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Hyeongjun's placed at an odd spot. Odd spot because he's been planning to kiss Jooyeon on the cheek and, he's not far or anything, but it's not ideal. He's right behind Jungsu at first and considers moving around. He does so, dodging Gunil who's right behind Jooyeon. All he gets is the place Seungmin was previously, who was somehow pushed back by Jiseok. Jiseok who's now holding Jooyeon's hands, lacing their fingers.
He stares and tries not to show how disappointed he feels at the current position he's in. And no, he's definitely not jealous that the nuggets are holding hands like that.
He won't be able to kiss Jooyeon's cheek, at all. Jiseok is absolutely going to do it, he's got the perfect spot for it and if Hyeongjun tries, he'll end up kissing Jiseok on the mouth instead and that's not what he wants.
Upon taking a better look, Jooyeon's ear is just a few centimeters from Hyeongjun if he leans down.
For a lack of better judgment and in the heat of the moment, when they all go for the birthday kisses at the same time, Hyeongjun presses his lips right against Jooyeon's flushed ears and whispers loud enough that he will hear it through his own screaming.
"I'll kiss you later."
He pulls back quickly and pushes away the embarrassment wanting to spill out of him. He rubs his cheeks with both hands and hopes no one, not even the fans who are watching, notice that he might possibly be blushing. They're far enough from the camera that such detail might not even be captured in video.
For the remaining minutes they're live, Hyeongjun goes along with everything. He laughs, makes his usual comments and jokes around with everyone. After all, the live also had the purpose of announcing their official fandom name and he had been looking forward to that.
Once the live is turned off, he poses for the picture they'll be posting on the band's social media accounts and Jooyeon takes care of the cake. He gives out a slice for everyone and talks about sharing the rest with all the staff they can find around the building.
Jiseok agrees with an excited shout and starts spreading the paper plates on the table. The other boys offer to deliver it to whoever they find on their way. As most of them have a different plan of what they want to do with the rest of their evening, they start leaving one by one.
"I'm going to the arcade before it closes," Jiseok says and waves goodbye with a big, goofy grin on his lips. He's the first one out, his own cake eaten in two big bites.
"Jiseokie, I'm coming with you!" Seungmin calls his name out loud, the sound of rushed footsteps quickly becoming nothing but an echo.
Hyeongjun has no plans for the night and patiently waits because Gunil and Jungsu are arguing about who's going to get the next handful of cake. He doesn't mind being last.
"I wanna go skateboarding before midnight," Gunil complains and playfully pushes Jungsu to the side with his shoulder. "It's getting cold lately."
"It's not getting cold at all," Jungsu argues and pushes Gunil back. "I'll go with you. I was only planning to practice for an hour anyway, I need some fresh air."
The two of them leave the room still talking, making a plan on where they should pass by to give the plates they're holding - because surely, Jiseok and Seungmin passed by the entrance and most likely handed the cake to the three security dudes that are around at this hour and the front desk secretary who should be leaving about now.
It is just Hyeongjun and Jooyeon left.
Jooyeon gives him a smile and passes the plate with a medium sized piece of cake. Hyeongjun observes him and is now painfully aware of the words he whispered to Jooyeon not long ago. Jooyeon, though, stays focused on cutting the last bits of the cake, unbothered. He doesn't even look at Hyeongjun again.
Maybe he didn't hear Hyeongjun's whisper. Maybe it's for the best.
Hyeongjun quietly eats the cake, he didn't even notice he didn't grab one of the plates when Jooyeon was giving it out to the members. It's sweet and the whipped cream melts in his tongue. He smiles to himself and finishes it off without paying attention to anything but the cake. He thinks about the anime he started recently and considers watching an episode or two before bed.
"Are you going straight to the dorms?" Jooyeon asks, startling Hyeongjun. He flinches and almost drops the empty plate on the floor.
"Yeah," he yawns and tosses what's in his hand on the garbage next to the door. "You?"
