Chapter Text
The van pulled up to the front of a tall apartment building, right near where the entrance doors stood. Over the last month it had become a familiar sight to Hongjoong, although it felt odd still to not have to wait until he was parked in the old dorms underground parking to get out or to need to wait for security and management just to open the door. He smiled at the manager who had driven them and turned in his seat to look into the back.
The others were mostly asleep or just beginning to wake up, the hours long trip to get here after spending the last few days speed packing had worn them all out. He watched as Yunho patted at Mingi's cheeks to wake him up and Jongho tried shaking a deeply sleeping Yeosang as he yawned. Wooyoung was curled up against Seonghwa on one side, a slowly blinking San on the other. His precious people all back in one place after the time he and Seonghwa had spent living here and investigating everything they could before presenting the option to move.
When he'd been shown the offer, he'd already heard whispers about it from others in the industry. Barely a year since this private community had finished construction and began inviting entertainment companies to let their artists and actors live a life that would allow normality, freedom. Hongjoong had hesitated because Ateez didn't have it too bad, really, compared to a lot of others. But one look at Seonghwa had reminded him how constrained they still were, how carefully they had to act out in public. So, he trialled it with Seonghwa and he was sincerely hoping this would help the others.
Hongjoong opened the door and hopped out, vaguely listening as the manager started talking to the truck that had pulled up behind them, sliding open the van door for the others. He smiled at Seonghwa, taking a deep breath. "We're here guys, come on. Wake up, see our new home."
Yunho jumped out, stretching and looking up at the tall building before he glanced around the street. He could see a few people walking further down but it just seemed like a perfectly normal, quiet street. That felt weird, growing up in one major city and then moving to Seoul, quiet was very odd.
Jongho gave up trying to be gentle with Yeosang and smacked the back of his head, rolling his eyes at the instant noise of complaint. "I knew you weren't asleep," he muttered. He climbed over the pouting man and jumped down, eyes darting about. He didn't know how to feel about this place, the idea of it. He couldn't get his shoulders to stop tensing, feeling oddly suspicious but glad to have his hyungs back with them again. A month was a long time to be without them.
Mingi slung an arm over Yunho’s shoulders and looked up at the building as well. “Balconies. Sweet.”
San stepped out of the van into a very cat-like stretch. He looked back and offered an encouraging smile to Wooyoung who still looked anxious about the entire thing as he clung to Seonghwa.
“C’mon, angel,” Seonghwa scooted towards the door, pulling Wooyoung out with him. “It’ll take some getting used to, I know. But I promise you guys, Joongie and I have a good feeling about this place.”
Wooyoung held Seonghwa’s hand tightly, his other arm wrapped around the man’s bicep. “I trust you, hyung. It’s just a lot to take in at once.”
“We’ll go slow today. Get used to the apartments, meet the guides. Tomorrow, Hongjoong and I can show you around more. There’s shops and restaurants. A whole town, really.” Seonghwa explained, a little excited to share his favorite spots with his members.
“Our apartments are together, right?” Mingi asked as the group started towards the entrance to the building.
“Yes. They make sure we’re situated with each other.” Seonghwa assured.
"Balconies we can actually use?" Yunho noticed a few lower floor ones with chairs and tables on them, one with planters and flowers as well. He walked with Mingi behind Hongjoong, curiously looking around.
Jongho stayed at the back with Yeosang, gently tugging him along when he stopped to look down the street at the sound of a voice calling someone. There were two people standing just inside the entrance, two women watching them all with friendly smiles.
Hongjoong perked up at the sight of the two Guides who had spent hours listening to and answering his and Seonghwa's concerns. He bowed quickly and grinned. "Hello again, noonas."
Lily bowed back before she wiggled her fingers in greeting. "Welcome back, Hongjoong-ah, Seonghwa-ya." She looked at the others, keeping her voice the same tone, soft and calm with a welcoming smile. "My name is Caris Lily. I'm one of the Guides assigned to your group."
The woman beside Lily copied her bow. “Hello, everyone. I’m Marino Skye. I am the other guide assigned to your group.”
“Guides?” San questioned after everyone bowed and quietly greeted the women.
“Our job is to make your lives more comfortable here. We live on the first floor here and are available more or less twenty-four seven.” Skye explained. “We can talk about things further once you’ve settled. Come on, we’ll take you up to your apartments and give you the temporary door codes.” She motioned for the men to follow her and Lily towards a set of elevators. “There’s a stairwell here and on the backside but these are the only elevators.” She pointed at the heavy fire door with the stairs sign over it.
Lily pressed the call button and gestured to the hallways leading off to either side. "These lead to the Guide's rooms, ours are to the left. There will be binders in each of your rooms with information. The first page tells you our room numbers, as well as contact details."
Hongjoong smiled reassuringly at the others as the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. "I think you all will really like the rooms. They're bigger than our dorms and they even have full sized kitchens and bigger than needed TV's."
Yunho stepped into the elevator after Hongjoong, linking his arm with Mingi's as they all got inside, the two women standing slightly apart from them. He was curious about the accents he could hear in their Korean, one he thought might be American but he was struggling to place the other.
Yeosang shuffled back a little, pressing closer to where Wooyoung was still wrapped up with Seonghwa. He was a little confused but Hongjoong and Seonghwa seemed perfectly at ease and calm, the complete opposite to the carefully concealed wary way Jongho was acting.
“They are perfectly reasonably sized TV’s, thank you very much.” Skye huffed playfully. “But yes, each apartment is fully furnished and supplied with everything except food and your preferred toiletries. Sajangnim spared no expense. But, you are welcome to change anything to your liking.”
“Joongie and I converted our second bedroom into a work space and picked out different living room furniture that fit our tastes better.” Seonghwa announced as examples of the freedom they’d have.
San smiled. “You showed us pictures! That couch looked very comfortable.”
The elevator dinged and the doors opened, the women stepping out first. Skye held her arms out, gesturing to the first two doors on either side of the hallway. “Welcome to the eighth floor. Hongjoong-ah and Seonghwa-ya are in apartment 801. The rest of you have the options of 803 right next door or 802 and 804 across the hall.”
Jongho eyed the door next to Hongjoong and Seonghwa's before he stepped over to the one diagonally opposite, 804. He'd lived with Hongjoong and had to listen when Seonghwa stayed over, he didn't want to add hearing them here in a new place.
Yeosang laughed softly behind his hand, moving over to stand next to him. Living together would be easier and he wouldn't have Yunho randomly walking around naked or walking in on himself.
Yunho took one look at how Wooyoung was still pressed tightly against Seonghwa and tugged Mingi over to 802. "We'll take this one," he told San, glancing pointedly at Wooyoung.
Lily walked over to Yunho and Mingi first, showing them the code for their door. "The binders inside will have instructions on how to change the codes if you'd like to." She moved to Jongho and Yeosang, doing the same. "Right now, only the two of us and the Head of Maintenance knows them. If you do change them, please let Maintenance know so that they can enter in the case of emergencies."
Skye moved to 803 and waited. Seonghwa walked Wooyoung over, San following close behind. She gave San and Wooyoung the same speech before stepping back. “Text one of us once they’ve all settled. We can meet back up and discuss more.” She smiled at Seonghwa before heading towards the elevators again. “Oh, also. There are twelve apartments on each floor. As of right now for your floor, nine, ten, eleven, and twelve are also occupied but the middle four are still vacant.”
Mingi looked down the hallway. “Who lives there?”
Skye stepped into the elevator and pulled Lily in as she hit the button. The doors started closing. “BTS.”
Yeosang turned to look down at the doors. "BTS? Taehyung hyung is here? Seriously?"
Hongjoong grinned at Yeosang's wide eyes, nodding. "He is. They'll wait to let us settle in but Namjoon hyung has been a big help in advising us about living here. They're still adjusting too, from what I can tell." He pulled his phone out of his pocket and read his messages. "Manager nim is organising for all of our belongings to be brought up, so the removalists from Sinbi will be in and out for a little while with the boxes. You should have a look at your apartments. I'll leave our door open, come in once you're done." He keyed the code into his and Seonghwa's door, pushing it open and nudging the little Yoda stopper in front of it to keep it open.
Yunho pushed his and Mingi's door open, walking inside as he let go of Mingi's arm. The door opened into a short hallway that looked directly into the living room, a small coat closet to the right and an open doorframe to the left leading into the kitchen. He glanced inside, seeing brand new appliances he knew Mingi would love but his attention was caught by the massive TV installed on the wall of the living room and the large couch opposite.
Jongho walked past the kitchen in his and Yeosang's apartment, muttering about the man not being allowed to cook and headed for the balcony doors half covered by block out curtains. He wasn't sure about any of this, it didn't feel like everything his hyungs had told them could be true. He looked outside, seeing the buildings that made up the town and listened to Yeosang's excited mutterings over the TV.
San opened the door to his and Wooyoung’s apartment, wandering in quickly. He marveled at how clean everything was. It wouldn’t stay that way for long. “Youngie look at the size of the TV!”
Seonghwa led Wooyoung all the way to the living room. “Angel, you have to let go of me at some point.” He said gently, patting the hand currently clinging to his elbow.
“I just missed you, is all.” Wooyoung muttered. It wasn’t a total lie, he had missed his hyungs. But it wasn’t all he was feeling at the moment. They’d been apart for the better part of the month the two men moved here. Wooyoung had struggled with Seonghwa not being around to cling to when his head got too loud.
Seonghwa sighed. “If I give you my hoodie, will you let me go? You should spend the time with Sannie checking out your place. You should see the kitchen. Top of the line appliances, new dishes and cutlery. The cookware is that really fancy Hexclad stuff.”
Wooyoung perked up. “Really?” He looked towards the kitchen, noticing the half wall with a bar-top, a couple tall stools tucked there. He looked up at Seonghwa, biting his lip but releasing the man’s arm, stepping back.
Seonghwa pulled his zip-up hoodie off and draped it over Wooyoung’s shoulders. He laughed softly at the way the younger man rushed to get his arms in and zip it up.
Wooyoung pulled the soft material over his nose and breathed in the calming smell of Seonghwa.
“We’ll be over once we decide who gets which room.” San grinned.
Seonghwa nodded. “Take your time.” He assured before kissing Wooyoung’s forehead. He waved to San as he left.
Mingi opened every drawer and cabinet in the kitchen, marveling at all the items. “We have wine glasses.” He called out to Yunho. “Both kinds, the regular and the stemless. No more drinking wine from 7-Eleven slurpee cups.”
Yunho looked away from the TV, putting the remote back down on the simple coffee table. "They stocked things like that?" He asked as he moved over to lean on the bar separating the kitchen and living room. "I didn't expect that. I actually halved mine and Sangie's cup collection to bring here."
Yeosang opened one of the three doors on the left wall of the living room, peering into the bathroom. His eyes widened at the size of the tub inside as he walked in, large enough to easily fit two people. The shower set into a corner was bigger than some hotel ones, with a fancy looking shower head and recessed shelves in the wall. Even the mirror and vanity were massive by their usual living standards.
Jongho looked away from the sight outside, drawing the curtains closed. Having them open made him feel uneasy. He could hear Yeosang in what sounded like the bathroom, judging by the slight echo of his voice. He opened one of the other doors, stepping into a furnished bedroom. The bed was massive, probably a king sized one, with a thick wooden frame along with a plain headboard. He hummed in thought, looking at the posts, and glanced over the bedside tables, dresser, wardrobe and desk. There was a decent sized window with blinds closed over it. It was...nice. "Sangie, which room do you want?"
"Either is fine!" Yeosang called back before muttering under his breath, "probably not gonna spend all that much time in my own for a while anyway."
“Most of the glassware is pretty standard and boring. Great quality and all but no personality.” Mingi noted as he pointed at the matching drinking glasses and mugs. “I’m all for mismatched and fun. I think we should get one of those under the cabinet mug hanging things and display the silliest mugs we have right over where I’ll be moving the coffee machine to because why is it so far away from the refrigerator?” He pointed at the coffee machine sitting on the counter space furthest away from the fridge.
San wrapped his arms around Wooyoung’s waist from behind. “Let’s see what’s behind door number one, hmm?” He asked as he nudged him forward, waddle-walking behind him.
Wooyoung giggled softly and opened the door closest to the kitchen. “A bedroom. Hmm. Not sure I like hardwood floors in here.”
“We could get a really big rug.” San offered, smiling brightly when Woo chuckled.
“I like that idea," Yunho smiled softly. "I have those mugs Hwa hyung keeps giving me to put there for now. You like the kitchen? It seems like a pretty open set up, easy to cook in."
Jongho checked the other bedroom, finding the exact same furnishings and layout, only the window being absent made it different. He preferred this one, he didn't like a window being over the desk but Yeosang probably would.
Yeosang peeked into the bedroom Jongho was in after checking the other. "Are you okay?"
"Hmm?" Jongho looked up from staring at the wooden floor. "Oh. Yeah, I'm okay. Just feeling tense. What about you?"
Yeosang shrugged. "It's kinda exciting, moving to a new home but this feels unreal and we haven't even been outside yet." He tilted his head when he saw the way Jongho's shoulders bunched up. "Hyungs told us this place was good, safe. You can relax here."
"Maybe." Jongho looked out the bedroom door at the sound of loud voices coming from outside. "I think our stuff is being brought up. I'll tell them to bring ours in here." He pushed past Yeosang gently, opening the apartment door and speaking quietly to one of the removalists.
Yeosang shuffled his feet and sighed, deciding to go and look at the balcony, he wanted to see the place around their new home.
“Yeah, the kitchen's great.” Mingi nodded. He walked out after shutting the cabinets and drawers when he heard the voices in the hall just outside their apartment door. He opened the door and bowed to the nearest removalist. “Uh, anything labeled Mingi or Yunho, just put it in the living room for now.” He told them before walking back down the short entrance hallway to Yunho. “Guess we should pick rooms.”
Seonghwa sat on the couch in his and Hongjoong’s apartment, Wooyoung curled beside him, head in his lap. He ran his fingers through the younger man’s hair.
“Sorry.” Wooyoung sniffed, mumbling quietly. He’d shuffled in a few minutes after the removalists started bringing boxes in.
“Why are you apologizing?” Seonghwa scoffed softly. “This is an adjustment for everyone and you’ve only been here half an hour.”
Yunho bowed and waved a hand forward, grinning up at Mingi. "Princess picks first."
Hongjoong kneeled down next to the couch, pulling a lightweight blanket Seonghwa liked to use up to Wooyoung's shoulders. "I'm expecting everyone to have a hiccup...or ten. It was difficult for us too, Wooyoung-ah. Still is."
Jongho watched as boxes were brought in, glancing at the balcony where Yeosang was sitting on the ground, hidden behind the concrete halfwalls. He rolled his shoulders, trying to lessen the tight feeling, ignoring the way his skin felt like it was crawling. Taking a deep breath, Jongho let it out slowly as he left the apartment and went straight for Hongjoong and Seonghwa's. He paused in the open doorway at seeing Wooyoung curled up, unsure about interrupting just because he didn't like the new place or the people coming in and out so fast.
