Work Text:
01.
It was Jeongwoo who suggested everyone gather in the living room for a movie night.
Hyunsuk had originally planned on taking a shower and just retiring to his room, maybe working on some music for a bit before going to sleep. But, the younger members had insisted he join them.
The night started off normal enough. Hyunsuk was quick to claim the edge seat of the sofa; and in no time, Jihoon had migrated to occupy the space next to him.
Hyunsuk noted how Jihoon was pressed close to him despite there being so much more sofa space on his other side. But Hyunsuk didn’t have much time to dwell on the fact as the voices of his members were slowly raising and becoming more heated as they argued over what movie to watch.
In all honesty, Hyunsuk couldn’t care less about what film they watched but there was another person who hadn’t made any attempt to argue for a movie. Hyunsuk looks over at Jihoon, who was quietly watching the drama unfold between their members, with a small, tired smile.
“You’re literally the biggest instigator on our team, I would think you’d be excited to cause problems,” Hyunsuk says teasingly.
Jihoon laughs in agreement, “I guess I’m just tired, practice was pretty tough today.”
Hyunsuk hums in agreement, and moves to rest his head on Jihoon’s shoulder, like he does often. Jihoon wraps his arms around his waist, pulling him closer, and Hyunsuk ignores the way his ears feel warmer at Jihoon’s touch.
During the opening credits, Hyunsuk shifts to get more comfortable. Sensing his discomfort, Jihoon removes his arm from around Hyunsuk and scoots his legs further apart, pulling Hyunsuk to sit between them.
Hyunsuk feels his face burn at how easily Jihoon was able to manhandle him into this position, but he admits that it is comfortable. So, he leans back to rest against Jihoon’s chest.
Automatically, Jihoon wraps his arms around Hyunsuk’s middle, looking down at the smaller, mouthing to ask him if this is okay. Hyunsuk answers with a small smile, choosing to ignore the way his heart is rapidly beating in his chest.
Jihoon and him have always been close, and now that they were the two leaders of ten boys, their friendship dynamic had definitely– shifted.
But not in a bad way. Definitely not in a bad way. It’s just that even though they split their duties as leaders, it was still hard work taking care of everyone, but they’d also learned to lean on each other more. Both literally and figuratively.
There’s just something about the intimacy of the position they’re in. The way that Jihoon’s hands have moved from where they were resting against his waist to absentmindedly card through his hair. Or the way Hyunsuk feels the need to lean into Jihoon’s touch and wrap himself up in the other boy’s warmth.
Maybe it’s the way the lights of their living room are turned off, illuminated only by the soft glow of the television screen that makes Hyunsuk feel like he could completely melt.
“You can sleep if you want hyung,” Jihoon whispers, his lips millimeters from the shell of Hyunsuk’s ear, fingers still in his hair, “You worked hard today, get some rest. I’ll wake you up when the movie is over.”
Or maybe it’s just Jihoon.
Jihoon is all grown up and responsible. And being tucked into Jihoon’s embrace, Hyunsuk decides that he’s never felt so at ease.
02.
Being the oldest and leader of a group of young teenage boys meant that more often than not, Hyunsuk was stuck being the victim of all their teasing and jokes and pranks.
Which is exactly how he somehow ended up being the one to go and buy all their snacks after losing in a game of nose goes, but might he add that he was in the bathroom when they played.
Thankfully, the members took pity on him and sent Jihoon to accompany him since the other boy supposedly came in second to last (but again, Hyunsuk wouldn’t know because he wasn’t actually present for the game).
But Hyunsuk doesn’t mind much. And although he loves his members endlessly, they are the only ones Hyunsuk can think of to blame for the way he’s currently freezing in nothing but a thin t-shirt.
Jihoon must hear the way his teeth are chattering, he shakes his head and clicks his tongue in mock disappointment, “C’mon hyung, you’re always nagging at us to dress warmer but you won’t even listen to your own words.”
