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the studio was quiet except for the hum of the air conditioner and the rhythmic click of juhoon’s fingernails against the back of his phone.
it started small enough that no one really thought to mention it.
seonghyeon had always been affectionate, but in the distant, sharp-edged way that came with being the middle anchor of a group—a hand on a shoulder to push someone into position during choreography, a quick pat on the back after a good take, a heavy elbow leaning on someone's collarbone when they were all slumping on a sofa waiting for the car.
but somewhere around mid-week, the texture of it changed.
it was james first. james was sitting at the practice room mirror, tying the laces of his sneakers, his hair damp and clinging to the nape of his neck. seonghyeon walked past him to grab a water bottle, paused, and instead of just stepping over james' outstretched leg like he usually would, he stopped. he reached down, his fingers catching a stray lock of james’ fringe, tucked it gently behind his ear, and let his palm rest against the side of james' jaw for two lingering seconds.
james froze mid-knot. he slowly tilted his head up, his dark eyes blinking in complete silence.
"you're sweating a lot," seonghyeon murmured softly, his thumb sweeping over james' cheekbone once before he pulled away, opened his water, and took a drink like nothing had happened.
james stayed sitting on the floor long after seonghyeon walked off, his hand rising slowly to touch the exact spot on his jaw, a look of profound, quiet bewilderment settling over his face.
by the next afternoon, it caught juhoon.
they were in the green room waiting for a pre-recording. juhoon was sprawled over a chair, humming under his breath with his eyes closed. seonghyeon slid into the tiny gap on the couch right beside him, pressing their thighs together tightly despite the rest of the sofa being entirely empty. juhoon opened one eye, preparing to make a joke about personal space, but before the words could form, seonghyeon leaned his weight sideways, resting his forehead directly into the crook of juhoon’s neck.
juhoon’s breath hitched. his shoulders locked up instantly. "seonghyeon-ah?"
seonghyeon didn't answer. he just reached down, found juhoon’s left hand, and slowly threaded their fingers together, resting their joined hands over his own knee. his thumb began to trace light, deliberate circles over juhoon's knuckles.
juhoon stared down at their hands, his brain completely short-circuiting. seonghyeon wasn't needy. seonghyeon didn't cling. yet there he was, breathing softly against juhoon’s pulse point, holding his hand like it was the most natural thing in the world. juhoon looked up, catching james’ eyes across the room. james gave him a look of absolute, silent solidarity and shared confusion.
martin and keonho didn't escape it either.
later that evening in the dormitory, martin was leaning against the kitchen counter, waiting for the kettle to boil. seonghyeon strolled into the kitchen, wrapped both arms around martin’s waist from behind, and buried his face between martin’s shoulder blades.
martin nearly dropped his mug. "whoa—hey. what's up?"
seonghyeon didn't speak, just tightened his grip around martin’s waist, pulling him back against his chest until there was no daylight between them. martin stood completely frozen, the water bubbling furiously beside him, his mind racing through every possible reason for this sudden, gentle clinginess. did they get bad news? was he tired? was it a prank?
keonho walked into the kitchen right then, holding a towel, and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight. "what is happening here?"
seonghyeon untangled himself from martin without a word, stepped right up to keonho, and cupped keonho's face with both hands. he pulled him down just an inch, smoothing his thumb over the bridge of keonho’s nose, his expression entirely serious, warm, and utterly unexplainable.
"you worked hard today," seonghyeon said softly, lingering close enough that keonho could feel the heat of his breath, before finally releasing him and strolling out toward the bedrooms.
the four of them stood in various states of shock in the hallway.
"is he... okay?" keonho whispered, his face still warm where seonghyeon's hands had been.
"i don't know," james murmured, leaning against the doorway, still staring down the hall. "he held my face yesterday."
"he held my hand for twenty minutes," juhoon added, his voice hushed and stunned. "and he didn't even say why."
"he just hugged me like a teddy bear," martin said, looking down at his waist where the warmth still lingered.
they all exchanged looks—equal parts baffled, deeply flustered, and quietly waiting to see who seonghyeon would drift toward next.
-
the next morning, the dorm was heavy with a quiet, watchful tension. nobody knew quite how to act, but seonghyeon didn't seem to notice—or if he did, he simply didn't care.
it started over breakfast. keonho was sitting at the island, mindlessly stirring his cereal, when seonghyeon walked into the kitchen. instead of grabbing a bowl, seonghyeon walked straight behind keonho's chair, leaned down, and rested his chin right on top of keonho's head.
keonho froze, his spoon hovering halfway to his mouth.
seonghyeon let out a low, comfortable sigh, reaching around to lightly pat keonho’s chest before letting his hand rest over keonho’s heart. "did you sleep well?" he murmured softly, his voice gravelly with morning sleep.
keonho’s throat went dry. yesterday he’d been bewildered, but now, with seonghyeon’s warmth radiating through his shirt and his voice so close to his ear, a strange, traitorous blush crept up keonho’s neck. he swallowed hard, his heart hammering right beneath seonghyeon's palm. "u-yeah. i slept fine," keonho stammered, completely unable to stop the sudden, sweet fluttering in his chest. he leaned back into the touch just a millimeter, totally swayed by how soft seonghyeon was being.
across the counter, martin took one look at them, made a tiny face, and visibly shuddered. he nudged juhoon with his elbow.
juhoon turned around, saw seonghyeon practically draped over keonho like a oversized heating pad, and immediately winced. "okay, no. absolutely not," juhoon muttered under his breath, leaning back into the sofa with a subtle cringe. "why is he acting like a clingy boyfriend all of a sudden? it's giving me goosebumps."
