The dorm was quiet and the sun would be coming up within the hour. Seokjin stirred and sat up in his bed as he did every morning at this time. His days always started earlier than everyone else’s but he liked it that way. Dragging his half-asleep body out of bed, he walked into the kitchen and set a kettle of water on the stove to boil. From there, the only sound was the light bubbling over the fire. That’s why Seokjin liked to get up first: this was the only time when everything was calm and quiet and he enjoyed every second of peace that came before the others would wake up.

Exhaustion and grogginess weighed heavily on his entire body; he shut his eyes and let his thoughts wander. There was so much to do today – just like yesterday and every other day – that he wondered how he’d get it all done again. He wondered when he’d get the next day off because there was a new barbeque place that had just opened up a little ways down the street. That reminded him, he needed to go shopping again; he had a recipe that he wanted to try soon. Maybe this one would turn out successfully too and he could post it up for the fans to see. If Yoongi was home and awake, he should have him taste it. Yoongi always gave him the most detailed and discriminating feedback, making him the best taste tester out of all the members. He admired that but sometimes he could be harsh when all Seokjin really wanted was good results. Nevertheless, it was appreciated. Besides, Yoongi had a bad habit of skipping meals which made Seokjin worry, so he liked to feed him; at least then he would know he had eaten recently.

A whistling cloud of steam interrupted Seokjin’s busy mind and called his attention back to reality. He rushed to the stove, turned the heat off, and poured the hot water into an empty mug before placing a bag of tea into it. While the tea brewed, he sat up and checked the refrigerator; they still had enough food to eat for a while, to which Seokjin was grateful. He washed the dishes in the sink – most of which probably belonged Yoongi and Namjoon, who had gotten in late last night and likely just ate and showered before going to bed. It didn’t bother Seokjin anymore. When the dishes were done, he set them to dry and sat down at the table to drink his tea. He was used to this by now.

Morning was upon him as the black sky turned a dim blue-grey and light began to reach towards the dark corners of the dorm. It stretched and missed but passing minutes would continue to push it forward. Seokjin finished up his tea before quietly pulling out a pan and everything else he’d need to make breakfast. The kids would be up soon and despite the consistency of this morning, he made haste. He set a pot of water in the coffee machine to brew, Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok liked to drink it from time to time, especially after a long night. Jimin rarely needed an energy boost and thought coffee would keep him from growing taller; he still wanted to believe he had the chance to grow a little bit more. Jungkook was still young and Yoongi didn’t condone him drinking coffee, particularly not while he still had the chance to get taller. Taehyung, on the other hand, was unbearable when he had too much caffeine and Seokjin was not willing to deal with that. Aliens don’t drink coffee for the sake of peace.

Slowly, Seokjin began to hear light movement from the other room. The food was done and he had already started eating by then. Jimin was the first to wake up and wander into the kitchen for breakfast. Seokjin served him – receiving a quiet and raspy “thank you” – before finishing his own food and sneaking into the bathroom to shower.

By the time Seokjin came out of the shower, only Jungkook and Hoseok had joined Jimin at the table. Today was a slow morning. Yet, the addition of two more people made the room livelier. Seokjin poured some coffee into a cup and set it next to Hoseok, who took notice and smiled at him in a way that was unique to mornings – it was still bright and hopeful but his eyes were tired and his lips had a very small curve to them as if even his face was half-asleep. Jungkook, too, gave him a tired smile. It took a lot to keep from laughing at the maknae in the morning because always looked as if he was seconds from falling face down into his breakfast and going back to sleep. He was the most lovable in the mornings, but that could have been because he was the least troublesome then.

As opposed to sitting down with them and waiting for the remaining three to pile into the kitchen, Seokjin got up and began to tidy up around the house. There was never enough time to clean so Seokjin would spend a few mornings doing that each week; it kept the dorm from looking like hell. During that time, he could hear the conversations pick up and the volume increase. The quiet morning was fleeting. It wasn’t until after Seokjin had swept the entire living room floor that Namjoon emerged from the bedroom with a still sleeping Taehyung on his back. Seokjin stared at the unusual scene with curiosity.

“He woke me up to join him for breakfast and asked me to carry him. When I did, he fell back asleep,” Namjoon responded to the look he received. Even as tired as he was, he could read Seokjin’s face like a book.

