SYNOPSIS. youstart feeling more at home in the dorm, spending time with the younger members while the group adjusts around you.
GENRE. fluff
WC. 5.2k
AUTHOR'S NOTE. request for any scenes u wanna see! MLIST
the company evaluation is scheduled for a tuesday.
not a big deal, technically â youâve done dozens of them â but this one sits heavier. final lineup. final direction. the kind of room where people donât smile much and everything you do feels like itâs being measured twice.
you arrive early.
habit.
the practice room is quiet when you step in, mirrors dark, floor freshly cleaned. you stretch in silence, headphones in, muscle memory taking over. the choreography has finally settled into your body in a way that feels⊠natural. not forced. not overthought.
the door opens behind you.
you donât turn, but you know who it is by the sound of his steps.
âmorning,â james says.
âmorning.â
he drops his bag near yours without thinking. starts stretching beside you, mirroring the same warm-up routine. itâs been happening more lately â the unspoken syncing. no conversation needed.
a few minutes later, the rest of them filter in.
keonhoâs loud, as usual. seonghyeon complains about the time. juhoon hums under his breath while fixing the speaker. martin does a quick headcount, nodding once when he sees you all.
âletâs run it once before staff gets here,â he says.
no hesitation.
you take your place automatically.
there was a time when you used to pause, just a fraction of a second, double-checking where you were supposed to stand â afraid of being wrong, afraid of disrupting something already set.
now, your body knows.
the music starts.
and it clicks.
not in a flashy way. not like fireworks. but like gears finally locking into place.
you donât overthink your vocals. your breath control is steady. your movements are sharp without being rigid. when you turn, someone is always there â not colliding, not avoiding, just⊠aligned.
at one point, during a transition, keonhoâs sleeve catches on yours.
without breaking formation, he adjusts, fingers briefly gripping your wrist to pull you through the turn.
itâs instinctive.
later, seonghyeon bumps shoulders with you after a lift, grinning, breathless. ânice.â
you nod back. âyou too.â
james doesnât look at you much during the run.
but you feel him.
always half a step within reach. always where you expect him to be.
when the music ends, the room is silent for a second.
then everyone exhales at once.
âthat,â juhoon says flatly, âfelt good.â
martin nods. âagain.â
staff arrives mid-second run.
you spot them in the mirror â familiar faces, unreadable expressions, tablets in hand. you donât let it rattle you. youâve learned how to perform through the observation, not for it.
by the time the last note fades, sweat is dripping down your spine and your chest is heaving.
thereâs a pause.
then applause.
measured. professional. approving.
âgood,â one of the directors says. âmuch better balance.â
someone else nods. âthe chemistry has improved.â
you donât look at the boys, but you feel the shift â shoulders straightening, tension easing.
âtake five,â martin says once the staff steps out.
the room erupts.
keonho collapses onto the floor dramatically. seonghyeon fans himself with his shirt. juhoon steals someoneâs water bottle. you sit down near the mirror, pulling your hair out of your face.
james drops beside you, offering a towel without looking.
âyou good?â he asks.
âyeah.â
he nods, satisfied, and leans back on his hands.
a little later, during vocal checks, youâre less guarded.
you joke when someone cracks. you laugh when seonghyeon exaggerates a high note and gets called out for it. when martin asks for input on harmonies, you speak up without second-guessing.
âwhat if we layer it instead of pushing volume?â you suggest.
they try it.
it works.
âthatâs better,â martin says. âgood call.â
you shrug like itâs nothing, but your chest warms.
during a break, keonho flops next to you, resting his head briefly on your shoulder.
âiâm dying,â he groans.
you donât move him. just pat his head once. âdrink water.â
he does, obedient.
james watches the interaction with mild amusement, then nudges keonho with his foot. âyouâre crushing her.â
keonho lifts his head. âoh. sorry.â
âitâs fine,â you say.
it is.
touch doesnât feel like something you have to calculate anymore.
especially not when james adjusts your mic pack later without asking â fingers careful, professional, familiar â or when he leans in slightly during feedback, murmuring something only you can hear.
