woohyun doesn't know why they never talk about it. but they don’t. nor have they attempted to, but it’s fine.

for the longest time, woohyun has just accepted it as it is. he didn't need to put a label on what he and sunggyu had, and it seemed as if the latter had felt the same way. they knew, just by looking at each other’s eyes, that what they had was something special. 

and of course, like all the other special things, it had to be kept a secret.

woohyun was always up for a challenge, so he didn't mind. in fact, it was a great source of entertainment for him. sunggyu, on the other hand, didn't find it as appealing. maybe because woohyun loved to —to rile him up to a point where sunggyu would drag him off to the bathroom just to kiss him passionately enough that they’re both already sweating even before rehearsal started.

or when woohyun would subtly brush his hand on sunggyu’s thigh while they sat next to each other in the van. thank god dongwoo was always dead asleep right next to them, or else they’d be caught. sunggyu always told him to stop, but woohyun knew deep down that the leader liked his teasing touches. they were fortunate enough to share a bedroom, just the two of them. because the moment they step inside their shared room is the moment sunggyu doesn't tell him to stop. 

but they weren't always like this, though.

woohyun remembers disliking sunggyu the first time they met. the elder didn't talk much, and his eyes were just as sharp as his words. he’s pretty sure sunggyu felt the same way about him too, but all was resolved the day sunggyu had given him a small cake on his birthday (which was three days after they met). 

the first time they kiss had been a year after they have debuted. sunggyu had just gotten home from a night out with a few of his friends from his hometown. he wasn't drunk, but he had a couple of shots. woohyun opens the front door for him. 

“hyung,” woohyun says. he lets the older male inside, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes wafted in the air. “you okay?”

“i’m fine,” sunggyu answers. “is everybody asleep?”

woohyun nods. it was a tiring day for all of them. they had just filmed a music video for their comeback next week.

“why’re you still up?” sunggyu was in the middle of taking his shoes off, his gaze never leaving woohyun’s eyes. 

the question seemed to startle the younger man as he opens his mouth in an attempt to explain. “i—“ he starts. “i couldn't sleep.”

woohyun was lying. it was so obvious. he was waiting for me, sunggyu realizes. he has now gotten his shoes off, and even without them, he was still taller than woohyun. 

“tell me the truth,” sunggyu says. he corners woohyun unto the wall, a slight tint of blush on the latter’s cheek. his own heart was beating rapidly out of his chest for what he’s about to do, but he doesn't really care. he’s wanted this for the longest time, and he knows woohyun wants it too. he just needs a little more confirmation. 

“fine.” woohyun attempts to roll his eyes in a joking manner. “i was waiting for you, ok?”

“why?” their faces were only inches apart. “it’s like 5 am.”

“i know. i just—“ woohyun is cut off by sunggyu’s lips on his own, and soon enough, they’re kissing. 

they don’t talk about the kiss the next morning. nor the kiss the day after that. but it was alright. kisses were never meant to be shared, anyway. 

ever since then, woohyun and sunggyu had been inseparable. it was obvious that they were the closes of the bunch, the best of friends. nobody raised suspicions about it because they’ve never crossed the line of what they were. just two really good friends. (who would occasionally make out and hold hands when nobody was looking).

but then again, keeping secrets is always a tricky business. somebody had to find out sooner or later, right? 

it was infinite’s first concert out of the country. they were getting big, getting noticed. they’ve done a couple of concerts in korea, but this is the first time they’re performing in japan. it’s also the first time that sunggyu and woohyun will be spending the night in different rooms. 

woohyun wasn't too thrilled about it, sungyeol could tell. they sat next to each other on the plane when sungyeol asks him if he was alright.

woohyun sends him a smile. “i’m okay. just a little nervous.”

“tell me about it,” sungyeol groans. he flips through the pages of his japanese language manual, asking woohyun to pronounce several phrases all throughout the duration of their flight. sunggyu had to sit next to the manager, but woohyun didn't mind. sitting right next to sungyeol was fun too.

their first concert in japan ends successfully. the crew all go out to eat at some high-end wagyu restaurant that myungsoo’s been dying to go to. woohyun sits right next to sunggyu, of course. he’s sandwiched between the eldest and the youngest, who spend most of their time bickering about silly things that makes woohyun laugh his heart out.

woohyun gets drunk that night, but sunggyu doesn’t. he never gets drunk. a manager escorts him to his room, and already, he misses sunggyu. the leader’s room was just a few doors away, and woohyun has made a plan to try and sneak in. he waits for a few more minutes inside his own room, just to make sure that the coast is clear, before he ventures off the beautifully carpeted hallways of their hotel. 

sunggyu doesn't even look through the peephole as he opens the door almost immediately, gripping on woohyun’s collar to pull him inside the room. then they start to kiss—their lips gentle and hot at the same time. 

