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The practice room floor was covered in takeout containers, half-empty water bottles, and tangled charging cables by the time filming finally wrapped.
Keonho was laying flat on his stomach near the mirrors, kicking his feet lazily behind him while Seonghyeon scrolled through edits from the behind-the-scenes clips they’d filmed earlier. James sat against the wall looking entirely too relaxed for someone who’d been awake since five in the morning, hood pulled low over his eyes while Juhoon practically folded himself into his side.
Martin watched the entire thing from across the room.
Again.
Juhoon reached over without even looking and stole one of James’s fries.
James sighed dramatically. “You’ve eaten half my food.”
“You love it,” Juhoon said easily.
“I tolerate it.”
“That’s basically the same thing.”
Juhoon grinned when James finally nudged the drink toward him anyway, and Martin felt something hot and irrational twist low in his chest.
It wasn’t even the first time tonight.
The second James had walked back into the practice room after taking a call, Juhoon had brightened immediately.
“James hyung!”
Then suddenly he was sitting beside him, leaning against his shoulder, talking his ear off, laughing louder than before. A side of Juhoon that only came out around his only hyung.
Like gravity.
Like Juhoon couldn’t help orbiting the people he loved most.
Unfortunately for Martin, there seemed to be a lot of those people.
“Hyung.”
Martin looked over.
Keonho had abandoned Seonghyeon entirely and shuffled across the floor until he dropped beside Juhoon instead, immediately holding his phone out. “Watch this part again,” he said excitedly. “I finally got the footwork right.”
Juhoon took the phone without hesitation. “You changed the timing.”
“Because you told me to.”
“And it worked,” Juhoon said, smiling softly. “Good job.”
Keonho looked absurdly pleased by the praise.
Martin just stared at the back of Juhoon’s head.
Seonghyeon glanced up from where he was sitting against the mirrors and immediately caught the expression on Martin’s face.
His eyes narrowed. Then, slowly: “Oh my god.”
Martin looked away instantly, attempting to busy himself with the unfinished track on his laptop instead.
Seonghyeon barked out a laugh.
“You’re getting jealous of two people right now.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Sure.”
Across the room, Keonho had fully leaned against Juhoon’s shoulder by now while Juhoon pointed something out on the screen. Completely comfortable. Completely natural.
It wasn’t even suspicious.
That was the problem.
Juhoon had always been like this with the members once he got comfortable. Especially the younger two.
Keonho practically attached himself to Juhoon during trainee days because Juhoon had been patient and pretty and cool and dependable in a way that made everybody trust him instantly. Even now, years later, Keonho still followed him around constantly for approval, attention, comfort—
“Remember when Keonho used to have the biggest crush on Juhoon?”
The room went silent.
James hadn’t even looked up when he said it out of nowhere.
Keonho choked violently on his drink. “HYUNG.”
Juhoon burst out laughing immediately.
Seonghyeon groaned into his hands like this exact conversation had already ruined his life multiple times before.
James finally lifted his hood enough to look around innocently. “What?”
“You can’t just SAY that,” Keonho whined.
“But it’s true.”
“It was YEARS ago!”
Martin’s jaw tightened.
Unfortunately for him, James noticed everything.
Including that.
A slow grin spread across his face.
“No seriously,” James continued casually. “He used to follow Juhoon everywhere. Everybody knew.”
Keonho looked seconds away from throwing himself through the mirrors.
Juhoon laughed harder, nudging him lightly with his shoulder. “You were cute.”
“Oh my god,” Keonho muttered.
“You literally cried one time because Juhoon didn’t want to eat the chips you gave him,” James added helpfully.
“HYUNG.”
Seonghyeon finally sat up. “Okay, we’re done here.”
But it was too late already. Because now Martin couldn’t stop noticing it.
Keonho sitting too close. Keonho lighting up whenever Juhoon praised him. Keonho reaching for Juhoon first every single time. And worse—
Juhoon always giving him attention back.
Not romantically. Never romantically. But that somehow made it worse.
