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In the middle of the night, Jinhwan is awakened by the motion of his bed dipping and the cold air protruding into the lifted blankets. He's never been a heavy sleeper, so the combination is enough to jostle him awake.
“Donghyuk, I don't care if you've had another nightmare--,” Jinhwan mumbles, voice hoarse from sleep as he turns around to see Hanbin's sullen face and Donghyuk happily sleeping in the bed behind him. “Hanbin?”
“I can't be in my room right now,” Hanbin whispers, further pushing himself into Jinhwan's space before tucking the blankets over the both of them.
“Was Junhwe stinking it up again?” Jinhwan says with a laugh. But Hanbin doesn't even crack a smile.
“No, it's…,” Hanbin says before ducking his head. Jinhwan swears he sees a blush, highlighted by the light of his alarm clock. “I can't be near Bobby right now.”
Oh, Jinhwan thinks, it must be serious then. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Can we talk later?” Hanbin says, squishing himself against Jinhwan to fit into his tiny bed.
“Sure,” Jinhwan says, letting Hanbin cuddle into the curves of his body.
Normally Hanbin is the type to be off on his own when he's bothered. Walking to the park by himself or hiding in the stairwell of the YG building. He only seeks comfort reluctantly and it's usually because Jinhwan is the type of person to force him to talk.
While Hanbin sleeps soundly close to him, Jinhwan is too worried to sleep at all.
_
Thursday morning Jinhwan wakes to find that Hanbin is long gone. And so is Donghyuk.
Looking at his alarm clock, it's passed the time he originally set it for. Did they really turn off his alarm and not bother to wake him up? Jinhwan groans as he gets up and trudges into the kitchen to see everyone shoveling in their breakfast about as eloquently as a group of teenage boys could possibly do.
Jinhwan immediately notices the space that's between Hanbin and Bobby. Normally they sit on either side of Jinhwan, but without him there they've managed to put the other four members between them. No one but Jinhwan seems to notice or care though.
“Were you guys just going to let me sleep forever?”
“Hanbin hyung told us not to wake you,” Donghyuk says, mouthful of rice.
That's just like him, Jinhwan thinks. He apologizes in weird ways instead of just admitting he's wrong. Always and forever stubborn and short tempered.
“Oh. Well did you at least save me breakfast?” Jinhwan asks looking at the increasing pile of empty dishes on the table. The other members eye each other nervously.
“Don't think I wouldn't feed you, Jinhwan-ah. I don't want to get fired,” the manager noona pipes up, clearing him off a place and setting out his portion.
“Thank you, noona,” Jinhwan says as he sits next to Yunghyeong, playfully elbowing him as he does. Yunhyeong sputters on his mouthful of noodles and Jinhwan laughs. Out of the corner of his eye both Junhwe and Donghyuk giggle. Chanwoo is almost falling asleep into his bowl like a totally newbie. Bobby gives a small smile at the exchange and Hanbin doesn't even look up.
_
During the van ride to the studio, tension between Hanbin and Bobby becomes increasingly clear.
Jinhwan observes them silently. Hanbin is putting on a good show for everyone, pretending like nothing is wrong, carefully avoiding Bobby as he does. He carries on casual conversation and even manages to smile when someone cracks a joke.
Meanwhile poor Bobby looks like a kicked puppy whenever he steals glances at Hanbin from the back seat. It seems, again, Jinhwan is the only one that notices the distance between them.
He watches as Hanbin uses Yunhyeong as a human wedge between him and Bobby. It's almost comical how he does it, practically pulling Yunhyeong out of his own sweater. He looked bewildered by Hanbin's dramatics, but not enough to protest.
Except Bobby's reaction makes it less funny than it seems. His eyebrows furrowing and lips set in a straight line.
About the only time Jinhwan has seen Hanbin say anything other than a grunt to Bobby was what looked like an awkward exchange in the back of the van as they arrived at the studio building.
Jinhwan, trailing behind everyone else heading into the building, looks over his shoulder to see Bobby holding Hanbin back as Hanbin keeps his eyes firmly to the ground. Jinhwan is too far away to hear what they're saying, but the scene between them looks tense.
The very second he can, Hanbin shake himself from Bobby's hold. He practically sprints from the van until he catches up to Jinhwan. He grabs onto Jinhwan's hand and makes them walk together quickly away from Bobby. Once again Jinhwan looks over his shoulder only to see a very pitiful looking Bobby, twiddling with the ring on the end of his necklace.
Once inside, Jinhwan turns and whispers to Hanbin, “Are you ready to talk yet?”
Hanbin keeps his eyes forward and lips pursed, cheeks reddening.
“You owe me an explanation for waking me up, you know,” Jinhwan says and Hanbin's shoulders hunch.
“I let you sleep in,” Hanbin says and Jinhwan stops them.
“Hanbin,” he says, putting on his best parental tone. Hanbin sighs and looks around before leading them down the hall.
It's early enough in the morning that not very many people are around. The daylight just barely breaking through the fog outside. Inside is not much different, the hallway being dim and bare, only illuminated from the windows.
