~𝟲𝟰~

I woke up with warmth coursing through my body. I shifted as I fluttered my eyes open, barely awake. The sun was peeking through my window, casting shadows on my wall from behind the branches of the trees outside. I moved my gaze away from my wall, yawning. And for the first time I realised there was something moving underneath my palm. I found Lee Know cuddled up next to me, still holding me against his body like he had the night before.

I smiled at his peaceful state, resting my chin on his chest and looking up at him. My eyes widened as a sudden flood of panic overtook me. What if one of the boys walks in and sees us like this, I thought. They'll think I'm some kind of manhunter or something.

I slowly started pulling away from Lee Know, trying to keep my movement minimal so as to keep him asleep. Just when I was almost sitting upright, his hand that was on my lower back slid around my waist, pulling me back down onto his chest. His grip tightened around my body as I heard a soft whine sound out from his throat.

"Don't go yet. You're so warm, and I'm still tired,'' he said, voice coarse and deep. It sent butterflies to my stomach. So that's what his morning voice sounds like.

"Lee Know, we have to get up. What if one of the others see us?"

"Let them see us. I'm still sleepy."

Lee Know still hadn't opened his eyes. He gently snuggled closer to me, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"Lee Know, what will the others say when they see us like this?"

His body went ridged underneath mine. I lifted my gaze to see his eyes widening.

"Crap you're right."

He let go of me, and I pulled away from him, getting up off the bed. He stood up as well, carting a hand through his hair. I looked over at him and smiled involuntarily. He looked so cute in his sweatpants and T-shirt, hair still a little messy and eyes glittering from the early morning sun. I quickly snapped out of it when I heard voices coming from downstairs. I counted them in my mind, coming to at least six out of the eight boys, excluding the one standing in my room.

"The coast should be clear. Most of the boys are downstairs. I counted six voices."

Lee Know nodded at my words. We both headed to the door, him letting me walk out in front of him. As soon as we were in the hall, I regretted walking out with him immediately, the black-haired boy in front of us making my stomach drop as he saw us. Jeongin smiled at us, but his smile quickly turned into a look of suspicion when he realised we had both just come out of my room.

"Jeongin, I promise it's not what it looks like. I had a nightmare and Lee Know helped me through it. He just stayed in my room for the night. Nothing happened."

My voice shook as I tried explaining, and I saw Jeongin's quizzical look deepen. I begged for Lee Know to step in and help the issue, but he never did. He just stayed silent next to me.

"You know what, it's too early for this," Jeongin said, rolling his eyes and walking past Lee Know and I, but not before giving Lee Know a look out of the corner of his eye.

I breathed out a sigh of relief when he was gone.

"I think I might have just messed up," I said, staring into the distance.

"It's okay. I probably wouldn't have done a much better job, had I spoken," Lee Know said, gently placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Okay, I'm going to get me some coffee to save me from burying myself outside right now."

I started walking towards the stairs. Just before I went down them, I pressed my hands to my cheeks. They were warm from blushing. I waited for them to cool down a bit before stepping around the turn and going down the stairs. As I greeted all the boys and went into the kitchen, I noticed Jeongin was avoiding my gaze, fiddling uncomfortably with his fingers.

"Want some coffee, Ava?" I heard Chan ask, making me turn to him.

"Sure. The biggest cup you have. I just really need a pick-me-up right now."

I dragged my hands down my face, sighing. I registered the sound of water running coming from upstairs. Lee Know must be showering, I thought.

"Do you have any idea where Lee Know was last night? When I went to bed, he wasn't there, neither was he there this morning," Chan asked as he handed me my coffee cup.

My cheeks bloomed with a pink flush as I registered his question. I looked at the floor before taking a small sip of my coffee. Please don't make me answer this, I mentally pleaded. I tried formulating an answer that made sense without letting the secret slip when Jeongin spoke.

"Didn't you tell me you had a nightmare and he stayed with you?" he asked, moving past me to wash his coffee cup.

"Yeah... yeah, I had a really bad nightmare. I had a panic attack and he helped me through it. Then he stayed the rest of the night, just resting on the chair next to my bed."

I smiled at Chan, trying to look believable. My smile was so fake, and my fingers gripped my coffee cup like it was my only way out of the situation. When Chan shifted his attention back to the breakfast he was busy with, I looked over at Jeongin, giving him a look of appreciation. He nodded slightly at me before shifting his gaze towards the stairs where Lee Know emerged. His hair was wet, and a small towel hung around his neck. He looked so casual and yet so effortlessly attractive.

I saw him make eye contact with Jeongin, but he quickly looked away, avoiding his gaze for the rest of the time he was in the kitchen. I mostly did too, until I found a gap to escape up to my room.