âthat last note? perfect.â
you glance at him. âyouâre biased.â
âiâm accurate,â he replies.
after the evaluation wraps, staff leaves them with a simple, dangerous sentence.
âkeep this energy.â
it lingers in the room after theyâre gone.
on the way back to the dorm, they stop for coffee.
itâs crowded, noisy, normal.
you end up sitting across from juhoon, who pushes a pastry toward you. âyou didnât eat.â
âthanks.â
james orders for the group without discussion, remembering preferences without making a show of it. when the drinks arrive, yours is set in front of you automatically.
you donât comment.
later that night, back at the dorm, youâre sprawled on the living room floor, stretching while seonghyeon plays music from his phone. martinâs on the couch, making notes. keonhoâs practicing choreography in socks.
james sits nearby, back against the coffee table.
you end up talking â actually talking â about debut outfits, about what kind of songs you hope to perform later, about stupid pre-debut fears no one admits out loud.
âwhat if people hate it,â keonho says suddenly.
âthey will,â you say calmly.
everyone looks at you.
you shrug. âsomeone always does.â
thereâs a beat.
then laughter.
âsheâs right,â james says.
you glance at him. heâs already looking at you, expression easy.
later, when things quiet down and everyone drifts off, you stay behind, cleaning up cups.
james does too.
neither of you says much.
itâs comfortable.
as he passes you on the way down the hall, he pauses. not blocking your path. just stopping.
âyou did really well today,â he says.
you meet his eyes. âso did you.â
he smiles â small, genuine â and keeps walking.
you stand there for a second longer, then turn off the light.
the evaluation is over.
morning sunlight spills through the dorm windows, soft and lazy, cutting across the living room floor where keonho is sprawled with his phone, scrolling aimlessly. seonghyeon is perched on the couch, earbuds in, tapping along to a rhythm only he hears. you stretch on the rug nearby, the space feeling calm, almost too calm, a rare reprieve from the usual chaos of practice and evaluations.
âyou guys arenât doing anything?â you ask, voice quiet.
keonho looks up, blinking. âiâm⊠resting,â he mutters.
âyou call that resting?â you tease, gesturing to his sprawled limbs. âyouâre just⊠lying there, wasting time.â
âyeah, what about you?â seonghyeon chimes in, finally removing one earbud. âyouâre just sitting there too.â
âiâm thinking,â you say, stretching your arms above your head. âimportant strategic planning.â
they both stare at you for a beat.
âstrategic planning for what?â keonho asks, eyebrows raised.
you smirk faintly. âfor when you two inevitably mess something up in practice later.â
seonghyeon groans, and keonho laughs. itâs light and easy, not forced. the kind of laugh that makes the room feel warmer than the sunbeam cutting across the floor.
a half hour later, you hear a frustrated groan from seonghyeonâs room. curiosity and concern pull you up. you peek inside to find him sitting cross-legged, notebook open, scribbling furiously. âugh, why canât i get this part right?â he mutters, tapping the page repeatedly.
âmath?â you ask softly, stepping closer.
âyeah, choreography timing math,â he says with a frown. âi donât get it.â
you sit down beside him. âshow me,â you say, leaning over the notebook. your fingers brush his as you point to the notes, and he stiffens slightly. then relaxes when you guide him gently, voice calm and steady. âsee? itâs just a pattern. youâre overthinking.â
he blinks up at you, surprised. âwait⊠that actually makes sense.â
âof course it does,â you murmur, ruffling his hair lightly. âyou just needed someone to slow down with you.â
keonho wanders in mid-explanation, peering over seonghyeonâs shoulder. âohhh⊠sheâs good at this,â he says, impressed.
seonghyeon chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. âyeah, who knew you could⊠be helpful?â
you shrug casually. âbeen around enough people to know frustration doesnât solve problems.â
keonho grins, leaning closer. âiâm gonna keep you around for homework help too.â
you roll your eyes, pinching his cheek lightly. âyou better behave, then.â
later that afternoon, the three of you are sprawled on the couch with snacks, phones in hand, laughing quietly at memes one of the younger members sent. keonho nudges your arm accidentally while grabbing a chip, and you bump him back gently. seonghyeon leans in to show you something on his screen, resting his head on your shoulder for a second before realizing and moving quickly, embarrassed.
