Yeosang's POV

When I woke up, I immediately knew that it was nowhere near time to wake up. I was confused as to why I had woken up out of nowhere, but then I woke up more and realised how uncomfortable I was feeling. My skin was all prickling and I felt unbearably hot. I went to move slightly but stopped quickly when I remembered I had a little visitor. Wooyoung was draped over the top of me, sleeping sadly. Crap. I squirmed slightly, trying to move without waking him but it didn't work. I needed to get him off because it was too much and I was too uncomfortable. I was too hot and my skin was too prickly. I whined and almost shoved Wooyoung off me completely but quickly stopped myself as I didn't want to hurt him. He must've felt me moving though, as he woke up anyway.

"Sangie," he whispered sleepily. I didn't reply, just tried to calm my breathing so I didn't panic too much.

"Everything ok," he mumbled.

"S'too hot," I said quickly, trying my best not to begin hyperventilating. Wooyoung immediately slipped off me and sat up, grabbing my arm and pulling me up with him. I whimpered and tried to pull away from him but he hushed me softly.

"Arms up," he whispered. I lifted my arms up and he quickly grabbed the bottom of my shirt, pulling it over my head and discarding it to the side. I instantly felt a lot better, not having the uncomfortable material scratching against my skin, but I was still hot so I shifted away from Wooyoung a bit more.

"You doing ok," Wooyoung asked me. I just hummed in reply, not wanting to worry him too much. He gave me a small smile before slipping off the bed and standing up.

"Get some more sleep Yeosang-ah," he whispered before going over to his bed and laying down. I felt bad because I had essentially kicked him out of my bed, when I know he wanted to cuddled throughout the entire night. I'm feeling a lot better now that I'm not so smothered though.

"Stop thinking and get some sleep," Wooyoung whispered. I sighed before laying down and shoving my blanket back, not wanting it to lay on top of me and make me more uncomfortable. I let my eyes slip closed and I slowly drifted back off to sleep.

~~~~~

The next time I woke up, it was actually time to wake up. Once again though, my skin was feeling uncomfortable except this time I had a slight headache to accompany the uncomfortable feeling. What fun. Despite not feeling 100%, I decided not to mention anything to the others. They really don't need any added stress to practice today. I quickly begun to get ready, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of my shirt against my skin. I left my room and walked out towards the kitchen to have something to eat. As I was deciding what to eat, there was some shuffling and I felt a sleepy San draped himself over me. I froze and my face scrunched up as I desperately wanted to get away from him, but I didn't want to accidentally hurt him. San is always very clingy when he wakes up and I don't want to just shove him away. I heard rushed footsteps and a few seconds later, San was pulled away from me. Thank god. I turned around to see Wooyoung kissing San's cheek softly before ushering him off back down the hall.

"You ok," Wooyoung asked, turning back to me. I nodded quickly.

"I'm just a bit tired," I lied.

"Do you think today is going to get a bit too much," he asked me, his eyebrows furrowing in worry. I know exactly what he means and I really don't want him worrying about this.

"I'm not sure," I said with a shrug.

"Do you want me to pack the headphones and eye mask," he asked. I glanced around quickly to make sure no one else was near and could overhear. The last thing I need is for someone else to get worried as well.

"Can you keep it down, don't be so loud," I said quickly. He moved closer to me, but made sure not to touch me.

"Why don't you want anyone else knowing," he asked me.

"It's nothing Youngie. And I don't want them worrying about nothing," I said.

"Fine, I won't say anything, but I'm still bringing the headphones and eye mask," he said with a huff. I nodded, knowing that I wouldn't be able to stop Wooyoung from doing it anyway.

