Work Text:
Seungmin sighed for the nth time that night. He’d been studying for his final exams since he came home from the company, and he’d begged Minho until he could eat dinner in his room at his desk. His half-eaten plate still rested next to him four hours later but he didn’t want to waste any time by bringing it to the kitchen. The members went to their respective dorms after they ate dinner and Seungmin hadn't seen them since he entered his room.
It was nearing midnight when Seungmin’s eyes started drooping, but he forced himself to continue the worksheet he was on. He had five exams to study for before finals in two weeks and he spent most of his free time preparing for them. He rewrote his notes until his hand cramped, he printed review sheets until the printer was out of ink, and he made sure he wouldn’t lose everything he’d gained.
Seungmin had been top of his class since he was in primary school. It was easy for him, really. He had a great memory and the members always reminded him while they were learning choreography - he remembered it better than Minho did, even if he didn’t execute it as flawlessly as the other boy. He was confident about his academics, and he knew that he’d pass even if he didn’t study nearly as much as he always did, but his goal wasn’t to pass the class.
It was to excel and outclass everyone else.
So, he studied for another hour before he deemed it good enough to call it a night. He had school at eight o’clock in the morning and he knew that he needed sleep if he wanted to do well. He wasn’t one of those people who thought it was better to study than sleep; he’d tried it before, and it was not fun.
He closed his laptop and notebook, then he grabbed his dinner plate. He cringed when he realized how long the food had been sitting there, but he was glad that it didn’t smell very strongly. He didn’t even notice it while he was studying.
He stood on stiff legs and walked to the kitchen, noticing every light off except for the living room lamp. He walked past it to go to the kitchen but his eyes caught on the figure sitting on the couch. He ignored them and continued to the kitchen, dumping the food in the trash and putting the plate in the sink. He filled up a cup of water and downed it quickly, then he turned around to leave. He was stopped in his tracks.
“Why are you still awake?” Minho asked, arms crossed as he leaned against the doorway. He clearly disapproved of Seungmin’s actions, but the younger boy didn’t care. It was his future, not Minho’s.
“I was studying. I’m going to bed now.” He made to move past Minho, but the older boy put his hand out.
“Wait.” Minho grabbed his arm and pulled him to stand in front of him, uncrossing his arms to stand straight. “You have school at eight. You shouldn’t stay up this late to study, Seungmin-ah. You’re losing sleep and you know you’ll do fine on the exam anyways. You have two weeks. At least wait a little longer before staying up until one in the morning.”
“Hyung, I’ve told you this before,” he exasperated. “I know what I’m doing, I’ve done it for years. I’m going to make sure I’m top of my class, then after my exams I’ll rest.” He told all of his boyfriends this before. None of them were as diligent about their studies as Seungmin was and he knew they didn’t understand how he felt. They were all satisfied with passing - some with As, some with Bs and Cs - and they knew Seungmin was different. He only accepted A pluses on quizzes, tests, and exams, nothing less.
Minho just sighed, expecting the answer. “Don’t overwork yourself, you still have all of our practices and schedules to do. You better not slow down because of school.” I care about you and I don’t want you to get hurt, is what Seungmin heard. He gave Minho a tired smile.
“I know, hyung.” Minho stared at him for a few seconds before turning around and shutting off the lamp, shrouding them in darkness.
“Go to sleep,” Minho grumbled, walking to his room. Seungmin shook his head. That hyung…
He followed Minho nonetheless and brushed his teeth, then he crawled in bed, letting every thought of school and work leave his mind and he focused on sleeping. He was asleep within minutes.
---
On the day before his exams, Seungmin was restless. They had dance practice until seven o’clock, meaning he only had a few hours to review before going to sleep. Seungmin always got eight hours of sleep on the night before his final exams and he wouldn’t change that routine no matter what.
“You’ll do great, Seungmin-ah,” Hyunjin told him as they packed up their things. The older boy was already packed up, but he sat next to Seungmin on the couch, anyway.
“I know, I know,” Seungmin grumbled. They always told him that. “But there’s a topic in calc that I have to look over, then I need to look through my notes to see if there’s anything else I got a problem wrong on. And I only have two or three hours.”
