Kihyun watches with pursed lips as their maknae leaves the dorm yet again for a 'meet-up with a friend', as the boy had put it. Just what friend? Who is this suddenly taking up all of Changkyun's time? Why can't they meet up here, at the dorm? 

All these extremely valid questions are ones still filling the main vocalists mind as he plops down on the sectional with a sight, his arms crossed defiantly over his chest. Hyungwon sighs loudly beside him, stretching his body out like a spoiled house cat and consequently resting his head in the older man's lap.  

"I swear," he grumbles, earning Kihyun's attention suddenly. "You and Minhyuk-hyung are so bad about getting jealous over the simplest of things. It's just a friend, Kihyunnie. Just let the maknae be. It isn't as if you don't have friends outside of the group, or anything." 

"That's not what's bothering me," Kihyun defends, huffing out a breath. "He can have as many friends as he wants... I just don't like that these friends of his are monopolizing so much of his time." He smirks then, quirking up a teasing brow. "I don't know why you're trying to talk, Wonnie~ I saw you hanging on him last night like your life depended on it, and then you whined like a five-year-old when he said he had to go to the bathroom. You've noticed the change, too." Hyungwon 'hmmphs' at this, not wanting to admit how right Kihyun is. 

Minhyuk shuffles into the room, seeming incredibly downtrodden as he sighs out a heavy breath. He throws himself onto the sectional next to Kihyun, snuggling up to his same-age friend with a pout set on his handsome face. 

"Aiiiish," Kihyun jokingly complains, an arm wrapping around the other. "What's the matter, Minhyuk-ah?" 

"Kkungie's gonna leave us..." he mumbles, earning a slight chuckle from Hyungwon. Kihyun groans loudly, rolling his eyes. 

"No, he isn't," Kihyun assures him. He squirms about until the two move and allow him up, standing before them with his hands set defiantly on his shoulders. "Call everyone home, we need to come up with a game plan." 

"To what?" Hyungwon asks, though Kihyun is already stomping his way over to the kitchen. 

"To win back our maknae!" he shouts over his shoulder. Minhyuk and Hyungwon share a bemused glance, not even hesitating to pull out their phones and do as they were told.  

 

Changkyun lets loose a tired groan as he returns to the dorm that night, utterly exhausted—and a little tipsy—from his night out with some of his other rapper-idol friends. He swears, Jessi could practically drink him under the table... She would have, too, if Changkyun hadn't had the foresight to practice some self-restraint. 

Needless to say, he's more than happy when he gets home to some delicious smells wafting throughout the space. His mouth waters as he recognizes them all as aromas as his favorite foods, and he quickly removes his shoes to stumble over to the kitchen.  

His hyungs are already sitting around the table they use for dining, but none of the food seems to be touched. They all look to be waiting for something in particular, which makes Changkyun very confused indeed. 

"Ah, Kkungie~!" Kihyun greets upon noticing the maknae standing in the doorway. "Welcome home~ Are you hungry?" Changkyun's rumbling stomach is all the reply Kihyun needs, and he can't help but chuckle a little as Changkyun teeters over to sit in between Hoseok and Hyunwoo. Hoseok moves over immediately to cuddle with the younger, kissing him on his cheek as Hyunwoo places a loud kiss on the top of his head. Changkyun giggles at the attention, his chubby cheeks heating up in embarrassment. 

“What’s the occasion?” Changkyun can’t help but ask curiously. The others give him a collective look of confusion, and he waves at the food before him. “These are like… all my favorite things. Y’all haven’t gotten together to finally kill me, and this is my last meal to lull me into a state of complacency, is it?” He’d meant it as a light joke, but Hyungwon apparently thinks it’s the funniest damn thing he’s ever heard. The lanky dancer slaps his hand against the floor, his adorable laughter ringing through the dorm clearly. Changkyun chuckles himself, amused more by Hyungwon’s own amusement than his joke.  

“You’re so funny, Kyunnie!” Hyungwon sighs out, wiping a tear from his eye. Changkyun raises a brow, wondering if Hyungwon had somehow had more beers than him while he was out…  

“We just wanted to treat our adorable, perfect maknae,” Kihyun chuckles out, cocking his head to the side as he stares fondly at his dongsaeng from across the table. “What’s so wrong about that~?” 

Despite the older’s sweet words, Changkyun can’t help but still feel a bit cautious. He shrugs, though, deciding to play along. Kihyun hums, obviously satisfied, and announced that they should all dig in. The members all do so, with the gusto of grown-men who haven’t eaten all day.  

 

The food is delicious, as to be expected, and Changkyun gets up at the end of the meal with a full stomach to begin helping Kihyun clear the table as he always does. However, the vocalist shoos him off, reminding him instead of a movie he’s been wanting to watch recently.  

“But, it’s a horror movie,” Changkyun shrugs, not feeling totally at a loss and genuinely wanted to help clean to thank his hyung for such a delicious meal. “Jooheonney-hyung doesn’t like those.” 

“I don’t mind!” Jooheon pipes in, already pulling Changkyun towards the living room. “If it’s the one I’m thinking of, Minhyuk-hyung said he wanted to watch it, too!” 

“But…” Changkyun says, at a loss as to why Jooheon’s so willing to watch his least favorite genre, “Minhyuk-hyung hates gorey movies…” What’s gotten into everyone? They’re only this nice to him on his birthday, and even then it’s kind of iffy…  

“I’ve really gotten into stuff like this recently~” Minhyuk defends, already sitting on the sectional with a pile of blankets surrounding him. “C’mon, Kkungie, come cuddle with me~!” He reaches up and makes grabby hands at the maknae, leaving him no other choice but to comply… not that he particularly minds.  

