Seoul dwellers are busy making their way home from either work or school, flowing through the city as the night deepens.

Only two people are sedentary on one of the busy sidewalks. The younger, tan-skinned and taller one is craning his neck from side to side, scanning the various shops, unperturbed by the people trying not to jostle past him.

The older one is more aware, offering apologetic looks to anyone who makes eye contact for his pale frame getting in their way.

“Jongin, why don’t we just go get bubble tea or something?”

“Just wait a minute, hyung,” Jongin responds, eyes still searching. “I think it’s here somewhere… Ah, there it is!”

He grabs his companion by the arm and ushers them both to a cozy coffee shop. Books and Brews, it says on the glass window in white writing.

“I remember you said you wanted to visit this place, but Sehun only wants bubble tea when the three of us are together. So let’s go now,” Jongin says cheerfully.

The older male blinks and abruptly stops in his tracks. “But you hate coffee. You said it tastes… bleh.”

“It does!” Jongin yells. “I’ll just get one of the teas. But you’re paying for it.”

“Ya, Kim Jongin, may I remind you that it’s you who dragged me in here?”

“So?”

“So you should be paying!”

“I left my money in the dorm, though.”

“Why are older members always expected to pay when we’re all working the same way?”

“Because you are good hyungs who like taking care of your adorable younger members whom you love with all your hearts,” Jongin says cheekily and adds: “Lu Han-hyung especially.”

Lu Han only grunts in reply. When he has had a taste of his purple potato latte, however, he forgets he has been grumbling earlier. “Coffee is life!”

Jongin makes a face. "Bleh."

"You're just jealous your tea is boring. It's just leaves and stuff." Lu Han beams over the rim of his cup, eyebrows wriggling in delight. The purple cream mustache above his upper lip amuses Jongin.

"Whatever. That's not why we're here, though."

Lu Han purses his lips before asking, "So why are we here exactly?"

"To talk about Sehun!" Jongin's eyes light up and his body shifts animatedly in contrast to the man before him. He chatters away, unaware that his companion has fallen silent, not even the sound of sipping coffee could be heard.

It's not that Lu Han doesn't want to listen. It's just that he has trouble concentrating on the turn of events the day has brought him to so far.

Just this morning he woke up with the sinking feeling in his gut that usually comes with having affections for someone that cannot be reciprocated, let alone acknowledged. Now here's Jongin, not only putting to light the feelings Lu Han has barely identified himself, he's urging Lu Han to confess to Sehun—

Wait, what?

Lu Han practically chokes on air, a coughing fit has him thumping a fist on his chest. “Confess mfffffrah—?”

Jongin looks at him like he’s being silly. “That’s when you tell Sehun you like him, of course.”

"Jongin," Lu Han starts. "Jongin—I don't think I'm supposed to do that."

The younger male's face crumples in confusion. "Why not?"

"For a lot of reasons," Lu Han sighs.

"But hyung, you do like Sehun, don't you? What's there to hesitate about?"

Unbeknownst to Kim Jongin and his excellent way of playing oblivious (as Kyungsoo graciously pointed clearly) in the earlier stages of his existence within the group, Lu Han has tons of insecurities that if one even as much as take a little glimpse, he’d be devastated for the rest of his life. He is that insecure that Minseok has to roll his eyes each time Luhan falls on his knees and starts his pathetic (according to Luhan) life story in chronological order complete with all the emotions and flailing noodle arms because not enough Koreans know Mandarin and it’s frustrating the way Kris mixes them with English.

So the idiot in front of him wouldn’t actually know the struggle that is Luhan’s feelings, because Kim Jongin loves his own space and does nothing aside from sleep, dance, sleep, eat, sleep, and more sleep. It’s a wonder how he’s not suffering from hypertension when he sleeps more than he’s awake. But that’s not important, Luhan can dwell on that for a latter time. What’s important is to drill the basics into this idiot’s head as to why he sadly can’t confess to a more oblivious Oh Sehun.

“Okay, one, our career has only begun, two we’re in a boyband, and three, refer to number two.” He stares intently, or as hard as his blinking eyes can get. Jongin's got massive depth in his eyes that it’s hard to focus on them. Is that where his iness comes from? I thought it's from the body waves.

“Which makes it a lot easier. You don’t have to hide to go on dates. Plus, you can touch publicly and the world would experience peace. War in Middle East would cease and children would be born instantly. You’ll be regarded as the legendary heroes who saved mankind from its destruction caused by lack of romantic feelings.”

“You did not just say romantic feelings. Ew.” Luhan cringes, seriously. Because Kim Jongin, and that is all he has to know. No further reasons needed to puke at all the words that came out of the younger’s impossibly thick lips. It’s enough that Sehun’s got a tuft of rainbow on top his head.

Jongin scrunches his face. “I’m trying not to be sick okay? I’m doing you a huge favor so it up, hyung.”

“Who talked you into this?” He eyes him suspiciously, am I seriously that obvious that even Jongin noticed? Sweet gracious, whoever you are, please forgive me for I have sinned. I have caused this child’s m–

“No one,” Jongin says, casually sipping his tea. His face breaks into a million dollar smile (oh god, is this punishment already?) that sadly, SM Ent. hasn’t discovered yet. Think of all the income raise that one smile could give the company. If it were Luhan’s own company, he’d be swimming in gold bars (not that SM isn’t already). “This tea is heavenly! Hyung, take a sip!”

