kiss and run
kiss and run
♥ bobby/jinhwan, jinhwan/junhwe
♂ pg-13
✎ 4400w
☠ none
✂ there's suddenly an abundance of mistletoe in every corner of the dorm, to jinhwan's dismay.
☞ so sorry bobhwan
Jinhwan doesn't have time for this. They've divvied up shower time with five minutes per person and it's his turn, he's got to go now before it's forfeited.
He crosses his arms as Bobby grins at him, cheerful as he tilts his chin upward, gesturing up. They're standing in the corner of Jinhwan's bedroom, next to the closet. He'd been grabbing a change of clothes, the drawer still open, when Bobby suddenly appeared, trapping him into the corner.
"Mistletoe." Bobby says cheerfully. He looks way too happy to be here.
"I see," Jinhwan says. There is, indeed, a sprig hanging from the ceiling, right above their heads. It's got piece of twine wrapped around the end and it's-taped to the ceiling? Jinhwan tries to protest. "I could swear that it wasn't there this morning."
Shrugging, Bobby leans down, presenting his cheek. He's still smiling and it's almost infuriating. "I wouldn't know. It doesn't matter, anyway. Kiss, please."
Jinhwan sighs, resting one hand on Bobby's shoulder to tug him down before leaning in resignedly. He really does need to go shower. Bobby turns last minute, catching the kiss on his lips.
His mouth is softer than Jinhwan would expect, gentle. Jinhwan pulls back, scandalized. "Bobby-"
Bobby blows him a kiss, puckering up before straightening. "Thanks, hyung."
BOBBY: 1
JUNE: 0
Yunhyeong mutters something about chapped lips and too much kissing as Hanbin trails after him like a lost puppy. Jinhwan would be laughing, if he wasn't stuck in the same situation.
Except Junhwe is pretending like he isn't following him around, of course. He coughs and whistles, turning away whenever Jinhwan so much as looks in his direction. He thinks he's not being obvious, Jinhwan scoffs.
Finally, Jinhwan shoves him against the wall in the hallway when it looks like Junhwe is practically about to follow him into the bathroom to take a piss. Junhwe's eyebrows shoot halfway up his forehead as he lets Jinhwan push him. Jinhwan narrows his eyes and asks, "Honestly, what are you doing? Why are you following me around?"
Junhwe might have fifteen centimeters on him, but Jinhwan can be pretty damn scary if he wants to be. So he doesn't get it when Junhwe tries and fails to keep a straight face, bursting out into one of his loud laughs.
"What? What's so funny?" Maybe some other time Jinhwan would admit he has a soft spot for Junhwe, carefree like this, but now he just crosses his arms and gives him a disapproving look.
Instead of replying, Junhwe just points toward the ceiling.
Jinhwan looks up slowly, with a growing sense of dread. "No way."
"We're already in the perfect position, hyung." Junhwe gives him a self-satisfied look, opening his arms a little and reclining against the wall.
"Koo Junhwe-I can't believe this." There just so happens to be another sprig of mistletoe dangling above their heads. A sudden thought comes to Jinhwan's mind and he surges up to jerk on Junhwe's collar. "Did you plan this? Maneuver me here, somehow?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Junhwe can't help himself but laugh again, the big kind in which he scrunches up his face and shows his gums. "Pretty sure you're the one who shoved me into this wall. And now we're in this compromising position."
Jinhwan realizes that he's still got Junhwe pressed up against the wall in the hallway, standing between his legs, too close for comfort. He flushes and makes a move to step back, except Junhwe suddenly wraps his arms loosely around his waist and keeps him in place. "So-I think you owe me a kiss."
"Why do I feel like it's being stolen from me?" Jinhwan asks as he carefully brings a hand to the nape of Junhwe's neck, tugging him down so he can peck him quickly and get this over with.
Junhwe lets out a shaky exhale that Jinhwan didn't even know he was holding as their lips meet, before tilting his head to kiss him deeper. Moving almost involuntarily with him, Jinhwan brings his other arm around his neck, until he feels the first press of Junhwe's tongue.
He pulls away with a soft noise, glancing at Junhwe underneath his eyelashes. Junhwe swipes his mouth with the back of his hand, cheeks red, and he speaks up gruffly before Jinhwan can say anything. "That was-nice."
It startles a laugh out of Jinhwan. Honest, brash Junhwe. That mouth of his is going to get him in trouble someday. He ducks down the hall, telling himself he's not escaping, not really. "It was," he calls out behind him.
BOBBY: 1
JUNE: 1
Jinhwan's immediately suspicious when he arrives at the trainee building. Bobby's loitering in the doorway of their dance studio, hands shoved into the pockets of his sweatpants, and it almost looks like he's waiting for someone. He shakes off the idea, but not before peering at the frame of the door. There's no mistletoe hanging there, so he's in the clear.
"You're here early," Jinhwan says casually. "What's up?"
Bobby jumps, startled, before turning around to face him. "No reason."
Raising an eyebrow, Jinhwan walks over. "It's not like you need more practice."
This makes Bobby wrinkle his nose. "You don't either. Why are you here?"
Jinhwan shrugs noncommittally, entering the studio. Except Bobby doesn't step back out of the way and fuck-Jinhwan's walked into another one again.
Because there's no mistletoe hanging on the doorframe-but there is one right inside the studio, above the entrance.
"That is a low blow," Jinhwan mutters as Bobby takes his wrists and spins him around, laughing. He's being far too loud for a Tuesday morning.
"You looked-didn't you?" Bobby manages to get out between laughs, his endearing sniggers. "Except-you can't see the mistletoe from the outside-so-"
"Hilarious," Jinhwan mutters. "You're so sneaky. Do you want a prize for that?"
"Aren't I already getting one?" Bobby makes kissy noises at him and well-Jinhwan would love to wipe that cocky grin off of Bobby's face.
He pouts, exaggeratedly. Jinhwan's known Bobby long enough to know every single one of his weak spots, know his way around him. "I can't believe you'd trick me like this."
