The practice room was silent except for the sound of sneakers sliding across the polished floor. Sweat clung to their skin, but no one asked for a break. It wasn't about stamina anymore. It was about the tension that had settled between them, the unspoken questions hanging in the air.
Namjoon's voice broke the silence.
"Again. From the top."
They fell into formation. Every step was sharp, every beat drilled into muscle memory, but the energy was off. It wasn't fatigue. It was distraction.
When the music cut, Jimin let out a heavy sigh, tossing his towel over his shoulder.
"We're dancing like robots," he muttered. "What's going on?"
No one answered. Eyes darted, quick and careful.
Jungkook bent over, tying his shoelaces even though they didn't need adjusting. He felt Taehyung's gaze on him, steady but unreadable. For a moment, their eyes met—just a second too long.
Yoongi caught it. His expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't the type to pry, but nothing escaped him.
Seokjin broke the silence, forcing a laugh.
"Maybe we should eat first. Nobody dances well on an empty stomach."
The group shuffled out, but the tension followed them down the hall.
At the cafeteria, the conversations stayed shallow. Food filled the silence where words should have been. Hoseok tried to lighten the mood, cracking jokes, but the laughter didn't land the way it usually did.
When Taehyung leaned a little too close to Jungkook to whisper something, Jimin noticed. He tried to keep his face neutral, but his chopsticks paused midair. Namjoon's glance flickered between them before he looked down at his tray.
Later, back in the dorm, the unease lingered.
Yoongi sat in the living room, headphones around his neck, laptop screen glowing faintly. He wasn't working. He was listening. He caught the muffled voices coming from the shared bedroom down the hall. A laugh, hushed but soft. Then silence.
He leaned back against the couch, rubbing his temple.
"They think no one notices," he muttered to himself.
From the other side of the room, Seokjin looked up from his phone.
"You heard it too?"
Yoongi didn't reply. He didn't have to.
Inside the bedroom, Jungkook and Taehyung sat too close, shoulders brushing. Their conversation was low, careful. Taehyung's gummy smile slipped out when Jungkook teased him, and Jungkook's grin softened in response.
For a moment, the walls between them felt invisible. But outside that room, the walls were closing in.
The group didn't talk about it, not yet. But the silence was louder than words.