The night that half the block lost power had started out quietly, more than unusual in their dorm. With more than half of the group out of the building for promotions and the manager at his girlfriend's place, it was the three of them. It was half past twelve when now the oldest of the trio had decided that he had enough of his band members. “I’m going to bed. Don’t call me if you need anything.” Sicheng had told the two that were left in the living room before making his way into his own bedroom. 

          “You wanna watch a movie?” Given that they had practice the following day, it would not be a good idea. Xiaojun glanced at the clock. Seemingly the calculations on how many hours of sleep he could fit in between finishing the movie and practice was satisfactory enough to agree to the younger’s request and joined the male on the couch. “What do you wanna watch?” Yangyang asked, the question was rhetorical at best. 

          “Does it matter?”  

          “Nope. So I was thinking Chucky.” Of course, it would be another horror movie- Xiaojun is about to change his mind but instead there he was settling himself down, getting comfortable on the couch. He gives Yangyang an ‘okay’ as agreement before the other was hurrying to find and put on the movie. There were moments in between that he had to ask for clarification on certain colloquial terms but had mostly been pulled into the movie, soon rolling himself into a human cocoon. He hadn’t particularly enjoyed the mind numbing build up to what he knows will be a jump scare or the flip of his stomach caused by the gore galore but Yangyang had asked and that was enough. That or the fact that he could sit through a horror movie was just enough to validate his masculine ego. 

          It was an hour into the movie that the TV screen flickered, and then soon the lights went out for a slight moment before they came on again. Xiaojun thinks for a moment that it was one of Yangyang’s pranks once again before the whole apartment goes dark. “I swear to god Yangyang- if this is one of your pranks again-” It was supposed to be said in an irritated tone, but he hears the fear in his own voice as the words came out. This was why he was the target to most of the band’s pranks and teasing. He hated himself for that.

          “I’m sitting right next to you, dude.” He could hear Yangyang’s voice from his side, followed by movement. 

          “Do you think-” Xiaojun starts, but he couldn’t continue, the movie that they had watched inspired taunting thoughts that he could no longer appreciate as just a work of fiction. When he feels a soft, furry brush against his leg, Xiaojun shrieked, a high pitched sound that could have put Kim Jungkook’s mosquito voice to shame.  

          “Relax- it’s just Louis.” He couldn't see but, he could hear the male shuffling across the apartment before the voice continued from near the window. “The whole block is out of electricity.” He stated, and Xiaojun could see the silhouette turn, the faded lights from the distance caste the shadowy figure holding Louis in his arms. Yangyang wasn’t scared of most things, the younger liked to call himself brave, but really it was just recklessness. 

          “Yangyang, we should call the manager.” Xiaojun says determinedly, as if the man who was a little less than ten years older than them would have a solution to the power outage in the neighborhood. 

          “And what is he going to do? Call the mayor and ask them to turn the lights back on? Let’s just sleep.” 

          “Yangyang. Call him.”

          “Fine.” Xiaojun watched as the silhouette dug through his pocket to pull out his device, presumably trying to turn the screen on, when it doesn’t light up he panics, just a little. “Yeah, it’s dead. Does yours have any juice?” 

          “It’s on the kitchen counter- can you go get it?” He hears the other groan before he stumbles his way over to the kitchen. Clearly Ten hadn’t been in the dorm for a couple of days with Super M promotions as the male shrieked, stepping on whatever they had dropped and not bothered to pick up the last couple of days. The shrieks, however, do send shivers down his spine, each time wondering if there was something other than garbage that could be blocking Yangyang’s way. 

          “You have seven percent left!” He hears Yangyang call out from the kitchen and he curses under his breath. He knew he should have put it in charge- now if something happens, what were they going to do? There's fainted whispers that seemed to fade in and out. It was 1:30 am in the morning and there they were calling their manager who was supposed to be enjoying a night with his girlfriend. It was then that he has the sense to think that maybe this wasn't completely appropriate. Waking the two up because of a black out at this time of the night? Or worse, disrupting whatever activity they were participating while up at 1:30am. Either way, it wasn't a smart move. "We're fine…" he heard Yangyang's voice getting closer once again. "I don't know what it is… the whole block is out… okay…. Okay…. He's sleeping… okay... Okay… Alright. Okay." 

          When Yangyang hangs up, Xiaojun turns in the direction of the males voice. "Did the call wake him up?" 

          "Well- duh, he's like a billion years old, you have to go to bed early at that age." Xiaojun doesn't dignify that comment with a laugh. Maybe he felt a little guilty for disrupting the man's sleep, but then again, did he want their manager to be awake? With that unwelcomed picture freshly painted in his mind, Xiaojun tried to soldier past it to turn his attention back to the topic on hand.

          "What'd he say?" 

