Archive of Our Own

INSIDE OF GARAGE - DAY

Sunlight filters in through the small windows of Yoonsung’s garage. There are easels and multiple drying canvases laid out against the sides, and paint splatters across the walls. Deokju follows Yoonsung into his makeshift studio, and the camera pans to Deokju’s face as his expression changes from curiosity to awestruck surprise.

DEOKJU
(Glances around.) You’re insanely talented.

YOONSUNG
You really think so? Many of these are still works in progress, but...

DEOKJU
(Notices a painting half-hidden behind a blank canvas. Pauses for a moment.) Wait. Is this... me?

YOONSUNG
(Tensely) Oh. Um. Yeah. I’m sorry, I should have asked for permission before I —

DEOKJU
(Interrupts Yoonsung.) This is... you made me look beautiful. (Laughs.) Not that I’m not beautiful already, but I’ve never been this photogenic.

"Cut!" The director’s voice is clipped, as usual; to-the-point. "Changbin, your smile was slightly too self-satisfied during that last line. Remember that you’re supposed to be appreciating the beauty of the painting, not just yourself."

"Narcissist," Hyunjin mutters under his breath.

"Oh, that’s real rich, coming from the guy who spent ten extra minutes in the dressing room this morning taking selfies for fans,” Changbin angrily retorts. He almost regrets it, seeing Hyunjin’s face fall into a frown, but to be honest, they’ve been at this scene for far too long and Changbin is beginning to lose both his patience and his temper.

”Yeah? And how'd you know that? Did you stalk my social media or something?” Hyunjin is quick to reply, masking the hurt in his face with a scowl.

“No,” Changbin defensively replies. He follows him online since they’re now technically coworkers, but that’s it. “Fine, I’m sorry, I shouldn't have said that.” He turns to the side, addressing the director now. “Apologies, I’ll keep that in mind for the next take.”

He has to keep it in mind for the next take, anyway. As is the case with higher-budget movies, the directors nitpick at every little thing—the outcome has to be perfect, the scenes orchestrated just the way they want them to be. 

Changbin gets it—he’d known this would be the case from the day he accepted the role. But sometimes it’s frustrating; acting is fun until you have to repeat the same scene dozens of times, and sometimes being around Hyunjin doesn’t help.

Case in point, now: “If you’d just said the line like you had done the previous time we would have been finished,” Hyunjin hisses at him. 

As they move back to their starting positions, Changbin forgoes another apology to discreetly shoot his co-star the middle finger. But he supposes that the action doesn’t really do much to help Hyunjin, either.

---

Look. 

Changbin's normally a fairly calm guy—he tries not to start fights, tries to think clearly and picture the other perspective on things. But it's just that, for some inexplicable reason, Hyunjin tends to get on his nerves. And this is only their second week on set. 

Sometimes, Changbin tries not to let it show, but he feels like Hyunjin has definitely picked up on it. It’s not like the other has tried to do anything about it—if anything, Hyunjin becomes even more irritating once he notices how quick Changbin is to escape to the side after the scene cuts, how quick Changbin is to put distance between them when they're off-camera. If anything, Hyunjin seems to have started reciprocating the feelings—masking less and less of the distaste in his expression when Changbin takes so much as a step away. 

To be fair, Changbin has never bothered to be that subtle about it.

Which might be just a bit problematic, because they have to pretend to be lovers.

Thankfully, they haven't reached that part in the movie yet. They're filming sequentially, at least, and so far Changbin and Hyunjin have really only had to play the part of bumbling, awkward strangers getting to know each other. The "meet-cute" stage, as the viewers would call it. 

Truly, this is probably the only part that Changbin feels like he doesn’t have to act for; if only the others knew just how awkward it really feels to have Hyunjin's arm over his shoulders as they huddle under a bus stop, barely shielded from the rain (fake-rain, that is, pumped overhead from some machine that vaguely resembles a wide hose leading to a flat filter). Or how awkward it is when he has to face Hyunjin in the middle of a garage and pretend he's sort of enamored by the other’s so-called painting of him. 

Sometimes, Changbin can’t help but think that pretty boys have it lucky. In this industry, it seems to be especially true. 

Hyunjin is tall, has that flowy blond hair and those full lips, and is so good at schooling his expression into something charismatic, something that all the girls would probably be swooning at. 

Okay. Other guys would probably be at Hyunjin’s feet, too. This is a gay rom-com, after all, and on their first day on set Hyunjin had blatantly told him he was bi. While Changbin shares a similar interest in the same sex, he’s certainly not swooning for Hyunjin even a bit, but he will at least give the other credit. Regardless of how Changbin feels about him, Hyunjin is certainly good at manipulating his face to express even the oddest of emotions. So—admittedly—he’s not just a pretty face, and it's not like he's really undeserving of the role, either.  

It's just that Changbin knows. He knows that Hyunjin had it easier getting his role because of his looks, whereas Changbin probably would not have gotten the other lead had he not had prior acting experience already. 

See, that's also the thing. Hyunjin hasn't acted in any other shows or movies before, is fresh out of college with a theatre degree and lands a great role. Good for him. 

Changbin's not salty. Though. Maybe he is, just a little. Objectively, Hyunjin is still super talented. Changbin even still counts himself lucky to be here, but with Hyunjin on the set, Changbin feels like the other really is the star of the show even when they're co-starring, with the way Hyunjin always seems to be stealing the center of attention, whether he intends to or not. 

That might also be because Changbin is always so eager to get away from him between scenes, but. 

Are you sure you aren't just jealous? I can’t tell whether or not you genuinely dislike him or if you want to, like, furiously make out with him to shut him up, Jisung tells him once when he notices Changbin burning a glare into Hyunjin's back. It is lunch break, and Hyunjin has just cracked a joke and a few of the other actors on set had been laughing and they all looked smitten by Hyunjin. Great. 

(Stay calm, Changbin thinks—there’s no rational reason to be angry here.)

Jisung plays the role of Changbin's best friend in the movie, but Jisung is someone who got along well with Changbin from the moment they met a few days ago; Changbin thinks they're already on their way to becoming good friends off the scene too. He and Jisung both like to stay a little further from the crowd, which is sort of ironic considering they're actors. Don't get him wrong, Changbin likes the spotlight, but he also likes being away from it, sometimes, and he doesn't mind chatting with Jisung on the sidelines.

And perhaps he can see where Jisung is coming from with the jealous accusations; while Changbin has long since grown comfortable in his own skin, he still occasionally finds himself wishing he had been graced with such genetics. Over the years, he's come to accept his height and even appreciate his own face in the mirror (though maybe not as often as he catches Jisung doing so in the dressing room), but he most certainly does not want to have a furious makeout session with Hyunjin. 

“Jisung, what the hell?” Changbin incredulously replies.

Jisung wiggles his eyebrows. He looks so ridiculous but Changbin’s just glad he found a sort-of friend on set. "I'm just saying," Jisung says. "You two are going to have to get along sooner or later. There's gonna be kissing, whether you want it or not."

"Can't wait," Changbin sarcastically remarks. "Thank you for the reminder."

Jisung makes kissy-lips at him and Changbin jerks away so quickly that they both laugh. Still, he’d rather have had Jisung in the other lead role—they have just clicked together a lot more naturally.

But this is who he has instead, and he might as well get used to it. All else considered, he’s enjoying the role, and maybe—with time—things will get better.

---

Their situation doesn’t get better with time. In fact, Changbin might even say it gets worse. 

It’s ironic, that’s what it is; the characters they play—Deokju and Yoonsung—keep growing closer as time goes on, but the two of them —Changbin and Hyunjin—only seem to grow further apart. 

Every time the cameras go off they avoid each other like the plague; Changbin can start to hear the whispers, and it almost bothers him more. He can’t completely lose control of his emotions or else he’ll never hear the end of it, being an actor and all. But he and Hyunjin are going to have to do something about it. Probably. Maybe. 

Or they can wait for the script can force them to do something about it instead, because the kissing scene Jisung seems so intent on reminding him about comes all too soon:

BUS STOP - EVENING

The sun is setting behind two standing figures. Deokju is recounting a funny phone call earlier at work. Yoonsung is half-listening, half-staring at him. The bus passes by and then takes off when neither of them seem to notice it.

DEOKJU
(Suddenly) The bus! (to Yoonsung) You were supposed to see it coming!

YOONSUNG
(Eyes widen, turns around too late.) Oh shit! I wasn’t thinking.

DEOKJU
Well, now it’s another half-hour.

YOONSUNG
Sorry, I was just a bit... distracted?

DEOKJU
Distracted?

YOONSUNG
(Nervously) By... you? 

Both of them lean forward. Camera pans closer. Deokju glances up at Yoonsung’s face, and both of them seem to realize that they want the same thing.

Yoonsung finally relaxes, and Deokju smiles, brilliantly and reassuring, before closing the rest of the gap with his lips. Their eyes flutter shut at the same time, and they kiss slowly, gently.

“I can’t do it.”

“What do you mean, you can’t do it?” Jisung shoots back. “Am I not just as hot and alluring as Hyunjin?” he grins, teasing. 

“Actually, I’d rather kiss you,” Changbin tells him, and he’s being honest. They’re outside in the back parking lot, on a small break for the afternoon. Changbin’s trying to prepare himself for the future scenes, this being one of them. The only problem is, every time he tries to rehearse the scene with Jisung, he starts imagining Hyunjin in front of him instead, and can’t bring himself to execute the last part of the scene. 

“I’m flattered,” Jisung replies. Changbin regrets stroking his ego. “But if that’s the case, then just do it!” Jisung points to his lips and wiggles his eyebrows. “You know you want some of this.”

“Yeah, okay, not like that, but just give me a moment and we’ll try again.”

It’s probably for the better that Changbin does this: at least being able to run through the full scene once before he attempts anything with Hyunjin. They’re shooting this part tomorrow, for god’s sake, but he and Hyunjin haven’t discussed it once, so the best he could do is go through it with someone else.

“Okay,” Jisung agrees, laughing. “Deokju, I was just so distracted by you,” he says, completely exaggerated, and Changbin is soon laughing along with him. 

But they finally get it on the next attempt—kissing Jisung doesn’t make Changbin feel much, just pleased satisfaction at having finally been able to actually do it.

“Hey,” a voice calls, unofficially ending the scene. Changbin pulls away, a relieved smile on his face, and Jisung is grinning goofily at him, likely just as glad that they’ve run through the scene once. Then Jisung’s eyes widen and his grin changes when he spots the owner of the voice, mouth falling back into his usual smirk reserved for teasing Changbin.

Changbin turns around, but if Jisung’s expression is anything to go by, he already knows who it is.

Sure enough, it’s Hyunjin, standing in the back doorway, regarding the two of them with an odd, impassive expression on his face. “Um, Changbin-ssi, Jisung-ssi, break’s over, you’re needed back inside.”

“Right,” Changbin says, almost satisfied with how stony Hyunjin looks for once. He turns back to Jisung and shoots him a grateful smile for willingly rehearsing the scene with him as they follow Hyunjin back inside together.

