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When Changbin was rested, fed, and in an above average mood during schedules – it seemed like the next priority was to find Hyunjin. Sometimes just to sit by him. More often to fawn over his styling or jokingly flirt with him so unabashedly that Hyunjin would spend half the time laughing and the other half cringing.
The more affection Changbin exuded his way, the more Hyunjin enjoyed throwing it back in his face – even if it meant he was chased throughout the rest of the day because of it. If he really wanted to put together some of the pieces floating in the back of his brain, Hyunjin knew he liked teasing for Changbin's huge reactions and the focused attention that came with it.
Each time Changbin looked at him with that kind of intensity, Hyunjin’s heart squeezed faster, the high blooming in chest and going straight to his head. Even if on the outside, it only looked like he was in survival mode to fend his older member off.
Now they’re sitting on a couch in the waiting room, idly discussing when they went to sleep yesterday. As one of their staff approaches them, Changbin opts to launch his first attack of the morning. Hyunjin’s mouth falls open to say “Hyung, don’t” in the brief second they make eye contact, but it’s already too late.
He tugs on the collar of Hyunjin’s shirt, dragging it down and trying to expose his skin to the Talker camera in front of him. Hyunjin recoils like his touch burns, trying to slap his hands away. Changbin is more than used to it. He maintains his grasp and pulls, giggling even as Hyunjin squawks at him.
When he finally moves back, grinning at Hyunjin’s pink face, Hyunjin locks eyes with the lens. “Please edit it all out,” he asks breathlessly. The staff behind the camera smiles politely at them before walking elsewhere.
Once the camera is gone, Changbin hooks his head under Hyunjin’s arm and leans into the crook of his neck.
“Hyunjin-ah~,” he sighs, settling in.
Hyunjin doesn’t move away the arm that’s snugly around Changbin now, even if it was involuntarily put in this position. He’s self aware enough to admit that he enjoys the comfort of Changbin’s relaxed touches before a show or shoot. He’s embarrassed enough to never admit it out loud.
“You’re so heavy,” he says instead. “Ate too much today.”
Changbin’s head snaps up like it's second nature, his hand quickly moving to smack Hyunjin’s chest. Hyunjin’s body tenses in anticipation for the impact he knows he deserves. But then, Changbin’s hand stops just above his shirt, hovering mid-threat.
“Kiss or slap Hyunjinnie?”
It doesn’t matter how many years it’s been, Changbin still constantly catches him off guard like this – and somewhere Hyunjin’s subconscious thinks this must be what it’s like to never get tired of someone.
But the most conscious part of Hyunjin finds him incredulous per usual, and he knows his face says as much when he turns to look at him.
“What?” he laughs. “You’re acting crazy.”
“Your words have consequences,” Changbin says in his most earnest voice. He’s being so serious, Hyunjin can’t help but continue giggling.
“So, kiss or slap?”
“You can’t just forgive me?” Hyunjin manages to huff out, even as Changbin’s eyes bore into him like this is the most important question in the world. His heart jumps up to his throat, the way it did anytime Changbin leveled him with that kind of stare.
Changbin shakes his head. “It’s not possible Hyunjin-ah.”
Hyunjin thinks for a moment. Usually he would allow Changbin to gleefully smack him, which is probably what he expects to hear. But right now the sound of his heartbeat is rushing in his ears, somehow drowning out rationale, and Hyunjin suddenly wants to know how he’d react otherwise.
“Ok then,” he holds Changbin’s gaze, cocks his head to the side slightly. “Kiss.”
The way Changbin’s eyes instantly go wide is already worth it.
“Huh?” he sputters.
Hyunjin leans his face closer, tone challenging. “Go ahead hyung.”
“What! You. Ai-,” Changbin trails off in a slur of noises, panicking and pushing Hyunjin away even though he can’t go very far with the arm still slung around Changbin’s shoulders. Hyunjin continues making kissing noises towards him, loving every second of the way he loses all composure.
Eventually Changbin settles down, shocked shouts dulling into just mild complaints that someone had replaced his precious Hyunjinnie. By the time he rests his head back onto Hyunjin, Hyunjin has also stopped teasing, sides sore from laughing, and they stay like that for a while quietly.
Changbin’s weight is warm against him, close and familiar. Hyunjin’s chest buzzes, and he silently wonders why he’s feeling the light prick of nerves even though he must have done at least a hundred shows by now.
“You two are cute,” Jisung announces when he walks in minutes later, back from getting his makeup retouched.
“Hyunjin tried to kiss me,” Changbin pouts, opening his eyes from where he’s been resting on Hyunjin’s shoulder.
Jisung laughs loudly. “You fell asleep long enough to start dreaming?”
Changbin whines and tries to convince him it was real, though Hyunjin comfortingly patting his thigh like Changbin made it up doesn’t help much.
