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"You can go first."
"You were the one who said we should do it, why are you trying to act like a gentleman now?"
"...Fine, let's just do it together."
"Deal."
"We like you, please go out with us."
Junhui had blinked in confusion at his two group mates who had called him out during a pizza dinner, saying that there was something important they needed to tell him. Honestly, Junhui hadn't expected this at all, and could anyone blame him? He pondered over carefully what he should say, not even noticing the grease dripping down his pizza that was slowing making its way down his wrist.
Finally, he found his voice, ignoring the half-chewed bits of pizza almost spraying out his mouth-
"Both of you?"
Admittedly, Junhui found it strange at first to go out with two partners at the same time, both guys in addition to being his teammates. What are the odds? No, seriously, Junhui should get Jeonghan to calculate that sometime, was what he thought.
"You don't have to choose one of us right now, take your time," Jisoo had assured him, placing a warm hand on his shoulder and ignoring Junhui's less than tidy appearance at the time, "Just saying, but I don't plan on holding back against a dongsaeng."
"Hey!" Mingyu had protested while shoving paper towels into Junhui's hand, cringing slightly at the grease. He was a bit of a clean-freak, but not in an overbearing way, or at least he hoped. Somehow, Mingyu had a feeling that Junhui just docked off points for him in his mind. Who knows? Maybe he was getting more points for being observant and caring.
But so began Mingyu and Jisoo's "fight" for Junhui's attention. In order to help Junhui make his decision, the other members had even chimed in on some of their ideas for the three. Some were just plain ridiculous, but a couple sounded like they could work. In the end, they decided to go with Seungkwan's suggestion - Mingyu and Jisoo had to take Junhui out on a date, separately, of course, then he could compare the two experiences and make a choice.
"I don't know, that sounds like an awful lot of pressure for Jun-"
"You two better get working then, chop-chop!" Cutting off Seungcheol's sentence, Seungkwan shooed the two away while Junhui just stared, dumbfounded. It seemed to be his default state ever since the oddly timed confession- or should he say, confessions.
One thing lead to another, and Junhui found himself sitting at a small round white table set on the side of the living room, watching Mingyu busying himself with making coffee. Even though Junhui said that he could make his own, Mingyu insisted on making a cup for him, stating things like, "For the purpose of earning points" and such.
Junhui sighed and slumped down slightly against the table's surface, resting his chin on top of his folded arms. He felt bad for being so half-assed about a date that Mingyu had carefully planned out for him, but did they really have to make this out to be some sort of competition? Truth be told, Junhui wasn't sure how he felt about the entire situation at all.
One thing was for sure though, he liked both of them, and it wasn't one of those "I don't want to make them feel bad" things, he genuinely "liked" them. Out of all the hyungs, he liked to stick with Jisoo the most, even though the latter was an awkward potato like Junhui, or maybe it was because of that. Meanwhile, there was Mingyu, an incredibly reliable dongsaeng, but at the same time, also clumsy, which made him a cute target to tease.
"Jun-hyung?" Mingyu prompted, placing the freshly brewed coffee in front of the dancer.
"Oh, sorry, I was just spacing out." Junhui quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts, smiling sheepishly at Mingyu, who turned his gaze downwards as he settled into the chair across from the older member. Junhui blinked. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could have sworn Mingyu had avoided eye-contact on purpose. Mingyu was a little hard to read at times, even more so than Wonwoo. Then again, Junhui had more experience with studying Wonwoo so it may just be his biased side speaking.
They sipped their coffee in silence, and Junhui felt a strong wall of awkwardness gradually building up between them. It wasn't even the funny type of awkwardness that he and Jisoo had, it was awkward awkward. Wait, why was he comparing Mingyu to Jisoo? But that was the purpose of this whole "experimental date", right?
Junhui licked his lips nervously, swiping cream off the corners of his mouth in the process. For now he should probably just focus on having a good time with Mingyu, or at least making sure that the latter was having a less awkward time than he was.
"Good coffee."
"Thanks."
Junhui wanted to slam his head on the table. Good coffee? GOOD COFFEE? What the fuck was that? Out of all the things you could have said... Good coffee. Jesus. He glanced up at Mingyu, who had lowered his cap, and Junhui could barely see is face at all. It was strange, he could have sworn Mingyu was normally more talkative, maybe today was just not his day.
"So, um, you have that V live today." Junhui tried again to initiate conversation.
"Yeah."
Now Junhui was starting to doubt whether Mingyu was even trying, "Well, good luck."
"I have confidence in it." Came the dry reply.