Hyunjin hummed. “Sounds like enough time to me.” Seungmin rolled his eyes and stood. “Oh, come on, Minnie. You’ve spent every minute of your free time studying for weeks. Come hang out with your boyfriends for a bit.”
Hyunjin stood up and looked at Seungmin with a pout. Seungmin almost brushed him off, but then he noticed the genuine sadness in Hyunjin’s eyes. He sighed and gave the older boy a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m sorry, Jinnie, but today’s the last day of studying, then I only have two days left of school. I promise I’ll hang out tomorrow, okay?” Hyunjin’s pout didn’t falter, but he crossed his arms and made a cute ‘hmph’ noise. Seungmin smiled against his will.
He leaned in and gave Hyunjin a peck on the lips, but before he could pull away, Hyunjin held him closer. He cupped Seungmin’s cheeks and kissed him deeply, then he pulled away and ran a hand through the younger boy’s hair.
“Let me sleep with you tonight. Please?” How could he say no to that?
Needless to say, he slept greatly that night, confident and ready for his exams.
---
Seungmin was tired but relieved when his psychology class was over. It was time to go home.
He did all of his exams in one day and they ended around five o’clock. He was given the whole day off, much to his delight, but the others wouldn’t be back until eight o’clock. He was glad, though, because he was exhausted and didn’t feel up to hanging out or talking.
He arrived at his dorm, dropped his bag next to his shoes, and went straight to his room. He didn’t close the door, but he quickly crawled under his covers, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He smiled; he knew he aced all of his exams. He could feel it.
Seungmin wasn’t sure when he fell asleep, but he was woken up by a hand carding through his hair. He adjusted his blanket and opened his eyes, seeing Felix sitting on the edge of his bed.
“Hey, baby,” the older boy greeted. Seungmin hummed, leaning into Felix’s touch cutely. “How were your exams?”
“Good,” he sighed. “I think I got an A plus on all of them. I won’t know until tomorrow, though.”
“That’s great! I knew you could do it.” Seungmin whined at the knowing smile on Felix’s face and the older boy laid down next to him. “You’re too smart, Seungminnie. I’m jealous.”
Seungmin blushed. “You’re smart too, Lixie,” he mumbled. Felix kissed his forehead.
“Thanks,” he said cheekily. Seungmin just stared at him passively. “It’s almost nine. Have you eaten yet?”
Seungmin shook his head. “Just took a nap when I got home.”
“Do you want jajangmyeon? Minho hyung made some.” Seungmin nodded and they both sat up. Felix wrapped an arm around Seungmin’s shoulders as they walked to the kitchen. “Channie hyung, Changbinnie hyung, and Jisungie are on their way home right now. They had to stay an hour late.”
They entered the kitchen and saw Hyunjin and Jeongin sitting at the table while Minho was at the stove. Hyunjin stood when they entered, rushing over to hug Seungmin.
“Seungminnie! How were your tests?”
Seungmin patted Hyunjin’s back. “I think I aced them all.” Hyunjin kissed him and squeezed his cheeks.
“I told you!” he whined. He was still upset that Seungmin didn’t hang out with them for weeks.
“Jinnie, all of that studying was worth it, I promise. Tomorrow is the last day and then it’s all over, so I’ll see you all the time.”
“You bet you will,” Hyunjin grumbled. He wrapped his arms around Seungmin’s shoulders and moved behind him, clinging to his back as the younger boy walked towards Jeongin.
“Hi, hyung,” Jeongin greeted. Seungmin sat down and Hyunjin released him begrudgingly, sitting next to him instead.
“Hi, Innie.” Seungmin sighed at Jeongin’s presence. The maknae was much more laid back than Hyunjin was - it wasn’t that he loved Jeongin more than Hyunjin, but sometimes he needed different things. Jeongin’s calm demeanor was perfect for him at that moment.
The other three arrived soon, and they asked him the same question and he gave the same answer. He had to be at school at noon to receive his final grades in person, and he should get out of there within a few hours. After that, the group had to record a dance practice video, then they would go home. It should be an easy day.
