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The thing is Jeongin wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to have been in a car with Jisung, cruising the country roads to take him home. Well, he's not really going home, he's just going to one of his best friends' birthday party all the way across the country because he's either clinically insane or a really great friend. He votes the latter, of course.
The point is he should have been in Jisung's car, which would have been a nice trip with one of his other friends who knows his do's and don'ts and would have let him pick the music and made it an overall easily enjoyable trip.
Clearly, that's not what happened, as Jisung's car broke down at the wrong time and they were both left without a way to get to the party within a week of it happening. Jisung himself hitched a ride with Minho, Chan and Changbin and since Jeongin really didn't feel like being the third sardine squeezed onto Chan's tiny back seat, he'd started looking for other options.
And then Felix - bless his little worried heart - had suggested another friend of his, who was coming from a similar direction and who could pick Jeongin up.
Now, it's not that Seungmin and him are complete strangers, he's met the man a few times before and he's definitely friendly enough, but they're not really friends. At least he didn't think they were. Seungmin appears to be otherwise inclined, especially considering the arm he's currently got loosely wrapped around Jeongin's shoulders while they stand and wait in line at the gas station supermarket to get some snacks and drinks for the road.
He's still trying to figure out the best, least insulting way to duck out from underneath it, really.
"Jeongin-ah," Seungmin suddenly pipes up, claiming all of his attention with a simple call because of the lack of any honorifics whatsoever. Seungmin really does think they're besties, doesn't he? "Do you want pepero?"
He blinks somewhat dumbly over at the shelf Seungmin nods towards, brain still stuck on 'pepero'. When the chocolaty snack is indeed what comes into view, he side-eyes his acquaintance and finally does duck out from underneath the arm.
"Seungmin-ssi," he says pointedly, holding the basket closer to his chest and using it as a buffer between them. "I know it's white day, but I would say I'm quite far from being a girl nor have I given you anything on Valentine's, so there's no need for this courting you're doing."
He wrinkles his nose for good measure, eyes briefly drifting over to the pepero sticks again before he turns to look back at the store worker, who seems to be scanning articles at snail's speed.
When eventually it's their turn and he lets the basket get emptied slowly by the teenager, not only does Seungmin refuse to let him pay for anything, but he's also snuck in four packages of pepero, which get dumped in Jeongin's lap the second they're back in the car.
"For keeping me company," Seungmin says offhandedly, and Jeongin huffs in disbelief.
Annoyingly enough, he finds himself snacking on the chocolate coated sticks not an hour later, having gotten a sudden craving for the sweets.
—
Their first day is otherwise quite uneventful. Usually driving across the country wouldn't take multiple days, of course, but Seungmin had long planned a roadtrip across the country to see some more of nature and Jeongin hadn't felt opposed to breathing in the countryside air. That was, of course, before he knew Seungmin was going to treat him like a soundboard and bestie.
Alas, the countryside is pretty, and so try as he might, he can't get himself to book a set of train tickets for the rest of the way and leave Seungmin to his car, his absolutely catchy Day6 playlist and his aggravating stash of pepero.
Instead he finds himself sitting opposite Seungmin who's smiling at him over their absolutely delicious dinner, which tastes like they're at one of the best restaurants the city has to offer. Damn countryside ahjummas and their authentic recipes making Jeongin want to spend approximately fifteen hours at the very least enjoying their delicious cooking, no matter the subpar company.
Though actually; Seungmin's not too bad. He doesn't talk with his mouth full (Jisung), threaten to cut him to pieces with the barbecue scissors (Minho) or bug him with endless, obnoxious attempts at cuteness (Changbin). And best of all; he doesn't eat so crazily much that Jeongin is almost ashamed to be seen in public with him (Chan).
In fact, Seungmin is too focused on the food to try to interact much with him at all other than a few comments about the food itself, and that's exactly how Jeongin likes to enjoy good food himself, so it's almost perfect. Almost, because every time Seungmin puts meat on his plate, he hits him with a "Here you go, Jeonginnie," that makes him want to squirm in his seat if not walk right out of the restaurant altogether.
If he were rating the company, that would definitely bring Seungmin down from a solid nine to a six and a half, he'd say. A passing grade, but poorly so. He's certain Seungmin's strict parents would not be pleased with his performance. Two seconds after that thought, he wonders how he even knows Seungmin has strict parents. Before he can think on it, though, another Jeonginnie leaves Seungmin's mouth and he practically convulses inside his mind.
