Minhyuk sees it at the broadcast studio.

----------

"Look," Minhyuk says, "they're doing it again."

He tries his best to keep his voice down, though with the cacophony of noise all around them, Minhyuk doubts even Hyungwon, who's sitting right there next to him, can hear his words very clearly.

Hyungwon mumbles something unintelligible in response, clearly not paying Minhyuk any attention at all. He's busy examining the glittery makeup dusted along his cheekbones with a small, compact mirror. Minhyuk hits Hyungwon on his shoulder and huffs a little in frustration at being blatantly ignored.

"What's up?" Hyungwon asks, finally humoring him and granting some disgruntled eye contact. He's got dark color artistically smudged around his eyes and it makes him look even sleepier than usual.

"Kihyun and Hoseok," Minhyuk says, a little louder and more insistent this time, pulling on Hyungwon's arm for added emphasis. The satiny fabric doesn't really give him much of a grip, quickly slipping out of his fingers like water.

They're all in the waiting room at a broadcast studio, soon to perform on a nationally televised music show for the first time in a while. They're styled and made-up, having already finished with rehearsal and sound check and all that good stuff hours ago, ready to go on for the real deal in about twenty minutes. Now, all that's left to do is wait.

For Minhyuk, it's one of the worst parts of being an idol. The waiting. So much waiting. The sitting around and trying to find things to do when you're so exhausted and so hyped up and so emotional all at once, when your body is so full of both adrenaline and fatigue that all you want to do is either get out there and perform or pass the out.

In attempts to stave off the boredom, Minhyuk has tried everything. He's made up so many different games and started so many forced conversations, attempted friendship with everyone he came into contact with just so he'd have something to capture his attention. He's brought all manner of video games and puzzles and coloring books and, one time, when he was really desperate, he even brought some school books, though he had abandoned those quickly in favor of counting the tiles on the ceiling. He's explored every corner of every studio, befriended janitors and staff and a few times, even snuck out into the audience to watch the show.

He just has to distract himself somehow, otherwise his boredom will eventually give way to something even more debilitating: the anxiety. Though experience has made him less nervous about performing than he had once been, he still gets jittery and jumpy, full of nervous energy and panicked thoughts and a desperate need to direct that energy somewhere else other than into his own mind, where it's sure to quickly spin out of control.

Minhyuk can already feel the little prickles of anxiousness starting to chip away at his good mood and it's only getting worse by the minute. He can't help but notice how the fabric of his outfit is a little too heavy, starting to uncomfortably stick to his skin, and that the room is a little too warm and stuffy, like all of the air has been replaced with cotton balls. He seriously hopes to God that he's not sweating too much, but he can feel his eyes reddening a little from his colored contacts.

The waiting room is absolutely packed right now as performers shuffle in and out, getting ready to go on soon or just exiting the stage, exhilarated and full of adrenaline either way. Minhyuk can see managers and stylists and production crew running around in all directions, cute little girl groups in lacy dresses, soloists who stride with an air of untouchable confidence, and even some really famous groups who look to Minhyuk like gods walking amongst mortals.

It's noisy and absolutely overwhelming to the senses. There's the yelling of announcements and directions and the harsh squeak of shoes on smooth tile floor. There's the piercing smells of hairspray and makeup and cleaning chemicals, as well as the smells of coffee and food, something fried and greasy that has Minhyuk's stomach rumbling because he hasn't eaten in a while. There's smoke and fog leaking through the cracks in the stage door, obvious remnants from some sort of special effects, and Minhyuk can even feel the bass of the stage music pounding through the floor and up through his spine.

Everything and everyone are all tangled up, stumbling and tripping and toppling all over each other, just one big ball of frantic activity. To Minhyuk, the waiting room always feels like a gateway between worlds, timeless and spaceless, like some sort of chaotic limbo between the dull, gray outside and the radiant magic of the stage.

Minhyuk and Hyungwon sit together on the ground, right next to the stage door, leaning up against the wall and people-watching. Well, Minhyuk is people-watching. Hyungwon is still just admiring his makeup, having gone back to ignoring his bandmate. Minhyuk can see Jooheon and Hyunwoo chatting with some of their famous friends and though he's not sure where Changkyun is, Minhyuk knows for a fact that he'll probably scramble back in at the last five minutes, like always.

All that leaves is the current target of Minhyuk's interest and one of the more fascinating ways that he's found to fight off the drag of boredom. When all else fails, and he's exhausted all other means of entertainment, he can always count on new developments in the budding...something between Kihyun and Hoseok to keep him occupied and amused. And charmed. Because in all honestly, they're really, really adorable.

