Batch #3 [BTS and EXO]

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3 weeks earlier

The room was thick with an awkward silence

Taehyung lay on the coffee table in the middle of his living room, Jimin and Jiyoung on opposite ends of the couch, while their younger friend, Jungkook, sat awkwardly between them.
One of the reasons for Jungkook's awkwardness being that Jiyoung's most comfortable position kept changing and she was currently draped over the back of the couch with her head facing the doorway and the tv.

Hoseok was sitting in the large armchair next to the couch, looking bored, which was something for him, seeing as he was always the moodmaker of their friendship circle.

"So Tae," Hoseok's voice cut through the silence like a knife, "when is your boyfriend getting here, you said we'd watch a movie when he got here and I'm bored."

Just as the words were said, the doorbell rang, at the noise Taehyung sat up from the table,

"That should be him now," leaving the room to get the front door.  After a minute or so, he returned, with a dark haired stranger behind him and a broad, box shaped smile on his face. "Everyone," he announced, "this is my boyfriend Bae–"

Taehyung was cut off by Jiyoung sitting up, "Hey Baekhyun."  To say he was surprised was an understatement, but what surprised him more was that his boyfriend replied likewise, with a nod to Jimin as well.  Baekhyun didn't look surprised at all to know that Jiyoung knew him, although Jimin did look slightly confused

"How do you know each other?" Taehyung managed to get out from his small confused state, unfortunately the only answer he got was a single synchronised word from both Baekhyun and Jiyoung.

"Band"

After a second of silence, Taehyung realised that that was all he was going to get as an answer, he introduced Baekhyun to Jimin, Jungkook and Hoseok, and vice verca.

After choosing a movie to watch together, the groups settled down on the couches with blankets and their phones, for those who had already seen it. The lights had been turned off and the curtains drawn, and Hoseok had ordered pizza

* * *

Two movies and a few hours later, pretty much everyone was asleep on the couches or floor. Except for Taehyung and Jimin, that is. They had left the living room and were talking quietly in the kitchen, so as not to disturb their friends or Taehyung's parents.

"Are you nervous?" Jimin asked Taehyung, the pair, as well as Jungkook, Hoseok and some other people from their school that they knew, but didn't really talk to, had been selected for a program by the government.

Taehyung thought for a second before replying, "Kinda, but not really. I've been talking about it with Baekhyun for a while, pretty much since I got chosen, and he said it wasn't that bad." Taehyung and Jimin weren't in the first group of people to be chosen for this program, nor the second. They were in fact, in the third.

Jimin hummed in agreement, "yeah, I was talking to Chanyeol about it as well, but he's really closed off about it." Chanyeol was Jimin's cousin, who, with Baekhyun and some other boys, was in the group before them. "I'm more worried about Jiyoung though, we've never been apart before," he paused, "and now we're going to be apart for who knows how long."

They sat in silence, just thinking about the weeks ahead of them for a bit. "We should go to sleep now," Taehyung spoke up, "we need to get our sleep since we're supposed to be leaving tomorrow." The pair got up and walked quietly back into the living room.

Getting settled under covers in the spare spots on the couches and armchairs, Jimin and Taehyung tried to get to sleep, but only Jimin actually managed to get off to sleep quickly.  Taehyung, on the other hand, had sat next to his sleeping boyfriend and stared off into space.

Well, he thought his boyfriend was sleeping, that is. Baekhyun's arm snaked around his waist, pulling Taehyung closer to him, "You okay?" Taehyung hummed a faint yes, although it was obvious that he didn't mean it.

After a second or so of being quiet, Tae spoke, "Just nervous, I guess," he thought for a second, "you know, you've never shown me your powers from when you left."

Baekhyun let out a small chuckle, "okay." A small ball of light appeared in the palm of his hand and started circling around Taehyung's head, it stopped and fizzled out on his scrunched up nose.

After a few giggles, the pair exchanged goodnights and snuggled up under the covers together

* * *

Late afternoon the next day, Jimin got into the car with his mother driving, and they set off for Seoul. He had been informed via letter that he wouldn't need to bring anything since it was all supplied there, all he would need would be a good rest.

The half hour of driving flew by and before he knew it, Jimin's mother was hugging him and bidding him goodbye as he spotted Jungkook, who had already arrived. They were in a large white waiting room of sorts, with pale blue and purple chairs for them to sit on while the others arrived.

After maybe ten minutes, another boy walked in, Jimin recognised him from the countless band concerts and performances he had had to attend because of Jiyoung, Min Yoonji, he thought it was. 

Over the next few hours, the other boys slowly arrived, Taehyung and Hoseok came separately, but the last two boys arrived together. Jimin didn't really know the other two boys, but recognised them from the fact that they were in his year level at school.

As the seven boys sat in awkward silence around the room, a tall man in a white lab coat came in.

"Welcome, follow me to see where you'll be staying for the next few weeks."