Yeosang turned to call out to Jongho, wanting to bring him out onto the balcony in the fresh air. He blinked a few times at seeing no one but a couple of the movers placing down boxes and looked back up at the wispy clouds in the sky.
Mingi grinned excitedly and pointed at the door furthest from the kitchen, closest to the balcony’s sliding glass door. He kissed Yunho’s cheek before telling the workers where to take his boxes now the room situation was settled. He stepped out onto their balcony to get a look at their view.
The sliding door only showed a third of the balcony from inside. The entire balcony extended in either direction from that point almost the full length of the apartment. Mingi wandered up and down the way. “Yeosang-ah!” He called, leaning on the short side nearest his group-mate neighbor. There was a gap of a few feet between the ends of their balconies and Mingi wondered if he could jump the little gap safely. Not that he was dumb enough to try it. Yet.
San moved the boxes for Wooyoung’s things into the room closer to the kitchen. He was very strict about none of the workers taking anything further than the living room. He set the boxes in a neat and organized stack to one corner of the room and popped open the smallest box on top. He smiled when he unwrapped exactly what he was looking for. Wooyoung could decide where best they’d go as he unpacked and set up but for now, San displayed all the picture frames on the desk under the window. They’d be the first thing Wooyoung sees when he walks in later.
“Thanks, hyung.” Wooyoung said softly, smiling at Hongjoong. “I know there’s an adjustment period and all. I just wasn’t expecting to feel so off kilter immediately. I figured I’d have at least a night before the feeling set in.” He looked over Hongjoong when he noticed movement. “Hi, Jjongie bear.” He greeted, smile warming.
Seonghwa motioned with his hand. “Come in, love. Have a seat.” He patted the empty space on his other side. “How are you handling things?”
Yunho grinned happily at Mingi's excitement, grabbing a box with his name on it and letting a mover follow him into what was now going to be his room. He didn't have much, he'd stayed pretty minimalistic most of their career out of habit. He set the box he was holding down on the floor and started opening them as more appeared, trying to find the one he'd packed his Playstation into so he could go set it up.
Yeosang startled in surprise at the sound of his name, looking around in confusion before he spotted Mingi. Standing up, he moved over to lean on the balcony wall opposite him. "Hey, Mings. This is...great, isn't it?" He gestured at the balconies and the view of the town.
Hongjoong patted Wooyoung's side as he smiled at Jongho, recognising the careful way he was holding himself as he came over and sat down beside Seonghwa. His youngest was bothered, by the new place and situation or by the amount of unknown people invading a space meant to be his own. Neither could really be helped at the moment. The movers would be gone soon and it would take time for his instincts to settle down enough to relax.
Jongho sat stiffly for a few moments before he was able to relax on the surprisingly comfortable couch. The very large couch. "It's...new," he said quietly. He glanced at Wooyoung, the familiar need to make sure he was safe rearing up. The same one was niggling at him for leaving Yeosang alone with strangers but he'd annoyed him the day before and pushing to keep him to be near now would just result in him turning sarcastic.
Mingi smiled, glancing towards town for a moment. “Did you have the same little binder on the coffee table as we did? It reads like a user manual for the whole place. There’s a map, menus for the restaurants, information on all the different shops, a calendar of events they hope to do, staffing information, real estate listings for the other places we can move into later if we don’t want to stay in the apartments. Did you know we don’t have ‘police’ in the community? But we have security staff whose job is kinda police adjacent, I guess.” He rambled excitedly.
San finished hanging coats and jackets in the coat closet by the front door and broke down the last box for that section of stuff. He’d unpacked a good portion already. It was quick and easy. His clothes transferred easily from boxes to dresser and wardrobe, his computer was unpacked onto the desk but he decided to worry about hooking it up later, his toiletries were in their proper space in the bathroom, and he’d loaded half the bookcase in the living room with his share of books, music, games, and dvds he was willing to share in the communal space.
“Jagiya, why don’t you go see how the others are doing? Make sure Yunho isn’t distracted by his games and Yeosang knows where the box of hangers I labeled for him is before he starts wrinkling his nice shirts and folding them into drawers.” Seonghwa suggested.
Wooyoung waited until Hongjoong stepped back before he started wiggling and shuffling around, changing his position. He scrambled into Seonghwa’s lap sideways, facing Jongho. He fixed the blanket over their laps and made sure it covered his maknae’s as well before he tucked his head under Seonghwa’s chin.
Hongjoong smiled down at the trio, touching Wooyoung's hair. "I'll make sure they're doing okay and bring them back here for you, my star. Take care of our youngest." He nodded at Jongho, knowing better than to risk touching him when he seemed so tense and hyper aware, and left their apartment. He headed into Wooyoung's and San's first. If he couldn't get one of the others to pay attention San worked well as a distraction. "Hey, San-ah. You look like you've been busy."
Yeosang shook his head. "I only really paid attention to the bedrooms and bathroom. I didn't notice a binder." He looked back through the glass, noticing the small black binder sitting on the coffee table. "They really listed all that in there? The police thing makes sense. Hyung said the whole point of this was like a secret place almost off the grid, sort of," he muttered.
Yunho hummed to himself as he finished setting his Playstation up, all connected to the network listed on a little card under the TV. He grabbed his physical games, stacking them on the shelf underneath the TV and trying to decide how he should set up the spiderman figurines he owned.
San looked up from his spot on the living room floor as he assembled the glider and matching ottoman he’d bought yesterday. “Oh, hi, hyung! Yeah, I wanted to get as much done as I could before Youngie is ready to unpack his stuff so I can give him a hand.” He explained before he focused on tightening another bolt according to the instructions laid open on the floor beside him. “What do you think of the rocking chair I got? I was gonna put it in my room for some extra seating but I think it’ll look better in that corner by the bookcase. I have a floor lamp that I’ll put with it. It has a cute little adjustable bonus lamp designed for a reading light.”
“Mm-hmm. The shops and restaurants even have names. They aren’t chain store names but some of the descriptions read like they could be just like stores we know. There’s a burger place called Retro Burger. From what I can see in the pictures and the menu, it’s a very 1950’s American style diner specializing in smash burgers and milkshakes. And there’s a chicken place called Buttermilk & Gochujang.” Mingi leaned over the wall. “Apparently it’s a combination place. American Southern and Korean fried chicken. Same with the rest of the menu, typical banchans and classic Southern sides. How fucking cool is that?”
“What do you think of the apartments?” Seonghwa asked his two youngest.
Wooyoung shrugged. “Seems nice. Bigger than the dorms. Judging by mine and yours, the layout is the same. Is it like that for all the apartments?”
“For the most part. I think the guides’ apartments are one bedroom with a smaller office/study. And the top couple floors are penthouses. There’s a smaller apartment building perpendicular to this building that’s all one bedroom and studio apartments. I guess a lot of soloists and actors tend to pick living in that building.” Seonghwa explained as he ran his fingers through Wooyoung’s hair soothingly. He gave Jongho’s leg a gentle pat over the blanket. “And you? What did you think of yours?”
Hongjoong looked at the chair San was talking about and over at the corner. "I think I can definitely see you sitting there with a cuddly plush and a book full of romantic poetry." He looked back at San and crouched down beside him. "You're handling this move really well. Or has it just not really sunk in yet?"
Yeosang's eyes widened the more Mingi talked. He looked out at the town, feeling more awed by the thought put into the set up. "Hyung said they wanted to emulate normal life with everything that comes with it. I was kind of expecting to have to give up a lot of things we can find in the city. They have a chicken place. I can have my chicken still," he sighed.
Yunho could vaguely hear Mingi excitedly chattering away on the balcony, guessing one of the others must be outside too. What a strange thought, they could actually use their balconies without needing to worry about their photos being taken. Theoretically, at least. He was happy though, because Mingi was happy and they were all back together again. He could handle whatever came their way, the same as he always had.
Jongho watched Wooyoung, taking in the way he was curled up on Seonghwa and his expressions. He appreciated the sharing of the blanket, rubbing his fingers against the soft material. "They're nice, much better than what we had. The balcony makes me feel nervous," he admitted quietly. "It's never a good thing for an idol to have. Too much temptation and risk. Are we really okay to use them?"
“I’m not sure it’s really sunk in yet. I think I’m just riding the high of having a new place to decorate and living with Young-ah.” San reasoned as he tightened the last bolt. “Help me stand it upright?” He hopped to his feet.
“Pizza, Italian, sushi, ice cream, ramyeon, Greek, Thai, k-barbecue and hot pot, a bakery, a few different cafés. There’s a bar and club, a karaoke bar, a big gym, the dance and recording studios hyungs sent us pictures of, a theater, hobby shops, clothing, grocery store, a spa, some kind of big place they call a sports complex. All kinds of places. Honestly, it’s better than what we had available to us before.” Mingi gushed before lowering his volume. “I think there’s even an adult store. Like, can you imagine?!”
Seonghwa gave Jongho a soft look. “We should be. One of the stipulations we agreed to when moving here was regular therapy appointments. That’ll be a big help. Joongie and I started going after our first few days here. We go twice a week. One solo and one together.”
“Like couples therapy?” Wooyoung picked his head up and made an adorably curious face.
Seonghwa cooed and pinched Wooyoung’s cheek. “Exactly. There’s also group therapy options.” He turned his attention back to Jongho. “Talk to Sangie about the balcony. If it bothers you too much, we can always lock it down until you’re ready to use it.”
Hongjoong nodded and moved to help San. "It took a couple of days for me to really understand this was a possibility. I haven't been able to actually accept it as a new home just yet though. I need to know that you're all settling in and happy first."
Yeosang's eyes widened, leaning further over the more Mingi listed. He laughed at the last store, clapping his hands gleefully. "Oh they really do have everything. It almost seems...like a dream. Supposedly we have this whole place as a safe community that we can be ourselves in. Doesn't that feel strange?"
Jongho raised an eyebrow. "Therapy? That is going to be strange." He looked down, drawing a circle over the blanket again and again. Therapy meant trusting someone to be of assistance to him and to hear all the things in his head. That was a truly terrifying thought.
San clapped Hoongjoong on the shoulder before he picked the chair up and waddled over to the corner, setting it down. “We’ll settle in. We have you and Seonghwa hyung to guide us, we have each other to lean on. We always get through hard times together.”
“So strange,” Mingi agreed. “And there’s so much to explore. There’s nature, too. Apparently the company that did all this, Sinbi Corp, owns the land around the mountains to the East of the community. There’s a lake at the bottom and a small river that flows down from them. There’s hiking trails and camping spots on the mountains. You could probably get some really cool drone shots up there.”
“I’m not sure a therapist is ready for all of me and my bullshit.” Wooyoung muttered.
"We do," Hongjoong agreed, smiling as he watched San. "You and Wooyoungie are going to enjoy it here. It's like living out of a city, with the most friendly and welcoming people. And then there's our fellow idol's of course, people we normally don't really get to sit with and go out with. There's so much freedom here, San."
Yeosang glanced past Mingi to the mountains behind him. "I could hike up and spend a whole day with my drone," he murmured.
"I don't think any therapist is going to be ready for any of us," Jongho said dryly. He looked up, studying Wooyoung's face before he glanced at Seonghwa. "Are the therapists at least better than the one KQ has on staff?"
“Freedom.” San repeated. The word sounded foreign on his tongue. “We deserve some of that.” He stated before clapping his hands once and rubbing them together. “Should we gather the others? I’ve had enough of unpacking for the time being.”
Mingi smiled brightly at the dreamy look Yeosang got. “You could! Safely, too. As far as I’m aware, according to the binder, there’s no large predators in the area. And there shouldn’t be anything venomous or poisonous. Except maybe some bees. They do regular sweeps of the area and relocate what they can. There’s still some raptors and smaller predators but most of the animals we’ll come across are small and/or prey animals and/or herbivores. They really did plan for everything, I think.”
“I don’t have any complaints so far. I spoke to a few idols around and none of them had anything bad to say about the therapists they’re seeing either.” Seonghwa answered. “And if you don’t like the therapist you start with, you can try a different one. Same with the general care doctors they have staffed at the clinic. We want you to find the help that works for you, not settle for what isn’t.”
"Can you grab Yunho and Mingi? I'll go get Yeosang and we can meet back in our room before thinking about meeting back with our Guides," Hongjoong suggested as he headed towards the door.
"I might need to watch out for raptors with my drones," Yeosang murmured absently as he kept staring at the mountains. "Maybe we can go camping when the weather is nice. I wonder if they get bad storms here?"
Yunho hummed to himself as he set up his Spiderman figurines, the largest one sitting with his Playstation by the TV. The rest he was arranging on one of the bookshelves. He tilted his head, considering the idea of getting LED strips to place at the back. He'd never considered properly decorating before but now his mind was running with ideas about decor that would suit his and Mingi's tastes. He couldn't be selfish and only plan for himself. Except his room.
Jongho relaxed a little with Seonghwa's words. He'd never been fond of the company therapist, mostly because his issues couldn't be easily discussed and the woman was always claiming he had a variety of minor issues she could solve if he just talked about it. The one time he'd hinted, she'd gone very strange. "That's...that's good, at least."
San gave an affirmative response and shut the door behind himself once Hongjoong had headed for Yeosang and Jongho’s room. He knocked on Yunho and Mingi’s ajar door, pushing it open the rest of the way. “Yuyu! Mingi-ya! We’re meeting up in Hwa and Hongjoong hyungs’ place if you’re ready.”
“They might? We’re in the valley of the mountains. Pretty sure that means we get some nasty storms on occasion. But when it’s nice out, we definitely need to try camping.” Mingi agreed. He turned his head when he heard someone call his name.
Seonghwa patted Jongho’s leg over the blanket. “We’ll make it work, baby bear. Joong-ah and I have a good feeling about this place. And if it doesn’t work out, we move back into the dorms and move on. It’s as simple as that.”
Wooyoung stuck his sock clad feet under Jongho’s thigh. It was oddly comforting. “As long as we have each other. Eight makes one family.”
Yunho shook his head free of his thoughts on decorating and looked over at the door. He smiled brightly when he saw San standing there. "Thanks, Sannie. Let me just grab Mings. Pretty sure he's talking to someone on the balcony." He placed down the last figurine and headed over to the balcony door.
Hongjoong knocked loudly on Yeosang and Jongho's closed door. "Yeosang! Come on, time for a meeting!"
Yeosang blinked, looking back into the apartment. "Oh, I think everyone must be ready now."
Yunho stuck his head out, still grinning widely. "Princess. Sangie. Ready?"
Yeosang rolled his eyes at Yunho and walked back inside, closing the balcony door behind him. He headed over to the apartment door, opening it just as Hongjoong was knocking again. "Hyung. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"I'm not, but I thought you might have found your drone and gotten distracted." Hongjoong shrugged and waved for Yeosang to follow him. He'd wait until everyone was together to see how the rest were doing and he was a little eager to make sure his two youngest were feeling a little better.
