Chemical Reaction
Title: Chemical Reaction
Pairing: Daehyun/Youngjae
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1500 words
Summary: Daehyun's best kept secret
A/N: for trope bingo with t-list buddies ^^ for fun, so it's dumb and unbeta'd ahaha sorry >_<
There's a reason Daehyun is able to weasel his way out of getting into trouble, a reason why he still leaves the impression of being charming and charismatic despite regretting half of what comes out of his big mouth. It's his best kept secret, so he has no idea why he just told it to Youngjae.
He supposes it's because Youngjae puts him at ease, and they're not afraid to share most things with each other anyways. Or it could be that he just wants to tell Youngjae, because he'd think it was cool. Most likely, it's because his secret doesn't work on Youngjae and he wants to know why.
"Pheromones?" As Daehyun had expected, there's a sparkle in Youngjae's eyes and excitement on the edge of his voice. There might also be some doubt, but out of necessity, Youngjae has developed an extra sense honed to detect Daehyun's sincerity, and Daehyun is being completely sincere.
Daehyun nods. "I can see them."
Looking thoughtful, Youngjae is quiet for a bit. "That would be really useful if you could differentiate them," he says, mostly to himself.
"I can," Daehyun says, and Youngjae's right, it is incredibly useful. It was basically the equivalent of having a mood reader. He can't remember how many times he's escaped Himchan's bad temper by reading the alarm signals coming off of Junhong. "They all have different colors."
"What do mine look like?" Youngjae asks the exact question Daehyun wanted him to ask.
"That's why I'm telling you, yours are the only ones that I can't see," Daehyun says. While this is true, it wasn't always true. Youngjae's pheromones were once just as easy to see than those of any other person he's met, but they had faded as quickly as the two had gotten close. There was one time when they were on stage and the faint cloud that hung around Youngjae which had become so faint all of a sudden flared into the most gorgeous combination of sex hormones and happiness. All the members emitted them on stage on a good day, but he had never seen any so vibrant. That in combination with the passion for performance clear on Youngjae's face was enough to derail his mind. He only stopped staring when he tripped over his own feet in the choreography, and by the time he recovered and laughed it off, Youngjae's aura was gone entirely. It never returned. Youngjae's signals are the ones he's most curious about, and they're the ones Daehyun can't see. He wonders if he's being punished for being greedy, but he's never going to tell Youngjae that. "Besides mine," he adds as Youngjae's brow furrows. "I can't see mine either."
Sometimes, it's still unsettling that he doesn't know what Youngjae is thinking. It's weird that he knows Youngjae the best, yet he also understands what's going on in his head the least. Right now, Daehyun doesn't know what to make of the twisted face Youngjae's making. Was it doubt? Disappointment? No, that couldn't be right. Why would he be disappointed? "That's good," Youngjae says, just a beat off. "I wouldn't want you reading my mind or anything weird like that."
"Not that you'd be very interesting," Daehyun says before he thinks. He bites his tongue. He didn't want to say that, he always messes up with Youngjae. It's a side effect of relying on his gift.
Luckily for him, Youngjae is immune and the most it does is cause Youngjae to shove him halfheartedly. "Who's the most interesting then?"
"Jonguppie," Daehyun answers easily. "But that's not the point, you're supposed to help me figure out why I can't see yours."
Youngjae shrugs. "Maybe we're spending so much time together that we're being absorbed into one person." He's clearly not trying. "I mean, cause you can't see your own and all that."
"Oh God, that'd be awful," Daehyun's mouth thoughtlessly replies.
"For me," Youngjae shoots right back. "Oh no, maybe we really are melding into one person," he says with mock terror on his face, "that was by reflex."
Daehyun sighs. "Never mind, I give up."
*
The first time it happens, it's quite by accident. Daehyun's already told Youngjae most of what he knows, including the fact that Himchan has the biggest thing for Yongguk, and that Yongguk inexplicably responds to it.
