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“YUSHI!”
Startled, Yushi looks up and sees Riku and Jaehee staring at him with worried faces. The two exchange a look before Riku slides next to Yushi on the couch. They were currently in their dressing room on a music show, and had a bit of time before they had to go on for the pre-recording. Sion, Ryo, and Sakuya were out, filming a dance challenge with another group.
As always, the members had to do a bit of vlogging while waiting. Riku and Jaehee were talking about the food they all had the night before. The two approached Yushi, who was on the couch, to get his thoughts, but noticed how out of it he seemed, more so than usual. Riku had been calling Yushi’s name for a good minute, having to turn off the camera as he and Jaehee tried to get Yushi’s attention.
“Everything alright?” Jaehee asks.
Yushi, looking bewildered, looks between Riku and Jaehee, and takes a bit too long to respond with a small nod, “Yes… yes. Everything’s fine.”
Riku throws an arm around Yushi’s shoulder and gives him a half hug, as Jaehee settles on Yushi’s other side.
“You seem distracted,” Riku says.
“I’m okay.”
Really, he was. Yushi is just reeling from a certain event last night. It was nothing bad, it was a good thing actually. Probably the best thing that’s happened to him in the past year, aside from debuting, of course.
Sion and Yushi went out in the middle of the night yesterday to take a walk at the Han River. Something they’d done so often as trainees, but found they no longer had the time to do so leisurely these days. Sion had talked him into it, raving about it being the anniversary when they were told they were both slated to join NCT.
They had to double, triple, and quadruple check that no one was following them when they exited the dorm, both clad in facemasks and hats. They were technically going behind their managers’ backs, but Riku would cover for them. Well, at least they hoped he would. Riku was asleep by the time they left, and Yushi had left a note for him in case anyone came looking for them, but given the time, that was highly unlikely.
The summer night had sent a slight chill up Yushi’s arm, and Sion notices, of course, he does. He huddles closer to the younger boy as they match in step, walking along the riverside. Yushi had looked over and was amazed at how much of Sion’s smile he could see with just his eyes showing. They were twinkling, filled with mirth as he playfully snuggled against Yushi.
They continue like that in silence until Sion pulls Yushi to the side, settling on the grass to stare up at the cloudy sky. They sat side-by-side, staring up. The stars peeked through here and there, but Sion wasn’t really paying attention, watching Yushi instead. And when Yushi turns to see Sion looking at him, the wind doesn't feel that cold anymore.
Sion reaches to take Yushi’s hand, each finger finding its place against the younger’s cold skin. Yushi looks at their intertwined fingers, and back up at Sion, who was smiling at him, now with his mask down.
Yushi sees Sion’s lips move as he speaks, but the ringing in Yushi’s ear drowned out the words he was so afraid of hearing - not because he doesn’t feel the same way, but because of what it means to say it out loud.
Sion is smiling, trying not to laugh, watching Yushi’s expression – but before either could linger on Sion’s confession, they felt the rain drop slowly, quickly gaining frequency as the two scrambled to run for cover.
“Yuuuushiiiii”
Yushi turns his attention back to Riku, who was trying to get his attention again with a loud whine.
“Hyung,” Jaehee turns to him with concern on his face, “Are you really okay?”
Before Yushi could answer, the door opened as Sion, Ryo, and Sakuya returned. The younger ones head straight for the snacks on the table while Sion, smiling as always, turns to see the other three members on the couch with an uneasy atmosphere. Riku and Jaehee were both looking at Sion with worried looks while Yushi sat in between them, just staring at the wall. Sion could see the tips of Yushi’s ears tinged red.
“What’s up?”
“Yushi’s a bit out of it.” Riku replies, “I think he’s nervous, but I’ve never seen him this nervous for a performance before.”
“It’s nothing,” Yushi says, looking at his hands. He makes the mistake of looking up and seeing Sion’s troubled face. “Really, it’s nothing.” Yushi stands up and leaves the room, intending to take a short walk to get his thoughts in order. He sighs as he closes the door behind him and bows in greeting when another idol walks down the hall.
Yushi finds himself in an empty area of the building, not too far from the dressing rooms. There was a vending machine there, and he opted to get something to drink before realizing he hadn’t brought any money with him.
“Here.”
Yushi turns to see Sion handing him some coins. Yushi looks at the older boy and the small smile on his face. Yushi thanks him and gets the cold drink he wanted, taking a sip as Sion just stands there.
“Is this about last night?”
Yushi doesn’t reply.
“Look, Yushi, like I said - you don’t have to say it back…” Sion scratches the back of his neck, looking at anywhere but at Yushi. “I just wanted to let you know… you know?”
Yushi decides then that he doesn’t like seeing Sion upset. Sion should always be smiling, and laughing, and messing around, and being his bright, radiant self.
Yushi takes a cautious look around, and only after he’s certain they’re alone, he leans up to whisper in Sion’s ear. Quick, straight to the point: the exact same words Sion said that night. When Yushi pulls away, he has that uncertain expression on his face where he’s showing his teeth in a grimace. He doesn’t wait for Sion’s reaction and quickly makes his way back to their room.
The two things Riku and Jaehee noticed when their friends came back were Yushi’s red ears, and the shit-eating grin on Sion’s face. Yushi reassures his friends that he is fine and thanks them for being worried about him. Sakuya and Ryo, having been told what had happened earlier, both offered Yushi lots of snacks and asked him to practice the dance with them, which Yushi gladly agreed to.
“What do you think that was about?” Jaehee asks Riku later, while they are preparing to go up on stage.
“I don’t know,” Riku looked between Yushi, who was helping Ryo with his mic, and Sion, who was hugging Sakuya to keep the youngest’s nerves down. Riku remembers finding a note from Yushi this morning when he woke up. Riku didn’t think of it that much since both Yushi and Sion had gotten back to the dorm before Riku saw the letter, but in retrospect, “I’m not sure I want to find out.”
If Sion was a little bit more playful on stage than usual, and if Yushi was smiling a bit more throughout their performance that day – maybe whatever it was, Riku figured, it was a good thing.