Under the Same Sky

11. Untangling Hearts

The dorm was unusually quiet, the usual buzz of SEVENTEEN’s laughter and chatter replaced by a soft hum of the late-night city outside the windows. Jeonghan lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, thoughts swirling in his mind. It had been a long day, physically exhausting yet emotionally revealing. He couldn’t stop replaying the recent moments with Seungcheol in his head, moments that seemed so normal on the surface but carried a weight that neither of them had addressed.

Why was it so difficult to talk about feelings, Jeonghan wondered? They had always been close, able to share their thoughts freely, but this—this was different. There was something between them now, something that both scared and excited him.

A soft knock at the door broke through his thoughts.

“Come in,” Jeonghan called, already knowing who it would be.

Seungcheol stepped in quietly, his expression unreadable. He shut the door behind him and crossed the room to sit at the edge of Jeonghan’s bed, the mattress sinking slightly under his weight. Neither spoke for a moment, the silence comfortable but thick with unspoken words.

“I’ve been thinking,” S.Coups began softly, his gaze fixed on his hands, “about us.”

Jeonghan’s heart skipped a beat. He turned his head to look at Seungcheol, who still hadn’t met his eyes. There was a vulnerability in his voice, something Jeonghan rarely heard.

“I know,” Jeonghan said gently, sitting up so he could face him properly. “I’ve been thinking about it too.”

S.Coups finally lifted his head, his eyes searching Jeonghan’s face for a reaction. The room felt smaller now, the air heavier with the weight of the conversation they had avoided for so long.

“Where do we go from here?” Seungcheol asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jeonghan reached out, placing a hand on Seungcheol’s knee, a gesture meant to reassure him but also to ground himself in this moment. “I don’t know,” he admitted, “but I know that I don’t want to lose what we have. I don’t want things to change.”

Seungcheol’s eyes softened, and he leaned forward, resting his forehead against Jeonghan’s. “I don’t want to lose you either,” he murmured. “But we can’t keep pretending like this is nothing.”

Jeonghan’s heart raced. He had always been good at playing things cool, keeping emotions at bay, but this—this was different. Seungcheol wasn’t just another member of the group. He was more than that, and they both knew it.

“I’ve always cared about you,” Jeonghan said, his voice steady despite the emotions threatening to spill over. “But this... It feels different now. I can’t explain it, but I don’t want to run away from it anymore.”

S.Coups pulled back slightly, his eyes meeting Jeonghan’s with a seriousness that made the air between them crackle. “I feel the same,” he said. “I’ve been trying to figure it out for so long, but I don’t want to waste any more time.”

The room fell into silence again, but this time it wasn’t awkward. It was a shared understanding, a moment where everything seemed to fall into place. There was no need for grand declarations or complicated explanations. They knew what they meant to each other.

After a long pause, Jeonghan leaned back against the headboard, pulling Seungcheol with him until they were lying side by side. The tension in the room had melted away, replaced by a quiet sense of comfort.

“I don’t know what happens next,” Jeonghan said, his voice soft but sure, “but I’m not afraid to find out.”

Seungcheol smiled, a small but genuine smile that made Jeonghan’s heart swell. “Me neither.”

And in that moment, it didn’t matter what the future held. All that mattered was that they were here, together, ready to face whatever came next—together.