So one day when the two are being so unsubtle it makes Daehyun gag, he looks over to Youngjae and sees the same pained expression on his face. The moment they connect, Daehyun feels a warmth bubbling right beneath his ribcage, and all of a sudden the aura around the two hyungs dims and Himchan snaps uncharacteristically at Yongguk.
Of course when Daehyun tells Youngjae about it, Youngjae wants to figure it out and test it on their band mates. "We could potentially hold the power of mind control," Youngjae says, so excitedly smacking Daehyun's arm.
They figured out that if their thoughts were aligned, Daehyun could subtly change the pheromones of the people around them. It wasn't mind control exactly, maybe more like mind influence. Youngjae kept him from abusing his limited powers, but he was mostly content with giving the members sudden cravings for kalbi and giving Jongup bursts of confidence to speak up during interviews.
"You guys are always together," Himchan remarks one day. "It's like you're plotting something evil against me."
Eyebrows raised and exchanging a mirrored glance, they chorus, "nope," while Daehyun amps up the happy hormones.
"Don't you think it's good to bond between our members?" Youngjae adds.
Himchan gives them a smile. "That reminds me, I haven't taken the kids out to dinner in a while." Daehyun smiles back and doesn't mind when Himchan gives them a slap each on the butt. He's glowing inside because he has a secret with Youngjae that the others aren't even close to finding out about.
*
Fighting with Youngjae is the hardest because it feels like he's lost a limb and unlike with everything else, Daehyun has no idea how to fix it. Maybe Youngjae was right about them becoming one person. Daehyun doesn't feel whole.
It was stupid how it started, but unlike their other irrelevant squabbles, Daehyun remembers the reason for it.
He thought that they were getting along perfectly fine, more than fine actually. He was practically sitting in Youngjae's lap; the chair they were sharing was meant for one and a half people, but they were comfortable that way, each minding their own business on their iPads. They were fine.
But then he felt so much better than fine that his stupid mouth felt a need to say what had been bugging him more and more. "I wish I could read you." Innocent enough, right? Apparently not.
Youngjae had stiffened, attention completely diverted from his iPad. "Why?"
Daehyun is still kicking himself for not noticing the complete shift in Youngjae's voice. "I just want to know." In Daehyun's defense, he was just being truthful. "So I can be sure of...stuff." And make Youngjae like him, maybe?
Daehyun bangs his forehead against the wall and rubs his shoulder where it had bruised from when Youngjae dumped him on unceremoniously on the floor. "If you don't know by now, you don't deserve to," Youngjae had said in that dangerously low, quietly intense way that usually only Yongguk got.
"What are you talking about?" Daehyun had called after Youngjae as he stalked into their room and slammed the door.
"There are some things in life you can't cheat in, Jung Daehyun!" Youngjae had broken and sounded hysterical through the door.
The days after, Youngjae treated him cordially, that was the worst part. Daehyun's getting pretty close to his breaking point. There's no easy way out of this, Youngjae's right. There are some things in life he can't get any help in. That just fires him up even more.
Youngjae is remarkably good at avoiding him, but Daehyun, when determined, is unstoppable. He jumps Youngjae when he's let his guard down and he's relaxing, sprawled out on the couch. Before Youngjae can wriggle away, Daehyun sits on him.
"What the hell Daehyun, why are you so fat?" Youngjae glares at him.
Daehyun grins. Youngjae hasn't gotten mad at him in so long, and he doesn't realize how much he's missed it. His heart is beating a little too fast because this is the first time he's taking a leap of faith. "Just remember, this is your fault," Daehyun says, relishing in the way Youngjae's eyes flash when he's indignant about something. He hopes Youngjae hasn't lost the ability to understand him with just a glance.
He leans in and does what he's been afraid to do for so long. He kisses Youngjae, simple and sweet. He almost doesn't expect the wet swipe along his bottom lip and pulls away in surprise. He looks down and sees Youngjae's brow start to crease, but before Youngjae can worry that he's done something wrong, Daehyun's once again smiling against Youngjae's mouth.
And for once, he doesn't need to manipulate the chemical signals to know that they have a connection.
