Chapter Text
Jungwon isn’t too sure what he’s seeing when he walks into the living room.
Heeseung is standing by the open front door letting cold air fill the room, but the breeze doesn’t seem to bother him. He looks perplexed, forehead crumpled up in distinct anger and his veins bulging from his neck. A stray slipper lies less than a throw away from his bare foot, but he is too busy aggressively typing into his phone to care about retrieving the abandoned shoe. His breathing is slightly laboured, as if he just ran from somewhere, and he’s murmuring inaudibly under his breath.
Jungwon watches him for a few seconds, waiting for the disheveled man to wake up and notice him, but he is clearly too absorbed in whatever heated message he is sending, eyes glued the screen.
“Hyung” Jungwon finally calls, taking another step forward, and its enough to break Heeseung out of his trance.
He snaps his head up to face the leader, a homicidal glint to his eyes. Jungwon blinks at him, confused as to what could have caused his hyung’s strange behaviour, but he is more concerned by the insidious chill of cold air creeping up his arms.
“Do you think you should maybe shut the door?” he asks, a hint of sarcasm peeking through his voice, and he tilts his head slightly in the direction of the open entryway.
Heeseung huffs out an irritated sigh and stretches out his foot to kick the door shut without looking, barely taking his focus away from his phone before resuming his typing.
He doesn’t bother to entertain Jungwon any further, deliberately ignoring him and instead placing himself on the double sofa.
From his stiff body language Jungwon can tell that something on his phone is making Heeseung very unhappy, the man dragging a frustrated hand over his face and clicking his tongue. He taps another message into his phone, and stares at it exasperatedly, as if willing a notification to come through.
When, after a few more moments, the phone remains completely silent, Heeseung is visibly shaking, a boiling rage radiating off him in waves, and he lets out a sting of expletives.
Curiosity growing, Jungwon approaches his hyung, eyes screwed up in his signature look of confusion.
“Hyung? Whats up with you?” he starts as he moves towards him, but Heeseung quickly silences the boy with a finger in the air, lifting the phone up to his ear.
Jungwon stares at him, wondering what the hell has him behaving so erratically, but keeps quiet, waiting for the person to pick up.
The phone rings for a while before Jungwon hears it go to voicemail, and Heeseung’s mouth drops open in shock.
He looks pissed, seething in anger.
Jungwon takes it as a good time to interrupt Heeseung’s descent into rage, coming forward to step in front of him and pulling the phone away from his ear.
“What’s wrong with you? Who are you calling?” he inquires, turning to look at the most recent out going call.
Jay-hyung?
“What’s wrong?” Heeseung repeats, finally deciding to speak with him.
“I’d tell you if I knew.”
Irritation coats his words, but he still gives no explanation as to what is going on, and Jungwon can feel himself start to get annoyed.
“What? Did you fight with Jay-hyung or something?” Jungwon tries to piece together what could have happened; a very angry Heeseung, a missing Jay who is quite blatantly ignoring his calls.
So what, they’re fighting over something? Jungwon almost wants to laugh.
He’s acting this way over a fight?
“Shut up Jungwon,” Heeseung sounds touchy as he grits out a reply, “We didn’t fight.”
He seems exhausted as he sags into the backrest, a pensive look settling on to his face.
“I don’t know what happened” he tries to explain, mentally combing through the strange events that just occurred. Jungwon watches him expectantly as he tries to articulate his words.
“Jay wasn’t in his room so I came downstairs to find him.” He starts.
“I yelled his name and everything, but he didn’t reply. I checked the kitchen and living room, no reply. I thought maybe he’d gone out or something, so I went to check if his shoes were gone, and he’s there by the door, and there’s no way he didn’t hear me, but instead of replying he just leaves?”
He says the statement as if its a question, as if he’s unsure if that is actually how things played out. Jungwon blinks at him like he had just told him the sky is blue, clearly not seeing any issue with the story, and Heeseung can feel the blank stare boring into the side of his face.
“I’m still waiting to see the big deal in all this? Call me crazy, but it seems like Jay-hyung is annoyed with you and doesn’t want to speak?” the sarcasm is practically dripping from his voice as he moves closer to Heeseung.
“The big deal,” he begins, pushing Jungwon away with his palm,” is that I come downstairs to find Jay fully dressed by the door, which is - fine, whatever.”
Jungwon raises an eyebrow, impatient.