And, true to form, Bobby's wincing at the pout. He narrows his eyes at Jinhwan. "I know what you're doing."
"Do you?" Jinhwan says, before cupping Bobby's cheek carefully and going up on his tip-toes to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "There's your kiss. Run along, puppy."
Bobby's frozen for a second, but then he shakes himself and whines, "Hyung. That wasn't a real one."
"Aw, poor puppy." Jinhwan clucks his tongue at him before turning away, making for the sound system. "What a shame."
BOBBY: 2
JUNE: 1
"I'm back for my real kiss," Bobby announces as he swings by Jinhwan's room that night. Jinhwan's flicking through choreo videos on his iPad, lying on his back in his bottom bunk, but now he glances up.
"I don't see any mistletoe around here," Jinhwan says, returning his attention to the screen. He watches Bobby move around in the corner of his eye, before Bobby approaches him. Before entering his bedroom, Jinhwan had checked the ceiling specifically, making sure he didn't miss anything-like some greenery hanging from the most inconvenient places.
When the rest of them were putting up the mistletoe earlier, Jinhwan was sure that there were only a few sprigs, easily avoidable. Not-not everywhere he turns. And either Bobby or Junhwe always happen to be around when Jinhwan accidentally finds himself under a bunch. He'd spied Yunhyeong looking at him out of pity earlier and now he's even more irritated.
Bobby vaults himself on to the bed, lying alongside Jinhwan and putting his arms behind his head. The bed dips under his weight and Jinhwan shifts to accommodate him. "Maybe you should look again."
"I did, I checked." Jinhwan won't fall for this. But then Bobby pulls the iPad out of his hands and props himself on an elbow, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "-what?"
He studies the bottom of the bunk above him as Bobby rolls over to rest his chin on Jinhwan's shoulder, digging into a tense muscle. It almost looks like-"Hell, no."
"Yeah." Jinhwan can hear the grin in Bobby's voice. Because there appears to be a dark shape that resembles a small bunch of mistletoe tucked between the wooden slats and the mattress in Hanbin's bunk, above them.
And, of course, it's usually pitch black in here and Jinhwan is always half-asleep whenever he falls into bed, so he's never bothered to look up, really look. "Was this always here?"
"Yeah," Bobby says again. He lets himself fall onto his back happily. "Now, about that kiss-"
Jinhwan assumes his expression of pained resignation. "It looks like you get one after all." He half props himself over Bobby, glaring at him below. "Only because I didn't notice."
But then Bobby gives him that stupid, big grin and tugs Jinhwan down on top of him, pressing their lips together. Jinhwan's almost used to their softness by now, the plush feeling of Bobby's lips under his. He sighs into Bobby's mouth, this time letting his tongue run carefully along Bobby's lips. It's dizzying, and he only just notices how he's straddling Bobby in the most compromising way, legs on either side of his hips, hands curled through his hair. Jinhwan pulls back almost regretfully, with a slick noise. It gives him a slight satisfaction to see that Bobby looks as dazed as he feels.
Rolling over, he kicks Bobby's side half-heartedly as he catches his breath. "Alright, get out."
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 1
Knowing Junhwe, he's not above dangling a sprig of mistletoe over Jinhwan's head with one hand while grabbing him with the other, demanding a kiss. So Jinhwan watches him carefully, checking to make sure he's never got anything green in hand.
But Jinhwan certainly doesn't expect him to shove all the furniture in the living room to create one path from the kitchen to the bedrooms-directly underneath the largest bunch of mistletoe yet, hanging in the middle of the ceiling, attached to the light.
He eyes the ceiling light-because there's really no way to get around it, no matter what he does. Jinhwan's not above stepping on the glass coffee table to avoid the mistletoe, but then he thinks about compensation fees if he shatters it and resigns himself to it with a sigh. There's no one around, anyway. Maybe if he speedwalks through the living room every time he needs to pass, he'll be safe.
All of a sudden, Junhwe steps out of the kitchen, a water bottle in hand. He lights up when he sees Jinhwan deliberating in the hallway. "G'morning, hyung."
"Junhwe," Jinhwan acknowledges painfully. "Did you-by any chance-rearrange the furniture?"
"Well, would you look at that." Junhwe shrugs while looking at the furniture barricade in mock surprise. "I don't know."
"You don't know? Did the sofa magically move itself?" He wants to cry. All Jinhwan wanted to do was eat breakfast, but now there are multiple obstacles in his way.
"Oh, that's right!" Junhwe feigns recognition, slapping his forehead. "I remember now. I thought we needed something fresh around here. Better fengshui, y'know, so I moved some stuff. You're welcome."
Maybe Jinhwan should just skip breakfast. Or come back later, right before they leave for practice. Any time when Junhwe is not situated in his way, right under the mistletoe. His stomach growls traitorously, distracting him from his thoughts.
Junhwe looks at him in concern. "Hungry? If you don't hurry up, I think Hanbin is going to finish all the cornflakes." He glances over his shoulder, into their dining room. "And the last of our milk."
Just then, Donghyuk bumps into Jinhwan from behind. "Oh-sorry, hyung. Didn't see you there."
He stumbles forward to the kitchen-and Jinhwan can smell the jook, he's so very hungry, he thinks pitifully-but not before passing under the mistletoe, next to Junhwe. There's a flash of surprise in his eyes and Junhwe gives him the stink-eye. "Watch where you're going."
"There is no other way for me to go," Donghyuk retorts. He brushes his lips on Junhwe's cheek before shoving him aside, going into the kitchen. Pausing in the doorway, he turns around to look at Jinhwan. "Hyung? Are you coming?"
"Wait a second," Jinhwan says weakly. Donghyuk looks at him quizzically before his eyebrows scrunch up. His gaze flicks to Junhwe, who is now crossing his arms in the middle of the living room, and back toward Jinhwan. Jinhwan winces.