Another awkward silence drawled out, the space was so quiet that every time Junhui placed his cup down, he could hear a faint echo. Since he couldn't think of anything else to talk about, and Mingyu wasn't being any help, he focused his gaze on his current date partner instead. Even though he tried to conceal it, Junhui could still see hints of his light blonde hair poking out from under his cap.
He sighed. He wish he wouldn't hide it, there really wasn't a need to, no fans were going to see him in here anyway. Which meant that Mingyu was probably hiding it out of his own insecurity, and Junhui really didn't see why he should feel that way.
Without thinking, he reached a hand forward and yanked off his cap, Mingyu looked up at him in surprise, his hand coming up by instinct to snatch it back. However, his action was so violent that he accidentally grazed the side of Junhui's cheek with his nail in the process.
"Hyung, I'm so sorry!" Mingyu's eyes widened when he noticed the thin pale streak that was gradually turning red, "Wait, let me get the first-aid kit-"
"Mingyu," Junhui grabbed onto the younger's wrist quickly before the latter could leave the table, he looked up at him with a steady gaze, "Do you even like me?"
"...What?"
"Do you really like me? Or were you forced into the confession somehow?" There it was, Mingyu was definitely avoiding eye-contact. Junhui sighed and leaned back into his chair, "We can stop this if you really don't want to do it-"
"I LOVE YOU!" Mingyu suddenly blurted out, slamming his hands on the table and almost sending the cups flying. Both of them were grateful that the table was sturdier than it looked, and they didn't have to explain anything to Seungcheol later. But back to the more important things, "I mean, I love you."
Steadying his cup that had been sent spinning across the table from Mingyu's outburst, Junhui tilted his head slightly, "Really? Because it doesn't seem like you've been having fun. Not just today either, I've been feeling some sort of awkwardness between us for a while now. It's a little sad to see my dongsaeng all grown up-"
"Will you stop with the dongsaeng thing?" Mingyu cut in, his hands clutched either side of the table, but his gaze was still averted from Junhui's, "Or is that all I'll ever be to you?"
"Mingyu?"
"What I'm saying is, I don't want you to just see me as a dongsaeng!" Mingyu finally said, his gaze still fixated on something on the floor.
Junhui tapped the edge of the table thoughtfully, "I see. I guess you can start by calling me Jun or Junhui instead of Jun-hyung, then."
Mingyu finally looked up from the floor, staring at Junhui with widened eyes, his mouth looked as though it was about to drop open at the statement, "Come again?"
"Drop the '-hyung', and I might consider you more than a dongsaeng."
"...Um... Er... Jun..." Mingyu began, but then quickly mumbled, "Hyung."
Junhui let out a chuckle, coming around the table to place a hand on the younger's shoulder, "I was just teasing, sorry. You're already more than a dongsaeng to me, and that's why it makes me sad when you try to avoid me."
"I, um..." Mingyu continued to stutter as Junhui stepped even closer. That was when Junhui understood. It wasn't that Mingyu felt cold awkwardness towards him, he was just surprisingly shy. Usually he is able to convey his affection towards the others affectionately, but towards Junhui, it probably wasn't that simple. The thought made Junhui feel special and almost elated.
Putting his hands behind his back in a casual manner, Junhui made a final step towards Mingyu and left a quick peck on the latter's unsuspecting lips.
"See? Wouldn't have worked as well if you had the cap on. So don't try to hide yourself with it, okay? At least not when you're with me." Junhui grinned, running a loving hand through Mingyu's newly dyed hair, "Which reminds me, you should probably prepare for the V live, so I'll leave you alone now. It was a good date."
"Wait!" Mingyu stopped Junhui with a hand on his shoulder, "...J-Jun... Wen Junhui."
"Hm, close enough." Junhui laughed.
Unlike his date with Mingyu that had started off extremely awkward, Jisoo's date was almost too comfortable and relaxing to be true. In fact, it didn't even feel like a date, Junhui felt like it was just one of his everyday hangouts with his favorite hyung. They had spent the entire afternoon just walking around, visiting food stands and such.
"Let's not be like one of those stereotypical couples on a date and get ice cream." Jisoo said when a sign for the frozen dessert came to view.
"But let's also not be like one of those stereotypical couples who don't want to be stereotypical and end up getting some rare date treat like skewered lamb, ruining the entire date mood in the process."
"You're right." Jisoo nodded thoughtfully.
They turned to each other at the same time with equally dorky grins, "Let's get both." High-fives were exchanged, arms were linked, and strange glances from passersby were thrown.
