The practice room was nearly dark, except for the soft reflection of blue light stretching across the mirror. Music hummed low through the speakers, a loop of the same chorus xinlong had been practicing for hours. All the members had already went back, but he was still there, pushing himself even though he was missing the warmth of his love's arms.
Xinlong’s shirt clung to him, the edges damp with sweat. His hair stuck to his forehead, chest rising and falling fast as he caught his breath. The air conditioner hummed in the background, but it didn’t seem to help — he was giving his all.
You waited as you saw your boyfriend forcing himself to become better and better even though in your eyes? He was perfect. You pushed the door open carefully. The faint click echoed, and his head turned toward the sound immediately.
“...hey,” you whispered, holding up a small paper bag. “I brought cookies. Your favourite ones, the one I make with extra choco chips on top."
For a moment, the tired lines in his face softened — that little, unmistakable smile that only ever appeared when you were there. “You shouldn’t be here this late,” he murmured, but his voice carried no real protest.
You stepped closer, your shoes barely making a sound on the polished floor. “Couldn’t sleep,” you said, a pout forming. “And you didn’t reply to my message. Wakeone is keeping you away from me." He laughed quietly, pinching your cheek. "I was practicing."
“I can see that,” you said, setting the bag on the speaker and reaching for the hem of his sleeve. “You’re sweating so much, baby." You immediately threw yourself on him, gently though as he tightened his arms around you, your face buried on his chest - not caring about the sweat, as you looked up at him, speaking. "you stink." he rolled his eyes at that but couldn't help the small laugh that escaped "well because I was practicing since 2 hours."
he picked you up as you wrapped your legs around his torso and arms around his neck for support, burying your face in the crook of his neck now as he settled down, back pressed against the floor and you on his lap. You reached into the bag, breaking a cookie in half and pressing it to his lips before he could protest. "Made it with love."
He bit into it, laughing again as crumbs dusted his lip. You leaned in instinctively, wiping them away with your thumb — and then pressed a small kiss where your thumb had been. Just like that, the tension in his shoulders seemed to fall away.
He cupped your cheek softly, thumb brushing against your skin. As he was lost in your eyes, "Gosh, I love you so much." He spoke, his voice carrying nothing but gentleness and love as you giggled, leaning your forehead against his.
The music kept playing, but it faded into the background. You pressed tiny kisses on his jaw, his cheek, his temple — every place your lips could reach. He returned them lazily, each one softer than the last, until both of you were just a mess of laughter and half-whispered words. “Missed you,” you mumbled against his soft lips.
“I’m right here,” he murmured back, voice barely above a breath. “Always right here.”
You nuzzled closer, fingers tracing the edge of his collarbone. His hand found your back, warm and steady, drawing lazy circles as if memorizing you all over again, he pressed a soft but long kiss on your lips before pulling back as you pouted, leaning and pressing your lips against him again earning a chuckle from him, both of you sharing soft kisses and kisses - the cookies in the side, forgotten.
Outside, the city was asleep. Inside the practice room, it felt like time had stopped — just two people under the pale light, deep in love.
You leaned up to kiss him one more time, soft and sleepy. “Promise me you’ll rest after this, okay?” He nodded, forehead pressed to yours. “Only if you stay until I do.”
You smiled, curling against him as his breathing slowed. The dance practice could wait — for now, the only rhythm that mattered was the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath your cheek.
note: italics is chinese, normal is korean, bold is english
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meixing’s body ached as she got ready the morning after the mission, the grueling intensity of preparing for the performance finally catching up to her now that they had a few days of rest before the elimination. every stretch pulled at sore muscles, and she had to pause more than once just to breathe through it.
the dorm was empty. everyone had left before she’d even woken up, scattering across campus to hang out with friends while also being pulled aside one by one for filming. the silence felt strange after days and days of constant noise, but she didn’t mind it.
they had been told there would be a small shoot today and that they needed to wear their own clothes. nothing crazy, just something camera ready. whatever they were filming was being kept a secret, which only made everyone on campus both confused and buzzing with excitement.
meixing moved slowly as she got dressed, taking her time. she settled on a pair of jeans and a loose off the shoulder white top she had cut herself after buying it, the fabric soft and familiar against her skin. comfort won over style today.
she stood in front of the mirror by the door, arms lifted as she gathered her hair, when a knock sounded. she barely had time to register it before the door was already opening.