It was just… instinctive.
Natural.
Juhoon took care of people automatically. Especially people he loved.
“Juhoon,” Keonho said again a few minutes later, “come help me with the chorus transition?”
Juhoon immediately started getting up.
Martin spoke before he could stop himself. “You’ve helped him like six times already.”
The room went quiet again.
Juhoon blinked.
Keonho blinked.
Martin immediately regretted opening his mouth. “I just mean,” he said flatter than intended, “he already has it.”
Keonho slowly looked between them.
Then toward Seonghyeon.
Then back.
A smile started tugging at the corners of Seonghyeon’s mouth. “Oh,” he said softly.
Martin wanted to disappear.
Juhoon, somehow still oblivious, just laughed lightly. “You sound grumpy.”
“I’m tired.”
“Mhm.”
Juhoon still went with Keonho anyway.
Martin watched him cross the room.
Watched Juhoon immediately fall into step beside him. Watched Keonho sling an arm around his shoulders while explaining something.
And then—because the universe apparently hated him—
Juhoon glanced over his shoulder toward James halfway through talking.
Like he always did.
Like James’s reactions mattered.
Martin suddenly understood exactly why this bothered him so much.
Keonho looked at Juhoon the way Juhoon looked at James.
Full of admiration, comfort, trust.
And Martin—
Martin just wanted Juhoon to look at him first for once.
——
By the time they got back to the dorms later that night, Martin felt tightly wound enough to snap.
The others scattered almost immediately.
James disappeared into the kitchen. Seonghyeon physically dragged a laughing Keonho down the hallway while muttering something about “boundaries” under his breath.
And Juhoon lingered behind.
Martin was already sitting on the edge of the bed when the bedroom door clicked shut.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then Juhoon walked closer slowly, amusement already creeping onto his face.
“You’re still thinking about it?”
Martin continued to stare at the floor. “About what.”
“Keonho.”
“I’m not jealous of Keonho.”
Juhoon hummed knowingly. “James hyung too?”
Martin finally looked up.
Juhoon burst out laughing immediately. “Oh my god, you ARE.”
“It’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.”
That did it.
Martin grabbed his wrist before he could walk away again. Juhoon stumbled forward with a surprised sound, landing directly in Martin’s lap.
“Martin—”
Martin kissed him before he could finish speaking.
Hard.
Not angry. Not really.
Just pent-up.
Weeks of quiet jealousy and wanting and watching Juhoon give pieces of himself to everybody else all crashing together at once.
Juhoon made a startled noise against his mouth before immediately melting into it, hands sliding up Martin’s shoulders automatically.
Martin’s grip tightened around his waist.
Another kiss. And another.
Until Juhoon was breathless and laughing softly against his mouth. “You’re insane,” he mumbled.
Martin pressed one last kiss to the corner of his lips before finally speaking. “Keonho can admire you.”
Juhoon’s smile softened slightly.
“You can admire James hyung.”
Martin’s hand slid up his back slowly, holding him closer. “But I’m the one who gets this.”
Something in Juhoon’s expression melted completely.
Because underneath all the jealousy and dramatics, that was what Martin was really saying.
Mine.
Not possessively in a cruel way.
Just honestly.
Just: you’re the person I love most in the world and sometimes I need to know I’m still yours too.
Juhoon laughed quietly, forehead dropping against Martin’s shoulder. “You were seriously jealous of James hyung?”
Martin buried his face into the side of his neck. “A little.”
“That’s pathetic.”
“And yet you’re still sitting in my lap.”
Juhoon snorted.
Martin tightened his arms when he tried to move anyway. “Stay there.” The words came out softer this time. Almost shy.
Juhoon’s expression immediately gentled.
He reached up and pushed Martin’s hair back carefully before kissing him again—slow this time, warm and familiar and full of reassurance.
“You know,” Juhoon murmured against his lips, “James is my favorite hyung.”
Martin sighed dramatically.
Juhoon laughed.
“But you’re my favorite person.”
And just like that, Martin finally relaxed.