Chapter Text
The members were gathered in a loose semicircle on the floor of the practice room, the familiar glow of the livestream camera pointed in their direction. Multiple conversations happening at once, the occasional burst of laughter, and the constant stream of comments flying by on a staff members phone.
Jongho sat to Yeosang’s left, scrolling through the comments with Hongjoong whenever the others were talking. Mingi was seated on Yeosang’s other side, his long limbs taking up far more space than necessary as he shifted around every few minutes and his arm wrapped around Yeosang's shoulder, a sight Jongho couldn’t tear his wide eyes away from.
Every time Mingi nudged Yeosang, it sent Yeosang tilting towards a sulky Jongho.
The first time it happened, Jongho barely reacted.
The second time, however, he felt Yeosang’s shoulder brush against his arm, lingering for a second before he straightened himself again. Heat immediately crawled up the back of Jongho’s neck and his breathing sped up. He kept his eyes on the screen in front of him pretending to be completely absorbed in the comments, praying no one noticed.
Unfortunately, the camera caught everything and a quick glance at the chat told him that fans had noticed too. Please don’t read those comments out loud, he begged silently, briefly looking towards Hongjoong who was currently busy talking about something else.
Another nudge from Mingi sent Yeosang off balance.
This time, instinctively trying to steady himself, Yeosang placed a hand on Jongho’s thigh for support. It lasted barely a second. To everyone else, it was probably nothing. To Jongho, it felt like his entire nervous system had short-circuited.
His body tensed and heart dropped down to his stomach. A small shocked whimper escaped him before he could stop it. His eyes widened immediately, slapping a hand over his mouth.
He quickly looked around the room, desperately hoping the sound of Mingi and Yunho arguing had swallowed the embarrassing sound he just made. But of course, no such luck.
Across the circle, Wooyoung had already looked up with a knowing smirk plastered across his face. His eyebrow arched slowly as his gaze flicked between Yeosang’s hand and Jongho’s bright red face.
The expression alone was enough to make Jongho want the floor to open up beneath him.
Wooyoung didn’t say a word. His face clearly said “I heard that, you whore”. Jongho shot him a glare that only seemed to make wooyoung more amused.
Jongho looked away and forced himself to focus on the comments again, though his concentration was completely gone. His cheeks still felt unbearably warm and every movement beside him had him painfully aware of how close Yeosang was sitting.
Worst of all, Yeosang was completely oblivious. Yeosang carried on listening intently to seonghwa about god knows what. Jongho didn’t know. He could only focus on the burn on his thigh left behind by Yeosang's hand.
How could yeosang not notice? Jongho swallowed thickly, not allowing himself to think about it further. The chat however, had other ideas. A few comments had already started appearing.
‘Did anyone else hear that?’
‘Jongho???’
‘WHAT WAS THAT NOISE’
They appeared for a few seconds before being buried beneath hundreds of newer messages. Jongho watched them disappear and released the smallest breath of relief. Maybe he had gotten away with it after all.
Then he heard Wooyoung quietly snickering from across the room. Never mind. He was never going to hear the end of this.
The stream finally came to an end after nearly two hours of fan interactions and the usual chaos that going live usually brought.
The second Hongjoong announced the broadcast was over, everyone seemed to relax. "Okay, so who's staying and who's going?" Hongjoong asked, already pulling his phone out from his pocket as he stepped into the middle of the practice room. "I'm staying to work on the track," he explained, "But I need to call the manager for anyone that wants to leave."
Mingi was already stretching out on the floor with Yeosang quietly following his every move. San and Yunho exchanged a glance before deciding to continue practicing.
Jongho, however, had absolutely no intention of spending another second in that room. "I'm leaving."
"Me too," Seonghwa added.
Wooyoung raised his hand almost instantly, "And me." That made Seonghwa pause. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he turned towards Wooyoung. "You're leaving?"
Wooyoung blinked innocently. "Yeah?"
Seonghwa crossed his arms. "How come?" he asked, suspicion evident in his voice. "You always stay behind to practice extra."
Wooyoung opened his mouth before closing it again. For a brief moment, his eyes flickered towards Jongho. The familiar smug smile immediately appeared. Jongho felt a sense of dread settle in his stomach. No. Don't. Please don't come home with us.
"There's no reason, hyung," Wooyoung replied casually with a shrug. "I feel pretty comfortable with the choreography." His grin widened slightly. "Why overdo it?"
Jongho resisted the urge to kick him. Not only did he have to deal with his teasing during the livestream, he now has to deal with him at home.