"Eight makes one family," Jongho repeated softly. He turned slightly, careful to keep Wooyoung's feet covered by his leg, and leaned his head down on Seonghwa's shoulder.
San skipped past Hongjoong and entered his hyungs’ apartment. After taking his shoes off, he scurried over and sat on the floor between the coffee table and couch, laying his head back against Wooyoung’s hip and wrapping an arm around Seonghwa’s calf. “I got most of my stuff taken care of so when you want, Young-ah, I can help you unload your stuff.”
“Thanks, Sannie.” Wooyoung draped an arm over San’s shoulder and softly rubbed his chest.
“Let’s go.” Mingi nodded, following Yunho back inside, locking the balcony door.
Yunho led the way out, following Hongjoong and Yeosang as the older man hurried into his apartment. He looked around, noting the notebooks haphazardly stacked on the coffee table and the little touches he could tell were left by Seonghwa. There was a very faint smell of food lingering in the air, something must have been cooked before the pair came back to Seoul. The thought made him smile as he sat down on the other side of the coffee table, curling his legs to the side and leaning on his hand.
Yeosang wandered in, tilting his head at Wooyoung curled up on Seonghwa and the way Jongho was resting with them. He sat down next to Yunho who was flapping a hand at Mingi to get him to sit.
Jongho relaxed further with everyone in one place, the smidge of guilt for having left Yeosang behind when there were strangers around him easing away.
Hongjoong sat down on Seonghwa's other side, looking at Wooyoung with worry in his eyes. "Okay now, Wooyoung-ah?"
“What?” Wooyoung asked, knowing damn well why Hongjoong was targeting him but refusing to give in just yet.
Mingi chuckled as he sat down beside Yunho and leaned against him.
"Are you feeling better?" Hongjoong asked again, tone dry. "And you Jongho?"
Jongho's lips twitched, amused by Wooyoung. "I'll be fine, hyung. New place, strange people. Just feeling unsettled."
Yunho put a hand over his mouth to hide his grin, trying not to laugh at Hongjoong’s annoyed expression. Yeosang apparently had no issue, giggling away beside him.
“What he said.” Wooyoung motioned to Jongho and tucked his head back under Seonghwa’s chin.
San scoffed, shaking his head while Mingi giggled right along with Yeosang.
Hongjoong sighed and turned his attention to the three in front of him. "And you lot? Are you okay? I want to make sure you're comfortable before properly being introduced to your Guides."
Yunho shrugged, dropping his hand. "I'm fine, hyung. You don't need to worry about me."
"There are mountains," Yeosang piped up. "That I can go and take my drone up for a flight. There's so much stuff here, it really is like a proper little town."
San perked up. “Oh shit, we can actually go up the mountains?” He leaned his head back to look at Seonghwa.
“Mm-hmm. There’s a few different trails mapped out and there’s a nice little scenic road along the side of the mountains we drove around a couple times. It’s very pretty up there and there’s some lookout points that have breathtaking views of the lake.”
“Nice.” San hummed.
Mingi looked over at Hongjoong. “I’m good for the most part, hyung. I’m sure the first few times we leave the building and wander around out in the open, I’ll feel a little unsettled but that’s natural, right? So, I think I’ll be okay.”
"The first time I went outside with Seonghwa I had to keep reminding myself it was okay to just let go and be," Hongjoong told them softly. "People smile, greet you, but nobody tries to stop you for anything, nobody looks twice. I would say the people living and working here are very professional but that feels odd to say."
"Nobody causes problems here?" Jongho asked sceptically. He shifted his legs, pressing down on Wooyoung's feet still tucked under them, and lifted his head from Seonghwa's shoulder. "That doesn't sound natural."
"Well, Namjoon hyung mentioned someone bothering one of his group." Hongjoong sat forward, elbows resting on his knees as he clasped his hands together. "Nothing can be absolutely perfect but they seem to take our safety and health very seriously here. At least, the Guides are all very invested in making sure we are happy. Speaking of, are you all ready to meet them again?"
Yunho glanced around, eyes lingering on Yeosang when he realised the man was more interested in looking around the room than the conversation. He smiled back at Hongjoong and shrugged. "I'm ready whenever, Joong."
Mingi tilted his head. “They said they were assigned to us. What’s that mean?”
Seonghwa smiled. “The company assigns guides to groups and specific individuals to make it easier. There’s about a dozen Guides but rather than overwhelm you with the option to go to any of them, we’re matched with the ones that we’ll hopefully be most comfortable with.” He explained. “You guys didn’t have to do it but before Joongie and I moved in, we filled out… Well, they were sort of personality tests. They are designed to help decide which Guide best fits us.”
“How come the rest of us didn’t have to do it?” Wooyoung picked his head back up, looking curiously at his hyung.
“Because we know you. Sometimes better than you know yourselves.” Seonghwa teased softly.
“Is it always multiple Guides for a group?” San wondered.
“No. Some groups may only be assigned one. It also may work out that most of a group is assigned one Guide but one member may get a different Guide entirely. It just depends on the tests. In our case, Skye and I were matched and Joongie and Lily were matched. But over our time here, we realized both Guides helped both of us. We were more likely to go to our officially assigned one over the other but there were a few times Skye was better suited to help Hongjoong-ah and vice versa for Lily and myself.” Seonghwa brushed some hair from Wooyoung’s face. “When it came time to discuss the rest of you moving in, we knew both women would be the best fit for you. Some of you may lean Lily’s way and some towards Skye’s, but they are both happy to be available to all of us.”
"Because it's their job," Yeosang added in. "Isn't it?"
"They're paid to provide a stepping stone or link to all the services here, to help navigate any problems that arise," Hongjoong agreed. "But they go beyond that. I'm pretty sure Hwa sat and watched all of the Star Wars movies with Skye, I think they're actually watching Clone Wars right now. Lily bakes and cooks desserts and hands them out according to what the person likes best. They both do more than needed. From what I've been able to find out, all of the Guides do so. Think of our staff, how they are more like family for us. That's how the Guides act."
Jongho tilted his head. "They...care?"
Hongjoong smiled and nodded. "They do."
“We don’t just watch Star Wars.” Seonghwa huffed playfully. “And Skye has made meals for me to bring to Joongie in the studio when he forgets to eat. I’ve built a couple little Lego sets with Lily. We’ve been able to vent to them between therapy sessions. They take an actual interest in our lives.” Seonghwa smiled softly. “And yes, before any of you ask, they are Atiny but they’ve been nothing but genuinely kind and helpful.”
“Being fans makes sense.” San determined. “Who do they bias?” He asked with a smirk.
"Why don't you ask them yourselves?" Hongjoong sat back, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Would you all rather they come here or would you like to visit their apartments today?"
"Here," Jongho murmured. "That's what I would prefer."
Yunho looked down, weighing the pros and cons as far as he could see them. "I don't mind going to their rooms. We have to know where they are eventually, right?"
Yeosang shrugged and leaned against Yunho. "I don't care. Whatever hyungs think is best."
“Whatever you guys want.” San answered.
“I’m good either way.” Mingi added.
“Here.” Wooyoung stated firmly.
Hongjoong glanced at Seonghwa before typing on his phone, sending a message off to the two Guides to ask for them to come up. "They'll be here soon. If it helps some of you feel a little more at ease, they are the same Guides assigned to BTS. Yoongi hyung is rather fond of them both and I've seen Jimin hyung and Taehyung hyung out with them a few times."
Yeosang perked up at Taehyung's name. If a man he looked up to appeared to like them, there must be something there that made him do so.
Yunho watched Jongho and Wooyoung, taking in their expressions and the tones of their voices. He could see the way Jongho was tensing again, fingers constantly petting at the blanket. He was bothered by all of this a lot more than he was letting on. Yunho could understand that, he knew that once he had enough time alone he'd probably start stressing and feeling the anxiety of the unknown as well.
“Who else are they assigned to?” Wooyoung asked, looking back and forth between his hyungs.
“Got7. They’re a floor below us. And BtoB but they live in condos further into the residential area. And then I know Skye has G-Dragon and TOP. They’re up in the top floor penthouse. And she has BlackPink. I think they live in the studio apartments. Lily has Monsta X, I believe. They're residential, too. Nice little homes.”
Mingi perked up, looking at Hongjoong for confirmation. “G-Dragon is above my head right now?”
"He is," Hongjoong confirmed, laughing lightly at Mingi's reaction. "I've actually had lunch with him a couple of times now."
"Eunkwang hyung is here?" Jongho asked softly. "I haven't seen him in a long time."
“Wait, really?!” Mingi moved onto his knees and shuffled closer to Hongjoong. “You’re not fucking with me, hyung? That’s a possibility? Just going out to lunch so easily? And with G-Dragon?”
Seonghwa laughed softly at Mingi’s excitement before he addressed Jongho. “He is. BtoB were some of the first here. That’s why they are in the condos now. The company wants everyone to start in the apartments. But eventually you’re given the option to move into condos or houses in the residential area. This is just more convenient for you to be able to get a hold of your Guides.” He leaned a little closer to Jongho. “Once you’ve settled in after a few days, Eunkwang hyung wants to grab coffee or have lunch. You can get his number from Skye.”
Hongjoong nodded enthusiastically. "It really is, Mings. I can take you to meet him in a couple of days."
Jongho smiled slowly, opening his mouth to speak only for a soft knock on the still open apartment door interrupting him. His gaze snapped over to look at it, seeing the two women from before standing there.
Yunho looked over his shoulder at the knock, trying not to show how he'd tensed up at the unexpected noise.
"Hello again," Lily greeted, bowing slightly. "May we come in?"
"Of course, Lily, Skye. Grab a chair." Hongjoong gestured at the two chairs sitting at the little table he and Seonghwa ate at.
Lily walked in, smiling gently at everyone as she picked a chair up and moved it so she could sit facing them all. Looking over them, she could see the familiar anxious and careful expressions she'd seen plenty of times before. She folded her hands in her lap, keeping her body language calm and her own expressions open and honest.
Skye followed after Lily. “So,” grabbing the second chair, she opted to spin it backwards and straddle it, folding her arms over the top of the backrest and setting her chin on her arms. “Who thinks their TV isn’t big enough?” She asked with a smirk.
There was a moment of silence before Wooyoung let out a little giggle followed by a bigger giggle and a bigger one. San and Mingi both started chuckling as well. Seonghwa just rolled his eyes at the satisfied look on Skye’s face.
Yunho snorted before he laughed, covering his mouth with his hand. "It's massive!"
Yeosang giggled, turning around to face the two women. "Are all the TV's that big?"
Jongho shifted, trying to relax with the sound of his members laughing. He eyed the two women, catching Skye's pleased look and the small sigh Lily let out.
"They are," Lily confirmed, directing her gentle smile at Yeosang. "All the furnishings are high quality but you can change absolutely anything if you have preferred styles or brands. Just let us know and we can arrange it with the company. Of course, you're welcome to do it yourself but delivery from outside will be a bit difficult to navigate."
"Because of the security? All of our mail and packages are sent to KQ anyway," Jongho pointed out quietly.
“That would probably be your best move for anything else you order.” Skye pointed out. “We have our own mailman here. He does bi-weekly pick-ups of all mail and delivers it. There’s a room we passed on the way to the elevator, that’s the mail room so you can check there every other Thursday. If you are impatient and know you have a package waiting at KQ, let us know and we can see about someone doing a special delivery.”
“That’s… convenient.” Mingi commented.
“It’s all about giving you as close to a normal life experience as we can.” Skye assured. “Everyone employed here from the Guides to the postman, the groundskeepers, and store staff, we’ve all signed contracts with strict regulations we need to follow and very serious NDA’s. Basically, we are obligated to act fuckin’ normal or face consequences.”
Yeosang stared at Skye. "That's a little more obvious now."
Lily laughed softly, shaking her head. "Really, we just want to help you feel more...normal, like a person who's allowed to act how they want. You can go out and be how you want to be, no chance of the media or fans reporting on it." She glanced at Hongjoong and Seonghwa. "Be who you want with who you want, whenever you want. Just don't do anything illegal, we won't condone that."
Jongho raised an eyebrow. "You want us to let go of media training holding us captive in public."
"Mm-hmm. If you use a personality normally, you don't need to here. I mean, it'll take a while but hopefully you'll see you're safe enough to relax. We're here to help with that."
"So, who is assigned to each of you?" Yunho asked, still grinning.
“Officially, we’re assigned to you as a group. Seonghwa-ya and Hongjoong-ah have told us which of you they think will bond better with each of us but they want you to decide on your own.” Skye shrugged. “But I know who I wouldn’t mind on my side of things.” She winked at Wooyoung causing him to blush and pull his hood over his face a little.
“Incorrigible.” Seonghwa chuckled.
Skye giggled. “Sue me.”
"If you end up preferring one of us, then that's perfectly fine. There's no rule that says you must only go to a single Guide, it's just preferred that you see your group assigned ones. Of course, if you don't like a Guide, you can request a new one. No hard feelings," Lily explained.
“Oh, Lily’s lying. There will absolutely be hard feelings.” Skye teased.
"Who did hyungs think worked with who?" Yunho asked, looking back at Hongjoong.
"I thought that Lily might be a good fit for you and Yeosang, she games a lot from what I've learned," Hongjoong explained.
"Guilty," Lily grinned.
"And Jongho," Hongjoong leaned forward to look at his youngest, giving him a warm smile when Jongho frowned. "Lily respects the days I can't stand being touched, so does Skye, but I've worked out that Lily just...knows. I thought that might help."
Jongho looked over at Lily, glancing once at Skye. He could see respect in their eyes, understanding and acceptance.
"I'm also a little obsessed with drama's," Lily added. "I've, ah, accidentally binge watched entire seasons before."
“San, Mingi, and Youngie, I think Skye will fit well with you.” Seonghwa said. “She can be a bit loud,” he grinned when the woman scowled, “but she can also help bring the noise down. She sort of matches energies. And she’s very tactile. Sannie and Wooyoung, you’re both probably the most tactile of all of us so I think that’ll work. She also games but she’s more into what I play, the cozy stuff.”
“Though I’ve also been known to whoop ass at Mario Kart and Party.” Skye pointed out.
Seonghwa shook his head. “She’s also sarcastic, foul mouthed, and has a habit of being more lax about formalities. But we don’t hold that against her. She’s American, after all.”
“That’s just rude.” Skye scoffed, feigning hurt. “I’m a fucking delight.”
Lily smirked, ducking her head for a moment before she looked back up. "If you want completely casual, Skye is the best for it."
"Unless you find Lily drinking. She's Australian and it shows with a bit of alcohol," Hongjoong added, grinning widely at the way Lily stared at him.
"Unfair," she muttered.
Yunho laughed, clapping his hands together once. "Casual is fine, you know. We spend enough time being all proper."
"Proper?" Yeosang blinked. He pointed at San and Wooyoung. "With them around? As if," he scoffed.
“If you ever catch Skye speaking in English, don’t feel bad if you can’t understand her. Most people can’t.” Seonghwa added.