Hyunsuk rolls his eyes, “Well to be honest I didn’t think I’d be forced to go out in the cold tonight, but those brats are surprisingly convincing.”
Jihoon laughs loudly, the noise echoing out into the otherwise quiet night, “Yeah, the kids get more and more troublesome everyday.”
Something blooms in Hyunsuk’s chest when Jihoon calls them ‘the kids.’ It’s no secret that the members joke about the two leaders acting as their parents, with Hyunsuk being their mom and Jihoon as their dad.
Hyunsuk definitely considers them all a family, but he never stopped to think about him and Jihoon. Their personalities were that similar to a mother and father with the way Hyunsuk loved to coddle the younger members and Jihoon was a beacon for corny dad jokes, but how about when they were together? Because in a family the parents are typically married—
A strong gust of wind brings him back to reality as he shivers violently. Hyunsuk really should’ve thought this through and not let the other boys shove him out the door.
“Here hyung, wear this.”
Before he can even process what’s happening, Jihoon is draping his hoodie over Hyunsuk’s shoulders.
“What? Jihoonie no, you’ll be cold!”
“Relax hyung, I’m wearing a flannel underneath. Because unlike someone, I dress appropriately for the weather,” Jihoon says, “Besides, we can’t have our leader getting sick.”
Hyunsuk gives up arguing and slides his arms through the sleeves of Jihoon’s hoodie. It’s too big for him obviously. But, it’s soft and does its job in making Hyunsuk feel warmer already.
He wraps the hoodie closer around his smaller frame, bunching up his fists into sweater paws and shoving them into the pockets, “If I get sick I trust you to handle everything.”
Jihoon snorts, “I don’t think I have the patience to keep them all line on my own. I’m doing myself a favor by keeping you healthy, I don’t wanna be a leader without you.”
Hyunsuk is thankful that it’s dark out so Jihoon doesn’t see the way he’s blushing at his words. Leave it to Park Jihoon to keep him warm.
They make it back to the company with bags of snacks and drinks in tow. The rest of the boys ambush them at the entrance like a pack of hungry hyenas, tearing into the treats while throwing out ‘Thank you hyungs.’
Hyunsuk laughs at their reactions before looking around for his own snack.
Jihoon hands him the bottle of cola and bag of jellies he picked with a small smirk, “That hoodie was already kinda oversized on me but it looks huge on you hyung.”
This time the company lights give Jihoon a clear sight of the way Hyunsuk’s cheeks turn pink, “S-shut up!” Hyunsuk exclaims, snatching his snacks away from Jihoon’s grasp.
But Jihoon doesn’t have to know that Hyunsuk falls asleep that night breathing in the lingering scent of his cologne on the fabric of his hoodie that Hyunsuk wears to bed.
(And the following night... and if asked Hyunsuk will simply say it’s for warmth.)
03.
The day their comeback date is announced on social media, Hyunsuk finds himself at the gym.
Usually he would much rather be back in his room watching soccer game highlights but the rest of the boys are motivated to workout so they look their best on stage and Hyunsuk has somehow gotten roped into joining the group gym session.
He supposes that maybe he has let himself go a little bit in between promotions, so he puts on his workout playlist (filled with upbeat songs to get him hyped up) and he cranks up the speed of the treadmill.
Something like fifteen minutes later, his lungs are burning and his legs feel like they’re going to give out and Hyunsuk is starting to remember why he doesn’t like working out.
He hops off the treadmill, stumbling a little before chugging his water and moving to lay down next to an equally exhausted Asahi.
After a quick (read: 30 minutes at least) break Hyunsuk settles for stretching out his tired limbs and bobbing his head along to the music that plays in his airpods while Doyoung and Jeongwoo have a competition to see who can hold a plank longer beside him.
Hyunsuk is lying on his back with his legs in the air when a sweaty Jihoon plops down next to him.
“Hey hyung, will you be my spotter for weights?”