He finds that Hyunjin glares at him more as they’re shooting the last scene of the day, but Changbin can’t bring himself to be bothered as to why that’s the case.

---

“Hyunjin.”

“What.” Hyunjin doesn’t even look up from his phone when Changbin accosts him in the makeup room the next morning. 

“I don’t think we should go into the kissing scene stone-cold, okay?” Changbin says, firmly, even though he’s not exactly pleased about the idea either. They’ll be filming it later today, and as the director wants the sun to be setting while they’re filming it, they’ll only have a limited time and number of takes unless they want to drag the scene onto the next day and face the frustration of their higher-ups.

“I’m sure you’ve had plenty of experience kissing, anyway,” Hyunjin flatly replies, and there’s a harsh bite to his words. “Just pretend I’m Jisung.”

“Hyunjin…” Now Changbin’s just confused. Hyunjin seems upset even though he has no right to be; they’re actors, and what they do when the camera isn’t on is their own business. 

“It’s not like I go around kissing Jisung all the time,” Changbin continues. “And I know we both hate the idea but I really think…”

“We’re actors,” Hyunjin snaps back instead. Then his voice softens. “I’m sure it’ll work out just fine.”

The woman who is doing Hyunjin’s makeup shoots a curious glance at Changbin as he leaves.

So let her wonder, Changbin angrily thinks. 

Whatever. Hyunjin had said they’re actors, and they are. If Hyunjin seemed to hate the thought of kissing him that much, then so be it. 

---

True to Hyunjin’s word, it… kind of actually does work out fine? It’s just… weird. It’s weird, that’s what it is.

The sun starts to sink lower, and they bring the bus stop set outside. Half of Hyunjin’s blond hair is pulled into a ponytail and he’s standing there, hands stuffed into the pockets of his grey jacket over black jeans. Changbin has on a dress shirt and slacks since Deokju is supposed to be an office worker, but thankfully the getup is nothing too formal or stiff.

The crew shuffles around for a while, arranging the set and the cameras and extra lights the way they want, and then the two of them are brought forward. Changbin has all the lines memorized in his head, and the scene really does go as scripted, but maybe that’s what throws him off so much: 

“Well, now it’s another half-hour,” Changbin recites his first line, casting a wry glance at the space where the bus was supposed to stop for them. 

“Sorry,” Hyunjin mutters. “I was just a bit… distracted?” 

“Distracted?” Changbin asks. Hyunjin is avoiding his eyes, like every bit of the character he’s supposed to play.

“By… you?” Hyunjin offers. It's perfectly executed, just the right mix of bashful and confident.

Changbin forces his eyes to widen, just barely, as if he’s surprised—pleasantly surprised at the confession. He leans closer just as Hyunjin does, and, just like the script indicates, there’s a pause as they realize that they had both moved at once. Hyunjin’s shoulders visibly relax, and Changbin wills his mouth into a bright smile, looking into Hyunjin’s eyes. His palms are inexplicably sweaty even though this isn’t the first kissing scene he’s ever done, but he can’t look away now that they’ve gotten this far.

Determined to finish this damned scene on the first try, Changbin tiptoes, and ever-so-slowly leans forward. Hyunjin’s eyes flutter shut, and, for a fraction of a moment, Changbin thinks it’s actually beautiful. The setting sun against his face, his closed eyes, the serene expression and soft smile on his lips. It’s enough for Changbin to allow his own eyes to close as he finally presses his mouth to Hyunjin’s. 

It begins curiously and a bit sloppily, because it’s supposed to be their first time, and then gently, slowly, the script had said. They do go gently and slowly, but to Changbin’s dismay, it’s not anything like kissing Jisung had been. Now, finds himself gripping Hyunjin’s shoulders to steady himself. Hyunjin’s lips are full and soft and he kisses like he means it—and, having acted in multiple films, it’s been a while since another actor or actress has kissed Changbin like they meant it. 

Hyunjin kisses like he’s been wanting this for months. Which is nearly laughable—neither of them have even known each other that long, but he supposes it’s all part of Hyunjin’s effort to immerse himself in his role, being a passionate artist and a romantic and all that. This isn’t Hyunjin, Changbin reminds himself; this is Yoonsung. Changbin doesn’t like kissing Hyunjin, but Deokju likes kissing Yoonsung. That’s it. They just had to get into their roles.

And now, Changbin reminds himself, it is time for him to pull away. He does just so; it’s not supposed to be a long kiss.

Yoonsung smiles fondly at Deokju, and Deokju smiles back, but on the inside, Changbin is reeling. 

It’s one of the rare times that the scene is declared successful on its first take, though they have to film it one more time because the director wants to try a couple of different camera angles. 

Kissing Hyunjin for the second time, Changbin learns, is just as internally disorienting as the first.

---

Still, it doesn’t mean anything, Changbin firmly tells himself. 

It’s their job, and they had just been playing out a scene.

Hyunjin can kiss him however he wants, but he and Hyunjin still shoot each other scathing remarks between takes, and Changbin can’t deny that there’s still a mutual sort of dislike between the two.

The only thing different is that it’s no longer solely… hatred. To be fair, Changbin wouldn’t say they had really hated each other before, just that it was really easy for them to get on each other’s nerves.

Anyway, there isn’t another kissing scene for a while, which is a huge relief. 

On the other hand, with how fast their relationship seems to be progressing on-screen, now Changbin really has to act like he’s in love with Hyunjin. 

Correction: Deokju is in love with Yoonsung. But Changbin is not Deokju, and Yoonsung is not Hyunjin. 

There’s one scene where Deokju has to knock on Yoonsung’s garage door, and then when he’s finally let in, he envelopes Yoonsung in a hug. 

“I missed you,” Deokju is supposed to say. 

“I missed you,” is what Changbin says, arms wrapped around Hyunjin’s shoulders and face buried in Hyunjin’s chest. He definitely doesn’t miss Hyunjin; they already see each other nearly every day on set. Changbin would actually rather see less of Hyunjin sometimes. 

But Hyunjin is warm, and Changbin can feel his chest moving slightly up and down with his breaths. Changbin hates it—hates how it makes him feel. When he pulls away, the air seems extra cold and Changbin is left craving more, which just feels wrong. 

Changbin reminds himself of the next line. 

“Now which one of these paintings is the one you wanted to show me?” Changbin (Deokju) asks. Hyunjin (Yoonsung) grins. 

The scene cuts.

Changbin allows the smile to fall off his face and quickly slips away to find Jisung.

---

“Hurry up!” Changbin kicks the door, “How long do you fucking need in the bathroom?”

There’s the sound of the toilet flushing, then the sink water turning on and off. Finally, finally, the door opens. Hyunjin only smiles smugly, like he’d known Changbin had really needed to pee. They’d driven out to film a scene earlier, some remote empty field in the middle of vast stretches of farmland. Just him watching Hyunjin paint in the middle of the field. 

Hyunjin can’t actually paint. Technically, if Changbin were to offer him the benefit of the doubt, he probably could—although not as well as the movie makes Yoonsung out to be. So the whole shoot was just Changbin watching Hyunjin pretend to paint in the middle of a field. Neither of them could catch a break until they got back to the studio, and then suddenly everyone had to use the bathroom. 

Changbin had only felt comfortable impatiently kicking on the door of this one, because, well, it had been occupied by Hyunjin.

Now, Hyunjin brushes past him rudely as he exits, and Changbin has half a thought out to stick a foot out and try to trip him. He wouldn’t stoop that low, though. 

Instead, Changbin says, “there’s toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your right foot.”

Hyunjin immediately sticks out his foot, then sees that Changbin had lied. He laughs, but his eyes scrunch up into annoyed little slits when he walks away. 

Pissing (Hyunjin off) had never felt so good.

---

The steady pitter-patter of water hitting the pavement and their drawn-up jacket hoods starts up again as he and Hyunjin take their spots. 

It’s another rain scene.

When Changbin used to spend time watching rom-coms rather than acting in them, he thought that the cliche scenes were always sort of cute. 

Now, however, Changbin does not find this the least bit cute. There are no rainbows to look for here, especially not in the dark, only puddles of water and falling droplets generated from the silly rain machine. 

What’s supposed to happen is them running back to Yoonsung’s house from the bus stop. It’s late at night, and it’s rainy. The streets are slippery, yadda yadda yadda. Deokju slips, and oh, wow, there’s Yoonsung to the rescue. 

Excuse his sarcasm—

Changbin really really suspects that Hyunjin just wants to let him fall flat on his feet. 

Shortly before positioning themselves for the first take, Changbin had shot Hyunjin a glare that said, listen up, you better catch me or else. Hyunjin had smiled mildly back, which hadn’t been reassuring at all. Changbin hated it. He wished Hyunjin’s safety were on the line, not his own.

At least Hyunjin still follows through with the script with the limited amount of trust Changbin has for him. During the first take, Changbin free-falls backward for a second before Hyunjin’s arms are looping around his waist, pulling him upright again. The impact still kind of hurts, though; and Changbin can’t help the small wince that shows on his mouth.

“Cut,” comes the call from the director.

Hyunjin looks at him, and there’s actual concern written faintly on his face in the slight downturn of his eyebrows—almost making it a moment worthy of the history books. “You okay?” he asks. 

“Yeah,” Changbin mutters. “Try and catch me sooner next time, okay?”

“Okay.” Hyunjin nods, and when they start the scene again, sure enough, Changbin spends a fraction of a second less free-falling. Hyunjin rights him faster this time, and… here’s where Changbin’s supposed to smile up like a lovesick fool at him. 

He belatedly notices that his hood must have fallen off when he pretended to slip; the water droplets are just hitting his face and dampening his hair now. But the scene must continue.

I am so in love with you, Changbin derisively thinks as he directs his softest and yet brightest smile at Hyunjin. He also thinks of the delicious ice cream he and Jisung had driven out to eat the other night, which is hopefully enough to make the smile seem more genuine and reach his eyes. It’s an old tactic in the book, but one that still works. 

Hyunjin grins back, in the near-darkness and fake-rain, and then hesitates for a second.

Pausing isn’t in the script, Changbin notes in the back of his head. 

Neither is what comes next. Hyunjin leans down and presses the briefest of kisses to Changbin’s mouth, before reaching behind him and pulling the hood of Changbin’s jacket back over his head. Then he is taking Changbin’s hand and tugging him down the sidewalk to rush “home”. 

Now the being pulled down the street—that’s as planned. But that kiss? Completely improvised.

What the fuck was Hyunjin even thinking? 

Something in his chest had stuttered at the sheer unexpectedness of it all, and Changbin has to make his legs work again. His memory is still intact, and nowhere in this scene did it ever mention or imply a kiss. And yet the director still hasn’t cut them off—maybe he’d wanted to see how they would play it out.

Fuck you, Changbin thinks, and almost finds himself hating Hyunjin even more.

---

“What the hell was that?” Changbin later demands once they’re back inside, shrugging off his wet jacket for his usual hoodie. 

“What?” Hyunjin innocuously asks. 

“You know what,” Changbin replies. “Why’d you do it?”