“Hey!” Skye protested. “That was uncalled for. And Lily’s wicked worse anyway.”
"That's not my fault! It's completely natural to talk fast, and swear, and miss words," Lily complained, slapping Skye's arm.
Jongho stared at the pair, unsure why but feeling a little more relaxed by the sight. "They're interesting," he murmured quietly.
“You aren’t any better, Skye.” Seonghwa mused. “You get talking about Stardew Valley or odd nature facts and you’ve lost me after two minutes.”
“That’s not true.” Skye denied.
“Say ‘water’. Or better yet, ‘park your car’.” Seonghwa said in English with a smirk.
Skye scowled. “Ya know what, fuck you.”
Wooyoung burst into laughter. “Oh, I like her.”
"Water," Lily muttered, emphasising. "So weird."
Hongjoong settled back in his seat, smiling as he listened to Wooyoung's laughter and watched the way Yeosang leaned forward curiously. A glance at Jongho showed he'd relaxed a little, a small smile on his lips.
"What's weird about it?" Yunho asked curiously.
Lily blinked and waved a hand. "Oh. It's just I'm still getting used to hearing it pronounced like that. Back home we're kind of...lazy, in our words."
“What about you?” Mingi directed his question at Skye. “Where in America are you from? There’s different dialects, right?”
“Mm-hmm. I’m from Boston, Mass. So on the east coast, New England.” Skye answered with a polite smile.
“Say ‘water’ and ‘park your car’. Please?” Wooyoung was curious now. He made a sad puppy face.
“Oh, goddamnit.” Skye muttered. “Pahk yah cah by the watah.”
San stared at Skye. “Where’d your R’s go?” He just did some of his English studies yesterday. He was positive those words had R’s.
Mingi covered his mouth when he snorted laughter at the confused look on San’s face.
Skye blushed and shrugged.
“Okay. I think we’ve picked on the poor girl enough.” Seonghwa chuckled. “Does anyone have more questions about here or their roles?”
Lily grinned, nudging Skye before she looked curiously at the men in front of them. "There's no wrong questions and if you aren't comfortable asking you can always talk to us another time."
"How involved are you in what we do here?" Jongho asked slowly.
"Only as much as you want us to be. Technically the only thing we need to know is if you're happy and healthy," Lily explained. "You choose how much we get told."
Jongho nodded, smoothing a hand over the blanket on his legs.
"You don't control anything?" Yunho tilted his head. "You just oversee it?"
"Basically, yes." Lily sent Yunho a warm smile. "This place is your freedom. We'll protect that on your behalf."
“If you don’t want to have anything to do with us we’ll accept that aside from required monthly check-ins. If you want us to make appointments for you or drive you around the community like your own personal assistants, we will do our best to be available to do so within reason. You want to just hang out with someone, watch a movie, play games, have a meal, we can do that, too.” Skye added.
“What’s in it for you?” Mingi asked bluntly.
Skye smiled. “We get to help make our favorite artists happy while getting paid an honestly obscene amount of money.”
“Well, at least you’re honest about it.” San snickered.
“Why lie?” Skye shrugged. “There’s no point hiding the fact we enjoy k-pop and are fans. It’s part of how we got the gig. All the Guides are fans and we all know you are just humans who want to live normal lives at the end of the day. We’ve wanted that for you for a long time. This is a way for us to help facilitate that.”
"For us it means the world for you to be happy, however that is. To be a part of that is just a bonus," Lily added. "And it's not just you, it's all idols and actors. We want you to be healthy, mind, body and soul."
Jongho watched them both quietly, listening to what they were saying and paying attention to their tones and body language. He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "You're being honest."
"Of course. Like Skye said, why lie?" Lily shrugged. "The more honest we are, the more you'll hopefully feel at ease here."
“Besides, if you ever come to my apartment, I make no effort to hide my love of k-pop. I have a bookcase of albums on display in my living room as well as random merch bits and bobs, plushies, and binders of photocards, inclusions, and magazines. A lot of which I was able to acquire after I joined Sinbi. Which, for the record, fuck the k-pop industry and y’all’s sixty-two versions of the same album with only parts of photocard sets in them forcing you to buy the same album in the same version twenty times until you can complete the set.” Skye huffed, only half serious in her annoyance.
“Oh, don’t start again.” Seonghwa groaned.
“Okay, double fuck you, Hwa.” Skye pouted. “For that, I’m putting tomatoes in the fajitas next time I make them.”
Yeosang blinked, looking back and forth. "This is..."
"An ongoing complaint from them both," Hongjoong sighed.
"You released two versions of an album and then released another," Lily pointed out. "You all do it. It's annoying. Not the worst part of the industry, but annoying."
“Less annoying now that I can afford to feed the capitalist monster but still annoying.” Skye added. “And your plushies are no better half the time. Here’s a set of Aniteez in hockey shirts and here’s a set of them in pajamas. They’re the exact same plushie except we sewed the clothing on so you have to buy them both.”
Seonghwa rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to buy them all.”
“And you don’t have to buy every Animal Crossing lego set.” Skye countered.
“But I need to complete the whole village.” Seonghwa pouted.
“My point!” Skye flapped a hand at him, making Wooyoung fall into a fit of giggles again.
"Ah, completionism at its finest," Lily sighed.
Yunho leaned his arm on Mingi's shoulder as he looked at Hongjoong. "Okay. I can see why you said Seonghwa was on his way to making a friend."
Hongjoong grinned at Yunho. He very much enjoyed how much passion Skye provoked out of Seonghwa. There were times he saw them quiet, calm and peaceful. Skye matched whatever energy they needed and he had been so grateful to see his partner look less stressed over time.
“You could just ask us for the stuff, you know?” San chuckled.
“It’s not the same if it’s all just handed to me.” Skye shook her head. “Besides, obsessively buying albums is better than buying crack so.”
“Crack takes up less room though.” Wooyoung joked, causing Skye to stare at him for a long moment before she burst into laughter and almost toppled off her chair.
Mingi wrapped his arm around Yunho. “Oh, Youngie’s definitely gonna get along with her.” He told the older man quietly.
Seonghwa pinched Wooyoung’s side. “Neither of you need crack.”
“He's his own version of crack," Yeosang mumbled making Jongho, who barely heard him, cough.
Yunho hummed in agreement with Mingi, leaning into him as he watched the laughing Skye. Lily had an exasperated look on her face as she sighed and shook her head.
“So, does anybody have any more questions?” Skye said between giggles as she worked to calm down. “Anything at all. About us, the community, other idols, the best food, anything.”
“Anything? Like I could ask what’s in the sports complex?” Mingi asked randomly.
“It’s two floors. Go karts, obstacle course, laser tag, arcade, and concession stand on the main floor. Driving range, batting cages, and another concession upstairs. There’s also mini golf around the back of the building, bowling next door, and a new building is being built around the corner from there that will be for paintball and paint bomb.” Skye rattled off. “I’m partial to mini golf and the arcade.”
"The laser tag is really fun," Lily smiled brightly. "It's not just walls but odd shapes and little tunnels. Thinking outside the box is encouraged."
Yunho and Yeosang both perked up at the talk of the sports complex, looking at each other with matching grins.
Hongjoong groaned, thumping his head back. "I swear if you two spend days learning every little bit of that place I will slap you both."
“The obstacles in the obstacle course and laser tag and the track for go karts gets switched up every few weeks. So, hopefully that’ll keep you two on your toes. I heard Yunho’s the undisputed champion for laser tag, right?” Skye questioned, hoping she remembered correctly what Seonghwa and Hongjoong had drunkenly ranted about.
Jongho rolled his eyes when Yunho puffed up, preening.
"I am, yeah. No one has managed to find a way to beat me but Sangie gets the closest," Yunho said proudly, gesturing at a giggling Yeosang.
"Everytime we've played, those two take everyone out," Hongjoong sighed.
“You’ll have to play against Mark from Got7 then, he’s been on a winning streak. I have to listen to Jackson rant about it every time.” Skye rolled her eyes with a grin.
“Do you two play?” San asked.
“Me? Laser tag? No. I’m uncoordinated in the dark.” Skye shook her head. “My body is old and broken anyway.”
"Any challenge, I'll take it on." Yunho tried not to look too excited over the prospect of playing against someone he'd never faced before. It was fun to sneak around and scare his members but Yeosang really was the only real challenge for him. "What about you?"
Lily smiled when Yunho looked at her and shrugged. "I'm decent, but not great. Mostly because I can't crouch and creep around anymore."
"Why?" Jongho asked softly.
"Ah, an old knee and hip injury. Doesn't bother me much but crouching or kneeling definitely strains it." Lily shrugged, making sure she didn't look down at Jongho's blanket-covered knees.
Jongho blinked, nodding as he looked down in thought.
“Speaking of knee problems.” Skye looked at Lily. “Jungkook tried to convince me to go for a run today. Me! Run! I think the fuck not. I won’t even dare to jog. I told him he has Bam. ‘But he can’t talk’, he says. Well, yeah. But you think I can hold a conversation moving faster than a brisk walk?”
Wooyoung giggled. “You’re injured, too?”
“I dislocated my knee once, it didn’t heal properly, but I was born with a knee problem to begin with, so.” Skye shrugged. “Anyway, let’s not dwell on your Guides’ broken bodies and focus on positive things. Lily, say something positive.”
"The weather is nice and I had the best banana smoothie ever," Lily deadpanned.
Jongho blinked before he snorted and laughed quietly.
Lily beamed happily over making the tense looking man laugh.
Hongjoong shook his head and sat up. "Thank you, ladies, for making this much less stressful. The last time we moved was such a mess."
"That's because we had a saesang following us," Yunho pointed out. "I don't think they can find us here."
"They won't," Lily said firmly. "And if you ever suspect anyone please let us know immediately. Sinbi takes your safety very seriously."
“Absolutely. Unfortunately, with this being a one-of-a-kind place, there was no blueprint to work off of. We are the blueprint and the corporate stooges are still working out the kinks. While we are far enough off the beaten path we haven’t had an intruder problem, we’ve had some staffing issues. But, a lot of the flaws in the system have been fixed.” Skye added.
“So, when are they getting rid of you?” Seonghwa asked. “How many write ups did you say you have?”
Skye squinted her eyes at Seonghwa. “My write ups are corporate related, not idol related. And you are no longer my favorite.”
“I’m crushed.” Seonghwa sassed, covering his giggle with a cough when Skye itched her nose with a blatant middle finger.
"Write ups?" Yeosang asked, frowning slightly.
"Skye doesn't curb her speech and doesn't have the patience to go through all the proper channels," Lily explained. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "The company doesn't always take well to the western Guides being a bit more...lax. But most of them are related to, like she said, bureaucratic nonsense."
"You had one not long before Hwa and I came here," Hongjoong pointed out.
Lily blushed and looked away. "I shouldn't have called the woman what I did, but she deserved it."
“Oh, you absolutely should’ve called her what you did and I’ve never been more proud.” Skye insisted.
“You bought her balloons, didn’t you?” Seonghwa queried.
“And a cake.” Skye reminded.
"She made a big deal out of it," Lily whined, pouting. "There I am stressing out and she walks in with a damn cake and balloons and the biggest fucking smile, all proud and laughing at me."
Yunho's eyebrows shot up. "You cursed."
Lily froze, glancing at Skye and then Hongjoong before finally looking down at Yunho. "I...do that. More so when I speak English, but that's because swearing, or cursing, is natural for Australians where I'm from."
“Curse words are just sentence enhancers.” Skye shrugged. “Honestly, half my write ups are probably because I ‘sWeAr Too MuCh’ in the monthly meetings at the office we have to go to.”
“And the other half?” Mingi asked, very amused by both women.
“Like Lily said, I don’t like going through the proper channels when I have ways to get things done more efficiently.” Skye answered a little cryptically before she giggled and nudged Lily. “Declan framed a copy of that one write up I have about me calling Alisha a bitch in four languages.”
Lily giggled, covering her mouth with a hand. "Oh, he didn't! Oh my god."
Hongjoong smiled fondly at the two women before he looked over his members. "If no one else has any questions we should let you all finish unpacking."
Jongho shook his head, watching Yeosang who wasn't paying any attention anymore. Yunho shrugged and leaned his weight more against Mingi.
“I’m good.” San shrugged.
“I just wanna know what’s with the chicken place?” Mingi inquired, more curious than he probably needed to be.
Skye laughed softly. “Ah, the two versions of fried chicken on the menu? Corporate couldn’t decide what to do so they put it to a vote among all staff. It was a tie so Sajangnim basically said ‘fuck it, do both’.”
“Huh. I guess that should’ve been obvious.” Mingi remarked.
“Eh, I think it helps that we have a lot of Westerners on staff. They get home sick I think.” Skye reasoned.
"That's why there's a restaurant that serves a lot of things found in Australia, like chicken parmigiana and hot chips, or fries, with gravy. Actual gravy. Not the weird American white lumpy stuff." Lily smiled around at them all. "I hope you all settle in okay today. The binders in each apartment have a map if you want to go exploring and feel free to call or message either of us."
“We have brown gravy. Sawmill gravy is just superior.” Skye grumbled.
“Thank you, noonas. It’s been a pleasure as always.” Seonghwa smiled brightly.
Lily stood up and bowed. "Enjoy your night and Hongjoong? The equipment you asked for should arrive tomorrow morning at the studio." She wiggled her fingers in a wave and headed towards the door.
"Equipment? Studio?" Jongho leaned forward, peering at Hongjoong.
"Ah, well once I knew you all agreed to come here, I organised for the studio next to mine in town to be assigned to Mingi. It needed a few things so I ordered them," Hongjoong shrugged.
Skye got up with a groan. “Oh gods, I sat like that for too long.” She complained quietly to herself as she put the chairs back. “Oh! I don’t know if any of you saw in your binders. Joong, Hwa, one of us will bring you the new sheet. There’s a QR code for an app. Totally secure. You can download it if you want, but it’s not mandatory. It’ll let you order takeaway, shop some of the stores in town, book appointments, check the weather, lodge complaints, and other features. It’s like an all-in-one app for the community. And if you do download it, you have the option to link Lily and I to the medical section. We’ll be able to see when your appointments are for therapy and check-ups as well as when prescriptions need refilled or picked up.”
"Kinda like how our managers were organising it all," Hongjoong said quickly when he saw Jongho frown. "Nobody gets involved unless you want."
Jongho relaxed, sitting back with a nod. "Alright. The rest sounds handy."
“Yeah. Don’t add us, add one of us, add both. It’s your choice. It’s really just so we can help you get to and from appointments or pick up meds for you. We can’t see any other medical information beyond that. And you don’t have to use all the features in there or the app at all if you don’t want to. Just wanted to make sure you guys were aware it’s an option now.” Skye explained. “The head of I.T., Declan, he’s a wizard with all things tech. He may or may not have been on a government watch list of elite hackers back in the states.” She furrowed her eyebrows in thought for a moment before wiping away the look. “My point is, if he says the app is safe and secure, I believe him.”
