They sat in silence, which was broken only when Jongin asked, “Should we go now?”

“Jongin, do you want to go back for the day?” Junmyeon asked. 

Jongin shook his head frantically

He stared at the dancing machine for a few seconds and asked, “Do you want to go back to the dorms if one of us comes with you?” 

To this Jongin nodded a hesitant, but tiny, yes.

“I think we should let Kyungsoo and Jongin go home. In some time, it will be time for a break anyways, we can do it then,” Minseok suggested, Junmyeon nodded.

Baekhyun jostled him and said, “Yah!! Jonginah!! Make sure that my Soo rests well, okay?”

“Okay,” Jongin said, smiling a little.

 

*********************************************************************

 

“Why can't I go with him!!!!” Sehun whined, “let me go back to the dorms as well!!! I can teach Jongin the choreography he missed!!”

“Sehun, they are not going to the dorms, dorms are still under repairs, remember?” Baekhyun said to appease the maknae, “You are staying in company apartments with Lu Han and Tao, did you forget?”

Chanyeol perked up at that and asked, “Then, can I go back with them? We two are sharing the apartment, and Jongin can be dropped off from our place! I can even teach them the choreography!!” 

“Honestly, I trust Kyungsoo to teach Jongin more than you,” Minseok retorted. 

Jongdae and Baekhyun laughed at that. Pout on Chanyeol caused some to smile.

But Chanyeol could not see them. His mission was zeroed in on going back with Jongin and Kyungsoo.

“Hyung, please let me go back as well,” he whined to Kris, who replied, “You stay and teach me.”

“Why can't I go?? I want to go back with them! Kyungsoo and Jongin will be hungry! They will need me to make something for them!!!” he continued pleading.

“Chanyeol, come on, help me with the bridge part,” Jongdae dragged Chanyeol to the corner and whispered, “Chanyeol, what is going on? You know it is only for a few hours, then we are all going back. Is there something upsetting you? Did you get hurt???”

“It is not about that,” Chan said begrudgingly as he let Jongdae check him for injuries.

“Then what is it about?” Minseok asked as he joined them. Chanyeol glanced between the two of them, apprehensively. Jongdae raised his eyebrow.

“I…ugh…I am worried about them. I don’t want to leave them alone,” he said, “not after everything that happened. This morning… it all… it all happened in front of me and….” he shuffled on his feet nervously as Jongdae kept looking at him as if trying to decipher him, “I didn't know what to do. I couldn't even do anything. I know I am not the best person for this, but I want… help out if I can… in any way that I… please!”
Chanyeol could only remember what Kyungsoo looked like in the morning, and what scared him was the jarring difference between the two. They were happily chatting (Chanyeol was, Kyungsoo as usual was listening to him), there were some recommendations here and there, some new songs, some gossip, and Kyungsoo was almost carrying Chanyeols’ luggage for being late. It didn’t help that he could remember the short span better when Kyungsoo glanced at him while talking to that group. And from then on Kyungsoo looked like he did when he had first joined.

Chanyeol had tried hard to get along with Kyungsoo. It was not like with others, where there was an ease to it, a flow, and a script that almost always worked.  

And all because Kyungsoo’s singing truly matched with Chanyeol’s. Their voices complimented each, where his was deep, Kyungsoo’s was warm. He himself felt goosebumps when he would listen to their recordings.
Even when Chanyeol played and Kyungsoo sang, they had a camaraderie, which came only after years and years of practice. Kyungsoo would pick up speed if Chanyeol did, slow down as Chanyeol slowed down, added an ad-lib when Chanyeol messed up, and with a grace that no one would be able to tell any difference. His smiles when Chanyeol messes up, his words that encouraged him to try one more time, letting Chanyeol practise his lines with him, switching their parts; whether it was in practise or on stage, or just their jam sessions in practise halls with trainees.

“Chanyeol, no!!” Jongdae rushed to hold his hand, “That's not what I meant!! I am sure they would like to have you around as well,” he rubbed them together and looked him in the eyes and said, “I am not doubting you at all!! It is just that…” Jongdae pulled his hands from Chanyeol’s shoulder in frustration and said in a soft voice, “I am not doubting you, Chanyeol. I get what you are feeling, but… how do I make you understand what this is about, I swear, it’s just….” he paused, looking unsure with the frown drawing in his eyebrows.

Minseok placed his hand on Jongdae and squeezed it. In an absolute first, Jongdae turned and hugged him tightly, but the surprise lasted just a second. He only returned with matching vigor. As much as it hid him from the view, Chanyeol could see the trembling arms of Jongdae.

“Jongdae, I…”Chanyeol started to apologize, but Minseok’s hand on his arm made him pause.

“There aren’t enough trainees today, so trainers will allow only two to go back,” he explained in a low and soothing tone, taking away any guilt Chanyeol had. He also started swaying Jongdae in his arms. His hand receded from Chanyeol to the back of the boy in his arms as he continued, “And no one here doubts you Chanyeol, you are our Happy Virus after all!” The smile accompanying the statement punctuated Chanyeol’s bubbling apologies. 

“Yeah?” Chanyeol almost choked but didn’t give in to tears. He saw Jongdae nod fervently on Minseok’s shoulder. 

“But can we at least hurry and finish early today?” Chanyeol pleaded, changing the topic just as quickly.