"right?" martin whispered back, curling his lip in fond disgust as he watched seonghyeon smooth down keonho's bedhead. "if he tries that with me again while i'm making coffee, i'm locking myself in the bathroom."
then seonghyeon finally let keonho go—leaving the younger boy looking thoroughly dazed and red-eared—and turned his attention to james, who was sitting on the living room rug stretching his shoulders.
seonghyeon walked over, dropped down right beside him, and without asking, leaned his entire torso against james' back, wrapping his arms around james' shoulders and resting his cheek against james' neck.
james went completely rigid. his eyes widened to the size of saucers.
"seonghyeon-ah," james said, his voice dropping an octave as he tried to shift away. "what are you doing?"
"just sitting," seonghyeon hummed, tightening his grip slightly, his nose brushing against the side of james' throat.
james felt a wave of profound weirdness wash over him. he was older. he was supposed to be the grounded one, the one who handled the younger members' weird moods, but this felt entirely out of bounds for how seonghyeon usually treated him. "you're being weird," james said, his voice cracking slightly as he tried to pry seonghyeon's hands off his chest. "seriously, you're younger than me, stop cuddling me like i'm a giant stuffed animal."
seonghyeon just chuckled softly into james' neck, not moving an inch, while juhoon and martin watched from the kitchen, cringing into their coffee mugs, and keonho sat at the counter, heart still racing, hopelessly lost in the affection.
later that afternoon, the studio air was thick with the quiet, lingering tension of their break time.
juhoon and martin were sitting side by side on the long leather couch in the corner of the practice room, deliberately trying to look occupied. martin was scrolling aimlessly through his phone, while juhoon had his knees pulled up to his chest, periodically glancing around to track seonghyeon’s movements.
seonghyeon had been standing by the mirror, sipping from an energy drink, looking entirely harmless. but then he set the bottle down, turned around, and mapped out his next path with quiet, terrifying precision.
"he's looking over here," juhoon muttered through gritted teeth, his body going completely rigid without moving a muscle. "martin, don't look up. look at your phone."
"i am looking at my phone," martin hissed back, his thumbs flying across a completely blank homescreen. "just act natural—"
before martin could finish his sentence, the couch cushion sank deeply beside him.
seonghyeon didn't just sit down; he slid himself directly into the narrow space between martin and the couch armrest. before martin could even process the sudden lack of personal space, seonghyeon swung his legs up over juhoon’s lap, effectively pinning juhoon into the opposite corner of the sofa.
juhoon squeezed his eyes shut, a deep, full-body cringe washing over him instantly. "seonghyeon-ah," juhoon squeaked out, his voice a full octave higher than normal as seonghyeon’s heavy calves rested firmly over his thighs. "what are you—get your feet off me."
instead of moving, seonghyeon leaned his entire side against martin, slumping down until his shoulder was pressed into martin’s ribs and his head rolled over to rest firmly on martin’s chest. he reached up, lazily tangling his fingers into the hem of martin’s oversized hoodie, pulling himself even closer.
martin froze, his head snapping back against the leather frame as if touched by a live wire. a visible shudder ran down his spine. "oh, gross, no, stop," martin groaned, trying to push seonghyeon’s head away by the forehead, but seonghyeon just hummed softly and buried his face deeper into the cotton of martin’s sweater. "you're warm. you're like a giant, needy radiator. get off."
"stay still," seonghyeon murmured, his voice muffled by martin's hoodie. his hand shifted, wrapping firmly around martin’s waist to anchor himself in place.
juhoon tried to slide out from under seonghyeon’s legs, but seonghyeon carelessly threw a heavy arm across juhoon’s knees to keep him trapped. then, seonghyeon reached up with his free hand and lightly traced the tip of his finger along juhoon’s jawline, right up to his earlobe.
juhoon practically turned into stone, his neck scrunching up in pure, unadulterated cringe. "don't touch my ear!" he practically squealed, swatting seonghyeon's hand away, though seonghyeon just let his hand fall back onto juhoon's knee, lightly squeezing it. "why are you doing this? who hurt you? who told you you could be like this?"
across the room, keonho was sitting on the floor, watching the entire scene unfold with a quiet, flustered envy, his cheeks still slightly pink from earlier. james just stood by the door, rubbing his temples, thoroughly weirded out and profoundly relieved that he wasn't currently the main target.
"he's totally lost it," martin muttered, his face contorted in a mixture of deep embarrassment and utter resignation as he looked down at seonghyeon, who was currently nuzzling his shoulder like it was the most comfortable pillow in the world. "we need to call a team meeting. this is a safety hazard."
seonghyeon didn't say a word. he just squeezed martin’s waist tighter, kept his heavy legs thrown over juhoon’s lap, and closed his eyes, thoroughly enjoying the utter chaos and bewildered discomfort he was causing.