“But then,” Heeseung continues, eyebrows furrowing as he retells the events,” he takes off running the second he sees me, like sprinting running Jungwon.”
Now its Jungwon’s turn to be confused.
“He ran away from you?”
“Yeah, he literally legs it down the drive the second he sees me. And there’s some random car - not any of the managers’ - waiting for him. I didn’t get to see any of the people inside, but it’s not a company car.”
Jungwon takes a seat on the other end of the sofa.
“Okay, so he starts running and what - you didn’t say anything to him?”
Heeseung looks at Jungwon with a deadpan look, frustratedly shaking his head.
“Obviously, I tried to speak to him,” he seethes,” I followed him down the drive and yelled after him.”
There’s hurt in his voice as he speaks.
“He ignored me. He slammed the door in my face when he got in.”
Heeseung finishes the story and falls silent, and Jungwon lets the words swirl around in his head for a few more moments, trying to process.
“I mean, are you sure the two of you didn’t fight or something?”
Heeseung purposefully ignores the suggestion, turning away from Jungwon.
A thought crosses his mind that makes Jungwon stop in his tracks and grab Heeseung by the shoulder. His mind is running wild with all the possibilities of what could have transpired between the two, and one horrid thought sticks out to him.
“You didn’t…” he trails off, the anxious thought creeping forward.
“You didn’t say anything to him, right?”
There is a hidden meaning behind the words that neither dares to vocalise, and Heeseung rolls his eyes, yanking his shoulder away from the leader’s tight grip.
He scoffs.
“No, I didn’t say anything to him,” Heeseung snarls at him, venom in his voice.
Jungwon lets out a breath, and they both sit in silence for a moment.
Jungwon eventually pipes up again.
“So you’re saying that Jay hyung, unprovoked, just ran away from you, without a word and got into a random car?” He asks once he’s gathered his thoughts.
Heeseung somehow flops even further back into the sofa, and nods his head in confirmation.
“And now … he isn’t picking up your calls?”
“Or replying to my messages.” He holds up his phone as if to prove it, and there’s a string of one sided messages from Heeseung to Jay.
“And you’re sure that - “
“No I didn’t say anything to him! Or fight with him! Or whatever other heinous thing you think I could have done!” Heeseung bursts, frustration and anger overflowing.
“We all get home, Jay goes to his room, and next thing I know he does this - so no! I didn’t say anything to him!”
The yell is loud and raw, and stretches through the corners of the house. A hollow silence echoes after, filled by Heeseung’s exasperated breathing. Jungwon doesn’t flinch at his hyung’s outburst, keeping his attention on the agitated man. He surveys his demeanour, and deems the tension in Heeseung’s shoulders to be a reliable indicator of his innocence.
But the question remains of what the hell is up with Jay?
Within seconds there’s a flurry of footsteps sounding from up the stairs, and one by one the remaining members come filing into the living room.
Jungwon doesn’t turn to face them as they enter but he can feel them observing, taking in the mood of the room. Heeseung takes deep breaths in, trying to relax himself, and pushes his hair out of his face.
Its rare to see their eldest so distressed, especially given how they had all just seen him not too long ago when he was fine, and the contrast clearly catches the boys off guard. No one seems to want to ask, and neither Jungwon or Heeseung take the initiative to offer an explanation.
Niki is the first to act, breaking the ice in the room by stalking over to Heeseung’s side. He gives him a once over, scanning him with his dark eyes, before settling down next to him.
Despite being the youngest, Niki rejects anything sweet and cute, but Heeseung’s troubled state has him pushing his tendencies to the side.
“Heeseungie-hyung?” he asks endearingly, laying a hand on his shoulder.
Some of the stress visibly eases from the man’s form, as if the maknae was absorbing it away from him, dispelling all his worries. Niki raises a finger to Heeseung’s brow, and pushes his head up, rubbing the worry crease out. It’s a tenderness the two only ever reserve for each other and seldom display, so the others let them have the moment, Heeseung clearly needing the comfort.
But Jungwon can’t help it, still stuck on how Heeseung described Jay’s earlier behaviour. Jay is an emotional person, even if he tries to pretend that he isn’t. He’s the type to hide his opinions or frustrations if he thinks that the member’s wont agree. He doesn’t complain when they all tease him or make fun of him, even when they take it a bit too far, and instead lets it all build up inside, until it has nowhere to go but out.
Jungwon doesn’t remember the last time that Jay yelled at any of them, although he can remember plenty of times when they have deserved it.
