whats it been like a year since svt had their first win?     *sweats*

Jihoon had no idea why he reacted the way he did. Sure, it would sound like a fair enough response when you consider everything they've been though, but Jihoon wasn't really one for crying.

He blamed his head, not being able to deal with the vast influx of conflicting emotions, leading to a virtually inconsolable Lee Jihoon.

He could do little more than cling to s while the broadcast was rolling, genuinely worried his weakened legs would give out beneath him.

He usually wasn't one for direct skinship either, preferring the more natural touches with others. Pretty-U-first-win-Jihoon however seemed to have other ideas and when Jun, Minghao, and Seokmin pulled him into firm hugs right on stage, he found himself clinging back just as tight.

He found some semblance of clarity once they made it back stage, hanging back behind the members in an attempt to gather his thoughts. Distantly he saw Soonyoung being consoled (and laughed at) by multiple members as he spluttered unattractively, hot tears staining his cheeks. Jihoon really wanted to hold his hand (not that he'd admit that to anyone).

He didn't get to talk to Soonyoung in the end, or even really get close enough to touch him. It was a little disheartening, he really did want to talk to his boyfriend now they thought he could form a coherent sentence. But they were herded into three cars, the vocal unit’s being a seven seater, and jihoon was left beside a cringe-worthy Jeonghan and Jisoo who were holding each other’s hands and kissing knuckles.

Still, when Jeonghan offered his shoulder for Jihoon to sleep, he didn't think twice.

"Jihoonie~" someone cooed, poking his cheek. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a few times to clear his vision. Jeonghan was smiling softly down at him. "We're here."

Jihoon nodded lazily, pulling himself into an upright position and unclipping his seatbelt.

Before he could pull on the handle, his door swung open. He saw a flash of a familiar smile before he was grabbed from the car by the waist, lifted into the air and spun around.

"S-Soonyoung!" He screeched, "Put me down!" Jihoon clung onto Soonyoung’s shoulders, not trusting the other boy in the slightest to not drop him. And if they went down, Jihoon sure as hell was taking Soonyoung with him.

He heard Soonyoung laugh heartily, nuzzling his head into Jihoon’s chest. He stopped spinning them and lowered Jihoon onto the asphalt.

Jihoon glared at his grinning boyfriend, straightening out his hoodie, "What was that for?" He grumbled.

"Why are you so cold to me?" Soonyoung pouted.

Jihoon rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore that claim and follow the rest of the members inside.

Soonyoung trailed close behind, pleased at the pink colouring he could see on the tips of Jihoon’s ears.

The practice room was alive with the buzz of the win, everyone recalling the moment a little louder than Jihoon wanted to deal with at that moment. He grabbed Soonyoung’s wrist after they walked in, dragging him off to a quieter corner of the room.

Soonyoung said nothing as he was led away, remaining silent when Jihoon stopped and rounded on him, wrapping his arms tight around Soonyoung’s waist. He knew Jihoon needed his own quiet space often, and it was nice that he got to be included every now and then.

Soonyoung pulled Jihoon closer, one hand buried in his hair and the other firm across his shoulders. He let out a satisfied sigh, resting his cheek against Jihoon’s head.

"It’s a lot to take in, huh?" Soonyoung whispered, just loud enough for Jihoon to hear.

The smaller boy nodded into his chest. Not quite ready to talk then.

Soonyoung didn't say anything beyond that, humming some tune Jihoon couldn’t pick and waiting for the smaller boy to speak first when he was ready.

The low humming calmed Jihoon exponentially and he grew drowsy again in his boyfriend’s warm embrace.

"Soonyoung?" He managed to mumble out, pulling away slightly so he could meet the boy’s eyes.

"Hmm?" Soonyoung gazed at him softly

"I'm so proud of you." Jihoon’s face grew warm at his own directness. Soonyoung just smiled.

"Thank you, beautiful." He pushed Jihoon’s hair out of his face. "We're all really proud of you, too, y'know? Like, out-of-this-world proud. You're so smart and talented and amazing at everything you set your heart to. You're incredible, Jihoon."

