Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to merge with the table top right now. Or maybe if she willed it hard enough, the last three hours would be just one stupid nightmare.

There was suddenly a big hand on her shoulder, kneading the muscles there until she relaxed completely. It was a familiar touch, too familiar, so she didn't pick herself up from being one with the table.

She felt someone sit, not next to her, but on the same long chair she's sitting on. There was no one talking and she figured they were talking with eyes and gestures.

The lone hand on her shoulder was joined by another, pressing on the muscles, gently at first but then getting stronger as the pressure increased.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, swatting the hands away from her.

Stupid Taekwoon just raised his eyebrows behind her, unamusement written all over his handsome face.

"Let me have my dramatic moment." she grumbled, slumping once again to her earlier position.

Unfortunately for her dramatic , Taekwoon was persistent and just squeezed her shoulder again. She whirled around, planning to glare at him for good measure, but the moment she looked at his face again, she noticed something she hadn't earlier. That slightly harder press of Taekwoon's lips, the barely noticeably pinch between his brows and that tired look in his eyes.

Instantly, the glare fell and Hayeon reached out a hand to grab his fingers. She searched his eyes and asked a silent question and Taekwoon sighed briefly glancing somewhere to Hayeon's left.

She suddenly remembered about the one who sat on the table. Eunji was there, smiling like nothing was wrong. Eunji could fool her, but Taekwoon couldn't. She knows that pinch in his expression. She'd seen it far too many times than she would have wanted, well she doesn't want to see it at all.

"You should go to the infirmary, Eunji." she said gently.

The bright smile on Eunji's face turned small and tired, her shoulders drooping making her look smaller than she already is.

"He really can't hide anything from you, huh." she said, folding her arms on the table and settling her head on top of them. Taekwoon moved then, sitting next to Eunji on the other side, carding his long fingers through her long black hair. It was both a worried and uneasy gesture, Hayeon knows even if Taekwoon's face didn't give away much.

Hyoyeon, who had been quiet the whole time, stood and reached across the table to put her palm on Eunji's forehead. "Well, she's warm but not burning up." she said before getting back on her seat.

"I'm just feeling under the weather." She propped her chin on her crossed arms, pouting a little, Taekwoon's hand still carding through her hair. "Taekwoon is just a worrywart." Taekwoon didn't even offer a word of complaint. His attention was focused on Eunji.

"If you're okay with someone following you around like a constipated cat..." Hayeon commented. Eunji didn't really look sick, maybe just a little less bubbly, but it is true that Taekwoon can be a worrywart, and it wouldn't hurt to take a trip to the nurse.

"A giant constipated cat." she corrected. She turned her face, towards Taekwoon's direction now. There was a barely audible exhale then Eunji was talking again, "Alright. You can take me to the infirmary." Taekwoon smiled that little smile of his and Hayeon felt better seeing Taekwoon smile.

"You're looking better." came Minhyuk's voice, a banana milk in his hand, which he settled near Hayeon.

"Thanks for reminding me when I've finally forgotten." Hayeon grumbled, grabbing the drink and letting her forehead meet the table top again.

"What's the issue?" Eunji asked, leaning on Taekwoon as she sat up straighter to face the rest of the people on the table.

"Got group stages for fourth evaluations." Hyoyeon starts, pulling strands of Hayeon's hair and the other didn't even care that it was messing up her hair.

"Same group?" Taekwoon asks, motioning to the three of them as he spoke.

"Nah. Hayeon and Minhyuk are, but I'm in a different group." Hyoyeon explained, still playing with Hayeon's hair.

"Ah. Got a troublesome group member?" Taekwoon asks again and the rest of the group wasn't even surprised anymore. As much as Taekwoon couldn't keep anything from Hayeon, Hayeon was also an open book for Taekwoon.

"Yeah. Got a really persistent guy that keeps... bothering Hayeon." Minhyuk tried to explain.

"Bothering is a kind word." Hyoyeon commented.

There had been those guys. Ever since it got around that Hayeon was single again, there had been more than a handful or persistent guys that kept making attempts to capture her attention. Most got the message that Hayeon wasn't really looking for another relationship anytime soon but there are a few who just don't ing get it.

