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By all accounts, they shouldn’t really be together at all.
Seungmin thinks about that sometimes - how big of a role the small choices in both of their lives have played in ensuring they are where they are now; how many things that were totally outside of their control had led them here. They’re from opposite sides of the country, after all. If either of them would have decided to live normal lives, they wouldn’t be here right now. “Here” being with Stray Kids, of course, but also with each other.
An alternate reality where Seungmin didn’t have Stray Kids or Jeongin is one he doesn’t like to entertain very often.
He considers it now, though, as he lays in bed with Jeongin. They’re not really doing anything - Jeongin is busy memorizing his parts of one of the songs in their upcoming Japanese album, and Seungmin just hadn't felt like going out. He should probably be working on learning his parts too, but instead he’s taken to scrolling Twitter aimlessly while Jeongin mutters to himself.
“Hey, Jeongin.”
Jeongin grunts in acknowledgement, but doesn’t look up from the lyrics sheet on his phone.
“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”
That gets his boyfriend’s full attention - he wrinkles his nose and looks at Seungmin in mild disgust, which is the exact reaction Seungmin was hoping for. “What?”
Seungmin grins. Jeongin knows enough English that he probably understands the words in the sentence, but he’s probably never seen this meme, so Seungmin isn’t surprised that he’s confused.
“There’s a meme,” Seungmin says, “on Twitter. People are asking their significant others if they’d still love them if they were a worm.”
Jeongin rolls his eyes, focusing back on his phone. “Ugh. That’s so weird. People are weird.”
Seungmin waits, but apparently that’s all Jeongin has to say.
“Well?” he prompts. “Would you?”
Jeongin sighs, looking back at Seungmin. “Would I what?”
“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”
The expression of mild disgust is back. “Eew, hyung. No.”
It’s such a Jeongin answer, so like him not to humor such a bizarre question. It’s what Seungmin expected, to be honest - but Jeongin is fun to tease, and he wants to try and rile him up a little bit.
“That’s so mean, Innie!” he says with a pout. “Why not?”
“If you were a worm, I wouldn’t even know you,” Jeongin says, locking his phone and dropping it on the bed. “It’s not like I go around talking to bugs.”
“Well, what if I turned into a worm? What if I just transformed, right now? Would you love me then?”
Jeongin curls his lip. “I mean, I guess? But I wouldn’t want to keep loving you as a worm. I’d want to try and change you back somehow.”
“Aww, Innie,” Seungmin coos, pinching Jeongin’s cheek and grinning when his hand is slapped away. “There’s a little bit of a romantic in you after all.”
“Oh my god, it’s not romantic. It’s practical. How could I even talk to you if you were a worm?”
“I can’t argue with that logic,” Seungmin says. “But just so you know, I would still love you if you were a worm. I’d love you even if you were a worm when I met you.”
Jeongin rolls his eyes again. “You also wouldn’t have met me if I was a worm.”
“I’d find you, though,” Seungmin insists. “I’d know you were out there, somehow, and I’d scour the streets of Seoul after every rainstorm looking for you.”
“You’re ridiculous,” Jeongin says, huffing out a laugh almost against his will. “If I was a worm, I wouldn’t live in Seoul anyway. I’d be in Busan like any respectable worm.”
“Well then I’d scour the streets of Busan. Don’t underestimate my love for worm-Jeongin.”
That gets a full body laugh out of Jeongin, one of the loud, honking ones he knows Jeongin is a little bit embarrassed by, and it lights Seungmin up from the inside. He’s so happy to be here - in this bed, in this room, in this version of reality - getting to make Jeongin laugh with this stupid conversation.
“I’m glad we’re not worms,” Jeongin says once he’s gotten himself under control. He takes Seungmin’s hand in his, a rare form of affection that they reserve for private moments like this. “I prefer human Seungmin-hyung for sure.”
Seungmin smiles, squeezing Jeongin’s fingers. “Me too, Innie. Me too.”