Hyunjin shrugs. He’s absolutely evil, Changbin decides. “I felt like it fit with the scene,” Hyunjin tells him, then raises an eyebrow. It’s definitely a taunting eyebrow, Changbin also decides. “Besides, if it goes with the flow, why not?”

“Okay,” Changbin replies. He hates that Hyunjin is right; objectively, a kiss isn’t especially out-of-place in this scene. And only now does he realize this is what Hyunjin must have wanted—to elicit a reaction out of Changbin—and that bringing it up has now caused his own demise. “Okay, okay. Fine.”

“If it helps, just think of it as Yoonsung kissing Deokju,” Hyunjin continues. He glances into the distance—not at Changbin but at somewhere vaguely behind him. He’s clearly refusing to meet Changbin’s eyes when he opens his mouth again: “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t want to kiss you anyway, Changbin-ssi.”

So that’s what you truly think of me, Changbin thinks. At least Hyunjin didn’t try to lie about it.

“Okay,” Changbin says again, and then turns on his heels. “Have a good night.”

“I will,” Hyunjin replies. He doesn’t wish Changbin the same, but Changbin doesn’t need to hear the same empty words parroted back at him, anyway.

---

He is informed that there will be more water.

The pleasant sort of water this time, but Changbin almost dreads it.

The next month—the final month of shooting—is supposed to take place far, far from the city. 

They have to take a plane there, and everything. In real life, it’s some remote tropical resort type deal on a largely uninhabited island. 

Sounds spectacular, actually. 

Warm summer sun, crystal clear waters, soft white-sanded beaches. 

Changbin would have loved to go there in any other scenario.

Sadly, he gets to go there with Hyunjin. Just Hyunjin. And the director and film crew.

Not even Jisung nor any of the other supporting cast can keep him company in this one, because that’s not how it goes in the movie.

In the movie, Deokju uses his latest paycheck and free days to take Yoonsung with him on a short summer vacation so that he has a break from his office job for a few weeks. Yoonsung brings his art supplies with him and uses the opportunity to paint the ocean, nature, and more of Deokju, probably. A quick scan-through of the script indicates that there’s also supposed to be a lot of kissing, and one mildly mature scene that Changbin really doesn’t want to think about right now. 

Really, really doesn’t.

---

But, wait—a couple of days before they leave, it gets worse. 

Changbin finds out that for the duration of their stay, he and Hyunjin will be sharing a room together. He’s sure other arrangements could have been made, but maybe whoever had done the bookings had thought that the two leads had already gotten close enough after two months of quasi-romantic filming and had just stuffed them together. Unfortunately, an assumption like that couldn’t have been more wrong.

Jisung grimaces when Changbin breaks the news to him, but there’s also an amused undertone in his expression, one that suggests he’s curious to see how the last month of filming will play out for Changbin and Hyunjin’s rocky relationship. 

Changbin decides to ignore the subtleties. 

“Good luck,” Jisung says, and then tacks on a light, “I’ll miss you.”

“Me too.” Changbin laughs, but he’s already thinking of all the things that can go wrong.

---

On the plane ride there, Changbin falls asleep. Embarrassingly enough, he wakes up to find his head on Hyunjin’s shoulders. 

Fucking fantastic, he thinks, and then dozes off again, still on Hyunjin’s shoulders. It’s really only the alluring warmth from the other’s body that does it.

The next time he wakes up, it’s because Hyunjin is shaking him. “We’re here,” he tells Changbin, and Changbin sleepily pulls his bag up from the ground, shouldering it as they leave the small jet. 

They’re still on the mainland, and it’s only after a short boat ride out to the islands that they properly get to their destination.

Changbin has to admit, it’s beautiful. The sun is out, and he’s glad he brought swimming trunks, because the water is sparkling brilliantly under the sun, and the beach is incredibly enticing.

Changbin and Hyunjin are directed to a hut—small, but with expensive, modern furnishings on the inside—where they’ll stay for the month. Hyunjin scans his key card and opens the door to reveal more scenery that has Changbin almost salivating.

The hut is on the shore, and its main room has a large, floor-to-ceiling window that overlooks the blue water. 

“It’s so pretty,” Hyunjin says, pushing his suitcase against the wall as he slips off his shoes. 

Changbin can’t help but agree with him. 

---

The hut turns out to be divided into a couple of rooms. The first is the one they enter to, with the big window. A few lounge chairs sit on one side, and there’s a small kitchen on the other. The bedroom and its accompanying bathroom are to the left. The bedroom too has a large window and a nice view of the water, and a small balcony outside, but only one queen-sized bed. 

Changbin inhales. Then exhales. Hyunjin comes to stand in the doorway with him and notices this as well.

“Huh,” Hyunjin eventually says, eyeing the bed with a sort of resolute acceptance in his voice. 

Again, Changbin shares the same sentiment. 

---

Since they aren’t filming anything today, just getting settled in, Changbin changes into a pair of swimming trunks, and then books it to the beach just outside. 

The water is pleasantly warm and Changbin ends up just floating on his back for a while, letting the waves lap at his body, until he hears Hyunjin calling his name and has to reluctantly come out. 

“What?” Changbin asks, picking up a towel he had set down on a beach chair and drying himself off as he walks towards him.

Hyunjin’s also changed into a lighter set of clothes, just a t-shirt and shorts and a large sunhat. Under that sunhat, Changbin notices, Hyunjin is staring at him. Or rather, pointedly not staring at him and his lack of a shirt.

That’s… uh. Okay. 

“Did you put on sunscreen?” Hyunjin asks, gaze directed out at the waves washing the shore. “Makeup-noonas are gonna go crazy if you don’t take care of your skin.”

“Oh,” Changbin realizes. “Nope. Guess I’ll be borrowing that,” he says, reaching for the tube of water-resistant sunscreen in Hyunjin’s hand. 

Quickly, fluidly, Hyunjin raises it above his head, out of reach of Changbin’s grabby hands.

What an asshole, Changbin thinks spitefully, mood dropping. 

“Can you not be like this, for once?” he asks, exasperated. Not even one hour, and things are already going downhill.

Hyunjin huffs. “I’ll rub some on for you, okay? You’re not going to be able to reach your own back.”

So.

His words are unexpectedly thoughtful. Changbin’s already surprised enough that Hyunjin thought to remind him to put on sunscreen, let alone offer to help. 

“Fair enough,” Changbin agrees, because Hyunjin raises a good point. And it might be good if they actually get along for once. Even though—ironically—here’s the place they’d need to worry least about getting along—a smaller film crew, fewer cameras, far away from the public eye. 

Still, Changbin finishes drying himself off before he sets the towel back on the chair, and then turns around so his back is facing Hyunjin. “Here,” he says. 

There’s a pause. A very long pause. One that makes Changbin almost turn around and ask Hyunjin what the hell he’s waiting for. 

Then Changbin feels large, warm hands firmly spreading ice-cold lotion onto his back, and almost flinches away. “Get the sunscreen out of a freezer or something?” he asks. 

Hyunjin laughs. “Sorry. I actually don’t know. One of the makeup crew just gave it to me, told me to put some on if I was going outside.”

“Well, thanks,” Changbin says. “I probably would have burned myself if I had been swimming out there any longer.”

“Mhmm,” Hyunjin replies. 

The hands move up Changbin’s back. Under the current circumstances, Changbin would say that this is definitely awkward, except that the circular motion Hyunjin is using to rub on the sunscreen is almost relaxing. 

“You have nice shoulders,” Hyunjin mumbles. 

Ah. Why is Changbin’s throat dry? Must be all the sun. He swallows. It feels loud. “Thanks…?” Changbin replies. “I do work out somewhat regularly, so…”

“Figured,” Hyunjin says. To be fair, it’s kind of a given that actors can’t completely let go of their bodies. It’s not like they have to all look like models—like Hyunjin almost does—but they’d probably be under the scrutiny of the public if they did nothing , even if makeup and post-filming touch-ups can help a lot.

Hyunjin’s hands spread sunscreen onto Changbin’s shoulders, then a bit up his neck, before coming to a stop. “Here,” Hyunjin says, and Changbin turns around so he can take the bottle and lather sunscreen across the rest of his body and face. 

“So,” Changbin awkwardly begins, rubbing sunscreen over his arms. “You gonna go swimming later too, or…?”

“Maybe,” Hyunjin replies, shrugging. 

“Well, if you do, then you’re going to need some of this on your back too, so…” 

Hyunjin peers down at him. He’s smiling, but it’s not the evil sort of smile he’d sent Changbin the other day after making him wait especially long for the bathroom. It’s almost… teasing. 

No. It’s infuriating, just not for the usual reasons. 

The sun. That’s it. That’s why Changbin feels hot.

“So you want my shirt off,” Hyunjin says. 

“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Changbin defiantly replies. He definitely had not insinuated that—all he’d done was offer to return the favour. 

Hyunjin shifts his weight from foot to foot, and then bursts into laughter. 

“Well, do you plan on swimming or not?” Changbin asks again, simultaneously flustered and irked. There’s nothing funny about this situation, really. 

“Hold this for a moment,” Hyunjin says, taking off his sun hat and all but placing it into Changbin’s free hand. 

“Sure…? I mean—” Changbin loses his train of thought when Hyunjin pulls his shirt over his head. 

Changbin is only human when his eyes inadvertently dart down for a moment. Yup, those are faint but definitely existent abs. O-kay, noted. He then looks back up—Hyunjin’s grinning now, shirt in hand. His other hand reaches up to point vaguely at the space behind him. “This back isn’t going to get sunscreen on itself,” he says.

“Right. Um. Your hat—” Hyunjin takes the hat from Changbin’s hand and slips it back onto his head. 

“Right,” Changbin says again, more to himself than Hyunjin. It’s just sunscreen, but it feels really really weird—like he’s in an alternate reality—mostly because they aren’t at each other’s throats. 

He tries not to think too hard about it as he palms the sunscreen into Hyunjin’s back. Hyunjin evidently doesn’t work out as much, but still, it’s a nice back, long and smooth and— the sunscreen, Changbin. 

Hyunjin does go into the water later. He may not be able to paint beautiful portraits and landscapes like Yoonsung supposedly can, but Changbin can tell that Hyunjin definitely knows how to swim. The waves are gentle and from his spot on the beach, Changbin can see Hyunjin’s arms circling in and out of the water. 

It’s freestyle, and Hyunjin’s strokes are executed with practiced ease.  

The sight is almost worthy of a painting in itself.

Changbin tamps that thought down.

---

In the evening, they go to this clubhouse where staff on the island cook a delicious meal of assorted rice and meat dishes alongside freshly-caught fish. A few drinks are passed around, too, and Changbin ends up leaving the clubhouse for the night feeling slightly buzzed. Pleasantly so, especially as he steps outside to cool and calm air and the sun slipping just beneath the ocean’s horizon. 

Ignoring the fact that they start filming again early tomorrow morning, it definitely feels like a vacation. 

When Changbin gets back the hut is empty; Changbin assumes that Hyunjin has decided to linger around the clubhouse, maybe chat with some of the crew, so he showers and brushes his teeth first. 

