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"Wh— what are you doing?" It comes out in a squeak, and Jinhyung can feel his dignity dripping away into the soles of his feet. His limbs are stiff, irregular, his throat locked up along with the rest of his body.
Haru just blinks at him, head tilted up, a steadfast warmth pressed into his torso. Their arms are still wrapped around him, pinning Jinhyung's hands to his sides.
It feels— wrong, unnatural, a straitjacket made of flesh and blood. Like ants are growing out of his elbows. But Haru isn't— it's just Haru; they're Jinhyung's tiny little creature-thing with big eyes and an even bigger smile that he loves so very much.
"I'm hugging you?" The words lilt out of Haru's mouth, so sweetly innocent.
Except Jinhyung doesn't like hugs.
Jinhyung famously does not like physical affection.
It's not a thing, it's just how he is. His dad is a man's man through and through and his mom only dotes on the girls.
Jinhyung's a man. He does not need the things girls do — soft hands and warm hugs and kind words. He needs, as his dad says: a suit, a cigarette, and a business deal.
Needless to say, he was not happy when Jinhyung decided to trade it all for a microphone and a dream.
But that's neither here or there.
He likes it here, surrounded by the smell of Wumuti's chamomile tea, Rui's shirts scattered across the floor, and Haru's odd little knick-knacks. He likes them— but this is new.
Kim Jinhyung doesn't know how to categorize this hug.
His mind is pinwheeling over this and that, about what this is, about what he's supposed to do, about what would be the appropriate way to respond. Because his mind is screaming at him, yelling no, bad, wrong, I don't know how to register this and I don't want to!!!
Haru is a blazing inferno and Jinhyung's mouth is dry. It's too hot, almost unbearable. His heart wants to melt through his ribs.
The appropriate response would probably be to hug back. Wrap his arms around Haru's back like a normal person and reciprocate. Maybe pat their back a little. Nuzzle their hair. But Jinhyung's not a normal person. Jinhyung can't push Haru away either.
It's Haru.
Rule no. 1 is that you don't say no to Haru unless it's life-threatening. Even if Jinhyung feels like he might die right now.
It'll make for a great headline: global K-pop star Kim Jinhyung dies of proximity to bandmate. The news outlets are going to have a field day. Maybe he can get Wumuti to speak at his funeral.
"Hyung?" Haru asks again, and they're peering up at Jinhyung with those eyes. The large ones that remind Jinhyung of a cat. Or a bug. Anything with big, round, tapioca-shaped eyes. "Is everything okay?"
Jinhyung blinks at him. The ants are starting to crawl up his neck.
"Everything's okay, Haru-ah." He doesn't hug them back. Doesn't pull away either. "Hyung's fine"