PROJECT: SEVENTEEN. seventeen au

HOME.

much more had happened after talks over cigarettes and ashy rooftops and starless skies.

in the floors below, three remaining teenagers sat within the comfort of the dining room. one being minghao, playing a round of solitaire, two being seungkwan, pacing back and forth whilst holding his phone to his ear, and three being jihoon, zoning in and out as he sat at his usual seat at the head of the table. though all three did businesses of their own, they shared one thing in common- they were all tired as fuck.

seungkwan ended his call, sitting down across minghao with a sigh. the air is tight with concern and uneasiness. few beats pass before someone speaks up.

"got anything?" minghao says. his hair is messier than usual, the sides of his fingers almost bleeding from all the scabs he'd picked over and over again. the aftermath of the event had taken a toll on them and their still queasy hearts.

"well...i've managed to contact jisoo-hyung," seungkwan replied, setting his phone down. his eyes are red and puffy, physically drained from everything that's been going around as well. he stifles a yawn before continuing. "he's with jeonghan, by the seaside."

"the seaside?" minghao's eyes narrow. "how the fuck did they get there?"

"honestly? i don't know," the other shrugs. he looks down on his phone. "seokmin and seungcheol though...still no response."

minghao arranged and turned cards over as he spoke. "maybe seungcheol's at your house or somethin? don't you all live together?"

"hm, i'll try later...give my phone a break first."

the two share a quiet laugh. jihoon doesn't join in. his eyes are fixated somewhere on the blank wall, mind lurking elsewhere.

"where's soonyoung?" he quietly asks. maybe with a hint of desperation in his voice. thinking about it, soonyoung might be correct- it may have been his fault for all the mess that's gone down a while ago, and his words only echo back in his mind whenever he tried to dismiss the thought. he'd concluded that it was time to fix all the shitty things that he's done. enough of being selfish and running away from what can be easily confronted.

albeit tired, the corners of seungkwan's mouth go up ever so slightly. "oh? looking for someone?"

a knowing smile appears on minghao's lips and jihoon turns red in his seat- whether from embarrassment, guilt, irritation, or mixed feelings, we do not know. he only exhales and closes his eyes, wishing for jeonghan and seungcheol and jisoo and seokmin to come home so it could all be over.

but it wasn't as easy as that. so they shall suffer.

"at least...wonwoo and mingyu's around here, right? didn't run away?" asks minghao. he'd ran out of moves and cards to exchange in his game. he sighs. "i swear, those two. someday they need to get together."

"if only." seungkwan sighs into his palm. "anyways, about soonyoung. he's in the pingpong room." he looks at jihoon with a guarded smile, cautious, wary, and a little bit afraid of what might happen next. his words come out forced. "why'd you ask, hyung?"

"seriously? why are you looking at me like that?" the elder fires back. crumbs from earlier's stress snacking tumbled down his black shirt. "i'm just-" he runs a hand through his hair and his face-"curious."

minghao snorts. "whatever you say, twink."

it's kind of been an open secret to everyone that jihoon and soonyoung somehow have had history together. the suit team and the gang know, for the two themselves had shared it with them. the computer shop kids had the luxury of sipping the tea from seungkwan. although they haven't witnessed it with their own two eyes nor heard much about it in their life, it was clear that the two had encountered each other in the past and abruptly ended whatever connection they had, most likely badly. and they needed to fix that. preferrably soon.