“Joong or I can download it first, check it out.” Seonghwa offered his youngers.
“Okay, now I will leave you be. I can feel Lily staring impatiently at me from the doorway.” Skye grinned.
"I was wondering if you could sense that," Lily called out.
"Have a good rest of your day and night." Hongjoong gave a little wave, turning his attention to his members. He waited until Skye was up and moving to the door before he asked quietly, "how do you all feel about them?"
Jongho shrugged. "I've got no opinion at the moment. They seem nice, that's all."
"You both sound like you trust them so I'll follow your lead," Yunho added. He nudged Yeosang with a finger, grinning when the other man jerked out of whatever had caught his attention. "Sangie. What do you think of the Guides?"
"Oh. Um, they're friendly?" Yeosang looked around at the others. "That's good, right?"
San shrugged. “They’re certainly entertaining. And they speak Korean really well which is helpful.”
“Like Yunho said, I’ll follow your lead.” Mingi put in.
After a few beats of silence, Seonghwa nudged Wooyoung who looked deep in thought. “What do you think, angel?”
Wooyoung looked at both his hyungs. “I like them. They were friendly but more than that, they seemed genuine and honest. They didn’t sugarcoat or try to hide anything. We asked, they answered. And you both trust them. That’s all I need right now.”
Hongjoong reached out, lightly running his hand over Wooyoung's back. "Good. I'm glad they didn't raise any flags. Now, do you all want to go unpack, settle in a bit more? You're free to do whatever you would like."
Yunho looked at Mingi. "Unpack everything or go explore?"
Jongho sighed and took the blanket off his legs, sliding to the edge of the couch. "Unpacking would help it feel more like...home."
“Maybe unpack and then see about food. The six of us probably need to check out the grocery store.” Mingi suggested.
“Youngie?” San sat up, looking over his shoulder at him.
Wooyoung stretched with a groan and flopped back, lying across Hongjoong’s lap. “What if I just want to lay right here and do nothing?”
Seonghwa patted Wooyoung’s belly. “As much as I love a good cuddle, you need to settle in some other way. Unpacking or exploring does that, not hiding in mine and Joong’s apartment.”
"I unpacked some of my stuff for my room already but I can do the kitchen stuff while you do your room," Yunho offered Mingi as he stood up. He held his hand out to help him up.
Hongjoong ran his fingers through Wooyoung's hair as he looked down at him. "If you don't want to go out, just unpack, maybe sit on the balcony."
Yeosang got up, stretching his arms over his head. "I want to explore, even just a grocery store. We've been cooped up for days."
Jongho tucked his hands into his jeans pockets. "I don't think I want to go out yet," he said quietly.
Mingi took Yunho’s hand and let him pull him up. “Sounds like a plan.”
Wooyoung perked up at what Yeosang wanted. “I wanna go with Sangie, I think. Maybe we can get a list and take care of the groceries.”
"That's a bad recipe," Yunho muttered to Mingi, smirking. Wooyoung and Yeosang in a new place was either a recipe for chaos or for Yeosang to manage to get lost while Wooyoung was looking at something a moment too long.
Yeosang tilted his head at Wooyoung. "We can do that if you're up for it."
"Find me some beer?" Jongho asked. He looked back at Seonghwa and Hongjoong. "I'll talk to you later, hyungs."
Hongjoong glanced up at Jongho, worried about how quiet he sounded. "Take your time, Jongho. Come to us if you need something, no matter what time."
Mingi shrugged. "At least he’ll get lost surrounded by idols and staff that know not to do shit.” He muttered before speaking up. “Give us a few minutes to write a list. Hyung, do you have-“
“There’s a notepad and pen on the side of the fridge.” Seonghwa answered before Mingi could even finish asking his question.
Mingi smiled brightly as he headed for the kitchen, tugging Yunho along. “Thanks.”
San glanced at Jongho before getting Yeosang’s attention. “Want me to get some of your stuff unpacked for you? I’ve already gotten most of mine done.” He gave the older man a pointed look, eyes ticking back and forth between him and Jongho hoping he understood what San was hinting at.
“Do you have an-“ Wooyoung started to say as he sat up.
“Coat closet.” Seonghwa smirked, once again knowing what one of his members was asking him. “You can even color code the shopping.”
“Of course we can.” Wooyoung giggled as he kissed Seonghwa’s cheek before he got up to go get the reusable grocery bags he knew his hyung had a variety of.
Yunho laughed brightly, bumping into Mingi's back when he stopped. He wrapped his arms around him, peering around his waist at the notepad. "We should get all their favourite snacks if we can find them, even if they don't ask."
Yeosang blinked at San a few times, glancing once at Jongho, confused by the looks. He shrugged and nodded. "Thanks, Sannie. Just make sure to leave the drone case under the bed. I'm not sure where to put it yet."
San chuckled, nodding as he stood up, patting Yeosang on the backside as he headed for the door. He gave Wooyoung a kiss and whispered something to him before heading towards Yeosang and Jongho’s door to wait.
Mingi hummed in agreement, scribbling it all down. “Anything in particular you want to make sure we have?”
Seonghwa tucked his feet under himself after shuffling closer to Hongjoong, watching everyone move about and decide what they’re doing.
Jongho lifted a hand in farewell as he walked out after looking between Wooyoung and Yeosang for a minute. He sighed when he realised Yeosang had left their door slightly cracked open, not enough to be too easily noticed but he was going to need to remind him a few times before it became a habit to check when he left. "Come on in, San," he said softly as he stepped inside, holding the door open. "Sangie's room is the one near the balcony doors. All the boxes should be in the living room."
Yeosang watched San and Jongho leave, feeling like he'd missed something and mumbling under his breath about people touching his arse again as he moved over to Wooyoung.
"Hmm. Thin egg noodles? And meat, maybe beef. I can make that noodle breakfast my mum made us last time we visited," Yunho decided.
Hongjoong wrapped an arm around Seonghwa, leaning their heads together. He was watching their open door, feeling a little like he hadn't quite prepared them all for this. Mostly Jongho, his quietness and the way he came to them for comfort so quickly weighing on his thoughts.
“Oh, god, that shit was delicious.” Mingi sighed blissfully and wrote everything down.
“Alrighty.” San nodded, picking up a box labeled ‘drone supplies’. “What do you think of the bedrooms? Youngie’s not a fan of the hardwood floors.”
Wooyoung held up the stack of reusable bags he found. “The fact this man has bags in more than a rainbow of colors. He has grey ones! Look! Tell me that doesn’t look like that damn cement color Mingi loves.”
“They’ll be okay, love. They’re stronger than they think they are.” Seonghwa said softly, laying an arm over his lover’s leg, rubbing his knee. “We’ll give them a few days to settle and explore and then talk about therapy. I think we should have one or two group sessions first.”
Yunho hummed, pressing his nose to the back of Mingi's neck before he let go of him. "Pretty sure I have the seasoning mix for it in my box of cups. Otherwise I'll have to wing it and just use whatever is available."
Yeosang raised an eyebrow at the bags. "That...isn't that an odd choice for a bag colour? I always thought he colour coded based on the products but what is grey for?"
"I know," Hongjoong whispered. "It's a big change but they'll handle it. With a couple of hiccups I'm guessing." He relaxed, leaning more into Seonghwa. "I didn't even think about doing group sessions."
Jongho picked up a box with his own name on it and shrugged at San's question. "I haven't paid enough attention to really think about the flooring." He looked down and then towards the bedrooms. "Hardwood isn't my first choice, that's for sure. I might need to look into a rug for my room."
“Non-food items maybe? Chemicals? Miscellaneous?” Woo shrugged. “Today it’s Mingi coded. I think the dark blue and grey bags can be for Yunho and Mingi’s stuff. What colors do you wanna use for yours and Jjong’s?”
“I didn’t either until I was discussing things with Youngie and Jjong-ah earlier.” Seonghwa admitted. “But, I think it’ll be a good place to start.”
“Youngie and I were thinking the same thing.” San smiled softly. “Although, after talking to the guides, I wonder if we could request carpeting. I’d be fine with like this carpet just extended into the room.” He rubbed a socked foot on the living room’s carpet.
"Why don't we just use our mic colours?" Yeosang suggested, reaching out to tap the red and purple bags. "It's easy and simple."
"It might make it easier on them to accept the therapy sessions if we start that way. You know Jongho's always disliked them but I think maybe the one we met the other day?" Hongjoong suggested. "The dynamics one. Maybe someone like that would make it easier for him to be honest."
Jongho paused at his door, one foot still on the carpet and one on the hardwood floor. He scrunched his nose up and looked at San. "I think you might have a good idea. Nevermind the echoing sound, I don't like the feeling."
“That means black and white for San and I because there’s no gold. Perfect. And we’ll bring some yellow ones, too. I don’t think hyungs need anything but if we see something they like we can get it.” Wooyoung determined. “Got your list yet, Mangi?” He called out.
“The dynamics one is a great idea.” Seonghwa complimented. “Good thinking. Not just a handsome face.”
“I’ll get Skye’s number from hyung later then.” San started towards Yeosang’s room. “Or maybe I could just go down to her apartment and ask face to face. Hmm.”
Hongjoong smiled, slouching down so he could rest his head on Seonghwa's shoulder instead. "I was thinking lately about how he's always held himself back because of how much of our lives are in front of cameras. This could end up being the best place for him."
Yunho took the notepad from Mingi once he was done, holding it out to Wooyoung. "We're done. We tried to think of anything you and Jjong might want, Sangie."
Yeosang glanced at the list and shrugged. "I'm happy with whatever is on there."
Jongho set his box down in his room, looking around the space and trying to pay attention to more than the bed and other furniture this time. He tried to imagine it filled with his own things and blinked when he felt himself relax slightly. Walking back out to grab another box, he called out to San, "so you're comfortable with the idea of these Guides?"
“I hope so.” Seonghwa sighed, kissing Hongjoong’s head. “I’d love to see our maknae finally be one hundred percent himself.”
“Sweet. Now,” Wooyoung called over to his hyungs, “where the fuck is the grocery store and do we have a car?”
Seonghwa chuckled softly. “Take Main Street, it’s this street right out front. Head straight into town and turn left on Third Street. It’s on the right side, you can’t miss it. Sinbi International Market. There’s parking on the street.” He smiled at the pair waiting to leave. “When you go, there’s a door in the lobby straight across from the elevators. That leads to a parking garage. You’ll see a row of black cars, vans, SUVS, and trucks when you walk in. Every one of them has a license plate with Sinbi on it. Sinbi01, Sinbi02, so on and so forth. There’s a cabinet on the wall with keys inside. Any of those are available for us. We can have our personal cars brought in but it’s just been more convenient to use the provided ones.”
“Nice!” Wooyoung exclaimed. “Well, let’s get going, then, Sangie.”
San walked back into the living room. He pushed a stack of boxes closer to the bedroom door to make it easier. “I think, yeah. The way Lily and Skye described their roles, I think it’ll be nice to have someone outside the members and our families caring about us without an ulterior motive. Abeoji cares about us but at the end of the day, our happiness makes him money and he’s running a business. Our managers, particularly our personal ones, care about us but that also hinges on their employment. I get the feeling, at least for our two Guides, that even if they weren’t being paid they want to help us.” He picked up another box. “If anything, they are entertaining as fuck and apparently both like to cook for hyungs which means they’ll cook for us and I’m all about free food.” He gave Jongho a dimpled smile.
Yeosang waved at the others, moving to the door with a little hop in his steps. "A whole fleet of private cars? Just how much money does this Sinbi company even have? Oh! Maybe their leader is some rich royal person from another country?"
Yunho stared after Yeosang and shook his head slowly. "Sometimes I wonder. Come on, princess." He bowed and held his hand out to Mingi in a flourish. "Let's go get unpacked."
"It would be nice," Jongho said slowly. "To have someone not concerned with money. We have it a lot better than some of our friends but it doesn't change the fact that we aren't seen as people. We're property in the eyes of the country." He grabbed one of the larger boxes, hoisting it up. "I'm not going to judge them on one day, especially when I know I'm on edge from the move and the unknown." He gave San a look, smirking. "You'll be won over easily. The key to your heart is food apparently."
Wooyoung grabbed Yeosang’s hand as they left, pulling him close. “Definitely a rich guy of some kind. Maybe he’s a mobster who just really likes k-pop.”
Mingi curtsied with a bright laugh and took Yunho’s hand. He waved to his hyungs as he let Yunho pull him.
“How do you think Youngie got me?” San joked.
"Maybe he's from Dubai?" Yeosang wondered, leaning his head close to Wooyoung. "Some obscenely wealthy man with too much gold. Or he is a mobster, like you said, and he enjoys watching us all...actually, scratch that one idea off."
"Bye Joong, bye Hwa!" Yunho nudged the Yoda doorstopper out of the way and pulled the door shut behind him and Mingi. He squeezed his hand and led the way back to their door, pausing and staring at the keypad. "I forgot our code. Um. Hmm." He tried one and winced at the loud sound it let out.
Jongho snorted. "You're easily caught then. I'm going to miss waking up to breakfast like before. Sangie can not be trusted to cook and I have no idea how he never got Yunho sick."
Wooyoung giggled as they stepped into the elevator. “Maybe it’s the mobster’s daughter that loves k-pop and he just wants to make his daughter happy. That’s a little less creepy sounding.”
Mingi rolled his eyes and punched the code in, turning the knob and pushing the door open. “We should read the instructions on how to reset the door if you can’t remember nine zero two four. I think they set all our doors the same if that was the code.”
“You’re always welcome to drag Sangie to ours for breakfast. Most mornings by the time I’m back from the gym, Youngie’s made omelettes or fried rice or a stew.” San offered.
Seonghwa let out a long sigh now that their apartment was empty again.
"I like that one better," Yeosang grinned, pressing the button for the bottom floor. "It kinda sounds sweet instead of creepy."
"Okay, I should have remembered that but I still have everyone's doorcodes from the old dorms in my head," Yunho muttered as he walked in. "I see a keypad and I have to cycle through them all."
Jongho hummed as he set the box down just inside his door. "That might be nice. I'm mostly limited to grilling still, even if I learned a bit from Mingi and Young-ah."
Hongjoong rubbed a hand along Seonghwa's arm. "All together in one place once more, my star."
“Mm-hmm. Well, whoever it is, if this works out, we should send them a thank you card.” Wooyoung quipped.
“I get it.” Mingi chuckled. “I can’t count the number of times I had to text Hwa or San to let me in or tell me the code because I forgot.”
“Well, don’t knock your skill. You’re the grill-master of Ateez.” San declared as he took another box into Yeosang’s room.
“And no one has to sneak in and out of someone else’s dorm or be forced to listen to fucking through paper thin walls.” Seonghwa mused.
Yeosang glanced at Wooyoung and smiled. "You'll end up enjoying this, I think. Being with San in one apartment rather than you sneaking into one he's sharing with Yunho or you and Hongjoong hyung tormenting poor Mingi when he doesn't escape to Yunho," he giggled.