He might sulk for a while or if he’s really upset give the silent treatment. But Jay has never really been one for dramatics, or tantrums, so straight up causing a scene? Something is wrong.
“Did any of you say anything to Jay-hyung?” he turns to face the members behind him, stern voice bursting Niki and Heeseung’s private bubble.
There is clear accusation in his voice and it startles the members into a moment of stunned silence.
“Say what to him?” Sunghoon asks, confused.
But Sunoo can sense something deeper hidden in Jungwon’s tone and cuts in, “Why? What happened?”
Jungwon doesn’t answer him, and instead takes a few seconds to look the rest of them in the eyes, searching for even an essence of bullshit, but none of them seem to have any inkling that they’ve done something.
He sighs and shakes his head.
“Let Heeseung-hyung tell it.”
The ominous tinge of his the words has Sunoo, Jake and Sunghoon scattering around the room to settle into the array of chairs and sofas.
Heeseung keeps it brief as he recounts the story once more, and after he is done Jungwon repeats the question.
“So, again - did anyone say anything to Jay-hyung?”
Sunoo keeps quiet, but Jake and Sunghoon turn to each other, conversing mentally before turning back to address the group.
“... Are you being serious?” Sunghoon asks.
Jake’s laugh of disbelief is like a knife in the serious atmosphere, and they’re all staring at him.
“Since when did you all become such drama queens? He ran away from you hyung?” he asks, directing the question towards Heeseung. There is an incredulous look in his eyes.
”Please be for real. It was probably his manager coming to pick him up, schedules change all the time.”
It’s evident that Jake isn’t taking the situation seriously, and Heeseung’s eyes are back to having that murderous tint. Heeseung is of mind to get up and square punch Jake in the face, but he holds his thoughts.
Sunoo is more gentle in his approach, but its obvious he also doesn’t share in Heeseung’s alarm.
“Yeah hyung. He’s probably not answering because he’s busy.”
Heeseung is teetering on the edge of insanity.
“You. Weren’t. There. You didn’t see the way he ran,” he grits out each word through pursed lips. “You think I wouldn’t recognise a manager’s car?”
Jake shrugs his shoulders, as if saying yeah, that’s totally plausible and its enough to send Heeseung over the edge.
“If you don’t believe me then call the manager!” his voice is rough, aggression building.
Jake seems to take it as a challenge.
He pulls his phone out of his pocket and presses one of the numbers on speed dial. Only 3 rings sound before the manager picks up.
Jake stares directly into Heeseung’s eyes as he greets the manager politely, a smug smirk forming on his face. He puts the call on loudspeaker.
“Jake-ssi? You don’t usually call me - is everything alright?” the manager asks.
“Yes, manager-nim, everything is fine,” he begins, putting on a pleasant voice.
“Well, actually, I was calling to check something with you.”
“Yes, what did you want to check?” The request is unusual coming from Jake, but the manager doesn’t let his confusion show in his voice.
“Well its just Heeseung-hyung is being a little bit paranoid really,” he chuckles out a fake laugh,” he just wanted me to ask if you picked up Jay a little while ago for schedule? Jay’s not answering and he’s being totally overdramatic.”
Jake looks tauntingly over at Heeseung, preparing to ridicule him.
“Jay-ssi?” the manager echoes. "I didn’t pick him up, he’s done for the day. His next schedule is tomorrow with the rest of you.”
The smugness slides right off of Jake’s face. The manager pipes up again after a beat of silence.
“Why do you ask? Is everything alright?”
Besides Heeseung and Jungwon, they all stare at the phone in varying degrees of surprise, not expecting the response.
“Jake-ssi?” the manager calls out, concern trickling into his voice, "Is everything alright?"
Heeseung steps forward to take the phone from Jake’s frozen hands, staring directly into his eyes.
“Yes manager-nim, everything is fine. I was just checking. See you tomorrow.” He cuts the line.
Heeseung can’t even find it in himself to be happy at one upping Jake as he passes the phone back over to him.
“Believe me now?”
Its nearing 11.30pm when the constant string of music cuts of and K and Keeho turn to bow to their instructor.
The evening had been tiring for the two.
Their instructor had been harsh on them, tip-toeing along the line of professional and downright rude, berating them for every single toe out of place. He had circled around them as they moved, clicking his tongue and shaking his head as if the two were doing the dance some kind of great injustice. His praises were far and few between, and even when they were granted, they were all followed by a sharp ‘again!’