There’s the sound of the front door opening and closing, and then Hyunjin’s footsteps coming towards the room. 

“Hi,” Changbin says, throwing on a shirt just in time as Hyunjin walks into the bedroom. 

“It’s so nice outside,” Hyunjin says, and the light tone of his voice suggests that he’s at least a bit tipsy too. “Walked around on the beach for a while,” Hyunjin giggles, “and almost got lost,” another giggle, “but can you believe we’re gonna be here for a whole month?”

“It sure is nice,” Changbin says agreeably. “You should shower, we have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah,” Hyunjin says, rummaging around his bag for clothes and then disappearing into the bathroom without a second thought. The shower turns on and Changbin cozies up into the bed, scrolling his phone and shooting some texts to friends. 

Changbin has just set his phone aside and turned off the lights, and is snuggling into the blankets and soft pillow when Hyunjin emerges from the bathroom. 

Changbin glances to the side and sees Hyunjin squinting at him even though the bathroom light is still fairly bright. A short stare-off ensues, before Hyunjin finally says, “I kind of wanted that side.”

“Excuse me?” Changbin asks. 

“No, no, it’s fine,” Hyunjin says, laughing freely. It’s clear he’s had more than just a little to drink, or at least more than Changbin had, anyway. “That side of the bed is closer to the window though, it has the nice view.”

Changbin doesn’t want to argue about dumb things right now. “If you really want it, then take it. I don’t care,” he replies. Hyunjin’s not going to see much right now, anyway; it’s dark outside, almost pitch-black as there aren’t many lights on the island. 

“It’s fine,” Hyunjin says again. He flicks the bathroom lights off, setting the hut in darkness, and then laughs again. “Ohhhh, that’s dark.”

No shit, Changbin thinks and cracks a smile of his own. 

The bed dips down ever-so-slightly as Hyunjin sits on the edge of it. Then Changbin feels the covers being pulled around a little as he settles in. 

“Um, good night?” Hyunjin says. 

“Good night,” Changbin replies, turning to the side so that he’s facing away and so that it makes this less awkward. He’s sure the alcohol they drank is probably the only reason why they seem to be tolerating each other right now. 

“Hey, Changbin?” Hyunjin asks, just seconds later.

“What?” 

“It’s no fun, so let’s try not to fight tomorrow, okay?” Hyunjin’s voice actually sounds sort of sad, which is tripping Changbin up and also making him feel like an asshole (even though Hyunjin had definitely added fuel to the fire multiple times), but he tries not to think too hard about it. 

But trying not to think about it means that he still ends up thinking about it—the way Hyunjin had delivered the words makes Changbin just feel immature and wrong for being so spiteful towards him.

“Okay, let’s not fight,” Changbin replies. Besides, what’s he going to do, say no? 

“Thanks,” Hyunjin says, and then the room falls into silence after that.

---

“Hyunjin.” 

“Hyunjin. ”

“If you don’t get out of bed right now I’m going to pour one of the complimentary water bottles I found on your head.”

“I’M GETTING UP NOW!” Hyunjin bites, loudly, and drags himself up, face souring when he realizes that Changbin is in fact not holding a bottle of water.

“I didn’t realize you had that much of an aversion to mornings,” Changbin says. He likes waking up later too, but after the alarm goes off a few times, he’s up. Hyunjin, on the other hand…

“How did you even make it to all the early shootings before?” Changbin wonders aloud.

“Seeing your face was good determination,” comes Hyunjin’s caustic reply as he stumbles off to the bathroom.

Changbin tries not to take it personally; Hyunjin’s just definitely not a morning person.

But he does remember Hyunjin’s request from last night. 

Let’s try not to fight tomorrow, okay?

Funny joke, Changbin thinks. They haven’t even begun filming for the day yet, and Changbin already wants to argue back.

But he refrains from doing so, for once. To see how long the peace lasts. 

---

The first scene they shoot here is meant to just be the two of them exploring the island. It’s playful, lighthearted, with loads of tacky flirting. Changbin supposes that’s part of its charm.

After getting their makeup done—this time, with products that have built-in sunscreen—and then being reminded to rub more sunscreen over their arms and legs, he and Hyunjin frolic around the beach in front of the cameras. Changbin highly enjoys a scene where he gets to shove Hyunjin towards an incoming wave—the shriek Hyunjin lets out when the incoming water almost gets him is probably the real thing. It’s one of the scenes that Changbin doesn’t mind repeating multiple times to get the right feel and right angles, although Hyunjin shoots him a dirty look because Changbin’s probably enjoying himself a bit too much.

There’s another part where Changbin asks, “Do you think I could catch a fish with my bare hands?” and Hyunjin replies, “You? Never,” to which Changbin ends up getting to chase him around the beach instead as he screams “I’ll catch you !” It’s cheesy and highly unrealistic (fish tend not to gather in the shallow waters right by shore anyway) but it’s kind of fun. Shooting outside feels nice; even though this is all carefully scripted Changbin feels a lot more freedom, and the scenery around them is beautiful and sun mild as it’s still early in the day.

Hyunjin turns out to be as slippery as an actual fish, until Changbin wrestles him into the sand and inhales some of it up his nose and mouth, which results in a coughing fit and is less fun. They have to redo the scene, and Changbin almost forgets that he has to kiss Hyunjin again until he tackles him again and neither of them gets (too much) sand all over themselves, which means the scene continues. 

“Caught you,” Changbin says, sitting on Hyunjin’s stomach and shifting his mouth into a victorious grin. Hyunjin looks up from under him, smiles back, and then says, his voice coated in sugar, “You sure did.”

Changbin wonders how he hasn’t gagged yet, but somehow he’s still grinning on the outside. It’s grossly cheesy , but that’s what this is about—they have to look like they’re utterly in love. 

Changbin wills his eyes to go soft and he leans in and pecks Hyunjin on the mouth, and as he leans away Hyunjin brings his hands up around his neck and pulls him back down, so that they’re kissing properly, languidly. The sun isn’t directly overhead yet but Hyunjin is radiating body heat underneath him, and Changbin starts to feel himself growing hot, too. 

Fortunately, they break for air soon enough. 

Unfortunately, Hyunjin is still looking up at him with honey oozing out of his eyes. 

It’s part of the show, Changbin tells himself; he can’t forget that he too has donned some goofy lovesick expression as he stares back. 

And yet in that moment, Changbin comes to the conclusion that—even though it’s his first big movie—Hyunjin most certainly deserves the role, and that it’s probably unfair to keep harboring such resentment towards him just because he has such good looks.

Especially when they have to try the scene again—Hyunjin still makes his eyes and mouth so expertly fucking fond that Changbin almost can’t look back at him. 

Get your head in the game, Changbin berates himself. There’s no reason to even be making a big deal about it, and it’s not like it’s the first time Hyunjin had expertly played his part, anyway.

So all he can offer when they finish the scene and the crew gathers up their equipment is a, “Nice job.” Because it’s their job , and Hyunjin just executed it nicely. 

Hyunjin whirls around all-too-quickly in surprise, which in turn makes Changbin uncomfortable for delivering the compliment. “Thanks,” Hyunjin says, softly. His eyes almost remind him of the scene they just filmed, and Changbin really can’t tell if he’s still acting or not. It’s unsettling. 

“You too,” Hyunjin returns, and they follow the crew to get lunch.

Well, it is a step up from petty little fights, Changbin admits.

---

From then on, things don’t really go back. 

Changbin would have thought that it would be easy for them to relapse into dumb arguments and get on each other’s case for small things like the improper execution of one line or another, or a not-quite-perfect expression, or when Hyunjin’s forgotten his key card inside the hut and Changbin realizes he left his own back at one of the few restaurants on the island where they had lunch. But at least for now, they don’t.

Maybe it’s just because both of them messed up this time, so rather than delivering a snarky remark, Hyunjin puts on a patient smile as Changbin tells him that they have to go back to the restaurant. It’s late in the afternoon when they take the trail back—after lunch, they had gone through a couple more scenes and then declared it a day—and the sun is starting to set. The dimming light and cool air make the trek more comfortable, too, which might be another reason why the walk passes in peaceful silence.

Other than Changbin yelling at Hyunjin to wake up in the morning, they really haven’t argued today. 

And… it’s okay. Changbin thinks he could get used to this, and it’s probably for the better, too. If he’s being honest with himself, Changbin only fought back a lot because he hated how Hyunjin had landed such a role for his first movie (still kind of does, but now with a sense of respect), and also because it was easier to argue about stupid things and have others think they hated each other rather than the opposite and have others think they got along too well. Somehow, Changbin has always found rumors of that sort easier to ignore than the vitriolic comments the unknowing public begins spouting at the slightest whiff of any dating rumor. Especially for celebrities of the same sex.

Anyway. They’re on this island now, just the two of them and a smaller, more trustworthy crew, so there’s less likely to be rumors of any sort leaving the island, at least until they all leave the island as well. Which is really nice. 

---

The island in general is just nice, too, and it makes Changbin look forward to filming now more often than not, despite all the couple-y interactions he has to have with Hyunjin on camera. 

Over the course of their first week on the island, the atmosphere between the two of them shifts, brought on by a mutual understanding that they’d like to enjoy their time here and that getting along would help ensure that. 

Behind the scenes, it’s certainly an improvement. But on-scene Changbin isn’t sure how to feel. Sometimes he feels like he’s acting less and less when he smiles at Hyunjin, or laughs at a dumb scripted joke, which should be good, but...

“Changbin-hyung,” Hyunjin says once after they’re done filming a scene where the two of them hike up the small hill on the island. The other side of the hill is a cliff that overlooks the water, and Hyunjin—Yoonsung—had painted the windswept view in front of him. (Changbin has a lot of respect for the actual artist who had painted the canvases for the movie, because wow. )

Now, having finished filming for the afternoon, Hyunjin and Changbin linger atop the cliff, sitting on a small picnic blanket one of the filming staff had left for them. 

“What?” Changbin replies. Being called hyung is also a new one—but probably more accurate now that they’ve gotten a bit closer.

“We should stay to watch the sunset,” Hyunjin suggests.

“It’s gonna be a while, and what about dinner?” Changbin returns. It’s late in the day but it will still probably take an hour before the sun goes below the horizon. Although, he sort of does want to catch the complete sunset at least once; because of previous dinner times and filming, Changbin’s only been able to catch little parts of the sunset each evening here and there. 

“I think I saw some berries on the bushes we passed by on the way up,” Hyunjin tells him. 

Changbin snorts. “You can try those if you want.”

“I’d rather not risk getting poisoned,” Hyunjin admits, then asks again. “So, will you?”

Something compels Changbin to say— “Okay.”

“Nice!” Hyunjin says, moreso to himself than Changbin. It’s almost cute. Changbin wrinkles his nose at the thought, but doesn’t do much to push it down, just allows it to dissipate into the light breeze around them.

A few minutes pass. The two of them sit there, on that blanket, before Hyunjin says, “It’s actually kind of dangerous up here—what if there’s a super strong wind and it pushes both of us off?”