Pairing: Daehyun/Youngjae
Rating: PG
Word Count: ~1500 words
Summary: Daehyun's best kept secret
A/N: for trope bingo with t-list buddies ^^ for fun, so it's dumb and unbeta'd ahaha sorry >_<
There's a reason Daehyun is able to weasel his way out of getting into trouble, a reason why he still leaves the impression of being charming and charismatic despite regretting half of what comes out of his big mouth. It's his best kept secret, so he has no idea why he just told it to Youngjae.
He supposes it's because Youngjae puts him at ease, and they're not afraid to share most things with each other anyways. Or it could be that he just wants to tell Youngjae, because he'd think it was cool. Most likely, it's because his secret doesn't work on Youngjae and he wants to know why.
"Pheromones?" As Daehyun had expected, there's a sparkle in Youngjae's eyes and excitement on the edge of his voice. There might also be some doubt, but out of necessity, Youngjae has developed an extra sense honed to detect Daehyun's sincerity, and Daehyun is being completely sincere.
Daehyun nods. "I can see them."
Looking thoughtful, Youngjae is quiet for a bit. "That would be really useful if you could differentiate them," he says, mostly to himself.
"I can," Daehyun says, and Youngjae's right, it is incredibly useful. It was basically the equivalent of having a mood reader. He can't remember how many times he's escaped Himchan's bad temper by reading the alarm signals coming off of Junhong. "They all have different colors."
"What do mine look like?" Youngjae asks the exact question Daehyun wanted him to ask.
"That's why I'm telling you, yours are the only ones that I can't see," Daehyun says. While this is true, it wasn't always true. Youngjae's pheromones were once just as easy to see than those of any other person he's met, but they had faded as quickly as the two had gotten close. There was one time when they were on stage and the faint cloud that hung around Youngjae which had become so faint all of a sudden flared into the most gorgeous combination of sex hormones and happiness. All the members emitted them on stage on a good day, but he had never seen any so vibrant. That in combination with the passion for performance clear on Youngjae's face was enough to derail his mind. He only stopped staring when he tripped over his own feet in the choreography, and by the time he recovered and laughed it off, Youngjae's aura was gone entirely. It never returned. Youngjae's signals are the ones he's most curious about, and they're the ones Daehyun can't see. He wonders if he's being punished for being greedy, but he's never going to tell Youngjae that. "Besides mine," he adds as Youngjae's brow furrows. "I can't see mine either."
Sometimes, it's still unsettling that he doesn't know what Youngjae is thinking. It's weird that he knows Youngjae the best, yet he also understands what's going on in his head the least. Right now, Daehyun doesn't know what to make of the twisted face Youngjae's making. Was it doubt? Disappointment? No, that couldn't be right. Why would he be disappointed? "That's good," Youngjae says, just a beat off. "I wouldn't want you reading my mind or anything weird like that."
"Not that you'd be very interesting," Daehyun says before he thinks. He bites his tongue. He didn't want to say that, he always messes up with Youngjae. It's a side effect of relying on his gift.
Luckily for him, Youngjae is immune and the most it does is cause Youngjae to shove him halfheartedly. "Who's the most interesting then?"
"Jonguppie," Daehyun answers easily. "But that's not the point, you're supposed to help me figure out why I can't see yours."
Youngjae shrugs. "Maybe we're spending so much time together that we're being absorbed into one person." He's clearly not trying. "I mean, cause you can't see your own and all that."
"Oh God, that'd be awful," Daehyun's mouth thoughtlessly replies.
"For me," Youngjae shoots right back. "Oh no, maybe we really are melding into one person," he says with mock terror on his face, "that was by reflex."
Daehyun sighs. "Never mind, I give up."
*
The first time it happens, it's quite by accident. Daehyun's already told Youngjae most of what he knows, including the fact that Himchan has the biggest thing for Yongguk, and that Yongguk inexplicably responds to it.
