“What do I do?!! I don’t even…,” Jongin cried out.

“Were you told about it?” Kyungsoo asked as he rubbed his back.

“No, they just made me go instead of Sehun, if I had known…” sobbed Jongin.

“Then you wouldn’t have gone,” Kyungsoo completed his sentence.

“I don’t want this to be out there, I don’t want to lie to all those who support me,”

“I know, we know,” Kyungsoo said, “it is going to be alright.”

“I don’t think so…” Jongin countered, “It hasn’t become alright for Baekhyun hyung, and I...”

“It will be alright, Jongin,” Chanyeol said.

Kyungsoo and Chanyeol held him. Letting Jongin let out as much as he wanted, “It is going to be alright” played on loop.

 

“Will you guys hate me if fans start hating me?” Jongin asked once his sobs were not that frequent. Chanyeol made him drink water before he answered,

“No way!”

“Kyungsoo,” Jongin asked as he peered at him. Kyungsoo was staring hard at something over his shoulder. He hadn't answered yet.

“Kyungsoo,” this time Chanyeol let his arms loose to push back and stared at his head. He had even jostled him, but there was no answer

“You are angry with me,” Jongin said.

“No, I am not angry at you. I wish I…,” Kyungsoo started but paused and looked down, “… I wish I could fix this. I wish we could have stopped the first one itself. Then it wouldn’t have come to this. Not to you.”

Chanyeol immediately lunged to hug him. Jongin wasn’t far behind.

“But I promise you this, I will have your back Jongin,” Kyungsoo continued, “I will always support you. Both of you.”

“As will I, for you and you,” Chanyeol mumbled into Kyungsoo's shoulder.

“Everything will be okay, I promise,” Kyungsoo said, “we will get through this together.”

 

The three remained like that for a long time. Only the pressing ringtone of Chanyeol got them to untangle.

“Yes, yeah he is with us, Kyungsoo and I are… leave? Okay, yeah, wait,” Chanyeol cursed and asked Kyungsoo, “You have extra bags with you? Minseok hyung said to ask to get extra bags. That didn’t make any sense.”

“I have them, we have to go back?” Kyungsoo asked nudging Jongin to get up, who did grumpily.

“What about the welcome party?” Jongin asked.

“Going to have it in the dorms,” Chanyeol replied as he got up, “Jongin you want to go back to the dorm or the practise rooms first?”

Chanyeol had gotten up with ease to receive the call. Kyungsoo got up after him, and with both his hands helped Jongin to his feet. Jongin looked at them expectantly. But Chanyeol was busy replying and Kyungsoo straightened his clothes.

“I’ll go back to the room, Chanyeol you take Jongin to wash up, I’ll meet you in the dorms,” Kyungsoo said. He was almost done straightening his clothes when Jongin clasped their hands,

“Kyungsoo, will you hear us out?” He asked shyly. Jongin looked expectantly at Chanyeol and Chanyeol looked at him all confused. Jongin wiggled his eyebrows and Suddenly, Chanyeol understood whatever it was.

Kyungsoo looked at Chanyeol and Jongin, and frowned. They had an entire conversation with just their eyes.

“Jongin and I are,” Chanyeol started. He paused to hold on to Kyungsoo's hand that he had tried to retrieve from their hold.

“Just hear me out!” Chanyeol pleaded, Jongin whacking his arm for framing it so badly, “we both are going to, want to, I mean, to try to be best friends with each other, and you know how everyone is close but then we are closer. Like, not close like…” 

“Hyung!” Jongin interrupted

Chanyeol paused to look at him, “You do it then!”

Jongin gave him a stink eye for that, “Fine!! Kyungsoo,” he said as he turned to look at Kyungsoo, who was already looking at him. The frown on his face wasn’t very comforting but Jongin could do this!!

He took a deep breath, “Hyung, we both like you to be our best friend.”

Kyungsoo's eyes widened and stared at them. His mouth opened in an 'o'.

“Will you,” Chanyeol started and waited until Kyungsoo looked him in the eyes to continue, “be okay with that? Can we be best friends? The three of us?”