After they ate dinner, they all decided to have a movie night. Seungmin was always studying, and now that he was free, they all wanted to relax together. Seungmin ended up in Changbin’s lap, and he definitely wasn’t complaining about the sturdy thighs underneath him and the strong arms around him. He leaned back into the older boy and let all of the stress and tension from the past few weeks dwindle in the presence of his boyfriends.
---
Seungmin slept in the next morning, then he arrived at his first class with perfect timing. His professor talked for a while, then they were handed a slip with their grades throughout the semester along with their final exam grade. Seungmin held his breath, but he released it when he saw his score.
98 in calculus.
He grinned and pocketed the report. It was consistent throughout his next three classes - 99 in music, 97 in history, and 98 in literature. Just as he expected - history was his worst subject, but that didn’t mean he was bad at it.
He arrived at his psychology class with a light heart, excited to once again have his desired grades. The professor didn’t talk as long as the others did, but that only meant he could get out of there faster.
Seungmin was near the end of the line when they were handed their reports, and he opened it quickly and confidently. His heart dropped in disbelief.
Zero.
He took a shaky breath. How was that possible? Did he study everything wrong? Did he waste all of his time making mistakes? This had never happened before, especially to Seungmin.
His professor dismissed them and Seungmin stood slowly, eyes stuck on the horrid number. All of the other numbers on the page were above 95, then all of the sudden, zero.
He speed-walked to the nearest bathroom as he felt his eyes fill with tears. He never had average grades throughout every school year, let alone a failing grade. His chest hurt at the information.
He locked himself in a stall - although the bathroom was empty because it was the last day of school - and let the tears fall. He knew he was overreacting, really. His boyfriends would tell him so and say that he was still an amazing student and one bad grade wouldn’t ruin his future. But this was Seungmin, the one who topped all of his classes. He was ashamed of himself for letting this happen.
He cried quietly, stuffing the paper into his pocket with the others. He took deep, shaky breaths, and a few minutes later, he felt much calmer. Not better, but calmer. He left the stall and went to the sink, splashing water on his face before he looked at himself. His eyes were red, of course, but he didn’t look too bad.
Then he remembered: the dance practice video. He had thirty minutes to get to the company - the others brought his bag for him and he was already wearing his practice clothes under his letterman jacket.
He took paper towels and dried his face, pushing his exam to the back of his mind. He felt his anxiety building whenever he thought of it, and all he could think about was what went wrong.
He left the bathroom ten minutes later when his face was rid of tears, but he found himself holding them back during the whole ride to the company. He couldn’t let his boyfriends see him like this because of one failed grade. He couldn’t act like it was the end of the world while the others just saw it as a simple stepping stone. They could never understand.
The members greeted him warmly but they didn’t ask him about his grades during the recording. He wasn’t sure why, but he was grateful. He’d hate to ruin the mood.
They sent him glances, though. He was being uncharacteristically quiet and they could all tell there was something on his mind, but they knew it could be addressed later. The recording wouldn’t take too long and they’d be back at the dorms around seven, then they’d eat dinner together.
When the recording was over, Seungmin was feeling a little better. He reminded himself that school and grades weren’t his everything, not anymore. He still had his idol career, and that wouldn’t be wrecked by a failing grade. Only his heart would be.
Jisung’s arm ended up around him as they made their way to the van and Seungmin leaned into him. He hoped he wasn’t acting too strangely because he didn’t want to worry his boyfriends, but the silence was becoming more and more awkward. Jisung never left his side, though, which he was glad about.
They got takeout on the way home for an easy, relaxing night at Minho and the maknaes’ dorm. Seungmin was already feeling stressed and anxious again, though. He went to the bathroom before he sat down to eat with the others, making sure his facial expression was okay and believable. He thought it was good enough.
When he went back to the kitchen, everyone was sitting around the table. Seungmin noticed how everyone looked at him while he sat down next to Jeongin, and the younger boy held his hand under the table. Jeongin wasn’t big on skinship like some of the others but he often used physical touch to reassure his members. They definitely noticed something was wrong with Seungmin.
They had small conversations while they ate - their upcoming schedules, plans during free time, new television shows they’d been watching. Seungmin still hadn’t told them about his exams, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He’d just have to wing it on the spot.
