The hotel room buzzed with quiet energy — music playing low from a speaker on the nightstand, the hum of the air conditioning, and the gentle rustle of tour costumes being packed into duffel bags

You were curled up in the corner of the bed, hoodie two sizes too big, legs tucked under you. Malachi’s hoodie, of course. You’d stolen it hours ago after rehearsals, and he hadn’t complained. If anything, he just smiled when he saw you in it — that kind of smile he never gave anyone else

He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by dance shoes and crumpled scripts, phone in hand, swiping through TikTok ideas

“We need a new one for tomorrow,” he mumbled, chewing on the drawstring of his hoodie like he always did when he was thinking “Freya and Sway already claimed that ‘Greedy’ trend.”

You tossed a pillow at him. “You’re obsessed.”

He caught it mid-air. “With TikTok or with you?”

Your face flushed instantly. You looked down, smiling into the sleeve of his hoodie

“Both,” he added, grinning. “But I only post one of them publicly.”

⸻

Later that night, the cast had a little chill-out gathering in the Barton suite. Felicia had baked cookies in the little kitchenette (“Don’t ask me how, but she found flour in this hotel,” Malachi whispered to you in disbelief), and Loren was setting up a speaker for an impromptu lip sync battle

You sat between Malachi’s legs on the floor while Freya belted out “Ain’t No Other Man” into a hairbrush mic. MK was dancing dramatically in the background with a blanket as a cape, while Julian tried to record him for the group chat

iIn a moment between songs, Felicia leaned over to you with a warm smile

“You know, he really listens to you,” she said softly.

You blinked. “Malachi?”

She nodded, eyes fond. “I’ve never seen him so grounded before. He’s still Malachi — still wild and goofy and always eating cereal at midnight — but… since you came around, he’s also calmer. Happier.”

Your heart swelled at her words. Felicia Barton had always been kind to you, but hearing that was something else

Across the room, Malachi was mid-argument with Sway about who had the better lip sync — until he glanced at you, caught your eyes, and his whole expression changed. His shoulders relaxed, and he smiled like he had a secret he was dying to tell the whole world

He stood up, walked straight past the chaos, and dropped down next to you

“You good?” he asked, brushing a strand of hair from your cheek

“Yeah,” you nodded, suddenly shy under his gaze

“You’re staring,” he teased.

“You’re literally glowing,” you whispered back.

He leaned in close. “Only for you.”

⸻

By midnight, the room had cleared out, castmates heading back to their rooms, and Felicia kissed you both on the head before leaving with Loren down the hall. The suite was quiet again — just you and Malachi now, curled up on the couch in the dark.

“I wish we didn’t have to hide it,” you said after a long silence, eyes still on the ceiling.

“I know,” Malachi whispered. “I want to post everything. The silly videos, the way you look in my hoodies, the way you fall asleep during soundcheck and I have to carry you out.”

You laughed quietly.

“But I don’t care how long we keep it between us,” he added. “As long as it’s real.”

You turned your head to look at him. His curls were a mess, his eyes soft and tired, and his arm was resting protectively around your waist.

“It’s real,” you whispered. “So real it scares me sometimes.”

He smiled — that same smile from rehearsals, from hotel hallways, from all the little moments no one else saw.

“I got you,” he said simply

And in that quiet room, wrapped in his hoodie, head against his chest, you believed him.

You always did