ALL THIS TIME ― heejay ✓

spread before your eyes

Jay, Park Jongseong, the second oldest of ENHYPEN and the most reliable one in Heeseung's eyes (besides Jungwon, but the leader was just a kid himself and Heeseung tries not to depend on him too much), is a lot of things. Good things.

Strong, reliable, confident without being cocky, modest without being too shy, straightforward, honest, emotional without being too annoying, responsible, blunt, almost parent-like, and...and he was pretty, too. Is he allowed to think like that of his best friend, though? Thinking he was really pretty?

If Heeseung he started to list things any further beyond that, he can't stop going on.

It's the day of their reunion after being torn away from each other due to six out of seven of them contracting the coronavirus. The members are each picked up from their homes, Ni-ki from the isolation center where he'd been staying, bags slung over their shoulders. He cries when he sees the other members and makes them promise not to ever leave him alone like that again, and swears them to secrecy of this particular event.

"Not even ENGENEs," he says with what looks like an effort at an intimidating frown but just looks like he's very relieved and trying to hide it. "No one. Especially not Sunoo hyung, okay?"

The other members agree, teasing Ni-ki the whole time, of course, but secretly, they're really glad to see each other again, too. Jungwon looks close to tears, too, and Heeseung strokes his hair as they drive home, knowing that the usually put-together leader is the one who was most shaken by the shocking turn of events. It was obvious, the way he was constantly calling them and chattering their ears off.

They complained, of course. But none of them really minded. It was comforting.

Even as Heeseung is stroking Jungwon's hair and talking to Ni-ki about how lonely things were, his mind is far away. He's thinking about how Jay froze for a moment when he first climbed into the van and saw Heeseung.

Heeseung isn't stupid. He knows it's because Jay accidentally said something he wasn't supposed to say. The conversation had been sailing along so smoothly, and then...

***

"You know," Heeseung said jokingly, smirking at Jay on the phone screen, "I wouldn't be surprised if my brother's head over heels for you."

Jay laughed. "I still get war flashbacks from his Flicker imitation," he grinned back. "That was pretty epic."

"Yes, because him mocking me in a song you wanted to do is incredibly hilarious. Might I add you also say the exact same line in the version on the album."

"Actually, yes," he said seriously, though his eyes twinkled with good humor. "It is pretty hilarious."

As one, they sang out, Heeseung in the lower pitch from I-LAND and Jay in the higher pitch from their debut album, "kkamppagineun sungan!"

"Speaking of Flicker, Kei hyung called me the other day," Jay said. "He's still pretty torn up about Kyungmin leaving and Taki still cries, according to him, but they're in touch, he says. Kid is apparently an admirer of us, according to ENGENEs. I followed him on my backup account. I don't think he's realized yet that it's really me."

"Can you really believe that it's been almost a year since it ended?" Heeseung shook his head. "I miss them, you know. I spoke to Taki a while ago and he didn't talk about Kyungmin, but seriously, the kid grew up so well. I can't believe he's still the same adorable child we all babied."

"I know," Jay agreed. "Why are the younger ones growing up so fast? Ni-ki used to be shorter than Sunghoon, and look at him now. Level with you!"

"I'm pretty sure he's shot past me by now. Do you think it's likely we'll ever be allowed to talk about them? I mean, about when we met up for Drunk-Dazed."

"About as likely as you not being the prettiest—" he paused, realizing he said something he wasn't supposed to say. "I mean­—"

"Me not being the prettiest what?" Heeseung asked, feeling a blush take ahold of him.

"Nothing," he said hastily. "Talk to you later, hyung."

The call has ended.

***

Heeseung knows Jay doesn't know how to act with him off-camera anymore. What he said left Heeseung feeling confused, but he's pretty sure that Jay meant it differently. Only problem is, he doesn't know what to make of it. He doesn't know how to react to it, so he stays silent, and pretending that the idea of Jay thinking he was pretty didn't give him a rush of inexplicable delight.

When they arrive at home, Sunghoon teasingly pushes Jake to the front of the group. "You caught it first," he jokes, "so you have to come home first, too."

"Where is the logic in that?" the Australian boy complains, but keys in the passcode and pushes open the door anyway.

Heeseung breathes in the smell of fresh laundry hanging in the air and looks at Jay, raising an eyebrow. The two of them share the same bemused glance they always do when a member does something unexpected, and then Jay looks away.

"Guys!" a squeal pierces the air and Ni-ki lets an 'oof' as Sunoo barrels into him while screaming, "you're home you're home you're really home!"

The next moment, Heeseung's breath leaves him with a whoosh as Sunoo attacks him with a huge hug, actually crying with relief. "There, there, Sunoo," he says weakly, patting the shorter boy's back. "We're alright now. Did you actually do the laundry?"

"Yep," the third-youngest pulled back from the hug and beams at him. "I figured that if you hadn't gotten your clothes washed while you were gone, you'd want to have clean ones when you came back."

"I certainly need them," Ni-ki raises a hand.

Sunoo grins widely, then hugs all the members firmly. "It was so lonely, being all alone!" he cries out. "I hated being alone!"

"I missed you guys, too," Heeseung admits quietly.

"Alright, first order of business!" Jungwon claps his hands, getting everyone's attention. That easily, he's already slipping back into the leader role. "Everyone unpack their bags, put dirty clothes in the laundry basketin your separate laundry bags!­—and do the chores you're assigned to today!"

"I wonder if this is his way of coping with sheer emotion," Sunghoon murmurs to Heeseung quietly.

"I think it is," Heeseung says. "So we'd better do as he says, right?"

Sunghoon grins at him, knowing he's right. Within minutes, the members scatter off to do as they're told, unpacking and getting to their chores with some amount of grumbling but with much efficiency. Heeseung smiles at the familiar sights he missed so much, their daily routines outside of their schedules.

He's glad to be home with the other members. He loves his family, but after living together with the members day in and day out for more than a year, first on the survival show, then the training camp and back to the show, and then in the dorm, spending so long away from them just feels weird. He knows the others feel much the same too.

WORD COUNT: 1203