Hyunsuk looks over at him and pretends not to be shocked at Jihoon’s current state. His dirty blond hair is damp with sweat and swept up to reveal his forehead, and he’s dressed in a black sleeveless muscle tee that reveals his biceps, his very muscular biceps.
Since when did Jihoon get so buff? Whatever happened to the scrawny little Jihoon he met when they were both in middle school?
“I don’t know much about weightlifting Jihoonie, you’re probably better off asking someone else,” Hyunsuk replies, trying to force the image of a hot and sweaty Park Jihoon lifting weights from his mind.
Jihoon pouts at him, “Fine, I’ll ask Mashi. But at least give me a sip from your water bottle, I accidentally left mine at the dorm.”
Hyunsuk jokingly reprimands him for being so forgetful but hands over his water bottle anyways. However, Hyunsuk doesn’t know exactly what he just caused—
Jihoon did say he’d like to do a sports drink commercial before, and now Hyunsuk thinks that the other boy really would be the perfect candidate for one.
The way Jihoon grips the water bottle so that the veins of his arm bulge slightly, how he wraps his lips around the lid and tips his head back giving the Hyunsuk a perfect view for how his Adam's apple bobs as he chugs the water.
A line of water escapes the corner of his mouth which he wipes away with the back of his hand as he returns the water bottle to a red faced Hyunsuk.
“Your face is really red hyung, must mean you’re working hard,” Jihoon says before adding, “Keep up the good work.”
He shoots Hyunsuk a wink before standing up and making his way over to the weights.
Hyunsuk presses a hand to his warm cheek and thinks that maybe he needs to refill his water bottle after Jihoon drank most of it, he’s suddenly feeling quite thirsty.
04.
Hyunsuk was having a bad day.
He’d woken up with a pounding headache and a flurry of text messages from their manager with last minute schedule changes. Hyunsuk skims over the revised schedule and winces at the number of photoshoots and interviews added that only make them busier than they already are.
Hyunsuk feels his head throb at the inevitable long days they’ll be subject to in the coming days. They’ve all been working harder than ever with back to back comebacks, and although he loves every moment of it, he can tell that himself and the rest of the members are burning out.
He sends a quick message back to their manager then shuts off his phone to get ready for the day. Today is a relatively easy day, nothing but an English lesson at noon and dance practice in the evening but it seems that nothing wants to go right for Hyunsuk today.
He stops for coffee on the way to the company but they get his order wrong, keeping him another 15 minutes while they fix it making him late to his lesson.
So, he stumbles into the classroom embarrassed, feeling bad for delaying the lesson; only to realize he forgot his workbook and has to look on with Yedam. But his headache is not making learning any easier, he stutters over his pronunciation the entire lesson before the teacher takes pity on his distressed expression and ends the class early.
The rest of his members send him worried glances but he assures them all that he's fine, except it’s not.
During dance practice, he stumbles over the choreography and feels frustrated whenever he’s a beat late. He considers himself a good dancer but today he just can’t get anything right.
Practice ends with only minimal scolding from their dance instructor but Hyunsuk feels absolutely defeated.
“Hyung? Are you sure you’re okay?” It’s Doyoung who’s asking but the rest of the members wear concerned expressions as well. Suddenly Hyunsuk feels infinitely worse for being a burden to the rest of the group.
He’s supposed to be the leader, the one offering reassurance not causing problems.
“Don’t worry about me, I’m just having an off day,” he says, “I promise I’m fine. You guys go eat first, I’m just gonna practice a bit more.”
“Come on everyone, you all worked hard. Let’s eat!” Jihoon cuts in.
Ah Jihoon, Hyunsuk is grateful for the other for picking up his queues as he leads the rest of the group out the door, but not before turning around to fix Hyunsuk with his own concerned glance.
Hyunsuk isn’t sure how much time passes but now he’s leaning against the mirror of the dance studio, breathing hard and soaked in sweat, feeling frustrated because he still can’t get the hang of the new choreography.