-
the clock on the wall read 3:14 am when the bedroom door creaked open.
james was a light sleeper, especially when the dorm was quiet, but he’d been so exhausted after practice that he'd completely forgotten to turn the deadbolt on the door he shared with juhoon. across the room, juhoon was out cold, buried under a mountain of blankets and breathing evenly into his pillow.
the floorboards barely groaned, but james opened one eye just in time to see a tall, dark silhouette slipping through the crack of the door.
before james could even process who it was, seonghyeon was lifting the corner of james' duvet.
james shot upright, his hand instantly flying out to block him. "what—seonghyeon?" he whispered frantically, his voice raspy with sleep. "what are you doing in here?"
seonghyeon didn't answer right away. he just ignored james' outstretched arm, casually slunk onto the mattress, and pulled the blanket back over both of them. the bed sank under his weight as he crawled right up against james' side, sliding one long leg over james' thighs and burying his face directly into the crook of james' neck.
james froze, every muscle in his body instantly locking up in pure, middle-of-the-night confusion. "seonghyeon-ah, seriously, go back to your room. keonho and martin are gonna wonder—"
"can't sleep," seonghyeon murmured against his skin. his voice was thick and heavy with genuine exhaustion, his warm breath fanning across james' collarbone.
seonghyeon reached across, wrapping both arms firmly around james' torso, pulling him close until there was zero space between them. he rested his forehead against james' chin, letting out a long, quiet sigh that sounded almost relieved.
james sat there in the dark, staring up at the ceiling with wide, bewildered eyes. his brain was screaming that this was entirely weird—that he was older, that seonghyeon was usually so reserved, that juhoon was sleeping literally six feet away and could wake up at any second.
"you're ridiculous," james whispered into the dark, trying to maintain some resemblance of authority.
seonghyeon didn't move. he just tightened his grip around james' waist, his thumb lazily dragging back and forth against the fabric of james' t-shirt in a slow, soothing rhythm. he felt impossibly warm, soft, and entirely settled, as if he'd been planning to sleep right here all along.
james sighed, feeling the last bit of his resistance melt away into the quiet room. he couldn't bring himself to push seonghyeon off—not when he sounded so tired, and not when he was holding onto james like he really needed to be there.
slowly, reluctantly, james relaxed his posture. he shifted his weight back down onto the pillow, carefully draping one arm over seonghyeon’s shoulder and pulling the duvet up over seonghyeon's back to keep him warm.
"fine," james muttered under his breath, giving seonghyeon's shoulder a small, reluctant squeeze. "just for tonight. and don't make a sound, or juhoon's never gonna let us hear the end of this."
seonghyeon just hummed softly against his neck, already drifting off to sleep, leaving james lying awake in the quiet, thoroughly weirded out, completely bewildered, but softly obliging anyway.
-
when james slowly opened his eyes the next morning, the bedroom was already bathed in pale morning light.
for a split second, he forgot where he was. he was warm, almost uncomfortably so, locked in a tight, heavy embrace with seonghyeon still fast asleep against his chest. seonghyeon’s arm was thrown over james’ ribs like a heavy iron bar, his breath light and steady against james’ neck.
then james realized why the room felt so quiet.
he shifted his gaze toward the foot of the bed—and immediately went dead still.
standing in a neat, ominous row right at the edge of the mattress were juhoon, martin, and keonho.
all three of them had their arms tightly crossed over their chests. all three of them were staring down at the bed with identical, perfectly raised eyebrows.
juhoon looked like he’d just caught them committing a high crime. martin had an expression of sheer, unadulterated cringe on his face, his lip slightly curled in fond judgment. keonho, standing in the middle, looked equal parts flustered, jealous, and profoundly bewildered, his eyes darting between james’ face and seonghyeon’s long leg draped over james’ lap.
james’ face instantly flushed red. "i—" he started, his voice cracking horribly in a morning raspy tone. "it's not what it looks like."
"really?" juhoon whispered, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he leaned down just an inch. "because it looks like you broke the golden rule of the hyung line and folded in less than five minutes."
"he sneaked in at three in the morning!" james hissed back frantically, trying to untangle seonghyeon’s heavy arm from his waist without waking him up. "he said he couldn't sleep!"
"and you just... let him?" martin said, shaking his head slowly with a look of pure disapproval. "you let him turn you into a human body pillow? james, you're the oldest. you were supposed to protect us from this."
keonho just stared, his hands buried deep in his hoodie pockets. "you told us yesterday he was being weird," keonho muttered softly, his cheeks faintly pink as he looked at how comfortably seonghyeon was clinging to james. "you said you were weirded out."
"i was weirded out!" james whispered aggressively, his face burning hotter by the second. "i still am! seonghyeon, wake up—"
at the sound of his name, seonghyeon stirred lazily. he didn't open his eyes, but instead of letting go, he buried his face deeper into the side of james' neck and pulled james even closer, letting out a soft, satisfied hum that echoed through the quiet room.
the three standing by the bed let out a collective, synchronized sigh.
juhoon crossed his arms tighter, turning to walk out the door. "unbelievable. weak-willed."
"traitor," martin muttered, following juhoon out into the hallway while making a visible shuddering motion.
keonho stayed for just a second longer, lingering by the foot of the bed, staring at seonghyeon’s peaceful face pressed into james’ shirt before letting out a soft grunt and dragging his feet out to the kitchen, leaving james trapped in the bed, hopelessly flustered and completely abandoned.
-
the silence at the lunch table was heavy enough to sink a ship.
they were sitting in their usual corner booth at a quiet restaurant near the company building. usually, lunch was a chaotic flurry of stolen side dishes, overlapping voices, and loud laughter, but today, nobody said a word.
for ten agonizing minutes, the only sound was the clinking of metal chopsticks against rice bowls.
juhoon sat with his arms crossed, staring directly across the table at seonghyeon. martin was chewing his food in slow, deliberate silence, his eyebrows furrowed in serious concentration. james was staring down into his soup, his face still occasionally flushing red whenever he remembered waking up that morning. keonho sat next to seonghyeon, awkwardly picking at his radish side dish, casting nervous glances back and forth.
seonghyeon hadn't touched his food. he just sat there, his head bowed low, his thumbs picking at the seam of his denim jeans under the table.
finally, juhoon set his chopsticks down on the metal rest with a sharp, clear clack.