"Sangie forgot more than he remembered. I'd come back and he'd just be standing there all sad looking." Yunho headed over to the boxes labelled kitchen and opened the top one. "My souvenir chopsticks!"
Jongho smiled softly and grabbed the heavily taped up box made of much sturdier cardboard. "After the amount of times you all stuck me with it, I'd want to be."
"Thank the gods for sound proofing and insulation. The last thing I want to re-experience is the look Jongho would give us." Hongjoong blushed, laughing quietly.
“Jjong won’t have to hear hyungs.” Wooyoung pointed out. “But, yeah, it’ll be nice to be with Sannie. And more easily kick him out of my bed to go to his own when he overheats me.”
Mingi laughed at Yunho’s excitement. “I’ll get started in my room then. Enjoy your excitement over utensils.”
“Maybe you can fit a grill on the balcony.” San suggested.
“Ah, the maknae look of disgust and disapproval.” Seonghwa mused.
Yeosang let out a loud laugh. "Oh, Jongho will appreciate that. Does San still sleep all cuddled up? Yunho mentioned a few times in the beginning of us living together that he missed it."
Yunho picked up a single chopstick and pointed it at Mingi. "These are amazing utensils. Look. Capybara chopsticks, from that cafe in Japan. But, shoo. Go fix your room up."
Jongho looked over at the balcony doors and tried to imagine grilling out there.
"It actually makes me feel bad, like I'm tormenting him," Hongjoong grumbled.
“He does. I love it most of the time. But every once in a while, it’s just suffocating.” Wooyoung admitted. Once the elevator dinged and the doors opened, he spotted the door Seonghwa told them about. “I didn’t notice that earlier. Or that one.” He pointed to the mail room as they walked past.
“They are cute.” Mingi chuckled as he grabbed a box and moved into what was now his room.
“But think of all the guilt-free sex we’ve had the last month. That’s been very fun, right, precious?” Seonghwa smirked, using the endearment he knew affected Hongjoong the most and nuzzled his head, kissing his temple.
"Cute? They are amazing!" Yunho called after Mingi. He grinned and started emptying the box.
Yeosang glanced into the mail room, blinking when he saw someone inside. "That's going to take some time to get used to. I swear that was Yoongi-ssi." He shook himself and looked at Wooyoung. "You know what I just realised? We can properly talk to and be friends with other people from rival companies here."
Hongjoong shivered, the sound of the endearment sending tingles running down his spine. "It has. No being interrupted or having to hold back, no one else listening. I've loved it, haven't you?"
Wooyoung tilted his head as he opened the door to take them to the parking garage. “Yeah, that’s gonna be so weird. I mean, Abeoji has always been more lax about it than other companies but it’s still been hard to grab a meal with someone and not have to meet in secret.”
“Oh, I’ve quite enjoyed it.” Seonghwa assured. The hand on Hongjoong’s knee gave it a squeeze.
"All those friends you've made, now you can talk without it being only over the phone." Yeosang nudged Wooyoung, grinning as they walked closer to the parked vehicles. "Can you imagine just spending a day with Jimin-ah? You're going to freak out."
Hongjoong let out a soft laugh, tightening the arm he had around Seonghwa. "So have I, my star. It's going to be strange when we have to leave for work. I've been spoiled here."
“Oh, please, I want that.” Wooyoung begged the sky. “Go shopping with Jiminie, have dinner. Just walk down the street with him without worrying about someone taking photos and starting a scandal. ‘Wooyoung of Ateez seen walking with Jimin of BTS, are they fucking?’ Ugh.” He gestured the headline through the sky. “I mean, not that I wouldn’t mind fucking.” He flipped open the cabinet Seonghwa had described. “Will you look at the plates? Which numbers are an SUV or van? We’ll probably need the space.”
“Who says the spoiling has to stop now?” Seonghwa purred as he got to his feet and held his hands out. “Let me spoil you one more night.”
"I get the feeling he's with one of the others," Yeosang muttered as he walked a little away. "Um. Sinbi09. It's the first SUV in this row. That should be enough room. I think."
Hongjoong took Seonghwa's hands as he stood up, letting the other man tug him along into their bedroom.
Wooyoung grabbed the corresponding keys and scurried over, unlocking the doors. “What’s your point?” He smirked as he walked around to the driver’s side.
"What?" Yeosang stared after Wooyoung before he quickly opened the passenger door and got in. "Why do I feel like there's something you haven't told me?"
Wooyoung hopped in the driver’s seat. “Ooh, comfy.” He buckled in and started the vehicle. “I’m just saying, if he was down, I’m down.” He pulled out and followed the arrows to the exit, looking around carefully at the signage to direct him where he needed.
"No, I understand that, but...you're with San," Yeosang pointed out. He looked out the window, distracted for a moment by how normal everything looked. "So either it's just a thing you two are okay with or you're poly. And if you are poly, why don't I know?"
“I don’t know why you didn’t know. I don’t shout it from the rooftops but I’ve never kept it a secret either.” Wooyoung shrugged as he looked around at everything while trying to keep track of where they were. “But then again I’ve only assumed you’re mono. Cuz you ended us fucking once Sannie and I started getting serious.”
"I thought you were mono," Yeosang muttered, frowning in thought. "Whatever, anyway. So you're poly. Okay. Jimin-ah? You know, I can see him being poly. At least maybe a thruple because I swear there's something between Taehyung hyung and Jungkook hyung and him." He flapped his hands before putting his fingers together in a triangle. "Even back when we were trainees at Big Hit, I swear there was tension."
“For how observant you can be of other people, you can sometimes miss the obvious.” Wooyoung teased lightly as he turned onto Third Street. “Oh, that was definitely easy to find. It didn't even take ten minutes. Damn, the apartments really are close to town.” He pulled into one of the slightly diagonal parking spaces facing the curb. “Good, no parallel parking.” He muttered.
Yeosang pouted, half heartedly slapping Wooyoung's arm. "I pay attention to the unseen, that's what Jongho said." He hopped out, looking around. It wasn't busy but there were people walking around. A couple he vaguely recognised, tilting his head as he watched them.
“Well, I can’t officially confirm it but Jimin-ah has definitely made innuendos and hinted that he, Taehyung, and Jungkookie do fuck.” Wooyoung said as he grabbed their bags.
"You are closer to Jimin-ah than I am to Taehyung hyung so if something is there I'm not surprised he's hinted." Yeosang rocked on his feet before moving closer to Wooyoung when an older woman walked past. She smiled when he hesitantly bowed his head, continuing on her way. "It's not like that would be something he can really talk about openly. Even if it's just a mono relationship, they'd have to hide it more than the rest of you have to hide yours."
“True enough. For now.” Wooyoung gave Yeosang’s shirt a tug before he headed for the automatic doors. “Come on. Let’s go see how well stocked the grocery store is. It says ‘international’ so I’m guessing we can find stuff from all over. Maybe we’ll find some of the snacks we always get when we’re in America or Europe.”
Yeosang perked up at the idea of the Western snacks. "Oooh, I hope so." He walked in with Wooyoung, looking around curiously before his eyes went wide at the amount of aisles stretching to either side. "Fucking hell, it's massive."
Wooyoung just nodded in awe as he grabbed a shopping cart and dropped their bags inside. “I guess we just start straight ahead? This looks safe. I see all Asian food.”
"The cold stuff looks like it's mostly along the back," Yeosang pointed out, looking up at the hanging signs. "Did Mingi organise the list at all?" He spotted large bags of rice at the beginning of the aisle. "How many bags of rice do you think?"
Wooyoung pulled out the list and scanned over it. “Eh, semi-organized. And just get at least 3 of all the pantry staples. We’ll just go ahead and make sure all our apartments are stocked with the basics. I’m gonna grab a second cart. We’re definitely going to need it.” He pushed the cart towards Yeosang and turned around to grab a second.
Yeosang pushed the trolley closer and loaded it up with three of the large rice bags. He started wandering down the aisle, plucking things off the shelves he knew from Wooyoung and Mingi were used in pretty much any meal they cooked.
Wooyoung scurried up beside Yeosang with his cart and peered into Yeosang's. “Good job. But grab some of that soy sauce, too.” He pointed at a different bottle. “It’s good to have light and dark soy sauce available.”
Yeosang grabbed some of the bottles Wooyoung pointed out. "For colour, right? I got the sweet ones as well. I remember Mingi cooks something with it. What's next? Oh!" He looked down the aisle and pushed his trolley forward, stopping by the shelves near the end to grab some bottles of sauces and ready made marinades.
Wooyoung chuckled, grinning as he watched Yeosang get distracted. He turned to the other side of the aisle and started grabbing all the seasonings. Once he was satisfied with what he acquired, he followed after Yeosang.
Yeosang wandered around into the next aisle, eyes darting about at everything. He was used to small convenience stores, ordering anything else through delivery apps or asking staff and managers to pick things up on his behalf. And he didn't cook. He looked for Wooyoung and gave him a sad look. "I...don't know what to get. What do we need on the list?"
“Hmm. Tuna and Spam would be good to grab from this aisle. And other questionable meat in cans and pouches honestly. They work well in a pinch and are pretty shelf stable.” Wooyoung suggested as he looked at all the canned and bagged meat and imitation meat. “And ignore the million and a half flavors of Spam. Just get classic and bacon. Those are the best. You can get low sodium if you want but I don’t think it makes that much of a difference.”
Yeosang nodded, following Wooyoung's instructions. He stacked a dozen cans of Spam in his trolley, knowing that Yunho liked to use it a fair amount in his own limited cooking. He tilted his head as he looked over the tuna, picking a few up and humming at the flavours.
“Basic and the spicy one in the red can are the best. I personally prefer the one that says ‘in water’. The ‘in oil’ one makes it hard to judge things and it gets greasy.” Wooyoung pointed out, trying to let Yeosang decide what to grab. He was probably gonna wind up going overboard by the end of the trip but he’d rather have bought too much to get them all started than not enough or forget a key item.
Yeosang blinked down at the cans he was holding before putting the one with oil back and collecting more of the others. He stacked them in the trolley and looked back up. "What else can I grab?"
Wooyoung smiled, endeared by Yeosang’s eagerness. “Just wander down the aisle and see if anything catches your fancy. We aren’t in a rush. Unless you are eager to get back in the hopes Jongho will fuck you in your new room.”
Yeosang stared at Wooyoung, cheeks flushing bright red. "You, uh, I-what? N-no, what?" He coughed and cleared his throat, looking away. "Oh look, canned chicken!" He moved away, paying far too much attention to the little cans. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, not really, but they were in public and he'd never really talked to Wooyoung about what he did with Jongho.
It wasn't anything like the others and their not entirely hidden relationships. This was just experimentation, discovery and learning, letting steam off. Having someone to fill in the lonely parts of themselves. That was all. Just two friends who had nonconventional sex.
Wooyoung laughed, trying to keep his volume down. “The two of you tried to be quiet but the dorms had thin walls, love. Sounded like he was fucking you good though.” He lowered his voice as he walked past Yeosang, getting right to his ear before sneaking a kiss on his cheek and walking further along.
Yeosang froze for a moment before he looked around on instinct. No one was around and Wooyoung had been pretty quiet but he'd heard? He hurried over to walk beside Wooyoung, glancing at him. "You...heard? What exactly did you hear? When? How much?"
Wooyoung shrugged with a smirk. “A lot of you moaning, whining, and begging. A lot of him praising and sometimes taunting you. It was really fucking hot.”
Yeosang groaned and slumped down over the handle of his trolley. "No one ever said anything so I kind of thought none of you heard. Wait." He turned his head to look at Wooyoung. "Hot? Really? Huh."
“I know how you sound, Sangie. So, yeah, hot. And I gotta say Jongho sounded pretty damn hot, too.” Wooyoung smirked, pushing his cart around to another aisle. “I know you’re a bottom so he must be a top. How is he?”
"He's a dom," Yeosang muttered as he followed automatically, distracted by analysing how he felt about the idea of being heard. Part of him was mortified but most of him didn't care the more the shock wore off. He blinked, shaking his head as he started paying attention again. "You liked how he sounded, huh?"
Wooyoung perked up. “Oh, he is, is he? Huh.” He grabbed some coffee peanuts off the shelf, realizing they were in a snack aisle. “That makes sense. And yes, I liked how he sounded. I enjoy playing from time to time.”
Yeosang tilted his head, watching Wooyoung. He hummed and moved past him further down the aisle, picking up a couple of bags of a chip flavour Jongho liked before grabbing a bigger bag of Yunho's favourite. So Wooyoung liked to play and if he liked how Jongho sounded...
Yeosang looked out the corner of his eye at Wooyoung, thinking. He waited until Wooyoung got closer before he asked, "you and Sannie play?"
“Sometimes. And before you have to ask, we’re both switches.” Wooyoung picked up a bunch of San’s favorite snacks. He tossed Seonghwa’s favorite jalapeño chips in his cart as well. He maneuvered around Yeosang. “Both meanings.”
"I knew you were, I just didn't know you dabbled in that kind of thing." Yeosang reached forward, grabbing the list from Wooyoung and scanning it quickly for any other snacks. He handed it back and looked around to see if he could find them.
“Mm-hmm. Sannie’s more dom-leaning and I’m more sub but whatever we do, it’s fuckin’ fun.” Wooyoung tilted his head, furrowing his brow for a moment before he let out a huff. “That’s all that really is, fun.”
"That...sounded less than enthused there at the end," Yeosang pointed out as he dropped packs of gummies into his trolley.
Wooyoung sighed looking at Yeosang. “Truthfully? It feels like there’s something missing. Sannie’s great, I love him to death, the sex is fantastic. There’s nothing wrong, just… missing. Not even Hwa fills the void.” He reached for a bag of Mingi’s favorite shrimp chips, pausing, eyes going wide when he realized what he’d said out loud.
"Hwa?" Yeosang blinked a few times at Wooyoung. "You and Seonghwa hyung? He does that with you as well?"
Wooyoung tossed the chips in his cart and pushed it along, waiting until Yeosang caught up with him in the next aisle to speak. “Sannie’s great, but he doesn’t make my mind go blank when he doms. He’s not always as… something, I don’t know. I just can’t quite give in completely.” He sighed as he tossed another few items in his cart. “Going to Hwa just sort of happened. He’s my comfort person already. So, maybe it was a natural progression for him to comfort me in other ways. I can give in more with him. But, there’s still this little niggling voice in the back of my head that tells me it’s not enough still.”
"You need more dominance, more control taken," Yeosang stated simply, looking down as he thought.
“Maybe.” Wooyoung scoffed. “It’s not like neither of them aren’t assertive and dominant. They fuckin’ are in their own ways but… ugh, I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Sorry. I’m dropping all this new shit on you our first day here. We’ve got enough to deal with settling in.”
"We can just get really drunk one day and talk about it then," Yeosang grinned and nudged Wooyoung with his elbow. "I know a fair amount, and I've never minded talking things out with you. But let's just get this shop over with, hmm? Do we want to grab the meats? I noticed there were some listed."
