Marble and Kittens
Where I Belong
“We have some very special guests on today’s show, don’t we?”
Cheers resounded from the audience at the question, and the two hosts grinned at each other before starting to introduce their guests. Each time, the celebrity would give a little wave and smile, or occasionally give a verbal greeting.
Hyunseung stared blankly across the studio, his ears tuning out the sound. He was seated between Junhyung and Yoseob, with Doojoon on Yoseob’s other side. Dongwoon and Kikwang were both in front of him and Yoseob. His hair was styled, makeup made his features pop, and his clothes were flawlessly stylish as usual.
And he was completely zoned out.
When the hosts spoke to him, he didn’t answer right away. Yoseob had to nudge him discreetly to get his attention.
“Are you okay Hyunseung-ssi?”
Hyunseung looked around, startled as he became aware of his surroundings. How long had they been sitting here? Beside him, Yoseob smiled apologetically at the audience and those sitting with them, opening his mouth to say something.
Junhyung beat him to it.
“Seungie is still a little shaken up from yesterday and isn’t feeling his best today. We’re very sorry if his attention isn’t what it should be, Leeteuk-ssi.” The rapper said in his deep voice, slipping an arm up to cradle Hyunseung’s shoulders and give a quick squeeze. In the audience, murmurs arose fleetingly about the protective appearance given off, with some fans snapping a quick photo or two.
He just smiled slightly while the other members caught on one by one and overcame their shock to nod enthusiastically.
“That’s right! He hit his head really hard when Junhyung-hyung saved him yesterday!” Dongwoon said quickly, rousing worried and sympathetic murmurs from both the audience and the other guests on the show.
Doojoon smiled and leaned forward to put a hand on the maknae’s shoulder. “He’s alright, just not back up to speed yet. It’s only been twelve hours or so, after all.”
“Junnie’s a lot stronger than we thought he was,” Kikwang quipped, casting a sly glance behind him at Yoseob.
The small singer caught on instantly and grinned. “Yeah,” He started, ignoring Doojoon’s panicked expression when he realized what the two were up to. Looking past Hyunseung to the boy beside him, Yoseob waggled his eyebrows. “Apparently Junnie’s body is hard as a rock. Seungie said it felt like a block of marble slamming into him.”
“Huh? I-” Hyunseung seemed to completely tune in for that, turning to Yoseob with a slight frown beneath his fringe of bangs. A hand on his knee silenced his confused protest, and he turned to look at Junhyung as the audience cheered and swooned at Yoseob’s playful confession.
“Well, when you think about it, anything would feel like granite when you’re as light as Seungie,” Kikwang stated with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. "Kind of like... a kitten."
Junhyung rolled his eyes and cast a surprisingly playful glower at the two scheming group members, but upon the prompting of the show hosts, got down from his seat beside Hyunseung and lined up with the other group members. Hyunseung remained seated at first, watching in mild but grateful amusement while they went down the line of his fellow members and each lifted their shirt to show a glimpse of either abs or a flat stomach. The audience cheered regardless, especially when Leeteuk and Eunhyuk decided to pull Hyunseung down as well.
“It’s nothing strenuous, so we’ll just do a quick peek,” Leeteuk said as Eunhyuk helped the shorter idol down. The audience screamed eagerly as the dancer made it to a spot beside Junhyung, and the sudden noise had him cringing until Junhyung put his hands over his ears.
The action surprised him into looking up at Junhyung’s face, slightly feline eyes meeting intense brown ones. Junhyung smirked at him, keeping his hands where they were while the audience screamed adoringly. Hyunseung just stared back, eyes blinking rapidly for a few moments until the surprise went away and he realized that Junhyung had been looking after him since the incident.
Why?
The screams quieted once Junhyung looked at them expectantly and they realized why his hands were placed the way they were. Only when they had calmed down again did he remove his hands and allow Hyunseung to stand in place beside him properly, facing the audience.
He honestly wasn’t looking forward to this, or the screams. Still, he managed to keep a poker face in place as his hands gripped the bottom hem of his shirt. his lips, he glanced down the line of s, meeting Yoseob’s eager grin with his eyes before he finally lifted his shirt.
Junhyung’s hands found their way to his ears again in seconds, and Hyunseung's soft laugh slipped out to join Yoseob's more ecstatic one, surprising everyone but Yoseob.
---
“I didn’t know you had such solid abs, hyung!” Dongwoon said admiringly during the break from filming that meant they all got to eat lunch. Beside him, Kikwang ignored everyone in favor of his food.
Hyunseung looked over at him as he finished the last bite of his burger and sipped at his drink. Despite the obvious awe in his dongsaeng’s voice, he didn’t say anything in response as he drank.
“I think he liked the attention,” Yoseob said matter-of-factly as he plucked a crumb up from the wrapper for his own burger. “Especially from- Ow!”
Junhyung ignored the glare he got from the younger boy and sipped at his own drink, eyes looking around with fake interest. If he noticed the way Hyunseung looked at him with a puzzled expression on his pretty face, Junhyung said nothing to give it away.
Sure, he’d been paying Hyunseung attention. He’d even gone extremely out of character and called him by his nickname, and he’d definitely seen the look Kikwang had given him for that.
Why he was doing it… Now that was a mystery. If someone asked him about it, he would have no answer. At least, not one that made sense. Anytime he tried to think about the reasons why, his chest tightened up and he couldn’t think straight. The answer seemed to run circles in his brain, always keeping just out of reach so his torment continued at dizzying speed.
When Hyunseung’s attention was focused on a conversation with Yoseob, he took a good look at him, eyes roving over his features with appraisal. The dancer was small and thin, his appearance delicate - something which encouraged people to assume his strength was minimal. That was often the first mistake made, a fact proven not just by the show he’d put on earlier, but by his determination in bouncing back after the incident. Some would have complained about pain or used it as a chance to get some publicity. More would have used the excuse to stay in bed rather than go to work, regardless of what the doctor said of their health.
Hyunseung had stubbornly gotten up and done everything asked of him, from eating ramen at six in the morning to drinking tea and dealing with the screams of adoring fans when he was so obviously in pain from the loud noise. Even now as he sat chatting with Yoseob, lines of strain could be seen around his eyes, a sign that his headache was probably returning by now. Junhyung frowned as he noted the paleness of his skin, and as filming resumed, Junhyung couldn’t seem to help glancing at the boy beside him every so often.
Sometimes strength was in reserves which the eye couldn’t see.
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