âwhat?â you ask, smirking.
ânothing!â he says, eyes wide.
you laugh softly. âyou two are ridiculous.â
keonho grins. âweâre learning from you.â
âabout being weird?â
âno, about⊠i dunno⊠making it fun.â
you pause, then lean back, ruffling both of their hair lightly. âwell, keep it up.â
from the doorway, you notice james leaning against the frame, coffee in hand, pretending to scroll through his phone. his jaw is a little tighter than usual, a small crease between his brows you havenât seen before.
he doesnât comment, just watches quietly as you laugh, ruffle their hair, and whisper little instructions about practice moves for fun.
you glance at him briefly, catching his attention, and he offers a small, almost imperceptible nod before turning away.
evening comes, and the group gathers in the living room to practice a tricky formation together. keonho struggles with one step, over-rotating and stumbling slightly. you step close without thinking, hand on his shoulder for balance.
âokay, slow it down,â you murmur. guiding his foot placement, you demonstrate with him again. he looks up at you, blinking, expression softening. âthanks⊠didnât think youâd care this much.â
âi do,â you reply lightly. âand youâll get it if you focus.â
seonghyeon watches from the side, arms crossed, but a faint smile tugs at his lips. âsheâs way more patient with you than anyone else would be.â
keonho beams.
you shrug, brushing his hair out of his eyes. âyouâre lucky iâm in a good mood.â
later, as they collapse onto the floor from exhaustion, you collapse beside them, stretching out your arms. âi think thatâs enough chaos for today,â you joke.
âchaos?â seonghyeon snorts. âthat was organized chaos.â
you laugh, rolling your eyes, leaning slightly into the space between them. it feels natural, comfortable, like the three of you have been doing this forever.
from the couch, you catch jamesâ reflection in the mirror, watching quietly again. he fidgets with a pen in his hand, glances away when you look, but his attention keeps drifting back. subtle, unnoticed, but there.
later that night, you sit on the floor, notes scattered around you, helping keonho memorize lyrics. your hand brushes his arm as you point to certain words for emphasis. he leans into your side, focused, and mutters a quiet, âwow⊠thanks.â
âdonât thank me yet,â you tease, ruffling his hair. âmemorize it first.â
seonghyeon sprawls across the rug nearby, smirking at how attentive youâve become with the younger members. âi donât even recognize you anymore,â he whispers to keonho. âsheâs⊠softer.â
âi like it,â keonho whispers back. âmakes her easier to talk to.â
you overhear faintly, smiling to yourself, brushing your fingers through keonhoâs hair again absentmindedly. the casual, small touches feel natural now. laughter, whispers, closeness â it all feels right.
james appears at the doorway briefly, coffee cup in hand. he pauses, watching the scene quietly. he doesnât intervene. he doesnât say anything. but when you glance up, he quickly looks away, adjusting his hoodie.
thereâs a flicker of something â maybe jealousy, maybe just awareness. he doesnât realize it himself.
you return to helping keonho and seonghyeon, hair falling over your shoulders, hands brushing lightly against them as they lean closer to understand a rhythm or a lyric. the room is warm, the noise low, and youâre surrounded by people you genuinely care for.
tags : @jellymiki @seulcd @jiyeons-closet @ocyeanicc @hyeon3y @strwbrryjammed @pick-a-funny-name @nanadreamies @nhinhi2299 @heeswifetypeshi