There’s no railing or anything, but “I highly doubt that’ll happen, Hyunjin,” Changbin replies. 

“Hmmmm,” Hyunjin says, and then falls quiet. Beneath them, Changbin can hear the waves hitting the rocks—not crashing into them but rather washing against them, as the waters around the island seem to be less forceful and more calm. 

“I’m kind of cold,” Hyunjin suddenly starts up again and scoots closer until their shoulders are touching. 

“Alright, what scene is this?” Changbin jokes. It’s mostly just his mouth blurting out the first thought that had come to him. And it does remind him of some cuts they’ve filmed. Through their thin shirts, he can feel the heat of Hyunjin pressed up against his side too well. 

Hyunjin snickers, but he doesn’t seem off-put by Changbin’s remark, and doesn’t move away. 

The silence that follows is longer this time. The sun slowly sinks closer to the end of the ocean—or as far out of the ocean as Changbin can see. 

Changbin feels a weight against his shoulder and neck, and then realizes that Hyunjin has rested his head against him. Something about the physical closeness, combined with the sunset they’re watching, makes him feel emotionally closer to Hyunjin, too. 

When the last of the sun finally dips below the horizon, and only pinkish-purple hues remain, Changbin is almost reluctant to get up. But it’s getting late, and the bugs are starting to chirp, so they pack up the blanket and start hiking back to the main part of the island. 

Staying up there for so long might not have been the best idea because as they’re walking back down it starts to get really dark, and they have to turn on their phone flashlights to avoid going off the path and running into bushes and trees. When the main beach comes into hazy view, it’s a huge relief, especially because Hyunjin keeps saying, “What if we’re taking a wrong turn?” every time they hit a crossroads and the anxiety begins to rub off on Changbin. 

They end up just cooking some instant noodles that Changbin had brought with him back in the kitchen. Though the meal isn’t great, Changbin can’t really regret staying atop the hill for the sunset and goes to sleep that night fulfilled anyway.

---

Maybe Hyunjin had felt that the sunset was a turning point, too, because after that evening, Changbin learns that Hyunjin is naturally very clingy. 

He likes Changbin's shoulders, for one, but he also just seems to seek skinship as a whole.

Changbin is sitting in bed the next night, back to the headrest, routinely scrolling through his phone, when Hyunjin slips in, proceeding to drop his head against Changbin’s shoulder. 

“Your hair is still damp,” Changbin says; while Hyunjin is warm as usual his hair is still a bit wet. And cold. 

“Oops,” Hyunjin replies, sheepishly, but makes no move to get up. 

Which is… okay. At least his hair isn’t sopping wet, since Changbin had heard him running the blowdryer in the bathroom a few minutes earlier. 

“Tired,” Hyunjin quietly says. 

“Then go to sleep?” Changbin suggests, laughing, as he navigates out from his messaging app and clicks off his phone. “Do you want me to turn off the light?”

“Thanks,” Hyunjin gratefully replies, and finally takes his head off Changbin’s shoulder when he stretches an arm to the side to twist the dial on the lamp shut. 

Once the darkness hits, Changbin slides himself into the blankets, and almost immediately feels the covers being pushed around as Hyunjin suddenly wraps his hands around one of Changbin’s arms and curls up into him. His head finds its way back to the space between Changbin’s shoulder and neck, again.

Changbin’s heart skips a beat, but only because it’s not what he had expected to happen. Though he supposes it’s not entirely out-of-the-ordinary given recent developments.

“We’re good now, right?” Hyunjin suddenly whispers. 

Silence.

It’s thick, made sharper by the way Changbin can feel Hyunjin’s fingers gripping tighter onto his arm as he awaits a response. 

Changbin wonders if Hyunjin can hear his heart beating faster, louder. 

Mostly, Changbin just wonders if Hyunjin had really ever hated him at all. Maybe all the times Changbin had used him and his pretty face as a channel for his frustration—nagged at him for the occasional misstep leading to a redo of a scene—had only led to Hyunjin fighting back. Or, if he had, maybe Hyunjin had only hated him in retaliation—because Changbin seemed to hate him. 

Changbin does know that sometimes the shape of his eyebrows and sharper lines of his eyes make him appear angrier than he seems to be, too. It’s something that directors and even makeup artists have pointed out, to the point where Changbin usually aims for an expression one shade lighter than the script calls for when they’re filming. Even Hyunjin is probably aware of this, but maybe sometimes Changbin’s frustration might have come off harsher than he’d truly felt and that had led to heated back-and-forths. 

He had definitely unfairly lashed out at the other a few times, but Changbin’s not even sure if he even truly hated Hyunjin. And he most certainly doesn’t, now, at least.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Changbin says. 

He hopes it’s true.

---

He’s pretty sure it’s true. 

The next morning he wakes up to his regular morning alarm, but Hyunjin is still asleep, and he’s still curled up into Changbin’s side. Hyunjin’s head is also still resting against Changbin’s neck, but his arms are now splayed across Changbin’s chest, a pleasant warmth that has his stomach curling.

So this is how it’s going to be between them, now, Changbin muses, and finds that he isn’t repulsed by the thought as he would have been weeks ago.

Rather than yelling at Hyunjin to wake up like normally does, he lays there for a while until his second alarm goes off and he gently shakes the other awake. 

They go to get breakfast at the clubhouse, where they meet up with the director and the rest of the staff and then head to the other side of the island for filming. 

Oh, right—they have to kiss again today. 

Rather than the sinking feeling he usually gets in his stomach, Changbin’s insides start fluttering instead. 

It’s… the feeling… Changbin’s not dumb; he knows it, knows what it means. 

It’s too soon for this, he thinks to himself—only in the past week or so had they started growing closer. But, somehow, as Hyunjin comes bounding over to him with the script in his hand and a bright smile on his face, it doesn’t feel too soon, either. 

PIER - DAY

The sun is bright overhead, and the two of them are sitting together at the pier’s edge, dangling their feet over the water. Yoonsung kicks at Deokju’s feet, and accidentally sends both of Deokju’s sandals flying off into the water.

DEOKJU
(Pretending to be angry) Yoonsung...

YOONSUNG
(Unfazed, amused smile) At least I still have both of my own.

Camera zooms out. The pair of sandals is starting to drift under the pier. Deokju leans forward and makes a half-hearted grab for them but it’s too late.

YOONSUNG
You might not be getting those back, though.

DEOKJU
(Playful) Then I guess you’re going to have to carry me back. (He stands up.) Well. Get to it.

YOONSUNG
(Standing up as well.) Fine, I will.

Without another warning, Yoonsung places his arms under Deokju’s thighs and hoists him up, then begins walking.

DEOKJU
Wait, I didn’t mean it. Put me down!

His words fall on deaf ears; Yoonsung seems insistent on carrying him down the pier.

DEOKJU
Really, I can walk barefoot just fine!

Yoonsung stops moving, and then grins lazily before kissing Deokju, effectively ending the flow of protests coming out of his mouth. They kiss for a while, though Yoonsung has to put Deokju down in the middle anyway as he’s struggling to carry his weight. When they finally make it back to the beach they find Deokju’s sandals washed up on the shore.

“You know, I’m not sure if you’re actually going to be able to do that,” Changbin tells Hyunjin, as they stand at the edge of the pier, rereading the script and waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive.

“I’m not sure either,” Hyunjin says, laughing. “With those arms, you could probably carry me for longer, to be honest.”

“Oh yeah? Want to try?” Changbin leans forward and wraps his arms around Hyunjin’s back, before lifting Hyunjin up. Hyunjin lets out a small noise of panic, but is quickly let back down.

“You’re still heavy,” Changbin says. “I guess we should really memorize this scene so we don’t have to re-shoot it.”

“Okay, practice,” Hyunjin says, “Pretend that I just kicked away your sandals!”

“But they’re still here,” Changbin replies and gestures to his feet, just because he can.

“Pretend,” Hyunjin insists. “Now, go!” 

“Yoonsung,” Changbin begins, and then laughs, still thinking stupidly about his sandaled-feet.

“Hey,” Hyunjin says. “No joking around. My arms are going to die if I have to lift you too many times.”

“Yoonsung,” Changbin tries again. 

“At least I still have both of my own,” Hyunjin replies, referring to his sandals, but then he cracks up as well. “Hyung—you should be pretending to be angry but you look like you’re struggling not to laugh.”

“Let’s just continue,” Changbin returns. 

“You might not be getting those back,” Hyunjin easily falls back into his role.

Changbin finally allows himself to smile. “Then, I guess you’re going to have to carry me back. Well, get to it.”

“Fine, I will,” Hyunjin replies. His voice is just the right combination of playful and determined, and Changbin pretends to panic as he feels Hyunjin’s arms coming up under his legs and lifting him up. 

“Wait, this wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Hyunjin says, breaking character. “Guess your muscles are just a facade.”

“Hey!” Changbin glares at him, but with no real heat. “So this is what it feels like to be as tall as Hwang Hyunjin,” he says. Hyunjin’s face is right in front of him, for once at eye-level, but Changbin chooses to momentarily look out at the ocean behind him, instead. 

“Changbin, you have to focus on me for the scene,” Hyunjin says, and suddenly starts bouncing Changbin around. One of Changbin’s sandals actually goes swinging off and he briefly panics, gripping tightly onto Hyunjin’s shoulders. 

“Oh my god,” Hyunjin gets out, laughing at Changbin’s wide-eyed expression and the fallen sandal that’s now behind them on the pier.

“Don’t even think about dropping me,” Changbin warns. 

“My arms are starting to feel a bit weak already, though,” Hyunjin admits, but the way his eyes are crinkling into crescents suggest otherwise. 

So Changbin decides to play along with him. “Wait, I didn’t mean it, put me down!” he replies, promptly bursting out the next line in the script, and Hyunjin laughs, hard and loud, to the point that Changbin both hears and feels it.

Hyunjin takes a few steps forward. “Okay, now you’re actually getting heavy,” he says. 

“Really, I can walk barefoot just fine!” Changbin continues, revelling in the sound of Hyunjin laughing loudly again. Really loudly this time. Changbin’s not sure if anyone’s ever found his antics this funny. He’s also mildly scared that—because Hyunjin is shaking so much—he’s going to drop him. 

So Changbin just holds onto Hyunjin’s shoulders, grinning stupidly as his laughter slowly dies down. Hyunjin takes a few steps forward along the pier, then abruptly stops moving, leaning forward to kiss him. 

Changbin very clearly remembers that this is part of the scene, but still. 

It’s different this time.

He’s kissed Hyunjin multiple times on camera, but this time is different. It’s the first time that this is distinctly not on camera, even though the staff are setting up the cameras nearby.

Changbin’s stomach does a funny sort of flying swoop and his legs go mushy like jelly; luckily for him, Hyunjin still seems to be managing to carry him and so no legs are needed. 

Is this still part of the practice? Changbin thinks weakly. 

Hyunjin’s hands are hot, gripping underneath his thighs, and his mouth is even hotter, an insistent pressure against Changbin’s lips. 

