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Ryo should check the weather more often. The six of them are crammed into a five-person passenger van, Yushi and Sion attempting to share the passenger seat next to the company driver. Ryo, as the smallest, is stuck in the middle, with Jaehee on his right and Sakuya and Riku sharing on his left. Even shoved between two people, Ryo feels like he can’t get warm.
It’s below freezing outside, snow falling softly. Ryo had seen the snow, of course, but it somehow hadn’t occurred to him to wear more than just a single layer of sweater. They’ll just be outside for a few seconds, hopping in and out of the car, he’d thought. And, well, yes, but also the others have multiple layers on. The heat inside the car is purposely not on so that they don’t melt. Or sweat off their makeup.
The driver pulls up along the side of the road, just outside the restaurant they’d reserved a space in. Ryo isn’t necessarily the biggest fan of ramen, but he is a big fan of warm, so he’s excited just about that. He gasps when Sion pushes the passenger door open, a freezing breeze shoving its way inside the car.
It’s even worse when Riku and Jaehee open their doors, and then there’s absolutely nowhere for Ryo to hide. Ryo hisses through his teeth, practically shoving Jaehee out ahead of him. Ryo bounces towards the restaurant door, shifting his weight from foot to foot while they wait for Sakuya to complain about his legs losing feeling from Riku’s pointy ass.
”Here,” There’s a jacket in Ryo’s arms. Jaehee smiles softly at him. “I’m not gonna need this inside. I was feeling a little warm anyway.”
Ryo stares at it — one of Jaehee’s nicer, real leather jackets, insanely warm. Jaehee is also wearing a sweater, but he was smart enough to layer, a simple long-sleeved shirt peeking out beneath it at the collar. Ryo pulls it on, much too big. He rolls up the sleeves as best he can before heading inside.
By some cruel stroke of luck, Ryo ends up at the very front of the table, his back to the front door. Every time the wind blows it open, it sends a freezing gust directly to Ryo’s back. Not even Jaehee’s jacket can do much against that. Ryo has never eaten so much ramen in his life trying to stay warm. He’s trying really hard to focus on the loose script, to keep answering Sion or Riku’s questions about the food, but he’s trying so hard to keep his blood flowing that he has no idea if he succeeds. It should be usable video regardless.
He’s uncomfortably full by the time everyone else is done. He wonders if his shivers showed up on camera. The restaurant staff hands them hot tea on their way out, a different flavor for everyone. Ryo’s is something floral. It’s nothing memorable, but it’s steaming hot. Even just holding it makes him feel better.
”Switch with me,” Jaehee says softly, stepping around Riku. “Quick, before the cameras pan.”
Ryo blinks. He exchanges cups with Jaehee, a little confused. Jaehee’s not usually one to complain about a flavor. Ryo sniffs it, a little scared, and oh.
It’s not that Jaehee didn’t like his. It’s just that he got matcha, which he knows is Ryo’s favorite.
Ryo feels himself blush a little as he takes a sip. It’s good. Nothing like home, but still comforting. He can’t believe Jaehee even thought about that.
”Thanks…” Ryo mumbles under his breath. He bumps their shoulders together, or rather, his own shoulder against Jaehee’s bicep.
”’Course,” Jaehee takes a sip of his—Ryo’s—tea. If Ryo were more immature, he’d be hyper-focused on the takeout cup’s lid only having one opening, so Jaehee drinking out of it required an indirect kiss. But he’s not immature, of course. “You’ve been freezing all day. Might as well give you something I know you like.”
Ryo stares at him, even when Yushi jabs Jaehee in the stomach to make some stupid scripted joke. It’s not like Ryo doesn’t know Jaehee pays attention. Of course he does, he’s always watching. But he watches all five of the other members, remembers the tiniest details about nothing. That’s not unique to Ryo. He needs to stop overthinking everything.
Sion throws an arm around Ryo’s shoulders, dragging him in front of a camera for a spot interview.
”What kind of tea did Ryo end up with?” Sion grins annoyingly.
Ryo hesitates, but then realizes it’s actually easy to spin this into content. “Mm…I’m not sure what the original tea was, because Jaehee-hyung switched with me. He got matcha, so he decided to give it to me because he knows I can do a truthful review.” Ryo takes a sip for emphasis. He probably doesn’t need to clarify that Kyoto is known for matcha, or that it’s one of his favorites.
Sion raises an eyebrow dramatically. “Ohhhh, then how’s your honest review?”
Ryo gives a thumbs-up to the camera, deadpan, like it’s extremely serious to him. “Delicious.”
