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Sungho had always accepted the fact that he didn't have a very fun personality. He always thought he was charismatic in his own ways (people always thought he was kinda cute, and nobody seemed to be angry at anything he did, plus, every member had a weak spot for him). But that was all about him.
When the members called him clueless or slow like a slug he usually got pretty mad, because he wasn't none of that. He did know, for quite a long time in that moment, that Taeyeob had something like a crush on him. He also knew how bad he was in love with him. The only thing he didn't accept was the fact that Taeyeob might like him back, because that sounded stupid, impossible and one of his dirtiest dreams (and not saying it with a sexual connotation, it was just because someone as adorable and cute as Taeyeob could not like a mess like Sungho). But those were the facts and Sungho had to live with them.
Nevertheless, Junhyung's face was practically telling him that Sungho was an idiot that couldn't see a dinosaur even if it was in front of his face. Too realistic, or like Jisung loved to call him: fatalistic. But the reality was that he was stupid, even if no one wanted to tell that to his face (a little lie, because they told him a lot of times, but he was completely against of hearing others commenting about his obliviousness).
The trigger of that judgemental face was a little story, better called an anecdote of the day, a damn TMI, that Sungho just told him because he wanted to talk with his younger and slightly silent friend.
It happened after lunch, just four of the members were there, counting Taeyeob and Sungho. Almost in the same moment that Wookjin and Yongsoo left the couch in which they were eating (not healthy) food, Taeyeob held his arm with a sweet touch, a shy one, like everything he did those days. Sungho noticed that too, and it was incredibly cute.
"Hyung, can you do me a favor?" Taeyeob said with a pretty voice and his cheeks a little red, but that was almost normal. He was always embarrassed when talking to Sungho.
Sungho looked at him a moment, dropping his eyes to the hand that was still holding his arm. "It depends on the favor, but yeah, Taeyeob-ah. What do you need?" he asked, smiling.
Taeyeob smiled too, but looked at his lap like there was the most interesting thing in the world. "Could you lend me your hoodie?"
If a Sungho in some temporal line was braver and had a better self-esteem, he would probably choke with the air and be a dramatic man. But he wasn't, and he was reserved enough to not show how confused he was at that moment (because overreacting was embarrassing, thank you very much).
So he just said... "Uh, why?" like the eloquent man he was.
Taeyeob blinked. "I'm cold."
"Okay, I suppose so, but you already have a hoodie on."
"But yours is more comfortable and fluffy, so I'll be less cold if you lend it to me" Taeyeob answered as if he had learned a line to one of the programs they were invited to.
"So you mean... the one I have right now on? You want... this?" he asked pointing at himself with a finger, head going sideways like a puppy and confused eyes.
Sungho tried to ignore the fact that saying 'you want this?' while pointing at your own body could mean more things than just the clothes you have on. Taeyeob's light blush said everything, so no, no one in that room could ignore the implications. Good to know that both of them were experts on denying feelings and hiding them...
"Yeah- I mean, the one you have on right now, yes!"
Sungho looked at himself (exactly his clothes) like an idiot, trying to search for whatever the hell his hoodie had that made Taeyeob want it so bad. He only had on the late merchandising they released, the one with their drawings on them. Indeed he had his own, the one with his own drawing. Why would Taeyeob want it for, anyways?
"But this is mine."
"Aren't you quite perceptive, hyung? Couldn't have guessed by myself..."
"Yah, don't go all sarcastic on me, kid" he complained, making a tsk with his tongue against his teeth. "I mean it like, it's the one with my drawing and all that."
"I know, hyung. It doesn't matter, I want it!"
"Where's yours, anyways?"
Taeyeob's eyes wandered in the room for a second before they landed again in his lap. Just one hand rested there, the other still held the fabric of his black hoodie. Taeyeob's body heat was comforting in a way, like an indirect kiss, or the sun through the window in a chilly autumn.
"I... used it too much, I have to wash it."
"Why don't you just use-"
"Hyung! I'm cold and yours have your sce-heat! Your body heat! So it'll be very cozy inside it!" Taeyeob said, looking at him with big eyes and almost a pout. Almost.
