#switch!leeknow

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leaving early had become his new routine.

minho would leave before his alarm even went off, get back late, and even wait in the stairwell until he heard your door close. texting was the only way you’d communicate.

it should've made things easier.

it didn't.

every sound you made, he noticed. your door opening. the shower running. your footsteps in the kitchen. he’d catch himself listening, then get pissed for caring. 

you were just his roommate. his dance partner.

that's it.

he really tried to believe that.

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practice was torture. he had to pretend everything was normal.

before, the tension with you was fun in a weird way—all the arguing and the stares seeing who could push harder. now he just felt like he was going through the motions. you were technically perfect, hitting every beat, but you wouldn't even look at him.

and that pissed him off more than any argument he ever had with you.

he caught himself staring during water breaks. watching you laugh at hyunjin's jokes, how you stretched between runs, your face when you were concentrating.

normal things he'd seen a million times. he couldn't ignore them anymore.

"you good?" felix asked, following his gaze.

minho looked away, "yeah. i'm fine."

"you sure? you seem kinda—"

"i'm fine." minho cut him off, drinking from his water bottle, "just focused."

felix looked skeptical but dropped it.

across the room, hyunjin pulled you aside. minho watched you shake your head, brush it off, and something twisted in his stomach.

nothing was fine.

he paced in his room that night like he'd lost his mind.

this was so stupid. He was being stupid.

you were just—you. annoying and stubborn and way too good at calling him out. that's all you'd ever been. hooking up once didn't change anything. It shouldn't.

but it did.

now when you argued with him, he didn't just want to argue back. he wanted to shut you up by kissing you. when you nailed a move in practice, he didn't just feel competitive—he felt proud.  when you avoided looking at him, it didn't make him angry.

it just hurt.

minho sat on his bed and put his head in his hands.

he liked you.

not in the competitive way he'd been telling himself was normal. actually liked you. wanted to hear what you thought about random shit. wanted to make you laugh on purpose instead of by accident. wanted to wake up next to you and not pretend it never happened.

he'd never felt like this about anyone. he had no idea what to do with it.

he tried talking to you. multiple times.

he'd hear you in the kitchen and force himself to go out there. but then he'd see you and completely blank. he'd say "hey," grab whatever, and run back to his room.

every single time.

he kept telling himself to talk to you, it wasn't that hard.

except it was.

what if you really did want to forget it? what if he said something and made everything worse? what if you looked at him like he was crazy and the rest of the semester became completely unbearable?

he couldn't stop thinking about all the ways it could go wrong.

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the next day, felix and hyunjin worked on their part, then left you and Minho alone to run the duet.

Minho's stomach dropped.

the music started. the opening was fine—his body knew what to do. for a few seconds, everything felt normal.

then the lift.

his hands found your waist automatically. he'd done this a hundred times. 

and then you looked at him.

he froze.

he forgot the next move. forgot the music was still playing. forgot where he was. all he could see was you—how close you were, the look in your eyes, your lips parting.

"you're supposed to turn me," you said quietly.

oh. right.

"right. yeah."

he turned you, set you down carefully. his hands stayed on your waist before he made himself let go and stepped back.

you both finished the routine but minho could still feel where he'd touched you.

this was getting bad.

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when practice ended, felix and Hyunjin left. minho watched you pack up your stuff, watched you head for the door.

he couldn't let you leave again. not without at least trying to—

"you coming?" you asked.

now. just say something.

"in a minute," he said. "i want to run through something."

you stopped. his heart jumped.

please don't go.

"want help?"

yes.

“no, i—"

just fucking say it.

he stopped. took a breath. actually looked at you.

"actually, can we talk?"

you looked surprised, then careful "okay."

you dropped your bag and walked towards him, keeping your distance.

minho stared at the floor. how did he even start this?

"i've been thinking about what you said," he started. "about forgetting it happened."

you tensed.

"yeah?"

"i can't." once he started he couldn't stop, "i tried. i really fucking tried."

"minho—"

"and it's driving me crazy because i don't—i've never...i don't know how to do this. whatever this is."

"i'm not following," you said.

he made himself look at you.

"i can't stop thinking about you. and i don't mean just... that. i mean you."

your face changed but he couldn't read it.

"'the way you call me out on my shit. how you push back. how you—” he stopped, frustrated.

"i like you. and i don't know what to do with that."

silence.

"you... like me?"

"apparently." he laughed. "which is really inconvenient."

"inconvenient?"

"well yeah. you're you. i'm me. we argue about everything."

you almost smiled. "argued. past tense."

"we haven't argued because i've been avoiding you."

"i noticed."

"did you also notice i've been going insane trying to act normal around you?"

you moved closer. sat down next to him. close enough that he could feel the warmth coming off you.