Sion poorly tries to hold back a laugh, smacking Ryo far too hard between the shoulder blades to let him go. Then the camera’s on Riku, who tried to blow on his tea to cool it down and accidentally made it splash onto his nose, and is trying really hard not to whine in pain.
Ryo turns back to his original spot. Sakuya and Yushi both repeat his deadpan “Delicious” back to him mockingly. It’s a little uncanny how good Sakuya’s Ryo impression has gotten. Ryo pretends to attack him, sending the rest of the group into laughter.
It feels like it takes ten years for everyone to get back outside and back in the car. Ryo’s way too warm now, matcha devoured far too quickly, and the addition of Jaehee’s quality jacket isn’t helping. Ryo feels a little sticky, but he has nowhere near enough room to try and get it off now. The seating arrangements haven’t changed but Riku’s way squirmier than before, forcing Ryo to stick so close to Jaehee’s side he can’t really move. Neither of them can. Ryo finds he doesn’t mind, for once, dozing off for the twenty-minute ride back to the dorm.
Sakuya’s shaking him awake, the next thing Ryo knows.
”Sorry,” Ryo yawns. He didn’t realize he was that tired. Fuck. Oops. He slides out of the car, barely feeling the cold air at all.
”You two should just go straight to bed,” Sion gestures between Ryo and Yushi, who looks even sleepier than Ryo feels. He’s barely standing upright, Riku and Sakuya holding him up from either side.
Ryo nods, more than happy to oblige. But then he remembers.
”Oh,” Ryo turns, looking for Jaehee. “Hyung, your jacket—“
Jaehee looks at him for a second, and then shakes his head. “Keep it. It looks better on you anyway.”
Ryo flushes. Does it? Ryo didn’t have a single thought about this jacket appearance-wise, neither on Jaehee nor on himself. Still.
”I-I—“ Ryo is so embarrassed. Something as simple as that makes him trip over his words? From a coworker, no less. “—are you sure? This looks expensive, I don’t—“
”Yes, I’m sure,” Jaehee laughs softly, patting Ryo on the head. Ryo swears his chest squeezes. Has Ryo finally lost his mind? “I don’t remember if it was expensive or not, honestly. But I don’t care if it was. It’s not like I ever really wore it.”
Ryo holds the edges of the sleeves, suddenly very aware of just how much bigger the jacket is on him. He’d never be able to wear this without somebody pointing out it wasn’t his. Something deep within him wants to wear it out in public, let people think he has a big, strong boyfriend he’d stolen the jacket from. Let people speculate all they want. But he’s not going to do that, because he’s sane and well-adjusted, for fuck’s sake. He’ll be lucky if he ever wears this again, period. His stupid teenage heart can’t take it.
”Seriously,” Jaehee nods, reassuring. “It’s fine. It really does look better on you. It’s cute.”
He squeezes both of Ryo’s biceps at once, too professional and brotherly for Ryo to possibly take it any other way. Which, of course. Because it’s not like Ryo would ever have another way to take it. Because Ryo is a professional and would never, ever develop a crush on a group mate, no matter how fleeting.
Jaehee’s just like this. He’s nice to everyone, to the point where it’s almost suspicious, and he’s especially to Ryo and Sakuya because they’re younger. He’s rather fond of Riku, too. Ryo is absolutely losing his mind. Ryo lightly smacks his own cheeks as all six of them step into the elevator. It gives him an excuse as to why his face is so red, anyway.
Yushi bumps into him in the elevator, wrapping his arms around Ryo’s shoulders from behind. He leans enough that Ryo nearly falls from their combined weight, and then they’re at their floor anyway. Yushi peels himself off, stumbling into Jaehee on his way out.
Jaehee holds his arm at the elbow, both of them saying quiet goodbyes to the other three. Riku stretches above his head and follows them a moment later.
See? Ryo didn’t feel jealous at all. He doesn’t have a crush, because if he did, he’d be stupid possessive over something so small. Which he isn’t. Because he’s a professional.
God, he can’t wait for today to be over with.
He hears Sakuya and Sion behind him vaguely discussing a dance session later that evening. He rejects Sakuya’s invitation to join as soon as he hears it, far too tired to even consider getting back out of bed. And, this way, Ryo can handle any sort of stupid not-feelings that may be lingering about his not-crush in private. Sakuya will never have to know. More importantly, Sion will never have to know, and Ryo will never have to have the extremely embarrassing leader-talk about risking the group over romantic feelings. Because Ryo doesn’t have those. He’d never do that because he doesn’t have a crush, it’s simple.
Ryo’s got everything under control.