"okay," juhoon started, his voice quiet but firm, breaking the suffocating stillness. "we need to talk."
seonghyeon didn't look up, but his shoulders visibly tensed.
"seonghyeon-ah," james said, taking over gently, though his expression was serious. "you've been acting... really different the last couple of days. sneaking into my bed, wrapping yourself around martin, holding hands, touchy with everyone... you're making everyone confused. we just want to know what's actually going on."
"yeah," martin added, leaning forward slightly, his tone softening from his usual playful annoyance. "you're usually the grounded one. if something's wrong, or if you're just messing with us, you gotta tell us. you're driving us crazy."
the table went dead silent again, waiting for him to make a joke, to laugh it off, or to confess it was all some elaborate prank.
instead, seonghyeon’s shoulders began to tremble.
a single, quiet sniffle broke through the quiet air of the booth.
keonho’s eyes widened in instant panic. "wait—seonghyeon hyung?"
seonghyeon slowly lifted his head, and the entire table froze. his eyes were completely glossy, rimmed with dark red, and tears were already spilling over his lower lashes, tracking silently down his cheeks. he looked impossibly small, all the usual sharp, quiet cool completely melted away.
"i'm sorry," seonghyeon choked out, his voice cracking painfully on the words. he wiped frantically at his face with the back of his sleeve, but the tears just kept coming, fat and heavy.
juhoon’s tough posture dissolved in less than a second. james gasped softly, his hands instantly hovering over the table, completely caught off guard.
"i just..." seonghyeon hiccuped, burying his face in his hands, his breath coming in ragged, trembling hitches. "i just wanted affection. i felt... i felt like everyone was getting so busy, and we were working so hard, and no one was holding me anymore. i just wanted to be close to you guys. i didn't mean to make it weird."
the confession hung in the air, raw and devastatingly honest.
for a second, the four of them just stared at him in utter shock. all the cringe, all the bewilderment, and all the awkwardness from the past few days evaporated instantly, replaced by a massive, collective wave of shared guilt.
"oh, god," martin muttered, his heart dropping through the floor as he immediately scrambled out of his seat to squeeze into seonghyeon's side of the booth. "seonghyeon-ah, no, don't cry—"
"hey, hey, look at me," james said quickly, practically sliding over the table to reach for seonghyeon's hands, pulling them away from his face. "you don't have to apologize. we didn't know."
keonho, who was sitting right beside him, didn't even hesitate. he wrapped both arms tightly around seonghyeon’s shoulders, pulling seonghyeon’s face straight into the crook of his neck, comforting him the exact same way seonghyeon had done to him the day before. "you should've just told us, hyung," keonho whispered softly, rubbing seonghyeon’s shaking back. "you don't ever have to sneak around for that."
juhoon covered his face with both hands, letting out a long, guilt-ridden groan before leaning across the table to pat seonghyeon’s head gently. "i'm sorry for being mean about it," juhoon mumbled, his voice dripping with affection. "you can hold my hand whenever you want. i promise I won't cringe anymore."
seonghyeon let out a wet, breathless laugh into keonho’s shoulder, his arms slowly winding around keonho’s waist, finally getting the soft, warm, unprompted embrace he’d been craving all week.
-
the next morning, the dorm was eerily still.
at first, no one thought much of it when seonghyeon didn't come out for breakfast. after the emotional spill at lunch the day before, they all assumed he was just drained, taking a well-deserved rest in the quiet bedroom. martin and keonho had tipped on their toes while getting dressed, carefully closing the door behind them to let him sleep.
but by three in the afternoon, seonghyeon hadn't moved an inch.
james was the first to get uneasy. he walked into the bedroom with a glass of water, intending to wake seonghyeon up for a late lunch, but stopped short at the side of the bed. seonghyeon was completely buried under three layers of heavy blankets, his face flushed a alarming, bright crimson, his breathing harsh and ragged in the quiet room.
"seonghyeon-ah?" james called softly, setting the glass on the nightstand and reaching down to brush the sweaty fringe off seonghyeon’s forehead.
the moment his skin made contact, james flinched, pulling his hand back as if he’d touched a hot stove.
"oh, shit," james breathed, his face draining of color. he pressed the back of his hand firmly against seonghyeon’s temple—he was practically burning up, radiating an intense, terrifying heat. seonghyeon just let out a weak, pathetic whine at the sudden loss of warmth, his eyes fluttered half-open, completely glassy and unfocused.
"juhoon! martin! keonho!" james yelled, his usual calm demeanor shattering instantly. "get in here right now!"
the three came sprinting down the hallway, bursting through the door in a scramble of footsteps.
"what happened? is he okay?" keonho asked frantically, his eyes wide with instant fear as he rushed to the edge of the bed.
"he's burning up," james said, his hands shaking slightly as he pulled the heavy duvet back just a bit to let seonghyeon breathe. "get the thermometer, quick!"
martin sprinted out into the living room, practically tearing open the medicine cabinet and knocking over three boxes before finding the digital thermometer. he ran back in, pressing it against seonghyeon’s ear.
the bedroom was dead silent for five agonizing seconds until the small device let out a sharp beep.
martin looked at the tiny screen, and his jaw dropped. "thirty-nine point eight," he whispered, his voice cracking. "james, it's 39.8."