“you look crazy.” suren said the second he saw her.
meixing was in the middle of slicking her hair back into a bun, the front pieces still loose and framing her face at awkward angles. she met his eyes through the mirror.
“how kind,” she deadpanned. “really warms my heart. what do you want?”
“nothing,” suren shrugged, stepping fully into the doorway. “i take it you haven’t filmed yet.”
she shook her head, fingers tightening around the hair tie as she finished looping it into place. “have you?” she asked, turning to face him.
“yeah.” he replied simply, a small smirk already tugging at his lips.
meixing narrowed her eyes immediately. “what?” she pointed at his face. “don’t make that expression. what is it?”
she took a step closer, nearly bouncing on her feet now. “come on. tell me. just a hint.”
“can’t say.” suren sang, leaning back against the doorframe like he was enjoying this far too much.
meixing dramatically pouted. “you’re so annoying.” she said, punctuating it by lightly punching his shoulder. suren barely reacted, only laughing as she slipped into her sneakers. she shoved him out of the way with her hip and stepped into the hallway, already halfway gone.
she started stalking down the corridor when suren called after her from in front of her door. “where are you going?”
“anxin.” she shouted back without slowing down, her voice echoing as she got to the stairs and jumped down them, her feet causing an echo as she did so.
suren snorted to himself, instantly understanding the message, and turned on his heel to go find zihao instead.
meixing walked across campus toward the all star dorms, letting herself slow down now that she was outside. the late morning air was cool and fresh, carrying the distant sounds of laughter and footsteps from other trainees moving between buildings. it felt strange to have nowhere she was urgently supposed to be.
as she passed one of the practice buildings, she caught the eye of liyu, sanghyeon, and woojin, who were heading in the opposite direction toward the one star dorms. they exchanged smiles and quick greetings as they passed each other.
“good morning.” meixing said warmly.
“morning.” woojin replied, offering a small wave.
she kept walking, but the familiar flicker of awkwardness lingered in her chest. she still felt a little unsure around some of the planet k trainees who had not been in her mission group. it wasn’t anything personal. there just had not been time to really get to know them, not with rehearsals and evaluations swallowing up every free moment. she hoped that once things slowed down, even a little, that would change.
when she reached the all star dorms, her steps picked up again. she bounded up the stairs toward anxin’s room, muscle memory guiding her without thought. she had been here countless times with suren, zihao, and kaiwen, enough that it almost felt like a second dorm.
without realizing it, she did exactly what suren had done to her earlier. she gave the door a quick knock and pushed it open before anyone could answer.
“hey.” she started to say, already stepping inside.
she froze a second later, surprised to find far more people in the room than she expected. anxin was there, of course, along with his roommate geonwoo, whom she had only spoken to a handful of times. but several other trainees were scattered around the room too, sitting on beds, leaning against bed frames, mid conversation.
“woah.” she muttered, a little taken aback as the eyes of anxin, geonwoo, jiahao, kangmin, sangwon, and leo all turned toward her when she pushed the door open.
anxin visibly lit up the moment he saw her. “jiejie!” he gasped, breaking into a wide grin as he immediately patted the space on his bed between himself and jiahao, clearly inviting her over.
“anxinie!” she replied just as brightly, matching his energy without hesitation.
she kicked her shoes off at the door and hurried across the floor, sliding into the open spot. her knee bumped lightly into jiahao’s as she sat, and she barely acknowledged it before tugging anxin into her arms. she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, and he curled into her instinctively, like it was second nature.
“aww, anxinie!” leo teased from the bed across the room, a small, fond smile tugging at his lips as he watched them. judging by the looks on their faces, everyone else in the room found the pair just as endearing.
anxin, however, did not seem to care in the slightest. “shush.” he mumbled, scooting even closer. her familiar citrusy perfume wrapped around him, and any tension he had been carrying that morning melted away almost immediately.
