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Don't get him wrong, Jay loves comebacks. He loves releasing new music and seeing the reactions and performing, and all the rush that goes hand in hand with comeback season.
He just does not love music shows.
Jay is grateful, as always, for opportunities to perform. Moreso, he's grateful to get to meet fans, no matter how little of them are allowed during shows. But he can never get around to how utterly exhausting it is.
Like now. They’ve been here since dawn. They've got their makeup done, got into their outfits–a feat of its own, really, because the outfits are intricate–and gotten their hair done. They filmed a couple of Tiktoks too as they waited. Any minute now, a stage manager will call them to get ready.
Jay takes a deep breath as he stretches his arms over his head. He's getting more restless the longer they wait. Waiting has never been his strongest suit, he'd never deny it.
Just as he stands up, ready to pace some energy around, a member of the staff walks in. He nearly utters a finally! Under his breath, but the staff's apologetic look stops him.
"Hello, everyone. We're very sorry, some schedules got very mixed." dread fills Jay up. "Your performance will be pushed back for an hour, maybe a little more than that while we sort everything out."
At the shocked silence, the staff bows a couple of times with another apology before hurrying out.
Groans are heard all around the room. Surprisingly enough, most of them were not from the members themselves– or at least the louder ones definitely weren't, they're still too shy for that, even around staff that have known them for so long.
Jay flops down on one of the couches in the room, staring up the ceiling. He hates waiting. He's so terrible at waiting, especially when he has fully prepared himself for a set time.
The room buzzes around him. The makeup artists and stylists who were packing up begin to unpack. They will be needed to retouch their looks before the performance. He hears Jake talking to one of the rolling cameras, his tone sweet and understanding despite everything.
"Hyung?"
Jay looks around to spot Jungwon.
Jungwon, as expected, looks the furthest thing from frustrated. He's always been a little too patient, a little too understanding. Hitches like this rarely get a reaction out of him, and on the occasion they do, it's 100% because it harms one of the members, in any way. Like the time he put his foot down on filming while Ni-Ki had a fever. Jay thinks he got into trouble for that, but Jungwon never said anything, and they had all been worried about Ni-Ki for a good while then.
He almost asks now, but it's long gone, and he doubts Jungwon cared about it.
"I thought you'd be asleep by now." There's a teasing edge to his voice, softened with concern. He must look incredibly frustrated.
"I wish. But it's not worth sitting on that makeup chair again. I'll have to do without it." he says.
"You hate waiting." Direct as always. Soft as always.
"I know," Jay says. "But an hour isn't all that bad."
Jungwon sits on the edge of the couch, his thigh just a hair away from Jay's head. "Do you wanna watch something with me?"
He groans when he sits up, body a little too tired amidst their comeback season. He drags Jungwon close to take him away from the edge of the couch. "What did you have in mind?"
"Nothing in particular. I'll just see what catches my eye on YouTube."
He slips his phone out of his pocket and opens said app. Jay watches him scroll for a bit, his recommended section full of music, mukbangs, rain noises, and the random suggestions YouTube is good at throwing out at you.
"How about this, hyung?" Jungwon asks. He tilts his phone in Jay's direction to show him what looks like a little travel vlog.
"Sure, why not?"
He clicks on the video and leans back onto Jay, and Jay hooks his chin over his shoulder. It's pure habit at this point, no thought behind this action. They've done this so many times, it's second nature now.
Jay can't smell anything beyond the hairspray that reeks from Jungwon's hair, and his clothes aren't the softest material on his chin. But it's Jungwon, and it's comfortable being near him no matter what.
He gradually relaxes, leans more onto Jungwon than Jungwon does into him, but there's no complaint from him. He just fixes his posture to accommodate Jay's weight on his back, head tilted slightly so Jay can have a full view of his phone.
"Are you good, hyung?"
How could he not be when Jungwon is here? "Yeah, of course."
He hums approvingly, finally giving the vlog his full attention.