"Uh-alright. You should hurry up, though. We're leaving soon."
Whatever, screw it, breakfast's more important than whatever stand-off they've got going on. When Donghyuk's gone, Jinhwan makes his way toward Junhwe before stopping in front of him, pursing his lips. Junhwe looks remarkably self-satisfied and victorious, so Jinhwan hooks an ankle around his foot, all spur of the moment, and sends him tumbling onto the newly situated sofa behind him.
He climbs onto his lap and straddles him, placing a hand on each of Junhwe's shoulders and giving him his best stern look, before leaning in to kiss him firmly. Jinhwan's feeling a lot bolder for some giddy reason, so this time, when Junhwe's tongue comes to lick along the seam of his mouth, Jinhwan parts his lips to let him in. One of Junhwe's hands is running along Jinhwan's side, half in shock and half in reverence, and it makes him want to shiver. Jinhwan responds by carding a hand through Junhwe's hair, tilting his head back so he can kiss him deeper.
It feels like he's shaking himself out of a dream when he finally sits back on Junhwe's lap-on his lap. "Shit," Jinhwan says. He's still breathing hard, heart beating out of his chest, as he pulls away.
Junhwe looks dazed underneath him, hair all mussed up and mouth a darker color than usual. His hands come up to run through his hair from where they were resting on Jinhwan's hips. He sounds out of breath too, as he says, "That… was not what I expected."
"What were you expecting-" Jinhwan cuts off at the sudden slow claps coming from the direction of the kitchen. When he turns around, Hanbin's applauding and leaning against the doorframe with one hip, while Donghyuk's peeking from behind him with eyebrows halfway up his forehead. Flushing pink, Jinhwan extricates himself from Junhwe, who takes the opportunity to sprawl across the couch shamelessly. "-I'm going to go eat breakfast."
Hanbin and Donghyuk's eyes follow him as he takes a pseudo walk of shame from the sofa to the kitchen. When Hanbin opens his mouth to speak, Jinhwan narrows his eyes. "Not a word."
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 2
Scanning for mistletoe has become somewhat a habit for Jinhwan, and it's working. He's about to go a full day without getting a kiss stolen from either Bobby or Junhwe. Jinhwan goes to the kitchen to find some wood to knock on.
He stops short when he sees Bobby sitting cross-legged on the dining room table. "Bobby-what the hell? Get off the table."
"Make me." Bobby wiggles in place, tucking his hands underneath his butt.
The thing is, Jinhwan had checked the ceiling light dangling over the table out of pure paranoia, and there actually turned out to be the smallest sprig of mistletoe clipped to the light bulb. He had laughed incredulously when he saw it, and made a mental note to himself. Honestly, Jinhwan should draw up a map of the dorm with all the danger zones marked down, or something.
"So you can get me under the mistletoe? No thanks." Jinhwan takes a step back from Bobby, just to be safe.
Bobby doesn't miss a beat or look shocked at all, which Jinhwan has to give him credit for, because he's pretty much a hundred percent sure that he was the one who planted the mistletoe there. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Really?" Jinhwan drags a chair around, reaching up to the lightbulb to scrabble for the mistletoe. It's hotter than he expected, burning his fingertips, and he recoils, hissing, but not before pulling the offending plant out. "Then what's this?"
"Are you okay?" Dropping the guileless facade, Bobby reaches for his hand in concern.
He only manages to clasp Jinhwan's wrist before Jinhwan is pulling back, turning away. "Yeah, fine."
Jinhwan's index finger still stings, but instead of acknowledging it, he makes to leave the room. Bobby calls out behind him, "Why do you keep on avoiding kissing me?"
It takes Jinhwan by surprise, and he has nothing to offer in response except jerk his shoulders. He's oddly annoyed. "Why are you so intent on kissing me?"
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 2
Jinhwan's on his last nerve, tired to the bone from a particularly vicious six-hour dance practice, and he stumbles into the dorm alongside Junhwe, rounding up the rest of them. He takes a deep breath while leaning back against the wall, hands braced on his knees. It feels like his legs are about to give out.
Junhwe catches his arm halfway down the hall, stopping Jinhwan with a jerk. He looks up meaningfully-they're in the hallway, under that goddamn mistletoe, of course. "Kiss?"
It's some pent-up irritation combined with this exhaustion that has him shaking Junhwe's grip off, stepping back and looking away. He says brusquely, "I don't-I'm not feeling up to play, right now."
His response startles Junhwe, injures him, and Jinhwan notices in the dim light of the hallway-of course he fucking does-but he's too strung up to bring himself to apologize. When Junhwe finally speaks, Jinhwan can hear the anger in the way his voice shakes. Junhwe bites out, "Is that what it means to you? Play?"
Jinhwan rolls his head back, closing his eyes painfully. This isn't a conversation he wants to have right now, or ever. "I wasn't even aware there was something going on. What else would you call it? Please enlighten me."
He's made Junhwe really, truly mad now. And hurt, too-Jinhwan can tell as he puts his hands on his hips and drops them, over and over again, the way he does all the time. When did Jinhwan notice all of these details, he has no idea. Junhwe tries to say something but stops each time he starts. Finally, he says, in a flat voice, "It was never just play to me."
All the fight seeps out of Jinhwan, leaving him with this inescapable tiredness and a sense of regret. He's always been halfway decent with words, knowing the right thing to say at the right times, but he's never been more out of control.
Moving almost involuntarily, Jinhwan cups Junhwe's face and kisses him, running a fingertip down the line of his jaw. It's softer than any of their previous kisses, but no less heated. He tries to convey some sort of apology with his lips and in the way he runs his fingers down Junhwe's neck to his shoulders. This kiss tastes like salt but Jinhwan attributes it to sweat, just breaking it and leaning his forehead against Junhwe's shoulder to breathe for a second. His mind is even more jumbled up than before and he ducks into his room, but not before murmuring a sorry to Junhwe. It seems like all he ever does now is apologize.
