it," Johnny doesn't remember the moment fondly and he never ever wants to experience that amount of stress every time a new couple is formed.
And if Ten is kind enough, he'll stop a Taeyong-shaped frenzy in its initial state. Their leader was a bit like a storm when he was worried, growing bigger and more dangerous with each passing moment.
"I will talk to him, hyung, don't worry," Ten reassures, patting softly at Yangyang's thighs. The young man doesn't seem phased, rather he looks like he's about to be lulled to sleep.
Ten looks tired too. He's never been the kind to truly show when he is tired, but it's obvious for someone who knows him well. He looks like he's about to fall asleep like that, resting his head on Yangyang's shoulder. It seems like the excitement of the day tired them both.
(Maybe some of Taeyong's influence is rubbing onto him and he feels a deep urge to tuck them both in and wish them a good night. Maybe the edits are right and he's truly part of the dad line more than he expected.)
"I think I should go," he says instead, slowly rising from the bed and hearing one of his bones crack in protest. Huh. "It's been a long day."
It's been. Emotion-talk takes out of them as much energy as a dance practice would.
Both Ten and YangYang nod, the younger of the two saying a soft goodnight that's more or less a sleepy mumble and Johnny sees Ten melt even more. He never thought he'd see the day.
His best friend's sharp eyes are on him the moment he opens the door, though, and Johnny raises a brow in question.
"Go tell him good night when you go out."
Johnny frowns, "It's only polite."
Ten scoffs. "Sure thing, dear. Just go, he'll pout if you don't."
He doesn't like the sound of that. "We'll have to talk about that."
A discussion that's probably overdue by the looks of it, but indeed, it should be discussed at some point.
"Be careful with him," Johnny tells him as parting words.
"You too, or I will-"
Johnny shuts the door before he can hear the rest of the sentence. Hah .