Work Text:
JL was stretching his body after rigorous practice for two performances for round Three of Universe League. His shirt went up an inch, exposing the pale skin of his stomach.
JL saw his leader-nim and frowned. "What? Why are you grinning like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland?"
"Are you implying that I am fat?" said Steven “have you seen this body?” pointing his abs without lifting his shirt.
"No, but it's fine if the shoe fits!" JL laughed, sticking his tongue out.
"JL... You'd better run for your life!" the taller man threatened JL mockingly, he showed a rubber band and started chasing JL with one intention: RUBBER BAND FLICK. Steven’s face changed expression: from a grin, to mock anger and finally, the look of sheer determination.
JL knew that look, the predator look that said: When I caught you, you will be so sorry...
The younger one gulped. Once. Then twice. “oh no…. HELP!!” He started running for his precious life around the practice room.
Steven had successfully caught a certain brown-haired boy as he was cornered at the back of the door with his other Rhythm team member hold the door to prevent the Rhythm ACE from escaping.
JL let out a mock gasped, smiled and said, “Are you gonna eat me now, Mr. Cat sir?”
“Well… That’s could be an option…” The older man answered, snickering. “But I think you forgot something, 3-pick. I’m not a cat. I’m a fox” Steven added, with a low, sexy ‘rawr’ with the rubber band ready to be flick towards JL.
Shuaibo, who was witnessing the scenes, screamed “Eww… SteJay scene… My eyes… MY BEAUTIFUL EYES!!!”, quite dramatically in fact, in Steven’s opinion.
The pair stopped their game, the rubber band flicking was halted to confront their tallest teammate.
JL protested, “Shuaibo-hyung, we’re not doing whatever it is in your dirty little mind… We’re just playing chase…”
“Yeah… JL’s right! I was just… chasing him…” Steven added, trying to defend both JL and himself.
“Playing chase? That’s not the way I see it! What is this about eating, cat… fox…? The roar… Omoo Omoo!! My ears.. MY POOR EARS!!!” Shuaibo shouted, looking as frantically as possible for a human being, putting his hands over both of his ears as if that act would block out any of the scenes he had just heard.
“As expected from the drama queen… no wonder he’s friends with Woongki” Steven sighed. “Glad, Woongki is not in my group.” He whispered
“By the way, Steven-hyung, it’s so rare to see you arriving practice early. You’re usually the last person.” Shuaibo mouthed, trying to change the subject. All members know that because the oldest lives in his own condominium not far away from the dance studio.
“Oh. JL spent the night at my condo. So, I came together with him.” Steven stated. “You know he wants to be punctual in the practice, right?”
“Spend the night?” Shuaibo repeated, looking dumb with his jaws wide open. Various mental images invaded his mind.
Scene 1: In the living room. SteJay sit too close to each other, side-by-side. JL is reading a book. Steven’s lip was next to JL’s ear, whispering sweet words “hyung, I’m studying” JL said.
“Hey, I’m just teaching you Korean” Steven whispered. JL giggled like a school-girl.
Scene 2: In Steven’s kitchen. JL was washing the dishes, while Steven hugged the smaller boy from the back. He then blew into JL’s ear. JL squeaked, and the plate in his hand dropped into the sink. He sighed, “Hyung…”
Scene 3: In Steven’s bedroom. SteJay were practically naked, their bodies were covered under Steven’s white blanket. Steven bit JL’s right shoulder.. “Steven… don’t tease me~” JL moaned
That does it. A loud explosion erupted within Shuaibo's mind. He could not take it anymore. All these SteJay-ness was affecting his mental health. “That’s it! Hyung, you’re not allowed to come near JL anywhere within three feet!”
Steven began to panic. “WHAT??”
“Eh? Waeyo????” JL pouted.
“Because you two are too touchy-feely! You had just given me a bad mental image. A very bad one. Arghhhh!!!” Shuaibo shouted; both of his hands were in his hair, gripping tightly as if he wanted to pull his hair out.
“What did we do?” JL asked, confused.
Steven shrugged.
---*---
Lunch time is the time that brought a smile to the faces of Rhythm Team especially Steven’s. Shuaibo excused himself for a while to go to the washroom.
“JL! Let’s share the dosirak I made earlier” Steven announced excitedly.
“Ne, Hyung.” JL smiled.
Steven took out the boxed lunch from his bag and placed it on the table. JL dug in the said bag
in search for chopsticks. “Hyung, where is your chopstick?” JL looked at Steven with slight worry.
“I think I forgot mine, It’s okay though. We can share!” Steven chirped.
“Mmm… Alright. Here.” JL handed his own chopstick to his leader.