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 3
So, Junhwe is possibly avoiding Jinhwan. He's never noticed how often he talks to him, spends time just casually leaning against Junhwe's shoulder, until now.
Except it's kind of Jinhwan's fault, because he was definitely kind of an asshole, so he just needs to apologize so things can get back to normal. The problem is, Jinhwan's usually the one who does the counseling when an apology is due, instead of needing some himself, and he's got no idea of who to go to for help in approaching Junhwe.
Jinhwan looks for Hanbin, finds him sitting on the couch in their fun-sized studio, and plops down on his lap. Letting out a disgruntled oof, Hanbin taps on his elbow. "What's up?" he asks.
"Junhwe and Bobby," is the only thing Jinhwan says.
"Ah," Hanbin tilts his head knowingly. "I see."
Jinhwan tugs on Hanbin's collar, fixing his shirt so it actually covers his collarbones. He asks, a little perplexed, "See? See what?"
Hanbin just sits back and puts his arms along the back of the sofa, watching Jinhwan with an appraising expression. It's making him uncomfortable, because Hanbin never does this kind of thing, and Jinhwan lets out a huff. Hanbin starts, "Is this about the-kissing?"
Pushing himself off of Hanbin's lap and arranging himself on the other end of the couch, Jinhwan raises an eyebrow. "So you noticed?"
He assumes a disgruntled expression as Hanbin scoffs. "It'd be hard to miss. They're all over you."
Jinhwan buries his face in his hands, groaning. "I know. God. Why are they-"
"It's like they've got some competition underway, seeing who can get the most kisses from you."
"Some-competition?" The words are physically sickening. Jinhwan feels something heavy drop in his stomach, plummeting down. He keeps his face buried in his arms to stifle the confusion. "Why me?"
He feels Hanbin patting his back awkwardly, as if he doesn't know whether he should be touching Jinhwan or not. "Well, there has to be a good reason for choosing you."
"I thought the mistletoe everywhere was just-for fun? Or whatever." Jinhwan is rambling as he tries to make sense of his thoughts.
"Yeah, there were way too many to possibly be accidental."
Jinhwan huffs. "I knew it. They were literally everywhere. I think I've done more kissing in the past week than the entire year."
"Do I get one?" Hanbin smiles at Jinhwan, cheeky, trying to cheer him up in the only way he knows how.
"Leave." Kicking a socked foot at him idly, Jinhwan puts his hands over his face with a sigh. His thoughts are a mess, even more so than before. "I think I made Junhwe mad."
Hanbin pauses for a while, as if trying to organize his thoughts. "Well, Bobby might just be screwing around for the hell of it, but I get the feeling Junhwe likes you. Like like," he finally says knowledgably.
"Like like?" Jinhwan repeats. "How could you have noticed, and I didn't? No offense."
Hanbin grabs one of Jinhwan's ankles in retaliation, making Jinhwan jerk his leg away with a noise. "You look at him differently, too. Maybe that's why you don't see it."
Is Jinhwan really out here listening to advice about emotions from Hanbin? He might as well talk to Junhwe next-except, it hits him as he remembers, he can't. Jinhwan tries to sink into the sofa, maybe he can stay avoid this problem by staying nestled there forever.
A minute later, Jinhwan sits up straight, mind made up. Hanbin's still looking at him carefully, trying to gauge what he's thinking, and Jinhwan can't believe he's doing this but-"Say Junhwe likes me. Say I possibly like him. What should I do now?"
"I'm so glad you asked." Hanbin says, boyish grin on his face. It's the look he wears whenever he's up to no good with Bobby, and Jinhwan wonders if he should be regretting his words.
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 3
The mistletoe, all fifty or so bundles of it, get taken down. Bobby seems to know where every sprig is planted, and shrugs when Jinhwan shoots him an accusatory look. At least it's over and done with. It feels like it should be liberating, but Jinhwan is almost filled with-regret? He's not even sure anymore.
This time, it's Jinhwan who corners Junhwe in the hallway, trapping him against the wall as Junhwe steps out of the bathroom after his shower. "Hello," he says resolutely.
"Hi, hyung. Excuse me, I have to-" Junhwe freezes when Jinhwan goes up on his tip-toes and pulls something out of his pocket. "Is that-?"
Jinhwan holds the mistletoe between them-Junhwe's just a little too tall for him to reach over his head-and tugs Junhwe down by the collar with his other hand, pressing their mouths together. His lips are plush and soft under Jinhwan's, parted in shock, and Jinhwan thinks he could really get used to this feeling. He hooks a hand over Junhwe's neck when it looks like Junhwe is about to take a step back, and smiles up at him in his most reassuring way, even though there is an unsteady pounding in his chest. "Is this okay?"
Junhwe lets out a long breath against his lips. His bangs are dripping into his eyes as he looks down to Jinhwan's mouth. Voice husky, he drops his hands. "Yeah, it's fine-more than fine. Perfect."
The mistletoe falls from Jinhwan's grip as he brings his other hand to Junhwe's face, kissing him again.
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 4
Junhwe brings it up a couple of months later. They're sitting on the practice bench, panting and gulping down water on a short break. "It was all Bobby-hyung's idea, y'know. The kissing thing."
Jinhwan lets out an incredulous laugh. "Now, of all times? And-the kissing thing? The kissing thing? That thing had me stressed out for a week straight."
Junhwe buries his face in Jinhwan's shoulder. They're both sweaty, gross, and Jinhwan wrinkles his nose in distaste, but he runs his fingers through Junhwe's hair anyway. "It's not my fault," he mumbles. "I couldn't-I couldn't let him beat me."
It feels oddly comforting to Jinhwan. Tugging on a strand of hair, he gives Junhwe a conspiratorial look. "Hey, Junhwe-only you get all the kisses now, though."
This pacifies Junhwe somewhat, and he stands up and stretches with a satisfied look, before leaning down to peck Jinhwan quickly on the cheek. "Only me."