An hour turns out to be an hour and a half. Jay does not mind in the slightest.
When Ni-Ki was young, he used to rest on people's shoulders all the time. His mom and dad, his sister (when they weren't busy dancing or fighting), his friends when he got tired on the bus. He used to sleep on K or Taki's shoulders after tiring days of training, barely aware of fond laughs in his ear.
He used to rest on his hyungs' shoulders. It was one of the ways he got to bond with them, since touch was his main love language– beside bickering of course, but that is mainly for Jake.
It was fun. It was comfortable.
And then he hit his growth spurt.
Incredibly aching legs and back aside, Ni-Ki hasn't found a bad thing about his growth. If anything, he was ecstatic about it.
(Maybe being around many giant trainees have affected him. He will niether confirm nor deny.)
But he got his wish seemingly overnight. He went from being around Sunoo's height to around Heeseung's and then he surpassed him. He also started hitting the gym regularly, which took him from being lanky to well-built. He's still on the thinner side, but at this point, he's pretty alright with it. His fashion evolved. His dancing looked better, his body lines more defined, and his new height has suited his dancing style more than he ever thought it would.
Being tall has no downsides.
Except that he can't rest his head on his hyungs' shoulders anymore.
Well, technically, he can, but it seems unreasonable when his neck aches from that position.
After a few painful tries, Ni-Ki gave up on that. Now he resorts to other types of physical affection– or violence, but again, that's just for Jake. He still gets hugs and loving pats on the head, which is nice, though he misses the comfort of his hyungs' shoulders.
He, however, did not think anyone else would miss that.
That would be a mistake.
He only realises this when Jungwon tugs him close during a live.
They're on weverse after a successful event, talking and laughing on live. His hyungs are messing around, and he's all too pleased to sit around and listen. His job today is to laugh at them. Like always, of course.
As they giggle at something Heeseung says, Ni-Ki barely notices Jungwon scooting closer to him.
He nearly curses when an arm startles him as it wraps around his shoulders. Being on camera is his only saving grace, because something foul would've left his mouth. He swivels sharply to the side, ready to fight whoever startled him. But it's Jungwon.
The fighting instinct leaves his lips when they part in a smile. Jungwon could do whatever.
"You good, hyung?" He asks in a whisper. It's not like the others are paying them too much attention, but they're still live.
It's then that he notices Jungwon is sitting on his level. He glances down, and sees that Jungwon has cranked his chair up. He should not find this as adorable as he does.
"I'm good," Jungwon says. "I've just missed this." And he tightens his arm around Ni-Ki, forcing the younger to lean closer.
And… It's not uncomfortable. It must be the way Jungwon has raised his chair, though it's not much. Ni-Ki feels perfectly content, his neck not protesting in the slightest. He snuggles further, breathing in Jungwon's shampoo.
He's missed this too. He forgot how comforting this is. How comforting Jungwon is with his familiar touch and safe aura.
"Why did you have to grow so tall?"
And it's funny, because when his other hyungs ask that, a teasing remark is ready at the tip of his tongue, falling out with a smug laugh. With Jungwon, it just isn't there.
"Vitamins and good genetics, I guess." He says. He nearly shrugs, but stops himself so he doesn't move even an inch away.
Jungwon ruffles his hair. "Suits you. You were always meant to be tall." He pulls at a strand of hair before tucking it behind Ni-Ki's ear. He thinks it's meant to be teasing, but Jungwon is too soft with it. "Even if you make me look tiny."
He's unable to hold back a snort. It must be loud enough as the others turn to look at them.
Oh.
He forgot they were live for a second.
"What are you two talking about?" Jake asks, skepticism clear in his eyes. "It can't be good."
"Making fun of non maknae-liners." Jungwon says with an innocent smile.
It takes a second for the members to see behind his smile, then Sunoo bursts into laughter, clapping his hands as he does. His four eldest hyungs pout at the same time.
"So mean," Sunghoon's pout intensifies when Sunoo reaches over him to high-five Jungwon.
