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October 2025. Practice for end-of-the-year activities had already started in the SM building.
On the 3rd floor, NCT Wish were in the middle of a meeting with their manager and choreographers.
“So guys, as you know, Christmas is coming up and with it all the special stages and performances. I know you’re all super excited to see the fans as it’s already been a month since your last comeback. Therefore, we have decided you guys should cover an iconic song. Take a guess at what it could be.”
“OMG, are we doing The First Snow by EXO ? That would be so on theme for Christmas.”, Yushi asked, voice full of excitement.
“True, it would fit well but no, try again.”
“Maybe Gee by SNSD ? That’s a very iconic one.”, Riku replied, deep in thought.
“Also a very good one but no, H2H have already done it not too long ago.”
“Wait, I think I know. TT by Twice ? That would fit our cute and colourful concept, and can match Christmas’ vibe !”, Ryo jumped out of his chair.
“Hey I think we have a winner ! It is TT, are you guys cool with that ?”
The group yelled “YES” in unison, all were big GG stans, covering such a classic was going to be so much fun but it also meant they couldn’t half-ass it or antis would be flaming them the moment their stage would be done.
So practice began.
———
A week had already passed since the meeting, the group had just wrapped up recording their voices for the week and dance practice was now on the table.
Thankfully , TT was famous enough that they already knew some of the moves for the chorus and some for the pre-chorus.
But suddenly, after a few hours of learning the first 30 seconds of the song to perfection, the choreographer stopped the music abruptly.
“Something’s not right.”
The boys looked at each other, wondering which of them had made a mistake. “Guys, I promise I did it correctly”, Daeyoung defended himself as Sakuya and Ryo were staring at him.
“Hey, stop bothering him, would you ? Everyone did it perfectly, but there’s something that doesn’t feel right. I need to figure out how to make it better. See, Twice have 9 members but y’all are only 6 therefore we can’t thoroughly follow the exact same steps if we don’t want it to look awkward.”
The wishies just sat in silence as their choreographer was walking in circles trying to figure out what he could change to make the dance more pleasing to look at with minus 3 members.
Then, out of the blue : “I know ! I know ! Oh my, the fans are gonna LOVE it , I can already sense the edits. Yushi, Sion, come here please.”
The two men stood up and walked up the choreographer who had called a backup dancer up too.
“Alright, now watch and do the same for that part of the verse.” He turned the music on and moved to the center of the room with the backup dancer.
“Okay, so here’s what you’re gonna do. Yushi, after that move where you both of you put your hands in the air, what you’re gonna do is take Sion’s hand, twirl into his chest and Sion, grab him by the waist and once he’s there make eye contact. Here let me show you.”
“Czennies are going to love this oh my god, they’re basically a government ship in the fanbase”, Riku whispered to Daeyoung.
“Wait, what, aren’t we number 1 ?” The younger man answered, disappointed.
“You can’t be serious. Of course, fans love us, that’s a given, mostly cuz of my gorgeous face obviously but it’s nothing compared to these two.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket, opened TikTok, searched #YUSION, and hundreds of videos appeared. “See, this is insane, the fans are going crazy over them, but I mean I get it, like have you seen them together ?”
“Yeah I guess you’re right, I mean Sion hyung totally has a crush on Yushi hyu-”
“Bro, can you two shut up ? We’re trying to learn the dance and you keep on spewing nonsense and it’s making it hard for us to focus.” Sion shouted.
“Dude, you were supposed to whisper.”, Riku rolled his eyes.
“Huh, what kind of whisper is that fucking loud ?”, Sion continued, clearly annoyed.
Why, you ask ? Well, because Daeyoung was right, he did have a crush on Yushi, and a big one at that. Since the first time he had ever seen him smile and laugh at one of his jokes, or maybe the first time they had gone out for ice cream during their trainee years.
He wasn’t exactly sure, the only thing he knew was that he loved him, even though he knew perfectly well what Yushi liking him back and them dating would imply.
First, they were both men living between Korea and Japan, countries with advanced technologies sure, but also countries which were still ironically very conservative and weren’t exactly the safest for a gay couple.
