A/N: Anything (like, full sentences) in italics is in Mandarin (not Korean).

          As the final chords of the song played through the speakers, the heavy panting of thirteen teenagers became glaringly obvious. They held the last pose, eyes staring into the practice room mirror, trying to figure out if they were all in sync before Soonyoung, acting as their choreographer, finally called for a quick break. Within seconds the boys dropped to the ground in relief, silence overtaking the room as they all worshipped the cold hardwood beneath them.

          “Water,” someone croaks, causing heads to turn and look at the box of bottled water in the far corner of the room. There was a brief period of awkward silence as the boys mentally debated who would be the one to give up their rest in order to grab the box, before Seungcheol took it upon himself, as leader and eldest, to get up and move the water bottles. Placing the box in the middle of the room, Seungcheol quickly grabbed a water bottle and retreated as the rest of his team assaulted the innocent bottles.

          “So, what do you think?” Seungcheol turns as Soonyoung plops down beside him. “Last week Mingyu died and I was thinking maybe this week we all die together?”

          “That sounds morbid,” Seungcheol laughs, taking Soonyoung’s suggestion into consideration. It was tough, with Pledis losing money and the weight of their sunbae’s comeback riding on their success, and Seungcheol knew that everyone was under a lot of stress. Nevertheless, they all pulled through. Soonyoung kept making new choreographies, Seungcheol and the rest of the hip hop team wrote and rewrote lyrics, the vocal team practiced until their throats were sore, the performance team practiced harder than anyone else, and Jihoon, the younger boy was probably under the most pressure.

          Seungcheol furrows his eyebrows as Soonyoung nods and goes over to Seokmin and Chan to ask them for their input on his idea. Adore U was a great song and the reception by both the CEO and the public was outstanding, but Seungcheol knew all of that praise would only make Jihoon work harder for their second song. He had often passed by Jihoon’s studio, the light still on even through the dark of night, and he had a growing suspicion that the pink haired producer lied about how many hours he actually slept. When he had shared his concerns with Jeonghan, the long haired boy had shared his concerns but told him to leave Jihoon to his own devices. Jihoon was old enough to understand that his health was just as important as the group’s success and that nagging him would only make things worse. Seungcheol had accepted Jeonghan’s advice but at this moment, he was starting to wonder if Jeonghan was wrong. He watched the group carefully, always observant, and noticed that Jihoon was the only one not fooling around. Of course, everyone was tired, so most of the group was sprawled on the floor, but they all still managed to be active in some way.

          Soonyoung was with Seokmin, Chan, and Seunggwan, talking about the choreography. Well, Chan and Soonyoung were talking about the choreography, Seunggwan was being his normal diva self while Seokmin just nodded and held Soonyoung’s hand. Beside that group were Jisoo, Jeonghan, and the China-line. It looked like Jeonghan was teaching Minghao a new phrase, with Jisoo telling the other three what the sentence was in English, while Junhui acted as a translator when Jeonghan and Jisoo’s Korean got a little too fast. The final three members, Wonwoo, Mingyu, and Hansol, were getting physical in the corner of the room. Mingyu was sprawled over Wonwoo’s legs while Hansol poked Mingyu’s belly repeatedly. Wonwoo was lying on the floor, laughing when Mingyu squirmed, and trying to push Hansol away. Jihoon however, was by himself, right next to the water bottles, fallen on the floor as if he hadn’t moved a muscle since he had forced himself to grab some water. His eyes were closed, with an arm swung over them to block out the glaring overhead light, and his breathing looked a little too forced. As Seungcheol approached the shorter man, he realized that Jihoon was muttering lyrics to himself and tapping a beat on the floor with his free hand.

          “Jihoon,” he starts, but is cut off when Soonyoung calls everyone together to discuss the new choreography he had thought up. Cursing under his breath, Seungcheol swears to talk to Jihoon after practice ended before the two got up and walked over to where Soonyoung and the others were.

          “So since Mingyu died last time,” Soonyoung was saying as Seungcheol sat down next to Mingyu while Jihoon flopped down beside him. “How about we all die together this time?”

          “Is that much of a change?” Mingyu pipes up. “I mean, that only involves me falling down.”

          “We can change other things in the performance too, not just the ending,” Soonyoung explains. “Any ideas?”

          “Maybe we can incorporate our part switch version?” Hansol replies, smirking. “I can take Seunggwan’s ad lib again.”

          “Does this mean I get to rap?” Seunggwan asks a little too excitedly.

          “No,” Seungcheol, Mingyu, and Wonwoo (basically the hip hop unit) chorus, causing Seunggwan to pout and mutter something about how he was a great rapper.