"Us makaens gotta stick together, hyung."
Ni-Ki, once again, is content to watch. He has a dopey smile on his face that Heeseung notices. He doesn't say much, just sends him a knowing look.
The conversation moves on after that. If Ni-Ki stays on Jungwon's shoulder until the end of the live, well uh… thousands of people are there to see it.
Jungwon is a fidgety person.
It's a fact that Sunoo knows quite well, how Jungwon always needs something to fiddle with. And sue him, but he thinks it's cute.
Jungwon always has a calm aura to him, but if you look closely, he's always doing something– tapping his feet, bouncing his leg, twisting the rings on his fingers if he has some on, cracking his knuckles, fiddling with his hair or whatever hat he has on. Even if he isn't directly fiddling, he makes a multitude of small noises and pops his lips repeatedly.
It's… Cute, for the lack of a more expressive word.
(Someone kill him right now. He sounds like Sunghoon on a regular day. Not that Sunghoon is wrong, but it's the principle of things.)
But Jungwon also fidgets when he's nervous.
If there's one thing Sunoo prides himself in, it's being able to tell when Jungwon is fidgeting for the sake of it, because he can and he wants to, or if he's actually nervous.
And right now? He's definitely nervous.
Why wouldn't he when they're sitting around and waiting on these uncomfortable high chairs for the interview to start?
Jungwon has never really liked interviews. At first, Sunoo thought it was only the English ones– he didn't particularly like those either, always feeling bad for not being able to contribute much. But no, Jungwon dislikes interviews in general.
Maybe it's his shy nature, or how he usually has to answer on behalf of everyone. He is the leader after all. More or less, what he says represents all of them. It's a lot of pressure to be able to speak well for seven people, and include all their opinions.
He's done it well from the start, and he's grown even better at it, it's Jungwon after all. But it's still nerve-wrecking.
Why wouldn't he be nervous?
He's bouncing his leg relentlessly and biting his lips. The makeup artist is going to have a fit over applying lip gloss on him for the third time.
He should do something.
Sunoo brings his chair closer and hooks his chin on Jungwon's shoulder. His leg stops bouncing, and a soft sigh leaves his bitten lips. His buzzing energy settles at once, shoulders drooping down, but only a little bit to keep supporting Sunoo's weight. Sunoo barely holds back a smile in fear that Jungwon would feel the indent of it at the side of his neck.
Jungwon, his adorable dongsaeng, is too sweet for this world.
He doesn't know when Jungwon developed this habit, but these days, the second someone grazes his shoulders, he settles. Just like now. He settles, and he straightens his back, and relaxes his shoulders. Sometimes when he looks at him, Sunoo is reminded of a bird spreading its wings.
Maybe he got used to them leaning on him all the time. Or it's instinctual to offer them a resting place on those steady shoulders, to have them breathe near his neck and calm down.
Either way, Sunoo… Well, he has to use this knowledge sometimes.
"Is there anything you need, hyung?" Jungwon asks. His hands sit still in his lap.
"Not at all." but you need to calm down. And just to be annoying, he asks, "do you want me to go?"
Jungwon's hands twitch, almost like they're going to find his. Sunoo spares him the effort and gives him a hand.
"No." His voice is tinged with a hint of urgency. His hands are soft where he grasps Sunoo's, but it's a little tight, as if he's afraid Sunoo was actually going to let go. He probably didn't pick on the teasing tone through his nerves. "This is nice."
Any further teasing drifts away. "It is," Sunoo agrees. It's very nice, indeed. Jungwon is wearing a soft sweater, the material comfortable on his skin. And he smells nice. Not in a perfumed way, since Jungwon can't handle those, but in a clean way. He smells fresh. His own natural scent that Sunoo has grown accustomed to shines through, bringing him comfort he didn't know he needed. His shoulders relax with the deep breath he takes.
Maybe he's a little nervous too.
"We're gonna do well." Jungwon says. Sunoo is not sure if he's reassuring him or himself. Maybe both of them.