Jooyeon nods and gives Hyeongjun two plates with cake. He has just finished eating his own piece and he gets hold of what's left on the table.
"That was a lot of cake," Jooyeon comments, balancing three plates on his hands and closing the door with his foot. "I think we can just put these on the main kitchen's fridge with a note, saying whoever finds it can have it. I think the people who are still around already got cake."
Hyeongjun agrees with a hum and follows Jooyeon down the corridor. They put the five plates inside the almost empty fridge and Jooyeon scribbles a small message, sticking it on the fridge with a magnet.
They grab their belongings in their lockers and leave the company by the main entrance, masks covering their faces and hoodies on. It is rather windy and Hyeongjun thinks about Jungsu and Gunil, hoping they're both warm because Gunil was right about it being colder.
No one talks as they walk and Jooyeon hums the tune to 'Talk that Talk' under his breath. Gunil has been insisting they learn the dance to record the challenge, it's been a failure so far but they have listened to it so many times that it's stuck to their heads like superglue.
Hyeongjun steals a few glances at Jooyeon who's right next to him. He looks happy, the smile of someone who's had a nice day is bright on his lips.
Hyeongjun - sadly - ends up humming the song along with Jooyeon and he thinks about its lyrics.
Get straight to the point. Stop beating around the bush.
He shakes his head, trying to ignore the message in those words.
"About the kiss," Jooyeon says and pulls his mask down to his chin now that they're far from the company. He reaches out for Hyeongjun's arm but holds the sleeve of his hoodie instead.
"What kiss?" Hyeongjun asks, his blood running cold.
"The kiss you didn't give me during the live," Jooyeon laughs. He scrunches his nose and his teeth show, forming that adorable heart-shaped smile Hyeongjun has to admit is one of his favorites. "The one you said you'd give me later."
Hyeongjun gulps and presses his lips together. He's glad he still has the mask on so Jooyeon doesn't see the expression on his face that well.
"Oh, right," he laughs, trying not to sound too awkward. "What about it?"
Jooyeon giggles, letting go of his sleeve to shove him on the shoulder, as playful as ever.
"Can you give me that kiss when we get to the dorms?"
Hyeongjun looks down and nods. He hopes he's not reading it wrong. The tiny hint of expectation in Jooyeon's tone sets him ablaze, makes him wonder if he should go with his initial plan of kissing just his cheek or not. He scratches the inside of his pockets with his nails to distract himself from overthinking this too much.
Despite all the things going on in his mind, the atmosphere is anything but awkward. Jooyeon is great at making small talk without demanding that he take an active part in it. It's nice hearing his voice. Hyeongjun basks in Jooyeon's incessant chatter and is only pulled back to reality when the beeping sound of the password being inserted in the door lock echoes in the empty corridor.
The door clicks open and Jooyeon pushes it, turning the lights on and holding it for Hyeongjun.
It is silent for a whole minute as they put their bags on the pegs by the door. Jooyeon is busy getting rid of the mask and unzipping his jacket as well. Hyeongjun decides to do the same, just so he doesn't stand there immobile, only staring.
He jumps in surprise when he feels a touch on his hair while he's folding his hoodie. Hyeongjun knows it's Jooyeon, they're the only ones in the dorm, but it catches him off guard. He presses his eyes closed tight before turning around to face Jooyeon.
"Sorry," Jooyeon chuckles, not sounding very sorry. Hyeongjun has dropped the piece of clothing and forgotten about it because Jooyeon is now tousling his hair with his fingers, his smile a little bit too tender. "It looked so soft today," Jooyeon mumbles, eyes on Hyeongjun's hair as he messes it up carefully.
Hyeongjun's lips twitch, wanting to form a smile.
"Hyeongjun-ah," Jooyeon whispers and Hyeongjun shivers. The way Jooyeon says his name makes his legs feel like jelly. So soft and gentle. As though it's his favorite word and he's scared of using it too much.
"Yes?" Hyeongjun replies, blinking at him and keeping a neutral expression. His insides feel warm and he does his best at holding his gaze because he really wants to look away before his cheeks turn red.