After getting the treats as promised, the two continued to stroll down the street, sharing their food, and just enjoying cracking bad jokes with each other. It all felt so natural, and most importantly, Junhui was having fun.
That was until Jisoo noticed the scratch on Junhui's cheek when the latter removed his face-mask. "Whoa, what happened? Did you have a fight with a cat?"
"A dog."
"Really? Mingyu did that?" Jisoo's eyes widened in disbelief.
"It was by accident." Junhui quickly explained, tracing his fingers along the mark, suddenly feeling uneasy.
"I see..." Jisoo nodded thoughtfully, suddenly closing the distance between them to look at the scratch mark. Junhui had unconsciously started to hold his breath when he realized how close Jisoo's face was, he could actually count the number of freckles he had. Zero. His skin was simply flawless. "You know, it kind of makes me jealous."
"W-what?" Junhui's voice came out as an embarrassing squeak.
"That he left a mark on you."
"That's nothing to be jealous about..." Junhui mumbled, trying to ignore the fact that his half-eaten ice cream cone was starting to melt, and he could feel his fingers starting to stick together the longer Jisoo insisted on holding the close proximity, "I-in the first place, hyung, that doesn't sound like something you'd say."
"Hm? Fair enough, stuttering doesn't really sound like something you'd do either." Jisoo teased, finally pulling away, "We make each other do and say things we usually wouldn't, huh?"
"...Yeah."
Jisoo looked as though he wanted to ponder over the thought some more, but quickly placed his attention back on Junhui, offering a pack of tissues when he noticed the sorry state of the younger's ice cream, "Sorry for scaring you."
"Scare me? Hyung, you overestimate yourself." Junhui chuckled, taking the tissues gratefully.
The conversation carried forward, and the two eventually found themselves a spot to sit where they finished the rest of their food up. Jisoo was easy to talk to, despite his awkward jokes that were sometimes too much even for Junhui. He enjoyed the time spent, nonetheless, and before they knew it, it was already dark outside.
They figured they might as well head straight towards practice, not before Jisoo insisted on getting matching caps. "It's my mark on you."
"You're really not going to let that go, huh?"
"Yup. But I'm a gentleman, so just this will do."
Junhui let out a dry chuckle, but put on the cap anyway. No reason not to, right? Besides, he should show gratitude for Jisoo's time, and he really did have a good time. It wasn't like he had expected less though, they usually got along.
If he compared the two dates directly, he could easily say that Jisoo should be "the one", but for some reason, something was holding him back from saying so. It was like something was missing, something was lacking, everything just felt... too smooth, in a sense.
At the same time, he couldn't deny how comfortable he felt around Jisoo, somewhere along the walk, their hands had automatically linked themselves together, fingers entangled, and it didn't feel odd at all. Still, he found his gaze wandering away from Jisoo and towards a coffee shop that still had its lights dimly lit, but it didn't seem to be open anymore.
"Isn't that Mingyu?" Jisoo commented, looking over Junhui's shoulder towards the shop.
"Yeah." Junhui replied simply, his gaze fixated on the back of the familiar figure. They had watched Mingyu's V live for a brief moment earlier when it first started.
Jisoo studied Junhui's side profile, then moved his gaze towards the door, "We could drop in briefly."
"What?"
"I mean, if you want." Jisoo shrugged, already leading Junhui towards the door.
"Hyung? Hyung, wait-" but they had already entered the shop, and Junhui found himself getting dragged by Jisoo as they approached the table. The staff members seemed to be surprised to see them, but didn't say anything.
They had intended on just standing quietly behind the camera and cringe at Mingyu, but the latter became completely distracted by them instead, causing the camera to swerve towards them.
"Uh, hey, what are you doing here, Mingyu? All alone and stuff." Junhui quickly improvised, but couldn't help stifling a laugh when Mingyu burst into laughter from the awkward stare down Jisoo and Junhui were giving him when he attempted to leave (but the suggestion was shot down by the crew members).
"I'm on a date, so can you leave?"
Jisoo heaved an exaggerated sigh while Junhui parroted it, looping an arm casually around the older in the process.
"I want you to leave." Mingyu said again in an evidently more annoyed tone. But knowing the show must go on, he quickly refocused himself and tried to continue his segment with "Younghee".
Junhui didn't really understand it at the time, but he somehow felt annoyed. He suddenly had a craving for Mingyu's attention, why should he be focused on anyone other than him? It's not like "Younghee" was real anyway, how dare he ignore him, who was standing right there? He even offered coffee to Jisoo, not even giving Junhui a glance.
"OMG." Junhui randomly commented.
"What?"
