Junmyeon, as Sehun expected, is unable to stay away for more than half an hour, knocking on Sehun’s door almost exactly thirty minutes after the incident. Sehun opens the door to find him unsuccessfully trying to fix his hair, apparently still messy from his earlier activities.

“Sehun-ah,” he starts breathlessly as soon as the door closes behind him. “I need to explain -”

Without waiting for him to finish, Sehun cuts in bluntly, unable to keep the hurt out of his voice. “Why did you never tell me, hyung?”

Junmyeon looks guiltily at the floor. “I was scared, Sehun. I was honestly terrified.”

“Of what?” Sehun asks, trying to keep his voice even.

“Everything,” Junmyeon says softly. “Everything about the situation was scary and unfamiliar.” He smiles wryly. “Realizing that the only person you’d ever consider dating is your male best friend isn’t an easy discovery to make. Especially when you’ve known since birth that you’re expected to marry a very specific type of person.”

Sehun softens at that. He can’t stay upset at his brother for long anyway, but he also understands the dilemma better than anyone else. “I just - five years is such a long time. How could I have never noticed?”

“We’ve almost slipped up so many times, you don’t even know,” Junmyeon admits. “Sometimes I’d wonder whether it was worth the struggle to try and make it work. But it was never a question, you know? Not really.”

The faint smile on Junmyeon’s face as he speaks tells Sehun everything he needs to know. “You really love him, don’t you hyung?”

Junmyeon’s smile becomes shy as he nods, letting out a shuddery breath at the same time. “I - we - really wanted to tell you, Sehun-ah. Kris felt awful about it, and so did I. I just never knew how to bring it up to you.”

“It’s okay, hyung,” Sehun reassures him, smiling comfortingly at his brother. “I understand why you didn’t.” And he really does, because in a way, Junmyeon has even more to live up to that Sehun does, and it only makes sense that Junmyeon would be petrified by the prospect of their parents ever finding out about this secret. “Anyway, I’m glad! I’ve wanted you two to get together literally forever.”

Junmyeon lets out a watery laugh at that. “You’re the best brother ever, you know that, Sehunnie?”

Sehun pulls Junmyeon in for a hug, smiling cheekily. “Of course I know, hyung.”