He thought that the first time Hyunjin had kissed like he meant it, but this time Changbin doesn’t even know how to explain it; it feels like Hyunjin really means it now. 

Changbin brings his hands up from Hyunjin’s shoulders to his neck, pulling him closer while the script slips further away into the back of his mind. There’s no real rhythm to this; Hyunjin tightly presses his mouth to Changbin’s one moment, then lets up and slowly coaxes the next breath out of him while nearly dragging his teeth against Changbin’s lips the next. But Changbin can feel it—he can feel Hyunjin’s pulse at his neck beating against the equally rapid pulse at his own wrists, almost in tandem, and wonders if Hyunjin has noticed it too.

As far as filming is concerned, despite the comedic element of the sandals, this serves pretty much as a make-out scene. Still, he’s still pretty sure they shouldn’t be kissing like this—pushing harshly and then not, then slow and raspy while Changbin feels like the only thing keeping him up is Hyunjin.

Literally.

“Too heavy,” Hyunjin gets out choppily—the rest is swallowed by Changbin, who chases his mouth when he leans away.

Without another warning, Hyunjin releases his hands and Changbin is dropped back onto the hard wooden planks of the pier. Distantly, his one bare foot registers the stinging heat radiating from the sun hitting the pier, but mostly Changbin is thinking about the lingering heat that is still tingling against his mouth.

Now there’s space between them again, and Hyunjin looks down and says, “I think I just killed my arms.” He waves his arms loosely at his sides, shaking them out, and then grins. “I trust that we’re not going to start laughing and record the real scene in one take, though, right?”

“Yeah,” Changbin says breathlessly. How does Hyunjin seem so breezy about what just happened? Like they hadn’t just unnecessarily made-out when they’d really only needed to run through the lines to get them more deeply ingrained in their memory. 

Because now Changbin’s pretty sure that kiss is going to be ingrained into his memory too. 

“Here,” Hyunjin says. He kicks the sandal that had come off towards Changbin, who gratefully slides his foot back on. 

“Thanks,” Changbin replies. They stand there facing each other for a moment longer before Hyunjin gives him a bright grin, and tells him, “Don’t mess it up,” when the director calls them back to the end of the pier to film. 

For the record, they don’t end up messing it up. Hyunjin’s arms barely manage to hold him up through the scene, though, and the kissing definitely isn’t as good this time on camera. At least for Changbin, because he can’t get lost in Hyunjin’s mouth this time when he has to be aware of the details in the script that follow. 

Then it hits him that he had enjoyed getting lost in Hyunjin’s mouth, and now Changbin is very sure of what the fluttery feeling that he had felt in his stomach before filming had been. 

At least, Changbin thinks, Hyunjin might not mind this so much now, either.

---

“I have a question.”

“What?” 

Changbin gets to his feet, pulling up the beach towel they had been sitting on for the scene and flapping it a couple of times to get the sand off. Hyunjin instinctively flinches away from the loose sand that is sent flying but helps Changbin to fold up the blanket. Behind them, the cameras and film crew are similarly packing up for the day. 

“We have tomorrow off, right?” Hyunjin asks. 

“Yeah,” Changbin tells him. Somehow, it’s already their third week on the island, and because they’re ahead of schedule the director gave them a free day tomorrow. He’s pretty sure Hyunjin already knows that, though. “Why?”

“Nothing,” Hyunjin mysteriously replies. “Just checking.”

“Okay…” is Changbin’s dubious response. “Whatever you’re planning, I hope it’s legal.”

“Sure,” Hyunjin says, laughing. “You’ll see.”

Later that day, after they grab dinner at the clubhouse as usual, Hyunjin follows him, running after Changbin when he spots the other heading outside. 

“Changbin-hyung!” Hyunjin calls as Changbin comes to a questioning halt. Normally Hyunjin hangs around talking to others after dinner, or goes to explore outside on his own; normally he’s not chasing after Changbin when he leaves. 

“Okay,” Hyunjin declares once he’s caught up to Changbin, eyes glinting with excitement. Suddenly Changbin feels one of Hyunjin’s hands slipping into his own and he’s being pulled to the side of the path leaving the clubhouse. 

“I’m not sure if I like the look on your face,” Changbin jokes. He’s confused at the whole thing, but also curious—Hyunjin is pulling him through a couple of bushes and the dirt turns back into sand that gets into his sandals and between his toes. After Hyunjin determinedly pushes past more foliage Changbin finds them back on the beach. The sun sets on the other side of the island, so here the sky is already pretty dark and Changbin has to squint out at the view. 

This definitely isn’t the main beach on the island, for one. This area is off to the side and more secluded—it’s surrounded by small cliffs. 

“Okay,” Hyunjin repeats. “Okay.”

“Okay, what?” Changbin prompts; he’s very interested in hearing what Hyunjin has to say after dragging him to the nearest beach.

“You’re not too tired from filming today, right?” Hyunjin asks. “Because I was talking to a few people that work here year-round and I got an idea.”

Truthfully, Changbin was just going to go back to their room and relax, but Hyunjin looks like he’s practically salivating from excitement and Changbin still hasn’t found out why they’re here.

“I guess not,” Changbin says. “What’s your idea, then?”

“Here,” Hyunjin pulls him to the side of the beach and Changbin can now see a few boats tied up to wooden posts at the edge of the sand. Actually, the boats are pretty easy to spot now that they’re up close—bright green and red kayaks with tacky colors clearly discernible despite the dark.

“It’s dark,” Changbin states the obvious, and then sort of incredulously: “You want to.. kayak? ”

“Well,” Hyunjin continues sheepishly, “I was talking to the guy that owns these and he told me that there’s a nice place around the other side of these cliffs that you can only get to by boat. Like… a cove sort of thing? I thought it would be cool.”

“Mhmm,” Changbin slowly says. 

“The water’s very calm right now,” Hyunjin points out. “Also the guy said it was literally just around the other side.”

When Changbin seems to hesitate for another moment, Hyunjin eagerly replies, “When’s the next time you’re going to be on a remote island?” 

He’s not wrong. “Please tell me you’ve done something like this before, though,” Changbin reluctantly agrees. “I don’t want to end up stuck in the middle of the ocean.”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin tells him. “Just once or twice though, way back when I was younger and I went kayaking with my family in some river for vacation.”

“Then,” Changbin says. “You can go first.” 

Hyunjin is quick to untie one of the boats from the post and push it out into the water, and Changbin clambers in after him with the paddles. 

“No going back now,” Changbin laments, once a few strokes of the paddles have pushed them out of the shallow water. “This better be good.” 

“The waters should be calm, and there’s going to be a full moon tonight,” Hyunjin replies. “Also I took a couple towels and blankets,” he points to the back of the kayak, behind Changbin’s seat. “Since it’ll probably get cold and we might get wet.”

“You put a lot of thought into this, huh,” Changbin muses. 

“Yeah,” Hyunjin replies. Since he’s in front of him, Changbin can’t see his face, but he does note that Hyunjin’s voice carries an almost-embarrassed undertone. “I would do it myself, but I thought it would be nice to have company.”

“Right,” Changbin agrees and then laughs. “It’s funny ‘cause I couldn’t have imagined it a month ago.”

“I’m not gonna lie, you scared me a lot at the start,” Hyunjin says. “You kind of looked like you hated me.”

“Oh,” Changbin says. “Sorry about that. I got a bit angry sometimes, but I don’t think I hated you, really.”

“Think?” Hyunjin asks. “That’s not very reassuring.”

“Jisung claims I was jealous, or something,” Changbin says wryly, pushing his paddle against the water on one side and then scooping it back to the other. “But I mean, have you seen your face? It wouldn’t be the first time. Also, you kept arguing back.”

“Well I think your face looks really nice too,” Hyunjin replies, and then his tone grows serious. “But there are better things to be jealous of than appearances. Maybe skill, you know?” 

“You have that too,” Changbin points out. 

Hyunjin takes a moment longer to reply this time. “You really think so?”

“You’re amazing,” Changbin honestly tells him. “Well, given our arguments, there’s always room for improvement—” he can’t help but laugh here.

“Okay, I get it,” Hyunjin cuts in. “You do too, but thanks, though, really, it means a lot.” His voice is sincere. Then he lets out a bashful chuckle. “Also, do you want to know the reason I argued back?” 

“Why?” 

“I thought you were really cool since you’ve already acted in a couple of big movies and I didn’t want to seem scared so I just went along with our petty fights. But,” Hyunjin trails off. “Maybe that just made you think worse of me.” 

“Wait, really?” Changbin laughs in disbelief. His face is heating up, too, but luckily Hyunjin can’t see him. Then a thought crosses his mind. “Except for that one time you made me wait outside the bathroom, though. For that, there’s no way that was the only reason.” 

“Honestly, that was pretty satisfying,” Hyunjin admits. “But maybe you couldn’t tell I was scared of you the other half of the time because I’m an actor, right? Concealing true emotions is our specialty.”

“Okay, true,” Changbin relents. “Sorry,” he tacks on again. 

“Sorry about that too,” Hyunjin replies. “I guess we just got off to a bad start. But I think I’m starting to understand now—you’re just a short man with a short temper.”

“Yah, Hyunjin!” Changbin protests, but his mouth quirks up into a smile anyway.

Hyunjin laughs loudly, and the sound echoes off the water around them. Changbin is tempted to whack Hyunjin in the back with his paddle, but he needs it to help continue steering the kayak around the set of cliffs to the beach’s left. At least he can see where his paddle is going clearer, now; the moon is starting to emerge from the horizon in the east, casting the water in its light.

After Hyunjin’s laughter fades away they paddle in silence for a bit, and then, because his thoughts keep drifting to Hyunjin’s words, Changbin says, “To be clear, I didn’t hate you and I definitely don’t now, okay? Don’t make me repeat this, but you’re pretty cool yourself.”

“Thanks hyung,” Hyunjin warmly replies. “You better be telling the truth.”

“I am,” Changbin says. And there’s definitely more where that came from, especially when his mind keeps wandering back to that practice-kissing scene they had done on the pier a week ago. His face heats up even more at the thought, and now he’s really thankful that they’re sitting in a kayak and it’s dark so Hyunjin can’t see his reddening face.

“Woah,” Hyunjin suddenly says, “Look.”

Changbin looks. To his left is an inlet, except the cliffs they had passed curve around above the inlet like a roof, creating a sort of cove. 

In addition, the rising moon basks the sheltered area in light, and Changbin can see that there’s a shore to it—if they go all the way into the cove they’ll be able to step foot on sand again. 

“You’ve done it,” Changbin remarks as they paddle inward. “It’s a nice place. I guess I should have put my faith in you from the start.”

Hyunjin turns around in his seat to glare at him, but there’s no heat to it. “Gee, thanks,” he says. 

When they get close to shore Hyunjin steps out of the kayak to pull it onto the sand, and gets water all over his lower legs and probably on some of his shorts, too. Changbin steps out a moment later to help him lug it fully onto the dry sand, and manages to luckily avoid most of the water.

“I almost actually lost my sandals,” Hyunjin says, snorting as he remembers the lines from the script. “Probably should have taken them off before I stepped into the water.”