Right now, they're standing on the other side of the room, out of the way of the thick of the chaos, and there's this aura of sweet, rosy softness surrounding them, palpable even to an outsider. They're taking some selcas together on the group's iPad, Hoseok's arm wrapped around Kihyun's waist, both of them with bright smiles and lightly-flushed cheeks, Kihyun looking unusually shy and Hoseok looking unusually protective, his presence around Kihyun distinctly strong and sheltering like he's guarding Kihyun from the dangers of the world.

He rests his head on Kihyun's shoulder as Kihyun snaps a photo, the both of them leaning into each other like they want to fuse together or something. There might as well be little cartoon hearts floating around them as Hoseok lifts his head and turns a little to rub his nose at Kihyun's cheek, just for a second, leaving Kihyun blushing a deep red and flustered as hell, nearly dropping the iPad. It's teeth-achingly sweet and although he knows that he should respect their privacy and, like everyone else, pretend that he can't see a thing, Minhyuk just can't look away.

He's getting a little pissed off now at Hyungwon's lack of interest, because he really, really needs someone to bounce his thoughts off of. And boy, does he have thoughts about this.

"Look at them," Minhyuk hisses, tugging at Hyungwon's shoulder this time, "they're being all...you know..."

"So what?" Hyungwon says, wrenching himself out of Minhyuk's grasp and finally putting down the compact to face him.

"So, should we...I don't know," Minhyuk replies. "Should we say something to them? Ask them about it? Don't tell me you're not dying to know what's really going on there."

Hyungwon sighs, shaking his head. "It's really none of our business," he says. "If they want to tell us, they'll tell us. Heck, they might not even realize it themselves."

"How could they not realize?"

"Tell me, have you ever been in love, Minhyuk?"

"What kind of ridiculous question is that? And of course not. Have you?"

"No, but I've seen plenty of dramas, and you have too, so you should know all about how this kind of thing goes. Half the time, they don't even realize how many of their interactions are actually flirting until they're standing there about to share that big damn kiss."

"Oh , do you think they've kissed!?!?!?"

"Keep your voice down!"

"But do you think they've kissed?"

"I don't know, but what I do know is that we should really just leave them alone, leave them in peace," Hyungwon finishes, picking up the compact and leaning up against the wall again, making it clear that the conversation is over.

"Ugghhhhhhh," Minhyuk groans, closing his eyes and resting the back of his head against the wall in defeat.

After a minute, he opens his eyes again and returns his attention to the real-life mushy romance drama unfolding before his eyes. Now, Kihyun and Hoseok are looking through the pictures together on the iPad, and Hoseok's hand has slipped down to rest on one of Kihyun's hips. Even from across the room, Minhyuk can see the slight tremble in Kihyun's fingers, grasping the iPad with one hand and swiping with the other as Hoseok hovers over his shoulder.

Minhyuk can't help but grin widely at seeing their usually proud and sarcastic main vocalist looking so docile, a tiny, but undeniably lovestruck smile adorning his face as he swipes through their selcas. Hoseok's own smile is wide and gummy and though he's really not that much taller than Kihyun, he seems to tower over him protectively, like he's Kihyun's own personal knight in shining armor. Minhyuk chuckles to himself at the thought of a pink and flowery Princess Kihyun being swept up off his feet into the strong arms of their bandmate.

Suddenly, one of their stylists goes over to Hoseok and attempts to pull him away from Kihyun for some final adjustments. Hoseok pouts but acquieseces, giving Kihyun a small and sad little wave as he's rushed away to one of the makeup rooms. Kihyun sets down the iPad on a table and stands there for a second, unsure what to do, then finally moves to sit down on one of the waiting room couches, looking quite disappointed. He fiddles with the necklace that he's wearing and Minhyuk sees an opportunity for some fun.

Before Hyungwon can stop him, Minhyuk's already standing up and heading towards Kihyun. He plops down onto the couch beside him, grinning wide like the Cheshire Cat.

"What are you so happy about?" Kihyun asks, one eyebrow raised in suspicion. Just like that, he's back to his cheeky, sardonic self that Minhyuk has come to know and love, though Minhyuk can still see the lingering blush splashed across his cheeks.

"Oh, nothing," Minhyuk says. He can feel Hyungwon's eyes staring angry holes into the back of his head, but he continues on. "Hoseok looks really good today, right?"

"Uh, I guess?" Kihyun says, tilting his head a little in feigned confusion. But he can't fool Minhyuk, his face starting to darken again at the mere mention of their bandmate.

"I mean, he always looks good," Minhyuk goes on, "But today he's just, like, perfect, you know? That black shirt just looks so good on him, all stretched taut across his chest, and the way the sleeves just hug his biceps, I mean, damn!" Minhyuk leans back, a hand over his heart for dramatic effect. "He's even got my heart fluttering a little."

Kihyun's face has gone bright red again, his eyes wide, clearly at a loss for words. "W-what are you...?" he stammers.