Second, they were idols. SM idols. Still relatively new to the industry since they had only debuted last year. If they were ever caught, if any photo got in the hands of ill intended people, it would ruin both their own and their group’s careers. And with how much work had gone into training and practicing every day, sometimes from dusk till dawn, that was just unthinkable.
And, last but certainly not least, he couldn’t risk ruining his friendship with Yushi and thus ruining the group’s harmony, just for a confession that he thought for sure would be rejected. He sees me like an older brother, me confessing would gross him out so bad, I just know it, that’s why I can’t do that, that would be selfish, that’s what Sion repeated to himself every day or just whenever he got the urge to confess or kiss Yushi on the mouth.
Therefore, Yushi and Sion got to practicing their newly modified part.
It should have been an easy thing, the move was oh so simple, they had done much more difficult dances in the past, however past dances had never involved them being so close to each other.
Hence why, internally, Sion was going crazy, he couldn’t get it right, no matter how many times they tried his hand would always end up on the middle of Yushi’s back rather than his waist.
To be fair, it was a particularly hot day for October, and Yushi was only wearing a tank top with his sweatpants instead of his usual long sleeves. Thing is, the tank top lifted whenever he twirled, as a consequence, Sion’s hand would end up right on his bare skin if he touched his waist, and the older man knew he couldn’t do that without blushing aggressively and kind of exposing himself.
“Hyung, are you okay ? You usually get the dance quite fast”, Yushi asked, worried.
“I’m fine don’t worry, it’s just...I don’t know, I guess today’s just not my day.”, Sion sighed.
“Okay, well if you wanna talk about something, you know I’m always there hyung.”, Yushi smiled. Sion smiled back at him and thought he had fallen in love all over again.
After what felt like the hundredth time, the choreographer stopped them and said “ You know what, it’s 8pm, my wife’s waiting for me, I don’t have time for any more of whatever it is that you’re doing, Sion, okay ? So, have a good night’s sleep and come back tomorrow ready to put in the work, understood ?”
“Yes, sir.”, Sion replied, embarrassed.
“Right, or else I’m gonna have to change it up again and I really don’t have time for that, you know I love you guys but you’re not the only group I have, I’m very busy and we only have two months to prepare all the performances that come at the end of the year. So goodnight and go. (Ariana reference😛)”. He left and so did they.
At the dorm, 10 pm.
They had all finished eating dinner and had gone back to their rooms, when Sion heard a knock at his door. “Hyung, it’s me, can I come in ?” Sion recognized that voice instantly, jumped out of his bed and unlocked the door. “Sure, come on in, baby” Yushi didn’t flinch, he was used to Sion’s pet names, he knew (or at the very least he thought) it was totally platonic.
Sure, best friends of 7 years calling each other “baby” was a tiny bit weird, but he cherished his friendship with Sion so much he was willing to let it slide.
They both sat down on Sion’s bed.
“So, what’s up ? You should already be asleep, you know ? We have early practice tomorrow.”, Sion started.
“I know, hyung, you’ve told me like a thousand times already. Besides, you’re not sleeping either, your eyes are wide open from what I can see, unless I’m actually asleep and this is a dream.”, Yushi said ironically.
“I’m older than you, that’s why I get to stay up late and you don’t. I mean, you’re basically a baby, baby.”, Sion smirked.
“Oh my god, not you bringing up your age again, you old rag. We’re not even two full years apart??”, Yushi replied, annoyed by the constant mention of age. Seriously, this joke was getting old.(pun intended)
“I’m aware, but still.”
“Ugh, you’re so annoying, but I fear we BEEEEN knew and that’s not what I’m here for.”, Yushi sighed.
“What are you here for then ?”, Sion raised an eyebrow.
Yushi looked down so he wouldn’t face Sion.
“Do you not...Hum, I mean, are you uncomfortable with the choreo ? You know, with how close we are ? I know this isn’t something we have done before, so I will totally understand if that’s the case, you don’t have to lie to me. I’m your best friend, I might know you better than I do my own self and the way you kept messing it up was so unlike you, it just kinda got me worrying.”