(Third person, Felix's perspective)

Felix noticed the weird tension between Ava and the others. And he definitely noticed the weird moment between Jeongin and Lee Know, and he wondered if it could have something to do with Lee Know and Ava's kiss. So, he decided to finally let the cat out of the bag. He waited for the boys to all go do stuff before following Lee Know as he went to his room.

"So, Hyung," he said, standing with his shoulder leaning against the door frame to Chan and Lee Know's room. Lee Know spun around when he heard his voice, looking anxious.

"What was that scene between you and Jeongin about? Did something happen?"

"What scene? Nothing happened," Lee Know said, sounding hesitant.

"Might it have something to do with you and Ava having kissed each other on the beach?"

Felix watched as the blood drained out of his Hyung's face at his question. Lee Know lunged at him, clamping a hand over his mouth, and dragging him into the room before slamming the door shut behind him, locking it.

"You know about that? How?" Lee Know whispered. His cheeks were the brightest red Felix had ever seen them.

"I saw it happen."

Lee Know seemed to pale and blush redder at the same time, if that was possible.

"So, does that have anything to do with the weird vibe between you and Jeongin, or is that something else?" Felix asked.

His Hyung sat down on his bed, running his fingers through his hair. Felix realised how stressed out he seemed. His fingers were trembling slightly.

"Okay, fine. I'll tell you. But you have to promise me you won't tell anyone anything of what I say, or about the kiss. Anything. Understood?"

"Of course, Hyung. I've kept the secret this long, haven't I?"

Lee Know sighed and glared at Felix, making the smirk on his lips drop.

"Okay, so last night Ava asked me to stay with her until she fell asleep. And I did. Then she woke up a while after she fell asleep, and she couldn't breathe. So, I stayed with her and calmed her down. I just held her for a while until she got tired again. Then I offered to leave, but she asked me to stay the night. And I did... Nothing happened. We just slept in the same bed. But then this morning we woke up and she was stressed one of the members might see us. So, we walked out of her room, and Jeongin saw us. She tried to explain the situation, but she ended up making it sound even worse. So now, the three of us are kind of just weird with each other."

A smirk spread on Felix's lips at the new information. But when he saw the worried look Lee Know was giving him, his smirk faded.

"I promise I won't tell anyone anything. I know what it feels like to have your secrets uncovered because one person couldn't keep quiet. So, you have my word I'll keep my mouth shut... but..."

Felix was being sincere when he said that. But he had more questions. And he had his Hyung right where he wanted him, so why not ask?

"But?" Lee Know asked, sounding worried.

"But I have a few questions, if you're willing to elaborate Hyung," Felix said, lifting his eyebrow.

Lee Know sighed and nodded.

"Great. Now I just want to know for interest's sake, when are you and Ava planning on telling the members?"

"We haven't really talked about it. I don't want to push her, and besides, she's focused on Damian right now. I don't want to add to that stress."

"Okay, understandable. I'm guessing you two aren't official yet, right?"

Lee Know nodded.

"When is that going to change?"

"I'm actually planning something. A little outing for just the two of us so I can make it official. But I'm struggling. I don't know how I'm going to get just the two of us some alone time without it looking suspicious."

"Well, lucky for you Hyung, now you have me. If you want, I can help you out."

"Oh, that would be great. Thank you."

"No problem. We can start right now."

"Sounds like a plan."

...

Felix and Lee Know were bouncing ideas off each other for most of the morning, almost getting caught a few times. They managed to work out everything, from the time of day to the place. The only thing they still had to do was tell Ava.

"Hyung, do you want to keep it a secret? It might make it more special if she doesn't know where you're going beforehand," Felix asked.

"Sounds like a plan. But you know what? Why don't you come with us? I think it'll throw her off a bit, so she doesn't suspect anything. And then maybe we won't have to explain anything to the others because it won't be as suspicious."

"That could work... Aren't you glad I helped you, Hyung?"

Felix smirked as he asked the question. Lee Know playfully shoved his shoulder and laughed. Felix was glad he could help his Hyung, and he was glad he finally knew for sure whether or not Ava and Lee Know liked each other. It cleared up a lot of uncertainty. And he was looking forward to being able to tease the two once the other members knew. He got the idea Lee Know wouldn't be too happy, but what was a little fun between friends? It wasn't like something bad was going to happen any time soon... right?

---------------

A/N

heyy guys :)

hope you are all doing well. my first week back at school was rough to say the least, but i am so thankful for my friends, and for all of you. the reads have gone up so much and it is honestly mind-blowing to think that so many people actually like my work! thank you for all the love and support! ;)

anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this (teeny tiny bit weird) chapter and i'll see you all in the next one <3