"kind of, yeah."

his chest felt tight.

"for what it's worth," you said, "i haven't been able to forget it either."

wait. what?

"i just thought... you wanted to. so I was trying to respect that." he reluctantly responded.

"i only said that because i thought that was what you wanted."

all the avoiding, all the careful distance—you'd both just been—

"we're idiots," you said.

"yeah." minho let out a sigh. "Fuck."

you both sat there.

"so... what now?" you asked.

minho had no idea."i don't know."

"okay."

"i've never—" he stopped. "i don't really know how to do this."

"do what?"

"any of this." he gestured vaguely between you. "i'm not good at... whatever this is supposed to be."

you were quiet for a second. "yeah. me neither."

"we should probably get out of here," you said, standing up and grabbing your bag. "it's late."

minho got up too, his legs stiff from sitting on the floor. the walk back to the dorm was quiet, but not the bad kind of quiet from before. just... quiet.

when you got back, you both stood in the living room.

"so," you said.

"so."

"i'm gonna go to bed."

"yeah. me too."

you shifted your bag on your shoulder. "i should—yeah. sleep."

"yeah."

silence.

"this is still weird," you said.

"i know."

you nodded, then started toward your room. minho watched you go, his hands shoved in his pockets.

you stopped at your door, hand on the handle. "hey."

he looked up.

"i'm glad you said something."

before he could respond, you slipped into your room and closed the door.

he didn't know what tomorrow would look like. but you weren't avoiding each other anymore.

that was something.

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(readers pov)

every time you closed your eyes, you replayed the conversation.

minho saying he liked you. his voice cracking when he admitted he didn't know what to do with it.

you rolled over and stared at the wall.

this was real. this was actually happening.

and in two days, you'd have to perform. the retake. the one chance to fix everything and not let the entire group fail because you and minho couldn't get your shit together.

except now you had other things to figure out.

you groaned into your pillow. 

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morning came too fast.

you could hear minho moving around in the kitchen when you finally dragged yourself out of bed. for a second, you considered waiting until he left. 

but that's not what you were doing anymore.

you took a breath and opened your door.

minho was making coffee, his back to you. he turned when he heard you come in, and you both just… stood there.

"hey," he said.

"hey."

he looked tired. there were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was messier than usual.

"coffee?" he offered, holding up the pot.

"yeah. Thanks."

he poured you a cup and slid it across the counter. your fingers brushed when you took it, and you both pretended not to notice.

"we have practice in an hour," you said, because someone had to say something.

"yeah." He leaned against the counter. "are you nervous?"

"a little bit. you?"

"a little bit."

the silence wasn't uncomfortable exactly, just new.

"it's gonna be fine," minho said, looking at you. "we still have today to get it perfect."

"i know."

"so don't overthink it."

you drank your coffee, and he drank his. it felt almost normal.

"i should get ready," you said eventually.

"yeah. Me too."

you rinsed your cup in the sink, very aware of how close he was standing. 

when you turned around, he was right there.

"we're good, right?" he asked quietly.

"we're good."

he nodded, looking relieved. "okay. good."

you went back to your room to get dressed, and when you came out, minho was already waiting by the door with both your bags.

the walk to campus felt different. minho walked next to you instead of ahead or behind, and you kept catching him glancing over at you.

"what?" you asked the third time you caught him.

"nothing." but he was almost smiling.

"you're being weird."

"i'm not being weird."

"you keep looking at me."

"so? you're looking at me too."

you didn't really have time to argue.

by the time you got to the building, your hands were sweaty. not just about practice, but about everything. 

about how felix and hyunjin were definitely going to notice.

felix and hyunjin were already in the practice room, stretching and warming up.

"there you are," felix said, looking between you and minho. "everything good?"

"yeah," you both said at the same time.

hyunjin's eyes narrowed. "okay, that was suspicious."

"we're fine," minho said, dropping his bag and starting to stretch.

you joined them on the floor, going through your usual warm-up routine. 

everything felt normal—stretching, complaining about how sore you were,

felix talking about something that happened in his other class. 

"alright," felix said after a while. "let’s run through the whole thing. we have two days, but I want to make sure we're solid."

the music started, and you fell into formation.

the group sections went smoothly. everyone hit their marks, the transitions were clean. then it was time for the duet.

you and minho moved into position, and for a split second, you made eye contact.

the music shifted, and you started dancing.

it was different this time. not just technically good, but real. 

every movement felt connected, like you were actually dancing with him instead of just next to him. when he lifted you, his hands were steady and sure. when you landed, you trusted he'd be there.

the chemistry that had been missing for days was back, but it wasn't the angry, competitive energy from before. it was something else. something that made your chest feel tight and your heart race for reasons that had nothing to do with the choreography.

you finished the final pose, breathing hard, his hand still holding yours.

the music stopped.

felix and hyunjin were staring.

