The maknae of MONSTA X stares at his phone with an unreadable gaze. His expression is blank save for that look, that light in his eye that freezes his hyungs’ blood to ice.

“Kkungie,” Hoseok calls, setting a hand to his shoulder to get his attention. Changkyun jolts in surprise, immediately locking his phone and glancing up at the older man. Hoseok tries for an affectionate smile, but the worry shines clear in his eyes. “We’re about to take a group selfie for Monbebe… Did you want to put on a mask or some makeup before we do?” Changkyun nods and quickly scurries from the couch to confiscate the only decent mirror in the dorm, the one in the bathroom.

Hoseok pouts as he watches the maknae go, knowing exactly the reason for his odd mood. He turns to head to the laundry area, where he’d last seen Kihyun and Hyungwon making a mess out of the simple chore.

“I’ll just need to start buying us those pre-measured squares of detergent if you insist on doing this,” he hears Kihyun sigh before even reaching the room. “Otherwise, you’ll drown us all out in suds.”

“I was only trying to help, Kihyun-ah…” Hyungwon whines. “There’s no need to make fun of me.” Hoseok pokes his head in just in time to see Kihyun pulling teasingly at Hyungwon’s cheeks, and he can’t help but smile at the sight.

“Hey,” he says, getting their attention immediately, “Changkyunnie looks a bit down, so maybe we could take him out to his favorite place tonight?” Kihyun hums, immediately agreeing to the idea.

“Where is he now?” Hyungwon asks curiously, making as if to go to him.

“Doing his makeup,” Hoseok answers, and Hyungwon nods, leaving his two hyungs alone for the moment.

Changkyun mutters a curse under his breath, staring at himself in the mirror through a lidded gaze. He’d been a fool to attempt at doing his own eyeliner, as his eyes have always been quite sensitive to such things. But, he figures it’s better than the alternative. If he’d have asked Hoseok for help, it’d have been comically overdone.

No offense to Hoseok, of course. That hyung just doesn’t understand subtlety when it comes to eyeliner, is all…

“Kyunnie~” a warm voice calls from the other side of the door, earning another curse from the maknae as he very nearly pokes his eye out in shock at the sound. Hyungwon pushes the door open without waiting for a response, smirking at him knowingly. Changkyun pouts over at him, silently begging for him to not tease today.

Luckily, he seems to concede as he wordlessly steps into the room and takes the applicator from his hand. He sets a hand on Changkyun’s forehead, tilting his head back and waiting for him to close his eyes.

He makes quick work of the makeup, and hums in appreciation of his own skill once finished.

“You’re still just as beautiful as the day I met you, Kkungie,” he sighs, a wistful light overtaking his eyes. “Even without the makeup~”

That’s not what you thought when you met me, though, Changkyun can’t help but think, unable to meet the older’s gaze.

“Thanks, hyung,” he manages to say. He then turns and leaves the room without another word, on the hunt for a decent shirt to wear. He’s always gotta look good for the fans, after all.

Hyungwon can’t help but sigh tiredly as he watches the maknae hurry off. He always gets like this around their debut anniversary, but he’d hoped by now it’d have changed… Apparently not.

After releasing all the content they needed to for the auspicious day, the boys find themselves at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, crowded around a single table. It’s Changkyun’s favorite place they’d decided on earlier, but it doesn’t seem to do much to bring up the maknae’s mood. Not even Minhyuk and Kihyun’s typical conspiring to prank Jooheon does anything to change it.

The emotional slump goes unnoticed by none in the group. They do their best to bring their typically bright maknae out of it, trying to goad him into doing aegyo for them or showing off some lyrics he’s been working on… But, nothing works.

They return to the dorm some time later, fully spent but still not wanting to part. So, they gather up some blankets and turn on a movie. The seven men snuggle close, making sure to keep the maknae in the middle so as to surround him with as much love as they can.

Even though they can’t go back and change how they’d first treated Changkyun when he’d turned up in No.Mercy, they try as hard as they can now to make up for it. Such an endeavor seems to be futile as the years go by, but, one day, they hope to mend the tears in his heart from their harsh greetings…

One day, maybe, Changkyun will finally be able to see past the hardship for the love they have for him now…