So one day when the two are being so unsubtle it makes Daehyun gag, he looks over to Youngjae and sees the same pained expression on his face. The moment they connect, Daehyun feels a warmth bubbling right beneath his ribcage, and all of a sudden the aura around the two hyungs dims and Himchan snaps uncharacteristically at Yongguk.
Of course when Daehyun tells Youngjae about it, Youngjae wants to figure it out and test it on their band mates. "We could potentially hold the power of mind control," Youngjae says, so excitedly smacking Daehyun's arm.
They figured out that if their thoughts were aligned, Daehyun could subtly change the pheromones of the people around them. It wasn't mind control exactly, maybe more like mind influence. Youngjae kept him from abusing his limited powers, but he was mostly content with giving the members sudden cravings for kalbi and giving Jongup bursts of confidence to speak up during interviews.
"You guys are always together," Himchan remarks one day. "It's like you're plotting something evil against me."
Eyebrows raised and exchanging a mirrored glance, they chorus, "nope," while Daehyun amps up the happy hormones.
"Don't you think it's good to bond between our members?" Youngjae adds.
Himchan gives them a smile. "That reminds me, I haven't taken the kids out to dinner in a while." Daehyun smiles back and doesn't mind when Himchan gives them a slap each on the butt. He's glowing inside because he has a secret with Youngjae that the others aren't even close to finding out about.
*
Fighting with Youngjae is the hardest because it feels like he's lost a limb and unlike with everything else, Daehyun has no idea how to fix it. Maybe Youngjae was right about them becoming one person. Daehyun doesn't feel whole.
It was stupid how it started, but unlike their other irrelevant squabbles, Daehyun remembers the reason for it.
He thought that they were getting along perfectly fine, more than fine actually. He was practically sitting in Youngjae's lap; the chair they were sharing was meant for one and a half people, but they were comfortable that way, each minding their own business on their iPads. They were fine.
But then he felt so much better than fine that his stupid mouth felt a need to say what had been bugging him more and more. "I wish I could read you." Innocent enough, right? Apparently not.
Youngjae had stiffened, attention completely diverted from his iPad. "Why?"
Daehyun is still kicking himself for not noticing the complete shift in Youngjae's voice. "I just want to know." In Daehyun's defense, he was just being truthful. "So I can be sure of...stuff." And make Youngjae like him, maybe?
Daehyun bangs his forehead against the wall and rubs his shoulder where it had bruised from when Youngjae dumped him on unceremoniously on the floor. "If you don't know by now, you don't deserve to," Youngjae had said in that dangerously low, quietly intense way that usually only Yongguk got.
"What are you talking about?" Daehyun had called after Youngjae as he stalked into their room and slammed the door.
"There are some things in life you can't cheat in, Jung Daehyun!" Youngjae had broken and sounded hysterical through the door.
The days after, Youngjae treated him cordially, that was the worst part. Daehyun's getting pretty close to his breaking point. There's no easy way out of this, Youngjae's right. There are some things in life he can't get any help in. That just fires him up even more.
Youngjae is remarkably good at avoiding him, but Daehyun, when determined, is unstoppable. He jumps Youngjae when he's let his guard down and he's relaxing, sprawled out on the couch. Before Youngjae can wriggle away, Daehyun sits on him.
"What the hell Daehyun, why are you so fat?" Youngjae glares at him.
Daehyun grins. Youngjae hasn't gotten mad at him in so long, and he doesn't realize how much he's missed it. His heart is beating a little too fast because this is the first time he's taking a leap of faith. "Just remember, this is your fault," Daehyun says, relishing in the way Youngjae's eyes flash when he's indignant about something. He hopes Youngjae hasn't lost the ability to understand him with just a glance.
He leans in and does what he's been afraid to do for so long. He kisses Youngjae, simple and sweet. He almost doesn't expect the wet swipe along his bottom lip and pulls away in surprise. He looks down and sees Youngjae's brow start to crease, but before Youngjae can worry that he's done something wrong, Daehyun's once again smiling against Youngjae's mouth.
And for once, he doesn't need to manipulate the chemical signals to know that they have a connection.