The showcase ends slightly over two hours later.

Almost the entire audience is on their feet, clapping and cheering for the students who performed. Seunghoon and Mino let out a wolf whistle each, which Jinhwan can only assume is inappropriate concert etiquette if the face Jinwoo makes and how he grimaces at them in exasperation are anything to go by. When people begin to pick up their things and trail out of the auditorium, Jinwoo falls into step beside Jinhwan and offers him an excited smile.

“So? How did you find it?” Jinwoo asks brightly.

Jinhwan smiles back. “It was amazing. Are all the students from this university this talented?” Jinhwan replies, which pulls a laugh from Jinwoo. Jinhwan may sound like he’s only joking, but he really does mean it: Jinhwan didn’t have any friends who majored in Arts, so he never really knew what being an Arts student entailed, or how Arts students were like in general. But from the mere two-hour showcase he had just witnessed, Jinhwan can only imagine how much these students had to give and sacrifice in order to even earn a chance to stand on this stage, let alone the amount of blood, sweat and tears they had to pour into preparing for their performances. Each one of them was definitely gifted and born to do this: born to produce works of art, born to stand on stage - born to be an artist.

Mino places a hand on Jinwoo’s shoulder from behind as they shuffle towards the doors. “Shall we wait for them at the entrance?”

“Okay,” Jinwoo replies with a nod, but before he can say anything to Jinhwan, Mino turns to Jinhwan with a grin. “Do you remember the performance by these two vocalists, Kang Seungyoon and Nam Taehyun? It was an acoustic performance, and Seungyoon was playing the guitar?”

Jinhwan thinks for a moment, but then remembers when the two vocalists had walked onto stage and Jinwoo, Seunghoon and Mino had cheered exceptionally loud. “Yeah, I remember. Are they your friends?”

“Yep,” Mino affirms, popping the ‘p’. They finally step outside and Jinhwan’s teeth chatter as the cold hits him, buttoning his coat up as high as it will go and flipping his hood up over his head. “They’re graduating soon, too.”

They stand in a small circle in an empty spot outside the Performing Arts Centre, waiting for the performers to make their way out. They talk about the showcase for the next 15 minutes or so, then loud calls of names begin to sound from all around as the performers stream into the area after having exited the auditorium from the back. Jinhwan tiptoes and cranes his neck at first to try to catch a glimpse of Hanbin, but then he decides it’s a lost cause because he’s just not tall enough.

“Kang Seungyoon!” Mino calls out suddenly, followed by Seunghoon and Jinwoo laughing before Seunghoon stretches up a little and yells, “Nam Taehyun!”

Jinhwan steps to the side a little as who he assumes can only be Seungyoon and Taehyun weave their way through the throng of people and approach their little group, bright, exuberant smiles on their faces and loud laughter filling the air as the five friends exchange hugs and congratulatory praises. Jinhwan smiles unconsciously at the sight, and he’s just about to return to looking for Hanbin when Mino wraps a casual arm around his shoulders and grins at him reassuringly before turning back to the rest of them.

"This is Jinhwan," Mino introduces, before gesturing towards Seungyoon and Taehyun. "This is Seungyoon, and this is Taehyun."

Realisation dawns upon Seungyoon's and Taehyun's faces almost at the same time, then they're both grinning widely and outstretching their arms towards Jinhwan, who shakes both their hands with a friendly smile on his face.

"It feels as though I'm meeting a famous person," Taehyun comments with a mischievous spark in his eye, which causes Seungyoon to laugh and smack his arm, nodding in agreement.

"Right?" Seungyoon says, looking back at Jinhwan again. "It feels so strange to finally meet you in person because it seems as though I've known you for a while now, considering how much Hanbin talks about you whenever we're together."

The familiar, traitorous feeling of heat pooling in his cheeks must cause Jinhwan's smile to turn a little pained, because the other five are laughing heartily, breath coming out in clouds of air in the dark winter sky. But then Mino breaks into a wide grin, stretching up a little and lifting his hand in a wave, and when Jinhwan looks over, he sees Hanbin side-stepping a group of students before he finally joins their small circle.