          "That he had just gone to bed."

          " About the power cut!! " 

          "Oh, he told us to lock the doors." 

          Xiaojun looks unimpressed, and slightly offended at the fact that the man wasn’t more concerned for their well-being. “That’s it?”  

          “I mean, what else can he say?” When they hear muffled sounds from the hallway, they both go quiet. While the older of the two freezes, Yangyang was flashing the dim light of the phone to make his way to the door and ensure it was locked. “It’s closed, we’re okay.” The male said, as if he could already tell Xiaojun’s heart rate was rising by the second. Another thud was heard from out of the apartment front door and with that Xiaojun followed the light of the phone towards the other. He wasn’t often very fond of being touchy with his band members like Ten or not even as much as Lucas really but this seemed like a good moment for affection. He was soon behind Yangyang, gripping at the younger’s shirt.

           “Are you clinging because you’re scared or you think I would be a good shield?” 

          It was times like these that he really felt spiteful of Yangyang. Spite may have been too harsh of a word, it was more that he wished for a better option. Lucas in this situation may have checked on what the issue was outside, Kun may have provided them with a solution but in a life or death situation, sarcasm was not going to save either of them. “Both?”

          “I guess- but you know if someone comes in, the first is usually a quick death and the second is the one that’s drawn out.” He could almost imagine the grin on Yangyang’s face. 

          “How could you even joke about that-” Xiaojun is stunned at the younger’s audacity. Yangyang was soon pulling at the hands that were still clutched onto his shirt, prying it off of himself. Instead of fully letting go, however, Xiaojun loosely hangs on to the end of the fabric and follows as the younger makes his way to the kitchen again. “If something happens, we don’t even have battery on our phones to call for help.” 

          “Oh come on, Sicheng Ge can’t even go to sleep until his phone is fully charged. I think we’re good.” 

          “Yeah, but do you wanna take the chance to wake him just because there’s an intruder in the house? He would be so mad.” The sincerity in Xiaojun’s voice has Yangyang bursting out laughing. “Why are you so cavalier?” 

          “I don’t know, because I’m not paranoid like you.” The sound of cutlery being rustled followed the comment and Yangyang seemed to have found what he was looking for with an exclamation of ‘Ah’. Suddenly there was light, the younger seemed to have found the unused box of birthday candles that they had in the dorm. It wasn’t enough light to brighten up the space in any sense, but at least it was something. At least, they could see each other- and Xiaojun found comfort in that. 

          “Let’s just go to sleep, huh? The lights will be on soon enough.” This time Yangyang's tone had a little less of a sarcastic edge to it. The male turned around to face his roommate, before he took a hold of Xiaojun’s wrist to pull it away from his shirt for the second time that night. He hands the older the lit candle before he pushes the male towards their shared room. The confidence that Yangyang was radiating had put his mind to ease, even if it was a little. However, he couldn’t help the thoughts that were relentless, especially after the movie they had just watched. The thought of a planned mission kept nagging at him, and the howling of the wind he had never noticed before or the siren of a cop car from the streets were all building up his anxiety. 

          When Yangyang slides on to his bed, the older male sets the little birthday candle on the nightstand before he makes his way towards the window. There was a car parked in front of their building and despite being multiple floors down, the fact that the lights were on leaves an unsettling feeling at the pit of his stomach. He stood there for a good minute watching the car before he heard his roommate question if he was going to bed. 

          “Yeah…” Xiaojun shakes his head, as if trying physically to rid of the thoughts before he returns towards the bed. He held onto the railing to the top bunk of the bed for a moment, he was hesitating. “I’m sleeping here.” He claims, purposely deepening his voice an octave or two before he climbs on beside Yangyang. 

          “Dude. No.” There was resistance, but Xiaojun managed to settle himself down beside the other. 

          “No, we watched Chucky- this is your fault. This is fine. We’ve known each other for how long, it’s not weird.” Soon, he was rolling over the younger, so that he was on the side of the bed  nearest to the wall. The candle which was small to begin with had shrunk down to half its size. The dim light that it cast accented the look of defeat on Yangyang’s face, and despite what came out of his mouth, the younger didn’t seem annoyed. He doesn’t resist as Xiaojun wraps his arm around his waist. It wasn’t anything intimate, it was just a comfortable position. 

          “Are you asleep?” It had been a few minutes of silence and Yangyang’s eyes were closed.  The flame at the candle was burning brighter, soon to die.”Yangyang...” The soft touches on the younger’s side eventually turned into pokes and later into jabs before the male finally opened his eyes, and got a hold of Xiaojun’s wrist. Turning to his side, Yangyang’s cups his hand over the other’s mouth. 

