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“Do you hate me?”
No one would expect to receive such a question, especially not early in the morning. At least Junki is awake now, after struggling to shake off the remnants of sleep from his mind. It doesn’t mean his mind works perfectly though, as he’s trying to process what Takumi means by ‘hate’.
Junki stares, long enough to make Takumi feel annoyed and turn away from him.
There’s no one else in the dance practice room and Junki suddenly feels he shouldn’t have come this early. It’s the tensest he ever feels around the other and there’s definitely something wrong judging by the way Takumi seems to avoid him. It’s not that the answer will come to him immediately but Junki is trying hard even though nothing comes to mind at all.
“Hey, do you wanna-”
At the same time, the door swings open and Sukai enters. Junki swallows back his words, deciding that there will be the right time for this. The rest of the members come into the room one by one, ready for their practice today and it’s when Junki forgets, seeing how natural it comes for them to fall into playfulness.
It’s tiring, Junki never thinks of everything they have to go through as easy but he knows the efforts everyone puts in will pay off someday. He’s kneeling on the ground, trying to catch his breath when he sees Takumi close next to him with a towel on his head. A thought comes to him like it always does whenever he’s around the other. It seems to activate the side of him that Junki isn’t even aware of but it exists, deep inside his mind.
Junki wants the towel, it’s the closest one he can reach right now but a strand of dark brown hair that peeks out grabs his attention. He’s already reaching out to take the towel but-
“Ow!”
Takumi turns around to look at him with a glare. Junki grins, waving the towel in his hand but that only makes Takumi’s glare intensifies. Junki is acting like he didn’t just take his towel while pulling a strand of his hair in the process but the thing is, neither of them is aware of the attention that has been drawn towards them. From what it looks like, they’re having a staring competition and are clearly distracted.
“Takumi, can you be more focused?” That’s Ren.
Takumi quickly bows his head to the performance leader as a silent apology and fortunately, he lets this one pass. Not that he got distracted a lot before this and he only got distracted today because of Junki who looks as if he didn’t just make Ren call him out for something that was absolutely not his fault. Takumi decides that it’s best to look away and let Junki have the towel but of course, it’s not the towel that the other wants, and whatever it is, he doesn’t know.
Later during lunch break, Junki doesn’t pass the opportunity to annoy the hell out of Takumi and it doesn’t go unnoticed by some of the members, especially Sukai and Sho.
“Why don’t you let Takumi sit here?” Sho asks him with pure confusion, looking at the red-haired guy then back at the sulky Takumi on the floor with Ren and Ruki.
Junki stares at the leader who waits patiently for his answer, wondering ‘why, indeed?’
It turns out that he’s said it out loud because there’s such an unreadable expression on both Sho and Sukai’s (when did he join the conversation?) face. Junki turns around and sees Takumi eating his lunch, looks nothing as sullen as he was a moment ago and it makes something in his chest constrict and his guts twist. Junki decides that it’s not the best feeling.
And before he can process his thoughts (he thinks there’s anger), Junki gets up from his seat and walks over to where Takumi sits near the mirror. The shorter guy only notices when he takes a seat on the floor next to him and scoots closer, effectively trapping him. There it is again, the expression that makes Junki wonder if what Takumi thinks is true. If he really hates the brown-haired guy.
“No, I don’t.” Junki has said it out loud again.
Ren looks completely lost while Ruki has this knowing smile but pretends that he isn’t interested. Takumi, well, he’s mostly confused but he looks mildly curious. Junki feels sick to his stomach when a realization downs upon him and looking at Takumi’s face doesn’t help, really. But it’s probably not his face that makes him sick and he knows it.
Junki takes Takumi’s hand and drags him to the restroom, deciding that it’s not something he wants to discuss in the presence of the members. Only when they’re inside that Junki lets go of Takumi’s hand. This time, though, surprisingly the other doesn’t look angry, just mildly annoyed for interrupting his lunchtime. Junki knows but he wants Takumi to have the same sense of urgency. This thing is freaking important!
“I like you,” Junki says then a second later adds, “I think.” as not to sound too straightforward. But everyone knows Junki is straightforward, even Takumi, so it only makes him appear like an idiot who can’t make up his mind.
Takumi blinks. “You think?” he replies carefully.
Junki shakes his head, “No, I know.”
There is a smile on the other’s face. “Since when?”
“That, I don’t know.” Junki leans back against the marbles and visibly deflates. Probably way longer than he would have known.
The smile on Takumi’s face is a shy one and Junki thinks he’s a second away from losing his mind. “No, I meant, when did you find out?”
Junki stares. “Just now.”
Then, as if on cue, Junki receives a new message from Keigo. Congratulations.
“I can’t believe they’re celebrating.” Junki groans and runs a hand across his face.
Takumi peeks at his phone curiously. “What?”
“The members,” Junki says, pocketing his phone. “I think they knew all along.”
“What do you mean?”
Takumi is just as confused as him.
“It’s that everyone knew but us.”
There is silence and it’s a comfortable one where they just let everything that’s happening sink in until Junki speaks, “So? What do you think of me?” It’s killing him but Takumi probably doesn’t like him that way and hell, with everything he’s done to annoy him, he may as well despise him.
“You really like me?”
Junki nods, now certain.
“Uhm,” Takumi pauses. “You’re a really reliable person but please don’t bully someone you like, they might think you hate them and run away even before they get the chance to confess.”
Junki’s eyes widen, his mouth slowly falls open. “Hey, Takumi, what do you mean by that?”
Takumi hides his face in his hands as Junki keeps poking him on his shoulders. “There you go again!”
Junki then pulls the other into his embrace. “Okay, I’m sorry but you like me too, right? And don’t even think of running away because we’re in the same group!”
Takumi has given up trying to break out of the red-haired guy’s embrace and just enjoys Junki’s loose arms around him. “Alright, I won’t. Only if you stop bullying me.”
Junki frowns, staring at the top of Takumi’s head. “You’re just… too cute.”
Takumi hits him.
Junki lets out a laugh. “Shall we head back?”
Takumi agrees. “We should.”