“there’s so many people in here.” meixing murmured quietly, her voice low as she glanced around the room.
somehow, kangmin still caught it. “do you not like us?” he teased from his spot beside leo, brows raised dramatically.
she smirked at him. “i’m thinking about it.” she shot back, her tone playful and lacking any real bite. kangmin burst into laughter at that.
once he finally calmed down, sangwon spoke up from where he was sitting on the floor in front of geonwoo’s bed. “have you gone yet?” he asked curiously, his voice gentle.
meixing shook her head. “nope,” she replied. then she tilted her head slightly. “have you?”
“no,” sangwon shook his head in response. “we’ll probably get called soon, though.”
meixing nodded in agreement before turning to jiahao, who sat quietly beside her.
“did you go?” she asked. anxin’s eyes shifted between the two of them, his head still resting comfortably on meixing’s shoulder, clearly invested in their conversation.
jiahao nodded and opened his mouth to answer, but he was cut off almost immediately by kangmin’s loud voice.
“we went!” kangmin grinned, pointing back and forth between himself and jiahao like he was proud of it.
meixing sighed dramatically. “what is it?” she pressed, leaning forward a little.
kangmin shook his head, clearly enjoying her suffering. “i’m not telling you.” he said with a chuckle.
“bitch.” she muttered under her breath, just quiet enough that she thought she’d get away with it.
she did not.
anxin’s shoulders shook against her as he tried to hold in his laughter, and jiahao had to press his lips together, turning his head away so kangmin wouldn’t see him smiling.
meixing shot them both a look before turning back to jiahao. “will you tell me?” she asked, lowering her voice like it was a serious negotiation.
“no.” he replied simply, a small smile slowly forming as he watched her pout.
she huffed out an annoyed breath just as a knock sounded at the door. the room went quiet as a staff member stepped inside, clipboard in hand.
“good, you’re all here,” he muttered, scanning the paper. “i need sangwon, leo, and meixing for filming.”
the three of them exchanged glances and began to stand. sangwon and leo were on their feet almost immediately, but meixing barely made it an inch before anxin tightened his grip around her waist, clinging to her like his life depended on it.
“no,” he complained quietly, burying his face into her side. “stay.”
she laughed, reaching down to pat his arm. “anxin, i have to go.”
he only held on tighter.
“anxin.” jiahao sighed, leaning over to pry anxin’s arms apart. it took a surprising amount of effort before anxin finally let go. meixing stood up at last, steadying herself and giving jiahao an appreciative look.
“thank you.” she said, still laughing.
anxin groaned dramatically and flopped back onto the bed the moment she slipped free, staring up at the ceiling like he had been personally betrayed.
“i’ll be back.” meixing called over her shoulder as she slipped her shoes on and followed after leo and sangwon.
anxin lifted one hand weakly in response. “you better.” he muttered, making the boys in the room laugh as the door closed behind her.
the three of them stayed relatively quiet as they followed the staff member down the hall and out the door toward wherever the secret segment was being filmed. their footsteps echoed softly against the ground. sangwon walked between leo and meixing, his arms swinging naturally at his sides. when the sun caught his hands just right, meixing caught a glimpse of color on his nails, and her eyes immediately lit up.
“do you paint your nails?” she blurted out without thinking, drawing the attention of both boys.
“huh?” sangwon asked softly, a little startled. then he glanced down at his hands and realized what she meant. “oh. yeah.” he said shyly, rubbing his thumb against his fingers as if suddenly aware of them.
“can i see?” meixing asked, already holding her hand out toward him, her curiosity completely genuine.
after a brief hesitation, sangwon let her take his hand. he stayed quiet as she turned it slightly, examining his nails with interest. the colors were simple, just black and blue, but neatly done.
“those are cute.” she said when she finally let go, clearly impressed.
leo snorted beside them, clearly entertained by her wording.
sangwon ducked his head a little. “thanks.” he replied, his ears turning red.