There was a long pause before Sion responded. His mind was spiralling, trying to think of an excuse that wasn’t just straight up saying “I blush so hard every time you brush my hand when you’re walking past me in the hallways, that I’m afraid I’ll turn into a tomato if I touch your waist.”
Yushi continued to stare down at the floor, waiting for a response but getting more anxious as each second of silence passed.
“It’s not that I’m comfortable with it, as you said we’re friends so being close isn’t really a big deal but there’s this thing I have that I can’t tell you about that makes sorta freeze whenever it gets to that particular move.”, Sion finally answered.
“Thing ? What thing ? Do you have a crush or something ?”, Yushi laughed, not realising the irony of the situation. However, Sion’s cheeks turned pink at his comment, which was very unusual, his hyung was always so composed that any bit of actual emotion seemed like a miracle. “Wait, do you actually ? Who is it ? Tell me, I promise I won’t tell anyone.”, Yushi begged.
Sion struggled to get his words out, internally fighting the urge to confess his feelings right then and there. But finally, “It’s a secret, no one knows or can know, it’s better that way.”
“Just who is that girl that you can’t even tell your best friend about it ? I mean, I don’t even know who she is but she seems like bad news.”, Yushi huffed.
“What are you talking about ? “Bad news” seriously ? Who are you ? My mom ?”, Sion laughed, the irony really making him lose it.
“I’m just saying that whoever she is, if she was that great we’d be hearing all about her qualities and stuff, but we’re not. So, I’m suggesting you find someone better, like...”, Yushi went quiet.
“Like who ?”, Sion raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t know. I mean, seems like even I could be a better fit.”, Yushi blushed at his own sentence.
“Yushi what...What did you just say ?”, Sion sat up, eyes wide in disbelief.
Yushi turned his head and got closer to Sion, so close their noses were almost touching. The older man was too stunned to move or speak, and just stared at the chestnut-haired angel in front of him.
“I said, even I would be a better fit.”, Yushi whispered, grabbed Sion’s face with his hand and put a light kiss on his lips.
The black-haired man was so startled by the sudden kiss that his heart started beating so fast he thought it was going to jump out of his chest. He couldn’t move, his body was freezing in place, he didn’t even close his eyes, too flabbergasted by what was happening.
Seeing his reaction, Yushi broke the kiss, blinked about a hundred times, realising what he had just done and got up. “I’m sorry hyung, I don’t know why I did that, please forget what just happened.”, he said with tears rolling down his cheeks. He turned towards the room and began to run out.
“Yushi, wai-”. Yushi slammed the door as he got out.
“Oh my god, there’s no way I’m getting even an ounce of sleep after that.”, Sion buried his red blushing face in his pillow with his heart beating a thousand miles an hour. He ended dozing off anyway, his mind full of dreams about Yushi.
In his room, Yushi pulled his blanket all over his head so his whole body was hidden and cried into his pillow.
“Why did I do that ? Now, we won’t ever be able to go back to the way we were, he must think I’m disgusting and weird. I just lost my best friend because of my selfishness, I’m so dumb, I hate my life.” He sobbed.
That’s when a voice spoke from across the room.
“Hyung, are you crying ? Is something wrong ?”, it was Daeyoung who had seen his usually calm hyung run into the room and bury himself in his bed without any explanation.
“I’m fine, go back to sleep Daeyoung, we have to wake up at 6 tomorrow.”, Yushi uttered, his voice still shaking from the crying and his face still engulfed in his pillow.
“Are you sure ? I can go fetch Sion hyung if you-”
“NO. Don’t do that. I’m fine, let’s just sleep, okay ?”, Yushi said firmly.
“Alright. Good night hyung.”, Daeyoung laid back down.
“Yeah, good night.”, Yushi replied with a low voice, still sniffling.
———
7 am, in the practice room.
The group was waiting for their choreographer to arrive. He was late, but that was not their main concern. Their main concern was that Yushi and Sion, who had the habit of relating their dreams to each other every morning, hadn’t spoken a word to one another since they woke up and they were now on their phones sitting on opposite sides of the room.
“Hum, guys did something happen or have I missed a chapter ? Because why are those two acting so odd ?”, Sakuya asked Riku quietly.