"Yes, we will." He agrees. And both of them say nothing afterwards.
Sunoo surveys the staff behind cameras. His eyes land on their makeup artist just as she makes her way towards them with her lip kit at hand, and an exasperated look on her face.
She doesn't ask Sunoo to move, which is nice. Their staff rarely ask for things like that, especially when it's not interfering with their work. She reapplies Jungwon's gloss with a stern look that softens when he gives her a small smile.
"They're whipped for you." Sunoo teases she's out of hearing range.
The side of Jungwon's neck warms against his cheek. "It's the same for all of us."
They are, but Sunoo thinks everyone has a special soft spot for Jungwon. As they should.
The interviewer walks in shortly after that, but Sunoo doesn't move off Jungwon's shoulder until the very last second.
"Let's take a small break everyone," though it doesn't linger for long, the director's gaze is piercing when he looks at Heeseung. "Collect yourselves before filming resumes."
Heeseung does not roll his eyes. Some of his manners are still intact, thank you very much. Though, he is the first to leave his desk, and he nearly storms off before steadying his footsteps into something more composed.
Is it really his fault for not being in the mood today?
He finds the nearest bathroom and groans at the bright pop song playing in it. He thinks it's funny most of the time, now it's just annoying. He just wants to be moody for a little bit.
It's not like he even knows why. One would say he just woke up feeling off today. Every little thing ticked him off; the noise, having to go early to the company, the makeup artist who was just doing her job to prepare him for filming. But mostly, it's the awfully boring en-o'clock episode they were filming.
If Heeseung was this bored filming the episode, he couldn't imagine fans having much fun watching. The members were playing up their usual antics to make up for it, but still.
He hops onto the counter, letting his feet dangle down. He just wants a minute alone, just a bit to calm down and–
The door opens in front of him. He's almost annoyed, but he spots a round little head peaks in. All annoyance leaves him at the sight of Jungwon, because who in their right mind would be bothered by Jungwon. Not him, that's for sure.
"Heeseung hyung?" Jungwon calls. When he sees Heeseung, he fully steps into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. "I thought I'd find you here. Is everything okay?"
Is it? Kind of. There isn't anything wrong per se, but it isn't necessarily right either. Heeseung just groans and lets his head drop against the mirror.
He hears some shuffling near him.
"If you want, I can leave and give you some time. I'll try to procrastinate filming for a bit, though I can't promise all that much time." Jungwon says, tone easy and nonchalant.
He probably would. Heeseung has no doubt Jungwon would leave if he so much nods, always one to know when to give space and when to push. But he kind of doesn't. He wants Jungwon to stay.
He lifts his head to meet Jungwon's attentive eyes. "Come here," he says, and pats the space next to him.
Jungwon doesn't hesitate. He hops next to him with a little less grace than Heeseung had, and it draws a smile to his face. His leader isn't small by any means, but… He's adorable.
It's a tight squeeze between the sinks, but they manage. It's not like they're not used to living in each other's pockets for years now. A small space is the norm.
The second Jungwon settles, Heeseung drops his head on his shoulder.
"Do you wanna talk or just enjoy the peace for now?" Jungwon adjusts so he's sitting a little straighter, and Heeseung's neck doesn't strain that bad.
He huffs a breath. "How do you do it?" He asks.
Jungwon lets out a cute, confused sound. "Do what, hyung?"
"Pretend you're having fun filming, even when you're definitely not?"
"Oh." It seems like he wasn't expecting this question. "I thought you weren't feeling well today."
Of course he knows. He's Jungwon after all, and no one reads them better than him. And Heeseung is bad at hiding his feelings anyway, so he's not surprised in the slightest.
"I woke up feeling shitty," he confirms. He pats Jungwon's thigh when he makes a small, stressed noise in the back of his throat. "Nothing bad, just irritated and not feeling like doing anything. But this filming is making me want to rip my hair out."