Hanbin stops them once they're out of ear shot, out of sight. He looks downward, mouth opening a few times to speak but the words don't come easy. Jinhwan waits patiently.
“I, um…,” Hanbin sputters, his expression somewhere in between annoyed and embarrassed. “Don't tell anyone, okay?” he says.
“Of course,” Jinhwan says without hesitation.
The silence between them stretches and Jinhwan expects the worst. Like Bobby got mud on Hanbin's prized sneakers after asking to borrow them. Or like Bobby dropped Hanbin's laptop down the stairs. Or like Bobby ate the last mandu in the fridge that Hanbin had been saving for later. The last of which actually happened once and Hanbin didn't talk to him for a whole day.
But that time wasn't followed by Hanbin sneaking into his bed in the middle of the night.
“I… Well. Shit,” Hanbin says, tugging at the string on his hoodie, and laughs nervously.
“You know you can tell me anything,” Jinhwan says.
“Well, what if… what if I told you I really, really like Bobby?” Hanbin pauses, “like a girl, you know? But not?” he says, still not meeting Jinhwan's eyes.
Jinhwan wants to be shocked at Hanbin's confession, but it's something Jinhwan has observed since they first met. The lingering looks Hanbin would give Bobby during dance practice. How he would buy him his favorite snacks just because, and never expecting anything in return. The way Hanbin would praise Bobby for his rapping skills, saying he would never be as good. Things he never did or said to Jinhwan. Little things that the others wouldn't pick up on because they were never caught in the middle.
“I could've guessed that, to be honest,” Jinhwan says and Hanbin puffs out a small laugh.
“Was I too obvious?” Hanbin asks.
“Eh, a little,” Jinhwan says with a shrug. “Did something happen between you two?”
“Sort of? I, um… he, last night, he kissed me. In the studio. And now. I don't know… I don't know how to,” Hanbin says, clicking his tongue with a sigh. His words come out in an odd rhythm, making obvious of his frustration.
Jinhwan gently squeezes Hanbin's hand, reassuring.
“I just feel stupid. And I want to be mad at him for making me feel stupid,” Hanbin says.
“You're not though,” Jinhwan says, giving another squeeze.
“But I should've known. Should've realized he... I was too nice because I wanted to be close to him, and now we've kissed. It's all fucked up,” Hanbin says, tugging the string of his hoodie tighter.
“It's fucked up that you guys like each other? I don't get it,” Jinhwan says, unable to hide his confused expression.
Hanbin, obviously not hearing what he wants to hear, pulls his hand away. “I don't expect you to get it. You've gotten your explanation. Just let me deal with it.”
Jinhwan only shrugs. “I guess,” he says.
Hanbin walks away.
_
After a hectic morning schedule, the evening practice becomes basically something between a sitcom and a soap opera. Jinhwan can't decide if it's amusement or empathy he feels as he watches Hanbin and Bobby try to dance around each other. Literally and figuratively.
Jinhwan sees as Bobby purposefully missteps and then pauses as he looks to Hanbin. Crouched in front of the mirrored wall, Hanbin watches them all like a hawk. But he doesn't react to Bobby at all. He looks over for a second but doesn't snap, doesn't say anything.
Meanwhile, Junhwe makes a similar mistake in the choreography and Hanbin is quick to correct him. “Hey, Junhwe-yah. You're mis-counting. Everyone start over.”
Hanbin's orders are met with groans from everyone and a raised eyebrow from Jinhwan. Hanbin gives him a glare right back, obviously meaning for Jinhwan to back off. Jinhwan just rolls his eyes and Hanbin glares harder.
To his left Yunhyeong is giving him an odd look, as if Jinhwan were repeatedly placing his hand on a hot stove. Jinhwan just offers him a smile.
The rest of practice is much of the same, with Hanbin trying his darndest to act like Bobby doesn't exist while at the same time picking apart everyone else for the tiniest mistakes. The others pick up on it eventually, but don't dare to question their fearsome leader. But the tension in the room from it is palatable.
“Why don't we take a break?” Jinhwan asks to Hanbin, having now joined them in the line up after making sure everyone knew the choreography. Jinhwan really hopes a break will give them distraction from the building tension.
Hanbin, normally, would say no. He would have them practice the same stupid moves until they collapse. Which has happened. But Jinhwan makes sure to look him directly in the eye, hoping that Hanbin can see though his expression what he's trying to achieve.
Hanbin mumbles, “Yeah… sure. Fifteen minutes.”
Groans and sighs of joy resonate throughout the room. Chanwoo immediately plops down on the floor at his starting point. Junhwe joins him dramatically, limbs spread about and it makes the others giggle.
Hanbin retreats to the corner of the room. Tucking himself away with his notebook on the bench. Not caring to see how the others begin to goof off almost immediately. Something Hanbin would eagerly participate in if not for Bobby also enjoying it.
No one really pays him any mind either. To the others, Hanbin is just in one of his famous moods. Probably a song he's writing isn't working.
Only Jinhwan and Bobby know the truth.
“I'm gonna be right back. Bathroom,” Bobby says before heading for the door.
