Collapsing on the polished wood floor, Taeyong closed his eyes while gasping for air. He wiped the sweat off of his brow and reached for his iced water bottle. The last notes for Fire Truck faded out and all he could hear was his own breath filling up the studio room. Taeyong had been practicing for the past hour, going through all of the dances from their Rookies Showcase not too long ago. He had made one little mistake when they had performed on Music Bank and replayed the monitor over and over again to kick himself for getting distracted and losing sight of the center during the dance break in the last verse. Mark and Taeil said it was nothing and that the fans barely noticed anything. But to Taeyong, it was everything. It was never in Taeyong’s nature to make careless mistakes and everyone knew that. He had practiced day and night, always staying behind and practically shutting himself inside while the rest of his group mates went for a break. If he can’t perform properly on stage then he might as well quit now. The silver-haired male was thinking quietly to himself when the door opened, revealing a smiling Yuta.

“Oh, Taeyong-ah! Taeil-hyung said you would be here.”

Tousling his damp platinum locks, Taeyong said nothing and just patted the spot next to him. To Yuta, Taeyong was a talented and hardworking person who patiently helped him with almost all of the choreographies. He admired him in a way that no one could ever understand. To Taeyong, Yuta did his best at everything without complaints, always brightening up his day with a radiant smile on his cute features. He enjoyed spending time with him when it was just the two of them practicing in the studio.

“The others are saying that you’re upset and.. I can sorta guess why but I’d like to hear it from you,” Yuta said with concern written all over his face as he sat down beside Taeyong.

“It’s nothing.” Taeyong didn’t want Yuta to worry too much since he tended to stress over things, “I’m just making up for the mistake I made on stage, don’t worry.” He faked a small smile in a futile attempt to convince Yuta.

“Okay, if you think I’m gonna buy that crap then you are mistaken,” Yuta deadpanned.

Taeyong’s cheeks flushed due to Yuta's calling him out and worrying for him and he wasn’t sure if the butterflies in his stomach were legit since he was feeling quite fatigued from practicing.

“Yah, I watched the monitor too. I didn’t even notice it until you pointed it out and neither did the fans. Trust me, you always look super cool and handsome on stage,” And once again, Taeyong’s cheeks heated up at the red-haired male's genuine words. Yuta is always supporting him and cheering him on. Just looking at the latter puts a warm feeling in the blonde's chest. He’s had a crush on Yuta for as long as he could remember and was quite crestfallen when they were assigned new roommates. As Taeyong was about to open his mouth to respond, Yuta beat him to it.

“Do you know why I worry so much about you?” Things suddenly became serious as Yuta locked eyes with him, and Taeyong had to force himself to look away as his heart started beating faster from the red-haired male's intense eyes.

“Because you love me?” He joked, hoping to lighten the atmosphere.

“… Yeah. I do.” Yuta scooted closer to the older boy. Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Taeyong lifted his head only to be met with his ex-roommate's face just inches away from his.

“I love you.” Taeyong’s eyes widened a bit while Yuta just gazed into them with shy adoration, “I’ve seen the way you look at me, Tae. I know I’m not alone in this.” Taeyong became stiff and speechless at Yuta’s sudden confession. He had never expected for Yuta to actually like him back even though he dreamed of the scenario a million times before. In Taeyong’s frozen state, Yuta closed the distance between their faces by pressing a short, chaste kiss onto the blonde’s plush lips. Taeyong’s breath hitched as Yuta pulled away and brought a hand up to his cheek, it with his thumb in an endearing way and sending sparks through his body. They stayed that way for a brief moment until Taeyong snapped out of his trance and pulled Yuta's hand away. With reluctance, he stood up, briefly catching Yuta’s eyes and recognizing the hurt look in them.

“We… can’t.” He turned away so that Yuta wouldn’t see the tears welling up in his eyes. 

“What if the fans find out or… what will the others say? What if..” Taeyong rambled as he tried to wipe his tears away, probably embarrassing himself in front of Yuta. He couldn’t risk their reputation. If the public found out, SM Rookies and NCT would be done for and all of their hard work would be a waste. He knew how nasty those netizens could be because of his last scandal. He would have to kiss his newly bloomed career goodbye since, after all, South Korea isn’t exactly accepting of homouality let alone many other things.

“Hey, come here.” Taeyong turned around again to see Yuta with his arms wide open while sporting a small, understanding smile. The fans knew Taeyong as someone with a colder bad boy image because it was the concept that was given to him by SM. Even though the members know him as an actual 5 year old, he is also the responsible member that leads everyone in dance practices and live performances. But even this hyung had his moments and this wasn’t the first that Yuta had witnessed. Upon dealing with the pressure of his own responsibility as team leader and constantly living up to perfect expectations, having a confession thrown at him from the apple of his eye really did a number on him. And with his current situation, he found it extremely tempting to find solace in the comfort of the younger’s arms. Taeyong hesitated for a few seconds until he gradually shuffled his way to Yuta. He stood in front of the smiling red-haired male whose eyes bore right through him, and shyly slid his arms around his torso and leaned his chin on Yuta's shoulder. Yuta immediately reciprocated by wrapping his arms around the leader’s tired frame, bringing their bodies close and enveloping him in a snug embrace. Taeyong was still a little sweaty from practice but Yuta didn’t mind one bit. He gave the top of his matted hair a reassuring kiss as Taeyong buried his face into Yuta’s shoulder. Yuta lifted Taeyong's head, cupping both sides of his face and pressing their foreheads together with Taeyong placing his hands over the younger’s.

“We’ll find a way to make it work, okay?” Yuta whispered. Taeyong nodded fervently. He knew the potential risks that came with their newfound relationship, but having Yuta so close to him in such an intimate way changed his mind. He had wanted to be with Yuta for a long time but could never bring himself to even confess, and being his roommate made it all the more difficult. Yuta rubbed his nose against Taeyong’s in a butterfly kiss, snapping the leader out of his thoughts. Taeyong blinked in surprise as Yuta giggled at his reaction.

“Yuta-yah,” Taeyong said with adoration and the aforementioned responded with a questioning hum. Taeyong closed the distance between them by boldly capturing Yuta’s lips in a kiss and pulling the latter flush against his body by the nape. He could feel the other's hands on his waist. They pulled away and Taeyong peered into Yuta’s eyes.

“I love you too.”