Jungwon almost laughed from relief when Ni-ki's hungry stomach broke the tension. The whole situation was becoming increasingly ridiculous, and he was grateful for the distraction.
"I can make ramen for dinner," Jake offered, slowly standing up.
Ni-ki nodded enthusiastically. Jungwon let out a fake giggle, leaning over to poke the maknae's stomach. He had already come to terms with the fact that he had failed as a leader; the least he could do was keep his only dongsaeng happy.
"I'll help too. Anybody want fried rice?" Jay grabbed Jungwon's hands, pulling him to his feet.
Together, they shooed Sunoo and Ni-ki into the kitchen with Jake at the head of the pack.
Jungwon noted Sunghoon casually opting to stay with Heeseung in the living room. Nobody else seemed to realize, being too preoccupied with the prospect of cooking. He gently smiled to himself. His friends were so unobservant sometimes it truly hurt.
"Sunoo, help me fill these halfway with water, please." Jake handed a pot to the boy, who happily obliged.
Jungwon joined Jay, who was rummaging through the pantry for the food packets.
"Oh good, you're here," Jay said, shoving packets of minute rice and ramen into Jungwon's arms without looking. He picked up a few more and turned to face the younger boy.
Jungwon stared at him unblinkingly.
"You look hot when you style your hair like that," he announced quietly, as to not alert the others.
Jay glanced around, nervously opening his mouth.
"Hyung, how much batter do I put in the bungeoppang mold again?" Ni-ki shouted from across the kitchen.
"Oh no," Sunoo breathed.
Jake ran to the living room to recruit Sunghoon as a babysitter.
"Yah!" Jay yelled, dumping his packets on the table. He raced to stop Ni-ki from overfilling.
"Why would you ask after you started pouring?" He groaned, taking the batter and mold away.
Jake returned with Sunghoon in tow, and the latter went to get paper towels from under the sink.
"Ni-ki, why don't you help Jake hyung and Sunoo hyung with boiling the water?" Jungwon suggested, setting the rest of the packets down.
Sunoo frantically shook his head.
"Eh, maybe not," Jake grimaced. "How bout you go get the eggs instead?"
Ni-ki nodded happily, bounding towards the fridge looking much like a typhoon headed for shore.
"Try to be careful, please," Jungwon called. "They're expensive, and it looks like the company doesn't have much money to spare."
All heads in the kitchen whipped around.
"Oh, come on, that was funny," he insisted, grinning.
Ni-ki hid a smirk behind a fake yawn.
"Come here, Ni-ki, you can help me open the packets," Sunghoon said, taking Jungwon's place and leaving Jay to clean the mess by himself.
The older boy shot them a dirty glance as he wiped down the counter.
Jungwon hopped over, standing on his tippy toes to match Jay's height. "Hello."
Jay squinted at him with fake annoyance. "You people... mm."
Jungwon giggled for real this time.
***
Once the rice and ramen were cooking in their pots, Jay grabbed Jungwon's hand and dragged him into the living room, away from the others.
"You have to be more careful," he warned. "Don't let your guard down, even in the dorm. We don't know where there might be hidden mics or cameras."
"I know. I'm sorry. It's just frustrating, having to sneak around all the time."
Jay's eyes softened. He pulled the younger boy into a hug. It had been a little over a month since they started dating, and they had yet to tell their fellow bandmates. Hiding from their managers and the public was no easy feat either.
Jungwon pressed his nose into the collar of Jay's shirt; the scent of his cologne was addicting. He felt the older boy gently play with his hair while pressing light kisses on the side of his head. They stood like that, swaying silently for a couple of minutes.
"Don't forget." Jungwon playfully bit Jay's shoulder, feeling a little too vulnerable and intimate. He looked up, scrunching his face to mimic his boyfriend. "We don't know where there might be hidden mics or cameras."
Jay lazily rolled his eyes. A loud crash and a couple screams from the kitchen signaled their alone time was over, and they reluctantly left the living room.
***
"Yah!" Jay yelled for the second time that day. He clutched his head dramatically as he leaned against the counter.
Someone had managed to spill the entire pot of ramen while transporting it from the stove to the table.
"Who was it this time?" Jay sighed.
"I'm innocent." Sunoo raised his hands in the air.
"Me too. I swear." Ni-ki mirrored Sunoo.
Jay turned to Jake and Sunghoon, who immediately pointed at each other.
"Guys!" Jungwon shouted. "It doesn't matter who did it, hurry! Five-second rule!"
He knelt and started scooping up ramen with his hands. The others quickly dropped to their knees, a series of "ouch"s and "Oo, hot hot hot"s following suit.
Jake rinsed the floor ramen with water before placing it on the table next to the large bowl of fried rice. He took a seat with the others and started passing out servings.
Sunoo made a face. "We're not actually going to eat that, are we?"
"Um, did any of us wash our hands before touching it?" Sunghoon asked, poking at the noodles with his chopsticks.
They all glanced at each other before scraping their dirty ramen back into the pot.
"Hyung, pass the fried rice," Ni-ki grinned.
The sound of the front door opening announced Heeseung's return from his walk. He entered the kitchen, beaming from ear to ear.
"What's up with you?" Jungwon questioned, raising an eyebrow at the oldest member's mood change.
"I was starving," Heeseung answered.
Before anybody could warn him, he grabbed a bowl full of floor ramen and started devouring it. Jungwon tried not to laugh when Heeseung gave Jake a thumbs up.
