Actions speak louder than words.

This is especially true when Yoseob ponders the closeness of his relationship with fellow Beast member, Yong Junhyung, whose default expressions border between arrogant smirks and displeased frowns, or at least they would seem so to the untrained eye. More than the words Junhyung likes to bandy around, the two of them rely on touch to convey their messages to each other.

A lot of the physical contact is fanservice. Fans seem to enjoy watching the group interact freely, and since there’s no harm in it, he has become accustomed to becoming even grabbier where the rapper is concerned after their duet ‘Thanks To’ came out. The contrast between the ‘chic idol’ and the ‘cute idol’ is irresistible, and he knows Junhyung is not blind to this fact. Overt touches like the mock-ing stunt the older man pulled during a recent Beautiful Show are meant to cater to the Beauties’ tastes, and although Yoseob was taken by surprise he likes to think he managed to react reasonably well to it. If he is truthful to himself, the fan videos popping up on YouTube record a happy, albeit embarrassed, face as he pulls away from Junhyung’s arms.

A lot of it isn’t, though. The slight brush of Junhyung’s fingers against his arm mid-performance is something the rapper has taken to doing by himself. So are the reassuring shoulder squeezes and the tendency to wrap an arm around Yoseob’s waist, as if to emphasize how small he is by comparison. For someone who maintains a cool image, Junhyung is far more clingy than he lets on. He is also most receptive to touch out of all the other Beast members, and Yoseob takes full advantage of that. He keeps pushing Junhyung’s boundaries by cuddling close to him, hugging him at random, and laying his head on the other musician’s lap, and each time the rapper acquiesces is a sign of their deepening trust in one another.

Sometimes when they hold hands it feels like an electric charge is running up his spine. Sometimes when Junhyung places their faces close together to murmur comments without being heard by the audience he instinctively holds his breath. Sometimes Yoseob feels the need to drape himself over Junhyung for no apparent reason. In the back of his mind he knows these sensations aren’t normal, but it’s hard to listen to reason when he is too busy listening in amazement to how perfectly they blend together, how well Junhyung knows him and composes melodies with his voice in mind. Those thoughts fly out of his mind when their eyes meet and the older man smiles just the tiniest bit despite his visible fatigue, and he can’t help but smile back.

So he forgets his uneasiness and basks in Junhyung’s undivided attention, enjoys the rush of pleasure he gets when the rapper sidles up to him and the two of them fool around and make nuisances of themselves wherever they are. The kind of bond they share has never needed a name before, so why would it be any different now?

“Hey!” A hand jerks him back just in time to narrowly avoid hitting a lamp post. Dazed, Yoseob blinks and turns to his companion. Junhyung stares at him and says nothing, and he resists the urge to squirm. That silent gaze always unnerves him, as if those eyes can see right through what’s in his head. The anxiety must also have reflected in his eyes, because the rapper reaches out to muss his hair affectionately. “Not sure what you’re thinking,” he says, lips curving upward in a teasing smile, “but ‘It’s gonna be alright, it’s gonna be alright♪”

The unexpected singing makes him drop his jaw, and moments later start laughing until tears come out of his eyes. Trust the man to make him feel better by singing a line from their recently-released album, and Dujun’s part no less!

He pulls Junhyung’s hand down and intertwines their fingers. “I’m gonna be alright, yeah, I’m gonna be—okay,” he shoots back with a grin. With events for the new album Hard to Love, How to Love over, it’s the first time in a long while that they can just roam the streets aimlessly like this. “Wanna hang out in the music store?”

They listen to a number of different CDs, sharing a pair of headphones between them. The occasional click of phone cameras alerts him to the presence of curious bystanders taking photos of him and Junhyung, but the rapper’s lack of response probably means it’s all right not to do anything. When the two of them finally turn around and take in the small crowd that has gathered near them, they do a number of silly poses before making their purchases and leaving.

On the way back, they take the subway, and he doesn’t remember falling asleep, but he must have, because soon enough a low voice is urgently telling him to wake up. He steps out of the train car still a bit wobbly, head throbbing. His best friend and sometime-producer of his songs slings a supportive arm over his shoulder. The walk back to the dorm is quiet, but he is content to feel the comfortable warmth of Junhyung’s fingertips on his wrist.

Yoseob has barely opened the door when Dongwoon literally jumps on him like an excited little kid and gets hit by Junhyung for his efforts. “No manners as usual,” the rapper mumbles, but his eyes betray some sort of nervousness. Between the maknae’s piteous cries of ‘Hyung, that really hurt~’ and Kikwang’s raucous laughter in the background, he takes note of their leader’s uncharacteristically serious face.

“What is it?” He immediately asks. Everyone in the room shuts up, and Dujun sighs. Junhyung looks like he might know something, and a feeling of dread coils up in Yoseob’s gut. He looks at the rapper, but Junhyung just shakes his head.

In the end, it is the maknae who ventures to speak. “Yoseob-hyung, you’d better take a look at this first.” He hands over his phone, and what he sees shocks Yoseob into silence.

It is a photo of him sleeping in Junhyung’s lap. Nothing he hasn’t done before, except…

The date of the photo is today, and the place is inside the subway.