Elevators…  

There wasn’t much Eli was afraid of but elevators were definitely one of them. They made him claustrophobic as well as gave him an uncomfortable dip in his stomach. So the fact that he was trapped in, what he liked to call a ‘screaming metal death trap’ sparked anxiety he didn’t like to show. This by far was the last way he wanted to spend his day.  

They had been spending the day filming their reality show Ukissme, when they decided to go eat at the last minute. Spare time in the schedule was rare, so why pass up the opportunity. Kevin had been the one to suggest it, and a lot of good that did him. He’s currently in the midst of a break down. Being hopelessly stuck in the elevator had that effect on people. A long wait awaited them, with a nearby house fire demanding the fire fighters attention.  

The only thing keeping Eli together was the camera that was still rolling. Intent on capturing the precious ‘Elvin moment’ not wanting to miss a single second. He knew Kevin was just clinging to him because he was the nearest body. At this point he welcomed the distraction. He didn’t want to have a break down on live television. That thought alone pushed back his panic even if it was only for a short while.  He wanted to desperately curl into a ball, or bury his face into his boyfriend’s neck. Unfortunately he was on the other side of the elevator pinned between the cameraman and a very aggravated Hoon, who wanted to break the camera.   

Soohyun was close to going to Eli regardless of the camera. He knew the younger was claustrophobic. Hell, all of them knew and Kevin was only making it worse. His panicking was starting to freak the rapper out. The leader clenched his fist in aggravation but soon after felt a calming hand on his shoulder. Soohyun glanced at the hand before turning to face its owner.      

“Not yet.”Jaeseop whispered from the other side of Hoon. He and Kevin were currently dating as well so he knew exactly how Soohyun felt.     

 “Keep calm Kevin.” Kiseop cooed before turning to the camera, a frustrated glare evident in his features. “Can we please stop filming?” 

For the umpteenth time the cameraman shook his head. He sent them a sympathetic look but couldn’t do anything for fear of losing his job.   

They spent a few more minutes in the elevator before starting to talk again. Soohyun had never wished for something so bad in his life. Duct tape. The second youngest was rambling again, and the leader could see Eli’s anxiousness increasing.    

 “How much longer are we going to be trapped in here? The air seems thin and what if we fall?” Kevin rambled in panic. A sharp gasp filtered through the small space, as Eli jerked away from Kevin.   

As if it were planned Soohyun and Hoon moved in time with each other. The leader stepped quickly to Eli’s aid as Hoon covered the camera with his hand, promptly turning it off. It couldn’t have come any sooner. Eli’s breathing had turned into hyperventilation. He’d lost all control and would have sank to the floor had Soohyun not kept a tight hold on him. His breath was becoming shorter and shorter. If he wasn’t calmed soon they ran the risk of his breathing stopping altogether.      

“Kevin, look what you did. You know he’s claustrophobic!” Kiseop fussed as he watched the blond go into a panic attack.     

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” The brunette whispered as Jaeseop pulled him close. Kiseop halted any other words as Eli took another sharp breath, drawing everyone’s attention back to the pair.  

“Eli, look at me.” The older tried to get his attention as the younger’s grip tightened and his focus remained on the ceiling.       

 “Eli,” He tried again his voice shaking when the younger didn’t respond again.         

“Kyongjae!” Soohyun screamed, his panic finally slipping past his calm demeanor. His shaking seemed to bring Eli back to reality, if only slightly. His distant eyes did their best to focus on Soohyun, but all he could make out was a blurry outline. He chose instead to focus on the leader’s voice.     

 “That’s it look at me, focus on me.” The blond pleaded, wanting to get the hell out of there before anything got worse.     

“Shush, shush,” Hoon stopped Soohyun’s light shaking while he quieted everyone down.     

“Cuz I’m on fire but you keep on Standing Still.” He sang strongly, crouching down beside him, squeezing in where he fit.    

 The leader smiled and joined in. “I’m burning down, but you keep on standing still.”     

Kevin, Kiseop, Hoon, Jaeseop, and Soohyun sang in harmony with each other, slowly but surely bring Eli back to them. His breathing began to even out as well.     

Jaeseop was about to start the rap when Dongho spoke up. “So cold when you do it to me like that, frostbite but karma’s gonna bite back…”     

That was the first time the maknae had said anything since they’d gotten stuck in the elevator. He wasn’t fond of tight spaces either but knew if he kept silent and still, Kevin’s rambling wouldn’t phase him and Eli’s panic attack wouldn’t spark his own.  

It wasn’t long before the song ended. A comforting sense of calm settled over them. Even Eli had calmed down for the most part. Hoon continued to hum to fill the silence as they waited.  

The creaking noise the elevator doors made as they were pried open was god sent. Kevin and Jaeseop were the first to get off the elevator since they were the closest to the doors. Soohyun motioned for everyone else to get off as well. Once they’d moved he got the still shaken Eli secured on his back. He let out a sigh of relief once fully away from the elevator.    

“So,” Jaeseop said after a long pause. “Who else has sworn off elevators?”    

Laughter filled the stairwell they were trekking down. ‘Me’s’ filtered through the laughter. They all know they’d be on one again tomorrow but it never hurt to dream.  

_________________________________________________________________

Hi another one. I can't help it, I just love sooli n_n 

I have a few others that I'm going to put in this so stay tuned.