“I don’t know dude, Daeyoung told me Yushi was crying when he came back from Sion’s room.”, Riku whispered back.
“WHAT ? Do you think they had a argument ?”, Sakuya said with a shocked face.
“But, that’s so unlike them though ? They rarely argue and when they do, they always make up pretty fast, it’s never like this.”, Ryo added.
“I know, I know, it’s weird. But let’s just wait for Mr. Choreographer, when he gets there we’ll practice and act as usual then maybe eventually we’ll figure out what’s going on, alright ?”, Riku declared.
The three other boys nodded.
Their dance instructor finally arrived and they started warming up.
Five hours later, 12 pm.
“Guys, let’s stop here for now and go grab some lunch”
It was now time to recharge their batteries and thankfully for Sion and Yushi the teacher had decided to focus on another part of the dance that didn’t involve their little spinning move.
Yushi left first for the cafetaria. Riku followed him, determined to get some answers about his weird behavior.
Once they got there, they sat down to eat some chicken flavoured ramen, and Riku got to work.
“Did you and Sion get into a fight ?”, he asked.
“Huh, why do you ask ? Sion and I never fight and you know it.”, Yushi continued eating, not looking at Riku in the eyes.
“Then, why are you two acting like you don’t even know each other ?”
“It’s complicated, it’s my fault, I don’t wanna talk about it.”, Yushi looked down.
“Well you have to, you guys’ behavior is creating this awkward atmosphere in the practice room so now it’s not only your problem but also ours. Yushi, we’ve known each other for so long, you can trust me I won’t tell anyone if you don’t want me to but please tell me what happened so I can at least figure out how to help you.” Riku put his hand over Yushi’s reassuringly.
Yushi turned his head to look at where Sion was sitting silently with the rest of the group.
“We kissed.”
“You WHAT ?”, Riku almost jumped out of his chair. “Wait, are you guys together ? Why didn’t you tell me ?”
“Because we’re not. Last night, I went to his room to figure out why he couldn’t do the dance properly, and he said it was because he had a crush on someone, which is a normal thing. But, he wouldn’t tell me who it was and I don’t know why but I suddenly got so jealous that I said some stupid shit like I would be a better fit and I kissed him.”
“Did he... kiss you back ?”
“No, he didn’t obviously because he doesn’t see me that way. Seriously, you should’ve seen his face, he looked horrified, so I apologized and ran out of the room.”
“He “doesn’t see you that way” ? Yushi, can I ask how do you see him ?”
“I don’t know, I’m not really sure, it only just kinda hit me yesterday. I always just assumed he would always be by my side, that I wouldn’t have to share him with anyone, and I never heard him talk about having crushes before so I never gave it much thought and I just presumed he felt the same. And yesterday, it was like that little fantasy world shattered into a million pieces, but it’s my fault for getting my hopes up, after all we’re just best friends.”, Yushi replied sighing.
“Okay so what I’m hearing is that you’ve had a crush on him for years but only came to realize it yesterday because he mentioned liking someone else. You’ve then lost your cool, kissed him out of jealousy and escaped the room like a thief because you were terrified of what he might say. Is that correct ?”, Riku asked with an investigator voice.
“Oh my gosh, you’re making this whole thing sound so dumb. I really am some fucking idiot, aren’t I ?”, Yushi put his forehead on the table to hide his embarrassed face.
“Honestly, yeah you kinda are Yushi.”
“Wow thanks, just what I needed to hear, hey remind me to never tell you anything ever again.”
“Ugh, you’re so dramatic. Listen, I’m like 99% sure the person Sion has a crush on is you and he’s just afraid to tell you because he thinks you only see him as some kind of, I don’t know, older brother or something ?”
Yushi raised his head to look at Riku.
“How can you be sure ? Did he tell you ?”, Yushi stuttered.
“No but he doesn’t need to since he’s basically going to dig a hole in your face with how intensely he’s staring at you right now.”
Yushi turned his head to see Sion’s fixed gaze on him.
Riku continued “I mean, seriously how more obvious can a man even be ? Do you know how many times he replied to your fans’ comments saying things like “Don’t bother posting him, he’s mine anyway” ?