Jungwon relaxes further. "First of all, I'm sorry you're feeling bad, hyung. And thank you for making an effort to be here, I know feeling like this makes everything harder."
The acknowledgement soothes something in him. Because it is hard, and Jungwon saying that validates a part of him he didn't know needed validation. Heeseung nuzzles his neck a bit, and hopes his thank you gets across.
"As for your question… Well, I don't know if this will be helpful, hyung," he laughs sheepishly. The side of his neck warms up against Heeseung's forehead.
"I'm sure it will be, somehow."
"I just like spending time with everyone. No matter how boring the activity is, we can always have fun together," he says, his head dropping down on top of Heeseung's. "Plus, I try to have as much fun as I can, because if I'm not having fun, the fans definitely wouldn't."
"You know," Heeseung says after a few seconds of silence. "I always forget you're way more sentimental than you appear."
He barely catches Jungwon's hand before it lands a playful slap on his thigh. He lets out a laugh, albite a small one, it's the most genuine one he uttered today.
"You're so cute, Jungwon-ah." he teases, nuzzling further into Jungwon's warm neck.
Heeseung wishes he could see the expression on Jungwon's face. His eyes must be narrowed, mouth sitting in an adorable pout. And despite that, his dimple would be on full display, because it's just that deep. He would even cross his arms if Heeseung wasn't leaning on him still.
"And you're so annoying, Heeseung hyung."
Even his tone is sulky. And Heeseung loves him and his sulky tone.
"But I guess you're right," he says. "At least we're together. And there's food involved. That means it can't be all that bad."
Jungwon pats his thigh. It only feels a little condescending, but in a way that makes him snort. "That's the spirit. Let's go now, before someone comes to get us."
It's a little sad that he has to get off Jungwon's shoulder. He's gotten very comfortable there. Then again, he doesn't miss it too much since Jungwon holds his hand as they head out.
"C'mon, hyung. I'll get us in the same team this time."
"I thought the teams were random."
Jungwon throws him a funny look. "It absolutely isn't. How do you think Sunoo hyung always gets stuck with Jay hyung and Sunghoon hyung?"
It takes him a second, but then the hall fills with his laughter.
They've been doing this for more than 2 years now, but Jake can't seem to adapt.
He is tired. Bone-tired, worn-out, drained, and in desperate need of sleep.
Jake loves his job. And touring is his favourite part of it all, but it's times like this, on the tail end of their tour and being stuck in an airport, that he's reminded of how exhausting this is. How much they're putting their bodies through the wringer for this.
They still have one more stop before officially ending the tour. And it's bittersweet, because he wants more. He wants more tours, more performances, more crowds screaming for him, for them, but his body is one more performance away from collapsing. The lack of sleep is getting him down bad. It's the energy of the fans that is keeping him going, and an ungodly amount of coffee. But even that can't save him if he faints after one performanes too many.
He is the happiest he's ever been. The most satisfied he's ever been.
He's never felt this tired in his entire life.
And being stuck is this airport is doing him no favours.
Jake isn't even sure what is going on. He thinks the computer system is down, but if that's the case, why are they still in line? Shouldn't they go sit somewhere until the issue is solved?
Or maybe someone is having issues. Though, he can't fathom why these aren't solved yet. Or why won't the person having issues be escorted somewhere to solve them instead of making dozens of passengers wait on their feet.
Jake is too tired to tell. He doesn't have it in him to ask around either, even though someone probably knows.
Jungwon probably knows. He doesn't like being left in the dark when it comes to things that affect them. He's sweet like that.
With that thought, his eyes wander around to look for Jungwon.
When he finds him, Jungwon is already looking at him. Anyone else, Jake would've freaked a little. But he's learnt to accept that Jungwon is some magical being who can read thoughts and knows when one of them needs him. He also isn't surprised when Jungwon pats Sunoo's shoulder and makes his way to him.
"Hey, hyung." He says.
"Hey. What's going on?"