“Oh,” he nodded, “breakfast is ready. There’s coffee in the kitchen too, if you want any.”

“Cool,” Namjoon offered a partial smile and continued to walk, “I think I’ll need that today.”

Seokjin watched Namjoon carry Taehyung to the table before proceeding to sweep the entryway, taking note of how disorderly their shoes were. Sometimes the members would come home and kick their shoes off at the door. He picked them all up and set them nicely in a row along the steps. They wouldn’t stay that way for long but it looked nice right now. Aware of the dirt he had dropped by moving the shoes, Seokjin re-swept the entryway, emptied the dust pan again, and moved on to the next chore.

Meanwhile, the kitchen had gotten louder. Jimin and Jungkook had showered and returned to the table and Hoseok was washing at the moment. Namjoon was drinking his coffee and Taehyung was still eating. They were all full of energy now and Seokjin’s quiet morning had passed just as it always did.

Yoongi finally crawled out of bed, nearly an hour and a half after Jimin, and walked into the living room; he opened one eye to find Seokjin dusting the bookshelf. He turned his head to glance at Yoongi, and looked over at the clock, “you slept a bit later than usual.”

“Long night,” he rubbed his eyes and opened them slightly. Seokjin stopped what he was doing.

“Breakfast is in the kitchen, so long as they didn’t eat it all – I think I made enough though – but it could be cold by now. There should be plenty of coffee though; if that’s cold, stick it in the microwave. Are you hungry?”

“I can handle it,” Yoongi yawned, “besides, you’re busy.”

“Actually I just finished up,” Seokjin smiled and followed Yoongi into the kitchen.

Luckily there was still food left; he knew he had cooked enough to feed everyone. The coffee wasn’t hot anymore but Yoongi took it as it was. By now, Yoongi had almost gotten used to barely lukewarm coffee. Seokjin the stove and cooked the food – just long enough for it to become hot again. He placed it in on a plate and set it down in front Yoongi who was sipping his slowly cooling coffee.

“You don’t have to go through all the trouble, I could have done that.”

“It’s fine. Hurry and eat. Namjoon will be out of the shower any minute and everyone else is showered and dressed,” Seokjin smiled then returned to the stove. He grabbed the pan and took it to the sink to wash it. Although still tired, Yoongi quickly finished breakfast before placing his plate and cup in the sink and hurrying into the shower. Sighing, Seokjin washed his dishes for him.

Everyone was rushed out of the house only minutes after Yoongi had finished getting dressed and sent to their first schedule. First, they had a photo shoot for some magazine which no one could remember the name of for the first few minutes of the drive because there had been so many offers, requests, and rejections lately that it was just hard to keep track of. The shoot lasted just under four hours. Seokjin hated photo shoots. The stylists were always different and that made him more awkward, especially when the girls told him how pretty he was. But while he was very handsome, the photographer would sometimes get frustrated because he would get tense or look unnatural. Sometimes the photographer just didn’t take much notice in him at all. Jimin and Taehyung always stood out during these things; they were so photogenic.

After changing back into their own clothes, they were herded into the van and sped off to the company building – of course, they didn’t literally speed, the driver had been especially careful in the past few months. They went up to the studio to practice a track that Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok had finished the lyrics for a few days ago. Seokjin knew the few lines he had by heart; he practiced them night and day and, according to Yoongi and Hoseok, he even practiced in his dreams. Often he wondered if he was lucky to have so few lines or if he was falling into the background once again. They ran through the song completely almost a dozen times before their manager dismissed them for the day. Seokjin was relieved but noticed Namjoon taking pills in the corner.

“You did really well today, seriously, it was amazing,” he sat down next to him and placed a hand on his back in a weak attempt to comfort him.

“Thanks,” Namjoon flashed a quick smile before the pain in his throat made him wince. They stood up and followed the others out the door.

“Wait,” the manager called. Everyone stopped and filed back into the room, “practice the new dance for a few hours before going home. I know it’s been a long week but we want to push your comeback up a few days since the songs are getting finished sooner than expected. We need you to get this dance perfect.”

“Yes sir,” Namjoon nodded and led the group to their dance practice room.