“sorry,” meixing apologized quickly, a little worried she had weirded him out. “i went to nail school, so i was just curious to see.” she explained, gesturing vaguely toward his hands.
“i didn’t know that.” leo said, turning his head to look at her from sangwon’s other side. sangwon nodded in agreement, clearly just as surprised.
meixing grinned, encouraged, and started talking about it more, explaining how it had started as a small hobby and slowly turned into something she genuinely loved. she talked with her hands as she spoke, animated but relaxed, and both boys listened attentively without interrupting.
“maybe i can do yours sometime.” she offered to sangwon when she finished, half joking but clearly sincere.
“yeah, okay.” he replied lightly, though the way he smiled suggested he already knew he would probably take her up on it.
eventually, the staff member slowed to a stop. they found themselves surrounded by trees, the campus fading into the background. ahead of them was a narrow stone path, and faint voices from a camera crew drifted up from somewhere further down.
“okay,” the staff member said, turning around. “leo and sangwon, you guys are gonna go first. meixing, you’ll wait up here until they’re done, then you go.”
all three of them nodded.
meixing shifted her weight from foot to foot as she watched leo and sangwon head down the path, their figures disappearing behind the trees. she strained to hear what was going on, curiosity gnawing at her, but they were too far away for her to catch anything useful.
the minutes dragged by painfully slow.
after what felt like forever but was probably only ten minutes, the two boys finally reappeared, walking back up the path toward her.
“your turn.” leo grinned, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
meixing immediately tensed. “am i gonna get canceled?” she blurted out, genuine nerves slipping into her voice. everyone had been acting so strange all day that her imagination was running wild.
leo only laughed. “maybe.”
he and sangwon exchanged one last mischievous smile before turning and walking off like they had not just ruined her peace of mind.
“huh?” meixing exclaimed, staring after them. “are you serious right now?”
neither of them even looked back.
she let out a long sigh and rolled her eyes before following the staff member down the stone path. leaves crunched under her shoes as she walked.
“leo, i swear to god.” she muttered under her breath, trudging forward. her attention was so focused on grumbling that she nearly tripped over an uneven stone, catching herself at the last second.
her complaints died instantly when she stepped into the clearing.
she froze.
rows and rows of cardboard cutouts stared back at her, arranged in neat lines like some kind of surreal audience.
“what the.” she breathed, stopping dead in her tracks.
her eyes drifted to the banner stretched across the front. planet alpha visual competition.
the realization hit her all at once, and she nearly collapsed where she stood. “oh god.” she groaned, bringing a hand up to her face.
a female staff member stepped forward, smiling kindly at her reaction. “go pick whoever you think is the visual of boys2planet,” she explained, gesturing toward the cutouts. “and bring the cutout to us when you’re done.”
meixing nodded, pressing her hands to her cheeks as her eyes darted across the rows of cardboard cutouts. she took a deep breath and began moving past them, scanning each face, trying to decide. the closer she got, the more overwhelming it became.
her jaw nearly dropped when she passed by her own cutout.
“why am i next to him?” she said in disbelief, pointing at her cutout beside zheyi’s. the contrast was shocking. his towering 188 centimeters made her look tiny. she let out a small laugh, burying her face in her hands. instinctively, she reached to pick up her own cutout, but the staff member’s voice stopped her.
“you can’t choose yourself.” the woman said, chuckling softly.
“shit.” meixing muttered under her breath, exhaling sharply.
she paused, running a hand through her hair. the pressure of choosing the right cutout made her head ache. she worried if she picked one of the older boys like jiahao or harry june, rumors would spark, which was the last thing she needed. even putting that aside, she still had no idea who she would consider to be the visual.
“y’know what…” she muttered, a spark of resolve forming. she stalked down the steps to the center of the clearing and grabbed the cutout that was positioned there. firmly, she dragged it back to the cameras, setting it down carefully so everyone could see.
