For a moment, Minseok wondered if he needed to repeat the question, because no one was talking. In fact, they were all very obviously not talking, too busy looking suddenly very guilty and ashamed of themselves.

    “Well?” Minseok demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. No one was leaving until he got an answer. He hated being confused, and what was worse was that they weren’t just forgetting to mention something and accidentally keeping him out of the loop. No, they were actively hiding something from him. And it was most certainly not okay.

    “I’m so sorry, hyung!” Kyungsoo suddenly cried, dropping to his knees and looking up at Minseok with watery eyes. “I thought it was a bad idea but I was outvoted, and-” Kyungsoo’s voice was drowned out as everyone began talking over each other, the room suddenly filled with ten voices exclaiming apologies and begging for forgiveness.

    Minseok might’ve been alright with that, if he could’ve understood what they were saying.

    “Hyung,” a quiet voice murmured close to his ear, and Minseok turned his head to see Jongdae standing beside him. “Let’s go.” Minseok gave him a suspicious look. No one was trustworthy, aliens or not. “I’ll explain everything, I promise,” Jongdae said, and, after searching his expression for any hint of a lie, Minseok finally nodded.

    “You’d better,” he muttered, grabbing Jongdae’s wrist and leading him towards the door. Immediately the voices ceased, but no one tried to stop them. Minseok waited until they were in the safety of the bathroom before turning on Jongdae and giving him the best disapproving look that he could muster. “Explain.”

    Jongdae ducked his head, clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck and looking more awkward and uncomfortable than Minseok could ever remember seeing him before. “Well you see,” he began, staring at the floor instead of Minseok, like he was supposed to. “Um...we’re all aliens, or something. Yeah. Sure.”

    Minseok’s imagination whooped with glee at being right, while the larger, much more rational part of him became exasperated. “Jongdae,” he snapped, taking the rational part of his brain’s advice and not believing him.

    “Okay, yeah, that was a lie,” Jongdae admitted, peeking up at Minseok uncomfortably. “It’s just...well...like Kyungsoo said. We got outvoted, and there were threats involved - two against nine is not a nice number no matter how you look at it - and then they got the managers in on it...I did my best to control the situation but I’m not perfect!”

    “What situation?” Minseok wheedled, putting aside his need to make Jongdae feel better in favor of finding out what was going on. “Who got the managers in on what?”

    “It’s ridiculous,” Jongdae told him, scratching the back of his neck again. “But...about a month ago, we sort of realized that everyone’s in love with you, and it led to a lot of arguments between members because no one knew what was okay and what wasn’t...”

    “I don’t remember this,” Minseok pointed out, becoming slightly confused as Jongdae spoke. “And I think I would notice if everyone suddenly started fighting for my love.”

    “We tried to keep you out of it as best we could,” Jongdae said, shrugging slightly. “I mean, it’s hardly your fault you’re amazing, hyung. No one wanted you to get hurt.” Minseok gave him a look, because he couldn’t quite believe that. He had a bruise forming on his neck, after all.

    “Anyways,” Jongdae continued when Minseok didn’t immediately say anything. “Eventually someone - I can’t remember who it was - decided that there should be some sort of contest or something, and whoever won got you.”

    “You’re kidding,” Minseok stated flatly. He had to be. There was no possible way that his band members could be that stupid.

    Jongdae met Minseok’s eyes, looking horrifyingly serious. “Trust me, hyung, you have no idea how much I wish I was. Like I said though, Kyungsoo and I thought it was the worst idea to ever exist, but everyone else kind of took to it. Then manager-noona mentioned the Volume Up interview, and Chanyeol said that it would be the perfect time, so we managed to get the answers beforehand, and Luhan talked manager-noona into talking DJ-noona into making the prize be a kiss from all of the members. I ended up talking them down to a kiss on the cheek, because I figured that way nothing bad could happen, but they kept breaking the rules!”

    “Stop talking for a second,” Minseok said, blinking rapidly. “I need to process.” Immediately Jongdae’s mouth snapped shut and he began staring at the floor again. “Is that what Yixing-ah and Joonmyun-ah meant by a showdown?”

    “The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny,” Jongdae stated immediately. At Minseok’s surprised look, Jongdae explained. “Tao-ah called it that once, and the name just sort of stuck. On a scale of one to ten, how mad are you?”

    “Twenty-seven,” Minseok told him, causing Jongdae to flinch.

    “Fair enough,” he mumbled.

    “If it was just a kiss on the cheek, then why didn’t you stop the Maknaes? Or Baekhyun-ah, for that matter.”

    “Well, I didn’t really get the chance to stop Tao-ah or Baekhyun-hyung. They kind of surprised all of us. And as for Sehun-ah...” Jongdae trailed off, his look of discomfort growing to incredible new heights. “Well...Kyungsoo-ah mentioned that you’d never had your first kiss, and there was a huge fight about who was allowed to take it from you - this was before the cheek only rule, mind you - eventually Kai Bai Bo became the deciding factor. Sehun-ah won.”

    “You guys decided who was going to steal my first kiss...with Kai Bai Bo?” Minseok asked, then he realized what he’d said and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’m not sure which part of that sentence pisses me off more. The fact that I have to try and figure it out is quickly putting me from twenty-seven to forty-five. What the hell is wrong with you people!”

    “I’m sorry-” Jongdae began, bowing his head in shame, but Minseok wasn’t done yet.

    “Why the didn’t you tell me!” He shouted, slamming his fist against the sink. “Are you insane? Are all of you ing insane!”

    “I wanted to,” Jongdae said quickly, holding up his hands in defense as if he expected Minseok to suddenly attack him. “I really did, but then they threatened to take pictures of me in the shower and post them on the internet, and we really couldn’t afford the scandal and Kyungsoo-ah wanted to too but...well...it’s Kyungsoo-ah! All they had to do was threaten to hide his cutting board and he was in tears! We all messed up, hyung, and I’m really sorry and I’ll never forgive myself and I don’t think they will either and please don’t hate us!”

    “I don’t hate you,” Minseok told him immediately, though he felt as though he probably should. A normal person would. “But you’re all terrible friends.”

    “I know,” Jongdae mumbled, bowing his head again. “I really am sorry, hyung.”

    For a while they stood there in silence, Jongdae playing with the hem of his shirt and Minseok playing with the camera in his hands. Suddenly, he remembered how this all began, and that there was still one person he hadn’t had a picture with yet.

    “Yah, pabo,” He called out softly, and Jongdae slowly raised his head. Minseok lifted the camera up, shaking it just in case it didn’t immediately catch Jongdae’s eye. “You owe me a picture.”

    To say Jongdae was surprised would have been an understatement. “You still want to take one?” He asked, cocking his head to the side in confusion.

    Minseok scoffed. “I treat my band members equally. Everyone else got one, it’s only fair.”

    “In here?” Jongdae asked, looking around the bathroom in confusion. Minseok nodded.

    “In here,” he agreed, motioning for Jongdae to come over. “Hurry up - I have a bone to pick with some idiots standing in the next room.”

    Jongdae quickly moved across the bathroom, stopping beside Minseok and watching as his hyung raised the camera.

    “Hana, dul, s-mmph!”

    Click!

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A/N: Only one chapter left! I'm quite excited =).