“Yeah, let’s get the meats and Jjong’s beer.” Wooyoung grinned. “Maybe we can pick up something from one of the food joints on the way back. I’m not in the mood to cook and I’m sure Mingi isn’t either.”
"Fried chicken?" Yeosang asked hopefully as they walked down to the end of the aisle.
Wooyoung wrapped an arm around Yeosang’s waist and gave him a side hug. “Whatever my Sangie wants.”
********************************
Yeosang was almost bouncing on his feet in the elevator, arms full of boxes of both Korean fried chicken and the Western version as well. The delicious smell had his stomach growling, an answering one coming from Yunho whose arms were full of bags. Jongho was carrying two of the rice bags, Mingi beside him with San and the rest of the bags of food.
"You are way too happy to be almost face deep in chicken," Jongho muttered, adjusting a bag of rice resting on his shoulder. Yeosang glanced at him, the same thoughtful gleam in his eyes he'd had since he and Wooyoung had returned.
San had an obscene amount of bags on his arms, trying not to look like he was struggling. He grabbed more than he knew he could easily carry, but Mingi made a crack about muscles and the fact San initially had as many bags on his arms as Wooyoung. Of course, Mingi wasn’t accounting for the fact San was already carrying a lot of the heavier bags. So when they saw there were four bags left in the back of the SUV and no one wanted to make a second trip for so little, San volunteered to add them to his lot.
Mingi was biting his lip, holding back his giggles at the strained look on San’s face. Mingi got lucky and was tasked with carrying the third bag of rice on one shoulder and only a few bags in one hand so, unlike San, he was perfectly fine.
As soon as the elevator dinged, San was out, dropping some of the bags by the others’ doors according to the color coding Wooyoung told him.
“We should get the fridge stuff put away and then we can maybe meet in hyungs’ apartment?” Woo suggested as he dropped some yellow bags by said door to deal with after.
Yunho laughed as he watched San, following after him with the lighter ones he was carrying. It always amused him when he was given the lighter things to move and carry. Normally Yeosang would join with the heavy stuff but there was no way any of them were prying the chicken from his arms. Yunho was fairly certain Yeosang had been following a diet for a while, staying away from greasy foods to work on his muscles, voluntarily or enforced.
Jongho gently placed the bags of rice down by his door and glanced over at the closed door. "That's probably a good idea but who is going to make sure hyungs are decent? Don't even think about suggesting me," he added sternly, narrowing his eyes at Wooyoung.
Wooyoung just grinned mischievously before he went over and banged on the door in question. “Five minutes and we’re barging in!” He turned back to the others. “They’ll be decent in five minutes.” He stated pointlessly and headed for his apartment as San opened the door.
Mingi stared after him before he scoffed and shook his head. “He’s the only one that can get away with that. You know Seonghwa hyung won’t reprimand him.”
"Not in the ways we're used to," Yeosang commented as he moved to lean next to Seonghwa and Hongjoong’s door. He ducked his head and sniffed at the boxes he held, sighing at the smell of chicken and the sweet spicy sauce on some of the Korean ones.
Jongho raised his eyebrows. "What?"
"Oh, there's beer in one of our bags by the way." Yeosang looked up and blinked at Jongho. "Yes?"
Jongho shook his head and bent down, grabbing two bags and leaving the one with beer where it was. He keyed the code in and opened their door, moving inside to put things away.
Yunho eyed Yeosang before he rolled his eyes. "Let's just put our stuff away, princess and leave the weird alone. I wonder who is gonna answer the door and how much clothing they'll actually be wearing," he added as he punched the code in for their own room.
Wooyoung took the freezer items as San handed him them and managed to Tetris everything in perfectly.
“A fully stocked refrigerator. You and Sangie really loaded everyone up.” San praised as he moved the other bags aside to deal with later. “What’s this?” He pulled a bottle out of one of the bags.
“Oh! I almost forgot about that. Gimme.” Wooyoung gently took the bottle from San and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be back. Go make sure Sangie hasn’t already started eating the chicken.” He skipped out the door across the hall. He knocked on Yeosang and Jongho’s door which the maknae had left ajar. “Hey, Jjong?” He called out as he stepped inside.
San joined Yeosang, leaning against the wall and peered at the chicken boxes.
Yeosang hummed and tilted his head at San. "Hungry? They smell amazing, don't they? I got the sweet and spicy and original and honey soy for the normal ones and then original and, um...southern! For the Western ones."
"Kitchen, hyung," Jongho called out, placing a package of meat into the fridge for the next day.
“Oh, fuck, I love the honey soy.” San practically moaned.
Mingi looked at San with a raised eyebrow as he led Yunho out of their apartment.
Wooyoung shuffled in, the bottle behind his back. He leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. “You remember the last time we were in Japan, we ate at that little hole in the wall sushi place? It was you, me, and… Mingi? I think it was Mingi. But you ordered that plum sake that you said was really good?”
"Honey soy?" Yunho lit up, grinning as he shut the door behind him.
Yeosang nodded. "You two love the honey soy ones so I made sure we grabbed them. You can have some of my sweet and spicy if you want, Mings," he offered, smiling up at Mingi.
Jongho glanced over his shoulder, watching Wooyoung for a moment before he turned back to place a few more things away. "Yeah, I remember. It was probably the nicest tasting kind I've ever had. Why?"
Mingi smiled. “Really? Yeah, I wouldn't mind a piece or two. Thanks, Sangie.”
“Aww, you’re the best, Sangie.” San pinched Yeosang’s cheek.
“Well, the grocery store had some. I’m not positive it’s the same brand but I vaguely remember the bottle shape and color, so.” Wooyoung pulled his arm from behind his back and held the bottle of plum sake out for Jongho.
Yeosang made a face as he leaned back away from San. "Don't," he whined.
Jongho paused as he placed the last cold item away. He closed the fridge and turned around slowly to face Wooyoung. He moved over to him, taking the bottle from his hand. "It's the same brand but I've only found it once here." He looked up from the bottle, smiling. "Thank you, hyung," he said softly. "I didn't even think to ask for something stronger than beer."
Seonghwa opened the apartment door and sighed dramatically. “Joongie, the kids are home.” He swept his arm out inviting them in.
“That is not the shirt you were wearing earlier.” Mingi pointed out.
“Or pants.” San added.
“Oh, sweet, I got it right.” Wooyoung grinned. “Well, beer goes well with fried chicken so you made a good choice anyway. But you could bring the sake, too, if you want. Or save it for a special occasion.” He shrugged. “I swear I bought you Ferrero Rochers, too, but they weren’t in any of my bags so maybe they ended up in yours like they should’ve anyway.”
Jongho hummed and pointed at the bags sitting on the counter. "They're in there. I thought Sangie got them. Thank you for remembering. As for this," he held the sake bottle up. "I'll cook some pork belly one day and we can share it." He turned and opened a cupboard, putting the bottle inside.
"Mum and dad have a good bonding session?" Yunho giggled as he walked past Seonghwa. "Hey, Joong. Nice new accessory."
Hongjoong blushed, placing a hand over the side of his neck as he walked over to sit slowly down on the couch. "Shut up."
Yeosang smiled brightly at Seonghwa, holding up the boxes of chicken. "Have to replenish your energy, hyung."
Seonghwa smiled smugly, leaving the door open and going into the kitchen to grab some plates and utensils.
Mingi dropped onto his knees on the floor beside the coffee table, watching Yeosang take the boxes of chicken from the bags.
San sat at one short end side of the coffee table, criss crossing his legs and scooting as close as he could.
“Sangie got as far as remembering we should get them but I distracted him and he walked away before he grabbed them.” Woo explained with a knowing look. “But, yes, that sounds like a plan. I love when you grill pork belly. Fuckin’ delicious.”
Yunho joined Mingi, sitting down between him and San and curling his legs next to him. He leaned on a hand behind the other man, resting his chin on his shoulder. "I forgot how tiring unpacking is. Even unpacking kitchen stuff is exhausting."
Yeosang kneeled down on Mingi's other side as he finished laying the boxes out, honey soy by Yunho and San, sweet and spicy right in front of him with the other ones spread out. "It's not that bad. At least we don't have to move in furniture until we figure out what we want extra."
Hongjoong smiled as he watched the way Yeosang sniffed at the box he had a hand protectively holding. He looked over the others before his eyes flicked to the door. "Where's Wooyoung and Jongho?"
"Youngie has something for Jongho," Yeosang stated, slowly opening his box, eyes lighting up at all the chicken.
Jongho grinned at the compliment. "I'll make extra then. You distracted Sangie, huh? Sneaky, hyung, very sneaky. You said fried chicken was what you two grabbed for dinner? We should hurry then before he claims it all and turns into an actual guard dog." He stepped closer to Wooyoung and waved a hand for him to go first.
Mingi rubbed Yunho’s leg affectionately. “I didn’t remember having so much clothing that needed to be hung up. Putting everything properly on hangers was tedious.”
“I already assembled a rocking chair and footrest. When hyungs told us our bedrooms were bigger, I bought it yesterday. I was gonna put it in my room but it works better in the living room.” San shrugged. “Oh! Sangie. I got all your boxes in your room, drone stuff is under the bed, computer is on the desk but not hooked up, clothing is all hung up and put away, bathroom stuff is in the bathroom but it’s just all on the sink counter. That stuff and your books and knickknacks and whatnot are left in boxes cuz I wasn’t sure how you wanted it all.”
“You’ve done a lot, huh, Sannie?” Seonghwa smiled warmly. “Good job. How’s the rocking chair?”
San blushed at the small praise. “Comfy. It’s one of the big glider style ones you like.”
“Ooh, I do love those. The motion is very smooth.” Seonghwa did little clappies of excitement, thinking about how his members were here now and quickly trying to settle into their new home.
Wooyoung giggled at the image of Yeosang protecting his chicken. He tilted his head, hesitating. He wanted to touch Jongho but he wasn’t sure about his touch tolerance right now. After a moment he decided to do it anyway. The worst that’d happen is Jongho pushing him away and making a disgusted face. He reached up and settled his hands against the sides of Jongho’s neck. “You look slightly more settled than earlier.” He said softly, brushing a thumb across Jongho’s jaw since he hadn’t been pushed away yet. “You look a little happier even. It’s nice to see.” He decided to be extra daring and planted a kiss on Jongho’s forehead before pulling away. He turned quickly and scurried out the door.
Yeosang beamed at San. "Thank you, Sannie. See, Yunho? This is how you make unpacking easier, have someone else offer to do it."
Yunho rolled his eyes at Yeosang. "I'm not gonna get someone to unpack my stuff in the sneaky way I'm sure you did. I'll just bribe Sannie with something so he'll help me build the new desk I'm thinking of."
Hongjoong pulled Seonghwa closer beside him, still wanting him as near as possible, watching as Yunho and Yeosang started staring at each other, matching pouts on their faces.
Jongho stared at where Wooyoung had been, hands still partially raised from the thought of pulling Wooyoung's hands off his neck. It wasn't unusual for Wooyoung to initiate touch, although he had gotten more considerate. But the softer touch was new and had stopped his brain for a moment, long enough for the kiss to his forehead. He touched his fingers to his jaw before he shook himself, brushing his hand over his forehead as he headed out of his new apartment.
San rolled his eyes at Yunho’s assumption. “I offered cuz I figured I’d keep an eye on haribo. But, I saw in our binders, there’s a bakery. Buy me something from there and I’ll build the desk.”
Seonghwa wrapped his arm around Hongjoong, tucking him against his side more. He kissed his cheek. “My love.” He sighed contently.
Wooyoung shuffled into his hyungs’ apartment and straight into the kitchen. He pulled a container of kimchi from the fridge. He remembered Seonghwa telling him the other day that he’d made some. He brought it out and sat down beside Seonghwa.
“Raiding our fridge already, I see.” The older man teased.
Wooyoung grinned widely. “We needed something besides deep fried chicken. And your kimchi is really good. I missed it.”
Yunho picked up a piece of the honey soy glazed chicken with the chopsticks Seonghwa had brought over, pointing it at San. "You are whipped for Sangie. He knows that. I'll find you whatever they have here close to that strawberry cake you like."
Hongjoong hummed, sinking down against Seonghwa. He closed his eyes, not feeling particularly hungry and wanting to wait for Jongho to make sure he was relaxed and not slowly stressing more. He cracked an eye open when he heard their door close, watching Jongho walk in.
Yeosang looked up as he placed a piece of chicken on the little plate in front of Mingi. He blinked and looked Jongho over carefully when he saw the distracted look in his eyes. "Jongho? Hyung made kimchi, apparently."
Jongho nodded, sitting down on the couch. He placed the six pack of beer on the floor, pulling one out and opening it. "Hyung did? I haven't had that in a while."
“Maybe. Doesn’t change my reason for helping.” San chuckled with a shrug, trying not to raise an eyebrow at the odd look on Jongho’s face as he grabbed some chicken.
Mingi gave Yeosang’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Thank you, Sangie.”
Seonghwa put a single original Korean fried chicken leg on a plate and held it up to Hongjoong. “Eat one piece please. You haven’t eaten all day.”
Wooyoung stood up and leaned over the table, putting some kimchi on San’s plate. He sat back down and put a heaping scoop onto Jongho’s plate beside his own before setting the container down and grabbing a piece of each chicken, setting it on Jongho’s plate as well. He even battled Yeosang for a piece of his precious sweet and spicy, licking sauce off his fingers after he set the piece on Jongho’s plate. He leaned back contently, plate in one hand, piece of Southern style chicken in the other and took a bite. “Fuck, that’s good.”
"Thank you, hyung," Jongho murmured, lips twitching into a smirk at the outraged sound Yeosang made instead of the soft smile he'd had at the kimchi heap and chicken pieces.
"Why are you thanking him? He stole it! He said this was mine and then he goes and steals," Yeosang grumbled, pulling his box further away from Wooyoung and curling an arm around it protectively.
Yunho munched on his chicken, eyes crinkled up in amusement as he watched. He offered Mingi a piece of the honey soy chicken, placing it on his plate, never once looking away from the muttering Yeosang.
Hongjoong picked up the chicken, nibbling at it with a small sound at how nice the crunchy coating tasted.
“I paid for it.” Wooyoung pointed out. “You can spare a couple pieces out of the goodness of your heart. I’ll buy you more tomorrow if that makes up for it. And I promise I won’t take any of it then.”
Mingi made a happy sound. He was being handed chicken left and right.
San covered his mouth as he laughed softly. “You didn’t even steal it for yourself.”
Wooyoung shrugged. “Our maknae deserved a piece.” He sat up, leaning closer to Jongho and whispering, “besides that, you’ll need the energy. I think you’ll be tied up with Sangie the rest of the night. Well, actually it’s him tied up, I suspect.” He leaned back again, going back to eating.
Seonghwa watched the exchange beside him curiously and looked at Hongjoong.
“You'll buy me the variety pack and that fancy sounding drink they had," Yeosang muttered.
Jongho put a piece of kimchi in his mouth, humming as he chewed. He watched Wooyoung from the corner of his eye, studying him for a moment before he met Yeosang's eyes. He picked up the piece of sweet and spicy chicken and smirked slowly. "You deserve to lose a few pieces, Sangie. Accept it."
Yeosang pouted, opening his mouth before he huffed and shoved a piece of chicken in his mouth. He waited a moment, until Jongho looked away, and flipped him off.
Yunho blinked, head tilting in curiosity over what he was observing. He looked to see if Hongjoong or Seonghwa were watching, finding them looking at each other. The sight made Yunho smile, especially with how soft and warm Hongjoong’s eyes were.
Wooyoung chuckled lightly. “I’ll get you the variety pack and the biggest size they sell of the fancy drink.” He assured his best friend. He slouched into the comfy couch more, knee bumping against Jongho’s.
San took a giant bite of his chicken, sauce smearing over his lips as he groaned happily.
Mingi swatted lightly at Yeosang’s hand as he was flipping Jongho off. “There will be plenty of chicken in your future, don’t worry.” He teased softly.
Seonghwa lifted a hand and cradled Hongjoong’s jaw, brushing his thumb under the man’s eye. “So handsome.” He said quietly.
Yeosang looked down sadly at his chicken and nodded at Mingi's words. He wasn't really bothered at all by the stealing of his precious chicken, he actually found it sweet that Wooyoung had given it to Jongho. A small gesture, but thoughtful and different. Jongho would have noticed and started trying to figure it out, maybe withdrawn. But if Yeosang could provide a distraction for a moment, like he had, then it was okay. Although now he had ideas in his head, ones that rose up as he peeked at Wooyoung.
Jongho relaxed a little more as he sipped his beer, glancing down once at the touch against his knee. This was interesting and he was curious what was bringing on the tiny changes. Maybe something Yeosang slipped, considering Wooyoung's comments, which just made him more curious as to why. He shifted his feet, spreading his legs a little as he reached down for a beer, holding it out for Wooyoung to take.
Yunho looked away from the older couple, grinning at San. "It's really good, huh?" He picked up a napkin from the little square tray sitting on the table, holding it out for San.
Hongjoong turned his head slightly, leaning into Seonghwa's hand. His eyes fell half closed, a dreamy little smile on his lips.
Wooyoung took the beer with a soft smile. “Thanks, Jjongie bear.” He set his plate on his lap and cracked the beer open, taking a sip. “Oh, that hits differently with the honey soy chicken. That’s good.”
San took the napkin with a giggly thanks. He wiped his face off before standing. “Hyung, is it okay to gr-“
“Help yourself, you know that, Sannie.” Seonghwa said without taking his eyes from Hongjoong.
San smiled, letting out a little content sigh of sorts. “Does anyone else want a drink?” San asked as he headed to the kitchen.
“Just water, please.” Mingi requested.
Seonghwa took Hongjoong’s plate with the practically picked clean leg bone and set it on the coffee table. He shifted and moved around until he was now sideways in Hongjoong’s lap facing so he could still see everyone. He curled up, sinking into place and wrapped his arms around his partner’s middle, laying his head on his shoulder.
"Mmm. Whoever picked the beer got a good brand," Jongho murmured.
"Does no one else get a beer?" Yunho asked Jongho.
"No." Jongho set the empty bottle down and picked up a piece of chicken.
Yunho raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder. "Can you grab me a soda, Sannie?"
Yeosang chewed his chicken watching Wooyoung and Jongho contemplatively. "No, thanks, Sannie." He hid a smile when he saw Jongho pick out a chicken thigh from the Western boxes and place it on Wooyoung's plate without even looking at him.
Hongjoong wrapped his own arms around Seonghwa's waist, leaning his head on his. He was relaxed from their earlier activities but the warm content feeling in his chest had more to do with all of them being together. He was sure that this place would do the others just as much good as it had done for himself and Seonghwa in the month they'd spent already.
“Yes! I am two for two.” Wooyoung did a little fist pump. “Three for three if you count the chocolates since Sangie forgot to grab them.” He grinned mischievously at the aforementioned man before he paused his movements, looking down at his plate and the fresh piece of chicken. Why the hell did his face feel warm all of a sudden? The beer? Maybe it was the beer. He’d tell himself it was the beer.
San returned, handing Mingi a water and Yunho his favorite soda before he plopped back down on the floor. He cracked his own soda and took a sip.
“Thanks, San-ah. Ooh, the fancy square bottle kind.” Mingi mused as he opened the bottle and took a sip.
Seonghwa moved one arm, resting his hand against Hongjoong’s chest. He traced shapes in the wrinkles of his t-shirt as he watched their younger members, filing away observations to talk to Joongie about when they were alone again.
"You're on a roll, hyung." Jongho smiled, nudging Wooyoung's knee with his. "What was it like in town?"
Yeosang rolled his eyes at Wooyoung's comment. He'd already figured out that his best friend had used him going to look at something else to get the chocolates.
Yunho opened his soda, sipping at it with a happy little wiggle. "This is nice, all of us being back together," he said quietly, watching the four on the couch. "Maybe it's a good sign that we're all happy right now."
Hongjoong blinked slowly as he focused on Jongho. The younger man's shoulders weren't as tense as they'd been earlier and he was smiling easily, initiating conversation and contact, showing care. All good signs that made him sigh quietly.
The tiny praise definitely had Wooyoung blushing now. “I know you like pale ales and lagers so I went with one of those that had a funny name after narrowing it down.” He shrugged. It wasn’t a big deal. He knew his members’ likes and dislikes, especially for food and drink. “It wasn’t very busy. Could be cuz it was afternoon on a week day. But it was nice, the section we were in. I think it could be peaceful walking up and down the streets window shopping. Like we do when we have free time in the big cities on tour. Not to the same size obviously, it’s more… quaint. I didn’t get a good look at everything while driving but I saw a few different hobby shops and craft stores, a couple clothing, jewelers, and some restaurants. There was an empty store right next to the grocery that had advertisements for special events held there. Cooking classes, wine & painting nights, I think I saw a flyer for a sewing class.”
“I wonder if they do pottery classes.” Mingi pondered. “Sangie, you liked doing it when you and Jjong-ah did it, right? Would you do that kinda thing again?”
“I’d like to think it’s a good sign.” San agreed, leaning back on his hands.
Seonghwa rubbed Hongjoong’s chest softly in circles. He smiled when he caught Wooyoung’s eye, making the younger man reach over and give his calf an affectionate squeeze.
Jongho glanced at Wooyoung, noticing the flush to his cheeks. It couldn't be the alcohol, he'd drunk plenty of times around him to know that it took more than this to affect him. It piqued his curiosity about why. "I've lived in Seoul all my life. It...might be nice to live somewhere quiet for once." He hummed as he thought over what Wooyoung had said, the places he'd mentioned.
Yeosang perked up and nodded at Mingi. "I really did like it. It's fun to make something with your own hands. Doing it again, without cameras, would be great."
"It is a change for people who've grown up in the big cities," Yunho agreed with Jongho. Their birth homes were both the big cities, full of sound and bustling life. Nothing like how quiet and calm Hongjoong had said it was here.
"I think that once you get used to it, this place is a breath of fresh air," Hongjoong murmured. "It's the kind of peace that makes you feel like slowing down a little."
“Pretty sure whatever Hwa did to you while we were gone is why you slowed down.” Wooyoung teased his captain, clocking that all too familiar way he spoke slowly and less enunciated, sunk into the couch, moved sluggishly.
Seonghwa shoved Wooyoung with his foot making him fall against Jongho cackling.
Jongho jerked, lost in thought enough he wasn't paying attention, spilling the fresh beer he'd been about to sip down his front. He sighed, more fond than annoyed. He liked hearing the others happy and Wooyoung didn't laugh this way much anymore.
"Could have done more," Hongjoong muttered. "Brat."
Yeosang giggled at the whole thing, picking up on what Wooyoung was hinting at. He hid his amusement behind another piece of chicken, taking a large bite.
“Oh shit. Sorry, Jjongie bear.” Wooyoung apologized between giggles. He grabbed a napkin and reached over, wiping the beer off the younger man’s chin and neck. “That was entirely hyung’s fault. You made Jjong waste good beer. That shit cost money, ya know.” He sassed at Seonghwa.
“Everything costs money. You’ll get over it.” Seonghwa rolled his eyes.
“Okay, good. If that’s how you feel cuz,“ Woo set his beer down and pulled something out of his pocket, “it was your money.” He held a credit card that had Animal Crossing on it, clearly Seonghwa’s.
Seonghwa gaped like a fish before he gently removed Hongjoong’s arms from around himself. “C’mere, you little shit!”
Wooyoung screeched and giggled like crazy as he hurdled over the coffee table between San and Yunho at the same time Seonghwa launched himself to his feet.
Seonghwa chased Wooyoung as he ran into the bedroom and back out then into the kitchen. He thought he had him trapped but the slippery bastard climbed over the breakfast bar back into the living room. Before Seonghwa even finished comprehending how Wooyoung had made it over the counter and bar without knocking anything over, he heard the front door open. “Hey! Get back here!” He shouted over Woo’s hysterical cackling.
Mingi stared at the open front door. “He didn’t actually use hyung’s card to buy all the groceries, did he?”
"Nope," Yeosang grinned. "Stole it so he could prank hyung. He'll figure it out eventually."
Hongjoong shook his head, more aware and alert now with all the noise. "He's going to regret it but he's probably angling for it anyway."
Jongho kept looking over at the door, tilting his head towards Hongjoong as he listened. There was something being hinted at here. He looked away and met Yeosang's eyes, narrowing his own when he got a cheeky wink.
"Where do you think he ran to?" Yunho asked as he popped another bite of chicken in his mouth and groaned, rubbing his stomach.
San made a sound of agreement at what Hongjoong said, shaking his head in amusement.
“The stairs maybe? I can’t hear them anymore.” Mingi guessed.
"Well, I'm stuffed. You want us to clean up, Joong?" Yunho asked, smiling up at Hongjoong. "We can leave the left-"
"They're mine," Yeosang cut in. He sniffed and closed the box of his chicken. "Easy late night snack or breakfast."
"All yours because I am not touching fried food in the morning." Jongho leaned forward, closing up the other boxes, still thinking on things he'd heard and observed.
Hongjoong shrugged. "If you're all finished eating, that would be nice, Yunho. I plan on staying right here until Hwa comes back."
San put his hands over the box with a few pieces of honey soy and pulled it closer to himself, silently claiming it.
Mingi shook his head with a smile, groaning as he stood and started gathering the dishes.
“Ya know, you are deceptively fucking strong.” Wooyoung’s voice grew louder and quieter as he was seen in the doorway being carried over Seonghwa’s shoulder. A few seconds later they heard a door lock beep followed by said door opening and shutting.
Jongho blinked, staring at the doorway. "...what?"
Hongjoong flapped a hand. "Don't worry about it."
Yeosang snickered and got up to help Mingi carry everything into the kitchen.
Yunho pouted at San before he laughed and grinned. "I'll let you have them, Sannie. Like an early sorry-you-have-to-deal-with-whatever-is-going-on-gift."
“We can split them.” San was quick to suggest, grabbing an empty box from one of the other flavors and wiping out the crumbs. He transferred three of the five into the other box, giving Yunho a thigh and two legs, keeping the breast and wing for himself. That seemed somewhat even in meat distribution. He slid the box over to Yunho with a soft smile.
Mingi looked over his shoulder at Yeosang as he set the dishes down in one of the basins of the double sink and started filling the other with hot soapy water. “Thanks, Sangie. You don’t have to help though, you filled our fridges and pantries.”
Yunho put a hand over the box, matching San's soft smile. "Like old times, hmm?" He said quietly, referencing when they used to room together and share everything.
"I was mostly just the muscle," Yeosang murmured. "I got what Youngie said to get, mostly, and just followed him around." He grabbed a dish towel hanging on a hook and stood next to Mingi, waiting to dry as he washed.
Jongho got up, letting Hongjoong lay down properly on the couch. He grabbed the blanket folded over the back and flipped it out over him. "Rest, hyung. You seem like you need it. Want me to stay until Seonghwa hyung gets back?"
"I'm meant to take care of you," Hongjoong protested half-heartedly. Truthfully he felt a swell of pride for his maknae, knowing exactly why he felt the need to provide care. "No, you're fine, Jongho. I'll probably fall asleep pretty soon and I'm feeling okay."
“I’ll keep an eye on him, haribo.” San offered. He knew better than to go back to his apartment right now anyway.
Mingi chuckled. “Muscle is right.” He winked at Yeosang, rinsing the first dish he washed and handing it to the man.
Jongho glanced at San and nodded. "Alright. Night, hyungs. Sangie, I'm heading back," he called out as he headed towards the door.
Yeosang blushed, laughing softly as he dried the dish. "I have to do something to compete with you lot and I don't want to be cute anymore."
"I guess that's my cue to leave as well," Yunho sighed. "I want to explore the town tomorrow so I need sleep."
Mingi handed Yeosang the next plate. “You’ve never really enjoyed doing aegyo.” He noted.
San waved to Jongho and Yunho. “Night!”
"Too much emphasis on how I looked when we were younger." Yeosang shrugged, placing the dried plate on the counter. "I hated that everyone, from the moment I became a trainee, was so focused on it."
Yunho stepped out into the hallway and patted Jongho on the shoulder. "Night, Jjong."
"Night," Jongho said quietly, shaking himself back out of his thoughts as he watched Yunho enter his apartment. He sighed and moved to his own, keying the code in. He paused when he heard a door open, turning to look.
“No, wait, please!” Wooyoung called out to Seonghwa who was already looking back at him as he knelt on the living room floor. “I’m sorry. I just… everything’s still off-kilter. I need it. I-I need you. Please.”
Seonghwa sighed. “Okay, angel. If that’s what you need.” His voice was soft and soothing.
Jongho stared, eyes flicking back and forth before they settled on Wooyoung, watching him, listening.
Seonghwa’s tone took on a firmer edge, dropping a little lower than his normal speaking voice. “You’ll be my good boy now, angel? Do what I tell you?”
Wooyoung nodded eagerly. “Yes, hyung.”
Seonghwa nodded once and started shutting the door slowly.
Wooyoung’s eyes turned away from looking up at Seonghwa, struggling to hold the man’s heated gaze. His eyes widened in surprise, noticing Jongho across the hallway in front of his own apartment. He blushed, biting his lip a moment as he focused on Seonghwa again.
The door shut with a soft click.
Jongho's eyes widened once the door shut, already realising exactly what he'd seen and what it meant. Wooyoung was a sub in some way and it explained a lot of things he'd waved off because the context was missing. He turned, pushing his door open and walking inside.
Wooyoung was with San, but was a sub to Seonghwa. He was poly, at least in this way. Jongho hummed, rubbing the back of his neck as he moved to his room. There was something about seeing Wooyoung kneeling, hearing the words he spoke and the begging tone in his voice, the eagerness he showed. It had caught his attention, for a moment making his own instincts rise up and take notice. It was...interesting.