The boy in question turned beet red, hiding his face in Soonyoung’s chest with an embarrassed squeak. Soonyoung just chuckled, giving Jihoon a quick squeeze before pulling his shoulders away.

"Accept it, baby, because it’s true." He pressed their lips together before Jihoon could rebut, kissing him sweetly and hoping Jihoon could feel the sincerity in his words.

Jihoon smiled shyly when they broke apart, dimples on full display. They stood together silently, foreheads resting against one another until they were interrupted by the hip hop unit finally arriving.

Jihoon smiled when Mingyu walked in, a snivelling Wonwoo curled around his back.  "Look at Wonwoo."

Soonyoung laughed softly, "This guy… what a dork."

Jihoon chuckled along with him, giving Soonyoung one last squeeze before stepping back. "Go join the others. I know you want to tease Wonwoo. I just wanna sit down for a bit, yeah?"

"Yeah, sure.” Soonyoung smiled, bringing up Jihoon’s hand pressed a kiss to his knuckles. "Love you."

Jihoon rolled his eyes at the cheesy display but felt his cheeks heat up in betrayal. He moved towards the couch on the other side of the room, turning around to remind his boyfriend of something very important. "Just remember, he might be crying now but at least Wonwoo didn’t sob his way through an acceptance speech." Jihoon smiled sweetly as Soonyoung clutched his chest, feigning offense.

--------

The dorm allocations were practically useless that night, with members moving rooms and beds all over.

Jisoo and Jeonghan together in the latter's bed wasn't a new sight, Jeonghan constantly stating his need to cuddle something while he slept. (He once ignored Jisoo for two days when the boy offered to buy him a body pillow).

Mingyu and Wonwoo often tried to sleep together, but it generally ended with Mingyu stealing all the blankets or Wonwoo being accidentally pushed off the bed. Mingyu was a surprisingly violent sleeper.

But Jihoon wasn't exactly surprised to see them spooning in Mingyu’s bed when he passed. Something about the highly emotional day just made them want to be close with one another. Even Hansol, Chan, Seungkwan and Seokmin had pushed three beds together to share in the other room.

Jihoon shifted closer to Soonyoung’s chest, lifting up a leg to hook around the back of the other boy’s thigh.

"… Hey, Soonyoung?"

"Mm?" Soonyoung hummed, eyes still closed.

Jihoon swallowed, "Do you think… that we'll go far?"

He didn't need to elaborate on that. He knew Soonyoung understood what he meant. It was sort of the unspoken thing that was always on all their minds; what would become of Seventeen?

Soonyoung blinked down at Jihoon and sighed, combing the smaller boy’s bangs out of his face. "The truth is, I don't know." He said, giving a small smile. "This industry, it’s… unpredictable. There's just no way to know for sure what's gonna happen to us in the future you know?"

Jihoon nods, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

Soonyoung continued, "We could have sold a million copies of our debut album and it still wouldn't have been any indication where we'd be in five years. And I think you know all this, Hoon. So what's eating you?"

Jihoon broke eye contact, focusing instead on some loose stitching at the collar of Soonyoung’s shirt. "I guess I just… I know it's stupid, but I just wanted you to tell me that the award meant something a little more in the long term…"

"Of course it does!" Soonyoung grinned, lifting Jihoon’s chin. "It means hope, Jihoon. , if anything it’s a step in the right direction."

Jihoon laughed incredulously, "Ah, Kwon Soonyoung, how are you so carefree?"

"You know me," Soonyoung bumped their noses together affectionately "glass half-full kind of guy."

"Trust me, I know." Jihoon snorted. He cupped Soonyoung’s cheek, the soft skin under his eye for a moment. "I'm just... I'm really scared, Youngie."

Soonyoung’s eyes softened considerably, voice serious. "I know, baby. I am too, but… we'll be okay. All of us, we'll be okay."

Jihoon didn't think that was a promise Soonyoung could feasibly keep, but he appreciated the assurance nonetheless. Besides, as long as they were all together, he would be happy.

Jihoon snuggled in close to his boyfriend’s warmth, humming in content when Soonyoung pressed a kiss to his hair.

 He slipped off into a peaceful sleep, dreaming of days long passed.