Kihyun cleans up the dirty dishes after dinner, Changkyun picking up the plates and bowls and placing them in the sink before scurrying off to watch TV with the others. Hyunwoo stays behind and dries the clean dishes before stacking them on the counter to put away. They work in a comfortable silence, content to just be in each other's presence. Sounds from the living room float into the kitchen, raucous laughter filling Kihyun’s ears. He can’t help but laugh affectionately at their obnoxious behavior.

“Kihyunnie,” Hyunwoo murmurs, low enough for only Kihyun to hear. Kihyun glances over curiously at the older, silently prompting him to continue. “Are you sure Hoseok is doing alright? You noticed today how he worked himself ragged, I’m sure. That, along with how reserved he’s been lately… It makes me worry.”

Kihyun smiles over at him. He can’t help but smile whenever this side of Hyunwoo shows itself, the incredibly considerate side that only shows itself on camera every once in a while. It’s one of the more endearing qualities of his, this silent weariness for the health of the members under his leadership. It’s partly why, Kihyun came to realize as he grew to know Hyunwoo better, that he’s always been so hesitant as group leader. He didn’t want to make a call that ended up getting someone hurt.

Hyunwoo looks over at Kihyun, wondering why the shorter had suddenly become so quiet. Kihyun flashes him a dimpled grin, shrugging as he pushes his thoughts to the side and focuses on the conversation at hand.

“He is overworking himself,” he says, “but I don’t know if we’d be able to force him to lighten up. We can talk to him about it as much as we want, but that won’t do much unless he recognizes the problem and fixes it himself.” Hyunwoo hums thoughtfully, returning his gaze to the dishes before him. “All we can really do for now is keep an eye on him, make sure he takes breaks during practices and keeps himself hydrated and rested.” He sets a comforting hand on Hyunwoo’s arm, a slight tingling sensation coming from his fingertips upon touching the soft arm.

“With everyone keeping an eye on him,” he finishes, “there’s no need to worry. We’re a family, we keep each other in check. He’ll be fine in the end.” Hyunwoo smiles gratefully at Kihyun, kissing the top of his head lovingly. He always knew the right things to say, and Hyunwoo loved him for it.

Minhyuk comes into the kitchen, grabs some snacks, and goes back to the living room without saying a word. Kihyun watches him, having to bite his tongue at nagging the older for eating too much. It’s a good thing that he’s eating so much, Kihyun silently reminds himself. He and Hyungwon have been wanting to gain weight for a while now, so they’re finally living up to their wish.

The two finish cleaning soon enough, and join the others with a few more snacks in their arms. The group falls asleep on the couch that night, the sound of the TV lulling each of them into a deep sleep one by one.

The next morning, Kihyun is the first to wake up, as always. He goes into the kitchen after wriggling his way out of Hyunwoo’s arms, and looks into the fridge for something to eat. By the time he has the ingredients pulled out to make breakfast, Changkyun joins him and automatically begins to help him.

By the time the meal is prepared, everyone but Hyungwon is up and sitting around the table. Kihyun moves as if to wake the sleeping, lanky form on the couch, but Hoseok stands and goes instead.

“You focus on the food, Kihyun-ah,” he tells the younger. “I’ve got this.” Kihyun nods and begins to serve the breakfast.

Hoseok approaches the sleeping Hyungwon, his heartbeat quickening upon seeing the beautiful boy’s face so peaceful. Hyungwon is always so still when he sleeps, the only sign that he is actually asleep being the soft snore escaping his slightly parted lips every so often. Hoseok gently shakes his shoulder, cooing his name softly. He never liked how Kihyun has so roughly awoken Hyungwon in the past, shouting at him and hitting him with whatever he could find. Sure, that was the only way Kihyun could get the younger awake the majority of the time, but Hoseok didn’t like it nonetheless.

