ALL THIS TIME ― heejay ✓

if we're together,

When Heeseung opens the door to the practice room, he finds Sunoo sitting in the corner, listening to a song with a smile on his face. He lip-syncs along, tapping his fingers on his thigh.

"Hey," he greets the third-youngest with a grin. "What's with the dopey smile?"

"First of all, hi," Sunoo doesn't miss a beat, tapping his phone to pause the music, "and second of all, it's not a dopey smile. You wouldn't know, would you, smiling dopily at Jay hyung all the time?"

"Hey!" he objects, flushing. "That's—ugh, never mind. There's nothing going on between me and Jay."

Sunoo raises an eyebrow. "Never said there was," he says. "Despite the fact that this is obviously not a one-sided thing."

"You say that like you haven't noticed the weirdness between us."

"Oh, I've noticed," Sunoo says matter-of-factly. "There's so much tension between you guys right now, it's actually kind of scary. But it's not that scary for me."

"Why not?"

"Because you'll get over it, whatever it is," he says simply. "You both know what's best for yourselves and each other and I think—no, believe that you won't let anything destroy your friendship. Even after ages, you guys would make up. I know it."

"I wish I had your faith," Heeseung sighs, going to sit beside Sunoo. "Anyway, what're you listening to that's making you smile so much?"

Sunoo taps his phone again and the songs plays again. Heeseung listens to it, and it only takes a moment to recognize the singer belting out, send to me, walk with me, no worries, just tell your story, bad feeling? Feel silly?

"MOA Diary, hm?" he grins. "That song is impossibly sappy for a bunch of even sappier idiots."

"I just can't believe we're...friends now," Sunoo says in awe. "A year ago, I wasn't even expecting to see them in person, much less meet them, star on a variety show with them, and actually befriend them. I'm just...wow."

"Sounds like your inner fanboy still lives."

"Why, yes, it does," he says with immense dignity. "I've loved them since they debuted—since before debut, if we're being real. With their pre-debut content. I don't know, they just struck a huge chord with me, one that I just..." he searches for the right words, "...it's hard to find the right words, but I fell very, very much in love. Kings of a no-skip discography, right there, with members that somehow remind me of the idiots I am forced to live with."

"One, their discography is pretty cool, and two, I don't know if I should be insulted that I just got compared to a bunch of dumbasses."

"Are you always this insulting to your friends?"

"Nah, just them and Jay and Sunghoon," Heeseung grins.

"I see, you're rude to people you've known a couple of years," Sunoo giggles. "As huge of a MOA as I am, this song, it just, it speaks to me, makes me feel better, you know? It feels all comforting and warm and stuff and it's my absolute favorite song of theirs, after like, Dear Sputnik and Run Away. Possibly Drama. Don't tell them I said that."

"No guarantees," Heeseung says evilly. Sunoo makes a face at him as he continues, "you should know, though, that all that they're saying in that song, it's all true. It's exactly how they feel."

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, does it?"

"Okay, you can stop being annoying now," he ruffles Sunoo's hair. "But really. Those boys are as genuine as you can get. They really do love each other so dearly, it's enough to make me tear up watching them celebrate together. You know how trainees sneak out often to cheat on our diets or whatever, right?"