"nearly 40?!" juhoon shrieked, instantly losing his cool and grabbing his own hair in panic. "is that why he was acting like that?! high fevers make people needy and confused before they break! we thought he was just being clingy, oh my god, he was literally sick this whole time!"
the realization hit all four of them like a physical blow. the strange touchiness, the quiet clinginess, the random bursts of tears at lunch—it wasn't just an emotional slump. seonghyeon’s body had been breaking down with a massive, creeping fever for days, leaving his brain hazy and desperate for comfort without even realizing why.
"i'm so stupid," keonho groaned, tears stinging his own eyes as he dropped to his knees beside the bed, carefully taking seonghyeon’s burning, trembling hand into his own. "he held my hand and i thought he was just being cute... he was sick."
"stop panicking, we need to bring it down now," james ordered, though his own voice was shaking as he took charge. "juhoon, get a bowl of ice water and a bunch of hand towels. martin, call the manager and tell him we need a doctor or a trip to the ER if this doesn't drop in twenty minutes."
juhoon bolted out of the room like a man possessed, while martin frantically dialed on his phone, pacing the floorboards.
seonghyeon let out a low, shaky gasp, his fingers feebly curling around keonho’s palm. "cold..." he whimpered softly, his voice barely a rasp as he tried to pull the blankets back up over his shoulders. "so cold..."
"i know, hyung, i know," keonho whispered gently, leaning in close and smoothing back seonghyeon's damp hair, completely abandoning any trace of hesitation. "you're gonna be okay. we're right here."
juhoon rushed back in with a bowl of ice water, spilling half of it on the floor in his haste. james quickly dipped a towel, wrung it out, and gently placed it over seonghyeon’s forehead. seonghyeon flinched at the icy touch, let out a tiny, heartbroken sigh, and instinctively leaned his burning face into james' palm, seeking the cool touch of his skin.
james stayed right there, sitting on the edge of the mattress, letting seonghyeon rest his heavy head against his thigh, while juhoon wiped down seonghyeon’s burning wrists and keonho held his hand tight.
"we've got you," james murmured softly, brushing a thumb over seonghyeon’s hot cheek, all four of them hovering over him in a protective, panicked circle, refusing to leave his side for even a single second.
-
by the following afternoon, the terrifying heat had finally broken.
the thermometer read a comfortable thirty-six point eight, but if seonghyeon’s fever had disappeared, his total lack of shame had takes its place.
he was currently propped up against a mountain of four plush pillows in the middle of the living room couch, wrapped in a fluffy weighted blanket like a high-value burrito. his skin was pale, his eyes were still a little heavy with sleep, but his lips were curved into the subtlest, most smug little smile in existence.
he was getting treated like royalty, and he was loving every single second of it.
"here," keonho said gently, walking into the living room holding a tray with a steaming bowl of warm rice porridge, a tiny cup of honey tea, and three sliced strawberries. he carefully set the tray on the coffee table, blew on a spoon filled with porridge, and hovered it right in front of seonghyeon’s mouth. "open wide. it's not too hot, i tested it."
seonghyeon didn't even lift a finger. he just opened his mouth, let keonho feed him, and swallowed slowly, letting out a faint, delicate sigh as if the mere act of chewing was exhausting his fragile, recovering body.
across the room, juhoon was sitting on the rug, diligently applying a damp, cool sheet mask to seonghyeon’s face, smoothing down the edges around his cheekbones with intense, surgical focus. "does that feel okay?" juhoon asked, his voice dripping with soft, guilty concern. "tell me if it’s too cold."
"it's nice," seonghyeon hummed softly, his voice raspy enough to sound pathetic, though his eyes sparkled with pure satisfaction. he shifted his gaze toward the kitchen, where james was standing by the counter, peeling an apple into intricate little bunny shapes. "james hyung... the blanket slipped."
james, who had spent the last twelve hours frantically checking seonghyeon’s temperature every twenty minutes, dropped his paring knife instantly. he trotted over to the couch, carefully tucked the edge of the blanket back around seonghyeon’s chin, and gave his forehead a gentle, lingering kiss to double-check his warmth.
"better?" james asked softly.
"a little cold," seonghyeon murmured, lowering his eyelashes pitifully.
before james could even offer to turn up the thermostat, martin came walking out of his bedroom carrying a massive, oversized plush bear and a fresh pair of fuzzy socks. he dropped down beside seonghyeon’s feet, carefully pulling the warm socks onto seonghyeon's bare toes, then gently rested the giant teddy bear right in seonghyeon’s arms.
"there," martin said, patting seonghyeon’s leg through the blanket. "you comfy now, your majesty?"
seonghyeon snuggled his face into the fur of the teddy bear, looking like the pampered center of the universe. "water," he whispered, casting a pathetic, heavy-lidded look toward the table.
keonho practically scrambled to pick up the cup, holding the straw directly to seonghyeon’s lips while juhoon fanned him with a magazine and martin rubbed his sock-covered feet. james stood by the couch with his arms crossed, watching the three of them cater to seonghyeon’s every tiny whim like devoted royal courtiers.
james narrowed his eyes slightly, catching the tiny, victorious smirk that flashed across seonghyeon’s lips right after he took a sip of tea.