          “Shh… the candle is going out, okay? Close your eyes. Go to sleep.” When Xiaojun tries to speak, the hand over his mouth presses down more so that sound comes out muffled. Eventually things quiet down again and Yangyang’s hand slips down to the other’s chest. In his defense, Xiaojun does try to sleep. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that he wasn’t used to sleeping beside another person or if it was still the anxiety over the power outage but he was feeling far too restless to force himself to sleep. 

          “Yangyang.” The whisper broke the silence for the second time that night, but the younger one didn't respond. He listens, for a moment, Yangyang’s breathing was off, he was definitely not asleep. “I’m worried for Kun Ge and Hendery.” This was a one way conversation, apparently, “do you think when they come back the elevator would be working?” Still nothing. “What if the keypad doesn't work? Should we just tell them to stay at the dreamies dorm for the night?” 

          Finally, a groan leaves Yangyang’s lips. 

          Patting around for Xiaojun's phone that he had earlier left on the nightstand, Yangyang unlocks it to text the leader of WayV. “1% left.” Yangyang says as if updating Xiaojun before he typed in a message to the two, letting them know that there was a power outage. He shows it to Xiaojun as if submitting evidence before he sets the phone aside. “Good? Let’s sleep now okay? Please.” 

          “Okay…” The corners of Xiaojun’s lips pull down. Given the amount of patience he showed for the other’s antics on a daily basis, Yangyang was not showing him the same courtesy. Despite his best efforts, Xiaojun couldn’t get himself to fall asleep. It felt as if he had laid there for hours, when in reality it was most likely less than ten minutes, before he was lightly tugging on Yangyang’s shirt. “I can’t sleep.” He whispers to the male laying beside him. “Yangyang, are you asleep?” He could hear the younger exhale audibly.  

          “No…” There’s a prolonged silence before the younger continues, “It’s really hard to sleep, when you’re here.” Xiaojun lets out a short lived laugh, it wasn’t very out of character for the younger to say, but it does occur to him that his tone wasn’t tainted with the usual irritation or sarcasm. Instead it was soft, hesitant. “You lying beside me…” 

          “Huh- I mean, is it my body heat? I--” 

          “Your body heat… your arm….” Xiaojun feels his hand being guided away from Yangyang’s waist, “ You… ” He doesn’t like the way the ‘you’ came out of the younger's mouth. 

          “What… what do you mean, ‘me’ ? Am I too burdensome?” He could feel his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. Of course, Yangyang, on multiple occasions claimed that sharing a room with him was difficult, but those brash proclamations were tinged with love. Weren’t they? When Yangyang chuckles, the feeling only grows. 

          “Yes. But not in the way you think-” 

          “Then what way is it?” 

          The moments before Yangyang spoke again were so painfully drawn out. There was shuffling on the bed, and he felt the other brush against him as he adjusted his position. He couldn’t see, but he could feel the male was much closer to him than before. 

          “You’re burdensome like, you talk too much when you get scared. You’re burdensome like you don’t leave people alone until you make them feel better. You’re burdensome when you get sick because you waited outside with someone in the cold just because their bus was late and you wanted to make sure they got home safe.” Despite the way in which the words were said, it sounded more like compliments than they were a commentary on dealing with him. 

          “What...” Xiaojun’s voice trailed off, a little confused with what was happening at the moment. This was so unlike Yangyang.

          “It’s really hard to sleep when the person you had a crush on for a while is laying right next to you.” Yangyang says, and instinctively the older chuckles, waiting for the younger to finish his joke. When the other doesn’t continue, the laugh dies down. 

          “You’re kidding…” Xiaojun says, but it's more of a hopeful question than anything. The lack of feedback was killing him. “You’re not kidding.” A pause, “You had a crush on me? Had? Like, past, right?” 

          “Yeah, sure.” Yangyang says and Xiaojun was now scared of something completely different. This time, however, he was uncharacteristically quiet. For one that often talked about his feelings in order to organize them, he couldn’t quite figure out what to say next. He couldn’t talk to Yangyang about this. “Don’t overthink it, it’s okay… just sleep okay?” 

          The confession that had come out at this time of the night had to be part of a dream, maybe he was asleep already. Xiaojun voices out a soft, ‘Yeah’ before silence settles in the dorm again. He had never thought Yangyang like that, much less wondered whether the younger felt anything for him beyond their platonic relationship. 

          Xiaojun shifted on the bed, now suddenly awkward with the closeness. He needed to get his head straight, and so he turned to face the wall. Sure he had suspected that the younger was open when it came to his preferences (not that Yangyang had tried to hide it with comments he made about female and male idols they run into), but he had never thought he would be the subject of Yangyang’s interest.

