Yayyyy! Thank you guys for completing the Spin-the-Bottle Question! :] I’m so relieved that it worked out. So, I can’t tell you the answers (only the two people who asked and answered should know [and me, of course]). But here were the questions asked!

Tablo asked Soo Ri: Who are the members you feel most distant from and do you want to get to know them? (a/n: I will definitely keep this in mind as I continue writing the story. Thank you for answering honestly.)

Chan Hee asked Eun Suk: Which female member are you on good terms/comfortable with? Which male member? (a/n: I hope you were satisfied with the response. XP Thanks for asking!)

Sky asked JiHyun: I want to know...as a leader, what do you think you've failed to do? (a/n: amazing question, and thank you so much for the wonderfully kind and thoughtful reply!)

Gongchan asked Soori: If you and me switched bodies for a day, what would you do? (a/n: such a fun question and such a cute answer! Love these two.)

Jaesun asked Chan Hee: Chanhee noona, what would you do if Chanyeol started dating a Universe member? (a/n: XD answer had me laughing for a while. Good job, you guys.)

Doojoon asked Sky: If you could become famous for just ONE thing, what would it be? (a/n: the more I learn about Sky, the more I like him. If only he were real… <3 )

Soo Ri asked Kyuhyun: Why did you choose L1GHT as your stage name, what’s behind the meaning of it for the character? (a/n: awesome question and inspiring answer. Thank you guys.)

Soori asked Jaesun: Jaesun oppa, in what situation do you feel most uncomfortable? And if it's actually happen, how do you want for people around you to react? (a/n: love the Jung siblings, always. The answer was pretty funny, too.)

JiHyun asked Gongchan: So I'm leader and you're maknae. Say the roles were reversed for 1 minute. What would you make me do for that one minute? (a/n: leader-maknae love! <3 I would totally ship this couple, hehe.)

Kyuhyun asked Shim Jang: If you could change the sleeping arrangements(?), who would you give the couch to? (a/n: a brilliant question, and a cute answer. :3)

Jaesun asked Yoseob: Yoseob hyung, what was the most awkwardest/stupidest thing you've done in front of the Beast hyungs? (a/n: It would be the funniest thing if my answer was accurate. :P Fun question, though. Thanks for asking.)

Mithra asked Soori: Out of Universe, who is the one member you are the most jealous of? (a/n: answer was totally unexpected. Love your honest, cute, and beautiful personality. Thanks for answering.)

The majority of answers were extremely cute and fun. The others were emotionally deep and so supportive. It was really amazing to read all of the questions and answers. Honestly, you guys really used that question to your advantage! :]

Thank you so much for doing that~

And thank you so much for being so respectful of each other and also so in-character! I love the members of Universe, and I cannot thank you enough for creating them!

On with the story~

All of the Universe members slept throughout the next day, exhausted from all of the anxiety and the energy they had put into their debut day’s events. Epik High and Beast had left around 3am, and Universe had fallen asleep at around 5am, still eating and talking together in the living room.

Shim Jang and Kyuhyun had had a slight bicker about who was going to get the couch tonight, before Kyuhyun had reluctantly made room for her. Now, both were sleeping peacefully on the couch.

Jaesun had fallen asleep between Soori and Soo Ri. All three of them were comfortably lying on a pile of blankets and had blankets laid over them. Soori’s head was on Jaesun’s arm. Chu was somewhere in the midst of the blankets as well. 

Sleeping with his arms wrapped around the table leg was JiHyun, who was smiling as he slept. He was quite a creeper…

Gongchan had passed out besides JiHyun on his back, his long arms and legs sprawled out.

Chan Hee had managed to drag herself to someone’s bedroom and had fallen asleep there, on JiHyun’s bed. Of course, she didn’t know it was JiHyun’s bed, but had been shocked to discover a textbook instead of a pillow. She’d cursed out loud when her head had hit something rock solid, though.