“Feed me.”
“Huh?” Confusion was written all over the beautiful face of JL.
“I said, feed me. With your chopstick.” The taller man pointed to the chopstick.
“Okay… Open your mouth then… Aahh~~” JL said, trying to feed Steven.
“Aniya! You eat it first”
“Huh? Okay.” JL replied and began to eat and then, “now it’s your turn! Say aahh~~”
Steven eagerly opened his mouth and JL successfully feed him.
“Mashta!! Eh? Hey, 3-pick! Did you notice? Indirect kiss!” Steven teased the younger.
“Yaaahhhhh!!! Stop it!” JL said with his ear as red as a tomato. ”I’m shy”
“Oh! You got some rice in your face” Steven then leaned to brush away a grain of rice at the corner of JL’s mouth. Then, Shuaibo entered.
“HYUNNG!!!!!! WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO TO JL??? KISS IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE TEAM???” Shuaibo screamed at the top of his lungs, right in front of the doorstep of RHYTHM’s break room.
Chih En jumped a little. His kimbap fell unceremoniously on the table. Daisuke lost his hold of his chopstick. The poor sticks rolled onto the dance floor. Mac on the other hand, spurted his drink. Zenzen and Li Zhunuo blinked their eyes, confused.
“What? Come again?” JL mouthed, clearly confused at Shuaibo’s sudden outburst.
Shuaibo took a few steps forward towards the pair. “I just went to the gents for five minutes. FIVE!” to express his point, Shuaibo showed his right palm right into JL’s face.
“And now this! Didn’t I tell you to stay away from each other for at least three feet? THREE!!!”And again, to emphasize his point, he shoved three fingers of his left hand, this time, in front of Steven’sface.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Shuaibo? Suddenly telling us to stay away from each other?Why should we listen to you?!” Steven was slowly losing his patience. “Because I said so! Didn’t I tell you before, you guys are too touchy-feely? What if the whole of
RHYTHM becomes gay? No, what if the whole Universe League’s become gay? NOOOOOO!!!! As if it’s not enough that most of us look like girls, now we have to be gay too???? Arghhhh!!!!!! My precious mind! It’s Corrupted! It’s Polluted!” With that, Shuaibo went out from the room, running like mad while shouting something along the line of ‘corrupted’ and ‘mental image’.
Zhunuo groaned. He can feel the headache coming again. “Mac, move a little please. I need to lie down” the rhythm bench member groaned, massaging his poor head.
Steven blinked twice. “Shuaibo really needs a rest. We’d better ask the producers to give us a break.” He then turned his attention to JL.
“JL, feed me! Aahh~~”
Daisuke wanted to continue eating his momentarily forgotten lunch before realizing that his chopstick is on the floor, dirty and can’t be used anymore. He opened his mouthed and asked quite loudly, “Who got an extra set of chopsticks?”
---*---
Epilogue 1:
After the day’s practice, Everyone left the practice room, including Shuaibo JL sighed. He moved towards the center of the room and began to do some stretching. He did not want to risk having injury by pulling so much muscle before their performances. As he did so, his shirt went.up and exposing an inch of his pale skin.
On the other side of the room, nobody was there, save for Steven. He walked slowly towards JL. He removed his sweatshirt and tied it around JL’s waist while muttering, “Mine.”
JL slowly smiled, looked into Steven’s eyes and whispered. “Yours.”
Epilogue 2
“I think I left my water bottle in the Practice Room” Shuaibo said “I need to go back and get it,”
Chih En, knowing that their ace and leader were still in the dance room, grabbed Shuaibo’s arm. “It’s only a water bottle, we can get it tomorrow. I’ll buy you another if it was lost.”
“By the way, Shuaibo-hyung, why are you so against them? Are you really against gays? in their relationship, if they really have one?” Chih En asked “I just never imagined you to be so aggressive against their closeness."
“And I never imagined you being so talkative. For someone who’s so nonchalant.” Shuaibo
retaliated.
“You really drive me crazy, hyung” Chih En let out a small laugh. “But seriously, what’s the
matter? I mean for someone so feminine; you are against male having a relationship with
another man?”
“Well, I’m not really against that. I just could not help but worry. Knowing the industry that we belong to. It will be a disaster if the producers discover them or worse the fans. How are we.going to win? And hey, just because I look and act feminine for a boy, that does not mean I swing that way. I'm straight.” Shuaibo explained. “Anyways, Daisuke, let’s go to the convenience store, you need to drink a lot of milk so you will grow taller like me” Shuaibo ran towards Daisuke, leaving Chih En.
“Straight huh? We’ll see.” Chih En smirked
-END-