Hyunjin doesn’t look up, just smiles down at his phone, mind preoccupied with how easy it was to make Changbin start eating his own words. It’s silly, he knows. But accomplishment, and maybe something else, beams inside of him regardless.
-
After Changbin gets called over to get clips from his hair removed, hopping up from where he’s been nestled against Hyunjin, the high immediately starts fading.
Even worse, it’s replaced by a nagging feeling that Changbin is actually avoiding him.
On stage, he doesn’t try to make Hyunjin laugh with faces when the camera isn’t focused on them. When they walk exhausted offstage after two takes, Changbin doesn’t playfully push his fan into Hyunjin’s face. He doesn’t tell him he’s sparkling like he’s done before, even though it’s just sweat.
Hyunjin’s suspicions are confirmed when their knuckles brush on the way back to the waiting room. Hyunjin could consider it as unnoticed contact, but he literally watches Changbin jerk his hand away, bringing it to fidget with the goggles he has on for no reason instead.
“Hyung,” Hyunjin starts, arm reaching back out automatically.
Changbin’s eyes dart to him, to his hand, then look away.
“Hold on, my contacts feel weird.”
Then he practically jogs towards their makeup noonas, only leaving a burning sensation in the pit of Hyunjin’s stomach.
Changbin, the one who asked him out every chance he got, confessed nothings out of the blue, and jumped on any opportunity, no, created opportunities to discuss Hyunjin’s face – now skittish.
So Hyunjin, for the second time today, has no choice but to indulge him.
The issue was how. Hyunjin couldn’t see himself outrightly grabbing Changbin – unless it was a deliberate, joking squeeze at Jut or Dae. Hyunjin didn’t think he could say something bold either, like that Changbin looked really pretty today in his naturally wavy hair and pink decorated glasses.
Hyunjin wipes the sweat from his forehead with a towel. He was used to getting what he wanted from his older members, and honestly not above leveraging his looks, so this shouldn’t have been any more difficult. He rubs at his eye makeup with the towel harsher than he usually would before walking over to the couches lining the wall of the fitting room.
Changbin is sitting with Jeongin now, waiting for their managers to let them know when the cars were ready to take them home. Hyunjin sits right next to him, not missing the way Changbin’s leg subtly shifts away. Really, it’s just more motivation for Hyunjin to not waste any time with his plan.
“Changbin hyung, I think my makeup is messed up,” he says unceremoniously, prompting him to look up from where he and Jeongin are watching one of their interviews that came out today.
Changbin’s eyes graze over his face slowly, and now it’s Hyunjin’s turn to try not to squirm next to him.
“It looks fine,” Jeongin sighs, sensing they were about to start one of their games again. “We’re going home in ten minutes.” He’s shaking his head, but Hyunjin swears he can see a trace of a smile too.
Changbin’s voice draws Hyunjin back to him immediately. “You have eyeshadow on your cheek,” he says cautiously.
The plain statement only further confirms that something is up, because why was Changbin not jumping out of his seat to get his hands on him?
Hyunjin ignores the same voice that asks him why he wanted it so bad. Instead, he raises an eyebrow at him and pushes further.
“And you’re not going to do anything about it?”
Jeongin laughs on the other side, probably grateful that he wasn’t the target of his members’ antics today.
Meanwhile, Changbin’s sitting by him with his mouth open. The corners of his lips are slightly lifted though, like he can’t hide his delight no matter how surprised he is.
“What are you trying to do to me Hyunjin-ah?” he says with disbelief, whatever walls he’s had up until now splintering a bit. He shifts to guide his hand to Hyunjin’s face, calloused finger surprisingly gentle as he wipes the smudged makeup from the highest part of his cheek.
Hyunjin’s eyes flutter close, allowing himself to melt a little under his finger. His own walls, the ones that usually drove Changbin back to somewhere he considered him safe and predictable, were down too.
“Do I still look ok?” he says as Changbin brushes off the remnants of pigment, voice objectively too shy to sound like he’s only teasing now.
Changbin laughs, grabbing the fat in Hyunjin’s cheek in a playful pinch. “Do you not listen to me everyday?” He squeezes. “Always, dumb prince.”
Hyunjin smiles victoriously – too satisfied to snap at the insult, too busy basking in Changbin’s attention and words. He leans his back on the couch and lets Changbin’s hand fall to his thigh. Thankfully, Hyunjin doesn’t have to engage in any more manipulation to keep it there. Changbin allows his hand to rest on his leg, the entire time until their manager calls them over to leave.
They both ignore the way Jeongin looks up from his phone briefly, taking in the sight and rolling his eyes. Their protests are also weak when he finds a way to push into Chan’s ride instead.
Finally in the car, Hyunjin is tired. That’s his answer to patting the middle of the backseat with a pout, urging Changbin to forgo the window seat and slide next to him instead. Tired is the answer to why he curls up into Changbin immediately, letting his head fall onto the perfect spot between his shoulder and chest.
