Great, Jooheon thinks, not even sparing a glance at the two couples on the couch. Hyunwoo has Minhyuk in his lap, the two cuddling all cute and lovey-dovey, and Hyungwon holds Changkyun close to his side. He avoids Minhyuk’s curious gaze as he shuffles through the living room, aiming to go to his room for a quick nap.

A thought that quickly escapes him, however, at opening the door and seeing Kihyun and Hoseok making out in said room. The two break away at hearing the door open, but it’s easy to tell what they’ve been doing judging by their reddened lips and their widened eyes. Kihyun steps forward as if to explain, but Jooheon only holds up a silencing hand as he shakes his head.

“Just… go back to what you were doing,” Jooheon grumbles, not meeting the older’s gaze. “I’ll go to my studio.” He turns back and closes the door before Kihyun can nag at him for his mood. He hurries back to the living room, aiming to head out and get some takeout on his way to his studio.

“Heonney~!” Minhyuk says, latching onto his arm from his position on the couch. Jooheon stops in his tracks, his gaze strained. Minhyuk stares at him with concerned eyes, a pout pulling at his lips. “You’re not going back out, are you? Watch the movie with us! It isn’t even a scary one.” The rapper’s about to say no, he’s got some important work to do, but Minhyuk keeps going before he can speak. “We haven’t really seen you around lately… We miss you.”

Jooheon has to bite back a sigh as his resolve weakens, Minhyuk’s pout getting passed his defenses just as it always does. His shoulders visibly deflate, and Minhyuk chuckles victoriously as he pulls Jooheon down onto the couch.

The rapper sits awkwardly between the two couples, pulling his knees up to his chest and balling himself up as he tries to lose himself in the action-packed scene. Before Hyunwoo and Minhyuk had gotten together, things were so much easier. It’d been better. Now, with the lines as blurred as they were, everyone’s splitting off into pairs and leaving Jooheon all on his own… just like his schooldays.

He steals a glance over at Minhyuk and Hyunwoo, the ones responsible for all this now, but he can’t find it in himself to be mad. His bitterness melts away at the warm smiles on their faces, the happiness practically dripping off them. He loves them as his friends, as his bandmates, as his brothers… He can’t help but be happy for them.

They’ve managed to find that something special in their hectic lives, and that’s beautiful.

Jooheon turns back to the television, the tension in his body finally lifting.