~~~~~

After we finished getting ready, we all went into the van to be driven to the company. I sat on a single seat near the front of the van, not wanting to interact with the other's much as my head was hurting. It didn't really make much difference though, as the other's were stilling chatting and mucking around so my headache begun to get worse. I winced and rubbed my temple softly, trying not to make any sound as I didn't want to notify anyone that I was in distress. A few seconds later, Wooyoung started cackling once again and I felt a sharp pain in my head. I quickly turned around, poking my head out from behind the seat. I managed to catch Wooyoung's eye and he quickly went quiet, flashing me an apologetic smile. The van became a lot quieter than before without Wooyoung cackling so I managed to close my eyes and get a little bit of rest. When we finally got to building, we went straight to the practice room. I was the first into the practice room and I flicked the light switch on. The lights were a lot brighter than I expected and the intensity overwhelmed me. I stumbled back slightly and arms were quickly wrapped around me to keep me stable. I quickly pulled away and turned around to see Seonghwa watching me in concern.

"Whoops, I tripped," I said, plastering a fake smile on my face. Luckily it wasn't very farfetched and Seonghwa seemed to believe me.

"So clumsy," he said, rolling his eyes fondly. It didn't take long for us to get into practice, working on some of our older dances and that's when things started to go wrong. Less than a dance in, I found myself hyperfixating on the sound of our on the floor. They were weirdly in sync, but very irritating. I was basically dancing on autopilot at this point, more focused on the sound of our feet so I quickly managed to draw my attention back to the dance. Less than a minute later, I begun to get more aware of lights that were starting to feel brighter and brighter. I tried not to let it get to me, but it was hard as the headache was increasing. Without realising, the sound of the shoes on the floor came back and no matter what I did, it wouldn't go away. I tried to stay calm, but the lights and the noise were starting to get to me, and to top it off my shirt began to irritate my skin. It was as we were halfway through another run-through that it all finally got too much. I stopped and moved to the side of the room, covering my eyes with my hands to block out the lights. The music stopped suddenly and then I felt a hand placed on my shoulder. It felt heavy and uncomfortable and it pushed my shirt against my skin. I quickly threw the hand off my arm, turning and stumbling back into the wall to get away from the contact. My eyes instinctively slipped open and I regretted it instantly. The light made pain shoot through my head, the headache increasing I started to sob. My brain felt like it was going into overdrive, the sounds, the lights, my shirt, it was all too much. The boys started asking questions and my breathing quickened as I continued to cry. Not long after, I felt something being strapped behind my head and placed over my eyes, before something was placed over my ears. The noise immediately cut out, and my vision was completely dark. Wooyoung. He must've realised what was happening and jumped into action. I'm just thankful my best friend knows what to do in this situation.

That was two problems down, but there was still one to go. I quickly grabbed the collar of my shirt and tugged on it to notify Wooyoung that I wanted it off. I just hope he remembers the signal despite how long it's been. I almost sobbed with relief when I felt the two gentle taps on the back of my hand. It was Wooyoung's way of notifying me he was going to touch me and I nodded quickly. I felt him unbutton my shirt quickly and swiftly before helping me slip it off. The relief I felt at having the material off was immense and I felt like I could breathe a bit better. I jolted slightly as I felt fingers wrap around my wrist briefly before they were removed quickly so as to not overwhelm me. I found myself smiling fondly at Wooyoung, despite how overwhelmed I am. The fingers around my wrist is a silent question of if a hug would help or make things worse for me. I thought about it for a few seconds. The fabric from clothes is just irritating me, but skin to skin contact may actually help. I nodded quickly to let him know I wanted a hug. Not long after, there was a gentle palm placed on my shoulder and I quickly moved closer into the gentle embrace. I rested my head on the bare chest and wrapped my arms loosely around his waist as the younger wrapped an arm around my shoulder. The skin to skin contact helped soothe me more so I just relaxed into the embrace.

Wooyoung's POV

I was keeping a close eye on Yeosang throughout practice, so I noticed the second it became too much and he stepped off the side. It worried me as I knew the entire day it had just been building up and pushing Yeosang towards a sensory overload. I've witnessed Yeosang having a sensory overload 4 other times, twice at BigHit, once predebut KQ and once since we debuted, so I know the signs well. Hongjoong turned off the music and the other's turned to Yeosang who was facing the wall near the corner. I quickly rushed over to my bag and pulled it open, rummaging through and grabbing out the noise cancelling headphones and eye mask I have for this specific reason. I heard a sob and I panicked, hurrying to close my bag quickly.

"What's going on," Jongho asked.