“What’s with you today?” Changbin chuckles softly as the car starts. Streetlight occasionally streams through, but it’s too dim for Hyunjin to notice his hand lifting up.
Changbin doesn’t seem to hesitate now as he brushes Hyunjin’s fringe, which almost makes him disregard the wavering behavior earlier. Maybe if Hyunjin was less dramatic, maybe if he was accustomed to not getting what he wanted from his older members. He did far more chasing than he was used to today.
“What’s with you, hyung,” Hyunjin retorts, not caring that he sounds petulant. “You were avoiding me.”
Changbin is quiet as the car stops as a red light. He doesn’t speak until it turns green.
“Ah, you noticed that?” he says, turning his head away to face the farther window. “I didn’t think you would.”
It makes Hyunjin realize that actually, he’s been watching Changbin all day. Hyunjin has also been thinking about Changbin all day. In the darkness, the quiet hum of the engine, Hyunjin feels all the thoughts that have been swirling in him for a while now compress into a single question.
“Kiss or slap?” he whispers, looking up at Changbin even though his gaze is still out the window. Hyunjin takes the moment to drink him in, his dark lashes, pretty jaw highlighted against the rest of the shadows in the car. “For being a dummy.”
Changbin laughs, though the sound is a touch hollow. “See, you’re being weird again.”
“You have to answer, hyung,” Hyunjin pushes. “I did earlier,” he reminds him.
Changbin turns and looks down at him, eyes unreadable. “Kiss. Obviously.”
“Then,” Hyunjin whispers back, not finishing his sentence because his brain is still catching up to what’s actually happening, what he’s opening himself to. Something that might have been in Changbin from the start. And in Hyunjin too, he’s all too quickly realizing.
Changbin exhales deeply and Hyunjin can feel his chest dipping under him. His pupils are still burning into Hyunjin’s in a way he’s seen countless times before, just not quite in this context. “I really will if you keep testing me like this.”
All Hyunjin hears is his heartbeat roaring in his ears again. His voice is so soft in comparison, he barely registers it himself.
“Then I’ll keep testing you.”
Changbin’s fingers quickly come up to grip Hyunjin's jaw, just below his ear, like he can’t help himself anymore. He searches Hyunjin’s eyes for what Hyunjin assumes to be humor or uncertainty – even though he can guarantee there’s none there.
Hyunjin drops his gaze to his lips, in a way he hopes conveys please.
Any remaining resolve in Changbin must crumble, and his hand presses Hyunjin’s jawbone a touch harder as he leans in to close the distance. Then he’s kissing Hyunjin just as his eyelids flutter close.
The kiss is chaste, but perfectly warm, and Hyunjin slackens even more than he already is against his chest – grateful Changbin is holding him in place. He lets out the tiniest sigh of pleasure, and Changbin thankfully takes it as a sign to press more soft kisses to his mouth, lips moving languidly on Hyunjin’s, idyllic and dreamlike. Hyunjin kisses him back, maybe already addicted to the plush of his mouth. His hand moves on its own accord to grip the hem of Changbin’s shirt.
After Hyunjin sighs louder and involuntarily onto his lips, he pulls away a couple of inches, suddenly self-conscious. If their staff driving in the front notices anything in the quiet dark, they keep it to themselves.
“Okay?” Hyunjin asks in a small voice, eyes searching the dark ones across from him. His mind falls to all the times Changbin has tried to kiss him, and he suddenly just wants to know if he’s lived up to it.
Changbin slaps Hyunjin’s thigh, eliciting a yelp.
“Hyunjin-ah,” Changbin smiles, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. So casual, it makes his head spin. “You really never listen. How many times have I asked to do that?”
“But you didn’t earlier,” Hyunjin grumbles.
Changbin’s volume rises. “You caught me off guard! The most handsome guy in the world asked me to kiss him all of a sudden, and you’re going to blame me? Seriously.”
He has to giggle, never believing Changbin’s bigger than the sky compliments but enjoying them nonetheless.
“You’re handsome,” Hyunjin whispers, lifting his head a bit to press a kiss to Changbin’s cheek. It’s not the first time he’s said it, but it comes with a rush of freedom now, like he’s being fully honest about how much he means it.
Changbin chuckles, poking Hyunjin in the ribs lightly.
“You’ll kill me, Hyunjin-ah.” Then his voice lowers. “I keep telling you not to test me.”
“And if I do?” Hyunjin pushes, as always.
“You’ll find out as soon as we get home.”
Hyunjin laughter rings through the car, the same one that’s escaped him every time he’s been the target of Changbin’s blatant flirting. Only now, he knows it’s more real than he’s ever allowed himself to believe.
Anticipation bubbles up in him, going straight to his face until it's burning from mere thoughts. To be under Changbin’s gaze, under his thumb, close without having to pretend he wants otherwise. He has to snuggle back into the crook of his neck just to hide it.
He feels Changbin’s arm snake and tighten around him in response, the two of them intertwined under the passing shadows the rest of the way home.