yeah... i think you guys can guess the reason why i haven't uploaded in a while (i got lazy)
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Dawit sat down in the empty living room of their dorm, the couch looking too big. Usually, everyone would be there. Everyone should be there, if not for their individual schedules.
He knew from the start that their group growing would mean that members would become more popular than others. That was evident from the start when Donghyun was their main fan attractor, then it was Hyunwoo whose visuals gained traction. Minwoo and Kyungmin followed, going viral for their visuals just like Hyunwoo. Next was Yejun who had everyone in awe at his smarts, and lastly were Yewang and Jaeho, who debuted in a duo unit and have been promoting since.
Dawit was somewhere in the middle there, too, but whenever he came home to an empty dorm after a solo schedule, he realized how much the members impacted his life.
Usually they'd all be in one car together, going to the same place at the same time. But now, Donghyun would wake up earlier than the others, Yewang and Jaeho would be gone first thing in the morning for a recording, and Yejun would be off in the afternoon for another variety show. Sometimes, Minwoo wouldn't even come home from an overseas modelling schedule, or Hyunwoo would be gone for the night filming another drama, and Kyungmin wouldn't come home for another 2 months filming a survival show.
Dawit had his fair share of schedules, too. Modelling, acting, variety shows, all the likes, but he always somehow came home the earliest. It was 6pm, Donghyun would be home around 9 and then the rest would follow.
He was alone in their dorm yet again.
When was the last time they had a comeback? It's been a while since they finished promoting their last one, and C9 were already planning on debuting a new girl group, leaving Dawit to doubt if they'll have one again.
As he stared at the setting sun, doubts filled him. Was this it? Was this the end of their group? Was everyone gonna go on separate paths from now on?
He doesn't come home to Minwoo and Hyunwoo's bickering anymore, or any of Kyungmin and Donghyun's kitchen shenanigans. He doesn't even see Yejun with Yewang and Jaeho playing Valorant or League, either, and that used to be their ritual.
Just an empty shell of a house.
Dawit doesn't even hear the door opening through his thoughts. The quiet footsteps escaped him while he looked out the window, wondering what the others were up to right now. Were they thinking of him and everyone else, too?
"Hyung, are you crying? Is... everything alright?"
A voice made his head turn so fast, he almost got whiplash. It was Jaeho, holding a two bags of snacks in his hand that he settled on the ground. He was right. Dawit didn't even realize he was crying until the other pointed it out.
The blonde didn't cry easily. In fact, he was probably the second least of a crybaby in the group. Not that it mattered much, they weren't really much of a group anymore, were they?
"N-No, yeah, everything's fine." He dismissed, wiping the tears from his eyes. "You're home early. Where's Yewang?"
Jaeho sat next to him on the couch, their thighs touching as if to remind him he was there. He was real. He hasn't left. "Staying back to polish up the choreography. What about you, I thought you were doing a photoshoot for bulgari?"
"We finished early, so I just went back home. I guess I should've taken up the director's offer to go out for a bit..."
Jaeho's eyes softened and he placed a hand on the older's. Just as he was about to say something, Dawit's shoulders began to shake ever so slightly, gripping the younger's hand tight.
"Hyung..."
"I miss everyone. The dorm is just so empty and I..." He trailed off on his words, interrupted by a choking sob in his throat. Jaeho pulled him close, wrapping his arms aroudn him and letting Dawit cry into his shoulder. Not once did they let go of each other's hand.
"I know, hyung, I miss them too. Everyone does, but it's gonna be okay. We'll always be EPEX. No one's gonna be left behind." The two toned boy comforted the crying man, feeling tears prickle in his eyes himself.
"I'm happy for everyone and for our career, I really am! I just... wish we could all be together again." He said in between pitiful sobs.
"Don't worry, we will." Jaeho gripped Dawit's sweater reassuringly, and their breaths began to sync. Dawit still sniffled every now and then, but his heartbeat wasn't as erratic, and his mind was clearer.
Jaeho never let him go, not once. No more words were exhanged between them, as they knew that any more would send them both into crying fits. There was only so much to be said before the tears start welling up again.
Their bodies rocked softly with the quiet birds chirping. Even if it was approaching night, the birds didn't seem to leave their side, just right outside of the window.
Breathing was the only thing that could be heard in the peaceful atmosphere. They liked it that way. Calm.
That was all Dawit needed, really. He just needed someone to be with again. One more lonely night in the dorm, he wouldn't know what to do. Jaeho's prescence next to him made him feel real again, and the younger never made him feel alone throughout the whole duration of them being together.
When Jaeho looked at the clock, he realized that it was almost 7pm. Just how long had they been together on that couch? He turned his head slightly to look at Dawit, only to hear the older's light snoring.
A warm smile came upon his lips as he carefully laid down on his back on the couch, Dawit splayed on top of him and sleeping soundly like a baby.
"It's okay, hyung. We're here for you." Jaeho kissed the blonde's forehead and drifted off to sleep, too.
For the first time in a while, Jaeho and Dawit felt warmth. No longer just from the sun, but from another person. From family.