The boys all gather up on the couch, Jooheon and Minhyuk cuddling into each of Changkyun’s sides as Hyungwon lies across Jooheon’s powerful thighs to rest his head in the maknae’s lap. Changkyun absentmindedly plays with the older man’s hair as Hoseok pulls up the movie in question, smiling to himself.  

He doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve all the attention, but man does he hope he keeps doing it.  

“How was your day?” Hyunwoo asks, his deep, gentle tones causing Changkyun’s smile to grow.  

“It was fine. I got a few drinks with Jessi-noona, watches a few music videos at her place.” He pauses to chuckle before adding, “She can really put some beer back. It’s like a superpower.” The others laugh at this, their fond sounds of mirth warming Changkyun’s heart. Minhyuk suddenly gets up, leaving a very cold space next to the maknae. He mutters a low ‘I’ll be right back’ before Changkyun can ask for an explanation, leaving the younger frowning in confusion.  

He hesitates only a moment before mumbling something about wanting popcorn and following, something about Minhyuk’s tone worrying him. He pauses at the doorway, hovering there at seeing his hyungs huddled beside each other by the sink.  

“… worse than we thought, Kihyunnie! This won’t work!” 

“What? What do you mean?” 

Kihyun sounds so panicked Changkyun almost bursts into the conversation to demand what’s wrong, but then he hears what Minhyuk says next.  

“Not only is Kkungie trying to leave us, he’s trying to leave us for a woman!!! He’s turning straight!!!! What the hell have we done wrong???!!!” 

Kihyun drops the plate he’s holding, it landing with a thud in the soapy dish water. He looks over to Minhyuk, seeming absolutely appalled. His look of utter horror and heartbreak looks so incredibly genuine, as if such a thing were even possible, that it's all Changkyun has in him to keep from bursting out in laughter. He presses his lips together, his cheeks puffed out in an amused breath. His chest begins to rise and fall rapidly in silent chuckles, and his entire torso begins to shake with the force of it.  

"Kyunnie?" Hoseok calls from the couch, his voice carrying all too well in the air. "You okay over there?"  

Minhyuk and Kihyun suddenly whip their heads about, their eyes growing to the sizes of small discs on their faces in shock at seeing their dongsaeng there, staring at them with watering eyes and shaking violently. Minhyuk's mouth flops open and closed, as if trying to come up with some excuse, and it's that look—similar to a child whose hand has just been caught in the cookie jar—that makes Changkyun finally lose it. 

"PffffFFFFF BWAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" he bursts out, wheezing in air in between laughs as he doubles over. He finds it hard to stand, the laughter taking the strength clean out of him, and he finds himself leaning against the wall for support. He can't see through the tears in his eyes, his high-pitched cries of mirth carrying just as well as Hoseok's call from before. He remains like this for quite some time, the ridiculousness of the situation being all too good. 

At first, it's cute to see the maknae laugh so wholeheartedly, but as the seconds tick by and turn into a full minute, Kihyun grows tired of it... only partly due to his own embarrassment at being found out. 

"Yah!" he protests, crossing his arms defiantly. "It's rude to laugh at your hyungs, dongsaeng." 

"Oh my... Oh my God...!" he cries out, hugging himself round the middle as his ribs begin to ache. "God, hyung, is that what all this was about??" He releases a long, satisfied sigh, wiping at his tears. Lord, it's been forever since he's been able to laugh like that.  

"Of course!" Minhyuk replies defensively, pouting as he stomps a foot. Changkyun quirks up a brow at this, chuckling under his breath at the infantile action. Honestly, he thought he was supposed to be the maknae here... "Kkungie, we love you, and, dammit, I don't care if you do think you're turning straight! I won't allow it!!!" 

"Hyung, that's not how it works," Changkyun giggles, finding the accusation absolutely preposterous. "Just because I go hang out with Jessi-noona doesn't automatically mean I'm dumping y'all for her. She's really cool, and a nice friend to have. But, that's all she is. A friend." 

"And what about all your other friends, Changkyun-ah?" Kihyun finds himself demanding, frowning. "Are they all just friends, too? Because you've been spending a hell of a lot of time with them lately, and not a whole lot of time with us..." Changkyun's brow creases together at this, leaning his head to the side thoughtfully. 

"Oh," he says, "I hadn't realized... I'm sorry, hyung. But, you could've just said something, and saved yourself all this trouble."  

"It's not trouble showing our affection for you, maknae," Minhyuk corrects him, beginning to tap his foot impatiently. Changkyun gets the feeling, though, that Minhyuk isn't mad at him, but at himself. The maknae can't help but sigh, shaking his head at his hyungs' over-active imagination.  

Honestly, what ever is he going to do with these men? 

"Come on," he says finally, nodding towards the living room, "let's get to the movie. I'm sure Jooheonney-hyung is gonna scream like... at least fifty times!" 

"I heard that!" Jooheon calls from the couch, his pout evident in his voice. Changkyun chuckles at this, winking conspiratorially at his hyungs in the kitchen. He then turns on his heel to head back, unable to keep from smiling.  

He retakes his seat by Jooheon, only for Kihyun to shove Minhyuk behind him to get the only other seat next to Changkyun. The maknae laughs at this, leaning his head against Kihyun's shoulder as Minhyuk begrudgingly has to reach around the main vocalist to pet his hair. 

"I love y'all~" Changkyun sighs, his eyes shining as he's surrounded by their love. 

"We love you, too," Hyungwon replies, smiling up at him from his lap.  

Changkyun feels his own smile grow, though he begins to feel a bit drowsy. Not even Jooheon's screams keep him awake as he drifts off before they're even halfway done with the movie, dreams of his most precious hyungs filling his mind.