“Well, now, that depends on how much fun Sehun and Yixing are going to have by messing up choreography to annoy the instructors,” Junmyeon smirked as he walked towards them, “so maybe you should be talking to them.”

Chanyeol rushed to speak to the troublemakers. He paused for a second and turned to thank them, he saw Junmyeon pat Jongdae’s head and hold Minseok’s Shoulder. Soon, the trio was leaning into each other in support.

He turned away completely, blushing red as if he was intervening on a very private moment. His eye caught on to Baekhyun who was helping pack Jongin’s bag. Next to them, he saw Tao hesitating in helping Kyungsoo do the same. His legs took him to them instead of Sehun or Yixing. 

“Baekhyun, can you convince Yixing, Sehun and everyone else to not mess up anymore? I want to go back sooner,” he said, his eyes trained on how Kyungsoo was leaning on Tao to stand. 

At his plea, Tao looked up mischievously and said, “But hyung, we don’t know the new steps at all! It is all so new!! I also no speak Korean, Oppa!”

Baekhyun laughed when Chanyeol rushed forward to tackle Tao. In an effort to save Kyungsoo from toppling over, Baekhyun dragged Tao and Jongin away from Chanyeol and said, “I’ll try my best, but I am not promising you anything.”

Kyungsoo tried to bend down to get his bag, when Chanyeol rushed in and picked it up and as he handed over the bag, he heard Kyungsoo whisper, ‘I am sorry Hyung.’ but he still thanked Chanyeol when he offered to hold the bag.

Chanyeol waited for him to notice him. But really, he did not have patience, “Kyungsoo,” he said just to get his attention.

Kyungsoo peered from the top of his wonky glasses, and stared at him.

“Umm…I …can….um can I …..? Will you mind…...um? Would you mind if…” he stumbled over his words as he tried not to look away or shrink anymore from Kyungsoo’s gaze.

“Just spit it out,” Kyungsoo said, voice stone cold.

“Um….can I hug you?” he asked, “If you don’t mind that is.”

A pause, and soft sigh later, “Since when do you ask?”

“I don’t know…. I don’t want to… um…how…” he did not know how to say, ‘without hurting you.’

Kyungsoo held his gaze, before he opened his arms, “just avoid the chest.”

Chanyeol did not waste any time. As soon as he heard the words, he wrapped himself around him. He may have been to pull Kyungsoo by shoulder into his chest, he took his time to lay his cheeks to rest on his head. He breathed in and out, and felt Kyungsoo do the same in tandem. His stiff shoulders relax with every breath. Chanyeol could have happily died when he felt two hesitant hands on his back. He turned his head to smell the top of his head and laid it back as it was.

 

It could have lasted longer. Chanyeol would have definitely enjoyed it more, had it lasted longer.

But Sehun saw them and decided that this was an excellent opportunity for a group hug. He shouted out loud as he pointed at Chanyeol and Kyungsoo, “Hyung said group hug!!!” and he was all up in Chanyeol’s vision, with Lu Han following him with a smirk on his face.

“What the hell!! Go away!!! THIS HUG IS JUST FOR ME!!! Guys, no! Don’t come here!!!” Chanyeol cried as he saw others approach them as well.

“Aww! You have to share it, Chanyeol-ah!!! C’mon guys, group hug time!” Baekhyun said as danced the rest of his way into hugging Chanyeol and Kyungsoo from the side. They all wrapped each other around the two. It didn't matter whose face was on whose shoulder.

“Sehun! I will kill you,” Chan grumbled out when he saw Sehun’s fingers skirting up his side to hold him tighter.

A tap on his neck and turned to see Kris smile and lay his head on Baekhyun ahead of him. 

Chanyeol paused, shoulder inching back down.

He could see each and every member of his group in the hug, eyes closed and lips smiling. The hesitant hands on his back started patting him to relax, which he did.
He could only smile, lay his head back on the boy in arm, and feel warmth shared with his best friends around him.

He smiled, and closed his eyes to enjoy it. However, even that wasn’t very long. Because soon Chanyeol felt hands creeping to tickle him, it woke him up from his peacefulness. In his haste to escape, he ended up hitting Minseok hyung, right on his face with his elbow.  Minseok hyung retaliated by hitting him back, but Chanyeol moved, knocking head into Tao next to him, and Minseok ended up hitting Baekhyun behind him.
That snowballs into a fight, one by one they break the hug to hit one another or escape being hit. 

Chanyeol feels trembling in his arms. It was Kyungsoo laughing silently, so he loosened his arms to see him laugh. Kyungsoo leans away but not completely out of Chanyeol's arms. He does pull away his hands from Chanyeol's back, only to rest them on his waist. He is still laughing, silently as he observes everyone’s shenanigans. 

His glasses had slid down his nose, making Chanyeol want to push them up.

But before he could, a hand extended from behind Kyungsoo to push them up for him, and Kyungsoo mumbles out a thank you.

Chanyeol’s gaze followed the arm, and the body attached to it.

It was Jongin. Jongin, who was still hugging Kyungsoo’s back, just like Chanyeol. Only difference was that his arms were resting across Kyungsoo’s stomach. He turned away from looking at the room and his gaze met his. They both smiled at each, their gaze turned to the boy between them and back to each other. The smiles had widened.