Changbin rummages through the back of the kayak and hands him a towel, and then spots the box of sparklers nested between the other towels. “Hey,” he says. “did you steal these from the staff?”

“Oh!” Hyunjin exclaims, looking up from where he’s drying his legs off. “Nope, I just talked one of the staff into letting me have them,” he says. 

“Of course you would,” Changbin mutters and tries to stop the corners of his mouth from curving up. 

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” Hyunjin narrows his eyes at him. “Anyway, these are all extras, it’s not like there’s another scene that involves fireworks.”

“Nice,” Changbin says, since Hyunjin is right—these are probably extras. They had done a scene at the beach a couple of nights ago, and the crew had lit some sparklers in the background for the effects. He eyes up the long-handled lighter Hyunjin had set next to the box. “Okay, you definitely stole this.”

“I borrowed it,” Hyunjin insists. “Why do you keep assuming the worst!”

Changbin breaks into laughter, then, and Hyunjin finally realizes that he’s being teased. “Hmm, they might have gotten wet, though,” he says. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Guess there’s only one way to find out,” Changbin replies, pulling a stick out of the opened box. It feels dry, at the very least. He presses his thumb to the trigger of the lighter and the flame comes out, and when he sets the lighter to the end of the stick it comes sparking to life. 

It’s pretty cool, especially with the water-smoothed cavernous ceiling above them—it looks like the light from the sparkler is dancing against the rocks, and the rising moon basks everything in a light glow. 

They light a couple more and watch as the sparks fizzle out, and the moon continues to rise across the way. There’s a mild breeze but it carries no bite, and since they’re sheltered by the rock ceiling above them the night air settling in only feels cool and refreshing against Changbin’s skin. 

Hyunjin pulls out one of the blankets he had stashed in the back of the kayak and spreads it out across the sand, and then tugs another one over both of their legs after they have sat down to look out at the view from the mouth of the cove. 

It’s a good view.

Though it’s a clear night out, the glow of the full moon conceals most of the stars. But the moon itself is enough of a sight, full and bright and its reflection dancing across the curves of the gentle ocean waves. 

Changbin feels the blanket being tugged slightly so he risks a peek to his left, just for the briefest moment. Hyunjin has leaned back, weight shifted to the palms of his hands, and his lips are parted ever-so-slightly. He’s looking out into the distance, and his calm face is bathed in the moonlight—it accentuates the slope of his cheeks, the slant of his nose. Some of the hair that has slipped out of his ponytail has been pushed behind his ears.

It’s a lot to notice in barely a fraction of a breath’s time, but Changbin notices it all anyway. 

And, as usual, the moment doesn’t last long before Hyunjin is scooting closer—close enough that Changbin can feel the heat emanating from his body, and then even closer until their sides are pressed together and Hyunjin chooses, once again, to drop his head onto Changbin’s shoulder. He’s honestly surprised that Hyunjin even finds it comfortable because he’s pretty sure Hyunjin has to lower his head and bend his neck a lot to do so, but… Changbin isn’t going to complain, either. 

“Um, don’t hate me, okay?” Hyunjin timidly breaks the silence. 

Changbin furrows his eyebrows and glances down to see what sort of expression is on Hyunjin’s face. The thing is, though, Hyunjin’s eyes are closed, and he looks peaceful, which confuses Changbin further. “Didn’t we already go over this earlier?” Changbin huffs. “I thought I made it clear that I don’t hate you.”

“Mhmm,” Hyunjin mumbles. He sounds sleepy, and Changbin almost laughs.

But then Hyunjin continues: “I didn’t mean it like that, though. I meant…. I sort of wanted this to be a date.”

Changbin’s heart skips a beat and his gaze snaps down once again. Hyunjin’s eyes are still serenely closed, his cheek still smushed snugly against Changbin’s shoulder. 

This brat, Changbin thinks, but it’s done so with amusement. Hyunjin doesn’t even look remotely scared of Changbin’s response, contrary to how he had sounded when he first spoke up—he’s probably aware of what Changbin thinks of him by now, if anything.

Changbin exhales and chooses his next words carefully. “I like the sound of that.”

But then the body pressed up next to him relaxes, which causes Changbin to realize that Hyunjin had actually been sort of tense before, and a fond sort of smile starts making its way up Changbin’s mouth before he can stop it. Hyunjin had gone out of his way to prepare all this, after all, put effort into talking to the people on the island and considering the weather conditions, and it’s pretty endearing. 

Past Changbin would have blanched; to think he would be thinking this at all. And yet it turns out a lot can change in a few weeks.

“So,” Hyunjin begins again. 

“So.” Changbin returns. 

“I was wondering…” Hyunjin’s words falter like he’s teetering on the edge of something. 

“Wondering…?” Changbin throws the words back again in another question. He sneaks a look at Hyunjin, whose eyes are no longer shut. Hyunjin catches his gaze and immediately averts it, swallowing before he opens his mouth again.

“Wondering if I could kiss you?” Hyunjin finishes, and his eyes dart back to Changbin’s face like he can’t help it. 

Now Changbin really likes the sound of that. He offers a soft smile and a small dip of his head in affirmation. 

Hyunjin grins back. Brightly, enough so that Changbin can feel the way his cheeks bunch up on his shoulder. And then Hyunjin lifts his head off that shoulder and leans forward and kisses him, not as Yoonsung but finally just as Hyunjin. And Changbin is not Deokju but just Changbin. And this kiss is finally, purely, them. 

By now Hyunjin’s mouth on his is a familiar feeling, but it’s still also new. Tonight, Hyunjin is showing him the side of him that is just Hyunjin, and Changbin responds with open sincerity. It begins slow and sweet, like a breath of fresh air with the taste of silvery moonlight breaching the stuffy summer heat. Then, Changbin finds himself with Hyunjin in his lap and Hyunjin’s hands gliding up his back, his neck. Their lips move deliberately, and the kiss deepens, and Changbin’s fluttering heartbeat settles, matching the way the waves caress the sand, steady and rhythmic and smooth.

That night, Hyunjin curls up into his side in the same way he has been prone to doing lately, except Changbin falls asleep to both the sound of Hyunjin’s breaths and the soft lull of the waves grazing over the shore. 

---

They’re lucky that they have the next day off because by the time they get back to the main beach the sun is already high in the sky and it’s almost noon. On the way back to the hut, Hyunjin walks close to him on the path and their hands keep grazing until Changbin decides to just take Hyunjin’s hand in his own, which earns him a bright smile that has Changbin doing the same.

After lunch, Hyunjin has this funny idea that he actually wants to try drawing Changbin for real for once, and by that, he really means using his finger to sketch out very rough lines in the sand, lines that look absolutely nothing like Changbin. But since Hyunjin seems to be highly amused Changbin tries his own attempt at Hyunjin and ends up with a very lopsided face, and they’re both laughing by the time Changbin is done. 

It’s clear neither of them are artists, but Changbin is surfing a blissful high right now, made even better when Hyunjin swoops in for a cheeky kiss once, then twice. The third time Changbin brings his hands up and pulls Hyunjin down before he can pull back, and he feels very content.

Needless to say, they spend that day on the island just as Changbin and Hyunjin, with both of their roles floating far away in the water.

---

Even after they’ve practically been traipsing across the island shirtless during most of the hotter afternoons in the past weeks, under the unblinking heat of the cameras Hyunjin is shy. 

His cheeks are tinged pink, and Changbin’s sure it isn’t entirely just due to the blush the make-up artists have dabbed on both of their faces. 

They’re in another hut, one that’s not that dissimilar to the one Hyunjin and Changbin have shared during their stay, which might also be what’s making it harder to slip into character. And it isn’t just Hyunjin who seems to be having difficulty; Changbin’s trying to force himself back into acting mode, put himself back in Deokju’s mind.

Normally it comes easily, but today is proving to be an exception. Mostly because Hyunjin is standing there all flushed with his long hair loose and astray and the top buttons on his shirt already undone and… because they’d confessed and kissed—for real—in the sheltered inlet three nights ago. 

It’s not like they’re going to do… that. Shirtless is about as far as it goes, plus some more passionate making out, as had been the text on the script.

That said, when the stylist who had been fussing Changbin’s hair moves away, Changbin’s eyes are inadvertently drawn to Hyunjin, who is already looking his way. 

A very long moment of eye contact ensues, and neither of them breaks it. By the time Changbin’s heart rate has risen considerably, a crew member slides up to Hyunjin, gesturing to something on the script, and Changbin drops his eyes. 

Still, just as Hyunjin turns to address the other person, Changbin catches the corners of his mouth quirking up in a slight smile—one that’s still a bit timid, but also slyly aware. 

Changbin swallows, and pointedly averts his eyes to the blue skies and sweeping ocean outside the window. Then a crew member approaches him too, also full of finicky comments about the script, and he is grateful for the distraction.

After that, Changbin sort of puts himself on auto-pilot. He’s not sure he can say the same about Hyunjin, who’s a bit quieter and more bashful than usual—and who doesn’t seem to have experience doing anything like this in front of the cameras. 

So just prior to the first action Changbin sidles up to Hyunjin and gives his shoulder a comforting nudge, which earns him a more confident smile from the other in return. 

Then… the director is saying something and Hyunjin is on the bed and Changbin is climbing on too, and then Hyunjin is under him and they’re kissing feverishly and he’s slipping the remaining buttons on Hyunjin’s shirt open, one by one, as Hyunjin breaths are swallowed into his mouth. 

Changbin pulls away and tucks a stray strand of hair back behind Hyunjin’s ears, and takes in the dazed expression on Hyunjin’s face before he leans back in, this time kissing down his neck and then his exposed chest. He’s never felt so much heat running through his body before—and they’ve had some pretty hot days of blazing sun on the island in the past few weeks. 

God. Changbin wouldn’t mind worshipping Hyunjin’s body like this, except it’s getting increasingly harder to stay grounded, even when Changbin digs his other hand into the sheets to remind him that there’s still such a thing called a script. 

Hyunjin’s hands are soon sliding under his shirt, too, and Changbin can feel the hot pressure of each finger on his waist, and then they’re kissing, lips-on-lips, again, more insistent and Changbin can feel himself slipping, slipping, slipping away…

“Changbin,” Hyunjin suddenly gasps. 

The thing is, neither of them has any lines here. He recalls this part of the script very clearly, at least—that it had just been directions. 

Changbin supposes he hadn’t been the only one losing touch with his character. 

But hearing his name like that makes him stop. And then Hyunjin’s eyes snap open a moment later when he realizes what he has done. 

Changbin’s almost sure the rest of the room freezes, too, but maybe he’s just imagining things. There is a brusque “Cut,” and Changbin makes himself pull away. 

What’s wrong? The director and camera crew don’t ask them, but Changbin can read the question in their eyes. 

“Sorry,” Hyunjin apologies, eyes wide. He glances to the side at the others for a brief moment and then his gaze snaps back to Changbin’s face as if he’s afraid to look elsewhere. 