"OMG." Junhui repeated, doing the "O.M.G." hand gestures teasingly.
"Get out."
Jisoo suddenly decided to join in on the teasing, "'Younghee, are you cold?'"
Junhui noticed Mingyu's expression instantly darkening, and he just sat there staring up at Jisoo with a look of betrayal. Meanwhile, the oldest of the trio simply let out a laugh and patted the youngest on the arm.
Jisoo sat down next to Mingyu, and Junhui followed, resting his chin almost instinctively on the older's shoulder before Jisoo suddenly shifted backwards. Not willing to give up, Junhui followed and leaned forward before realizing the camera was rolling. So now he was just hovering his chin awkwardly above Jisoo's shoulder while the trio exchanged uncomfortable glances.
"Good job on your coffee." Junhui commented to break the silence.
Mingyu broke eye contact and stifled a laugh, seemingly remembering Junhui's awkward "Good coffee" comment in the morning.
Unfortunately after Mingyu "introduced his girlfriend" to the obviously very uncomfortable pair, Jisoo announced that they had to leave. Making quick ending remarks to the viewers, Jisoo and Junhui excused themselves. Mingyu had instinctively grabbed Jisoo's hand in an effort to make them stay, which caused Junhui to scowl slightly. Something definitely seemed odd, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.
"We have to go to practice."
"Then why did you come?" Mingyu almost whined on camera, unable to conceal his pout when Jisoo and Junhui headed for the door.
"You should hurry this up and come join us." Junhui added, hoping that it didn't sound too passive aggressive to the viewers.
Mingyu grumbled something in disappointment, but Junhui and Jisoo were pretty pressed on time by then so they practically bolted out the door, "Wait, you're really leaving?"
As they crossed the street, Junhui noticed Jisoo's eyes clouding over in thought, the same look he had on when they were on their little date earlier. Something faint clicked in Junhui's mind at that moment, and he suddenly reached up, pulling Jisoo's cap off.
"Jun? What are you doing?"
"Nothing." Junhui grinned, shoving the cap back onto Jisoo's head as they turned the corner, "Just... I know my answer now."
Junhui rolled his eyes as the other ten members pressed against the glass, trying to eavesdrop on the trio's conversation. It was precisely because he knew this was going to happen that Junhui had asked Mingyu and Jisoo to meet him in the recording studio. He didn't care if the others heard them, but he wanted to be in a quiet environment when he revealed his answer, and he knew that it would be impossible with the other ten around.
"I have made my decision about who I'm going to date." Junhui said as Mingyu and Jisoo sat down on the couch, looking anxious, and who could blame them?
"Wait, it's Jisoo-hyung, isn't it? Since he's a gentleman, I'm sure he'll treat you right."
"No, it has to be Mingyu, right? He can do everything, not just all looks."
They looked at each other in disbelief. Why were they helping their rival anyway? In the first place, why did they even agree on confessing at the same time? Shouldn't the one who attacks first win?
Junhui chuckled, this was all within expectations, "Don't worry you two, I know who is best for me, and that's-"
"But Jun-hyung-"
"Jun-"
"Both of you."
"...What?"
Junhui let out a laugh at the synchronized reaction, "I choose both of you. I'm being sincere when I say this, I can't just choose one, I love you both equally. When I say love, I'm not talking about the sibling love we always throw around casually with the others, but love. Something that burns you but soothes you at the same time-"
"All right, hyung, we get it, no need to get all cheesy." Mingyu cringed as Jisoo laughed, clapping his hands together appreciatively, "Wait, so you're saying... You're going to date both of us?"
"Yup, the three of us are going to date. I have fun when I'm with Mingyu, and I also have fun when I'm with Jisoo-hyung, but I think we all have the most fun when we're together."
"...I don't want to date this guy!" The two suddenly blurted out simultaneously again once Junhui's implications became clear.
"Don't be silly, you love each other. I saw it with my own eyes."
"No, Jun, I only love you-"
"Jun-hyung-"
"Take it or leave it." Junhui shrugged, breezing out of the recording studio while Mingyu and Jisoo stared at his retreating back with dropped jaws. They then proceeded to bicker with each other, claiming that they will never date the other, but he knew they would eventually come to terms soon, probably under the guise that they're only doing it for Junhui. Well, that also suited him just fine.
The moment the door opened, the ten eavesdroppers quickly scattered and pretended to be lounging around doing individual activities. Junhui rolled his eyes, making his way to a chair.
"Hey, so, how did it go?" Minghao asked, coming over from all the way across the room.
Junhui grinned mysteriously up at his close friend.
"It's complicated."