It started as a faint murmur that increased into full out bursts of noise. Changjo sat up, blinking away the traces of the nap he was attempting to take before the murmur pierced the silence of his room.

It was still before 4 so nobody else should have been in the dorm yet but him and Niel.

Changjo swung his feet to the floor, sitting up and stretching. He stood and walked the few steps to the door and as soon as he pulled it open the burst of noise transformed into outright shouting and he winced.

“No you don’t understand! Stop trying to say you ing understand!”

It was definitely Niel and there was a brief pause as a barely audible voice tried to cut in only to be completely drowned out by Niel resuming his shouts.

Changjo scoffed, warring between the two courses of actions that lay before him. Should be pretend he didn’t hear a thing and hope it settles on his own, or should he step into the kitchen and remind the arguing couple he was there, that they weren’t alone. He decided it was best for him to stay out of it. They were the couple, it was up to them to solve their problems, not him.

Returning to his room Changjo shut the door, reducing the argument to a rumble. He didn’t wish to know what it was about. It wasn’t his business. A towel was stuffed under the door to help mute the noise and Changjo collapsed once more upon his mattress, his eyes slipping shut. Somehow he managed to nap.

-----------

“Jonghyun…. Jonghyun.”

Changjo groaned and rolled over hugging his pillow and pulling it over his ears as he did so.

“Jonghyun,” the voice continued to press and Changjo groaned as the pillow was yanked from under his head.

Changjo’s eyes flew open as his head hit the mattress and he fixed a glare onto the older male who was straddling him and holding the pilfered pillow to his chest. It was Ricky, the second youngest of the group.

“Hey, what’s your problem?” Changjo glared, reaching out to grab the pillow back but Ricky just pulled it out of reach and smacked his hands away.

“Ricky?”

The pillow smacked against his face and Changjo snatched it away quickly just as Ricky’s weight on him let up. Changjo sat up, tossing the pillow haphazardly to the side and straightening out his dark hooded sweat shirt.

“Is it dinner already?” Changjo glanced at the clock and was surprised to see only about 30 minutes had passed since he fell asleep.

“No. It’s too early for that,” Ricky rolled his eyes at the younger male beside him. “Anyway really I woke you up to ask what happened while I was gone.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did… was… was there…”

“An argument?”

“Was there one?” Ricky asked, looking at Changjo with his eyes wide and brows oddly furrowed in his concern. “I walked into the dorm and I dunno, C.A.P hyung was sitting in the living room reading his book but I could tell he wasn’t really reading it. I didn’t bother saying ‘Hi’. I knew he’d just snap at me and I think I’m right because when I went by the kitchen Daniel was sitting on the floor curled in a ball.”

Changjo frowned, “Did you say anything to Daniel?”

Ricky shook his head in a manner a bit too cute for what they were discussing, “No. I was scared but I knew you were here so I came straight to you to ask what happened but you were asleep.”

“They argued,” Changjo confirmed. “Well mostly Niel screamed a lot but I don’t know what it was about because I just stayed in here. It’s not really our business.”

“What if it affects the band?”

Changjo wasn’t sure how to answer that and shrugged, “I don’t know. What do other bands do with members dating each other?”

“Who else has members dating each other?” Ricky asked.

“I don’t know.”

There was a pause and then Ricky spoke again, “What if they break up?”

“They won’t,” Changjo assured him.

“But what if? We’re still young right? It’s normal to have a failed relationship when we’re young. Look at Chanhee. He’s had a lot of girlfriends already.”

“Yeah well, just…. They won’t,” Changjo said, face setting into a cold expression that started the slightly older member.

“If you say so,” Ricky shrugged, turning away from Changjo. “Whatever happens I just don’t like seeing them like that. It isn’t good for them to argue like that.”

“Well, I think it’s harder on them than it is for us because they’re always together. When Chunji has a girlfriend he rarely gets to see her but then for Daniel and Minsoo they live together. It’s completely different. Of course they’d fight sometimes.”

“But like that?” Ricky tried to argue but Changjo just shook his head.

