It’s late. So late, not one of the members had the courage to look at their phones to check the time. The last thing they needed right now was a grim reminder of how little time they still had left before having to wake up again for their next schedule.

Seungyoon was contemplating on whether he should even bother going to bed, and if it wouldn’t be a better idea to work on his music instead. Last time they had a meeting with Yang Hyunsuk, things didn’t exactly go so well for him. Back then, he politely nodded and apologised for not delivering. Even though he seemed pretty much fine with the entire situation, it had really thrown him off. He hates being scolded, yet it always seems to motivate him even more. He’s already a determined kind of guy, and Yang Hyunsuk’s words only fuel that trait.

“Could you hand me that neck pillow?” Minho stuck out his arm, patiently waiting for Seungyoon to hand it to him. The leader barely looked up as he did so, not managing to keep his eyes all the way open anymore.

After hearing a soft “thanks” muttered in reply, Seungyoon figured it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to close his eyes, even if it was only going to last till they arrived at their dorm.

It didn’t take long before four out of five had wandered off to their own little worlds filled with dreams. Four, since Taehyun couldn’t quite join in. Sure, he was tired just like everybody else, but he felt pepped up as well. He was struck by the realisation that the feelings he first started to experience about a week ago during their photo shoot still hadn’t worn off, but had only grown in spite of his tremendous efforts. He had hoped those jittery shocks of electricity he got every time his friend would do even as much as look at him, would slowly vanish as time went on. He had assumed it was merely a phase he needed to go through, and that this confusion was bound to happen one day considering the five of them were together pretty much 24/7. For over a week, he had been telling himself to act natural, to rationalise his feelings, and most of all; not to get too close to Seungyoon.

As expected, the acting natural wasn’t natural at all, the rationalising turned him nearly borderline stupid, and of course, the not getting too close to Seungyoon made him seem more than rude, and his behaviour more than questionable.

Taehyun let out a weary sigh when his eyes landed on the sleeping figure next to him. He made sure to thoroughly scan every single movement his body made, and indulged in each soft sound that left his lips. Those lips… There was something about them Taehyun couldn’t quite understand just yet. At least that’s what he made himself believe. No way in hell was he ever going to admit to anything else.

Seungyoon’s body shifted as the van took a sharp turn, making it so that their knees almost touched. It constricted the younger’s heart in a strange way. An enormous thrill rushed through him as he bridged the final distance with his own knee. It seemed something so incredibly normal, making him wonder why such a simple action induced such a severe tickling in his stomach. He felt nervous, but a different kind of nervous than he would feel when going on stage.

Time seemed to go so slowly, yet his heart couldn’t possibly beat any faster. Blood rushed to his ears when Seungyoon’s eyes sleepily fluttered open, staring right into his.

Taehyun’s first reaction was nothing but stare back wide-eyed, while heavily breathing. His second however, was the exact opposite. He in all air that could possibly fit his lungs, shut his eyes as firmly as he managed, and twisted his neck in the other direction in such a way it seemed extremely uncomfortable.

Seungyoon frowned when facing the back of Taehyun’s head all of the sudden. He slowly rubbed his eyes, figuring the odd display of actions he just witnessed were only so because he was still in a daze of sleep. Why else would Taehyun have looked like a puffed-up blowfish?

Agreeing to his train of thought, he closed his eyes again, ready to doze off and savour the last couple of minutes of rest before squeezing his brain in the hope he’d come up with a new—and amazing—song.

The youngest didn’t dare turn his head, not even when the van stopped, not even when they all got out, and not even when they entered their dorm. Without saying anything more than a mere “good night”, he shut the door of his room, leaving the other members to argue who got dibs on the bathroom.

The only one that didn’t make a hassle was Seungyoon. He wasn’t planning on catching any sleep anyway, so he might as well let the others wash up first. Since everyone was too busy getting ready to go to bed, he was the only one that noticed the maknae’s reticence.

It took less than half an hour before the dorm had turned completely silent. Seungyoon revelled in the peace and quiet as he stretched his arms above his head, preparing his back for a couple of hours with his back bent over his keyboard. He just knew he’d be stiff by the time t