At some point the coarse remarks of the instructor had been enough to force K and Keeho to pull their eyes away from Jay, unable to spare even an ounce of energy for their guest.
Jay had been thankful that the instructor had stolen their attention, allowing him to finally watch them without having to sneak peaks or fear making direct eye contact.
They worked on the same dance they had shown Jay, the now familiar song winding backwards and forwards as they repeated the same promiscuous moves over and over. Like the first time, it was mesmerising to see, the stage presence oozing from the duo even in their humble practice clothes. Each step of the dance became bolder and stronger under the strict instruction of the dance teacher, and Jay’s eyes had been glued to them the whole evening, a magnetic pull dragging him in.
But even so, something in the dance was different, muted - like the two had toned down the passion they had first performed with. It completely transformed the routine, now a bit more robotic and rehearsed, as if they were just doing the moves rather than feeling them - much more appropriate for outside eyes.
Nevertheless, Jay had been completely absorbed, so much so, that he hadn’t thought of what might happen when the practice session ends.
He barely has time to bow to the instructor as the man speeds out with a dismissive wave to the group, and lets the door shut behind him.
Jay doesn’t move from his spot on the floor that had become quite comfy over the course of the dance practice, his coat folded behind him as a cushion, and bag being used as an arm rest.
With the instructor gone its just the three of them left, and he can’t tell if enough time has passed for them all to ignore and forget Jay’s earlier moment of humiliation. He had spent a great majority of the dance breaks trying to convince himself that somehow Keeho hadn’t heard him, that maybe the music was too loud, or maybe it hadn’t even happened, simply just a figment of Jay’s imagination.
K and Keeho’s attention being off him had let Jay get distracted during practice, not feeling watched, but now they’re alone again, he wants to curl back into himself.
The two are busy on the far side of the room, chugging down water and wiping off sweat as they gather their belongings.
Jay purposefully keeps his eyes off of them as he turns to unfold and shimmy his jacket on, and sling his bag over his shoulder. He doesn’t know if he’s the only one feeling awkward, but he sure as hell isn’t going to be the one to say something first.
Once he’s all zipped up, he turns around to find the duo standing by the door, waiting for him, and the trek across the studio feels like an eternity.
He can’t get a good read on their faces, the only emotion he can pick up being pure exhaustion. They watch him as he approaches, and all of a sudden the supposedly simple, long ago ingrained act of walking feels alien to him.
“Sorry about that Jay - I hope that wasn’t too boring for you. He wasn’t supposed to come so early,” K starts apologetically as Jay comes to a stop in front of them.
Jay refuses to make eye contact but is quick to reassure him.
“No don’t worry hyung, I know what it can be like - I had fun. I promise.” Jay doesn’t give away just how much fun he had watching them dance.
“Thank you for letting me come watch, it was a needed distraction,” he continues, eyes still anywhere but on them.
The height difference between the three of them isn’t anything crazy but Jay feels like he’ll be swallowed whole if looks up, completely drowned out by their presence. Every moment of their dance together clings to his skin, the pressure of Keeho’s fingers on his waist and the sear of K’s eyes roaming over his body. It was hours ago, but standing before them Jay feels like he’s stuck back in front of the mirror.
Jay takes an unconscious step back and pulls his out his phone, looking for an excuse to escape.
The phone fumbles in his hand, and he has to drag his palms along his trousers to get rid of the nervous layer of sweat coating them. Jay doesn’t get why he’s so tense - dance is over. Nothing is going to happen. Just go home. He tells himself.
He swipes up on his phone and a stream of notifications start bombarding the screen. He winces at the multitude of messages passing so fast they look like a blur, a series of missed texts and calls and facetimes swarming in. There’s at least 5 calls from each of the members, spanning from when he left to 15 minutes ago, but Heeseung takes the crown.
Heeseungie-hyung (18 missed calls)
Jesus. He doesn’t even want to think about how he’s going to address that one.
He doesn’t have it in him to even look at the messages, let alone reply to them, and clears his notification centre. His heart feels slightly heavy at the thought of having to go back home, but he knows that its unavoidable - eventually he has to face them.
Jay jolts slightly, realising the two boys are looking at him, and glances up, accidentally making eye contact.
K is watching him with worry in his eyes, and Keeho looks at him with mild confusion at how fast his phone is vibrating, but makes the better to choice to not bring it up.