Jungwon shrugs. "Some system is down. They're trying to fix it, but honestly, I don't think that's happening for a while."
A whine almost escapes him. "So why are we still in line? Can't we at least go sit somewhere?"
Jungwon's fingers brush his, and he holds them tight.
"I don't know," Jungwon's weary sigh makes him wince. He's not the only one suffering here. "I think they're hoping it's a quick fix, but if the system itself is down, I don't think it will be."
Before Jake can respond, someone starts talking through the speaker. He's not familiar with the language, but soon enough a new voice starts speaking in English.
"... issues with the system… We apologise for the inconvenience… A delay in the…"
"I guess I was right." Jungwon says, no humor in his voice. "Let's go, hyung."
A man from behind, red-faced from murderous rage, stalks past him, probably to scream at the poor employees who have no fault in this. He doesn't stick around to watch because Jungwon tugs him away to follow their manager and the rest of the members to the waiting area.
They find a row of chairs that sits them all. Jungwon keeps holding his hand. Their manager, looking a little more haggard than he was this morning, rubs his eyes.
"Do you kids need anything? Food or drinks? I'm getting myself a coffee."
Coffee sounds like a terrible choice in Jake's ears. He declines politely, as does Jungwon with his caffeine intolerance, but chooses to ask for some snacks. The others cite out their orders.
Jay stands, a small, lopsided smile on his lips. "I'll come with you, hyung-nim. You can't possibly carry that alone."
Their manager definitely can. It's not like he's holding their cups and snacks without a tray or a bag. But Jay is sweet too, and if he can help somewhere, he would.
The manager and Jay disappear into the frustrated crowd.
The lights are bright. The energy of the place makes his skin crawl. He is still so unbelievably tired.
"C'mon, hyung," Jungwon says gently in his ear.
The bucket hat he's wearing somehow ends up on Jake's head. It's a good shield from the overpowering lights. Jungwon tugs him close, the hand that isn't holding his beckons his head to rest on Jungwon's shoulder.
Jake doesn't have it in him to fight him off. He doesn't think he wants to either.
"It'll take a while for us to get going. Sleep for a bit."
Because of course Jungwon can tell how utterly tired he is.
It's unfair how comfortable Jungwon's shoulders are. No one's shoulders should be this comfortable, the bony structure just isn't meant for long periods of rest. But Jungwon's are. Wide and sturdy, and always safe.
The crowd's energy can't touch him when he's resting on Jungwon's shoulders.
"Thanks, Won-ah." He mumbles. He doubts it's comprehensible.
"Sleep well, Jake hyung."
And sleep well he does.
Having to sit around and watch everyone else practice isn't usually the norm for any of them. Yet here Jungwon is, leaning against the mirror in their practice room while the rest of the members continue working hard on the choreography.
It's not like he's sitting here by choice.
He had fell earlier while dancing, his ankle twisting and sending him tumbling to the floor.
For a long, utterly terrifying moment, Jungwon thought he messed up his ankle. But then the moment passed with nothing more than a small wince. He hadn't sprained his ankle, much less actually twisted it, or caused any type of lingering pain.
But his members are rather dramatic. He's been made to sit out while they iced his leg and proped it up on a tower of folded sweaters.
"I'm fine, everyone," he had said. He definitely did not whine. Definitely.
But he has been paid no mind as they continued to fret.
Which brings him here. Watching for the last hour as the members ran through the choreography in the smoothest way possible while someone is missing.
When the song is done, Ni-Ki raises a hand. "Good job, hyungs. Let's take a small break before the last hour."
Not a protest is heard between all their panting and the snap of water bottles opening. He watches them take small sips, having learned that chugging down water after intense practice will do them no well, and spread around the room.
Busy as he was watching Jay sit down, Jungwon doesn't notice someone dropping next to him. He startles at the thud beside him. He turns sharply to the side and meets Sunghoon's eyes.