I counted. 22 times. You hear me ? Twenty-two.
And there was also this one time he almost threatened Daeyoung not to touch you when he’s not around.
Oh, and also this one time where I had to wake him up from a nap and he was mumbling your name in his sleep.
And I bet the reason he can't get that move is because touching you is making him feel shy.
You guys call each other “baby” on a daily basis, like it’s the most natural thing in the world, you always fall asleep on top of each other on the sofa after practice, and he gives you forehead kisses when you cry.
Yushi, he even bought you your favorite chocolate for Valentine’s day for fuck’s sake. He’s in love with you, there’s no second guessing necessary. Anyone with eyes can see it, anyone but you apparently.”
“What ? How did I not...notice...that ?”, Yushi was having a hard time processing all this information. Sion had been in love with him since the beginning and he was too stupid to notice. Or perhaps he had noticed but just didn’t want to admit it to himself, scared of what that would mean.
“You know what ? There’s no point in practicing if you lovebirds haven’t resolved your issues, I’ll tell the choreographer you were both coming down with some kind of flu and had to go back to the dorm to rest. I’m doing you a favour, so please for the love of God don’t fuck anything up. Except maybe Sion, but DON’T YOU DARE do it on the sofa or ISTG I’ll kill you both with my bare hands.”, Riku exclaimed.
“Riku, ew, stop talking. But thank you, I’ll try to resolve this to the best of my abilities.”
“Yeah you owe me one, that’s for sure.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted the plan to Daeyoung.
30 minutes later, Yushi and Sion were back at the dorm.
The tension was heavy and the silence was loud. Yushi was dissociating when Sion started speaking, breaking the silence.
“So, for how long have you been sick ? Are you feeling alright ? Do you need some medecine ?”
Yushi raised an eyebrow, confused. “Medecine ? What, no, Sion, what did Daeyoung tell you ?”
“Huh ? He told me you had the flu and that I needed to check on you and watch over you until you feel better.”, Sion answered.
“Yeah, no that’s not true, I’m not actually sick.”
“Then why are we here ?”, now it was Sion’s turn to be confused.
“Because we need to talk. Let’s sit on the sofa.”, Yushi said firmly. He started walking towards the couch.
“Oh. Alright.”, Sion followed him into the living-room.
They sat down on the soft yellow sofa, a bit further apart than usual, the tension still very palpable in the air surrounding them.
“Listen, hyung, I’m sorry I got so jealous yesterday that I kissed you on impulse. It’s just that, to be honest, I like you, Sion. Not like a best friend or a younger brother but like a lover.
I don’t want you to look at anyone else but me or to have crushes on other people. I want to kiss you and hug you, cuddle in your bed when I’m feeling sad or exhausted, celebrate anniversaries and go on cute dates when we’re on vacation in a city where nobody knows us.
I want to tell everyone that you’re my boyfriend, that no one else can have you.”, Yushi explained, talking so fast he was slurring some of his words. He seemed confident but the light pink on his cheeks was betraying him, his embarrassed self peaking through.
“Yushi”, Sion tried to stop him.
“And I’m sorry it took me so long to realize I had feelings for you, I’m sorry I didn’t get the hint even if you went above and beyond for me to notice you.” His voice was breaking, tears building up in his eyelids. “It’s just a bit hard to grasp that someone as cool and wonderful as you would take in interest in me, so much that I never considered it possible. I’m sorry, I love you.”, beautiful strings of water started rolling down his face and he was full on sobbing now.
Sion tried to wipe his tears away by brushing Yushi’s cheeks, but there was no sign of them stopping anytime soon. Therefore, he pulled him into a tight hug and started drawing soothing motions on his back, patting his head from time to time.
“Baby, don’t cry. It’s okay, everything’s okay, I’m here. I’m yours and yours only and I have been for years now even if you didn’t know, so you don’t need to worry.”, he reassured the younger boy in his arms.
Once he felt that Yushi had come back to his senses, Sion grabbed his waist and carried him to his bedroom, the others could come back at any time and he didn’t want to risk exposing his angel’s crying face to everyone. Instinctively and without a care in the world, Yushi wrapped his legs around Sion’s hips.