They migrated to the living room after they ate, deciding on another movie night. Seungmin was the last one to clear his plate, and when he went to the living room, he saw one spot open on the couch. Right next to Chan and Hyunjin.
He took a seat and Chan wrapped an arm around him to pull him close. “How was your last day of school, Seungminnie?” Seungmin gulped.
“It was good,” he mumbled.
“Did you get the grades you were expecting?” Hyunjin asked, like he knew it was a sore subject. Seungmin wouldn’t lie, not about this.
“Yeah… Mostly.”
“Mostly?” Jisung asked curiously from Minho’s lap on the armchair.
“Yeah, um… I did badly on my psych exam. But the others were good, at least 97.”
Chan squeezed him. “What do you mean by ‘badly’?” The members probably thought he meant 80 percent. But never a zero.
“I failed it, but it’s fine. It was just one test, it wasn’t that important.” He was looking down as he spoke, feeling his throat beginning to strain as the shame creeped back.
“You failed it?” Jisung asked, shocked. “But… you studied so much. Are you sure?”
“Yes, Sungie,” he said sternly. “It’s just what happened. It’s fine.” He probably said ‘it’s fine’ too much.
“Seungmin-ah.” He looked up into Chan’s eyes, which were shining with concern and confusion. “You don’t have to say that it’s fine. We know how much your grades mean to you and it’s okay if failing upsets you. We wouldn’t judge you for something like that, baby. We know how hard you worked for this.”
Seungmin felt his eyes filling with tears again at Chan’s words. He didn’t think they’d understand how he felt since they didn’t care as much as he did, but apparently he was wrong. They probably knew Seungmin better than he knew himself.
Chan noticed his tears and pulled him into a tight hug. Seungmin finally let out the sob he’d been holding back for hours, and after that, he couldn’t stop the rest. He felt more hands on him - on his legs, in his hair, rubbing his back - and lips on his head and face.
“Let it out, baby,” Chan murmured, kissing his forehead repeatedly. The touches helped Seungmin feel better, but they couldn’t stop the hole in his chest. He just kept sobbing and sobbing, and eventually he was lifted onto Chan’s lap. He held the older boy even tighter, hands gripping the back of his shirt.
He felt hands trying to lift his head and he turned away from Chan with blurry eyes. He was met with Changbin’s worried face, and the older boy cupped his cheek. “Take a deep breath, Seungminnie.”
He did, hiccuping through it. Changbin wiped his unending tears and gave him a comforting smile. Seungmin was slowly calming down, feeling relief after confiding in his boyfriends and gaining their comfort and support.
“Seungminnie.” A hand lightly patted his lower back and he turned back to Chan. “Do you have your report card with you?”
Seungmin nodded. “Bag.” Chan looked at Minho, silently asking him to go find it. The others were surrounding Seungmin on the floor and couch, but only Changbin and Chan were still touching him. Changbin’s hand carded through his hair and Chan lifted a hand from his waist to cup Seungmin’s cheek.
Chan’s lips found Seungmin’s, giving him a long, slow kiss, swallowing the younger boy’s hiccups.
“Hyung,” Seungmin coughed, pulling back, “sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, you did nothing wrong.” Chan’s eyes were still worried, but he was confused on the inside. It made no sense that Seungmin could fail, especially in psychology. He told them that it was one of his easier classes that semester.
Minho came back quickly with five paper slips. “There’s one for each class with all of his grades from the semester.” Minho stood in the middle of the room and Jisung peered over his shoulder, watching in awe as only 90s appeared on the pages. Then Minho got to the last one, a little more crumpled than the rest, and the zero stuck out like a sore thumb. He frowned deeply and gave it to Chan.
Chan’s hand left Seungmin’s cheek to hold the paper, and Seungmin hid his face in the older boy’s neck. He didn’t want to look at it again and face reality.
“This is weird. Something’s not right,” Chan said skeptically.
“What does it say?” Felix asked.
“It says he got a zero.” The others gasped, confused, but Chan continued. “Seungminnie spent so much time studying and preparing. If he didn’t study enough, somehow, then that wouldn’t make sense with high marks in four subjects but a zero in psych. He should’ve at least gotten an average score.”
