“I can’t believe you’re letting them you into this,” Woozi sneers as you both sit down in the circle of members.

“Oh, come on baby, it’s a game. It’ll be fun. Unless you’re…,” you raise your eyebrow and stare at your boyfriend. “…jealous.”

Woozi scoffs and crosses his arms. He flicks his chin up at you and looks down his nose to meet your gaze. “Jealous? Sometimes, maybe. But not with these fools.”

With a laugh, you jokingly shove his shoulder. “It’s fine, baby. If you don’t want me to play, I won’t play. But just so you know, I’M not gonna get jealous here.”

Glaring at you, Woozi replies, “You’re trying to be the bigger person here, aren’t you?” He takes a moment to compose himself before continuing with his dramatic character. “Look here, missy. In this relationship, that is the relationship that consists of (Y/N) and Woozi, Woozi will always be the bigger person. Granted it’s by like 3 inches, but I WILL ALWAYS BE THE BIGGER PERSON. I WILL NOT BE JEALOUS!” You can’t help but chuckle at his obviously artificial persona. Who he’s channeling, you have no idea, but it’s still pretty cute. Woozi looks over his shoulder into the kitchen area. “Seungcheol-hyung, are we ready yet?” he calls out.

“Yes, yes, children, we’re ready!” he blurts out, running into the center of the ring with three packets of Pocky sticks in one hand and a water bottle in the other. “Okay, you all know the rules. Each person spins the bottle and whoever it lands on is your partner for the Pepero game. Remember, each person holds one end of the Pocky in their mouth. In this version, we’re playing with Pocky so you just have to eat it so there’s no more chocolate on the stick. Try to get it as short as possible. Any questions?”

Joshua’s hand shoots up. Seungcheol points to him. “Yes, Jisoo-ah.”

“Who gets to eat the chocolate part?”

“Whoever spins the bottle will do the eating. We’ll do it sitting down so it’s easier for everyone to see. And we’re gonna limit it to 30 seconds. If you fail, then both of you will be removed from the circle. Last two people will pick a partner amongst the losers and whoever gets it the shortest, wins,” Seungcheol finishes explaining. He turns to you and gives a reassuring look. “And (Y/N), it’s totally cool if you don’t want to play because you’re uncomfortable or anything…”

You smile, smitten by him prioritizing your comfort, and clap your hands together. “Let’s do this!”

Everyone cheers as Seungcheol takes his seat by Jeonghan and gets the game started. He flicks his wrist and sends the bottle spiraling on the ground. You glance over at Woozi who’s anxiously waiting for the outcome. Your boyfriend’s not the biggest fan of games like these, but with the members he’ll gladly participate. After a few seconds, the spinning slows down and the tip of the bottle points to…

“MINGHAO!!” everyone shouts. Clearly having a good time, the members hoot and holler as Minghao buries his face into his knees. Seungkwan next to him shakes him by the shoulder. “Ah, Minghao-hyung, don’t be the first pair to get out!” As the laughing drags on, Seungcheol crawls back to the middle and sits cross legged, a contained smile on his face. “Aish!” Minghao exclaims, closing his eyes and throwing his head back.

“Come on, the8,” Seungcheol urges. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

An uproar of laughter fills the room as Minghao slowly makes his way to the center. He copies Seungcheol’s pose so their knees are touching. “Please don’t mess up.”

Seungcheol opens the first box of Pocky, tears the plastic packaging, and takes out the first stick. “Set it up.”

Minghao takes the Pocky and cautiously places it between his teeth. As uncomfortable as he may have seemed initially, Minghao tries really hard to stay steady through his giggles. The members and you inch closer as Seungcheol starts to attach himself to the other end. “Yah, stay still!”

“I’m trying!” Minghao argues, speaking through his teeth.

Seungcheol steadies the Pocky with his bottom lip before gripping it with his teeth. “Ready, Jeonghan?”

Jeonghan’s holding Seungcheol’s phone with the timer. He raises his hand. “1…2…3!”

Seungcheol starts rapidly eating the Pocky until he gets about midway. The crowd is screaming and watching nervously as he slows down. Poor Minghao has his eyes shut as he tries to not twitch. Laser-focused, Seungcheol gently chomps down on the next few pieces. As he approaches the end of the chocolate, his lips get closer and closer to Minghao’s, causing everyone else to holler. Jun yells, “Seungcheol-hyung, don’t screw up!”

With one final nibble, Seungcheol flings his head back and gives a sigh of relief. “Done!”

Minghao opens his eyes as everyone applauds. He drops the remaining stump of Pocky into his hand, proof that they succeeded. “Good job, hyung!” He tosses the piece up and Seungcheol catches it in his mouth as he flashes a thumbs-up.

“Very impressive. You got that in 20 seconds,” Jeonghan comments, showing him the time.

Seungcheol chuckles and nods his head up. “You’re next, Jeonghannie.” You’re just going in order by age with you at the end, even though you’re not the youngest amongst everyone.

“Let’s go, Jeonghan-hyung!” Hoshi cries as everyone joins him. Jeonghan spins the bottle and it lands on…

“Why am I not surprised?” Woozi says, sarcastically.

“JOSHUA, YEAH!” Wonwoo yells, pumping his fists in the air.

Joshua shakes his head as he comes forward. “Why, hyung?! I wanted to eat the Pocky!”

Jeonghan laughs as they get into position. Joshua takes out a stick and places it between his smile. “Don’t screw up.”

Jeonghan carefully does the same to the other side. “We can do this. Fighting!”

“Fighting!” you all shout.

Woozi leans into you and whispers, “I’m glad this one didn’t land on you.”

“What? You’re that threatened by Jeonghan?” you tease.

Woozi puts his hands up. “Again, not threatened by anyone. But Jeonghan-hyung’s the second worst guy you could’ve been put up against.”

“Who’s the first?”

Woozi doesn’t answer. He’s too busy refocusing his attention on Jeonghan and Jisoo’s round. Jeonghan is right at the end when Joshua flinches. Thankfully, before any damage is done, Jeonghan grabs Joshua’s head and keeps him from moving any further. “Don’t move!” As Jeonghan comes in closer, it truly looks like a scene from a drama. “AHHH!” everyone screams as you all simultaneously cringe. Woozi’s hands curl around his face as Jeonghan moves back from Joshua’s lips. Both of them are in a laughing fit as Seungcheol exams their piece. “CLEAR!”

Everyone claps as the two high-five. Mingyu pats him on the back. “You’re up again, hyung.”

Joshua reaches for the bottle. “At least I get to eat this time.”

A few more rounds go by with even more shouting and laughing and cringing. Members are starting to get ousted. Mingyu and Wonwoo failed to pass thanks to their inability to stay still when interacting with each other. Jun and Jeonghan also failed because of Jun’s slow eating skills. Hoshi and DK are out because…well, he’s Hoshi. His overshooting confidence made him break after the first bite. Woozi and Seungkwan were eliminated because Woozi refused to get any closer to Seungkwan, who had purposely perked his lips just to bother his hyung. Somehow, to Woozi’s pleasure, you’ve managed to not get picked up until now. All that’s left are you, Vernon, Seungcheol, Dino, Joshua, and Minghao. “Okay, (Y/N)! You’re finally up!” Hoshi cheers.

Woozi’s behind you, rubbing your shoulders, pumping you for your turn. “You can do this baby. Everyone here’s safe except for one.”

“Who’s this ‘one’ you’re talking about?” Dino asks.

Woozi puts his finger to his lips. “Shh, let’s hope he won’t be revealed.”

You all laugh as you lean over and spin the bottle. After 5…6…7…8 rotations, it finally starts to slow down. Behind you can hear Woozi mutter, “Anyone but, anyone but, anyone but…”

“VERNON!” the crowd yells, clapping and hooting.

Woozi’s head slams into you’re back. “Are you freakin’ kidding me?”

Everyone laughs as Vernon clutches his stomach to contain his excitement. He points to Woozi. “Yah! Hyung, why am I the one to worry about?”

Woozi looks up and glares at him. “Don’t look at me with your pretty eyes and adorable, gummy smile, Hansol Chwe! What person, not just girl but person, would be able to resist your devilish charm?!” The whole room is in a frenzy as you and Vernon sit in front of each other. You can feel Woozi’s stare on your neck, so you turn and smile. “If you’re jealous, Jihoonie, I can always stop,” you mock with a wink.

He flashes a fake smile. “No, no, go ahead. Win this for the both of us.”

You smirk and turn back to Vernon, who’s enjoying this as much as you are. “You good?” he asks, placing his hands on your knees.

Before you say anything, Woozi comes swooping over your lap. “Hey, hey, none of that!” He quickly shoves Vernon’s hands off and retracts to his seat, which is about an inch from you. No one in the room can contain themselves, laughing at Woozi and his blatant jealousy. Through a laugh, you manage to say, “Let’s get this done.”

Seungcheol hands Vernon a Pocky stick and he puts it between his teeth. “Ready when you are.”

You look over at Woozi, who’s just staring intensely at your lips. Chuckling, you clench down on the other end. “Seungcheol, tell us when to start.”

“Ready…go!”

Even before you start moving, you hear the others chanting, “(Y/N)! VERNON! (Y/N)! VERNON!” A huge grin on your face, you look over at Vernon who has the same expression. You begin to chew on the chocolate covered end when all of a sudden…SNAP!

Woozi’s hand comes flying and immediately chops the Pocky stick in half before you could make any progress. Other than you, Vernon, and Woozi, the others are breaking out into a mess of chaotic laughter. The type where you can’t breath and all you can do is hug yourself to try and stop. You two stare at Woozi, who only has a satisfied grin on his face. “YAH!” you scream. “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!”

Vernon loses it too at this point and joins the others in their madness. Woozi grabs your chin between his thumb and index finger and pulls you closer. His nose against yours, he smirks and whispers, “Only I get to be this close to you.” You both close your eyes as he passes the boundary of any Pocky stick, pressing your lips together.

On the ground, Vernon yells, “LIKE I WAS GONNA GET THAT CLOSE TO HER!”