Hyunsuk slides down the mirror to sit on the floor, bringing his legs up and resting his forehead against his knees, trying to even out his breathing. Their comeback is in less than a month away and he can’t nail the killing part.
It frustrated him, he was an idol now, a professional. But he was still fumbling around like a new trainee. Why did it have to be now of all times that his five years of training lets him down?
He is so lost in his thoughts, that he doesn’t even notice the door creak open and the music being turned off, until a soft tap on his head jolts him back to reality. He looks up and is met with the crinkly eyed smile of a certain Park Jihoon.
Hyunsuk’s shocked expression must really be something because it beckons a loud laugh from the boy standing in front of him, echoing off the walls of the dance studio, and Hyunsuk doesn’t want to admit that the sound of it makes him feel instantly better.
“What are you doing here?” Hyunsuk asks tiredly.
Jihoon doesn’t respond before reaching out to cradle Hyunsuk’s face in his hands. Hyunsuk looks at him confused, also feeling the heat of the blush settling on his cheeks as Jihoon maintains steady eye contact with him.
“You look terrible hyung,” Jihoon says finally.
Hyunsuk splutters, jerking away from Jihoon’s grasp and the boy’s growing laughter, “If all you came here for was to insult me then you shouldn’t have come.”
“Sorry hyung, but you weren’t answering my messages so I got worried. I figured you’d still be here and I thought I’d come by to make sure you’re okay.” Jihoon says and Hyunsuk feels slightly guilty, noting the genuine concern in Jihoon’s voice.
“So are you okay?” Jihoon asks softly.
Hyunsuk lets out a loud sigh, suddenly feeling much more tired and allows himself to lean his weight against Jihoon. Jihoon seems to understand and wraps his arms around Hyunsuk’s middle, and the two of them stay like that for a while.
Hyunsuk considers how strange they might look if someone peered into the room, but he also can’t bring himself to care. Hyunsuk is tired. So tired. And all he wants right now is to be held. Hyunsuk thinks that Jihoon is the only person in the world who can make him feel so small yet so comforted and content.
He feels Jihoon threading his fingers through his hair and Hyunsuk thinks he might be able to fall asleep just like this.
“Are you feeling better?” Jihoon asks in a voice barely above a whisper, very unlike him, but Hyunsuk finds it nice anyways. He finds everything about Jihoon nice though. Hyunsuk doesn’t respond, so Jihoon nudges him slightly and says, “Let’s go home hyung.”
His words make Hyunsuk feel warm all over. He allows Jihoon to pull him to his feet and collect all his things. Hyunsuk makes sure to turn off the light before they leave.
They make their way outside and Hyunsuk hasn’t realized how late it’s gotten. He feels a sense of calm settle over himself as he’s greeted with a slight breeze. The cool air is different from that of the air conditioning in the dance studio, accompanied with the earthy smell of autumn.
The two of them walk in a comfortable silence, but Jihoon’s arm stays wrapped loosely around Hyunsuk’s waist the entire way.
They’re outside Hyunsuk’s dorm when Jihoon finally speaks again, “You know you don’t have to do it on your own hyung. We’re a team. You might be the leader but so am I, so please lean on me when you need to.”
Since they debuted as co-leaders of the group, Hyunsuk has gotten to see the more mature side of Jihoon. He’s still the same charming and loud prankster that Hyunsuk knows him to be, but when serious times call for a leader, the younger boy doesn’t hesitate to step up.
Hyunsuk has always admired Jihoon for how easily he can call attention and make demands, he leads with a commanding aura that makes everyone want to listen to him, Hyunsuk included. Jihoon’s intensity rivals Hyunsuk’s more motherly leadership style, but it makes a good balance. They make a good team.
“I know, and I also know I don’t say it enough, but I couldn’t do it without you Jihoonie. Who else can I count on to pull me out when I’m stuck in my own head.”
Jihoon chuckles and Hyunsuk feels a small glow of pride knowing he’s the one responsible for it.
