Work Text:
Ah, they’re at it again. He could see them from the corner of his eyes.
They were currently taking a break from dance practice. Noah is sprawled on the floor, while Yejun sits cross-legged beside him. He sat before them, talking about music-related ideas when he heard Bamby’s boisterous laugh and Hamin’s soft giggles.
Bamby has always been a lovely person to befriend with. Eunho knows how hard it is to resist Bamby’s cuteness even when does something as mundane as breathing. That is why he knows, slowly but surely, that despite Bamby’s shy personality, Bamby will be able to form a close bond with the other members.
Now, he’d been hanging a lot with Hamin, whether during practice, after practice, or even during live streaming. Bamby seemed to gravitate towards Hamin a lot lately. He could taste the bitterness on his tongue, his heart was too calm for his liking.
He chugged his water like a thirsty man stranded in a scorching hot desert. Noah’s voice had become a static sound in the background amidst the chaos inside his head. He nodded his head thoughtlessly, not really paying attention to what the elder was saying. If he had, he’d noticed how Yejun and Noah were exchanging worried looks with each other, and surely he’d noticed how his palm had started bleeding from how tight he clamped his hand.
The sound of Bamby’s laugh broke the silence that he hadn’t noticed had fallen between the three of them. He could hear Hamin’s voice apologising for making too much noise. Bamby’s laughter died down, replaced with muffled giggles.
Eunho couldn’t help but notice the intimate touches they shared no matter how hard he tried to feign ignorance. He swallowed quietly, too afraid of making too much noise that could give away his frustration.
“I need to use the restroom for a second,” aware of the mess he made with how drenched his clothes is, he excused himself.
“Ah, sure. I have a spare shirt if you want to borrow it.” That’s Yejun’s voice, always the caring one.
“It’s okay, I can deal with this till our practice ends. Thanks for the offer though, hyung,” he laughed softly, touched by the elder’s attentiveness.
“Alright. Just tell us if you need any help, okay? Don’t be too hard on yourself, we’re here for you,” Noah suddenly chimed in.
Ah, he’d been caught. Leave it to both of them to be able to read him like he is an open book. He smiled and nodded his head, footsteps too light as if he was floating.
---
Splashing water onto his face did the trick. He could finally calm down and arrange his thoughts. Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he finally noticed how horrible he looked. No wonder Noah and Yejun were able to tell that he was in a bad mood.
His thoughts spiralled again towards his lovely yet feisty hyung, the one who he unfortunately fell in love with.
No matter how hard he tried to gaslight himself into thinking that their relationship was purely platonic, he couldn’t deny his unusual attraction towards Bamby. How soft he looks, how long his eyelashes are, his habit of talking to himself when he’s deep in thought choreographing their dance routine, how his cheeks redden from praises and other small things that no one else but him noticed.
“No friend would ever look at his friend like that,” he remembered Noah once told him when he denied having special place for Bamby in his heart and how his gaze seemed to soften a lot when looking at the pink-haired man.
Yeah, he’s a friend but Eunho loved him more than a friend should. He tried to make peace with himself. He tried to bury his feelings. He tried everything to make his feelings disappear into nothingness. Nonetheless, Bamby always managed to make him falter.
In his drunken stupor, he confessed his feelings to Bamby yesterday. It was a foolish mistake. He shouldn’t have drunk too much. But, what is done can’t be undone. He can’t turn back the time, nor can he take back what he had said.
He’d expected him to be disgusted, to frown or even to smack him. What he didn’t expect (or maybe he did. He’d known him the longest; he should be able to guess his reaction) was Bamby to laugh it off as a joke.
“You’re just confused, Eunho-ya. You’re too used to us bickering and exchanging jokes. That probably confused your mind on how a romantic relationship works, considering both of us have no experience in romance at all.” It shouldn’t hurt, but it did. That was, in other words, a rejection. Bamby rejected his feelings. With no hesitation at all.
Suffice to say, he couldn’t sleep that night. Not with the lingering impact that Bamby’s words had left in his mind. Though he managed to sleep at 5 in the morning, he had to wake up at 6 for practice. Thankfully, no one noticed his haggard state (he’s too good at concealing it).
He took a deep breath, standing straight and finally walked out of the restroom. He had to face it. He can’t run away. Not when they’re in the same group, and definitely not when the other members need him as the sunshine of the group. He should conceal his feelings, no one should know his pathetic unrequited love life.
---
“You good?” Yejun asked him, a hint of worry evident in his voice.
“Yeah, no problem. My head was too loud, that’s why I had to step out just now. But I’m fine, now. Thanks, hyung,” he grinned, back to his cheerful persona.
“If you say so,” Yejun shrugged, trying not to probe further.
Noah stood up and clapped his hands. “Alright, let’s continue our practice.”
Eunho exhaled slowly and traipsed to Noah’s side. He could see Hamin offering his hand to help Bamby stand up, not without a soft smile shared between them.
Ah, he realised it now. Those sparkling eyes and soft gaze are directed to Hamin. He had no chance from the start. He was fighting a losing battle. The evidence in front of him is enough to prove it.