They were tired but that was a feeling that they had all become used to. As the closest thing to resting as he’d be able to do for the next few hours, Seokjin happily sat down and began to stretch. Jimin, Hoseok and Jungkook always seemed more energetic when they got to dance. After a few minutes, everyone was ready to start the song. Seokjin took his position in the back. It was no secret that his dancing wasn’t the best and he never really stood out unless it was because of a mistake, but he gave it all he had every time. Even if someone ranked him as the worst dancer in the group, Seokjin believed that he had gotten a lot better at faking it; he could at least look like he wasn’t clueless.

Practice left everyone exhausted and sweaty. Seokjin frowned. He felt dead; he felt like every muscle in his body was going to be sore tomorrow. The chilly night air felt wonderful for the first few minutes but it soon became cold enough to make him shiver.

It was a relief to be back at home. If not for their hunger and the uncomfortable feeling of almost dried sweat on their skin and clothes, everyone would have gone straight to bed. Seokjin walked directly to the kitchen to start dinner. Days like this were routine to him; he’d begin cooking dinner while everyone showers and once they finish, he’d wash up. Usually he’d leave the food to cook while he showers but if it required attention, he’d ask someone else to do it, preferably Jungkook or Yoongi – anyone that wasn’t Taehyung or Namjoon and wouldn’t cut themselves or burn the kitchen down would be fine. On occasion, Seokjin would finish early and served everyone dinner before showering and coming back to eat afterwards. If he didn’t wash quickly, he’d end up eating alone. Tonight wasn’t one of those nights though. He showered while Jungkook watched the soup to make sure it didn’t boil over.

After dinner, everyone got ready for bed except for Seokjin, who found himself faced with a sink of dishes, and the rapper line, who had gathered in the living room to brainstorm for a new song. Seokjin could hear them talk and bicker playfully from there. It took over 25 minutes to wash and dry everything but when he finished, he, too, could get ready for bed. Walking quietly into the living room, he was able to head into the bathroom without anyone acknowledging him. Sometimes that happened and it made Seokjin wonder if he’d make a good ninja. He brushed his teeth and peeked into the living room.

“Don’t stay up too late and don’t be too loud,” Seokjin reminded.

“We won’t,” Namjoon smiled, “good night Seokjin hyung.”

“Well, we’ll try,” Hoseok corrected, “good night hyung.”

“I’m not promising anything,” Yoongi shrugged, “night.”

“Good night,” Seokjin turned around with a smile on his face. He knew they wouldn’t listen to him – they never did – but it had become a habit when they worked from home. They were never loud enough to wake anyone up but Seokjin could hear them talking from the bedroom. There had been many nights that their distant voices were the last thing he heard before falling asleep; it had actually become comforting but he’d never admit that and he’d never miss out on telling them to keep it down before going to bed.

When he stepped into the bedroom, he saw Jungkook sleeping peacefully in bed and kissed his forehead. Taehyung was sprawled out on the floor. Seokjin chuckled; that alien couldn’t even make it to his bed. He picked up the younger boy, placed him in bed, and covered him up. Jimin was lying in bed as if he collapsed there and fell asleep just like that. It was cold tonight, and being the nice hyung he was, Seokjin took a blanket from off his bed and laid it over Jimin. With the kids taken care of, he crawled into his own bed and listened to the sound of Namjoon’s deep voice and Yoongi’s intimidating but calm one throwing out topics that he could only understand a few words of while Hoseok intervened, offering up his own ideas. It may be a while, but Seokjin knew they would reach a compromise at some point. Those few audible words slowly turned to distant mumbles as he drifted off.

Tomorrow would be closing in on him soon – sooner than he’d like – and another day of different things that would somehow feel familiar would be waiting. Maybe it would be an interview where he would speak only to be interrupted or to have his answers cut from the aired show. Maybe they would practice all day and he could watch everyone from the back. Maybe they would finally get to record the new song and he could spend an hour listening to everyone sing or rap their part until they finally got to his lines. It didn’t matter. Seokjin liked being in the background, it was where he was comfortable. It was the best place to watch over BTS and take care of them. He was their backbone; everything he did quietly from behind kept them functioning, even if no one acknowledged that – not even him. Without him, there would be a hole in Bangtan’s performance.