♥ bobby/jinhwan, jinhwan/junhwe
♂ pg-13
✎ 4400w
☠ none
✂ there's suddenly an abundance of mistletoe in every corner of the dorm, to jinhwan's dismay.
☞ so sorry bobhwan
Jinhwan doesn't have time for this. They've divvied up shower time with five minutes per person and it's his turn, he's got to go now before it's forfeited.
He crosses his arms as Bobby grins at him, cheerful as he tilts his chin upward, gesturing up. They're standing in the corner of Jinhwan's bedroom, next to the closet. He'd been grabbing a change of clothes, the drawer still open, when Bobby suddenly appeared, trapping him into the corner.
"Mistletoe." Bobby says cheerfully. He looks way too happy to be here.
"I see," Jinhwan says. There is, indeed, a sprig hanging from the ceiling, right above their heads. It's got piece of twine wrapped around the end and it's-taped to the ceiling? Jinhwan tries to protest. "I could swear that it wasn't there this morning."
Shrugging, Bobby leans down, presenting his cheek. He's still smiling and it's almost infuriating. "I wouldn't know. It doesn't matter, anyway. Kiss, please."
Jinhwan sighs, resting one hand on Bobby's shoulder to tug him down before leaning in resignedly. He really does need to go shower. Bobby turns last minute, catching the kiss on his lips.
His mouth is softer than Jinhwan would expect, gentle. Jinhwan pulls back, scandalized. "Bobby-"
Bobby blows him a kiss, puckering up before straightening. "Thanks, hyung."
BOBBY: 1
JUNE: 0
Yunhyeong mutters something about chapped lips and too much kissing as Hanbin trails after him like a lost puppy. Jinhwan would be laughing, if he wasn't stuck in the same situation.
Except Junhwe is pretending like he isn't following him around, of course. He coughs and whistles, turning away whenever Jinhwan so much as looks in his direction. He thinks he's not being obvious, Jinhwan scoffs.
Finally, Jinhwan shoves him against the wall in the hallway when it looks like Junhwe is practically about to follow him into the bathroom to take a piss. Junhwe's eyebrows shoot halfway up his forehead as he lets Jinhwan push him. Jinhwan narrows his eyes and asks, "Honestly, what are you doing? Why are you following me around?"
Junhwe might have fifteen centimeters on him, but Jinhwan can be pretty damn scary if he wants to be. So he doesn't get it when Junhwe tries and fails to keep a straight face, bursting out into one of his loud laughs.
"What? What's so funny?" Maybe some other time Jinhwan would admit he has a soft spot for Junhwe, carefree like this, but now he just crosses his arms and gives him a disapproving look.
Instead of replying, Junhwe just points toward the ceiling.
Jinhwan looks up slowly, with a growing sense of dread. "No way."
"We're already in the perfect position, hyung." Junhwe gives him a self-satisfied look, opening his arms a little and reclining against the wall.
"Koo Junhwe-I can't believe this." There just so happens to be another sprig of mistletoe dangling above their heads. A sudden thought comes to Jinhwan's mind and he surges up to jerk on Junhwe's collar. "Did you plan this? Maneuver me here, somehow?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Junhwe can't help himself but laugh again, the big kind in which he scrunches up his face and shows his gums. "Pretty sure you're the one who shoved me into this wall. And now we're in this compromising position."
Jinhwan realizes that he's still got Junhwe pressed up against the wall in the hallway, standing between his legs, too close for comfort. He flushes and makes a move to step back, except Junhwe suddenly wraps his arms loosely around his waist and keeps him in place. "So-I think you owe me a kiss."
"Why do I feel like it's being stolen from me?" Jinhwan asks as he carefully brings a hand to the nape of Junhwe's neck, tugging him down so he can peck him quickly and get this over with.
Junhwe lets out a shaky exhale that Jinhwan didn't even know he was holding as their lips meet, before tilting his head to kiss him deeper. Moving almost involuntarily with him, Jinhwan brings his other arm around his neck, until he feels the first press of Junhwe's tongue.
He pulls away with a soft noise, glancing at Junhwe underneath his eyelashes. Junhwe swipes his mouth with the back of his hand, cheeks red, and he speaks up gruffly before Jinhwan can say anything. "That was-nice."
It startles a laugh out of Jinhwan. Honest, brash Junhwe. That mouth of his is going to get him in trouble someday. He ducks down the hall, telling himself he's not escaping, not really. "It was," he calls out behind him.
BOBBY: 1
JUNE: 1
Jinhwan's immediately suspicious when he arrives at the trainee building. Bobby's loitering in the doorway of their dance studio, hands shoved into the pockets of his sweatpants, and it almost looks like he's waiting for someone. He shakes off the idea, but not before peering at the frame of the door. There's no mistletoe hanging there, so he's in the clear.
"You're here early," Jinhwan says casually. "What's up?"
Bobby jumps, startled, before turning around to face him. "No reason."
Raising an eyebrow, Jinhwan walks over. "It's not like you need more practice."
This makes Bobby wrinkle his nose. "You don't either. Why are you here?"
Jinhwan shrugs noncommittally, entering the studio. Except Bobby doesn't step back out of the way and fuck-Jinhwan's walked into another one again.
Because there's no mistletoe hanging on the doorframe-but there is one right inside the studio, above the entrance.
"That is a low blow," Jinhwan mutters as Bobby takes his wrists and spins him around, laughing. He's being far too loud for a Tuesday morning.
"You looked-didn't you?" Bobby manages to get out between laughs, his endearing sniggers. "Except-you can't see the mistletoe from the outside-so-"
"Hilarious," Jinhwan mutters. "You're so sneaky. Do you want a prize for that?"
"Aren't I already getting one?" Bobby makes kissy noises at him and well-Jinhwan would love to wipe that cocky grin off of Bobby's face.
He pouts, exaggeratedly. Jinhwan's known Bobby long enough to know every single one of his weak spots, know his way around him. "I can't believe you'd trick me like this."