How cute, not only Jongin has a beautiful set of teeth, he also managed to figure out my unrequited feelings. Luhan plants his face on the table, agony written on the seams of his lips.

“Hyung? Something wrong? Is your stomach hurting?”

“Jongin,” he raises his head, propping his chin on the glass. “Can you stop being cute for a second and let me drown myself in pity?”

Jongin’s brows meet and his lips pucker up front. Luhan didn’t sign up for this. It was not in the contract. “This is why you need to confess.”

“No. This is why all the noonas are smitten. Look at those lips, Sehun’s are much thinner and have more vivid color but no one likes them and it’s a sad thing I find them more attractive than yours.”

“Again, confess.”

“No,” he reaches out a hand and pat’s Jongin’s arm, suddenly exhausted from just watching Jongin’s various faces. “I’d rather not risk all of us.”

***

Jongin sighs, his fifth in the span of eighteen minutes being in the same vicinity as Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo has sighed twelve times already.

“Again, what’s in it for you?” He’s folding Jongin’s underwear this time.

Jongin rolls on his side, scratching one of his globes. Kyungsoo’s eyes twitch in annoyance.

“The world would be a better place.”

His Patrick boxers come flying all the way across the room. “Answer me or I won’t be feeding you for a week.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Try me.”

“But, hyuuuung” Kim Jongin, one of the guys gifted in the height department in their group, the one appointed as the face of the group alongside Luhan, and the one exuding explicit fantasies of every human being, whines in front of Do Kyungsoo, the guy much more smaller than him not only in stature but also in package (don’t ask how Jongin managed to see the junior Do, it’s not impossible with only one bathroom and six guys), and cooks and cleans and practically plays a maid’s role whenever schedules are nonexistent.

His previous way of questioning seems to have no effect on the younger and Kyungsoo only knows one more thing in able to unfold Jongin’s sudden awareness. “Don’t hyung me. Answer me, mister second maknae.”

Jongin widens his eyes, blinks three times to moisten his eyes, puckers his lips, and mimes a puppy softly purring for its owner to forgive his naughtiness. Kyungsoo ignores them all, hard. He sets the last of Jongin’s boxers on top of a bright red Calvin Klein and crosses his arms. He urges himself to stay strong and not give in easily should he not want their conversation to end just like the other day.

“Five seconds or I’m out. Five, four–”

“I swear I don’t know!” Jongin scrambles to sit and probably shake Kyungsoo’s stubbornness by feigning innocence. Kyungsoo looks away.

“Then why are you playing Cupid?”

“Uhm… because Valentine’s Day is fast approaching?”

“Three–”

“So Luhan-hyung could stop sending Sehun the notice-me eyes because Sehun doesn’t understand actions without actual words.”

Kyungsoo arches a brow, completely agreeing with the younger male. But he wouldn’t let Jongin know. He still thinks Jongin should just keep his mouth shut. That would make the world a better place. “And if that happens, what would you get?”

Jongin looks sheepish, forcing a smile that crooks in all the wrong ways. “I get more sleep?”

Kyungsoo heaves a sigh, unlaces his arms, and stretches his legs, then walks away, silently refusing to let steam off in front of Jongin. He’d feel guilty because Jongin’s intentions seem pure despite him looking like an idiot trying to fit his right foot in a left shoe.

***

Outside the room, Sehun’s busy drilling Luhan to his possible death bed by firing question after question while pressing the older male further into the couch to be one with it because,

“Why wasn’t I invited, hyung? Where did you go with Jongin? What’s that in the plastic bag? You didn’t even buy me cookies. Did you two have fun? I bet you did. Hyung, you never play with me anymore. It’s always Minseok-hyung or Yixing-hyung, and now Jongin too—”

Sehun’s so close Luhan can smell the Colgate in his breath and aww I can see Sehun’s braces from here. Isn’t that adorable? He’s so close, too damn close, and god, I think I stopped breathing. Breathe Luhan, breathe… f—he’s sooooooclosetooclosehowtobreathemhmcolgatesmellsgoodtoocloseabortmission!

“Ah, hyung?” Sehun lightly pokes him on the cheek and Luhan internally cries. How do I breathe??

Luhan’s only grateful that the rest of the EXO-K are out of sight. This is one tight spot to get out off, because of course he can't possibly tell Sehun just whyyy he was out with Jongin (though the latter will probably be delighted to do just that).

"Se-hun-lem-me-br-eeeaa-the," he sputters weakly.

The maknae withdraws his frame that he realizes is almost draped all over the older one. Lu Han is grateful for the opportunity to collect himself. "Aish, you maknaes like to pretend you're cute, but really you're just a pain in the ."

Sehun feels affronted so he shoots back, "That should say something if you didn't have such a small ."

"Fine." Luhan huffs. "We'll bring you along next time, happy?"

Sehun shows he's finally pacified by flashing a toothy grin that sets Lu Han's heart on fire again. Oh dear lord.

A/N: To Kat, who steered the story to the right direction--*throws hearts your way* I hope you don't get smothered in fluffy feelings from me!!

Also, there's real purple potato latte from a shop called Subspace Coffee House. When I went there, I asked them to do coffee art like this.