Seunghoon is the first to greet him, making a few exaggerated whooping noises that causes Hanbin to laugh before pulling the younger into a friendly hug, patting his back in congratulations. Jinwoo steps forward next, smile proud and bright and eyes warm as he gives Hanbin a brief hug, the younger grinning back and patting his shoulder once in gratitude before letting Mino throw an arm around his shoulders to give him a tight, one-armed hug. Jinhwan's fingers tighten imperceptibly around the stem of the rose that he's holding behind his back, and when Mino finally releases Hanbin, Jinhwan brings the rose up to Hanbin as he steps towards the younger, eyes bright and smile a mix of sheepishness, pride and happiness all rolled into one.

"Good job, Hanbin-ah," Jinhwan says, warmth coursing through his veins at the way Hanbin's entire expression softens in that way it always does when he regards Jinhwan. Jinhwan will never tire of this one expression. "You were amazing."

And perhaps amazing is an understatement. Hanbin was stunning: eyes shuttered, voice confident and lyrics aggressive, newly-dyed red hair vibrant and glowing in the spotlight, stage presence dominant and commanding.

Hanbin was untouchable, burning bright like the faraway sun, and right now, standing in front of Jinhwan, he’s positively glowing.

Hanbin gingerly accepts the rose from between Jinhwan’s fingers, the softest of smiles spreading across his face before he leans down to peck Jinhwan quickly on the cheek.

“Thanks for coming, hyung,” Hanbin murmurs. Jinwoo smiles at the sight, Mino and Seunghoon make low, suggestive noises whereas Seungyoon makes a strange, gurgling sound at the small display of affection, which causes Taehyun to shake his head in exasperation and Hanbin to laugh, slipping an arm around Jinhwan’s lower back to hold the elder against his side.

“Dinner?” Taehyun asks next, slipping on his gloves and looking at the rest of them expectantly.

They leave the university for the nearby bus stop, taking the short journey to the barbecue restaurant owned by Seunghoon’s parents. They’re walking down the street when Hanbin suddenly tugs his scarf from around his neck and wraps it around Jinhwan’s instead, smiling down at the elder briefly before returning his attention to the conversation he was having with Mino. Jinhwan ducks his head into the scarf to hide his smile, but presses a little closer to Hanbin’s side anyway.

Dinner is a loud and celebratory affair: Seunghoon’s mother embraces her son at the door and welcomes all the other boys as though they were her own children, ushering them into the restaurant warmly before bringing out the food. Seunghoon’s father steps out of the kitchen halfway through their meal to greet them, patting Seungyoon, Taehyun and Hanbin on their backs in praise. Jinhwan may have only met these guys today, but he’s already laughing so hard at the way Jinwoo chokes when Mino forcefully stuffs ssam into his mouth, and at how Seungyoon practically spits out his drink after Seunghoon secretly adds some ssamjang to it while he was in the bathroom. And when Hanbin slides his hand onto Jinhwan’s jean-covered thigh in the midst of his laughter, Jinhwan smiles even wider, eyes curving into crescents.

“Man,” Mino says, once they’ve finished the last plate of meat. “What are you going to do once Seungyoon and Taehyun graduate?” He asks Hanbin.

“It’s a legitimate concern that Hanbin will end up with no friends,” Taehyun supplies. “He has the social skills of a robot.”

Everyone laughs as Hanbin’s face falls, even Jinhwan, though he pats Hanbin’s thigh a couple of times in comfort. As Hanbin proceeds to list out the names of as many people he can think of, Jinwoo takes a sip of his water and leans back against the wall next to Jinhwan.

“It’s really important to mix with the right people at a school like our’s,” Jinwoo begins, smiling at Jinhwan. “Arts students rely heavily on networking and connections, because we need the exposure and opportunities to get into prestigious companies if we ever want to get recognised for what we do. There’s a lot of politics involved when it comes to your social circle and the friends you keep, and it’s honestly not uncommon for people to turn against their own morals or their old friends in order to land themselves an acting gig, an internship, or whatever else it may be. Blackmail, bribery, threats, students sleeping with directors - we hear stories like these along the corridors in school. It’s a harsh world, but this is reality, especially for Arts students like us.”

Jinhwan understands. He glances over at Hanbin just in time to see Seunghoon toss a balled-up paper napkin at his face and worries. Jinwoo follows his gaze and lightly bumps his shoulder against his, smiling reassuringly.