And, true to form, Bobby's wincing at the pout. He narrows his eyes at Jinhwan. "I know what you're doing."
"Do you?" Jinhwan says, before cupping Bobby's cheek carefully and going up on his tip-toes to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "There's your kiss. Run along, puppy."
Bobby's frozen for a second, but then he shakes himself and whines, "Hyung. That wasn't a real one."
"Aw, poor puppy." Jinhwan clucks his tongue at him before turning away, making for the sound system. "What a shame."
BOBBY: 2
JUNE: 1
"I'm back for my real kiss," Bobby announces as he swings by Jinhwan's room that night. Jinhwan's flicking through choreo videos on his iPad, lying on his back in his bottom bunk, but now he glances up.
"I don't see any mistletoe around here," Jinhwan says, returning his attention to the screen. He watches Bobby move around in the corner of his eye, before Bobby approaches him. Before entering his bedroom, Jinhwan had checked the ceiling specifically, making sure he didn't miss anything-like some greenery hanging from the most inconvenient places.
When the rest of them were putting up the mistletoe earlier, Jinhwan was sure that there were only a few sprigs, easily avoidable. Not-not everywhere he turns. And either Bobby or Junhwe always happen to be around when Jinhwan accidentally finds himself under a bunch. He'd spied Yunhyeong looking at him out of pity earlier and now he's even more irritated.
Bobby vaults himself on to the bed, lying alongside Jinhwan and putting his arms behind his head. The bed dips under his weight and Jinhwan shifts to accommodate him. "Maybe you should look again."
"I did, I checked." Jinhwan won't fall for this. But then Bobby pulls the iPad out of his hands and props himself on an elbow, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "-what?"
He studies the bottom of the bunk above him as Bobby rolls over to rest his chin on Jinhwan's shoulder, digging into a tense muscle. It almost looks like-"Hell, no."
"Yeah." Jinhwan can hear the grin in Bobby's voice. Because there appears to be a dark shape that resembles a small bunch of mistletoe tucked between the wooden slats and the mattress in Hanbin's bunk, above them.
And, of course, it's usually pitch black in here and Jinhwan is always half-asleep whenever he falls into bed, so he's never bothered to look up, really look. "Was this always here?"
"Yeah," Bobby says again. He lets himself fall onto his back happily. "Now, about that kiss-"
Jinhwan assumes his expression of pained resignation. "It looks like you get one after all." He half props himself over Bobby, glaring at him below. "Only because I didn't notice."
But then Bobby gives him that stupid, big grin and tugs Jinhwan down on top of him, pressing their lips together. Jinhwan's almost used to their softness by now, the plush feeling of Bobby's lips under his. He sighs into Bobby's mouth, this time letting his tongue run carefully along Bobby's lips. It's dizzying, and he only just notices how he's straddling Bobby in the most compromising way, legs on either side of his hips, hands curled through his hair. Jinhwan pulls back almost regretfully, with a slick noise. It gives him a slight satisfaction to see that Bobby looks as dazed as he feels.
Rolling over, he kicks Bobby's side half-heartedly as he catches his breath. "Alright, get out."
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 1
Knowing Junhwe, he's not above dangling a sprig of mistletoe over Jinhwan's head with one hand while grabbing him with the other, demanding a kiss. So Jinhwan watches him carefully, checking to make sure he's never got anything green in hand.
But Jinhwan certainly doesn't expect him to shove all the furniture in the living room to create one path from the kitchen to the bedrooms-directly underneath the largest bunch of mistletoe yet, hanging in the middle of the ceiling, attached to the light.
He eyes the ceiling light-because there's really no way to get around it, no matter what he does. Jinhwan's not above stepping on the glass coffee table to avoid the mistletoe, but then he thinks about compensation fees if he shatters it and resigns himself to it with a sigh. There's no one around, anyway. Maybe if he speedwalks through the living room every time he needs to pass, he'll be safe.
All of a sudden, Junhwe steps out of the kitchen, a water bottle in hand. He lights up when he sees Jinhwan deliberating in the hallway. "G'morning, hyung."
"Junhwe," Jinhwan acknowledges painfully. "Did you-by any chance-rearrange the furniture?"
"Well, would you look at that." Junhwe shrugs while looking at the furniture barricade in mock surprise. "I don't know."
"You don't know? Did the sofa magically move itself?" He wants to cry. All Jinhwan wanted to do was eat breakfast, but now there are multiple obstacles in his way.
"Oh, that's right!" Junhwe feigns recognition, slapping his forehead. "I remember now. I thought we needed something fresh around here. Better fengshui, y'know, so I moved some stuff. You're welcome."
Maybe Jinhwan should just skip breakfast. Or come back later, right before they leave for practice. Any time when Junhwe is not situated in his way, right under the mistletoe. His stomach growls traitorously, distracting him from his thoughts.
Junhwe looks at him in concern. "Hungry? If you don't hurry up, I think Hanbin is going to finish all the cornflakes." He glances over his shoulder, into their dining room. "And the last of our milk."
Just then, Donghyuk bumps into Jinhwan from behind. "Oh-sorry, hyung. Didn't see you there."
He stumbles forward to the kitchen-and Jinhwan can smell the jook, he's so very hungry, he thinks pitifully-but not before passing under the mistletoe, next to Junhwe. There's a flash of surprise in his eyes and Junhwe gives him the stink-eye. "Watch where you're going."
"There is no other way for me to go," Donghyuk retorts. He brushes his lips on Junhwe's cheek before shoving him aside, going into the kitchen. Pausing in the doorway, he turns around to look at Jinhwan. "Hyung? Are you coming?"
"Wait a second," Jinhwan says weakly. Donghyuk looks at him quizzically before his eyebrows scrunch up. His gaze flicks to Junhwe, who is now crossing his arms in the middle of the living room, and back toward Jinhwan. Jinhwan winces.
"Uh-alright. You should hurry up, though. We're leaving soon."