“As long as you know I’m here for you hyung, and I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. Have as many off days as you want, I promise to make them better.”
Hyunsuk feels his face grow warmer at Jihoon’s words. Stupid Park Jihoon and his charming way with words.
The kiss is fleeting but Hyunsuk feels it all the same, a soft press of the lips to his forehead gone as fast as it came.
“Get some rest hyung, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
And as Hyunsuk watches Jihoon’s retreating back, that seems to be the moment that everything clicks into place.
Oh. Maybe he has feelings for Jihoon.
05.
Sometime in the middle of the night, Hyunsuk wakes up to another person crawling into his bed.
Sleep deprivation and a crush on said person makes Hyunsuk less resistant, so he allows Jihoon to lay down beside him and steal the blankets like it’s his own bed.
“Why?” is all Hyunsuk’s sleep muddled brain can manage to ask.
“Kids watched a scary movie tonight and all crashed in my room, it got stuffy though so I left.”
Hyunsuk hums in acknowledgement and lets Jihoon make himself comfortable. And apparently comfortable means pulling Hyunsuk’s body close to his.
“You’re much more pliant when you’re half asleep hyung.”
Hyunsuk is too tired to process what he said exactly. But suddenly he’s aware of how close they are. He knows Jihoon is a naturally cuddly person, once admitting that he can’t sleep without hugging a pillow or plushie.
Plus, the seasons are changing and the weather is getting colder. Hyunsuk definitely doesn’t mind the extra body heat, so he shuffles closer; face buried in the material of Jihoon’s shirt and their legs tangled together, he allows himself to drift back to sleep, comforted by the hand that rests on his lower back and the soft snores of the person connected to it.
Hyunsuk wakes up slightly dazed, he blinks away the sleep from his eyes as he slowly he recalls the events of last night— Jihoon sneaking into his in the middle of the night, invading his personal space and him not minding in the slightest being too tired to put up a fight.
He remembers falling asleep cuddled together but Hyunsuk is known to move around in his sleep, which explains why he is now lying almost completely on top of Jihoon.
Hyunsuk prays that Jihoon is still fast asleep and doesn’t feel the way his heartbeat has increased at the intimacy of their position.
Should he get up? But that would mean freeing himself of Jihoon’s embrace which 1) Hyunsuk doesn’t quite want to leave yet and 2) would be difficult to do without waking up Jihoon and acknowledging that they just slept together.
Well, it’s not like they haven’t slept together before. All the boys were close with each other and at the end of long schedules, you couldn’t go wrong with some cuddles.
Hyunsuk is shaken from his thoughts when he feels a gentle hand card through his hair. He lifts his head from where it was resting against Jihoon’s rest to face the other boy.
“I could hear your thoughts in my sleep,” Jihoon says, voice still rough from sleep, “what are you thinking so hard about this early in the day hyung?”
Hyunsuk feels like his cheeks might burst into flames. He buries his face back into the material of Jihoon’s shirt and answers with a muffled, “Nothing.”
Jihoon laughs and pulls the both of them into sitting position.
When Hyunsuk opens his eyes again, he quickly realizes how close they are.
And just to make things even more difficult for Hyunsuk’s poor heart, Jihoon shifts closer. Their noses are practically touching and their lips are centimeters apart. Hyunsuk feels like he can’t breathe, like can’t move, like he’s stuck in place, paralyzed under Jihoon’s soft gaze. He doesn’t know what to do but at the same time he knows exactly what he wants to do.
Jihoon tilts his head forward and Hyunsuk flutters his eyes shut but just then, the bedroom door slams open and Hyunsuk jolts away from Jihoon so quickly that he teeters off over the mattress and onto the floor.
“Are you okay?” Jihoon asks worriedly, immediately looking over to check on Hyunsuk.
“I'm fine,” Hyunsuk says, embarrassed.