The others were silent for a moment, absorbing the information. Seungmin squeezed his eyes shut as Chan spoke - he also thought that it was strange, but he just accepted it. It’s not like he could go back and change anything, anyway.
“The professor both makes and grades the exams, right?” Jeongin asked. “What if he sabotaged Seungminnie hyung’s test?”
“Why would he do that?” Hyunjin thought out loud. Felix gasped, moving behind the couch to see Seungmin’s face.
“Seungminnie,” he said gently, waiting until Seungmin looked up at him. “Is there a reason for your professor to fail you on purpose?”
Seungmin thought for a moment and shrugged, sniffling and wiping his nose on his sleeve. “I don’t know…” he mumbled, voice scratchy, and Jisung left to get him a glass of water. “I think he was a little upset with me a few weeks ago because I called him out for something in front of the class. But it wasn’t that serious.”
“Do you remember what you said to him?” Chan asked.
“Um… He said something about his wife, I think, but it wasn’t a nice thing. I just said that he shouldn’t say something like that and everyone else agreed with me. Even the other professors told me that I was right and that he isn’t a great person. I haven’t talked to him since that day, though… I don’t think it means anything.” Jisung came back with water and Seungmin took it gratefully, downing it in one go.
Felix’s eyebrows furrowed. “It might. If it was something about his wife then it could have been a sore subject. And if everyone else was against him, then his life at work probably got a little more miserable.”
Seungmin’s eyes widened; he didn’t think about that. Felix realized what he said and quickly retracted his words.
“I’m not saying you did anything wrong! You just said something that’s true. It’s his fault, not yours.” He gave Seungmin a kiss, a hand in his hair. “All I’m saying is that it’s possible for him to fail you purposely. I mean, a zero makes no sense, Minnie, you know that. Even if Jisungie took that exam right now I bet he’d score at least five percent.”
“Hey!” Jisung shouted. Felix laughed.
“It’s a compliment, right?”
“You say it like it would be surprising,” he pouted. “That is not a compliment.”
Felix pouted back, jutting out his bottom lip. Seungmin smiled at his expression. “Hyunjinnie would get four percent. Does that make you feel better?”
Jisung still pouted but Hyunjin joined him, groaning. Seungmin turned his head to look at them, his smile growing.
“Yah, Yongbok-ah,” Minho scolded, unserious. “Stop putting nonsense in their brains or they’ll start believing it. You know they’d never score that high.”
They both just groaned louder and Jisung pulled on Minho’s arm, stomping his foot. “Hyung! Not funny!” he complained. Seungmin giggled and Jisung looked at him, his pout turning into a fond grin. “Minnie! Tell Lixie to stop! He’ll only listen to you!”
Seungmin looked back at Felix. “Not true!” the Australian argued.
“Lix,” Seungmin said. “Be nice.” Seungmin puckered his lips, clearly giving Felix two options: make fun of the others or kiss Seungmin. It was a thoughtless decision, really. Felix leaned forward and kissed Seungmin deeply, as if trying to make the others jealous. Chan rubbed his back and Seungmin could picture the annoyed smile on the older boy’s face, kissing sounds right next to his ear. Seungmin groaned when Felix’s tongue entered his mouth, then Felix pulled back and pressed one more kiss to his lips, smiling.
“That’s not what I meant.” Seungmin rolled his eyes and looked back at Jisung, who was sitting on the floor now, arms crossed and clearly upset. Seungmin indulged in him, standing up from Chan’s lap and moving to sit in Jisung’s. Jisung held him immediately and Seungmin’s mouth was on his, soft and sweet, the way they both liked it.
It was a short kiss and Seungmin pulled away, arms around Jisung’s shoulders. Jisung burrowed into his neck and pressed soft kisses to it. “I love you, Minnie.”
“Love you too,” he breathed.
Someone cleared their throat. “I’d hate to ruin the moment, but I’m going to call the manager and see if he can contact your school, okay?”
Seungmin sighed and nodded. He almost forgot about the situation at hand, engrossed in love and jokes. Chan stood and sighed, already calling the manager as he walked to the kitchen. Minho followed him.
Jisung cupped Seungmin’s cheeks and wiped away any remaining moisture, then he kissed them both. “Want to go to bed, babe?”