"Yeosang, you ok," Yunho added. I ignored all of the questions and ran straight over to Yeosang. I quickly slipped the eye mask over Yeosang's eyes and placed the headphones over his ears.

"What're you doing," Mingi asked.

"Shut up for a seconds," I told him haphazardly, keeping my full attention on Yeosang to look for any possible cues of what else he might need. He suddenly grabbed his collar and tugged at it. Ok, shirt off. I quickly moved closer and tapped the back of his hand, letting him know I was going to be touching him as he wouldn't be able to see or hear it. I hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off him, discarding it to the side. I could see it on his face that he felt better now that it was off and I was glad that he looked less tense. I know that Yeosang doesn't usually like skinship and when he's having these moments, many of the times it will throw it off. However, there are times when the skin to skin contact will actually help him. There's some little cues we've come up with, that represent different questions that may be asked. One is wrapping my fingers around his wrist to see if he wants a hug or not. I did that quickly, not holding on for too long, just in case he really didn't want the contact. He didn't do anything for a few seconds before he finally nodded. I quickly grabbed the bottom of my shirt and pulled it off over my head before chucking it to the side where I threw Yeosang's. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder, giving him the rein to initiate more contact however he saw fit. He turned closer to me and rested his head on my chest, his arms coming up to hug my waist. I moved one my arms quickly to wrap around his shoulder, not wanting to cage him in and possibly overwhelm him more. Yeosang relaxed against me and I decided it would probably be best if we sat down, rather than stayed standing. I used my free hand to gently tap Yeosang's knee and we both slowly sat down. I kept my arm wrapped around him and he moved his head to rest on my shoulder, nuzzling into my neck slightly. I know sometimes when he has a sensory overload, his other senses can also overwhelm him. Smell is one that is a give or take, sometimes it's really sensitive and anything can set it off, other times he just likes to be close to me and catch whatever scent he can get. Right now I probably smell like a sweaty dancer, but it didn't seem to phase him, if anything he relaxed more. I was finally content that Yeosang would be ok for now, so I lifted my head to look at the other's who were all watching with various reactions.

"He just had a sensory overload didn't he," Hongjoong asked quietly. Am I surprised Hongjoong knows what that is? No, not really, but I could tell the other's hadn't put it together and seemed surprised. Yeosang and I have discussed whether we would ever tell the boys about it and he's previously given me the go ahead to explain it if they see him have one.

"He did," I said with a nod.

"How did you know what to do," Jongho asked.

"I've seen him have them before, so I know the signs and what to do to help him," I explained.

"Does he have them often," Yunho asked and I shook my head quickly.

"This is the fifth one I've seen since I met him and the second one since our debut," I said.

"Is he going to be ok," San asked worriedly as he chewed on his bottom lip. He really needs to get out of that habit whenever he's nervous.

"He'll be fine, he'll just need to calm down a bit more," I said.

"Can we do anything else to help him," Seonghwa asked, ever the mother hen.

"I'll need to get some Panadol because he's most likely had a headache all day," I said.

"He won't be able to dance for the rest of the day either. It would be best to get him somewhere dark and quiet for a few hours to relax," I added quickly.

"He rest in my studio until we finish practice," Hongjoong said. That's a good idea, we can adjust the lighting and it's soundproof.

"That's a good idea," I said with a nod.

"Can you guys please stay quiet for a second," I said. I gently tapped Yeosang's headphones, making him jolt slightly but nod. I moved one side off of his ear so I could talk to him.

"We're gonna take you to Joong Hyungs studio," I whispered.

"Ok," he said quietly and I quickly put the headphones back down. I waited a few seconds for Yeosang wrapped his arms around my neck before I scooped him up into my arms and I stood up. Those gym sessions are really pulling through right now.

"Hyung can you please go ahead to your studio to open the doors for me because we need to be quick," I said. He nodded and the two of us quickly walked down the halls, Yeosang secure in my arms. When we got into Hongjoong's studio, I walked over to the couch and placed Yeosang down softly as Hongjoong closed the door.