Seonghwa studied him for a second longer before eventually nodding. The answer seemed to satisfy him enough. "Fair”.
Wooyoung's smile somehow grew even more satisfied.
A few minutes later, the three of them were gathered near the entrance while waiting for their ride.
Jongho leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest, heart beating wildly from nerves. He was tired. The combination of practice, the livestream, and the constant anxiety of trying not to embarrass himself had completely drained him.
Apparently, it showed. Seonghwa glanced over at him before his expression softened. "You look exhausted."
Jongho blinked. "Hm?"
"You seem out of it," Seonghwa stepped closer and gently ruffled his hair, "Get some rest tonight, okay?" His voice carried the same warmth it always did whenever he slipped into caretaker mode.
Jongho felt himself relax slightly, "Okay, hyung."
From beside him came a suspicious snorting sound.
Wooyoung was trying, key word ‘trying’, to suppress a laugh. His shoulders shook as he looked away. The second their eyes met he could not control himself and let out a short giggle.
"What?" Jongho pressed.
Wooyoung immediately waved a hand. "Nothing."
Jongho narrowed his eyes. "You're laughing at me."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm really not."
The grin on Wooyoung's face said otherwise.
Before Jongho could retaliate, the familiar sight of their company van pulling into the parking area came into view. "Finally," Jongho muttered.
Jongho was already halfway in the car before Wooyoung could open his mouth again.
Unfortunately, judging by the way wooyoung kept eyeing him in the car, they were not going to have a pleasant talk at home.
Once they reached the dorms, Jongho made a beeline to the bathroom, quickly slamming the door shut and locking it. He stared at his reflection in the mirror with teary eyes before sighing and washing his hands. Now he had to face wooyoung. A real life demon. Fuck being an idol, why is everything so complicated?
A few minutes later, Jongho unlocked the door and opened it with his head hanging low.
He walked to his room and sure enough, there sat wooyoung on the edge of his bed with his arms crossed smiling warmly up at Jongho. “ I think you know what this is about,” wooyoung patted the spot next to him gesturing for Jongho to sit down.
Why is he being nice all of a sudden? He shut the door with a quiet click and flopped down next to wooyoung, his shoulders slumped in exhaustion and he began to fiddle nervously with his fingers.
Jongho breathed a deep breath trying to ease his stomach nerves. He really didn’t wanna be sick right now.
His eyes stayed glued to the floor, completely avoiding Wooyoung's eyes. Jongho opened his mouth to speak but wooyoung interrupted. “How long have you liked him?”
Jongho snapped his head up, wide eyes staring at wooyoung. “What?” he squeaked, voice barely audible. Despite having an embarrassing moment earlier, he can't have been that obvious.
“I said, how long have you liked yeosang, Jongho?” Wooyoung was now looking straight into Jongho's eyes as if he was trying to read him.
Jongho’s mouth went dry. He can't know. Wooyoung cannot know. “I don’t like him,” Jongho whispered.
Wooyoung scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Bullshit,” he spat, "I saw the way you looked at him, I saw the way you whimpered when he touched you and I saw the way you went so red I thought you were going to explode. So don’t even think about lying to me Choi Jongho because I can see right through you,” Wooyoung maintained eye contact with Jongho, waiting for a response.
Jongho's fingers curled into tight shaky fists and his jaw clenched.
Who is wooyoung to tell him what he feels? Jongho breathed heavily through his nose in anger. Fuck wooyoung. He was supposed to be here for him and instead he’s getting lectured? Yeah absolutely not.
Jongho stood up on shaky legs in front of Wooyoung, his fists by his sides. “If I'm telling you I don't like him, then I don’t like him. That's all there is to it. Fuck off and keep your nose out of my business,” Jongho spun on his heels and marched to the living room.
His breathing didn't slow down and his eyes started to water. Jongho sat cross-legged on the sofa, pillow in lap as he stared down at his fingers. Tears started to drop the more he tried to control his breathing. The tightness in his throat was getting worse, making it harder to breathe and all he could taste was the saltiness of his tears running down his face.
If only the fans would stop pointing everything out.
If only the staff would stop pairing Jongho and Yeosang together for challenges.
He just wishes everyone could see the way Yeosang treats him off camera. Or doesn't treat him. Then he never would have found himself in this situation in the first place.
Jongho continued to cry into the pillow, letting out choked sobs as his brain continued to torment him. This wasn't his fault. No. It was Yeosang's fault for being so damn stupid.