          He doesn't know how long it was before Yangyang’s breathing got progressively more audible. The drawn out inhales and exhales had him turn slowly in order to ensure that the younger was sleeping. Yangyang was out like a light, and was tossing around pushing Xiaojun closer to the wall. He tried to move the male slowly so that he could move back to his own bed, but instead the younger’s weight was shifted on him. Yangyang’s arm and half his body draped around Xiaojun, leaving him trapped in that position. 

          When did the younger start having feelings for him? How deep were they? Xiaojun was dying to know, but at the same time afraid of the answer he would get. It had to be another hour before the lights flickered on. With the lights on in their room, he could see the clock that read 2:30 AM. 

          When Xiaojun’s gaze finally falls up on the male draped over him, the feeling is a little different. He doesn’t know if he could ever see the younger in a romantic sense, but he was also a little more than the little prankster that he loved. 

          The faded sounds of the TV going off from the living room and he was soon shifting, trying to get out of the lock that Yangyang had unintentionally put him in when he heard the other groan. He had woken the younger. 

          “Lights are back on.” He informed the younger as if the beaming in his face wasn’t enough of an indication. “I’m going to turn the TV off.” With that Xiaojun pushed the male who was already moving off of him aside before he was off to do exactly what he claimed. He quickly gets his phone as well before he moves to the living room. Plugging in the device that had by then died, he lets out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding. He stands next to his phone until it turns on once again to see texts from Kun, wondering if they were okay and that he would stay in the dream dorm as per his suggestion. 

          Sending a quick text to let the leader know that they were okay, and that the lights were back on, he then made his way back to the bed room. It would be a lie if he had said that he didn’t hesitate going in there. Xiaojun was not ready to face Yangyang just yet. When he enters the room once again, Yangyang is sitting up on his bed, he has a smile on his face that doesn’t sit well with Xiaojun. 

          “I need to tell you something.” Yangyang claims and before he could continue, Xiaojun quickly interrupts. 

          “Yangyang… I want you to know that it’s okay to feel the way you feel. But I don’t think- I just can’t- I’m not sure if it would be smart anyway if we-”  God, why couldn’t someone just put him out of his misery. Xiaojun was so caught up in his own thoughts that he had missed the smile that was growing on Yangyang’s face. “I think, this is just something because we spend so much time together- and look, I’m not your type anyway- I don’t wanna say you’re confused because-” 

          “Xiaojun, listen to me.” Yangyang tried to speak, but it was of no use. 

          “Because you’re a very smart person, but I think maybe… I don’t know, I think you’ll think differently soon enough. But the bottom line is, what you’re feeling is okay. Okay?” The whole spiel had left Xiaojun breathless and it is then that he really looks at Yangyang. The male was practically red in the face, but when he bursts out laughing, Xiaojun can’t help but feel like he shrunk a couple of inches. “What’s going on--” 

          “Thank you for all of that…” Yangyang was trying to control his laughter, “That’s actually the-  the sweetest- sweetest let down I’ve ever heard- I kinda feel bad.” Apparently not that bad though, given he was doubled over laughing at who knows what. Now, Xiaojun was completely confused. When Yangyang finally pulls himself together and succeeds in not choking on every other word, he continues “I don’t like you- like that. I mean, I like you, but not like that. I just needed you to stop talking.”

          “What do you mean?” 

          “You wouldn’t go to sleep, and kept waking me up freaking out because there was a power cut. And I needed you to stop.” 

          “So you confess to me?! You .” Xiaojun looks deeply offended, wasn’t this a little too much? Even for Yangyang.  

          “I mean, that’s the one thing I could think of that you wouldn’t freak out to me about.” Yangyang seemed a little too proud of himself, “You know, you’d freak out all by yourself.” Yangyang waved his hand as if swatting someone into a corner to go suffer by themselves. “It worked.” 

          “Wow, I’m going to kill you one day.” The complete defeat in Xiaojun’s tone was priceless. It was mixed emotions, part of him was glad that Yangyang didn’t really have such feelings for him, and yet he couldn’t help the part of him that had a slightly bruised ego. In part because he had fallen for Yangyang being Yangyang again and the other because come to think of it, they had spent so much time together, why wouldn’t the boy have feelings for him? “I hate you so much.” 

          “Love you too~” Yangyang was trying to be cute.

          Without much of a conversation after that, the two decide they should go to sleep. Xiaojun turned off the lights before he made his way towards the bed, and he felt Yangyang pull him down onto his bed. He was soon wrapping his arm and leg on top of Xiaojun before slightly squeezing him. “If it makes you feel better, I had a tiny little crush on you the first time I heard you sing.” 

          Xiaojun grunts, he couldn’t let the younger just undo the turmoil that he was put through with just that. 

          Yangyang will have to do better than that. 

          But he can’t help but feel a little warmth envelope him at the thought that Yangyang had appreciated his singing,

          “... it does make me feel better. You .”