Changbin exhales. Calm. “It’s okay,” he says. He’s pretty sure the others couldn’t have heard it, that the director just called cut for the scene because Changbin and Hyunjin froze midway. But that’s not why his heart is pounding so quickly. It’s partly because he’s still thinking about the sound of his name leaving Hyunjin’s mouth. But as for the rest, it’s not because he’s necessarily scared of others finding out, even in a profession like this, but more so because he realizes he doesn’t care anymore if others find out. 

Oh, Changbin is so gone. 

They fix themselves back into their starting positions. Hyunjin buttons his shirt back up, fingers missing the buttonholes multiple times, nervous. Changbin tries to give him a reassuring look. 

“Action.”

They film it again. After that, the scene runs exactly as scripted.

---

Hyunjin evades him and the topic for the rest of the day but is still quick to curl up into Changbin’s side when they crawl under the blankets for the night, warm and cozy and Changbin falls asleep fast, earlier events falling to the back of his mind.

Hyunjin broaches it the next morning, though, when Changbin has found a nice hammock set up between two palm trees off to the side of the main beach. He’s idly lounging in it, eyes closed and basking in the milder morning sun—they don’t have to film until afternoon, today—when a shadow falls over his face and Changbin looks up to see a sheepish Hyunjin standing over him, hair pulled back under the wide-brimmed sun hat that he has taken to wearing around the island.

“Sorry,” Hyunjin says. “Did I wake you up?”

“Nah,” Changbin replies, then grins up at Hyunjin’s face, haloed by both the hat and the sun.

Hyunjin seems to relax at that, the tense lines of his face softening and a fond smile tugging up his own lips. 

“Nice hammock,” he says. 

“Yeah,” Changbin replies. “Want to join me?”

Hyunjin snorts and eyes him dubiously. “Do you think it’ll hold?”

“It’s certainly big enough to,” Changbin points out. 

Warily, Hyunjin shuffles closer. Changbin is tempted to pull the other down into a kiss, but then Hyunjin turns around and sits on the edge of the hammock, carefully shifting his weight until he’s soon lying down next to Changbin. The brim of his hat jostles against Changbin’s head and Hyunjin removes it, setting it on the sand below them and then leaning back into the hammock again. 

Though the hammock is wide, it curls around the two of them, pressing them shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh. 

“About yesterday,” Hyunjin begins again, tone apologetic. “I didn’t mean to… y’know…”

“It’s fine,” Changbin says. It was the heat of the moment—and probably not the first time something like this has happened.

“Do you think anyone… heard?” Hyunjin asks, quiet. “The crew on the island seem pretty reputable, but…”

“Rumors,” Changbin finishes for him. “Well, the film crew seem fine. As to others… regardless of whether or not you give them the means to, people will find ways to devise all sorts of rumors anyway, so I guess I’m not too worried.”

Besides, this movie in itself would already be considered controversial. Sure, on one hand, the public would eat up the prospect of not one but two attractive male leads on screen, but maybe not so much at a relationship between the two leads, even if the film is still meant to be a lighthearted rom-com at its core. So the people can think whatever they want to think, Changbin figures. 

Plus, it’s not like either of them are that famous anywhere. Private life can be kept separate from public life, and rumors can stay just that. 

Changbin turns to the side—or as much as he can, without messing up the balance on the hammock and being tipped off onto the ground—to face Hyunjin, who hasn’t spoken in the past minute, eyes furrowed deep in thought. 

“Relax,” Changbin tells him. “It is what it is.”

“Mm,” Is Hyunjin’s absentminded response. “I was just thinking about how we only have a week left here, too.”

“Damn,” Changbin says. “It’s already been that long, huh.”

“Yeah,” Hyunjin says. He shifts around until he’s facing Changbin, a slow smile overtaking his face. “Best to enjoy what we have left, right?”

“Oh?” Changbin raises an eyebrow, returning the grin. “If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then yes.”

Hyunjin laughs at that, his breath fanning across Changbin’s face, and then eagerly leans forward, bringing a hand up to the back of Changbin’s neck and pulling him into a kiss.

The hammock swings dangerously with the movement. Changbin maybe yelps, maybe not, but the sound is lost as Hyunjin laughs into Changbin’s mouth. 

“Can you even blame me for messing up yesterday?” Hyunjin asks between breaths. The hand on Changbin’s neck is hot, but the hand that has sneakily slipped under his shirt is even hotter; heat seems to be a common theme on the island these days.

“If you didn’t mess it up, I probably would have,” Changbin cheekily replies. He feels Hyunjin’s lips curving upward, a sly and delicious grin. 

“Yeah?” Hyunjin asks. 

Changbin brings one of his hands up to pat the front of Hyunjin’s shirt in lieu of a response, earning another breathy laugh from Hyunjin.

Then comes a small noise of alarm when Changbin’s fingers begin deftly undoing the buttons. Admittedly, Changbin’s been wanting to do this the moment he saw Hyunjin had decided to wear a button-up t-shirt today, again, and possibly on purpose.

“Changbin,” Hyunjin says, but hasn’t pulled away. 

“Is this okay?” Changbin asks.

“Yes,” Hyunjin is quick to reply, though it’s more of a hum into Changbin’s mouth.

Changbin kisses him harder then, finally satisfied when the last button slips open, and runs his hands over the bare skin of Hyunjin’s chest. It’s smooth and warm, but Changbin focuses on the way he can feel Hyunjin’s heart thumping against his palm, rabbiting just as fast as his own. It makes something in his own body curl with pleasure and satisfaction and want.

“Changbin,” Hyunjin rasps this time, and rolls his hips a little and Changbin feels his head going faint. 

“Hyunjin,” Changbin returns. He takes the hand on his waist with his own and slides it up to his own chest, right where his heart is beating fiercely, even faster under Hyunjin’s touch. “Feel it?” he asks.

Hyunjin meets his eyes and nods vigorously before his eyes are fluttering shut again and he’s kissing the space between Changbin’s collarbones. 

Then Hyunjin’s plush lips are back on his and he’s rolling his hips again and Changbin feels the desire rolling over him like a wave and—

The hammock swings freely, and dips down towards the side. Both of them freeze with bated breaths. 

“If we move any more we’re both going to topple to the ground,” Hyunjin whispers. His face is unbelievably close, eyes glossy and lips slick red and hair coming loose from its tie, and Changbin can almost feel the sound of Hyunjin’s moving lips on his own.

“Oh,” Changbin says, memorizing the pressure of each of Hyunjin’s fingers splayed across his chest and the way his own heart, beneath them, seems unwilling to calm anytime soon. 

Further down the beach, he also registers the waves crashing more forcefully than usual at the shore. A loud but pleasant roar, just like the pounding inside their chests.

Changbin’s heartbeat crescendos. He smiles. “Back to the hut, then?”

Hyunjin’s gaze is burning when he meets Changbin’s eyes. “Please.”

---

Their remaining time on the island passes in a blissful blur. The final bit of filming is especially fun when he and Hyunjin are making jokes about the script and giving each other advice for retakes rather than arguing with each other, and the sun doesn’t get too scalding hot. 

Of course, Changbin also spends a lot of time mapping out the space of Hyunjin’s mouth, but they do other things, too—the last few days they make it their goal to attempt to explore the entire island, earning them sore feet but also some beautiful views. And also secluded places for making out. 

In Changbin’s defense, they’re just making good use of their time.

All too soon, they are boarding the boat back for the mainland and the island grows smaller and smaller in the distance, until it is barely a speck. 

On the side deck, Changbin breathes in the sea spray and then sighs, a slow and quiet exhale that goes unheard beneath the hum of the engine. Hyunjin is there next to him, arms elbows resting on the rails and hair being tugged free from his hat by the blowing wind. 

Hyunjin turns to him and offers him a small smile. He reaches down and slips his hand, warm and sure, into Changbin’s own, and gives it a squeeze. 

Changbin returns it.

The island is now in the past, but Hyunjin is still here, an anchor on the boat back to reality.

---

Everyone’s exhausted when the plane touches back down; they’d woken up especially early to catch the boat back and then their flight, so Changbin thinks both he and Hyunjin are equally to blame for their forgetfulness. 

Jisung meets him at the airport gate—meets them at the airport gate to drive Changbin and Hyunjin back to their respective apartments. When or how this arrangement had been made, Changbin doesn’t remember, but mostly he’s just happy to see Jisung, and see the excited crescents of Jisung’s eyes revealing his smile even though the mask over his mouth doesn’t. 

Changbin subconsciously pulls his own mask further up his face, but thankfully there don’t seem to be any fans around. When they get closer, Jisung raises a curious brow at the sight of a sleepy Hyunjin clinging to Changbin’s shoulder, but notices the tiredness in Changbin’s eyes and thankfully spares him from the questions Changbin knows he’s burning to ask.

The car ride back through the city is relatively silent, but that’s mostly because Hyunjin has dozed off against his shoulder in the backseat and because Changbin finds himself drifting off to Jisung quietly humming along to the songs on the radio. 

---

It’s when Changbin wakes up in his own bed the next morning after a very long sleep that he misses Hyunjin’s warmth, despite feeling well-rested. 

After sleeping next to another warm body for weeks now this feels cold, lonely, being the only one under the covers.

And it’s not just Hyunjin who he misses; he can still hear the sound of the ocean waves lingering in his ears, can still smell the salty sea if he thinks really hard. However, this morning it’s offset by the muted din of the city through his window.

As per routine, Changbin reaches a hand out to his bedside table for his phone, and then realizes, dumbly, that he doesn’t have Hyunjin’s number. 

They hadn’t gotten close until the island trip, and then the thought of exchanging phone numbers hadn’t crossed either of their minds, not when they shared a room and spent more than half of their time with each other. 

And now that they’re done filming, it’s not like they have to go back to the studio or meet anywhere else right away, which may be a slight problem. 

Changbin almost laughs at the absurdity of it all.

Instead, he reaches for his phone on the bedside and texts Jisung (whose number he does have) a thank you for dropping him off yesterday afternoon.

And then, he embarrassingly adds, you wouldn’t happen to have hyunjin’s number, would you?

The response is immediate: 

>LMAO you’re welcome. also i do
>willing to give it to you if you tell me just what happened in the last month ;)

Changbin huffs, amused, and then calls Jisung up, because what else is he supposed to do?

---

CITY STREET - DAY

The sun is warm overhead, and the sky a rich blue. In the distance, a car honks, and a bird crows. The camera slowly pans down from the sea of blue to the sweeping waves of tall buildings, then to the current of traffic past a storefront, and finally to a small coffee shop sheltered by an overhang. A figure is leaning against the wall by the front doors, eyes fixed on the phone in his hands.

The city sounds fade away, but less muted is the loud thud of a car door swinging shut. A subconscious smile is already making its way up Changbin’s face as he tucks his keys into his pocket and steps onto the sidewalk. 

CHANGBIN
Hyunjin.

The owner of the called name stills. His head snaps up, and upon spotting the person approaching him his mouth splits into a wide grin——blinding and bright, enough to rival rays of summer island sun.

HYUNJIN
Changbin.

END. 

---