“you’re drunk,” sunggyu tries to say, but woohyun’s kissing his neck and he feels weak. 

neither of them utter a word as they stumble off to the bed, lips still pressed against each other, their tongues deepening the kiss. sunggyu quickly s woohyun’s shirt and kisses his chest when he finally gets it off. woohyun moans loud enough that sunggyu thinks the whole building will hear them, so he presses a palm over to woohyun’s mouth as he attempts to unbuckle his jeans. when woohyun’s finally unclothed, all except that of his underwear, sunggyu kisses him again. longer this time, and with more force.

but then the doorbell rings, and sunggyu snaps his head up. he curses a few times before he leaves the bed, with a hard-on and everything, to go and look through the peephole this time. 

it was sungjong.

sunggyu rushes back to the bed, picks up woohyun’s shirt and pants, and says, “hey. get up and get dressed. sungjong’s at the door.”

woohyun doesn't answer. instead, he rolls off to the side and buries his face flat on the pillows.

“yah!” sunggyu pulls woohyun’s body up by his arms. “you’re going to suffocate!” 

“no,” woohyun says, voice muffled by the pillows. “touch me, hyung. i’m waiting.”

a deep red color’s sunggyu’s cheeks. woohyun has never said anything like that before, but he’s not complaining. with a deep sigh and a ruffle of his hair, sunggyu trudges over to the door again.

“can you stop ringing the doorbell? i heard you the first time!” sunggyu says the moment he opens the door. he doesn't let sungjong in, but he doesn't try to be suspicious about it either. 

“well, you were taking too long. i figured you were asleep, so…” sungjong pauses. “can i come in—?”

“no.” sunggyu reaches out to pat sungjong’s hair in a dismissive manner, hoping that maybe the youngest would get a clue. “maybe tomorrow.”

sungjong gasps dramatically. “you have a girl over, don’t you?” 

“what? no!” 

“then let me in.”

“can’t we do this tomorrow?”

sungjong opens his mouth to respond something snappy, but he stops when woohyun suddenly appears right by sunggyu’s side, totally unclothed with his underwear discarded on the floor just a few inches away. 

turns out sungjong just needed help with his vocals for day 2 of their concert. but it also turns out that he’s very understanding and knows how to keep a secret. 

there was a time a few years back where woohyun wondered if sunggyu only saw him as a friend he could kiss and give occasional s to. sure, that’s exactly what they did, but woohyun saw sunggyu as somebody special. somebody he cared about. potentially, even somebody he loved. this was one of the downsides of not talking about what they were. but woohyun would rather wonder about it for the rest of his life than lose sunggyu just because he asked about something he shouldn't have.

besides, woohyun never really liked being straightforward. so, instead of asking sunggyu about his thoughts, he devises a plan. 

it was christmas, and all of the members have gone home for the holidays. except that of sunggyu, who chooses to miserably stay in their dorms to work on his solo album. 

woohyun had spent the whole day with his family for christmas. they asked him to spend the night, but woohyun could only apologize and say that sunggyu was spending christmas alone, and he  had thought of keeping the leader company. woohyun’s mother berates him and tells her son that he should've invited sunggyu to celebrate with them, and woohyun’s heart warms at the thought.

“maybe next year,” he says. and then he drives off.

when woohyun gets home, the dorm is unusually quiet. it feels so empty without the rest of the members, and woohyun wonders how sunggyu had managed to spend the whole christmas day all by himself. 

“hey, hyung,” are the first words woohyun says when he sees sunggyu by the kitchen counter, eating a bunch of cookies that hoya and dongwoo baked that morning. sunggyu had a fuzzy, purple sweater on. he looked cute. “i missed you.”

sunggyu looks up at him, the corners of his mouth cutely decorated with cookie crumbs. woohyun walks closer for a hug, but sunggyu stops him. 

“what’s that?” sunggyu asks, eyes sharp on woohyun’s neck.

“what’s what?”

“that.” sunggyu jabs a finger on woohyun’s skin. he lifts his finger up to their faces, his index tainted with red lipstick. “this?”

woohyun makes a feeble attempt to cover his neck, and says, “i don’t know.” he tries to wipe the lipstick off, but sunggyu grabs his wrist and