"wait a minute," james muttered, stepping closer and leaning down until he was eye-level with seonghyeon. "your temperature was normal three hours ago. you have four different people feeding you, fanning you, and putting socks on you."
seonghyeon’s smirk widened just a fraction before he quickly let out a weak, raspy cough, leaning his head pathetically onto keonho’s shoulder. "i'm still so weak, hyung..."
"oh, shut up, you total fake," juhoon groaned, though he didn't stop smoothing down the sheet mask. "he's totally milked this. he's playing us like a fiddle."
"he was almost forty degrees yesterday, let him milk it," martin argued defensively, tucking the blanket even tighter around seonghyeon’s shoulders. "if princess seonghyeon wants bunny-shaped apples, he gets bunny-shaped apples."
seonghyeon just nestled deeper into keonho’s neck, letting out a soft, contented sigh, thoroughly enjoying every single second of his absolute kingdom.
exactly seven days later, the lesson had clearly not been learned.
it was just past two in the morning, and the dormitory was dead silent. juhoon was fast asleep, buried under his black duvet, his face turned toward the wall as he snored softly into his pillow.
the bedroom door handle turned with a agonizingly slow, silent click.
a shadow slipped into the dark room, navigating the floorboards with practiced, silent precision. seonghyeon was wearing an oversized grey hoodie, his long hair slightly messy from sleep. he padded over to juhoon’s bed, lifted the edge of the blanket, and slid himself inside.
juhoon stirred, feeling the mattress dip, and let out a low, groggy murmur. "mmh... james? what time..."
instead of james' voice, juhoon felt a pair of long, warm arms wrap tightly around his waist from behind. a heavy head immediately sank into the space between juhoon's shoulder blades, and seonghyeon pulled himself flush against juhoon's back, anchoring his knees behind juhoon’s thighs.
juhoon went instantly stiff, his eyes snapping wide open in the pitch black.
"seonghyeon-ah," juhoon whispered, his voice raspy and disbelief-laced. he tried to turn his head, but seonghyeon just tightened his grip, burying his face deeper into the back of juhoon's hoodie with a quiet, contented hum.
"you're not sick," juhoon said, his tone shifting into a flat, deadpan whisper as he felt for seonghyeon’s forehead with the back of his hand just to be entirely sure. cool as a cucumber. "your temperature is normal. you are completely fine."
"i know," seonghyeon's voice came out muffled against juhoon's back.
"then why are you in my bed?"
"need cuddles," seonghyeon replied simply, his thumb rubbing a slow, lazy circle over juhoon’s side through his shirt.
juhoon lay there in the dark, staring at the blank wall, his brain completely stalled out. a week ago, he would have cringed out of his skin, made a scene, and probably tried to kick seonghyeon onto the floor. but after the crying episode at lunch and the terrifying fever that followed, juhoon's defenses were practically nonexistent.
he let out a long, dramatic sigh, rolling his eyes into the darkness, though a tiny, helpless smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"you are the clingiest person on this entire planet," juhoon grumbled softly under his breath.
slowly, carefully, juhoon shifted his posture, turning over inside the tight wrap of seonghyeon’s arms until they were facing each other. seonghyeon didn't waste a second—he immediately rested his forehead against juhoon’s chin, slinging one heavy leg over juhoon’s hip to lock him in place.
juhoon brought his arm up, hesitantly resting his hand on the back of seonghyeon’s head, his fingers tangling lightly into his soft hair. "if martin or keonho see this tomorrow, i'm telling them you forced me."
"okay," seonghyeon murmured softly, his breathing already evening out into a steady, warm rhythm against juhoon’s chest.
juhoon gave seonghyeon's hair a fond, gentle tug, pulling the blanket up to cover both of their shoulders, completely defeated and secretly very comfortable.
-
somewhere around four in the morning, juhoon swam up from the depths of a heavy, dreamless sleep.
what woke him wasn't a sound, but a sudden, searing contrast of cold against warm skin. long, slender fingers had slid beneath the hem of his t-shirt, trailing aimlessly up the bare skin of his stomach, the pad of seonghyeon’s thumb pressing lightly over his ribs.
juhoon’s breath hitched instantly. his eyes fluttered open into the dim, shadowy blue of the pre-dawn room.
seonghyeon was still fast asleep, his long dark eyelashes resting heavy against his cheekbones, completely unaware of what his hands were doing in his sleep. he shifted closer, his fingers dragging another inch up juhoon’s chest, pulling juhoon in like an anchor.
juhoon’s heart thumped wildly against his ribs. a week ago, he would have cringed, swatted the hand away, and yelled about personal space. but looking at seonghyeon now—so soft, completely relaxed, and warm in the quiet darkness—juhoon felt something entirely different swell up in his chest.
he didn't push him away.
instead, juhoon carefully reached down, placing his palm over seonghyeon’s wrist to stop the wandering hand, and shifted onto his side to face him completely. seonghyeon let out a soft, sleepy grumble at the movement, his eyes fluttering half-open, hazy and unfocused.