"Thank you, Seungmin-ssi," he replies dutifully, because his momma raised no five and a half on the company scale, and picks up another piece of meat with his chopsticks to add it to his lettuce wrap. "This meat is really delicious. I'm starting to wonder if they have better cows in the countryside."
Seungmin's laugh is sudden and bright, startling Jeongin into a small, accompanying chuckle of his own. When he glances up at the other, Seungmin is beaming a grin at him so genuine and bright that he is starkly reminded of a tail-wagging labrador or retriever. He's also briefly reminded of Felix and his sunshine disposition.
Then the moment passes. Seungmin covers his mouth with a hand and ducks his head down, and Jeongin puts his lettuce wrap in his mouth in its entirety.
The rest of their dinner continues in a similar vein as before.
—
Jeongin joined the trip quite late in the planning process, so he can't really complain about the accommodations that were already booked by the time he signed on. In fact, he should be relieved that Seungmin likes his space and booked private rooms, so that they're not sharing with the homeowner or something, but still…
Looking at the mats laid out on the floor and the single, two-person duvet, he has thoughts about how the night might progress, and most of them aren't very positive. When Seungmin returns from washing up, he bypasses Jeongin easily and crawls right under the blanket.
"Did you need anything else, Jeongin-ah?" He asks from where he looks much too comfortable already, and Jeongin quickly shakes his head.
"All good, Seungmin-ssi, thank you," he says, putting himself in motion to put his toiletries back in his bag and then get under the blanket as well. The floor is quite cold even on the outskirts of winter, but their hostess did warn them about the cold creeping up from the ground below. So he braces himself as he curls up and turns his back to his companion.
"Goodnight, Jeonginnie," Seungmin says brightly from behind him and he hums his agreement, closing his eyes to settle down properly.
Several hours later finds him wide awake and shivering, the cold seemingly creeping into his bones through the floor, the thin mattress and his sleeping clothes altogether. He tries fruitlessly to draw the blanket around himself a bit better, but it doesn't particularly help.
His twisting and turning must wake his companion, because suddenly there's movement by his side, Seungmin rolling over and shamelessly putting an arm around his middle. He'd complain about the familiarity, but Seungmin's body almost immediately becomes a heating stove against his back, promptly relaxing his trembling muscles.
"Jngnah," Seungmin mumbles sleepily into his shoulder, drawing him a little closer and exhaling utter warmth against his back that promptly soothes a little bit more of his freezing body. "C'mere, keep y'warm."
Within the next five seconds, Seungmin tangles up their legs, wraps him up in both arms and passes right back out while using his back as a pillow. He'd be upset about it, if it weren’t for the immediate release of tension in his body due to the warmth radiating off of his companion. Even his feet are already warmer just by being pressed against Seungmin’s legs, and his exhausted body immediately decides that this is all it needs to get back to sleep.
When he wakes up in the morning, Seungmin’s arms are still wrapped just as tightly around his middle, only Seungmin’s face has moved from his shoulder to the back of his neck, and the second he becomes fully aware of the gentle puffs of air against his skin, his body goes through a small convulsion. He jerks away, rolling out of Seungmin’s arms and almost immediately sitting up on his haunches, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck as he looks down at the scene of the crime.
Seungmin wakes slowly, nose scrunching in confusion, hair a little messed up. When he blinks open his eyes, they focus only after a moment, but once Jeongin comes into view, Seungmin sends him a smile almost immediately. Something soft, sleepy and warm that feels like syrup in his veins. “Good morning,” Seungmin tells him way too cheerfully for a night spent in what Jeongin would dub a freezer, and then promptly moves to stretch languidly.
“Good morning, Seungmin-ssi.” Once again; his mother raised no rude bastard and he’ll be damned before someone as unmannered as Kim Seungmin decides on the opposite. “Are we having breakfast here or are we leaving straight away?”
His last words are interrupted by the small, uncontrollable noise Seungmin makes at the end of his stretching, before he’s already nodding. “We’re leaving straight away. There’s a great restaurant a town over that I wanted to try for breakfast if you’re okay with that. How did you sleep? Did you manage to sleep through the rest of the night?”
He pulls his shoulders up briefly, then nods. “I slept well, thank you. I was really cold last night but you helped.” He doesn’t detail the nature of the help, because he’s certain they’re both more than aware of that. It doesn’t need repeating, especially not out loud while he’s holding eye contact. Definitely not.
“I’m glad,” Seungmin says, and then pushes the blanket further off himself and sits up. “Let’s get ready then?”