Jay averts his eyes, clearing his throat awkwardly and holds up his cleared home page to the boys.
“Wow - I didn’t realise it got so late,” he murmurs, pointing at the time. 11.41pm.
“I should really get home, my members will probably be worried.” He smiles, moving towards the door.
“If you show me back out I can just order an uber to get -”
“I know it’s late but you should let us get you some food - did you have dinner before coming?” Keeho interrupts him. It seems to be becoming a habit of his to interrupt Jay’s escapes.
“Don’t worry! I’m not hungry, I ate plenty before coming!” he tries to laugh off the offer,” I think I’ll just head home and crash - I have to be up early for my schedule tomorrow anyway.”
The two follow him out into the long corridor, coming to walk on either side of him, arms brushing against his.
“That was ages ago Jay, you should at least have something light before you go to bed,” K tries this time, looking down to face him with his soft, convincing puppy K eyes.
Jay has to shake his head to free himself from K’s sway, standing firm on his words.
“No really - I couldn’t eat even if I wanted to right now. I’m not hungry at -”
It’s at this moment that Jay’s treacherous stomach decides to let out a cacophony of the most violent groans he’d ever heard, screaming like a demon is being exorcised inside him. The sound silences all three of the boys, so loud that it shocks both K and Keeho in to pausing, and they stop in their tracks to gape at Jay.
Jay freezes in place with them, and his mouth falls open too, as if he wasn’t the one the noise had come from.
Mortified isn’t enough to explain what he’s feeling.
For what feels like the millionth time today, he feels a desperate desire to simply not exist.
He loves K - truly he does - and Keeho has been nothing but nice, if not too nice to him, in the few hours since they met, but Jay genuinely considers murdering both of them to save face.
The two turn to each other in slow motion, locking eyes, and within seconds their surprised faces morph into peak amusement. All Jay can do is stand red-faced in front of them as Keeho slaps his hand over his mouth and doubles over into a fit of giggles. But K doesn’t give him the courtesy of at at least turning away, and laughs directly into his face.
Jay wraps his arms around his belly and does a silent prayer for it to shut the fuck up.
K is still wheezing away, when Keeho decides to show him some grace and hold his laughs.
“Okay. Yeah.” the suppressed laughs give a breathy air to the words,” So lets get you down to the canteen - it’s 24 hours so we can just grab something and go.”
A part of Jay still wants to say no and just go home, but he knows the two would never allow it after the performance his belly just put on, so he just nods a confirmation.
K has made his way over to lean against the wall, seemingly more out of breath from laughing than his whole dance session, and Jay makes a hateful mental note to kill him sometime.
“And you’re not getting an uber home at midnight. We’ll take you.” K says once he’s somewhat recovered.
“The manager knows the address anyway.” Keeho tacks on.
There’s no room for discussion as the two start walking, and Jay follows behind them obediently.
Jay stands by the canteen door with K as they wait for Keeho to get their food. Despite the late hour, he is still tries to be animated and lively, conversing happily with the canteen staff.
Jay watches him with curiosity.
He has met a lot of different people in this industry, but there’s something about Keeho that feels entirely brand new and that knocks him slightly off kilter. To call it refreshing would be a stretch, he’s felt more distress in one evening dancing with Keeho, than in years of gruelling dance practice, but there’s something about him that makes Jay want to keep his eyes on him, like his legs might just be swept from underneath if he doesn’t.
“Keeho-hyung is… ,” he starts, but trails off, not quite knowing the word to describe the eccentric character accurately.
“Cool?” He finishes.
K grins down at him.
“I know Jay-ah. He seems like a lot, but I promise he’s not always so…” even K seems lost for the right words to describe him.
“Forthcoming.” He decides.
They both laugh in understanding.
They watch him as he moves down the food display, pointing at different items and laughing loudly at something the lady says to him. The staff seem to be comfortable with him, bantering back and forth and giggling amongst themselves.
“It’s because of you, you know Jay.” K says after a few beats, and it catches Jay off guard.
He raises his eyebrows raise in question. Me?
“He wasn’t joking when he said he wanted to meet you. Like, he really wasn’t joking,” K explains.
Intrigued, Jay tilts his head back to look up at K, but K’s eyes are fixed to Keeho like he’s still trying to figure him out, like the time they’ve know each other so far isn’t enough to get the full picture of his character.
“Keeho is very honest - he doesn’t really get embarrassed by things.”
He furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head, unhappy with the way it came out. Jay listens patiently and waits for him to try again.
“Or maybe I should put it as he wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s not the type to worry about looking stupid or being laughed at,” a faint smile ghosts his lips, admiration behind the words.
“So when he said he’s your fan, he meant it Jay. Trust me - I’ve been around him long enough, I’d know.” He concludes, looking back down to face Jay with a pretend look of exasperation.
Jay isn’t sure what to make of the words.
Keeho left a big impression on him, and that is undeniable.
Jay has always been just a part of Enhypen, he knows who they know, and doesn’t really branch out much beyond that. Keeho is intense, like a wrecking ball that doesn’t really care who it hits as long as it gets what it wants, and as worrying as that sounds, Jay can’t help but be excited at the prospect of getting to know him more.
Jay turns away shyly and presses his palms to his warm cheeks, embarrassed that he’s excited at making a friend at his big age.
“But besides that Jay…”
Jay looks back, wondering what else K could have to say, but this time his expression isn’t so pleasant, his carefree and playful demeanour slipping away. His eyebrows crease in the middle and he looks at Jay with concern etched into his features.
Oh.
Jay knew that the conversation would have to come at some point.
He thinks about playing it off, pretending that it had all been a mistake and that he was overreacting. But the look on K’s face tells him that it wouldn’t have worked anyway, and if he’s honest, Jay doesn’t really want to, after worrying him so much he owes K the truth.
“Maybe not tonight Jay-ah, but you know we’re going to have to talk about what happened at some point.”
Its a lifeline at least, a get out of jail free card, and boy, is Jay going to use it. He nods timidly, mood killed by the heavy topic.
“I know.” He mutters.
Regretful at making Jay sad, K snakes his arm around his waist and pulls him close to his side. Jay lets K move him, feeling a bit like a child whose been scolded.
The evening has been so eventful that Jay can barely remember the feeling of his panic attack, its like a gap in his memory that he doesn’t want to fill. The words of his members are very much at the forefront of his mind, but the painful feeling of doom that followed seems to have disappeared.
For now, neither wants to dwell on the topic for too long, and luckily for them, Keeho comes bounding back over, his bright energy lighting up the gloom.
“3 naked burritos for the car journey home,” he beams, handing out the boxes,” and a manager-hyung waiting outside for us.”
The same car as the one they had arrived in earlier waits for them in front of the building, and they scurry through the black cloak of night to the door.
Jay expects Keeho to be heading for the front seat when he rounds the car, but instead, he meets Jay and K in the back, a goofy grin on his face. Jay rolls his eyes at the foolish antics, but slides into the middle seat with a matching grin.
The ride is peaceful and they finishing eating in silence, Jay slumped from the weight of the day, and K and Keeho slumped from their taxing dance session.
The back seat is only so big, and with three fully grown men occupying it, they are all squished up against each other. Its not uncomfortable, and Jay has been close to much more outlandish parts of Keeho’s body than his thigh today, so he chooses to ignore the ticklish heat coming from either side of him and forces himself to relax.
By the time they’re nearing his side of town, Jay is almost out, the low whir of streets and warmth around him lulling him to sleep.
He hears a muffled voice talking near his ear, but he is too far gone to make out the words, completely drained. Its like a bee buzzing around his head, pestering him.
A moment later he feels a probing hand against his side, digging around for something. He groans in complaint at being disturbed, and after a few seconds the hand withdraws, apparently having found what it was looking for.
Its long past midnight when they pull up outside of the dorm, the excitement of the day long forgotten. The quiet night air of suburban Seoul makes Jay feel like they are completely alone in the city as they shuffle out of the car, all wiped out clean of any trace of energy, and borderline comatose from their meal.
The older two walk Jay up the path without question, falling easily into step at either side of him. Other than the soft scruffs of their shoes against the concrete path, the only sound around them is the manager’s engine running, and Jay finds himself in a weird state of peace.
He shouldn’t be - the pathway is only short, and they’ll be at his front door to hell in no time, but even just walking up the short stretch he’s able to appreciate the calming presence of the two.
He turns to face them as they stop in front of the door, both K and Keeho standing before him expectantly, as if waiting for something.
“Well,” Jay doesn’t know what to say, and his sleep-addled brain isn’t much of a help right now.
“Thank you. Both of you. It was nice to meet you Keeho-hyung.”
He points awkwardly to his door.