Seungmin nodded and stood, wobbling, and reached a hand out to pull Jisung up. Seungmin felt his eyes straining now from how much he cried throughout the day and all he wanted was to curl up in someone’s arms and sleep.
He brushed his teeth quickly, washed his face, and changed into comfortable clothes, then he found himself moving towards someone else’s bedroom. He wasn’t sure who’d be in there since 3RACHA and Hyunjin were staying over for the night, but he hoped the person he was looking for was there.
He entered Jeongin’s room and saw the maknae sitting on his bed and Changbin already laying under the covers. Jeongin looked up from his phone, surprised.
“Hyung?” Seungmin came closer and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Jeongin smiled. “Of course.”
The maknae’s bed was big enough to fit all three of them, thankfully. Seungmin didn’t know if Jeongin would be up to cuddling, but if he wasn’t, he knew Changbin would be. Seungmin was lying in the middle and facing Jeongin, Changbin’s arm over his waist from behind. Seungmin and Jeongin stared at each other for a good ten seconds before Jeongin moved closer and pulled Seungmin to his chest. He knew his hyungs so well.
Seungmin shoved his nose into Jeongin’s collarbone and sighed as the maknae ran his fingers through his hair.
“You’re amazing, hyung. I love you.”
“I love you too, Innie,” he whispered. He heard Changbin’s light snores filling the room and found himself following quickly, lulled to sleep by his boyfriends’ touches.
---
Chan woke them up later in the morning than expected - apparently they had the morning off and had to work at noon. They all ate breakfast together and Chan told them what the manager said.
“He’ll call the dean today and tell him what happened. Hopefully the dean will understand and talk to your professor, then we’ll see what happened with your test.”
“Thank you, hyung.”
“No need to thank me, baby. We know how smart you are and it’d be horrible for all of your hard work to go to waste because of some asshole teacher.” Seungmin agreed, as did the others.
Seungmin felt much, much better than the day before. He realized how absurd it was that he got a zero on his exam and he fully believed that his professor messed with his test. He went through the day normally, although he did get a few more touches from his boyfriends, which he enjoyed.
It was nearing the end of the day when their manager interrupted their dance practice. “Seungmin-ah, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Seungmin nodded and Minho patted his butt on his way out the door. They stood just outside of the practice room.
“I talked to the dean of your school and he talked to your professor. Your professor makes the exams himself and he also prints them. The dean knows about your grades because you’re one of the best students in your class and he knew that something wasn’t right. He got the truth out of your professor and he said that he gave you a different test than everyone else. He made it so that your answer choices were in a different order so you’d mark the wrong letter.”
Seungmin’s eyes widened. He didn’t think that his professor would go that far.
“Your dean wants to meet with you in person tomorrow afternoon at five, so I cleared your schedule for then.”
“Can Chan hyung come with me?”
The manager smiled. “Of course. I thought you’d ask that.”
“Thank you so much,” Seungmin said, giving him a hug. Their manager had been with them through thick and thin and he was always there for them. He never backed down from anyone and he did as much as he could for their group, and they all appreciated everything he did.
The manager patted his back. “Go on and finish practice, okay? Just remember, it’s at five o’clock.”
Seungmin nodded and the manager left. He took a deep breath before opening the practice room door and everyone turned to him.
“What’d he say?” Felix asked quickly. Seungmin smiled.
“My professor messed with my exam. You were right, Lixie.”
Felix smiled brightly and ran to hug Seungmin, making him stumble. Felix kissed him and said, “Of course I was.” Seungmin smiled and kissed him back while the others came closer as well.
“So, what do you have to do now?” Hyunjin asked.
“I have a meeting with the dean tomorrow afternoon. You’ll come with me, right, hyung?” he asked Chan.
“Of course, baby.” Chan gave him a big hug and everyone relaxed. Seungmin knew everything would be fine, so long as he had them by his side.
---
Chan and Seungmin entered the dean’s office at exactly five o’clock, holding hands until they opened the door. He stood from his chair the moment they entered with a smile.