Whatever, screw it, breakfast's more important than whatever stand-off they've got going on. When Donghyuk's gone, Jinhwan makes his way toward Junhwe before stopping in front of him, pursing his lips. Junhwe looks remarkably self-satisfied and victorious, so Jinhwan hooks an ankle around his foot, all spur of the moment, and sends him tumbling onto the newly situated sofa behind him.
He climbs onto his lap and straddles him, placing a hand on each of Junhwe's shoulders and giving him his best stern look, before leaning in to kiss him firmly. Jinhwan's feeling a lot bolder for some giddy reason, so this time, when Junhwe's tongue comes to lick along the seam of his mouth, Jinhwan parts his lips to let him in. One of Junhwe's hands is running along Jinhwan's side, half in shock and half in reverence, and it makes him want to shiver. Jinhwan responds by carding a hand through Junhwe's hair, tilting his head back so he can kiss him deeper.
It feels like he's shaking himself out of a dream when he finally sits back on Junhwe's lap-on his lap. "Shit," Jinhwan says. He's still breathing hard, heart beating out of his chest, as he pulls away.
Junhwe looks dazed underneath him, hair all mussed up and mouth a darker color than usual. His hands come up to run through his hair from where they were resting on Jinhwan's hips. He sounds out of breath too, as he says, "That… was not what I expected."
"What were you expecting-" Jinhwan cuts off at the sudden slow claps coming from the direction of the kitchen. When he turns around, Hanbin's applauding and leaning against the doorframe with one hip, while Donghyuk's peeking from behind him with eyebrows halfway up his forehead. Flushing pink, Jinhwan extricates himself from Junhwe, who takes the opportunity to sprawl across the couch shamelessly. "-I'm going to go eat breakfast."
Hanbin and Donghyuk's eyes follow him as he takes a pseudo walk of shame from the sofa to the kitchen. When Hanbin opens his mouth to speak, Jinhwan narrows his eyes. "Not a word."
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 2
Scanning for mistletoe has become somewhat a habit for Jinhwan, and it's working. He's about to go a full day without getting a kiss stolen from either Bobby or Junhwe. Jinhwan goes to the kitchen to find some wood to knock on.
He stops short when he sees Bobby sitting cross-legged on the dining room table. "Bobby-what the hell? Get off the table."
"Make me." Bobby wiggles in place, tucking his hands underneath his butt.
The thing is, Jinhwan had checked the ceiling light dangling over the table out of pure paranoia, and there actually turned out to be the smallest sprig of mistletoe clipped to the light bulb. He had laughed incredulously when he saw it, and made a mental note to himself. Honestly, Jinhwan should draw up a map of the dorm with all the danger zones marked down, or something.
"So you can get me under the mistletoe? No thanks." Jinhwan takes a step back from Bobby, just to be safe.
Bobby doesn't miss a beat or look shocked at all, which Jinhwan has to give him credit for, because he's pretty much a hundred percent sure that he was the one who planted the mistletoe there. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Really?" Jinhwan drags a chair around, reaching up to the lightbulb to scrabble for the mistletoe. It's hotter than he expected, burning his fingertips, and he recoils, hissing, but not before pulling the offending plant out. "Then what's this?"
"Are you okay?" Dropping the guileless facade, Bobby reaches for his hand in concern.
He only manages to clasp Jinhwan's wrist before Jinhwan is pulling back, turning away. "Yeah, fine."
Jinhwan's index finger still stings, but instead of acknowledging it, he makes to leave the room. Bobby calls out behind him, "Why do you keep on avoiding kissing me?"
It takes Jinhwan by surprise, and he has nothing to offer in response except jerk his shoulders. He's oddly annoyed. "Why are you so intent on kissing me?"
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 2
Jinhwan's on his last nerve, tired to the bone from a particularly vicious six-hour dance practice, and he stumbles into the dorm alongside Junhwe, rounding up the rest of them. He takes a deep breath while leaning back against the wall, hands braced on his knees. It feels like his legs are about to give out.
Junhwe catches his arm halfway down the hall, stopping Jinhwan with a jerk. He looks up meaningfully-they're in the hallway, under that goddamn mistletoe, of course. "Kiss?"
It's some pent-up irritation combined with this exhaustion that has him shaking Junhwe's grip off, stepping back and looking away. He says brusquely, "I don't-I'm not feeling up to play, right now."
His response startles Junhwe, injures him, and Jinhwan notices in the dim light of the hallway-of course he fucking does-but he's too strung up to bring himself to apologize. When Junhwe finally speaks, Jinhwan can hear the anger in the way his voice shakes. Junhwe bites out, "Is that what it means to you? Play?"
Jinhwan rolls his head back, closing his eyes painfully. This isn't a conversation he wants to have right now, or ever. "I wasn't even aware there was something going on. What else would you call it? Please enlighten me."
He's made Junhwe really, truly mad now. And hurt, too-Jinhwan can tell as he puts his hands on his hips and drops them, over and over again, the way he does all the time. When did Jinhwan notice all of these details, he has no idea. Junhwe tries to say something but stops each time he starts. Finally, he says, in a flat voice, "It was never just play to me."
All the fight seeps out of Jinhwan, leaving him with this inescapable tiredness and a sense of regret. He's always been halfway decent with words, knowing the right thing to say at the right times, but he's never been more out of control.
Moving almost involuntarily, Jinhwan cups Junhwe's face and kisses him, running a fingertip down the line of his jaw. It's softer than any of their previous kisses, but no less heated. He tries to convey some sort of apology with his lips and in the way he runs his fingers down Junhwe's neck to his shoulders. This kiss tastes like salt but Jinhwan attributes it to sweat, just breaking it and leaning his forehead against Junhwe's shoulder to breathe for a second. His mind is even more jumbled up than before and he ducks into his room, but not before murmuring a sorry to Junhwe. It seems like all he ever does now is apologize.