“Hanbin has always been the baby of our group, but now that he has you, it’s like he’s grown up a little more. He’s still a kid, but we trust in him a lot. He’ll be okay,” Jinwoo says.

At that moment, Mino says something funny, and Hanbin laughs: the sound is loud and uninhibited, he’s grinning so wide that his teeth and gums show, and his eyes are crinkled at the edges.

Jinhwan may not be able to do much for Hanbin, but he promises that he’ll always be protecting this smile.

-

“I hope you weren’t overwhelmed by my friends today,” Hanbin says to Jinhwan as they duck into the lift.

“I wasn’t,” Jinhwan replies, leaning against the wall of the lift. “You have some really great friends; they care about you a lot, you know. Especially Jinwoo.”

Hanbin removes his snapback, runs a careless hand through his hair before putting it back on again. “I know,” Hanbin responds. “And I’m grateful. And I’m happy you like them, too.”

The lift stops, and Hanbin rests his arm around Jinhwan’s shoulders as they step out of the lift and walk down the corridor. Jinhwan rings the doorbell as they toe off their shoes, and there’s the sound of laughter and the padding of feet against the floor before the door is pulled open, and Yunhyeong is launching himself into Hanbin’s arms.

Hanbin laughs even as he stumbles back a couple of steps, snapback tumbling off his head at the force of Yunhyeong’s jump. Hanbin threads his fingers through Yunhyeong’s hair and buries his head into the crook of the little boy’s neck as he steps into the apartment, while Jinhwan plucks Hanbin’s snapback off the ground and carries their shoes over the threshold, shutting the door behind him. Jiwon is sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor of the living room, back against the couch and eyes crinkled into little slits as he watches Yunhyeong tug at Hanbin’s red hair in fascination with an indulgent smile on his face. Jinhwan shrugs off his coat and falls onto the couch behind Jiwon, hands automatically going to pat the younger’s mop of messy black hair as Jiwon fits himself into the space between Jinhwan’s legs.

“Where’s Donghyuk?” Jinhwan asks, eyes sweeping the apartment.

“Sick,” Jiwon sighs. “He’s sleeping in the bedroom.”

Jinhwan frowns, instinctual need to take care of others kicking in. Before he can ask anything more, though, Hanbin sets Yunhyeong down on the floor and he comes running over to Jinhwan, climbing up the couch and attempting to clamber into Jinhwan’s lap. Jinhwan grabs him by both arms when he teeters dangerously over the edge but otherwise holds him at arm’s length, brows furrowed and expression stern.

“It’s way past your bedtime and Donghyuk hyung is trying to sleep,” he scolds. “Why are you still up and making so much noise?”

Yunhyeong looks rightfully chastised, and Jiwon can’t help but to reach up a hand and smooth it down Yunhyeong’s hair, a laughing grin on his face. Yunhyeong glances over his shoulder at Hanbin for support, who’s unwrapping his scarf from around his neck and ing his coat.

“I wanted to wait up for Hanbin hyung,” Yunhyeong answers honestly as he turns back to face Jinhwan, missing the way Hanbin’s entire expression softens in affection. Jinhwan rolls his eyes but sighs as he gives up, pulling Yunhyeong into his lap and asking him about his evening instead. Hanbin takes a seat on the other end of the couch, chatting with Jiwon about the showcase until the sound of a door opening then clicking shut echoes down the hallway.

When Donghyuk appears by the entrance of the living room, his brown hair is falling across his forehead messily, the tip of his nose is tinged red and his eyes are glazed over slightly with fever. Hanbin gets off the couch immediately, moving over to take Jiwon’s spot on the floor as Jiwon gets to his feet and walks over to Donghyuk, frowning as the younger’s eyelids flutter close when he reaches up to place the back of his hand on his forehead, feeling his temperature.

“Hey Jinhwan hyung, Hanbin hyung,” Donghyuk greets them, voice raspy as he tries for a smile. “Sorry I'm like this. I promise I stayed far away from Yunhyeong,” Donghyuk jokes weakly, letting Jiwon tug him down onto the couch next to him. “How was the showcase?”