"Can you please dim the lights," I asked Hongjoong and he quickly did so, turning them to the lowest level so it was barely there, just helping to see our silhouettes. I tapped Yeosang's eye mask and he slowly removed it. He opened his eyes and blinked slowly before flashing me a small smile. I let out a breath of relief I didn't realise I was holding at the knowledge that he was ok. Yeosang looked around, glancing at Hongjoong before slowly pulling off his headphones.

"How're you feeling," I asked quietly.

"I have a headache and my body is buzzing but I'll be ok," he replied.

"There's Panadol in the top draw if you need any," I told him.

"Ok," he replied.

"Will you be ok here by yourself for a little while," I asked him softly.

"Yeah, I'll be ok," he nodded. If he's here alone and not feeling well, he will need a way to contact someone if he's in trouble. I pulled my phone out and unlocked it before turning down the brightness and changing it to dark mode. I opened up Hongjoong's contact before locking the phone once again.

"Use it and call if there's a problem alright," I said, placing the phone on the arm of the couch. He nodded quickly.

"I will, thank you," he whispered.

"Always," I said softly. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine gently. We stayed like that for a few seconds before I pulled away and kissed his forehead softly.

"I'm right down the hall if you need me," I whispered. He gave me a small smile and a nod before laying down and letting his eyes slip closed. I turned to Hongjoong to see him watching us with a his dad smile.

"Come on, he'll be fine for now," I told him. Hongjoong nodded and we both stood up before leaving the room.

"This is something we will need to talk more in depth about," Hongjoong said as we walked down the hall.

"I know, we can talk about later tonight," I nodded. Hongjoong paused outside the door, not opening it.

"Did he ask you not to tell us," he asked quietly.

"We didn't need to say anything because it wasn't an issue. It's something that happens sometimes and if you guys aren't involved, we don't need to say anything about it," I said with a shrug. He didn't say anything, just nodded and opened the door. Time to go back to practicing and try not to worry about my best friend down the hall.

Yeosang's POV

I knew after everything happened that we would need to have a group discussion, so it was no surprise when the minute we got back to the dorm, we all sat down in the living room to talk. I was feeling a lot better than I was earlier, pretty much back to my usual self

"Sorry, if I worried any of you today," I said quietly.

"Don't be. You haven't done anything wrong," Seonghwa said quickly. Well at least none of them are mad at me for not telling them.

"We had a brief talk with Wooyoung about it, but I want us to have more of a discussion with you about it," Hongjoong said.

"Ok, what do you wanna know," I asked nervously. I leant slightly to my left so I was resting against Wooyoung for comfort and he quickly wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"Does it hurt," Mingi asked. I mean valid question but it isn't exactly that kind of thing.

"I don't get hurt physically, not really. Most fabrics make my skin really uncomfortable though and it kind of feels like it's prickling," I explained.

"And what about everything else? What else happens," Jongho asked.

"Well it's usually just sound, touch and sight that bothers me, like today. I mean, the sound of our shoes on the floor irritated me a lot but I couldn't stop focusing on them. The lights really got to me today because I had a really bad headache and that was just adding to it," I said. Everyone was silent for a few seconds, just mulling over what I said.

"That must suck," San said, breaking that silence. I chuckled at his words, feeling more at ease and nodded.

"It really does, but I don't really have them much. Not even once a year," I said.

"Any idea what causes them," Seonghwa asked.

"I'm not sure really. It's basically when my senses get overstimulated but I don't really know whenever that happens. I guess my brain just decides at some point that it's too overwhelmed and has enough," I said.

"When did you realise it was going to happen," Hongjoong asked.

"A little into practice," I lied.

"Don't lie," Wooyoung said quietly. I glanced up at him and sighed before turning back to them.

"Last night I knew something was off. I woke up with Youngie on top of me and it was really uncomfortable. My skin felt prickly so I knew I most likely would have trouble today," I admitted.

"You know you could've said something and we would've let you sit out," Seonghwa said gently.

"I know. I just didn't really want to worry everyone because we've got a lot going on lately," I said with a shrug. Hongjoong furrowed his eyebrows slightly before getting up and walking to kneel in front of me. He slipped his hands into mine and squeezed it gently.