“Just, don’t tell the others what you saw. They’d get worried and I think really Niel wouldn’t want them to know. Not us either. That’s why I didn’t intervene.”

“Yeah, really. I think they were so far into their thoughts I doubt they even noticed I came home at all.”

Ricky nodded and Changjo laughed.

“What?” Ricky glared. “What’s so funny?”

“Really now? Who is the hyung here? Why am I the one giving advice?”

“Hey, let’s just say we’re the same, ok. And it’s not advice it’s a consultation between peers!” Ricky clarified.

---------

Niel felt like his heart was drowning. He could hear nothing of the world around him. He couldn’t feel. He was numb and weary and he didn’t want anything more than to just disappear.

The argument that transpired flickered by like cut up reels of film with no meaning. Words were said but he couldn’t call them to mind. All he could hear was his own voice booming heavily in his ears. Nothing Minsoo said made it through to him. He wouldn’t stop and listen and that’s why it always ended in this way: Niel folded into a corner, empty and lost. He could never be the victor in their fights.

Niel’s arms folded on their own accord, his hands rubbing at the phantom press of Minsoo’s grip on his biceps. He couldn’t remember a single word but he still felt the heat of his lover’s palms and the tightness of his grip. He should know by now, after already over a year of dating and even more time just being together and Teen Top and trainees together that Minsoo wasn’t a man of many words. He wasn’t eloquent unless it came to his raps, and even then there was a feral quality to it that Niel wouldn’t dare to match, but through just his hands Niel could feel the frustration of the other and it was enough to make him back down, as if his grievances were never valid to begin with.

Niel remained as he was, curled into himself, when Minsoo returned to the kitchen and lightly kicked his ribs, causing him to tip to the side, unfurling just enough to catch himself with his hand. Niel looked up from his position and saw C.A.P standing over him.

“You’re still sitting here, huh?”

C.A.P turned and went to the refrigerator, opening it and taking out a bottle of water. Niel watched from his position on the floor as the eldest of their members, and his boyfriend, twisted off the cap and took a long drink from the contents.

When he finished drinking he prodded at Niel again with his foot.

“Come on get up,” he said, annoyance laced in his voice. “Get up.”

Niel sat up and C.A.P reached down and pulled him by the arm onto his feet and shoved the bottle of water against his thick lips. Niel tried his best to drink when C.A.P tilted it but a few drops escaped from the side and C.A.P pulled the bottle away, replacing it instead with his own lips.

Niel closed his eyes to the kiss and the feeling of C.A.P’s arms wrapping around his waist. He cut off all feelings of confusion that threatened to burst through and instead focused on the familiarity of the lips and tongue working against his until his chest became close the bursting and C.A.P pulled away at the perfect time just like he always did.

“We good?” C.A.P asked in his low voice and a shiver went through Niel’s body that made him press even closer.

“We’re good,” Niel lied.

He knew he was lying but he let it be for now. C.A.P pushed back Niel’s bangs before going in for another kiss on his lips and directing Niel until his back hit the refrigerator door.

“Hyung,” Niel moaned and as if on cue another pair of voices echoed after him.

“HYUNG!”

Niel and C.A.P broke apart and the pair turned to meet the expected scolding with bashful faces.

“You know we eat n here, right?” Changjo said as he marched in with Ricky on his heels.

“We weren’t doing anything,” C.A.P grinned and Changjo didn’t bother answering it with a response.

“We saw it with our two eyes,” Ricky pouted. “Now, what’s for dinner?”

“Get it yourself,” Niel said, sticking his tongue out and C.A.P laughed as he threw his arm around his shoulders.

The two exited the kitchen and Changjo turned his attention to foraging for food.

“I told you they’d be ok,” he said, surveying the fruit bowl

Ricky’s eyes however remained trained to the doorway the resident couple exited through, eyebrows furrowed in thought. Ricky had to admit that yes they looked ok. But with all of Changjo’s self-proclaimed maturity, surely he’d realize things weren’t always what they seemed.

-to be continued-