—
Jeongin curses the day Felix suggested this shared road trip to him, curses the day he decided to agree to driving around the country with Kim Seungmin of all people, because for the last twenty minutes he has been the victim of Seungmin’s increasingly adorable looks while eating his breakfast and this simply cannot be. Jeongin had made as much clear by frowning deeply at his own breakfast, stabbing his chopsticks into his stew and huffing every twenty seconds give or take.
Seungmin has proceeded to ignore him entirely and has continued looking like a pleased puppy from start to finish, only looking up to ask with great excitement: “This is really good, right? I found it recommended online but I didn’t think it’d be this good!” A sentiment Jeongin was only able to agree with, considering the meat in the stew melts on his tongue and the side dishes taste like they come straight from his grandmother's own cooking pot.
So yes; this is really good, and Jeongin wants to be anywhere but here because he's getting this itchy feeling that makes him want to do things that most likely aren't even legal.
"Seungmin-ssi," he says eventually when he can take it no longer, interrupting a pleased, delighted humming. "What are the plans for the rest of the trip exactly?"
Seungmin seems to come from very far away, lifting his head slowly, dragging his gaze away from his nearly devoured breakfast. "Oh, um," he says, hesitating. "I'm not entirely sure, but I've got some notes written out in the car. We'll be on time for Jin's birthday, though, no worries. He'd have my head if I didn't deliver us both there on the day before at the latest."
Jeongin rolls his eyes, but this time it's definitely done in fondness. "He wouldn't hurt a fly. At worst he'd just whine at you for a couple seconds and all it takes to soothe him is to give him his present." Then he pauses when he thinks of something else. "You did get him a present, right? Because if you show up without one the whining will never stop and I'd rather stay in whichever nondescript village we're at right now."
Seungmin laughs and Jeongin raises an unimpressed eyebrow at him, definitely not considering this a laughing matter. "Don't worry, Jeongin-ah," Seungmin says when his chuckling ends naturally, not at all impressed by any facial expressions alone - but then the man is best friends with Lee Minho of all people, so that tracks. "I got him a present. He won't whine. Besides, one word from you and he'd shut up anyway."
"Which is a power I have because I don't use it too often and I won't be wasting it on the likes of you," Jeongin counters, huffing once. "Now if you are finished, Seungmin-ssi, I would like to get back on the road."
Seungmin smiles, nods and proceeds to calmly empty his bowl of stew and his bowl of rice before so much as budging. He does get the bill after, which Jeongin decides to consider the man's apology for uselessly keeping him occupied this long.
The walk back to the car is silent, but not five minutes after they're on the road again, Seungmin is singing along shamelessly to his repeating Day6 playlist.
Jeongin will have to steal the aux soon and change up the background noise for a while before he starts considering murder - or worse.
—
"Sorry, it's like this again," Seungmin says, preceding Jeongin into the room and moving out of his way. He sounds actually remorseful this time, a hint of guilt seeping into his expression when he glances back. Jeongin feels discomfort rush down his spine as he takes in the sleeping mats on the floor and the two-person duvet that'll serve as their blanket for the night.
"I'll ask if they have another blanket for us," Seungmin adds before he can say anything, perhaps reading the hesitance off his features. Yet when his companion returns from washing up, he's empty handed. "They just had a bunch of visitors and all the other blankets are hanging out to dry after being washed," is the explanation given, and Jeongin hums but nods.
That night, three am finds him reluctantly scooting closer to Seungmin's body, its warmth almost immediately seeping into his skin once he lies close enough. It takes but a moment for movement to follow, an arm looping around his middle in a by now much too familiar motion.
"Sorry," Seungmin mumbles somewhere behind him, luckily keeping a decent distance from Jeongin's neck. "You okay?"
He hums something that could mean anything, and then promptly turns over so he can press the bridge of his cold nose against Seungmin's collarbone.
He feels a little like he's going insane, but he's exhausted and freezing, and Seungmin's body is a source of warmth he cannot refuse. "'m cold," he mutters as a way of explanation, and promptly shoves his freezing fingers under his companion's shirt. There's a moment of sudden tension before Seungmin's body relaxes against his hands and he sighs in relief when the warmth slowly but surely returns the feeling to his almost numb fingers.
In the morning, Seungmin is wrapped around him entirely, a cosy warmth encapsulating them under the blanket that makes him hesitant to want to get out.
Half an hour later, Seungmin stirs awake slowly, and proceeds to stay utterly still for the next hour, simply breathing next to him. When eventually he shifts around a little, Seungmin's arms release him almost immediately. Jeongin realises all Seungmin was doing for that hour was trying not to wake him up.