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 3
So, Junhwe is possibly avoiding Jinhwan. He's never noticed how often he talks to him, spends time just casually leaning against Junhwe's shoulder, until now.
Except it's kind of Jinhwan's fault, because he was definitely kind of an asshole, so he just needs to apologize so things can get back to normal. The problem is, Jinhwan's usually the one who does the counseling when an apology is due, instead of needing some himself, and he's got no idea of who to go to for help in approaching Junhwe.
Jinhwan looks for Hanbin, finds him sitting on the couch in their fun-sized studio, and plops down on his lap. Letting out a disgruntled oof, Hanbin taps on his elbow. "What's up?" he asks.
"Junhwe and Bobby," is the only thing Jinhwan says.
"Ah," Hanbin tilts his head knowingly. "I see."
Jinhwan tugs on Hanbin's collar, fixing his shirt so it actually covers his collarbones. He asks, a little perplexed, "See? See what?"
Hanbin just sits back and puts his arms along the back of the sofa, watching Jinhwan with an appraising expression. It's making him uncomfortable, because Hanbin never does this kind of thing, and Jinhwan lets out a huff. Hanbin starts, "Is this about the-kissing?"
Pushing himself off of Hanbin's lap and arranging himself on the other end of the couch, Jinhwan raises an eyebrow. "So you noticed?"
He assumes a disgruntled expression as Hanbin scoffs. "It'd be hard to miss. They're all over you."
Jinhwan buries his face in his hands, groaning. "I know. God. Why are they-"
"It's like they've got some competition underway, seeing who can get the most kisses from you."
"Some-competition?" The words are physically sickening. Jinhwan feels something heavy drop in his stomach, plummeting down. He keeps his face buried in his arms to stifle the confusion. "Why me?"
He feels Hanbin patting his back awkwardly, as if he doesn't know whether he should be touching Jinhwan or not. "Well, there has to be a good reason for choosing you."
"I thought the mistletoe everywhere was just-for fun? Or whatever." Jinhwan is rambling as he tries to make sense of his thoughts.
"Yeah, there were way too many to possibly be accidental."
Jinhwan huffs. "I knew it. They were literally everywhere. I think I've done more kissing in the past week than the entire year."
"Do I get one?" Hanbin smiles at Jinhwan, cheeky, trying to cheer him up in the only way he knows how.
"Leave." Kicking a socked foot at him idly, Jinhwan puts his hands over his face with a sigh. His thoughts are a mess, even more so than before. "I think I made Junhwe mad."
Hanbin pauses for a while, as if trying to organize his thoughts. "Well, Bobby might just be screwing around for the hell of it, but I get the feeling Junhwe likes you. Like like," he finally says knowledgably.
"Like like?" Jinhwan repeats. "How could you have noticed, and I didn't? No offense."
Hanbin grabs one of Jinhwan's ankles in retaliation, making Jinhwan jerk his leg away with a noise. "You look at him differently, too. Maybe that's why you don't see it."
Is Jinhwan really out here listening to advice about emotions from Hanbin? He might as well talk to Junhwe next-except, it hits him as he remembers, he can't. Jinhwan tries to sink into the sofa, maybe he can stay avoid this problem by staying nestled there forever.
A minute later, Jinhwan sits up straight, mind made up. Hanbin's still looking at him carefully, trying to gauge what he's thinking, and Jinhwan can't believe he's doing this but-"Say Junhwe likes me. Say I possibly like him. What should I do now?"
"I'm so glad you asked." Hanbin says, boyish grin on his face. It's the look he wears whenever he's up to no good with Bobby, and Jinhwan wonders if he should be regretting his words.
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 3
The mistletoe, all fifty or so bundles of it, get taken down. Bobby seems to know where every sprig is planted, and shrugs when Jinhwan shoots him an accusatory look. At least it's over and done with. It feels like it should be liberating, but Jinhwan is almost filled with-regret? He's not even sure anymore.
This time, it's Jinhwan who corners Junhwe in the hallway, trapping him against the wall as Junhwe steps out of the bathroom after his shower. "Hello," he says resolutely.
"Hi, hyung. Excuse me, I have to-" Junhwe freezes when Jinhwan goes up on his tip-toes and pulls something out of his pocket. "Is that-?"
Jinhwan holds the mistletoe between them-Junhwe's just a little too tall for him to reach over his head-and tugs Junhwe down by the collar with his other hand, pressing their mouths together. His lips are plush and soft under Jinhwan's, parted in shock, and Jinhwan thinks he could really get used to this feeling. He hooks a hand over Junhwe's neck when it looks like Junhwe is about to take a step back, and smiles up at him in his most reassuring way, even though there is an unsteady pounding in his chest. "Is this okay?"
Junhwe lets out a long breath against his lips. His bangs are dripping into his eyes as he looks down to Jinhwan's mouth. Voice husky, he drops his hands. "Yeah, it's fine-more than fine. Perfect."
The mistletoe falls from Jinhwan's grip as he brings his other hand to Junhwe's face, kissing him again.
BOBBY: 3
JUNE: 4
Junhwe brings it up a couple of months later. They're sitting on the practice bench, panting and gulping down water on a short break. "It was all Bobby-hyung's idea, y'know. The kissing thing."
Jinhwan lets out an incredulous laugh. "Now, of all times? And-the kissing thing? The kissing thing? That thing had me stressed out for a week straight."
Junhwe buries his face in Jinhwan's shoulder. They're both sweaty, gross, and Jinhwan wrinkles his nose in distaste, but he runs his fingers through Junhwe's hair anyway. "It's not my fault," he mumbles. "I couldn't-I couldn't let him beat me."
It feels oddly comforting to Jinhwan. Tugging on a strand of hair, he gives Junhwe a conspiratorial look. "Hey, Junhwe-only you get all the kisses now, though."
This pacifies Junhwe somewhat, and he stands up and stretches with a satisfied look, before leaning down to peck Jinhwan quickly on the cheek. "Only me."