"He keeps talking about some Twilight kind of theme." Hayeon complained, knocking her forehead on the table. "Twilight? For a dark concept? That's such a stupid teenager idea." She also brought the now empty bottle of banana milk back on the table.

"Then come up with something better?" Taekwoon's soft sweet voice urged.

"Hayeon already suggested something like VIXX's Voodoo Doll but..." Minhyuk offered.

"He keeps making it into something romantic!" Hayeon finished, stomping her foot a little. "And just... genereally trying it to be the two of us doing that romantic . I wouldn't have minded if he can keep his hands to himself but he already touches me casually like it's no ing big deal, what more if he gets the perfect excuse." she complained.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Taekwoon froze in his seat. His eyes going steely cold and she realized belatedly that this wasn't the best way to tell Taekwoon that someone was being too familiar with her without her complete permission.

She shifted, planning to tell him that it was okay, she'd been swatting off advances like that and that she can handle herself. But Eunji moved first, turning to her side to grab Taekwoon's hand and rubbing soothing circles at the back of it. Eunji didn't say a word but Hayeon knew, in their own little way, they were communicating. Slowly, the tenseness of Taekwoon's shoulders faded but Eunji kept her hand on his, still rubbing her thumb on his knuckles.

Hayeon hadn't realized she was staring at their hands. It wasn't the first time she saw them hold hands but this time the gesture felt so much more than usual. 

"Hayeon wouldn't let some guy take advantage of her." Hyoyeon piped in to break the sudden silence, understanding there had been things that happened in the short span of time. "Even if he did, she has Minhyuk in her group."

Minhyuk gave an exagerrated movement of flipping his non existent long hair then batted his eyelashes, "I'm confident I can seduce any man." crossing his legs as he spoke.

Hayeon managed a smile, tearing her eyes away from the joined hands and the small smile playing on Taekwoon's face. "Do me a favor and take Howon, please." she exclaimed dramatically which earned another hair flip from Minhyuk.

~*~

She was ready to blow off. So ing ready to elbow her partner. Fate must really hate her. They aren't doing the Twilight concept anymore, or anything romantic, thank god. But they are still partnered and while Howon insisted he and Hayeon should be partnered up, Minhyuk suggested a draw just to be fair for everyone. And curse everything because they still got paired up.

"I think we should do a neck grab for this part." Howon said, already about to grab Hayeon's neck to "demonstrate" the move he was suggesting. He had been doing this for the entirety of their practice, touching Hayeon when he has a move to show.

His big hand covered her neck, his fingers wrapping around the sides. He pulled up just a little, not enough to choke her just enough to show the movement and then his hand lets go and drops casually, gliding near her chest and she just had enough.

"Now listen here--"

"Could you not touch her so much!" 

Hayeon was stunned, hearing Minhyuk talk so loud. He also looked scary for a flicker of a second before he was smiling again. "Hayeon looked uncomfortable so you shouldn't touch her more than necessary." he said, calmer.

"I was just demonstrating a move!" Howon countered.

"Which you can do without the extra moves." he said, emphasizing the last two words.

Howon huffed but backed off. Hayeon gave  Minhyuk a grateful look which he returned with another smile.

"Thanks for earlier." she said as they were packing up. They wrapped up practice early since they still needed to consider more things about the stage.

"It was nothing. You looked like you were two seconds away from doing a roundhouse kick." Minhyuk joked.

"I don't want another suspension, but yeah..." she replied then hauled her bag up only to pause. She put her bag back down to massage her upper arm.

"You okay?" Minhyuk asked next to her.

"Yeah. Just stiff muscles." She rolled her shoulders, too for good measure. She was about to grab her bag again but Minhyuk beat her to it.

"I'll carry it for you." he said, swinging her packback behind him along with his own bag.

"Thanks." she said, starting to walk oitside the door with Minhyuk next to her. "Why can't guys that like me be as nice and considerate. And know how to dance to Something with me." she said, joking with the second half of her sentence.

Minhyuk stopped and Hayeon did, too, looking at Minhyuk in question.

"Then... Is it okay?" Minhyuk asked, nervous. The tips of his ears going visibly red.

"Okay what?" Hayeon asked.

"For me to like you." he bit out, going redder.

"You're talking like you like like me." she said with a teasing tone and then stopped because... Oh. 

Oh.