"Good morning," Seungmin says into the uncomfortable silence once they're completely disentangled from each other. "Did you sleep okay?"
He doesn't meet Seungmin's gaze when he pushes himself to stand, the morning cold chasing away any lingering warmth from their night cuddled up together. "I slept alright, thank you," he replies, deftly gathering his things without letting Seungmin enter his line of sight even once and quickly heading out to the bathroom to prepare for the day.
They drive across the country in another zig-zag line that day, stopping to check out what is apparently a prized traditional garden in the province they're in, and then continuing on to their next overnight hostel.
When they get to their room that night, there are two actual separate beds with two actual separate blankets. Jeongin lights up like a Christmas tree upon seeing them, so much so that it makes Seungmin laugh and ask if he hates him that much, a sentiment he only replies to with a roll of his eyes.
And yet, Jeongin sleeps most fitfully that night, searching for a body's warmth that isn't there.
—
Seungmin exudes a puppy-like enthusiasm about the art exhibition they visit in a town near the coast. It's situated in someone's back room and clearly meant more as memories for the artist herself than any potential visitors, but they make do.
Seungmin gives each piece its due attention, reading notes if there are any or otherwise just admiring the artwork in silence. Jeongin stares at an intricate painting of a tree for a full hour and then finds himself strangely emotional when he turns away just to be met with Seungmin carefully moving some paintings to be able to see another one.
"We should buy this one as a birthday present," he says when he's looked at it for a moment and Jeongin walks closer to look at it as well. The painting shows a still life of a bouquet of flowers, some of them in full bloom, some of them nearly withered. Jeongin has no idea why Hyunjin would love it, but then he's never understood his friend's art anyway.
"If you think he'll like it, you can get it for him, Seungmin-ssi," he says with a shrug, dismissing the whole thing and turning to look at some of the other paintings before it's time to leave.
Seungmin does indeed buy the painting, and lugs it the whole way back to the car, storing it on the back seat, the front facing the soft cushioning, and even fastening the seatbelt over it to keep it from harm.
"You don't like art?" He is asked when they're back in the car as well, cruising on to whatever stop's on Seungmin's itinerary next.
"I like it fine," he disagrees. "I don't understand it much but that's not the art's fault." He shrugs and looks out the window. Beyond his own reflection, he thinks he sees Seungmin looking at him, but it might also be a figment of his imagination.
"What's the next stop?" He asks after a minute of silence, insofar as Day6 playing in the background can equal silence. When he looks over again, Seungmin's eyes are steadily on the road.
"Just the hotel today. It supposedly has a great view so I wanted to go for a walk there."
Jeongin hums and nods, then tucks his hands into his hoodie pouch. "Alright. Are there specific walking trails you can follow or are we just going to walk wherever?"
That does pull Seungmin's attention, his companion's gaze briefly flicking to him before it's back on the road. "You don't have to come along if you don't want to," he's told, which only makes him laugh a little.
"I wouldn't go along with you if I didn't want to, Seungmin-ssi. Or are you trying to subtly tell me that you would rather walk alone? You can just tell me, I won't take offence."
"Of course not! If you want to join me, you're always welcome, Jeongin-ah."
It's said so decidedly that it takes Jeongin a moment to fully process it, and then he looks over at his temporary driver for a longer moment. Two whole heartbeats later, he looks back at the road. Seungmin turns the volume of the radio down a little.
"There's a few marked trails, I was going to pick one of them. By the way; you can call me hyung if you want."
The offer is so sudden after four days of continuously ignoring his formality and being informal with him in turn that it rattles Jeongin somewhat. He keeps looking out the front window, mulling over the offer in his head, considering whether he even wants to call Seungmin so casually.
"Hm," is all he says in the end, and then shifts a little to get more comfortable. "I'm going to take a nap. Please wake me up when we're there."
He closes his eyes before Seungmin can reply, but no sound reaches him anyway, and soon enough he dozes off.
—
Seungmin wasn't lying when he said the view would be great at the hotel. A vast river stretches across the countryside, hills and trees interspersed across the land. They follow one of the walking trails and end up climbing a lot more than they expected. Luckily Seungmin came well prepared and has an extra bottle of water in his bag for Jeongin to use.
When they eventually make it back to the hotel, the outside air has made them both hungry and cold, so they're more than happy to quickly change into more comfortable clothes before joining the other guests at dinner. The meat is grilled to perfection and their stomachs empty so once again not much is said throughout.