"And even though he's so big and strong, we all know what a softy he is," Minhyuk continues, "which somehow just makes him even hotter! I bet he's so gentle and sweet and would treat you really well, you know? Like, he'd be a real romantic, all about flowers and stars and warm hugs and that kind of stuff."

Minhyuk has to ball his hands into fists to contain his laughter at Kihyun's face, so flustered and panicked, just random sounds coming out of his throat as he struggles to respond. Minhyuk decides that it's time to go in for the kill.

"That's not to say he wouldn't know when to use his strength," Minhyuk says, his eyes starting to tear up a little with the effort it's taking to maintain a straight face, "I mean, can't you just imagine him swooping down and picking you up like you weigh nothing, then throwing you down onto a bed and just–"

"That's enough," Hyungwon interrupts, having suddenly appeared right over them. He rolls his eyes and roughly tugs Minhyuk off the couch by his arm, pulling him away and looking at Kihyun apologetically.

"Sorry, he's just being a total ," Hyungwon says, exasperated.

Kihyun blinks in shock, his face redder than Minhyuk has ever seen it in all of the time that they've known each other. Hyungwon drags Minhyuk away to the other side of the room, Minhyuk having finally lost it and laughing his off as they go. When they're a good distance away, Hyungwon spins him around by the shoulders. He looks considerably annoyed.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asks.

"Oh, lighten up," Minhyuk replies, still giggling, "I was just teasing. And is that any way to speak to your hyung?"

"Whatever," Hyungwon says, shaking his head. "Just...just leave them alone. Seriously. Okay?"

Minhyuk simply sticks his tongue out in response, earning yet another exaggerated, incredulous sigh.

A few minutes later, their manager starts to gather them together and lead them backstage in preparation for their performance. Hoseok returns from makeup, not really looking all that different, and immediately goes to Kihyun's side as if drawn in by a magnet. Meanwhile, Changkyun appears from wherever the hell he's been for the past two hours just as Hyunwoo and Jooheon reluctantly pull themselves away from their other, cooler friends (no, Minhyuk isn't jealous, not jealous at all).

They'll be on in about five minutes and their manager is murmuring some last-minute instructions, though they're pretty hard to understand when they're all standing so close to the pounding speakers, the group currently on stage still in the middle of their performance. It doesn't matter much though, because Minhyuk is barely paying attention, once again focused on the oh-so-adorable sweethearts.

Now, Hoseok is adjusting the mic taped to the side of Kihyun's face, his fingers gentle and lingering on Kihyun's cheeks, Hoseok looking so affectionate and Kihyun looking so smitten that it feels like they both might just burst into a cloud of sparkly, pink fairy dust. It's sickeningly sweet and it's got Minhyuk suppressing the urge to squeal at the sight.

The lights go down and the audience bursts into cheers as the group on before them exits the stage and makes their way back through the door to the waiting area. As the seven of them start to carefully move into their formation, Minhyuk creeps up behind Hoseok, seizing the opportunity for one last minute of fun.

"Hey Hoseok," he whispers, and Hoseok jumps a little in surprise.

"What's up?" Hoseok asks. Even though the stage is dark, Minhyuk can see Hoseok starting to shift from his lovey-dovey, ooey-gooey boyfriend mode to his tightly-rehearsed performance mode, dark and charismatic and y, ready to drive those fangirls wild.

"Isn't Kihyunnie so cute today?" Minhyuk says, nodding his head in the direction of their main vocalist. Minhyuk can't help but giggle as he follows the path of Hoseok's gaze over to the other side of the stage.

"It's just so adorable how he tries to be all tough and manly," Minhyuk continues, "but he's really just such a sweet little cupcake. I mean...look at those cheeks! And his cute little nose, awww. He really does look like a little mouse. And those big, sparkly anime eyes of his. Don't you just want to kiss and cuddle him to death?"

Hoseok's eyes flit back to Minhyuk, and though he does a better job of deflecting than Kihyun had, Minhyuk can still see the telltale glimmer of softness in his eyes.

"Um...." Hoseok starts, fidgetting a little in place, his onstage persona already starting to crack.

"And...not to be weird..." Minhyuk interrupts, "but like...he's really got a great little doesn't he? So round and tight? Everything about him is just so sweet and dainty. He's like a little doll! And I'll bet he just makes the cutest little sounds when–"

Minhyuk claims a marvelous victory as the lights go up and their music starts before Hoseok gets a chance to respond, Minhyuk nearly losing it again as he gets a glimpse of the vibrant blush spreading over Hoseok's face and down his neck, the performance facade completely and utterly destroyed.

As they begin their dance and Minhyuk's body switches to autopilot, he grins to himself. He may not know what exactly is happening with Kihyun and Hoseok, how deep their relationship goes or what will happen with them in the future, but what he does know is that no matter what, he's going to be having a lot of fun with it.