The dorm was unusually quiet. Too quiet. Heeseung glanced around the living room, his brows furrowing.
“Where’s Sunoo?” Heeseung asked, turning to Jungwon, who was organizing snacks.
“I thought he was with you,” Jungwon replied, looking up.
“Nope,” Jake chimed in, popping his head out of the kitchen. “I haven’t seen him all morning either.”
The realization hit them all at once: Sunoo wasn’t in the dorm.
“What if he got lost?” Niki panicked, pacing back and forth. “Or worse, kidnapped?”
“Calm down,” Sunghoon said, though his own voice carried a hint of worry. “He wouldn’t just disappear without saying anything.”
Heeseung grabbed his phone, already calling Sunoo’s number. It rang a few times before going to voicemail. “He’s not picking up,” Heeseung muttered, his jaw tightening.
“Check the security cameras!” Jungwon ordered, his leader mode kicking in.
Jake frowned. “We don’t have cameras in the dorm, genius.”
The group erupted into chaos, each member talking over the other as their imaginations ran wild.
Sunoo stretched on the plush couch, his fox ears twitching lazily. “Jay, this place is nice,” he said, a soft smile playing on his lips. “It’s so quiet compared to the dorm.”
“That’s the point,” Jay replied, sitting beside him. He pulled Sunoo closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “You needed a break from our members, and I needed some alone time with you.”
Sunoo laughed softly. “You didn’t have to drag me out like a thief in the night.”
Jay smirked, brushing a strand of hair from Sunoo’s face. “If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have this.” He leaned in, capturing Sunoo’s lips in a gentle kiss. Sunoo melted into the affection, his tail swishing contentedly behind him.
As Jay pulled away, Sunoo rested his head against his boyfriend’s chest. “You’re so sneaky,” he murmured, his voice full of affection.
“Only because I love you,” Jay said, pressing a kiss to the top of Sunoo’s head.
Back at the dorm :
Niki was the one to make the connection. “Wait,” he said, snapping his fingers. “What if he’s with Jay hyung?”
The room fell silent.
“Jay,” Sunghoon repeated, narrowing his eyes. “That guy has been too quiet lately. Of course, he’d pull something like this.”
Heeseung’s face darkened. “He better not have.”
Jake whipped out his phone and called Jay. It rang once, twice, and then:
“Hello?” Jay’s calm voice answered.
“Where is Sunoo?” Jake demanded, his tone accusatory.
“Why are you asking me?” Jay replied smoothly, but there was a slight smugness in his voice that set Jake’s alarms off.
“You do have him!” Jungwon exclaimed, leaning over Jake’s shoulder to yell into the phone.
Jay chuckled. “Calm down. He’s safe with me.”
“WHAT?!” the group shouted in unison.
The knock on the door was anything but polite. It was followed by more banging and muffled yelling.
“Jay! Open this door right now!”
Sunoo’s ears twitched at the commotion. “Uh, Jay… I think they found us.”