"holy shit," hyunjin said.

"what did you guys do?" felix asked, looking genuinely confused. "that was—that was actually incredible."

"we just practiced," minho said, letting go of your hand slowly.

"that wasn't just practice," hyunjin said, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "that was like— actual chemistry. did you guys have sex or something?"

your face went hot. "what? No—"

"i’m just saying!" hyunjin held up his hands, "the energy is completely different. you guys went from not looking at each other to... that." he gestured at both of you.

"we just talked," you said quickly. "that's all."

"talked." hyunjin repeated.

"yes. talked." minho's ears were red. "can we move on?"

felix looked between you both. "right. yeah. whatever works." he cleared his throat. "just— keep doing it. that was actually really good."

"thank you," you and minho said at the same time, which made hyunjin grin.

"adorable," hyunjin muttered.

"shut up," minho said.

"let’s run it one more time," felix suggested quickly. "just to make sure."

the second run was just as good. by the end of practice, felix looked relieved and hyunjin had mostly stopped making comments.

"okay," felix said as you all packed up. "we’re meeting up at six tomorrow. don’t be late."

you grabbed your stuff as you headed out.

"that was awkward," you muttered once felix and hyunjin were out of sight.

"yeah."

"hyunjin’s never gonna let it go."

the walk back to the dorm was quiet, but not the uncomfortable kind from before. you kept stealing glances at each other, and every time your hands brushed, neither of you pulled away.

minho unlocked the door and you both stepped inside. he dropped his bag by the couch, and you did the same. you just stood there in the middle of the living room.

"so," you said.

"so."

he was looking at you in that way again—the way that made your heart race.

"we should probably rest," you sighed, even though you didn't move. "big day tomorrow."

"Yeah." He took a step closer, "Probably should."

but he didn't move toward his room either.

the space between you felt electric. you could feel your pulse in your throat.

"minho—"

he closed the distance, hand cupping your face.

you grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer to kiss him.

he made a soft sound against your mouth. his hands found your waist, gripping tight.

this wasn't like the first time—all anger and frustration. this was slower, deeper. you backed him up until he hit the wall, and his breath hitched.

"oh," he breathed out when you pulled back slightly.

you kissed along his jaw, down his neck, and felt him shiver. his fingers tightened on your hips.

"wait—" his voice came out shaky. "we shouldn't—"

you pulled back to look at him. his lips were already swollen, face flushed, eyes dark.

"shouldn’t what?"

"do anything the day before a competition," he managed, though his hands hadn't let go of you

you raised an eyebrow. 

"it'll mess with our energy. performance stamina.” he was rambling. "we should probably—"

you kissed him again, swallowing whatever he was about to say. he pressed against the wall, head falling back when you bit down gently on his bottom lip

"you were saying?" you murmured against his mouth.

"i—fuck—" his breath was uneven. "we really shouldn't."

"okay." You pulled back and he whined. "we'll stop."

"yeah. we should stop." but his hands slid up your back, pulling you closer again.

"minho."

"i know, i know." he kissed you anyway, soft and desperate. "just—one more minute."

one minute turned into five, then ten. you were fully making out against the wall now, his hands in your hair, your fingers tracing the line of his jaw. Every time one of you tried to pull away, the other would chase after them.

"okay," you said, breathless, finally stepping back. "we really need to stop."

Minho nodded, chest rising and falling rapidly. his hair was a mess from your fingers, lips red and swollen. "yeah. performance tomorrow."

"right. performance."

you both stared at each other.

"i should go to my room," he said, not moving.

"probably a good idea."

he pushed off the wall, took two steps toward his room, then turned back. 

"one more?"

you rolled your eyes but you were already moving toward him. "you have no self-control."

"says the person who pushed me against the wall."

"you liked it."

“didn’t say I didn't,” he pulled you in and kissed you.

when you finally broke apart, he looked dazed. you smiled sheepishly at the look on his face.

"you good there?"

"shut up," he muttered. "okay. I'm actually going now."

"sure you are."

"i am!" he backed toward his room, nearly tripping over his bag. "stop looking at me like that."

"like what?"

"like—you know what. just stop."

you grinned. "good night, minho."

"yeah, yeah. night." he paused at his door. "try not to dream about me."

"oh my god, get out of here."

he laughed and disappeared into his room. you heard the door close, then a thud— like he'd fallen onto his bed.

tomorrow was going to be interesting.

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read chapter four here.

a/n: surely chapter 4 will come out quicker.....surely....

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