Kyungsoo knit his brows in contemplation and looked at their joined hands.

“Can I ask something?” Kyungsoo said.

“Yeah,” both yipped together.

“When did guys decide this?”

Chanyeol saw hesitation in Jongin's eyes so he decided to answer, “When you and Baekhyun got close, we missed hanging out with you. More specifically, we have always wanted to be close friends, but didn’t know how. With you spending less time with us…”

“I thought you would forget us,” Jongin quipped, “that you didn’t want to spend time with us anymore.”

Chanyeol smirked at his pout and so did Kyungsoo when he looked over.

“You were busy with shows, and Chanyeol for music. It is not like I don’t want to, but I just don’t know how to. After,” he shook his head, “after…”

Chanyeol squeezed his hand, their brothers leaving had been difficult. Keeping in touch helped but seeing each other to not know when they actually will see them in person. Distance and time take a toll on everything, relationships included. Even though their friendship was forged over so many moments and emotions, the separation took its toll on both of them. even during video calls they could see how much they missed each other’s company and how far they are getting from one another.

“That’s why we want to,” Chanyeol paused, “try to be there for each other. All of us as a group are friends, and I will be there for each and every one of our brothers. But I just want you two to be the first ones to know about me and be there for me. Like even if I don’t, I hope that we can….”

“We can understand each other without explaining,” Jongin finished for him.

“It takes time to build that kind of friendship,” Kyungsoo said.

“That is why I want to start trying now,” Jongin said, “is it something you would want to have? With us? Or maybe not us but with someone else? ”

“No, it isn’t like that Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, “it isn’t about you two. It is about me, I don’t think I can be, I mean I couldn’t really help Tao, I don’t know how…”

“Neither do I think I can,” Chanyeol interrupted, “but we can try? For ourselves? Can we?”

“Yeah, we can!” Jongin asked, “Can we?? Can we atleast try?”

Silence hung around the room as Kyungsoo stared at the floor. Jongin or Chanyeol didn’t want to push for an answer. Jongin looked worriedly at Chanyeol, who nodded as calmly as he could. 'Patience, have patience' his eyes seemed to say to Jongin. 

When Kyungsoo looked up, he was smiling. 

He said, “I think we already are.”

“What?” Jongin asked.

“Best friends?” Chanyeol asked.

“Trying,” Kyungsoo said, “But yes, it would be an honor to be best friends with you both. Are you sure you guys will be okay with me?”

Jongin and Chanyeol answered by squashing him into a hug.

 

 

 

 

Unlike what they had decided, all three went back to the practise room. As soon as they entered they could only see chaos. Sehun was trying to push down everything in one bag with Jongdae yelling on how to be more systematic about it. Others just gave up on them.

As soon as they opened the doors, Minseok came to drag Jongin for a one on one conversation, Junmyeon did the same for Chanyeol and Kyungsoo was dragged into a bone crushing hug by Baekhyun. Baekhyun did not let up, and Kyungsoo just resigned himself to his fate. He was alternating between his back, rubbing circles and swaying them back and forth. Baekhyun kept his hold just as tight. Only when Chanyeol poked at his cheeks, Kyungsoo wanted to be free to punch him.

“Baekhyun, you are going to choke him,” Jongdae said as he saw Kyungsoo struggle in Baekhyun's grasp.

“It's his punishment,” Baekhyun replied, snaking his head out of Kyungsoo's neck, “and he knows it.”

“Do you know it, Hyung?” Sehun asked with widened eyes to Kyungsoo and used this opportunity to ruffle Kyungsoo's hair.

“It is and I do,” Kyungsoo replied as he glared at Sehun, only so brave to step away from the glare.

“What is it for?” Jongdae asked as he took the opportunity to ruffle his hair and step away.

“It is a secret,” they both said at the same time, looking at Jongdae with such intensity that Jongdae held his hand up in surrender.