Hanbin smiles back, but his eyes are concerned. “It was great, thanks. How are you?” He asks instead. “What even happened?”

Donghyuk shrugs a little helplessly, and Jiwon wraps his left arm around him to hold him close when he shivers, brows furrowed in concern. Jinhwan shifts Yunhyeong off his lap and stands, walking out of the living room and disappearing down the hall. “Pulled too many all-nighters studying, I think. And the weather isn't doing any favours, either.”

Hanbin holds his arms open for Yunhyeong to sit on his lap just as Jinhwan returns to the living room, tossing a fleece blanket he had fetched from the bedroom at Jiwon before heading into the kitchen.

“Where do you keep the medicine?” Jinhwan asks, pulling open some drawers and cupboards.

“In the cupboard on the extreme left, below the counter,” comes Donghyuk’s hoarse reply. Jiwon tells Donghyuk to lie down, tugging on his arm till the younger complies and rests his head on Jiwon’s lap. Jiwon then throws the fleece blanket over his body, Hanbin helping to lightly tug the edges of the blanket around Donghyuk’s legs and feet. Jinhwan walks back into the living room a few minutes later, two pills in his left palm and a hot cup of chamomile tea in his other hand. He hands them both over to Jiwon and instructs him to make Donghyuk take the pills before disappearing down the hall again. The next time he comes back, he's got a cold, wet towel in one hand and Jiwon is carding his fingers through Donghyuk’s hair, keeping his fringe out of his eyes.

“You need to sponge him every couple of hours to keep his temperature down,” Jinhwan explains to Jiwon, pressing the towel to Donghyuk’s forehead. Donghyuk flinches at the cold temperature, but stills once Jiwon rubs his thumb gently over his temple. “Make sure he takes his showers in lukewarm water. Porridge for breakfast tomorrow. I know you can't cook, so I'll bring it over for you. Pills again after food, and take his temperature regularly. He doesn't feel too warm so his fever should break soon, but take him to the doctor if it doesn't. The cold will persist for a much longer time, so don't go out unless you really have to and make sure you have enough medicine for the common cold. Okay?”

Jinhwan glances up at Jiwon briefly as he moves the towel down to Donghyuk’s neck. Jiwon looks a little overwhelmed but he takes it all in anyway, nodding once in understanding before tucking a stray lock of Donghyuk’s hair behind his ear.

“Sorry you have to spend the night after your showcase like this,” comes Donghyuk’s raspy voice, and Hanbin realises the younger boy is talking to him. “I know you could be out celebrating with your friends, but you're here watching me be sick.”

Hanbin shakes his head and rests a hand on Donghyuk’s shin. Yunhyeong gets up from Hanbin’s lap and walks to Jinhwan’s side to get a better look of Donghyuk. “You guys are my friends,” Hanbin says. “I only wish I could be of more help. There's really no other place I'd rather be right now - I'm always so happy here.”

From the corner of his eye, Hanbin sees Jinhwan’s lips quirk upwards into a contented little smile, and he grins.

He knows he's said the right thing.

-

A/N: Merry (belated) Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone!!! (☆▽☆) I started this story in 2014 and it's 2016, now - I find it so surreal and amazing how I began writing this back when iKON hadn't yet made their debut and all we could do as fans was to keep rewatching WIN and Mix & Match (and keep getting our hearts broken) because that was all the footage we had of the boys, and now we have a full debut album, seven music videos, awards show appearances, variety show appearances and so much more (∩_∩) it's so heartening and wonderful to see how strong our fandom is and how it keeps growing, and I'm sincerely so happy and so grateful that you guys still like this story and still read it now, more than a year later (⌒∇⌒) hope all of you have a blessed 2016 and that you'll keep protecting and loving the boys - they receive so much unwarranted and terrible hate for no good reason and it really pains me as a fan to see people saying such hurtful things to a group of humble, hardworking and insanely talented kids who have an average age of like, 20 (⋟﹏⋞) that aside, I wrote a Bobby/Donghyuk New Year's gift fic here, so you can read it if you haven't yet already!! Also, I created a twitter account: I'm @koojunes_ on twitter so if you have a twitter account too you can follow me there and say hi, and we can talk and be friends!! (＾▽＾) stay happy and healthy!!!