"Can I get the kiss before everyone comes back?" Jooyeon smiles when he asks and Hyeongjun gulps, nodding.
Not wanting to risk it, Hyeongjun plays it safe. He leans forward and notices how Jooyeon flutters his eyes closed. His gaze travels to his lips before he aims for his cheek, placing a loud peck there.
Jooyeon's eyes fly open and he tilts his head at Hyeongjun, looking confused.
"Did I-" Jooyeon sputters, covering his mouth and avoiding Hyeongjun's concerned gaze. He looks confused, disappointed and hurt. "Did I read it wrong?"
There's a lump on Hyeongjun's throat. He wants to say so many things but only a ragged breath comes out.
Now Jooyeon is the one looking concerned. He lifts one eyebrow and tries to lock his eyes with Hyeongjun's - he fails.
"I-I'm sorry," Hyeongjun forces out and he wonders if it sounds wrong. Jooyeon stares at him with a blank expression and he feels horrible. It's clear that he got the wrong message. Hyeongjun pushes away that lump, and does his best to sound sane. "You didn't read it wrong. I'm just a coward."
Jooyeon frowns.
"Why don't you-" Hyeongjun laughs, the lyrics to the song they were humming together coming back to him. "Tell me what you want."
The laugh that bubbles out of Jooyeon shows he gets the reference. It doesn't take long for silence to fall back but this time it's different. Jooyeon is back at staring at Hyeongjun that same way. Like he holds the stars in the sky, as though he's the moon in his planet's orbit.
"I already told you what I want," Jooyeon shakes his head and rolls his eyes, huffing out a laugh.
"Be more specific then," Hyeongjun manages to say.
Jooyeon nods, straightening up and placing both hands on Hyeongjun's shoulder. He stares into Hyeongjun's eyes and says with that same gentle tone of his. "I want you to kiss me, on the lips."
Hyeongjun takes a deep breath, not quite believing his ears even if that's exactly what he was waiting and wanting to hear. He nods once and Jooyeon smiles wide and bright before he closes his eyes. To make sure Hyeongjun gets the message, he even puckers his lips.
There's a turmoil going on inside of Hyeongjun but he follows through. Tentatively, he places a hand on Jooyeon's jaw and feels him lean on his touch. Hyeongjun smiles and the anxiety melts away as he leans in and slots their lips together.
It doesn't last long. It's just a soft press of lips but it sets free a bunch of butterflies Hyeongjun didn't know he was keeping in his stomach. The one who pulls away is Jooyeon, giving Hyeongjun an expectant look.
"Can I kiss you again?" Jooyeon asks and Hyeongjun only moves his head up and down, not trusting his voice to come out. He leans against the door, because he's barely managing to stand up on his own, and Jooyeon chuckles.
When their lips touch again, soft like the brush of a feather against skin, Hyeongjun rests a hand on Jooyeon's waist to keep himself grounded. Then Jooyeon reaches up and runs his fingers through Hyeongjun's hair. He rests his palm against his nape and Hyeongjun sighs against his lips.
"I wasn't sure," Jooyeon mumbles, his other hand hot against Hyeonjun's cheek. He runs his thumb on his bottom lip and kisses the corner of his mouth. "If you liked me back," he kisses him again. Hyeongjun can barely breath, overwhelmed with the way Jooyeon's lips feel against his. "I caught glimpses of you staring so many times," he presses the tip of his nose to Hyeongjun's cheek. "But then you went and called my kisses a burden on your Instagram post."
Hyeongjun laughs at that.
"I can't possibly post to the world to see that I want you to kiss me all the time," he says with all the courage he finds in himself.
Jooyeon presses him hard against the door at that. Hyeongjun feels his breath hot in his ear and shivers.
"You don't have to tell the whole world. You could have just said that directly to me," he whispers and Hyeongjun nods, his hand that was resting gently on Jooyeon's waist gripping the hem of his shirt now. "Why don't you tell me what you want now?"