Even the walk up to their room is silent, as they're both sated and tired. Seungmin offers to let him use the bathroom first, so he gladly goes to soak up some warmth in the shower before changing into his sleeping clothes. He crawls straight into bed while Seungmin takes a turn in the bathroom, and curls up under the duvet.
When Seungmin joins him there an undefined amount of time later, he is woken from a peaceful dozing that had felt more comfortable than any sleep before. At the feeling of movement behind him, he shifts a little so he can look back, watching Seungmin lift the covers to get underneath as well.
He almost mindlessly rolls over once Seungmin lies down, reaching out and drawing Seungmin's arm around his body. "'s cold, hyung," he mutters as his eyes are already closing again, drifting right back off to sleep.
—
The next day is the final stretch of their trip, the road from their countryside dwelling to the city and Hyunjin's no doubt crowded apartment. Jeongin knows this is the day the other four will drive over as well, and briefly wonders whether they'll arrive first or not. Knowing how slow Changbin is to get out of bed, chances are high, though.
They stop for lunch at a roadside restaurant and Jeongin tries his very best to pay for a change, but Seungmin is adamant not to let him.
"Seungmin-ssi," he reasons calmly. "You're already driving me across the country, you're paying for the hotels and you've been footing every bill so far. It seems unfair for me to take such advantage of you. I insist that it's my turn to pay."
Seungmin seems to know no such thing as reason, however, because he shakes his head decidedly. "You're keeping me company on a trip I'd have otherwise had to undertake alone. It's my pleasure to have you here and I'm older so it is my job to make sure you're taken care of. Don't worry about it."
"Seungmin-ssi," Jeongin counters again. "Unless you were truly courting me, there is absolutely no reason for you to 'take care of me' as you name it. I'm an adult, I earn my own money, I can pay for my own food."
This, at least, seems to give his companion a brief pause, though Seungmin's eyes take him in so carefully he feels almost uncomfortable. Then Seungmin says: "And what if I were courting you?"
Flustered and not a little confused, Jeongin tightens his grip on his napkin, as if it can serve as a barrier between them. "Then that would make me extremely uncomfortable," he blurts, pushing himself up from his chair and taking the bill from Seungmin's slackened grip to go and pay for their food.
Some time later, in the middle of the chorus of a Day6 song Jeongin doesn't know the name of but could most likely sing along every word to because he's heard it at least five times over the last three days, Seungmin says: "Do I make you feel uncomfortable, Jeongin?"
It catches him so off guard that for the rest of the chorus he's just staring blankly at Seungmin's side profile, only startled into motion when Seungmin briefly glances over to him at his prolonged silence.
"Not really," he says slowly, unsure of what he's supposed to do with this question. "Though you did seem to feel comfortable enough to speak informally quite quickly in my opinion, but I'm not, uh- really uncomfortable?"
Seungmin's only response is a thoughtful hum and a brisk nod. Then, near the end of the song altogether he adds: "I'm sorry for treating you too casually then, Jeongin-ssi."
For some reason, Jeongin's cheeks are aflame after those words, and he burns with shame from the inside out. To make sure Seungmin doesn't catch his mortification, he turns his gaze back out the window and leaves the words unanswered. The next five songs go by in utter silence again, before Seungmin seemingly absentmindedly starts to hum along once more.
For once, Jeongin doesn't mind the repetitive Day6 playlist too much.
—
Arriving at Hyunjin's apartment complex is an overwhelming relief. One text to Felix that they were five minutes out was all it took for their friend to come walking out of the building moments later, arms spread wide to welcome them with a big hug. Seungmin is greeted first, and then Felix wraps him up in a hug as well that he reluctantly lets happen.
"How was the trip?" Felix asks him while they're still all wrapped up together, squeezing him a bit tighter. "Min was really excited to get some time with you to get to know you better. Did you two get along?" Felix releases him then, putting hands on his shoulders and leaning back, giving him a hopeful, inquiring look.
Jeongin's stomach drops, nausea swooping through him. When he turns his head to find Seungmin, he sees him carrying their bags out of the trunk, treating Jeongin's bag with careful consideration. As he's watching, Hyunjin comes walking out of the building as well and Seungmin immediately goes to greet their mutual friend. His smile is wide, his expression open and bright in a way it hasn't been with Jeongin himself since lunch that day, and Jeongin promptly realises one very important thing when his stomach lurches again at the thought.
