Request by the one and only cutie Nayurisan2 ^^
Word count: 1247
___

The Enhypen dorm was usually a loud, lively place, filled with laughter, playful banter, and music humming through the walls. But lately, the atmosphere had shifted, and for the first time, Niki found himself feeling like he was on the outside looking in.

It started with small things. He'd walk into the room, and everyone would go quiet. The hyungs who usually welcomed him with easy smiles and pats on the back suddenly seemed tense, guarded. Conversations that used to flow naturally turned clipped and stilted when he was around. Niki wasn't sure what he'd done, but it was clear that something was off.

After days of feeling uneasy, he finally tried to ask Sunghoon about it. Sunghoon gave him a vague answer, brushing it off as tiredness from training. Niki tried to believe it, but the excuses grew weaker and weaker as the days went on.

Then, one afternoon, it all came to a head.

Niki had just returned from dance practice, sweating and exhausted. As he entered the living room, he found the rest of the members huddled around a laptop, their faces serious. The atmosphere was thick, and he felt like he was walking into an ambush. They all looked up when he walked in, and he saw something he hadn't seen before: distrust.

Jungwon was the first to speak, his voice cold and formal. "Niki, we need to talk."

Confused, Niki nodded, setting his bag down on the floor. "Sure... what's going on?"

Sunoo's eyes were filled with hurt as he slid the laptop around to face Niki. On the screen was a series of blurry security camera photos, showing what looked like him in the practice room late at night, alone, rifling through some of the members' bags. Some of the photos showed him stuffing something into his pocket.

Niki felt his stomach drop. "What... what is this?"

Heeseung crossed his arms, disappointment plain on his face. "Did you really think you could steal from us and get away with it?"

Niki blinked, shaking his head slowly as his mind struggled to process what he was seeing. "Wait, this isn't me. I mean, that's not what it looks like!"

"Then what is it?" Jay snapped, his usually gentle eyes hardening. "We've all noticed things going missing—small stuff at first, then money, jewelry, personal items. And then these photos show up." Jay's voice broke slightly, hurt and disbelief evident. "Why, Niki?"

"I didn't do this! I swear!" Niki felt panic creeping in, his heart pounding. He wanted to cry, scream, anything to get them to believe him, but the words caught in his throat.

Jungwon sighed heavily. "If it wasn't you, then explain these photos."

"I... I don't know!" Niki's voice cracked as he looked around, hoping for just one familiar, sympathetic look. But all he saw were cold faces and eyes turned away.

Sunoo looked away, clearly hurt. "Niki, we trusted you. I can't believe you'd do this."

Desperation flooded him as he looked at his hyungs, his family, but the distance between them seemed insurmountable. "Please... you guys know me. You know I wouldn't do something like this."

But silence followed his plea. No one spoke up for him, no one met his eyes.

___

Days turned into a blur of loneliness. The distance between Niki and the other members only grew. They ate together in silence, practiced without their usual camaraderie, and avoided eye contact with him. It felt as if he'd been erased from their lives.

At night, lying alone in his bunk, Niki couldn't stop replaying the confrontation in his mind. His friends—his family—had turned their backs on him over something he hadn't even done. He hadn't felt this alone since he first left home to join the group. The ache in his chest became a constant weight, one that seemed to grow heavier with every day that passed.

To make things worse, he started feeling physically weak too. The stress wore him down, his head throbbed constantly, and he felt feverish most of the time. But he didn't dare tell anyone. He'd lost their trust; he wouldn't burden them with his problems, too.

One evening, Heeseung and Jungwon were reviewing security footage to follow up on the "theft." Heeseung clicked through different camera feeds, his mind half-focused until something caught his eye.

"Wait... go back," he said, squinting at the screen. Jungwon reversed the footage, and they watched, eyes widening as the scene played out.

There, on the footage, was a figure entering the practice room, wearing clothes eerily similar to Niki's—but on closer inspection, they realized it wasn't him at all. Someone else had been sneaking into their space, using the practice room after hours, dressed in similar clothes, and deliberately messing with their things.

"Oh my god," Heeseung whispered, feeling a cold wave of guilt wash over him. "It wasn't Niki."

Jungwon sat back, his face pale. "We were so wrong..."

Without another word, they rushed to the dorm to tell the others. As they explained everything, the weight of guilt hung heavy in the air. Each of them remembered Niki's desperate insistence that he was innocent, the hurt in his eyes as they turned their backs on him.

"We need to find him," Sunoo said, his voice barely above a whisper.

They found Niki lying down in his bunk, looking even more fragile than usual. His face was pale, his eyes dull, and he had one arm flung over his forehead, as if even the light was too much.

"Niki?" Heeseung's voice was soft, hesitant.

Niki opened his eyes slowly, barely acknowledging them. "What is it?" he mumbled, his voice hoarse.

"We're... we're so sorry, Niki," Jungwon began, taking a shaky breath. "We saw the footage. It wasn't you. You didn't do anything wrong. We're so sorry for not trusting you."

Niki's jaw tightened as he slowly sat up, pulling the covers tighter around him. He looked at each of them, hurt etched deep in his expression. "You guys... really believed I'd steal from you? After everything?"

They all exchanged glances, each one feeling a stab of guilt and shame. Sunghoon stepped forward, his voice choked. "I don't know what to say except... we were wrong, and we're so, so sorry."

Niki looked away, his hands clenched tightly in his lap. He was silent for a long time, and they could see the anger simmering beneath the surface. Part of him wanted to forgive them immediately, to go back to how things were, but another part wanted them to feel every ounce of the loneliness he'd felt.

Finally, he sighed. "I... I trusted you guys. I thought you knew me better than this."

They all nodded, accepting his words without protest. It was Sunoo who spoke first, his voice barely a whisper. "We know we hurt you. And I know it'll take time, but please... give us a chance to make it up to you. We'll do whatever it takes."

Niki took a deep breath, feeling some of the anger and sadness start to ease. He looked up at his hyungs, their faces lined with worry and regret, and his heart softened. "I... I'm still hurt, but... I forgive you."

A wave of relief washed over them, and Heeseung reached out, placing a hand on Niki's shoulder. "We're going to make it right, I promise."

Slowly, the distance that had settled between them began to close. They were still healing, but this time, they'd do it together, side by side.

And for the first time in days, Niki felt the faint stirrings of warmth return to the dorm.

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