 Sky had also managed to drag himself into his own room and fallen asleep on his bed. Balam was sleeping next to him, all curled up; a warm ball of fur. Not totally aware of how she’d gotten into Sky and Jaesun’s room, Eun Suk was sleeping peacefully on Jaesun’s bed.

And that was how the first rays of the sun found them, all of them in peaceful and luxurious slumber.

… Although JiHyun’s position was slightly awkward. Leader was gonna have cramps when he woke up!

“We’ve got another concert tomorrow, huh?”, Gongchan asked, popping a grape into his mouth as he laid out on the couch.

“Yeah, at the outdoor stage of MNet”, Soori answered, stealing a strawberry. 

“I’m exhausted after yesterday, though”, Gongchan moaned and rolled over on the couch with some difficulty. He barely fit on the couch.

“We have twenty-four concerts left, so don’t think about being tired yet”, JiHyun replied, sitting on the maknae’s stomach. Gongchan let out an “Oof”.

 “I’m tired too, but it’ll all fade away when we get back onstage”, Shim Jang replied, walking in with Jaesun.

“Yesterday was amazing, but we need to keep it up so we can win some awards”, Jaesun said, grinning, “I wasn’t aiming for anything before yesterday, but now… well, yesterday was so awesome that I’m thinking, why not? I mean, the concert today is a judged and voted for concert.”

“That would be nice, but don’t forget we’re going up against our sunbaenims, who taught us everything. We’re still a beginning group, so don’t look too far ahead. Just focus on what an outside stage is going to be like”, JiHyun said, wrapping his arms around Jaesun and pulling him into his lap.

Gongchan groaned, “So… heavy. Get off!”

JiHyun had just encouraged Soori to sit on Gongchan’s back when Chan Hee called, “Eat your breakfast now and get the hell out of here to practice, you lazy fools!”

Sky’s POV

“Whoa, there”, I heard someone say from behind me. I turned around to see Jiyoung hyung grab Jaesun from running into a wall. I sighed. That kid… always running into something.

Jaesun, being Jaesun, grinned cutely, apologized, waved, and ran off to go find his best friend and hyung, Yiruma, who was present to play the background music for IU’s new single.

 “Thanks, you just saved our triple threat from falling for the fiftieth time today”, I said, approaching Jiyoung hyung. Jiyoung laughed and gave me a hug as a hello.

“Kid’s a cute kid”, Jiyoung said, nodding at the direction Jaesun took off in. I shrugged, though inside, I… agreed. I would never admit this, though.

“He needs to learn to watch where he’s going”, I replied, shaking my head slightly.

Jiyoung just chuckled. “Oh, hey, I saw your debut on television”, Jiyoung mentioned, “you guys were fantastic. I don’t think you needed the good luck charm I gave you.” 

His praise made me feel warmth inside, but I just responded, “Your charm helped me with the nerves a lot.”

Jiyoung nodded, slapped my back, and said, “Well, looks like we’re competing today. Good luck again.”

I smiled and replied, “You too, hyung. See you later”, before I left to find my own members.

Chan Hee’s POV

It was our second performance  and we were twelfth to perform. The line-up consisted of fourteen different groups in this order: Secret, After School, 2pm, 2am, Miss A, Exo K, Big Bang, f(x), IU, Beast, 2NE1, Universe, Jewelry, and G.NA.            

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my heart and mind and forget about the strong competitiors as I stood on the platform that would raise me to the stage. Kyuhyun and Soo Ri joined me after their mics had been checked. I smiled at them as best I could, trying to seem arrogant and overconfident. Really, my right hand was shaking like crazy behind my back.

“You’re on in ten seconds!”, a stage member shouted to us over the screaming outside.

I was about to wish good luck to my members when I felt something wet land on my right hand. Confused, I looked up to see where that had come from. Another drop landed on my left cheek before the drops started to come steadily down.

Damn, it was raining.

Soo Ri’s POV

Oh my goodness, it was absolutely pouring. As I was lifted onto the stage, I could feel myself getting drenched already. Well, at least sweating wasn’t going to be a problem, I thought wryly as I posed and smiled.