Oh. Usually, by the time they have a break from dance practice, Sunghoon stretches for a couple of minutes because he's dedicated and has good habits like that. Yet here he is, sitting next to Jungwon, chest heaving from exertion and a fresh towel around his neck.
"Hi hyung," he says.
"Hey. How are you feeling? Is your ankle better?" Sunghoon shoots back. His eyes dart to Jungwon's elevated foot.
Jungwon groans. "Sunghoon hyung, please. It's been okay from the start, it didn't hurt then and it doesn't hurt now." he pouts at his hyung, eyes wide and a little desperate. "Can I join practice now? It's just one hour left anyway?"
Sunghoon has the audacity to laugh. He reaches up to ruffle Jungwon's hair before smoothing it back with gentle fingers. "Just let us actually fret over you for once. Besides, who says no to getting out of dance practice?"
"Well, I do." He groans again, dropping his head to Sunghoon's shoulder. He deflates at once, voice getting considerably lower. "And it's not fair that you guys keep going while I sit around and be lazy."
"You're probably the last person on earth who I'd describe as lazy." Sunghoon says. He frees his arm from where it's trapped between their bodies to wrap it around Jungwon. "You know it's not wrong to get some rest."
Jungwon snuggles deeper. It should be disgusting, Sunghoon just finished practice, and he's done a terrible job at wiping his sweat. But somehow it's not. They've hugged after whole concerts, practice isn't that bad in comparison.
And the towel, mostly dry, pillowing his head is nice too.
"It's wrong when I'm the only one." He mutters. "It's either all of us or none of us. Unless someone is sick or injured. I'm neither."
"And this is just extra practice. We're here because we're workaholics, not because we need to." And Sunghoon says it like it's the easiest thing in the world. So nonchalant about something that gives Jungwon so much anxiety.
"You know what?" Sunghoon turns his head up. "Hey guys, I think I'm going to sit the next hour out." He says, in the same casual tone.
"Sure." Heeseung says. "Is everything alright though?"
Because Sunghoon doesn't just sit out of practice like that, extra or not.
"Yeah, of course. I just think I'm done for today."
And he must've done something–gestured at him or mouthed a silent word–because Heeseung's eyes dart towards him for a brief moment. A look of realization dawns on his face.
"Yeah, okay. We only have an hour left, you won't miss too much. We might work on solo parts after all, since the two of you will sit this out."
Jungwon hides back in Sunghoon's neck, avoiding the sympathetic look on his hyung's face.
"You didn't have to." Because he really didn't.
"But I wanted to." And that's that.
Jungwon doesn't say anything after, but he doesn't move much either, only turning a bit to face his members again. Sunghoon doesn't ask him to. Instead, he rests his cheek on the crown of Jungwon's head, and he reaches over to hold his hand.
Practice resumes soon after. Well, a sort of practice resumes. The members look like they're having fun, taking turns in each run to do Ni-Ki's killing part under his careful watch. He corrects here and there, but he mostly laughs along as they copy his moves and mannerisms. Jungwon watches them, vision tilted from how he's resting on Sunghoon.
The tight knot of anxiety intertwining around his ribcage eases some. The combination of everyone having fun and Sunghoon's steady breathing melts some of his worries away, the doubts of being a little bit of a burden.
And Sunghoon is comfortable. Comforting. He doesn't say anything, and if he did, Jungwon wouldn't hear it over the loud music and synchronized footsteps and sweet laughter. But he doesn't need to talk. His fingers twist around Jungwon's, squeezing them gently.
It ends all too soon. The members start stretching and relaxing, eager to head home after a long day.
Sunghoon taps the back of his hand.
"Let's go shower. The sooner we do, the sooner we get home."
Jungwon doesn't move. "You know we could've gone earlier and cut some time."
"Did you want to get up?" he asks, not making a move to get up either.
Jungwon thinks for a second. "No. Not really." He doesn't want to go now. He likes their small, silent, comfortable bubble.
He feels Sunghoon nod. "I know. But let's go now. We'll continue cuddling at home."
"I'll hold you to that."