"Alright, alright! Just let me get another one before or I'll be the one freezing then. Jesus..."
He indeed got up and went to his own room, looking for another sweatshirt. He had dance lessons that day, so he just used the same one he wore the day before. When he reached the couch again, Taeyeob already got out of the insides of his cozy sweatshirt.
"We don't have the heating on, dork! Why are you stripping in the middle of the living room?" he said while rolling his eyes, giving his black hoodie to Taeyeob politely.
"I am not stripping! I was waiting for you to come back…"
"But you'll catch a cold! You just had to wait for me to come back and then take your own hoodie off, Taeyeob-ah!"
"Don't give me a lecture…"
"Just accept you're dumb and put the damn hoodie on."
Taeyeob furrowed his brows. "I'm not accepting nonsense, but I'll wear this if you don't mind."
Taeyeob did as said, and Sungho just stared like an idiot for more seconds than the ones that were socially acceptable. The younger boy just made himself comfortable inside his hoodie, sighing in relief, almost hugging himself.
"You look so small on it" Sungho said without thinking.
Taeyeob looked at him with big eyes and redder cheeks than before, and Sungho panicked a little.
"Oh! It's just that, you know, I'm not big but you still look smaller than me and- uh, it's cute... You look cute" he rambled looking anywhere and everything but Taeyeob.
A little laugh left the other boy's cute lips, and smiling shyly he said: "Thank you, hyung."
And that's when his anecdote reached an end, just saying that Taeyeob left their apartment to go for his vocal lessons and then he didn't quite catch him anymore. They would eat at dinner together anyways, as always (maybe Yongsoo would go with them, considering the pining mess they were lately; they needed to be controlled).
"You're really naive or stupid, hyung-ah" Junhyung said while scrolling in his phone.
Sungho blinked twice before furrowing his brows. "And why is that?"
"Don't you get it?"
"Get what?"
"The reason why Taeyeobie-hyung did that."
Sungho rolled his eyes and replied with his tone that said 'of course, duh '. "He said it himself, he was cold. He's just very odd, but that's not new..."
"Taeyeob-hyung is not odd, he's just very much occupied crushing on you to behave like a normal human being. But this time, he was kinda... obvious."
"Yeah, he told me he was cold so-"
"You're definitely stupid hyung. Sorry it had to be me telling you this but... it was me or Jisung-hyung and we know which one is better to say this kind of things."
"That's definitely Jisung-hyung, though."
"I know, right? Anyways, I'll tell you clearly because you really seem to not understand what happened right there."
Junhyung stopped looking at his phone, blocking it for a moment to look at Sungho's eyes (because he had his ridiculous long bangs away from his eyes when they were 'off duty') with so much mockery that Sungho wanted to punch him. Or at least something horrible like tickle him because he was very ticklish.
"You know that those hoodies are like... us, right? Like having a name in our back saying who we are or what we like, or who we like if we talk about our fans."
"Yeah, of course."
" Of course " he copied his voice, with a smirk. "So if you have your own hoodie, it basically screams 'I'm OnlyOneOf's Lee Sungho, Rie', right?"
"Go to the point, please" Sungho said while rolling his eyes.
"What would mean if Taeyeobie-hyung asked you to have the hoodie that represents yourself the whole day, showing it everywhere, to everyone?"
Sungho opened his mouth, and then closed it, feeling how his cheeks started to feel hot under his skin, probably showing a little of the red pigment that looked so natural on Taeyeob's skin but a real outsider in his own cheeks.
"And for the record, Taeyeob-hyung's own hoodie is clean and folded, resting in one of his drawers. He washed his clothes yesterday with me."
Sungho looked at his hands for a moment, having a stupid and incredible need to hold Taeyeob, kiss him senseless and cuddle in the couch of his apartment. Nothing really new, but it felt like a necessity to live in that moment.
"So, what are you gonna do, hyung?"
He looked at Junhyung's eyes and without thinking it too much, he got up from his chair and ran to the room Taeyeob used always to do his lives or just practice.
Sungho would admit that he was stupid, naive and oblivious, but at least he was sure that he wouldn't sit and do nothing. He wouldn't chicken out now... maybe. But that's a TMI for Junhyung for another day.