The stage stopped and our introduction began as the ten of us smoothly walked down the stairs and took our places onto the stage. As I was walking, I felt the rain become a downpour. Fans were pulling jackets over their heads down.

I looked over at Soori and Eun Suk next to me. Eun Suk was looking out into the audience, worrying at the amount of fans scrambling out of the stadium. Soori was peering down uncertainly at her heels and the suddenly slippery stage underneath them. Crap, I’d totally forgotten about how slick stages got when they were wet.

I winced, but then the music began to play, and the show had to go on.

Kyuhyun’s POV

We can make it through, I thought to myself as we began our song, Eden Within. JiHyun and Chan Hee’s raps were still sounding perfect, and the crowd was beginning to gather interest in Universe. Sky and Shim Jang also made it through the intense dance duet without any problem whatsoever, except Sky slipped and nearly tripped over JiHyun at one point.  

 Relieved, I started following Jaesun to the center stage. I should have expected it from the boy who tripped on thin air every day, but I was looking straight forward, when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him start to slip. Instinctively, I grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him up. Thankfully, he continued and made it to the center of the stage, but his voice had noticeably tripped up for a beat. Shaken, but maintaining his composure, he backed away next to Sky and Soo Ri, who were providing background dance.

Damn it, I thought, feeling myself struggle to get a firm stance on the wet stage. Eun Suk headed towards center next, and confidently strutted down to the center without slipping. She began to sing in her usual tone and was hitting all the right pitches. Relieved, I let myself focus on my own dance until suddenly-. Why is there only background music going on? I looked up from my feet, startled, and saw Eun Suk glance down at her microphone uneasily before she continued with her dance and continued to sing. But without the mic, her voice could not be heard over the crowd and the rain.

Suddenly, I heard Soori’s voice. I glanced behind me. Soori was facing out of position, in the other direction so that the crowd couldn’t tell it was her singing instead of Eun Suk. Eun Suk continued to lip sync and  returned to the back when she finished, her face totally impassive. But it wasn’t hard to tell she wasn’t pleased.

I was so worried for Gongchan, who was up next, that I didn’t realize how close I was to JiHyun. I bumped into him chest-to-chest, taking us both off balance. The both of us managed to stabilize ourselves without it being too obvious, but I was beginning to get really nervous.

Damn it, I gritted my teeth. Then, I realized Chan Hee, who was dancing next to me, mouthing something to me. I focused on her lips, which were forming the words… Ca-pi-tals…Capitals?

Think.About.Capitals. She mouthed.

Oh!

Controlling my breath, I thought to myself Dublin, Washington D.C., Seoul, Beijing… and then I strode out to face the crowd with my voice.

Eun Suk’s POV

Crap, my other line was coming up and my mic didn’t work! Trying to keep my face relaxed and continuing with my dance steps, I tried to focus on a way to get my hands on a mic that worked…

Suddenly, I felt someone poke my side. I looked to see Soo Ri next to me, drenched but totally determined and focused. She passed to me her mic before she whirled off to the other side. Stunned for one moment, I realized I would pass her again before her next line.

I took a deep breath and gazed at my bracelet for a moment. Unconditional. That’s right, I thought. All or nothing. I gripped the mic, steadied myself, and then strutted out there, no longer caring about the rain or the amount of people watching, and belted out my vocals.

Shim Jang’s POV

The rain was making it difficult to hear my own members. Our last section, the section where a number of us sang together was coming up. Straining my ears, I let my body guide itself as I tried to hear my cue, which was Soo Ri line with Soori’s harmony. I closed my eyes, trying to hear, trying to hear.

Suddenly, my hand came into contact with something solid. Startled, I dropped my mic to the floor, where I could only continue to dance with wide eyes as it rolled to Gongchan. There was silence for a moment, and then JiHyun started to rap his own part, dashing out to the center to try to get the crowd’s attention onto him instead of Gongchan with two mics and me with none.  

I’d missed my line! What?! I thought, horrified. The performance came to an end with all of us shouting strongly, “WELCOME TO OUR UNIVERSE!”

But I thought, we finished strong, but that doesn’t make up for our terrible performance. Oh my god, that was so bad…

JiHyun’s POV

“Hyung, looks like you were right”, Jaesun commented glumly, stripping off his white undershirt to change into a dry light blue button-up.

“About what?”, I asked mildly, buttoning up my own dark blue button-up. I didn’t think we dealt with it too badly, for our first time. My first time on a cold outdoor stage, my guitar had gotten out of tune so badly that when I tried to turn it, two of the strings had snapped, and I’d had to play with two strings. Some of the disturbingly gross chords I’d played that day still haunts me today…

“About how we should just focus on performing on an outdoor stage and not on winning”, he replied, sitting down and sadly gazing off into space.

My heart ached, but I simply pulled a towel off the rack and draped it over his head, “You’re going to get a cold, Jaesun, and then you won’t be able to make up for this performance next time.”

I heard a sigh from under the towel, but two arms came up to dry his hair. I smiled slightly. Kid was adorable.

Then Sky’s voice came from the corner.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”, Gongchan said, “For what, Sky hyung?”

“For messing up. I… I messed up our entire performance… I bumped into JiHyun and I slipped and then I… I just… Sorry”, Sky said heavily, not looking at any of us.

I stared at him, astonished. Why did he feel the need to take on full responsibility? We’d all been out there together. I opened my mouth to tell him that he was overthinking it, but before I could say anything, Kyuhyun cut in, “So you bumped into someone. So what? That ruined the whole performance? You think the rest of us are so weak as to be distracted just cause you bumped into someone?!”

“Kyuhyun hyung, that’s really harsh”, Gongchan said, standing up.

“Be quiet, Gongchan”, Kyuhyun said, aggressively, “I’m talking to loser over here. So, Sky, are you saying you’re that weak? So weak you get shaken by bumping into another member onstage. Wow, how lame. You know, I bumped into JiHyun too, and Jaesun tripped and Shim Jang missed her line and Eun Suk’s mic freaking bailed on her, but you think you had it the worst? And you want to take responsibility for our entire performance?”

“Kyu…“, Jaesun said warningly, pulling his towel off his face. Sky was looking away from Kyuhyun, gritting his teeth. I’ll give Kyuhyun ten more seconds…I thought, Ten more seconds to make his point, and then he’s done.

“Don’t think you can take responsibility for the rain either, Sky. So don’t even try to blame yourself for the whole performance. You’re sure as hell not responsible for me, or Universe. You’re responsible for you, and… you did great today”, Kyuhyun finished.

Sky’s head whipped up in surprise at the last few words, but Kyuhyun had already left the room.

Nice, I thought, grinning inside. I allowed myself only a little smirk, though.

“Wow, Kyuhyun’s one cool guy”, Gongchan commented, and gently slapped Sky on the back, “See? You must’ve done great, if you got the great Kyuhyun to compliment you.”

Sky just sat there, dazed.

I suddenly spotted something in the corner of the room and couldn’t help but laugh.

“What?”, Gongchan asked.

“Kyuhyun’s cool and all, but he forget to take home his hot pink Calvin Klein boxers”, I replied, pointing at the corner, and sure enough, there they were, for the whole world to see.  

Jaesun laughed, then suddenly winced and put his hand on his side.

“What’s up?”, I asked him, concerned. Did he run into something on his way backstage?! I didn’t see it…

Jaesun grimaced and responded, “Shim Jang punched me right in the ribs today, on stage.”

“Let me see”, I said. Jaesun lifted his shirt, and I had to wince at the sight of the huge purple bruise.

Gongchan whistled and said, “Remind me not to get on Shim Jang’s bad side.”

 “Well, like Kyuhyun said, looks like I didn’t have to deal with the worst today, looks like you had it worst today”, Sky said softly, with a small smirk.

I turned away from them to hide the smile spreading across my face.

Looks like Kyuhyun knew what he was doing…

Good job, boy with hot pink , I thought.