He turns his attention to their intruder, where Jaehyuk is standing in the doorway, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
“Mashiho wants me to tell you guys that breakfast is ready and if you guys don’t hurry up, he’s gonna let Jeongwoo and I eat it all.” and as quickly as he came, he leaves but not before sending an exaggerated wink in their direction.
An awkward, heavy silence hangs between them. There are a million thoughts running through Hyunsuk’s mind, he doesn’t know where to start.
Jihoon is the first to speak up.
“Are you sure you’re okay? It looked like you hit the floor kinda hard,” the worry is prevalent in his tone.
“Yeah, I'm okay, really,” Hyunsuk insists softly.
“Okay, I should go, I’ll see you at breakfast?” Jihoon says, already moving off the bed.
“Yeah, see you.”
And just like that, Jihoon is gone, leaving behind only a Jihoon shaped space in the mattress and a dozen or so unanswered questions for Hyunsuk to agonize over.
+1
Logically speaking, everything should be going great. When you and your longtime crush nearly kiss, it’s a pretty good sign that they like you back right?
Or so any normal person would think. But Hyunsuk is far from normal, and he also has little (read: none) experience in the field of dating.
How does he talk to Jihoon now that they almost kissed? How does he bring up the almost kiss with Jihoon? Should they even talk about the almost kiss? What if Jihoon didn’t actually want to kiss him? What if Jihoon hates him because they didn’t kiss? What if Jihoon just hates him?
A couple days have passed since that morning and to the unknowing eye, you would think everything is fine between them. Jihoon has made no acknowledgement of what happened or almost happened between them, but Hyunsuk has become hyper aware of the other boy’s presence; and it seems like Hyunsuk can’t go anywhere without Jihoon being there too.
During interviews, vlives, and even when they eat dinners; Jihoon is always beside him with a hand strategically placed on his thigh or his lower back or around his shoulders, occasionally rubbing or squeezing to remind Hyunsuk that he’s there (as if Hyunsuk could forget).
Right before a live stage, Jihoon is right there to fix his mic or tuck a loose strand of hair behind his ear. When he walks out of the bathroom, fresh from the shower with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist (in the dorm they don’t share), Jihoon is coincidentally on his way to visit Junkyu who is the next door over; and Hyunsuk doesn’t know if he imagined it or if Jihoon’s eyes really did linger on his naked chest for a beat too long.
And even at night, alone in the darkness of his room, Hyunsuk can’t stop thinking about the other boy.
Hyunsuk twists his fingers in the sheets of his bed where Jihoon slept just nights before and reaches for his phone, in hopes of getting his mind off a certain Park Jihoon.
He squints at his phone screen as his eyes adjust to the brightness and opens up his messages to see what he missed. He chuckles at the meme Yoshi sent in the groupchat earlier that day and responds to his mom, promising her that he’s healthy and doing well.
And just as he hits send, his phone buzzes with an incoming message.
park jihoon 🐼
01:25 AM
hyung? what are u still doing up?
Oh. Hyunsuk forgot about the online status notifier.
What a coincidence that Hyunsuk gets a message from the one person he wanted to stop thinking of.
choi hyunsuk 🐷
01:28 AM
i just couldn’t sleep, hbu?
park jihoon 🐼
01:30 AM
same, i guess i got a lot on my mind
speaking of it, there’s something i've been wanting to talk to u abt
Hyunsuk feels his heart rate pick up as he reads Jihoon’s message. Is it– is it what he thinks it is? Or maybe it’s just something about their upcoming variety show appearance, or the way the heater has been acting up in the dorm. Don’t get your hopes up– Hyunsuk rationalizes.
He takes a deep breath and responds–
choi hyunsuk 🐷
01:35 AM
oh ok
it’s getting late tho, let’s talk in the morning
park jihoon 🐼
01:36 AM
we have no schedule tmr and we’re both still awake
no time like the present
Hyunsuk racks his brain for another excuse but comes up with nothing.
01:38 AM
i’m outside, can u come out?
please?
