When the game had finished and the lights came on, everyone made their way to the room that the vests were kept in.

Lily searched for the head of silver hair and walked to stand next to him.

Neither one spoke.

He was afraid that she didn't like it, she hadn't said anything or tried to come find him after he left. He looked at the ground as he pulled the vest off.

She did like it though. Without wanting to make a scene, she reached out and brushed her hand against his. A gesture that could have been an accident to someone who wasn't paying attention. But they knew.

Wooyoung turned his head and looked at her, his mouth falling open a little bit.

Lily felt herself blushing and she started to speak but was cut off when Yunho picked her up from behind and spun her in a circle, laughing. "We won! We won! And guess who were the top players? Us!" He jumped up and down, still holding her off the ground. Lily laughed and cheered for a moment but stopped when she saw something flash across Wooyoung's face.

He turned away quickly, and when she could see him again, he was smiling and hugging San and Yeosang.

Their other group of friends groaned and started blaming Jongho for being too noticeable. He whined in protest, but eventually they all took a finger flick to the head, happily given by San, who giggled after each one.

Then the nine of them left, laughing and recounting their adventures in the dark room. Well, most of them.

Even though Yunho stayed close to her side, Lily managed to guide them so Wooyoung was on her other. She let her fingers brush his again, hoping he got the message she wanted to send.

We need to talk.

His brushed hers in return.

Yes.

---

When they returned to Seonghwa's house, they ended up ordering pizza, wanting their fun day to continue before things got serious again tomorrow.

They ate and voiced their fears about the next day, before laughing it off, knowing everything would be fine.

Lily loved how fun they were. Every one of them was carefree, happy, and at peace with their little family.

Her family.

When the food was gone, they wanted to partake in their other favorite past time and picked out a movie. They never seemed to get tired of the activity, even though it involved everyone snuggled into each other on the couch. But Lily couldn't help but think that's why they really liked to watch movies. The ones who didn't feel like partaking in the cuddle-fest would grab a chair to sit behind the couch, but they were always in reach if they felt like ruffling someone's hair or placing a hand on a shoulder to still be included in the connection.

Lily watched as Yeosang settled into San's lap, the other playing with his hair. San in turn rested his head on Wooyoung's shoulder, who returned the gesture by rubbing his face lovingly on the other's head.

She had taken her place in between Wooyoung and Yunho, feeling safe in their presence.

Yunho had his arms splayed across the back of the couch. His one hand teased her hair gently, while the other wrapped around Seonghwa, who smiled contently when Mingi sat in front of him, leaning into the elder's legs.

Hongjoong and Jongho sat behind them, and the youngest made some smart comment about being disgusted by the scene in front of him, causing the others to start calling him cute.

This is what happiness is. This is what I want forever. Lily glanced at the charm, exposed on her bare wrist. She had finally healed enough that she felt comfortable wearing something other than a hoodie. She felt like she could be a girl again and start dressing up a bit.

I hope you're proud of me, Micah. I hope you can see that I'm finally where I belong. She felt a tear run down her cheek at the thought.

Both boys on either side of her shifted, moving a little closer, and she smiled.

Eventually she leaned into Wooyoung as her thoughts became hazy with sleep. She could still feel Yunho's hand playing with her hair, as if letting her know he was still there.

---

When morning came, Hongjoong woke them all up by blaring an alarm on his phone. They had all fallen asleep on the couch, the tv was still on and everything.

"Up! Up! Up! It's the big day!" He cried, then laughed as everyone started scrambling over each other, a mess of limbs trying to break free.

Lily felt an arm around her stomach to steady her and pick her up off the couch before Yunho ran past her to his room to get ready. Wooyoung ran with San to his room, the taller letting him share some of his closet space, and Hongjoong went to Mingi's.

Lily followed Seonghwa upstairs so they could change and get ready. He respectfully stepped out of the room while she got dressed, pulling on a flowery blouse he had bought her and a pair of jeans. She packed her dance clothes in her gym bag and swapped places with him so he could change, and she could go to the bathroom to freshen up.

When everyone was ready, they piled into two cars, Lily ducking down still until they got to the garage.

She was distracted in every class leading up to the competition, practicing hand and leg movements under her desk and playing the music in her head.

We should have practiced yesterday.

Even with her thoughts consuming her, the day flew by, and the competition was upon them.

Her group had decided on a uniform of black skinny jeans, a red t-shirt, and a black jacket for the men. Since she was the only girl, they wanted her to shine a little bit. All the boys looked so nice when she walked up to them. Everyone helped put make-up on each other, commented on possible accessories, and helped fix their hair. Everything needed to be perfect.

Finally, Professor Lee came up to them and led them to the auditorium. The entire class was confused, thinking they were just going to dance in the studio. "Remember that surprise I mentioned? Well here it is. This project is actually your midterm and you will be doing it in front of an audience!" Several gasps ran through the students.

Lily felt herself be surrounded by her team. They were all hopping up and down, trying to contain their excitement. Hands grabbed both of hers and she squeezed them, feeding off their energy. San wrapped his arms around her stomach, placing his head on her shoulder and Yeosang rested his head on her other shoulder. "This is it!" He said quietly, breathing deeply. "I'm so glad we got to meet you."

"I am too."

---

Lily sighed happily and let a stage smile cross her face as the first couple notes echoed in the auditorium. Then it happened, the five of them moved in sync, spinning away from each other to fan out and perform a complicated series of steps. She felt her shoulders pop as she shoved her hip to the right, letting her body roll, then dropped to the floor and pushed herself to the side, jumping to her feet. The members switched places constantly, so everyone got a chance to be upfront.

She dipped her head and flipped it back, letting her hair arch over her head before placing her hands on her hip, swaying them while twisting her legs. She looked to her right, locking eyes with Wooyoung, knowing their moment was coming. When the song changed, they ran at each other. He hoisted her up before swinging her around his back. She curled around him, making it easier to move her as he then pulled her, from behind him, under his legs. The momentum threw her forward and she stuck the landing, her arms splayed wide.

San and Yeosang came at her from both sides, pretending to fight over her. She let them pull her back and forth, keeping in time with their movements before Yunho came and picked her up, his hands under her arms.

He held her high, and she bent her legs back, gripping the man behind her as he let her fall forward, bending to catch her before she hit the ground. He then shuffled backward, dragging her across the ground as she twisted her body to cross her right leg over her left, then her left over her right, repeating the motion a couple times.

The other three jumped in front of them, blocking the audiences view as Yunho helped her stand again before they took their places in the formation, doing one last complicated routine all together.

When the music stopped, they froze, panting heavily. The seconds dragged by as they waited. Then the applause started.

Lily felt so much joy fill her, she placed her hands over her mouth and bent forward, trying to hold back the tears. Her friends surrounded her again, jumping in one big group. They bowed a couple times before running back stage and continuing their celebration. Everyone was talking at once, not hearing what the others said, but they understood all the same.

The rest of their friends came to join them, congratulating them before taking their places on stage. Lily and the others watched from the side lines, smiling as their friends performed their set.

Then Lily froze, feeling something poke into her back and a hand on her waist.

"Come with me."