"seonghyeon-ah," juhoon whispered softly.
before seonghyeon could even process his name, juhoon leaned in, cupped the side of seonghyeon’s face with his free hand, and pulled him into a kiss.
it wasn't gentle or cautious—it was deep, warm, and lingering, a sudden burst of pure, unfiltered affection that caught seonghyeon completely off guard. seonghyeon’s eyes widened slightly in the dark, his hand freezing against juhoon’s stomach before his fingers instinctively tangled into the back of juhoon’s shirt, melting into the touch and kissing him back with a slow, heavy rhythm.
when juhoon finally pulled away, his breath came out in a short, uneven gasp.
he stared at seonghyeon’s thoroughly dazed, pink-cheeked face for two quiet seconds—and then juhoon completely lost it.
a muffled, breathless giggle burst out of him, and juhoon buried his face straight into the pillow to muffle the sound, his entire body shaking with quiet laughter. he sounded like an absolute idiot, his shoulders rolling as he wheezed into the fabric, completely flustered by his own sudden boldness.
seonghyeon blinked down at him, his sleepy haze clearing just enough to look entirely bewildered. "what?" seonghyeon murmured, a tiny, fond pout tugging at his lips. "why are you laughing?"
"i don't know," juhoon squeaked out, lifting his face from the pillow, his eyes bright and watering with laughter as he looked at seonghyeon. he reached out and flicked seonghyeon's forehead lightly. "you just... you woke me up because your hands were everywhere, you idiot."
seonghyeon didn't argue. he just let out a low, sleepy huff, wrapped both arms tightly around juhoon’s waist, and pulled him flush against his chest, burying his face into juhoon’s neck to hide his own rising blush.
juhoon kept giggling softly under his breath, wrapping his arms right back around seonghyeon's shoulders, holding him close in the quiet darkness.
-
the next night, seonghyeon waited until the dorm fell completely silent before making his quiet escape across the hall.
he slipped out of his own room, padded past the quiet living room, and cracked open the door to martin and keonho’s room. keonho was out cold on his bed, snoring softly with his arm dangling over the frame, totally oblivious to the world.
martin, however, was still half-awake, staring aimlessly at his phone in the dim glow of his screen.
seonghyeon didn't even hesitate. he padded straight over to martin’s bed, pulled back the duvet, and slid right under the covers, making himself instantly comfortable.
"you again?" martin whispered, locking his phone and tossing it onto the nightstand. his tone was deadpan, but there wasn't a trace of hesitation in his movement as he immediately turned onto his side and threw a heavy arm over seonghyeon’s waist, dragging him close.
a week ago, martin would have gagged, complained about personal space, and threatened to lock the door. tonight, he acted like seonghyeon was his personal, oversized velvet pillow.
seonghyeon let out a soft, pleased hum, settling his head into the crook of martin’s neck. "you're clingier than usual," seonghyeon teased softly, his voice muffled by the collar of martin’s t-shirt. "what happened to 'oh gross, no, stop'?"
"shut up," martin grumbled, pulling the blanket all the way up over seonghyeon’s shoulders and tightening his grip around his waist until there was zero breathing room between them. "i'm taking advantage of the situation. if you're gonna crawl into my bed every night, i get to use you as a heating pad."
seonghyeon chuckled, a quiet, rumbling sound in his chest. he shifted slightly, resting his chin on martin’s shoulder, a mischievous glint shining in his dark eyes. "speaking of taking advantage of things... remember three months ago when you stole my açaí bowl from the fridge and insisted it was yours because it had your name on the bag, even though i literally bought it with my own card?"
martin froze. "seonghyeon-ah, it is two in the morning."
"it was my açaí bowl, martin," seonghyeon whispered, his lips brushing against martin’s jawline in a quiet, deliberate tease. "you owe me ten bucks and an apology."
"i am going to smother you with this pillow," martin threatened, but instead of pushing him away, martin’s face flushed a deep, sudden pink in the dark.
to shut seonghyeon up, martin leaned in and pressed a firm, loud kiss directly against seonghyeon’s cheek.
seonghyeon blinked, caught off guard. "wait—"
before he could react, martin cupped both sides of seonghyeon’s face and began mercilessly showering his entire face with rapid-fire, dramatic kisses—one on his temple, two on his eyelids, a quick one on the tip of his nose, and a long, lingering one right on his forehead.
"there," martin huffed between kisses, his cheeks burning hot as seonghyeon let out a shocked, breathless laugh, trying to dodge martin’s hands. "that repays the açaí bowl. that repays the ten bucks. keep talking and you're getting ten more."
"okay, okay, i'm quiet!" seonghyeon giggled softly, his sharp cool entirely crumbling under the sudden assault of affection.
martin gave seonghyeon’s cheek one last, fond bite-like press of his lips before pulling him firmly back down against his chest. he buried his face into seonghyeon’s messy hair, holding him so tight seonghyeon could barely move, completely wrapped up in each other in the warm, quiet dark.
-
the room was silent, save for the muffled, irregular gasps muffled into a pillow.
it was nearly three in the morning when seonghyeon quietly pushed open the door, planning to slip into bed beside keonho like he’d done with the others. but the moment he stepped inside, the quiet, painful sniffling hit his ears.
keonho was curled into a tight, miserable ball on his side, his shoulders trembling violently under the duvet, his phone lying face-down beside him displaying a missed call from his mom. the homesickness had been building up for weeks—the brutal schedules, the relentless pressure, the sheer exhaustion—and tonight, it had finally boiled over into quiet, desperate tears.
seonghyeon didn't tease. he didn't joke.
he instantly slid onto the mattress, gathering keonho into his arms and pulling the younger boy’s shaking frame flush against his chest. "hey," seonghyeon whispered softly, his fingers threading into keonho’s hair, gently pulling his face out from the damp pillow into the crook of his neck. "hey, keonho-ya, i've got you."
keonho let out a choked, broken sob, his fingers instantly clutching at the back of seonghyeon’s hoodie. "i just... i miss her so much, hyung," keonho wept, his voice small, pathetic, and utterly wrecked. "everything hurts and i just want to go home."