"I want you to kiss me," Hyeongjun says without missing a beat. Jooyeon leans back and smiles at him. He smiles so bright it reaches his eyes. "I want you to kiss me whenever you feel like it."
"Even when someone is in the room?" Jooyeon questions, eyebrows raised.
"Of course not," Hyeongjun snorts and pushes him away. He misses the heat of Jooyeon's body against his but he was slowly losing his mind the more they remained in that position, so close to each other.
There was no point missing it though because Jooyeon pins him to the door again and captures his lips. It's different this time. There's an urgency in the way Jooyeon kisses him but Hyeongjun doesn't have time to figure it out because there's a beeping sound coming from the other side of the door and they pull apart in a jump.
"Crap," Jooyeon curses and stares at Hyeongjun. He quickly brushes his hair in place and does the same to Hyeongjun. Hyeongjun grabs the hoodie that's lying by their feet and hangs it with his bag.
The two of them laugh when they hear the sound telling that whoever is trying to get into the apartment has gotten the password wrong.
"I told you it's the other way around," Jungsu says and Hyeongjun runs to the kitchen to make it look like he's busy doing the dishes that were left there earlier.
"Yeah yeah yeah," Gunil says and the door unlocks. "Oh you guys are here already?"
Hyeongjun hears Jooyeon replying - lying that they got there five minutes ago instead of what is probably fifteen - and talking a little while he has his attention solemnly on washing out the soap from the mugs.
"Hyung, can you switch beds with Hyeongjun tonight?" he hears Jooyeon saying. "We wanted to watch anime until late but we don't want to bother you."
Hyeongjun turns to take a glimpse of the interaction and sees Gunil exchange a look with Jungsu.
The two shrug.
"I don't see a problem," he replies. "There's no schedule tomorrow anyway. I'll just go and grab a change of clothes."
Jungsu follows him into the room, longboard under his arm, and Jooyeon runs up to Hyeongjun.
"I think you should grab clean clothes as well, those two look like they're ready to fall asleep," Jooyeon whispers and Hyeongjun drops the sponge back into the sink. He's done with the dishes anyway.
Hyeongjun is drying his hands when he feels Jooyeon's arm around his waist and his chest pressed against his back. He freezes, thinking about Gunil and Jungsu who can come out of the room anytime but Jooyeon doesn't seem so bothered as he buries his nose on his neck.
"I like you so much," he mumbles and Hyeongjun's stomach hurts at how hard it flutters at his words. "Do you know what anime we should watch tonight?"
Hyeongjun bites his lips and holds back a chuckle. He thought that was just an excuse Jooyeon came up with so they could kiss some more without being interrupted or caught by the other boys. It's a safe excuse because it's something they usually do, no suspicions will be raised from that.
"I started Spy x Family during Chuseok but I'm only two episodes in," Hyeongjun says and Jooyeon quickly lets go of him when they hear footsteps. "We can start from the beginning, I think you'll like it."
Gunil goes straight to the bathroom for a shower and Jungsu passes by them, nodding once before disappearing in the living room.
Jooyeon's hand brushes against Hyeongjun's and he stares down. He's not being subtle at all but Hyeongjun sees the way he hesitates before reaching out for his hand and lacing their fingers.
"How about we get started while hyung's in the shower?" Jooyeon suggests, moving his head in the direction of the bedroom. Hyeongjun lets him lead the way, looking at their hands clasped together. "Don't worry," Jooyeon says when he closes the door. "This was also a plan for me to kiss you as much as I want."
Hyeongjun lets out a laugh, squeezing Jooyeon's hand and not missing the fondness in his eyes.
He can't help himself, he's too happy - too giddy -, and before they as much as take a step towards Jooyeon's bed, Hyeongjun turns him around with a pull of his hand. He clumsily kisses the corner of his lips and Jooyeon breaks into a blinding smile.
It takes them ten minutes to make it to the bed and Gunil is probably out of the shower already but Hyeongjun doesn't care.
He's too happy to care.