Hyunsuk’s hands shake a little as texts back a simple thumbs up. He’s standing with his hand around the door handle before he realizes just exactly what he’s gotten himself into, wondering what could be so urgent.
Whatever it is, Hyunsuk can’t squash his nerves.
He yanks the front door of his dorm open to see Jihoon leaning against the wall. He’s not wearing anything special, a simple t-shirt and sweatpants but Hyunsuk still thinks he looks unreasonably good.
“Hey hyung– wait– is that my hoodie?”
Hyunsuk glances down at the hoodie he just pulled on without much thought and realizes that it is indeed the hoodie Jihoon lent him.
“I– I was gonna give it back…”
Jihoon chuckles, “Keep it hyung, it looks good on you.”
Hyunsuk pulls the hood over his head in an attempt to hide his blush but doubts it does a very good job.
“So what did you wanna talk about?”
Jihoon lets out a loud sigh, “Hyung… a couple nights ago, did you mean it?”
Hyunsuk can’t bring himself to hold Jihoon’s steely gaze. This is it– he’s looked at it from every perspective, considered all the possible outcomes, agonized over everything the past few days and now there’s no point in hiding it anymore– Jihoon has him completely cornered.
So before he loses his newfound burst of courage, he speaks up–
“Jihoonie I like you.”
Hyunsuk doesn’t look up from where his eyes are glued to the floor, but he continues, “I… I think I’ve liked you for a long time but I only just realized my feelings. That… that day… I really wanted to, you don’t know how badly I wanted to but I was scared because if I did then what would happen? I don’t know if you feel the same way, but I also realized that I don’t wanna live my life constantly questioning everything so… here I am.”
There’s a beat of silence before Jihoon speaks, “Wow, I didn’t think it’d be that easy.”
Hyunsuk’s head snaps up, only to be met with Jihoon standing only centimeters away from him.
“I’ve liked you for so long, everyone knows. I thought you knew. I didn’t really have any hope, but that morning… I thought maybe I had a chance. But you haven’t said anything since so I thought maybe that was just your way of letting me down easy. But, Junkyu convinced me to talk to you first.”
Hyunsuk lets it all sink in. Jihoon likes him, like he like likes him. Is it possible that he did manage to fall asleep and this is all some dream?
“But imagine my delight when the object of my affection confesses to me first,” Jihoon says cheekily.
Hyunsuk blushes and swats at the other boy, “You ruined the moment, idiot.”
Jihoon laughs and Hyunsuk thinks it’s just the thing he needs to hear after laying his feelings out bare like that. Being emotionally vulnerable sure does take a toll on you.
Jihoon wraps his arms around Hyunsuk’s waist, pulling him close and using one hand to tilt his face upward so their eyes meet, “If you want I can re-create the moment.”
The hand that was holding his chin moves to cup his jaw and Hyunsuk feels his heart beat skyrocket.
“Can I kiss you hyung?”
Hyunsuk doesn’t trust his voice so he nods instead.
Where Jihoon is loud and boisterous, he kisses softly and gently like Hyunsuk is the most precious thing in the world. Hyunsuk melts against him, letting the other boy take the lead as their lips move slowly but firmly against each other.
When they part, Hyunsuk lets out a small gasp. Jihoon has quite literally stolen the breath from his lips.
Jihoon leans over to press small kisses along Hyunsuk’s neck and up his jaw before whispering in his ear, “Will you date me hyung?”
Hyunsuk moves to pull Jihoon from where the other boy has his face buried in the crook of Hyunsuk’s neck to face him, meeting his eyes, unafraid of the eye contact like he was before.
“Of course Jihoonie.”
Jihoon’s face splits into a wide grin as he leans in for another kiss, and Hyunsuk can feel the smile against his own lips.
For once Hyunsuk is not plagued by concerns and questions and what ifs. From now on, everything starts and ends with Jihoon; and as long as he has Jihoon by his side, he thinks everything will be okay.