You Rock My World

You're lucky you're cute

Everyone gathered in the hallway and they made their way down to the practice rooms. As they walked, Hongjoong couldn't help but notice Seonghwa keeping far ahead of him. When he tried to step closer he almost cut him off entirely. It was one thing to ask for space and another to ignore Hongjoong completely.

Maybe it was just the act to pretend they weren't dating. But it sure felt like he wasn't acting. It seemed excessive to pretend they hardly even knew each other.

Eventually he gave up and noticed San hanging near the back of the group. He stepped back, matching his pace.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked, swinging an arm over his shoulders.

San almost jumped, apparently unaware that Hongjoong had dropped back.

"Oh—sorry, I wasn't paying attention. I'm fine, why?"

"San."

Hongjoong gave him a look that said "don't try to lie to me I know you too well."

San looked away.

"Can we talk later? I don't want to ruin our first rehearsal."

"San...you wouldn't ruin anything. You know you come first."

"Sounds like you're really rubbing off on Seonghwa hyung," San laughed and Hongjoong's smile faltered.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing it's just—he said almost the exact same thing this morning."

Hongjoong felt his heart sink. Seonghwa knew something was up with San and he didn't tell him? Did San talk to him about it already? Did he not...need to talk to Hongjoong anymore?

He didn't like the feeling that San was pulling away from him. He knew he should be happy his bandmates were bonding with his boyfriend but it didn't mean he liked feeling like second place.

Although...wasn't that exactly how he'd made Seonghwa feel?

He looked at the ceiling, cursing himself. Here was San—clearly distressed—and he was too busy thinking about himself to care. Of course he was happy that San opened up to Seonghwa. San didn't open up to just anyone. His worlds were truly colliding.

And he was being an ass about it.

"What about you?"

Hongjoong looked back at San.

"What about me?"

"What's going on?"

Hongjoong smiled and shook his head.

"Nothing."

"God, you're a hypocrite," San grumbled but a small smile stretched across his face. Hongjoong laughed and tussled San's hair, pulling the boy into a hug.

"You're lucky you're cute," he smiled, and San giggled lightly.

When Hongjoong looked up he caught Seonghwa's eyes before he quickly turned away. Wooyoung stood beside him and he was looking in their direction too. But his eyes didn't waver.

San pulled away, his eyes shifting towards the floor. Hongjoong was beginning to understand why San was upset.

"Hey, remember. I'm here whenever you need me. I'll wait until you're ready."

"Same goes for you," San nodded and Hongjoong rolled his eyes.

"I'm okay, Sannie. Really."

"Sure. That's why Seonghwa's up there and you're back here."

Hongjoong didn't say anything as they approached the big practice room, filing in.

The space was way bigger than their old practice rooms. Amps filled the space on every wall, cords covering almost half of the floor. The stark white lights felt intimidating at first but soon grew comfortable as they began setting up in the room.

Hongjoong quickly found JYP and made his way over.

"Good morning, sunbaenim," he smiled, bowing deeply.

"Hello again, Hongjoong. I'm excited to see how you all work as a team. I remember Sungjin telling me that you were two different bands to begin with—rivals even. Has it been hard with communication?"

The question hit a little too close to home. It almost felt like he had sensed the tension in the air. Hongjoong quickly smiled, shaking his head.

"No, no, no! A little bit at first but we've come a long ways! It feels like we were always one group from the start."

Even with the current situation, Hongjoong meant it. He couldn't imagine being in a four-person band again. It seemed so small. He could hardly even picture Seonghwa on stage without him.

He just hoped whatever was going on with Seonghwa wouldn't cause any issues. He had been trying his best to give him space and it seemed like he'd been getting closer to talking, but lately Hongjoong was getting a bit impatient. He just wanted to help him. What wasn't he telling him?

"Really? That's pretty impressive, considering you've got two leaders now. And I heard Seonghwa had a reputation for being pretty tough on his group."

Hongjoong felt a bit thrown off by his statement. Who would have told him that? Had one of the members talked to JYP?

No. They wouldn't have. They knew that teamwork was the best strategy to succeed here. Besides, they'd been pretty occupied with getting to know everyone around here.

Hongjoong paused.

Getting to know everyone. What if...what if someone had said something to another JYP artist and it had gotten back? Were they keeping tabs on them? Were they watching them behind their backs?

Hongjoong didn't have time to think about it. He just gave a playful laugh, shaking his head.

"He's a little high-strung but he knows what's best for his members. He steps in when I'm being too soft on them. It actually works out better than before," Hongjoong smiled.

"Ah, of course. I don't mean to pry, I'm just making small talk. It looks like your members are ready to go, so whenever you're ready, take it away."

Hongjoong kept a smile on his face as JYP stepped away but stopped it as soon as he had turned to face his members. He knew he should probably warn them but now wasn't the time.

As he went to grab his guitar, Jongho approached him, cleverly maintaining a non-chalant expression as he spoke.

"What did he say to you? You look like he just threatened your entire bloodline."

"It's nothing. I'll talk more later. Don't think about it. Let's just focus on the music for now, okay? Make him remember the name Choi Jongho, alright?" Hongjoong smiled and Jongho stepped closer, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Make him remember the name Ateez."

Hongjoong nodded, a bit shocked by the bold statement. He always forgot how mature Jongho was. He was always so perceptive, always so clever. Jongho nodded at him and stepped into position, testing his mic.

Hongjoong cleared his mind and focused on his guitar. The bright red gleam of the metal base, the sturdy silver strings. It had gotten him through almost a decade of performing. It never failed to give him the confidence to give his all. Always reminded him of how far he'd come.

Taking a deep breath he looked to make eye contact with Seonghwa. But he wasn't looking at him. And he was already counting off.