Jinhwan perks up at that immediately.
“Hey, wait, me too,” Jinhwan says as he jogs over to Bobby. Of course, he doesn't really have to go. Luckily for them, no one else follows.
In the hallway, Jinhwan grabs onto Bobby by the shoulder, gently stopping him from going on ahead. “Hey,” he says.
“What is it, hyung?” Bobby asks, half turning around.
“I know what's going on,” Jinhwan says. Bobby sighs slightly through his nose.
“You do, huh?” Bobby asks, but he's not looking for an answer. They already know.
“I think you should talk to him,” Jinhwan says. “He likes you, you know.”
Bobby's features soften, his signature smile forming on his face, eyes crinkling. It's refreshing, the first time Jinhwan has seen it all day.
“You know he won't talk to me though.”
“Because he's being stupid. You know he never apologizes first,” Jinhwan says. Bobby laughs at that.
“I know, hyung,” he says before disappearing into the bathroom.
_
“We're done! We're done!” Donghyuk sing-songs as he and Junhwe practically skip out of the building. Yunhyeong follows after them like a zombie and poor maknae Chanwoo is left behind trying to organize his belongings.
Jinhwan doesn't want to be mean, so he waits for him at the door. Across the room Bobby is sitting at the bench, slowly gathering his things while stealing glances at Hanbin, who isn't looking at anyone. He's once again in the corner, furiously writing in his notebook. Without the sounds of teenage boys laughing and scuffling about, the sound of his pencil on the paper echoes throughout the room.
Jinhwan thinks that he and Chanwoo should hurry up and leave so Hanbin and Bobby can talk it out or whatever it is they gotta do, when Hanbin snaps his book shut, tucking the pencil behind his ear, and starts heading his way.
“You're leaving?” Jinhwan asks. It comes out as a bit too honestly perplexed.
Luckily for him, Hanbin isn't phased as he says, “Ah, no, I'm going to the studio to work on some things.” He hold up his notebook as if it's proof.
Jinhwan frowns and Hanbin raises a brow. Here he has the perfect opportunity to be alone with Bobby and work out his feelings or whatever and he doesn't even realize.
Without pause, Jinhwan reaches forward, pulling Hanbin by the forearm and cupping a hand over his ear in one smooth movement. He ignores the shock on Hanbin's face and says, “you could be alone with him right now, you idiot.” And although he's talking to Hanbin, his eyes are on Bobby who looks back in a mixture of hope and confusion. It's certainly not the first time Jinhwan's ever solved a fight.
Hanbin takes a step back at his words, and although he tries to hide it, Jinhwan can see the beginnings of a smile.
“I don't… want to. Not yet,” Hanbin says in the smallest of voices. Over his shoulder Jinhwan can see Bobby eying them carefully.
Before Jinhwan can try and convince Hanbin to stop being stupid, Chanwoo appears with his belongings finally put together.
“We leaving, hyung?” he asks and that's when Hanbin takes the opportunity to slip out the door.
“Eh--” Jinhwan watches helplessly as Hanbin disappears down the hall. His shoulders slumping, he turns back to Chanwoo. “Yeah. You coming, Bobby?”
With Hanbin gone, Bobby is no longer looking his way. Instead he looks at his backpack, fiddling with the zipper between his thumb and forefinger. If rejection had a face…
“I guess,” Bobby says, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he stands.
As Chanwoo walks on ahead of them, trying his best to catch up with the others(as fast as his tired legs would take him, anyway), Jinhwan looks to where Hanbin walked off to and back to Bobby with a raised eyebrow. Bobby just takes his lower lip in between his teeth as his eyes dart to the side.
Jinhwan sighs. “Let's go home.”
_
The others are far ahead of them as they walk home. Jinhwan can hear their giggling and faux arguments echo down the street. He and Bobby stray behind. Jinhwan knows Bobby is looking for some of his wisdom on how to deal with Hanbin. Jinhwan can feel his eyes on him as he keeps pace.
Jinhwan keeps silent though. As much as Bobby wants to hear of the perfect words to say to Hanbin, they don't exist outside the form of an apology.
When the others are completely out of sight, Bobby stops in his tracks. Jinhwan stops a couple paces ahead, turning to look at him.
“Aren't you going to say something?” Bobby asks, he's clutching the band of his bag tightly.
“I've already told you what you have to do,” Jinhwan says. Bobby lets out an annoyed sound and Jinhwan just looks at him, unamused. He's not about to start a fight with Bobby because he thinks Jinhwan hasn't solved his problems for him. They both know what the answer is, but only Bobby doesn't want to admit it.
It's an uneventful stare down. Jinhwan turns back around and continues to walk home, not wanting to give Bobby another reason to be mad.
He's merely five steps away when Bobby speaks up.
“Fine,” Bobby says and Jinhwan can't help his smile. He keeps his back turned though, less he embarrass Bobby out of finally doing something. “I'm going back.” Bobby pivots on his foot and begins running before Jinhwan can wish him the good luck he probably needs.
Jinhwan laughs to himself as he walks. Those two are so stubborn they deserve each other.