          “Alrighty then,” Soonyoung laughs, “any ideas for next week then?” The conversation continues going back and forth, with members bringing up their own ideas while Soonyoung either accepts, or shoots them down. Before they knew it, it was already late into the night (or early in the morning, whichever way you want to look at it) and Seungcheol dismisses everyone to get washed up. He watches as the younger ones clean up the practice room (he was the oldest so no way he had to clean) and notices that he couldn’t see Jihoon anywhere. Kissing his teeth in annoyance, Seungcheol stands up and walks around, confirming that Jihoon was nowhere to be found before calling for the last members he saw talking to Jihoon.

          “Do you guys know where Jihoon is?” he asks Minghao and Junhui.

          “Should I tell him?” Minghao turns to Junhui, a question in his eyes.

          “No, I think Seungcheol ge should be the one to help him,” Junhui replies. The two Chinese members continue speaking in their mother tongue (much to Seungcheol’s annoyance, all he could pick out was his name) before Junhui turns to him, a knowing look in his eyes. “No, we didn’t see where he went.”

          “Are you sure?” Seungcheol narrows his eyes, giving them his best scrutinizing glare. Jihoon had told him previously that he was pretty intimidating when he needed to be (says him, almost no one wanted to be the one to wake Jihoon up in the morning) and although he didn’t want to be the type of leader who was feared by s, he was getting pretty annoyed with Jihoon’s seemingly lack of concern for his own health and he really needed to have a serious talk with the younger boy.

          “Yes,” Minghao says confidently, staring straight into Seungcheol’s eyes until Seungcheol was the first one to look away. Although Minghao seemed like an innocent and pure child to the fans, Seungcheol was more than aware of the b-boy’s background. Minghao was not someone you wanted to piss off, which made him a good friend but Seungcheol wasn’t stupid. He knew when to back down.

          “Okay,” Seungcheol responds, leaving the two Chinese boys by themselves. Looking around, Seungcheol sighs, before smacking himself on the forehead. Where else would Jihoon be if he wasn’t in the practice room? The studio of course! Seungcheol leaves the room, remembering to change his shoes, and speed walks to Jihoon’s studio. He arrives there in under five minutes and is about to knock on the door when he hears a voice speak.

          “How’s the new song going Jihoon ssi?” Stepping back at the sound of their manager’s voice, Seungcheol retreats far enough to hear the conversation yet be able to run if the door were to open.

          “I have a couple melodies that I’m still working on,” Jihoon replies tiredly, “right now I have two songs that I’m thinking about.”

          “Interesting,” the manager responds. “But still, remember that the song has to pass all the requirements. Actually, there’s a trend right now for boy groups to go into hip hop so maybe the song should lean towards that genre.” Seungcheol flinches as the manager practically tells Jihoon what kind of song he wants to be produced. The best feeling in the Adore U promotions was that it was their own work. The song was their own, the dance was their own, even their greeting and speech patterns were their own. They had been a part of everything from beginning to end so everyone in Seventeen had felt a sense of pride in performing. Now however, Seungcheol frowns, it seems that management was trying to control their creative flow. Adore U had been successful enough, but with bands like BTS gaining popularity due to their strong, hip hop genre, Seungcheol was worried that Pledis would force them to change their image.

          “I’ll think about it,” Jihoon says softly at the end of the manager’s speech. The door opens, causing Seungcheol to hide in one of the connecting hallways, and he hears the manager walk away. Soon after, Seungcheol hears Jihoon sigh and leave the room as well. Confused, Seungcheol waits a little while before following Jihoon. He soon arrives back at the practice room. The lights were dimmed as everyone else had already gone back to the dorm and, when he peeks in, Jihoon is standing in the middle of the room, staring straight at his reflection in the mirror. He watches as Jihoon mouths words to himself – it was impossible to read his lips at Seungcheol’s angle – but there was no mistaking the stress in his eyes and the weight of Seventeen’s success on his shoulders.

          “Jihoon,” Seungcheol finally musters the courage to call out to the younger boy, as he sneaks into the practice room. He almost trips when Jihoon turns around to look at him, tears streaming down his face and a lost expression upon his face. His eyes look up hauntingly and Seungcheol is reminded of a small puppy he had found when he was a child. It had been a sunny, happy day, but the puppy had been abandoned and injured. It had looked up at Seungcheol, lost and kicked, as if it had seen the worst in the world and couldn’t trust again.

          “What are you doing here,” Jihoon whispers, voice rough from disuse. “No one’s supposed to be here. Everyone’s supposed to be at the dorm.”

          “Everyone includes you Jihoonie,” Seungcheol responds, stopping in front of the younger man.

          “No it doesn’t,” Jihoon denies, shaking his head slowly. “I’m different. Isolated from the others. They don’t have the stress I do. They don’t have managers and producers knocking on their door every hour asking if I finished the song or if I made the changes that they suggested. They don’t have the weight of Seventeen’s success on their shoulders. They don’t have to deal with the judging eyes of the public when a new song comes out. They don’t have to deal with any of that. But I do.”

          “Jihoon,” Seungcheol says, heart breaking when Jihoon’s shoulders begin to shake as the emotions and thoughts he had been repressing came flowing out.