“I should…”
K moves forward toward him, arms outstretched for a hug, and envelopes Jay. He gives him a tight squeeze and ruffles his hair, before pulling away slightly to look him in the eyes.
“Are you going to be okay in there?” K whispers into his ear with a hushed voice, and really Jay can’t be surprised that K figured that something is going on with his members.
“Yeah - they’ll all be asleep by now.”
K slides his hand down Jay’s head to rest against the scruff of his neck, gently scratching the base of his scalp in comfort. If not for the crisp wind whipping his skin, Jay could fall asleep right then and there.
“We’ll talk, okay?”
The words are concise but they say everything they need to, and Jay hums in response. K lets go of him and steps back.
Jay doesn’t expect Keeho to give him the same personal farewell that K does, still technically only an acquaintance, but the man steps forward and intrudes into Jay’s space with no regard.
“So I don’t get a hug? Ouch Jay.” He whines, a feigned petulance in his voice.
K scoffs behind him.
“So greasy Keeho-ah. Don’t be that guy.”
Keeho doesn’t seem to care, very much happy to be exactly that guy, and Jay can’t help but give a tired laugh at his cheeky behaviour, unbelieving of just how brazen he can be.
He basically weaves himself in between Jay’s limbs as he hugs him, body close and personal. Jay tries to tell himself that he’s too tired to let the embrace rile him up, but Keeho is a problem, and tucks his nose into Jay’s neck.
Jay knows his heart is about to start acting up, and he moves to pull away, but he feels something slide into his back pocket. Confused, he reaches a hand down to feel the object, rectangular and firm - my phone?
He’s not even sure when it was taken from him.
Keeho draws back from his slightly.
“I put my number in,” he says matter of factly, sounding quite proud of himself. Of course he did.
Keeho releases him completely, and begins to follow K back down the path, but he pauses for a moment to turn back.
Jay’s reflexes are running on reserves, so its not until he feels the warm breath against his ear that he realises that Keeho is back in his personal space. He’s speaking before Jay has time to recoil, and the words root Jay to the spot.
“And I heard you by the way Jay-ah” Keeho states, his tone changing as he switches into English.
It takes Jay’s mind a second to catch up, his English out of practice, but when the words finally process the shock is enough to wake Jay back up, a boost of adrenaline shooting through him.
He searches his mind for something to say, but he comes up blank, and all he can muster is a dazed, “What?”
But Keeho’s not done, tormenting Jay a bit more as he moves his lips even close to Jay’s ear, letting them scrape against the sensitive skin.
“And you owe me another dance Jay.”
And then he’s gone, stumbling after K and climbing back into car, before driving off with a wave.
Jay ogles at the now empty space where the car was, unsure if that really just happened or if his sleep deprived brain had conjured it up.
He brings a hand up to his ear and swipes at it, the skin tingling as if Keeho’s lips are still against it.
He doesn’t get him at all. No one, not even the members, has ever acted this touchy feely with Jay, and now, especially with the excuse of dance practice long gone, Jay doesn’t know what to think of it.
When a particularly harsh gust of wind stabs at Jay, he decides that now is not the correct time to ponder the mysteries of his life, and decides to take himself inside.
He tries to keep the jingling of his keys to a minimum, taking his time to undo the lock stealthily. He takes his shoes off as he steps into the landing, not wanting them to squeak against the floor and slowly pushes the door closed behind him.
He lets his bag and coat drop silently to the floor, contemplating leaving them for tonight and dealing with them in the morning, the fatigue of the day catching up to him fast. He needs to crash now.
The mistake, however, that Jay makes, is not using some form of light as he courses through the living room, using his muscle memory to navigate the wide floorspace. He’s almost through to the other side, hands feeling for the staircase, when a bright white light blinds him.
He lets out a shriek of alarm and jumps out of his skin at the harsh lighting, body momentarily paralysed by fright. He turns to face into the room, hands up to shield his eyes.
He waits the few seconds it take for his eyes to adjust and slowly lowers his hands, taking in the sight before him.
Shit.
The members - all of them - are sprawled in various seats across the living room, eyes bloodshot and red, clearly having just woken up from disturbed sleep. None of them look like they’ve prepared for bed, all still in the outfits they wore for schedules, in uncomfortable jeans and with their hair in various frizzed out up does. Heeseung stands by the light switch, looking lethal and glares at him.
Had they all waited for him to come back?
“And where the fuck have you been?”