 

From what he had overheard from Chanyeol and Junmyeon's conversation, Jongdae smiled. It was kind of weird when Minseok had suggested making a safety net of friendship between Minseok, Junmyeon and himself. But as time passed, he knew that they benefited from it. Sure, it took lots of effort and patience to maintain it. Sometimes, they were so close to fighting that it would seem redundant to even try sorting out the differences. Somehow, they always managed to come back together like a rubber band. Also, they could never be upset with each other for long.

 

 

“I think Jongin would blame Baekhyun for this,” Junmyeon had said that morning.

“Why?”, Jongdae whined, “Why aren’t they thinking properly?”

“Maybe,” Minseok started, “we could split them, before they could. Like let Baekhyun and Jongin be in different rooms and calm them down separately.”

“That’s a good idea,” Junmyeon said, “We could have Kyungsoo accompany Baekhyun...”

“No, no,” Jongdae interrupted, “I’ll handle Baekhyun, let Kyungsoo and Chanyeol take Jongin.”

“What, why?” Junmyeon asked.

Jongdae looked everywhere but at them, so Minseok turned him towards them, “Jongdae, what did you do?”

When the silence continued, Junmyeon reached out to tap Jongdae on his chin, “you know we won’t get angry. There aren’t many things we get mad at you for, you know that.”

“Like his whining,” Minseok supplied as he flashed his gummy smile at Jongdae, who had turned to give a stink eye.

“Like when you annoy me with a beagle line on stage,” Junmyeon added. He too, received a glare in turn.

“C’mon Jongdae, you can tell us,” Junmyeon said once again, leaning on Minseok's shoulder, as they both looked at him.

“Fine, but you should know, it was not my idea,” Jongdae said. They nodded, so he continued,

“I saw Chanyeol and Jongin getting upset when Kyungsoo and Baekhyun started spending more time together. So I might have suggested...”

“You didn’t,” Junmyeon grasped, sitting upright.

“He totally did,” Minseok said as he pushed back Junmyeon's head on his shoulder, “they took it well?”

“They didn’t at first, but then they came to talk to me themselves. I didn’t think they would but it seems like both of them liked the idea of it. Of making efforts to be close friends. Like us three.  I think they are coming around to the idea.”

Junmyeon and Minseok face blank stares at him. It made him feel uncomfortable to be stared at. He tried to pull his hand out of theirs, but Minseok simply pulled him in. 

“You did good Jongdae,” Junmyeon said as he ruffled his hair with a smile, “You always come up with the best ideas, don’t you?”

“No, I…”

“He does,” Minseok said as he released hands to half hug both Junmyeon and Jongdae, “do you know what Kyungsoo and Sehun call him?”

“No hyung, please don’t! Stop it,” Jongdae started whining.

“What?” Junmyeon asked.

“They call him angel,” Minseok grinned at Junmyeon.

“Seriously? Doesn’t Baekhyun call Kyungsoo an angel though?” Junmyeon asked with a smile matching Minseok’s.

 

 

The bickering went on, and Jongdae in his own world, was apprehensive of how the day would turn out.

 He didn’t have to worry though. They had a proper party with food secretly lent by the seniors and juniors, bottles of soda by the manager newly assigned to them, sweets smuggled by Sehun, and late night horror films on TV wrapped up their day. At least the hyungs were awake enough to send everyone back to their rooms.

When they reached dorms, Baekhyun had hugged Jongin, but before he could apologize, Jongin said,

“No hyung, don’t. I know what you are going to say, so don’t...”

“Had it not been for me, they wouldn’t have done this to you Jongin”

“No hyung,” Sehun said, “they were going to do this nonetheless. It is not on you.”

“Yeah,” the echoing answer of everyone in the room did make Baekhyun cry a little. He even forced everyone to hug him before the party began. Everyone easily melted as he hugged them.

He saw Jongin, Chanyeol and Kyungsoo arrange food together. There was an ease to them that was hesitant before. Jongin and Chanyeol offered him a thumbs up when Jongdae raised his brow in question at their camaraderie.

All in all, it turned out to be a good day.