“Seungmin-ah,” the dean greeted, bowing. Chan and Seungmin bowed back before sitting in the two chairs. “So, we’re going to have your exam reevaluated by another psychology professor. It shouldn’t take too long and you should know your score by the end of today. It’ll be emailed to you.”
“Thank you so much, hagjang-nim.” Seungmin bowed from his seat, appreciating everything the dean was doing for him.
“Of course. You’re a great student, Seungmin.” The dean sighed. “Jung-ssi is getting his teaching license revoked. Apparently he’s done similar things before and he even disturbed some of our faculty members and students. He will be punished separately and he won’t be returning to this university next semester.”
Seungmin was relieved. He'd never liked his professor and he knew that no one else did either, always talking shit about him behind his back. Hopefully this would do everyone a favor.
The others were already back at the dorm when Chan and Seungmin arrived. They were lounging in the living room but looked up at them with hopeful and expectant expressions. Chan sat in the open seat while Seungmin was ushered into Minho’s lap, back to chest. The older boy wrapped his arms around Seungmin’s waist and Seungmin melted into him - Minho wasn’t very tactile, similar to Jeongin, but he knew exactly what Seungmin wanted.
“Well?” Changbin prompted.
“My exam is being regraded,” Seungmin said. “They’ll send it to me through email sometime today.”
“And his professor won’t be coming back,” Chan added. His arm was slung casually over Changbin’s shoulders and he had a smile on his face.
“He was fired?” Hyunjin asked.
“Yeah. And he also got his teaching license revoked, so that’ll bite him in the ass.”
Minho kissed his shoulder. “Serves him right.”
Seungmin just sighed and leaned back while Jeongin turned on the television. He was anxious again, anticipating his true score, but he hoped that a movie could get it off of his mind. Minho rested a hand on his bouncing thigh and he tried to calm down. He made sure that his phone wasn’t on silent before the movie started, tucking it safely into his pocket.
His phone buzzed halfway into the movie. Seungmin and Minho were in the armchair so the others didn’t notice, but Minho felt the vibration through Seungmin’s leg. He pulled his phone out immediately and saw that it was an email.
He pressed on the notification nervously, and he was met with a paragraph from the dean. He overlooked it for the time being and scrolled down, Minho peering over his shoulder as he got to the attached file. He clicked it, the lag excruciatingly slow, then it opened.
98.
Seungmin groaned happily and collapsed against Minho, his phone falling onto his lap. He didn’t realize how tense he’d been for the past two days. The movie paused and he felt the presence of someone standing next to them.
“Did you get it?” Hyunjin asked excitedly. He held Seungmin’s arm in one hand, waiting expectantly for his result.
Seungmin met his eyes and nodded. “98.”
Hyunjin smiled before he pulled Seungmin into an impossibly-tight hug, lips moving in his hair. “I knew it, baby. You’re smarter than you think you are. Why are you so smart?” he groaned. Seungmin giggled, relief flooding his bones.
“Aish, Seungmin-ah. So worried over nothing, right?” Seungmin glared at Minho but the older boy just smirked.
Seungmin heard the others saying similar statements but he was startled when Hyunjin gripped his thighs and picked him up.
“Jinnie!” he shouted, scrambling to hold Hyunjin’s shoulders. The older boy just giggled at his reaction.
“You promised that you’d cuddle with me when school’s over. You’re all mine now.” Hyunjin sat back down on the couch with Seungmin, giving him a kiss.
“He’s mine too!” Jisung whinged. Then Changbin and Felix complained while the others rolled their eyes. Jisung crawled over Felix to be next to Hyunjin and wrapped his arms around Seungmin, pulling him to his chest.
“Hey!”
“Yah!” Seungmin shouted, laughing. The two older boys were both holding him carefully but he was in an awkward position. They quieted at his words and he shifted, sitting sideways. “I’m everyone’s.”
Heat rose to his face at his own words, but Jisung held his cheeks and kissed him. Jisung pulled back a minute later, saying, “True.”
Seungmin huffed and laid on his back, his head in Changbin’s lap and his back on Felix’s. Everyone touched him in one way or another, and it hit him how much they truly cared for him, even if they didn’t quite understand things the way he did.
“I love you all,” he whispered sentimentally. He heard a coo before the movie resumed.
“We love you too, Minnie.”