"i know," seonghyeon murmured, kissing the crown of keonho’s head, his heart aching at how fragile the youngest looked. "i know, baby. let it out. i'm right here."
seonghyeon held him close, rocking him slowly in the dark while keonho cried himself empty. as the heavy sobbing gradually faded into quiet, ragged breaths, a strange, thick haze settled over the small space between them. keonho was raw, completely stripped of his usual boundaries, his mind hazy with exhaustion and emotional ruin, desperately seeking any distraction, any intense sensation to block out the overwhelming hollow ache in his chest.
keonho shifted, burying his wet face deeper against seonghyeon’s throat. his hand slid down seonghyeon’s chest, his fingers shaking as he grabbed seonghyeon’s wrist, pulling seonghyeon’s warm hand down from his hair and pressing it firmly against the waist of his sweatpants.
seonghyeon froze, his breath catching in his throat. "keonho-ya—"
"please," keonho whispered, his voice dangerously weak, raw, and desperate. he guided seonghyeon’s fingers beneath the elastic band of his pants, pressing seonghyeon's hand against his bare skin. "just... touch me. please, hyung, just make me think about something else."
seonghyeon’s dark eyes widened in the faint moonlight. he knew it was messy, reckless, and entirely driven by the raw, chaotic desperation of two overwhelmed teenagers clinging to each other in the dark. but looking down at keonho’s glossy, pleading eyes, seonghyeon couldn't pull away.
seonghyeon let his fingers slip lower, tracing hot, deliberate paths over keonho’s hip and down, his touch possessive, slow, and unyielding.
keonho let out a shaky, trembling gasp, his back arching faintly into the sudden, intense heat of seonghyeon’s hand. the sharp, electric friction banished every lingering thought of home, replacing the cold sadness in his chest with a heavy, intoxicating fever. keonho threw his arm over seonghyeon’s neck, biting down hard on his lower lip to keep from making a sound that might wake up martin across the room.
seonghyeon leaned down, his mouth pressing hot, heavy kisses along keonho’s jaw and down to his pulse point, his hand moving in a steady, agonizing rhythm that drove keonho out of his mind.
when it was over, keonho collapsed back against the mattress, breathing heavily, his face flushed brilliant red and his eyes completely dazed. the sorrow was gone, replaced by a quiet, heavy stillness.
seonghyeon carefully pulled his hand back, resting his forehead against keonho’s, his breath fanning across keonho’s lips. he wrapped his arms around keonho’s waist, pulling him close until their hearts beat in sync against each other's chests, anchoring him firmly in the quiet dark.
the morning light filtered through the blinds, casting long, pale bars across the room.
keonho opened his eyes slowly, his body heavy and completely drained from the previous night's emotional breakdown—and the intense, secret comfort that had followed. seonghyeon was still asleep beside him, his arm draped possessively over keonho’s waist, his face buried into the soft crook of keonho’s shoulder.
for a long moment, keonho just lay there, listening to the steady, rhythmic rise and fall of seonghyeon’s chest. his face flushed a deep, lingering pink at the memory of seonghyeon’s hands on him, the reckless heat of the late-night desperation still humming quietly under his skin. it was messy, stupidly risky with martin sleeping just a few feet away, but the heavy, suffocating ache in his chest was completely gone.
seonghyeon stirred, letting out a soft, low hum before his dark eyes fluttered open. he looked at keonho, his expression instantly softening into something warm and protective, completely devoid of any awkwardness.
"you okay?" seonghyeon murmured, his voice thick and rough with sleep.
keonho swallowed, shifting closer to press his forehead against seonghyeon's collarbone. "yeah," he whispered softly, his fingers curling into seonghyeon’s shirt. "i'm okay now."
seonghyeon smiled, leaning down to press a quiet, lingering kiss to the top of keonho's head, his long fingers trailing soothingly up and down keonho's spine.
over the next few weeks, the entire dynamic of the dorm shifted into something entirely new, seamless, and undeniably sweet. the initial confusion, the awkward boundary-testing, and the flustered chaos completely melted away. seonghyeon didn't have to hide his need for affection anymore, and none of them tried to fight it.
it became their new normal.
if they were on a long van ride back from a schedule, seonghyeon didn't even have to ask—juhoon would automatically slide over, letting seonghyeon rest his head on his shoulder while juhoon absentmindedly played with seonghyeon’s fingers, occasionally leaning down to press a soft kiss to his temple when he thought the managers weren't looking.
during late-night practice breaks, james—who used to be so weirded out by the sudden touchiness—was usually the first to pull seonghyeon into his lap on the studio floor, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on seonghyeon's shoulder without a second thought, treating him like his most treasured person.
and in the quiet hours back at the dorm, martin’s playful cringe had vanished entirely, replaced by an affectionate clinginess that rivaled seonghyeon's own. martin would routinely drag seonghyeon into his bed, showering him with dramatic, loud kisses until seonghyeon giggled, before pulling him flush against his chest to fall asleep.
they stopped questioning it, stopped overthinking it, and simply leaned into the quiet, warm comfort they all gave each other. seonghyeon was no longer fighting for affection in silence, and the four of them were more than happy to give him everything he wanted, whenever he needed it.