“Hyungwonnie,” Hoseok calls softly once more. Hyungwon stirs a little, humming in annoyance. Hoseok honestly had no idea why it was so hard for Kihyun to wake Hyungwon up all the time. He had a feeling Hyungwon was somehow doing it on purpose, meaning to spite the shorter even in his sleep, for it’s always been easy for Hoseok to awaken Hyungwon without resorting to such violent extremes.

He calls Hyungwon’s name again, shaking his shoulder a bit quicker than before. Hyungwon groans in protest, turning on his side. Hoseok chuckles lowly at the younger’s actions and sighs.

“If you don’t wake up now,” Hoseok murmurs into his ear, “I’ll be forced to tickle you. You don’t want that, now do you?” There’s no response, and Hoseok shoves the bangs out of his eyes in slight annoyance. “Come on, Hyungwon-ah. You’ll be annoyed with me if I wake you up like that. Don’t make me.” He finds himself pouting at the sleeping form before him, as if Hyungwon can somehow see him through the back of his head.

The younger murmurs something unintelligible under his breath in response, surprising Hoseok. He didn’t think Hyungwon had actually been aware enough to process what he said. Hoseok wraps his arms around the young man, and blows a quick burst of cold air into his ear. Hyungwon jolts forward, groaning in annoyance.

“Let me sleep, hyung,” he mumbles. Hoseok silently shakes his head, and resorts to tickling the younger. A giggle escapes Hyungwon’s lips, much to his dismay.

“We’ve got a bunch of interviews today,” Hoseok tells him, “so I can’t let you sleep. You’ve got to eat breakfast before we leave.” Hoseok pulls away, ignoring how much he dislikes having to do so, and Hyungwon sighs before sitting up on the couch. He stares dully at his lap, trying to get his bearings before having to stand. He gets up and shuffles towards the bathroom, mumbling that he’d be at the table soon while rubbing at his eyes. Hoseok watches his movements, lingering a second too long in the living room before returning to the table.

The boys take their seats around the DJ table, Hoseok making sure to sit beside Minhyuk to make himself feel more at ease. The commercials play on as they get settled, putting on their headphones and adjusting the positions of the microphones to better suit them. The DJ greets them kindly and begins to explain what they’ll be discussing as Hoseok skims over the script. It seems to be the usual questions, and Hoseok takes a deep breath to relax himself.

It’s about halfway through the interview when Hoseok is asked the classic question about how he maintains his body. He goes through the short explanation, not really wanting to spend too much time on the subject. The DJ makes a sound of awe in his throat, a typical response. He goes on to ask the members what they’ve all been doing with their free time, a question asked by one of the listeners.

“I work out,” Hoseok answers once the DJ reaches him after going around the table.

“Seems like you focus a lot on your body,” he comments with a small laugh.

“He does,” Hyungwon says, and everyone is taken aback by his sudden input. “He works himself to death in practices and the gym, trying to be perfect for the group. It worries us how hard he's working, actually.” Hoseok stares at Hyungwon with an unreadable expression, surprise at the younger’s bluntness on the matter making it hard for him to think of what to say. Hyungwon gives Hoseok a hard stare, making sure the older is actually hearing what he’s saying. The air in the studio changes, tensing up as if a switch has been flipped. Seconds of silence pass, the members glancing at one another, all wondering why Hyungwon’s tone had been so abrasive just then. Sure, it bothered everyone that Hoseok wasn't taking care of himself, but they needed to keep themselves in check whenever they were on air like this.

“Hyung works out a lot these days,” Kihyun smoothly states after a moment, nodding as if that one comment finishes the conversation. Minhyuk nods himself with a small smile, and quickly changes the topic with what he’s been doing with his free time. As the DJ and Minhyuk begin to bond over their mutual love of a popular video game, Hoseok can’t help but stare at Hyungwon in confusion. Hyungwon breaks his gaze on his hyung, moving his gaze to the table instead.

Neither find it quite as easy to speak the rest of the interview, a silent tension never leaving them for the remaining time.