          “No one has to deal with it. I’m the one who has to write melodies and mix tunes while the sun comes up. I’m the one who has to write lyrics that accommodates everyone’s singing style. I’m the one who has to make beats so the hip hop unit can write their own lyrics, but even then I’m the one who has to create the final product,” Jihoon sniffs, tears streaming down his face at this point and Seungcheol is pretty sure the younger boy hasn’t really registered that he was spilling his heart out.

          “Jihoon,” Seungcheol states, voice still soft, but a little louder and more assertive this time. Jihoon’s voice catches, but he continues to release his worries.

          “It feels good, sure, when people compliment my songs. They say that it’s great that a teenager produced it but that’s the thing. I’m nineteen. I signed up to be an idol but I didn’t sign up for all this stress. I wanted to sing and dance and produce my own music. I didn’t want to bull lyrics and only make music that the public wants to hear. I wanted to make music that I wanted to write and have the public learn to like my own style.”

          “Jihoon!” Seungcheol cuts into Jihoon’s words, reaching forward to pull the younger boy to his chest. He feels Jihoon’s knees shake before the two members end up on the floor, Seungcheol leaning against the mirror, with Jihoon clutching onto the elder’s shirt. They stay like that for what feels like an eternity. With Jihoon holding onto Seungcheol’s shirt as if he was going to float away if he let go while Seungcheol wrapped his strong arms around the smaller boy’s frame.

          “S-sorry,” Jihoon says finally, pulling away from Seungcheol’s shirt, even though the two were still embracing. Jihoon leans back, back resting comfortably between Seungcheol’s knees, and he avoids looking into the older boy’s eyes.

          “Jihoon, are you stupid?” Seungcheol asks after Jihoon wipes his tears with his long sleeves. The pink haired boy flinches, looking up at Seungcheol sharply. “I don’t mean it but,” Seungcheol explains, eyes softening. “You can’t really think you’re alone right?”

          “U-uhm,” Jihoon blanks, suddenly feeling embarrassed for pouring his heart out in front of his best friend.

          “Listen Jihoonie,” Seungcheol shifts forward, so he was level with Jihoon’s face. “You’re doing the best you can, and all of us know that. Don’t tell me you’re not noticing it. The way Chan and Hansol make sure not to include you in their pranks. They way the Jeonghan and Jisoo check in on you regularly to make sure you’re eating and getting enough exercise. The way Seokmin, Soonyoung, and Seunggwan try to cheer you up when you leave the studio. The way Wonwoo and Mingyu ask if you want a massage after practice. The way Junhui and Minghao tell you stories about their life back in China because you told them that one time that it helped you think of lyrics.”

          “...” Jihoon lapses into a soft silence, returning Seungcheol’s earnest stare with one of disbelief.

          “Jihoon,” Seungcheol says quietly, cupping Jihoon’s soft face with his hand. “You’re not alone. We’re all working hard. Performance unit is doing their best to make choreos to match your songs. Vocal unit is trying to make their own songs to help relieve your burden. And hip hop unit, we’re, I’m, working as hard as I can to make things easier for you when you make songs.”

          “I know,” Jihoon whispers, “but I still can’t help but feel worthless and alone.”

          “Then speak up,” Seungcheol rests his forehead against Jihoon’s. “Tell anyone, I’m always going to have time for you Jihoonie, you know that. You’re special to me, even if you don’t realize it, and seeing you cry hurts my heart.”

          “That’s cheesy,” Jihoon laughs, hitting Seungcheol’s chest.

          “I’m always cheesy,” Seungcheol responds, smiling when Jihoon’s previous frown transformed into a beautiful grin.

          “You are,” Jihoon agrees, worries slowly disappearing the longer he stayed in Seungcheol’s arms.

          “But I mean it,” Seungcheol says after the laughing dies down. “I’ll be here for you, we all will. That’s what Seventeen is, that’s why we debuted as a group, not as soloist. Because we can go through the hardships, the pain, and the happiness together. Not alone, you hear me Jihoon? Together.”

This was supposed to be fluffy and cute but it kinda... turned dark and serious. Which is weird, because usually I try to write serious things and they turn out to be humorous and adorable. I think this actually may be my first serious oneshot... Not including my fics ‘cause my other fic is going to get serious real soon. *evil laughing*

Anyways, this was requested by Lissette18. Her prompt was: JiCheol – practice room. It’s also her birthday today (August 28) so happy birthday! I hope you like this; it’s my birthday present to you aha. Happy whatever age you’re turning. Hopefully I didn’t make your birthday too serious or sad, the fic just kind of turned out like this...

This is also cross posted on my Tumblr.

In any case, thanks for reading and I do not own anything in this story other than the idea and plot, any similarities to other works of fiction are purely coincidental or have been used as sources of inspiration. Please do not repost this anywhere without my permission; plagiarism isn’t nice!

Hope you’re smiling!

~ Alateni