“I don’t like corn chips.” Jiyong says, pushing the open bag away from him with his foot, a look of disgust on his face.

“Since when!?” Seunghyun asks incredulously, brushing imaginary foot germs off of the bag as he glares at Jiyong.

“Since I told him we couldn’t buy giant bars of chocolate and an movie.” Daesung says, shoving Jiyong’s legs over so that he can sit next to the petulant man on the couch.

“Seungri and Youngbae aren’t here, it would have been fine.” Jiyong says, a pout forming on his mouth as he crosses his arms over his chest. Seunghyun just raises an eyebrow at him before turning back toward Daesung, waiting for a more detailed explanation.

“It would not have been fine, weirdo.” Daesung says, pushing him roughly, causing the currently pink-haired man to squeak in protest. Seunghyun shakes his head at the two, realizing that he’s not going to get a better explanation of what had happened while Daesung and Jiyong were out getting snacks for their movie night. “Movie night is not a time for things.” Daesung says after a couple of moments and Jiyong rolls his eyes and stamps one of his feet. The action looked especially childish as he was sitting low in his seat, his knees almost knocking into the coffee table laden with snacks and his back and neck bent oddly forward because of how slumped he was.

“Stop being a baby. You can watch whatever nasty stuff you want when you’re alone.” Seunghyun says, reaching forward to grab the previously shunned bag of corn chips in a gesture that told the other two that the conversation was rather effectively over.

“Whatever,” Jiyong says, reaching over and taking the bag of chips from Seunghyun, who sputters in surprise and annoyance. “Just put the movie on.” Daesung nods, trying not to laugh too hard at the look of severe disappointment on Seunghyun’s face, and gets up to find the remote under the heaps of snacks he and Jiyong had procured earlier that same day.

Movie night was not a tradition; it wasn’t formal or really very well-planned. Seunghyun was the one who first started to call it ‘movie night’, but he called any time where there happened to be movies involved ‘movie night’, no matter the time of day. Seunghyun loved to watch movies and eat snacks; joking and talking with the people he was watching with. The other four started to take advantage of Seunghyun’s love of movies when the older man stopped living with them, using it as an excuse to get their oldest friend to spend time with them outside of schedules and in a relaxed and comfortable environment.

Daesung was the only one that still seemed to hope that these little get-togethers would convince Seunghyun to at least move closer to them, but he would never outwardly admit it, and the hope was only a dull thought hiding deep in the back of his mind a good majority of the time. They all knew that it was futile to wish for Seunghyun to come back and live near them again as the older man had always been uncomfortable with the situation to begin with; but it didn’t stop Daesung from still secretly wishing that he would.

Seunghyun was Daesung’s preferred confidant, and it always made him feel better to talk to the man face-to-face rather than over the phone. Most of the time, Daesung didn’t even want to talk, he just wanted to be in the older man’s presence, because it calmed him and he just really enjoyed Seunghyun’s company. Since Daesung couldn’t just make his way easily to Seunghyun in the middle of the night when he’d woken up in a panic, or when he burned his dinner and was just too frustrated to even try to eat anything else, he had taken to reveling in the calm he felt during the random movie nights. He wished he could bottle up the calm feeling he felt during those times and the times when they were off-screen and with each other because then he would be able to bring it out whenever he needed that feeling.

Jiyong secretly hates movie nights. Not because he hates movies, or snacks, or the company; no, he hates movie nights because if Daesung happens to be present, he can practically taste the unspoken sadness when the movie ends and Seunghyun goes back to his fancy villa. He hates the way that even though Daesung acts completely normally, there is a faint air of anxious anticipation, as if the younger man believes that at any moment Seunghyun is going to stand up and walk out or tell them all that he’s seen the error in his ways and is moving in next door. Jiyong, like Youngbae, Seungri, and even Daesung, all understand the reasons given about why Seunghyun decided to move out of the dorm when he did, and why he feels the need to stay away. But Jiyong also knows, probably more than anyone realizes, just how much it kills Daesung to only be able to see Seunghyun at scheduled times.

Jiyong wasn’t throwing a fit about not being allowed to have candy bars or watch some stupid movie that he had only really picked up to scandalize Daesung. No, he was throwing a fit because he was tired of the amount of effort Daesung puts into these types of get-togethers, and how Seunghyun really doesn’t seem to recognize or understand how much they mean to the younger man. Daesung was strong and resilient, this Jiyong and basically everyone knew, but he was still sensitive and sweet and kind of innocent in an entirely Daesung kind of way. Seunghyun meant a lot to the younger man, everyone knew that, and Jiyong knew that Seunghyun’s departure from their family-like living arrangements cut Daesung far deeper than he had ever really admitted to anyone.

So, in the end, Jiyong hated movie nights and Daesung both wished for and dreaded them. Seunghyun, however, held to these random times far more desperately than anyone else seemed to realize. He would never admit it, but he really did miss living near all of them. No matter how much complaining he did, it couldn’t change the face that he was rather irrevocably attached to them all. If he weren’t lying to himself, he’d have to admit that he was attached to Daesung the most of all; but since he most definitely was lying to himself, he would definitely not say that at all.

Seunghyun left the apartment much later that night, but only after making sure that Daesung was truly fast asleep on the couch; his head nestled into the corner and bags of chips littering the floor in front of him. Jiyong makes a disgusted noise as Seunghyun sneaks quietly out of the living room and past the open door into the kitchen. The noise startles Seunghyun and he pauses, turning a questioning look on Jiyong, but Jiyong merely rolls his eyes dramatically and turns on his heel. Seunghyun had just started back on his journey to the door when Jiyong’s voice stops him.

“I’d rather not have these parties anymore.” Jiyong says, his back to Seunghyun as he stands in the doorway on the opposite side of the kitchen. Seunghyun’s brows furrow and he opens his mouth, only to be cut off by Jiyong. “We’re all a bit too fragile to have it constantly sent home that you don’t want to live with us; that you don’t like the comfort of our family.” Jiyong pauses and Seunghyun wants to speak, but he can’t actually form any words. “Because that’s what we are, Seunghyun, we’re a family and we need this comfort and you left. I know, and I understand why you did…But think of Daesung and little Seunghyun…especially Daesung…” Jiyong stops and Seunghyun bites his lip, his face dropping to gaze at the floor.

“I know.” Seunghyun says quietly, but he knows that Jiyong heard him. “But I’m selfish.”

Jiyong turn his head to look over his shoulder at Seunghyun. “Find a less hope-raising way to be selfish then.” He mutters, and then he walks through the door and out of Seunghyun’s sight.

Seunghyun takes in a deep breath and looks back toward the living room where he had left Daesung. He didn’t want to hurt Daesung, but he couldn’t stop himself from wanting to hang out with the younger man outside of practices and meetings. Seunghyun lets out his breath harshly and turns toward the front door. He really needed to get back home and go to bed.