“why did you pick him?” the staff member asked, tilting her head with curiosity as meixing stood beside the cardboard.
meixing grinned, pointing directly at the boy’s face. “i mean, his visuals are intense, and he’s a great performer. ten out of ten, dude.” she laughed, imagining his reaction if he ever saw this footage. the thought made her shake her head and giggle again, half in amusement and half in disbelief at the absurdity of the situation.
“is he your ideal type?” the woman asked, her tone calm and even, like she wasn’t trying to pressure meixing but genuinely curious.
meixing’s laughter immediately stopped, and she straightened up at the question, caught off guard. “uhh…well no. definitely not,” she said, shrugging slightly. the staff behind the camera chuckled quietly at her reaction. she leaned toward the lens and added, “i love you though.” making a small heart with her hands.
“okay,” the woman said with a chuckle. “that’s all we need right now, but you may need to come back later. thank you, meixing.” she gestured toward the side, dismissing her.
meixing nodded and gave a small bow to the crew. “boys2planet main visual.” she said, pointing at the cutout one last time. she laughed to herself the entire walk back to anxin’s dorm, the oddness of the situation still tickling her.
when she stepped back through the door, everyone was exactly where she had left them, though sangwon and leo were nowhere to be seen.
“how was it?” geonwoo asked, startled as she leapt back onto anxin’s bed, landing with enough force to make him yelp.
“it was fine.” she said calmly, sinking back into the pillows, her fingers brushing through anxin’s hair.
kangmin, ever the nosy one, piped up. “who’d you pick?”
“i’m not telling you.” meixing replied, teasing him back with the exact words he had used earlier. kangmin pouted in response, clearly disappointed.
anxin, still lying close to her, murmured tiredly, “did you choose me? or hao-ge?” his head rested against her chest, his voice lazy and soft.
meixing looked down at him for a moment, a small smile tugging at her lips, then shifted her gaze to jiahao at the foot of the bed, who was already watching her quietly. she quickly looked away, poking anxin in the ribs, making him flinch and squirm. “not telling.” she said firmly, letting the playful secrecy hang in the air.
later that same day, meixing was stopped by a different staff member as she was walking back to her dorm to grab her book. he told her they needed her for filming one last time and led her back toward the area where they had filmed earlier. when she arrived, she spotted sangwon standing there, getting his makeup touched up, a small smile tugging at his lips as he glanced around.
meixing walked toward him quietly, and a makeup artist quickly touched up her own face, which felt odd since no one had done her makeup earlier. when the artist stepped away, a producer appeared, holding royal-looking capes and crowns. meixing raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“did we win?” she asked, her jaw dropping slightly as she gestured between herself and a blushing sangwon.
the producer nodded. “you guys tied.” he explained, handing each of them the items he carried.
sangwon and meixing exchanged a look of mild shock before laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. sangwon received a gold crown and a red cape, while meixing was given a silver and blue tiara along with a matching blue cape. she carefully set the cape over her shoulders and adjusted the tiara on her head, turning slightly to check it from different angles in the mirror a makeup artist was holding.
“is it crooked?” she asked sangwon, tilting her head as she examined the tiara.
sangwon reached up and adjusted it gently. “now it’s not.” he said with a small smile.
she thanked him and, still grinning, playfully held out an arm. “after you, my liege.” she said in a silly voice, completely unsure how to say it in korean.
he chuckled softly, a little unsure of what she had said but understanding enough to play along. “come on, my queen.” he replied, linking their arms together. meixing laughed, squeezing his arm lightly as they walked forward, enjoying the comical but fun moment together.
the two of them, though clearly a little embarrassed, ran through all of the cardboard cutouts in their royal costumes exactly as the crew had instructed. the capes swished behind them with each step, and meixing’s tiara wobbled slightly but stayed in place. when they met in the center, they formed a cute handheart together, each adding a playful wink to cement their “top visual” status, making both of them laugh quietly at how over-the-top it felt.
after a few more closeup shots, the crew finally dismissed them for the day, reminding them firmly not to tell anyone that they had won the contest. meixing and sangwon nodded, understanding perfectly, and started walking back up the path together. their laughter had softened into quiet chatter, the pair joking and nudging each other lightly as they walked through campus together.
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