Sion put Yushi down slowly, gently on the bed before covering them with the thick and comforting blanket and cuddling against him. Yushi rested his face on Sion’s chest, as they hugged, his steady heartbeat soothing him. Finally, he felt relaxed.
“Yushi, are you sure about this though ?”
“About what ?”
“About us dating since we’re, you know, both men but also rookie idols who’ve only just started in this crazy industry. If we ever get caught, it could not only ruin our careers but it could also be seriously dangerous for us as not everyone is accepting of queer people. I’ll do my best to protect you of course, but I won’t always be there to do so, so I’m terrified something might happen that would end up in you getting hurt. It’s unbearable to just think about.
You know, I love more than you can imagine, and believe me when I say I’m sure there isn’t any word in any language that can transcribe the deepness of the affection I have for you. So I just don’t want you to take this decision lightly because if you decide you want to be mine, you can never ever go back, I won’t let you go. Ever.”, Sion declared, his gaze fixed on Yushi’s beaming eyes.
The younger shifted his body so he was eye-level with Sion.
He put his hand on the older’s cheek as he said “Sion, I know us being together will most likely bring us hardships and that it won’t always be easy. However, when those moments eventually arrive, we’ll be facing them together, as a pair, as partners, as lovers. With you, I know the pros will always outweigh the cons, we’ve already shared so many beautiful memories together, so let’s focus on those waiting for us instead of being afraid, okay ? I love you.”
Sion nodded, his eyes glistening with what seemed like tears of joy.
“Can I kiss you ? I won’t run out the room again, I promise.”, Yushi asked.
Sion laughed. “Of course, baby, my whole body is yours anyway you don’t need to ask.”
And so, they kissed. First, lightly, innocently, testing each other’s waters before Sion deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue inside Yushi’s mouth, which made the younger make a silent noise in the back of his throat.
Sion moved, shifting himself so that he was now on top of Yushi, jailing in between in his arms and legs. It felt a little possessive, like he didn’t want anyone to see his precious Yushi’s flustered face and wanted to keep him all to himself (which, let’s be honest, he did).
But mostly, it felt like relief, Sion had been waiting for years just to have this particular moment, had imagined it countless times. At some point, he had almost considered converting to a religion to pray to some higher-being above he didn’t even believe existed to let him have this at least once in his life.
Yushi felt content, happy, over the moon really. He had his arms wrapped around Sion’s neck, bringing their bodies closer to each other. Sion’s kisses were overwhelming but not in a way that overshadowed him, more like he was trying to envelop him with his touch.
They continued for some time, before pulling apart to breathe. Sion kissed Yushi’s forehead like he did when the other was having a hard time. He moved to his side, and they settled back in their original position, closer than ever. Sion looked at the time on his alarm clock, it was 8pm now. Wow, time really flies when you love someone, he thought. Yushi was already falling asleep in his arms. He kissed the top of his head and hugged him tighter.
“Good night, baby, sweet dreams.”
“Good...night.” Yushi was asleep and Sion joined him a few minutes later.
An hour later, footsteps entered the dorm.
“Yushi ? Sion ? Where are you guys ?”, Sakuya called as he didn’t see them in the living room, the bathroom or the kitchen.
“Where did they run off to this time ?”, Daeyoung sighed.
“Wait, y’all I have an idea. Follow me.”, Riku said. The three boys walked in his steps as he headed quietly to their leader’s room. Riku lightly opened the door, slightly ajar, just enough to see two familiar faces cuddled together on the bed. “Aww, so cute, there they are. Guys, come look quickly.”
They looked silently through the door before heading back to the living-room.
“I knew it, I knew they had a thing for each other ! Oh, I’m so happy for them. Daeyoung, quick, give me a kiss so I don’t get fomo from watching them”, Riku said laughing, eyes full of relief and happiness.
“You’re ridiculous, seriously.”, Daeyoung gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
“I’m just glad they’re not fighting anymore, we’re finally gonna be able to do the dance properly.”, Ryo said with an excited tone.
———
Now, rumour has it, they did have quite a viral moment for this dance cover. Guess Ryo was right, everything went back to normal after all.