"Yeah, it was good," he tells Felix, nodding his head absentmindedly. "We saw some nice places. Tell you about it later." He waves his hand in apologetic dismissal and walks over to where his other two hyungs are no doubt exchanging pleasantries. "Hyunjin hyung."
Hyunjin almost immediately turns to him, smiling wide and delighted, eyes crinkling with it. "Jeonginnie!" He exclaims, going straight in for the hug as well. He lets it happen solely because trying to avoid it will only make it worse, and pats Hyunjin's back a few times. "I'm so glad you made it! Come! Come inside! You guys can put your stuff in the guest room!"
They're herded inside, barely managing to take all their things out of the car. Felix is relegated to painting-carrier-duty, while Seungmin quietly and unassumingly carries both their bags into the elevator. Once in Hyunjin's apartment, Hyunjin points out the door to the guest room even though they all know where it is, and then Seungmin's off to put their things away.
"Hyungs, I'll be right back," Jeongin says seconds later, motioning in the direction of the room. "I just have to…" He trails off, never finishing the sentence as he follows Seungmin into the guest room without further preamble.
"Seungmin-ssi," he says when he steps inside, immediately licking his lips when it tastes bitter on his tongue. He has the brief clarity of mind to pull the door closed behind himself as he refocuses his gaze on the back of Seungmin's head. "Seungmin hyung," he corrects himself then, which promptly earns him all of Seungmin's undivided attention, those brown eyes coming up to meet his.
"Yes?"
Jeongin draws a big blank on what to say next, eyes locked with Seungmin's and his meaning clearly formed in his chest, but somehow stuck in his throat.
"Um, I, um-" He blinks a few times in rapid succession before stepping back so he can lean against the solid door behind him. "I've thought about it some more and I think it would be… mhm. It's okay if you want to pay for my food."
Seungmin's brow furrows and Jeongin thinks he must be making a grade A fool of himself but he's clueless as to how to fix it. Then, suddenly, Seungmin's expression brightens again, something like understanding flickering over his features.
"Yeah?" This time, the question is less confused and more hesitant, like he's trying to give Jeongin an out should he be looking for one.
Jeongin really isn't, though.
"It's, um- You caught me off guard earlier is all. I don't really mind it when you, uh- help me. It's not- It doesn't make me uncomfortable. Or, well, maybe a little bit but that's just because I'm- Mhm."
He doesn't finish that sentence either, just looks at Seungmin who's looking back at him, eyes shining with that familiar puppy-like delight. It's disgustingly adorable, and Jeongin's itch returns within seconds.
"Hyung," he says, almost angrily so. "Stop looking so happy it's disgusting." He rubs a hand up and down his own arm, repressing the urge to shiver. Seungmin's smile turns into a grin and Jeongin automatically frowns at it.
"Seungmin hyung," he reiterates, staring at the other man hard. Seungmin merely returns his gaze with that same shining delight.
"Yes, Jeongin-ah?"
Jeongin clenches his teeth and looks away, mortified yet more alive than ever under Seungmin's careful, razor sharp attention. "I literally hate you," he mutters darkly, but not loud enough to hold any truth.
Seungmin's laugh is just as delighted as his grin was and this time no hands come up to hide it from his view. Instead, Seungmin makes his way around the bed and Jeongin watches apprehensively how he closes in on him.
Hands move to hold his shoulders first and, when he doesn't respond at all, to encircle his waist, pulling him slowly in. He takes the step reluctantly when his balance falters, but take it he does, and slots himself into the open space against Seungmin's chest with little hesitation. Like it's habit, he presses his nose to Seungmin's collarbone and closes his eyes. With his next exhale, his body relaxes into it fully.
"Jeongin?" Seungmin's hand moves up to settle between his shoulder blades, a warm weight anchoring him in place and soothing some of the discomfort at this so unfamiliar position he finds himself in. "Does this mean you like me?"
Pursing his lips, Jeongin stiffens in Seungmin's hold and makes an almost automatic noise of disgust. "Absolutely not, don't get any crazy ideas." He shuffles a hair's width closer and shifts his head so he can tuck his face away in the crook of Seungmin's neck instead.
"I'm just cold, hyung."
Seungmin's laughter is soft in his ear, the arms around him tightening their hold, pulling him further in.
"Okay," Seungmin says, and Jeongin can hear the smile in his voice. Disgusting. Disgustingly wonderful. Utterly annoying in the way it sets his stomach aflutter. Downright illegal. He's close to murder, really. Or worse; kissing that smile right off Seungmin's face.
Ugh.
Damn Lee Felix.