"What's the real reason Sangie. Not the reason you think you're more likely to get away with," he said softly. Am I really that obvious?

"It's nothing Hyung," I said quietly, shifting slightly and looking down into my lap.

"It's not nothing Yeosang. This isn't just about what happened today. Every time you're uncomfortable or you're hurt, you don't tell anyone. You keep it to yourself," he said.

"I told Wooyoung," I said with a shrug, not really wanting to say the real reason.

"No, Youngie figured it out himself," Hongjoong said.

"You can tell me sweetheart," he added. I desperately tried to hold back tears as I thought about the main reason I cause issues, but they started to fall against my will.

"I don't really do much. I can't dance like Youngie or Yunho, I can't rap like you and Mingi, I can't perform like Sannie, I can't sing like Jjongie, and I'm not as pretty as Hwa Hyung. I'm just, here. I barely even sing. It's not my place to hold you guys back more if I can't even bring anything to the table in the first place," I said sadly as the tears fell quicker. There were gasps and I was quickly pulled down into the embrace of my smallest Hyung.

"No baby, no," Seonghwa said as he hurried over.

"That's not true Sangie," Hongjoong said softly as he hugged me tightly. I hugged him back but shook my head.

"You can deny it all you want but we all know it's true," I said quietly.

"No, it's not. It's not true at all," Mingi said quickly.

"None of us think that's true and I don't give a damn what anyone else says. ATEEZ would never be the same if you weren't here, you do a lot. Just because you aren't as confident to be in the spotlight doesn't mean you're any less than anyone else here. You're singing is just as good as any of ours, Jongho is just an absolute freak in singing, in a good way. Your dancing is just as good as Wooyoung and Yunho and you can perform just as well I can. I just overplay things sometimes," San ranted. I blinked owlishly at him, surprised and touched at his outburst.

"We care about you a lot Yeosang, and we just want you to be safe and happy. We need you to tell us whenever there's an issue so we can look after you sweetheart," Hongjoong said softly as he rubbed my back.

"Promise you'll tell us if you have any problems in the future," he added.

"Ok," I whispered, cuddling down in his embrace.

"Why don't we all prepare for dinner ok," Hongjoong said, kissing the side of my head gently before helping me up.

"Can we get some fried chicken," I asked.

"Of course we can," he said, wiping the tears from my face softly. Fried chicken sounds nice right now.

~~~~~

Once dinner was finished, we all got ready for bed. I was laying down in mine, not going to sleep right away as I was waiting for Wooyoung to come in, as I know he will make a beeline straight to my bed. Sure enough, Wooyoung walked out of the bathroom as he finished drying his hair with a towel. He threw the towel onto his bed before moving over to mine and flopping down on top of me. I chuckled and moved Wooyoung closer to me, so he was laying directly on top of me. He tucked his head into my neck and kissed it softly. Usually I would chuckle or be fake annoyed at the affection, but I know I worried Wooyoung a lot today.

"You should've sat out today instead of pushing it," he said quietly.

"I know. But I also know I would've felt worse if I sat out straight away," I said. He was quiet for a few seconds before sighing.

"You never told me, about how you felt," he said quietly.

"I didn't want to bother you. I already do that enough, you aren't my personal therapist," I said.

"But I would've helped you, told you how untrue it all was," he said softly.

"I'm ok Youngie, really," I whispered.

"I just don't like seeing you upset or crying," he said.

"I know you don't, but I'm ok now. I promise," I said, ruffling his hair gently.

"Ok," he whispered before cuddling even closer to me.

"You realise we still have turn off the lightly," I pointed out, chuckling lightly. Wooyoung whined and shook his head.

"Jongho can do it," he said stubbornly.

"Jongho can do it," I agreed, chuckling fondly. I hugged him tighter and rested my head against his as my eyes slipped closed. I'm so thankful that I have a best friend like Wooyoung. Someone who is always there to look after me when I need, no matter the circumstances. I never would've been able to make it this far without him.

A/N

This was requested by @smexy_me_16 and I hope you liked it. Sorry how long it took for me to get around to writing it

Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed it