Seungcheol knows that he never stood a chance.

So he simply watches.

He feels the familiar stab in his heart whenever the two were together, and damn if his heart isn’t mangled as hell, with all those metaphorical stab wounds. He watches as their faces light up with matching smiles spreading evenly from their lips to the sparkle in their eyes as they look at each other, arms casually slung on the other’s shoulders.

And then the cameras would roll, and the pretty long-haired boy would snap back to Seungcheol’s side, because they both know what the fans want.

Jeonghan would smile at him and the fans would cheer; a smile that seemed genuine enough, but it was nothing compared to the happiness that overflowed in his face whenever he locked eyes with Hong Jisoo. He could touch Seungcheol’s face, hug him, even kiss him on the cheek, but it seemed insignificant compared to even the faintest brushing of fingers between the two best friends, a touch that seemed to transmit electric currents even across the room.

Seungcheol notices, he always does, when Jeonghan would pause just before the obligatory fanservice with Seungcheol, and shift his gaze ever so slightly to the cat-eyed boy in the background. Seungcheol would follow his gaze to see the same boy smiling, eyes crinkling in amusement as he watches his two best friends in the group interact. He cheers them on with everyone else. Not jealous at all, it seems, like he doesn’t even care that Jeonghan, the guy who is clearly in love with him, is being paired up with someone else by their beloved fans.

He could feel the disappointment radiating from Jeonghan as he leans in for a hug with the leader. If he could talk to Jeonghan about this, he would tell him not to worry, because the lack of jealousy expressed by Jisoo only means that Jisoo feels secure, confident enough with their relationship, knows to put all his faith and trust in the pretty boy. Obviously, Jisoo loves Jeonghan back—everybody in the team knows that. Everyone, it seemed, except Jeonghan himself.

Seungcheol knows. Hell, he’d accepted it long ago, because even from the start, it was Jeonghan and Jisoo, and Jisoo and Jeonghan, and no one else.

Not even the egging of their fans, who gave them purpose in every single performance they had onstage, could change that. Even if they want Seungcheol together with Jeonghan, it won’t ever happen, because Jeonghan is meant to be with Jisoo. That’s just the way it is.

And yet, Seungcheol couldn’t help but feel the familiar stab when, as his eyes follow Jeonghan’s just before the fanservice, he catches sight of the gentleman. His beautiful pink lips are curling into a grin, a reassuring, loving twinkle in his feline eyes directly aimed at Jeonghan. Like he was the only person in the world.

Like Seungcheol doesn’t even exist.

But Seungcheol swallows the lump forming in his throat, eases his expression into a smile, and starts cuddling with Jeonghan anyway, even though the boy he aches for—the boy they both want, but only one is allowed to have—sits in the background and simply watches from afar.

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A/N bet you didn't expect the cheolsoo, eh? I dunno, angsty jeongcheol is fine, I guess, but cheolsoo is just ahhhh