The manager walked in, having a silly smile plastered on his face. When standing before sweaty boys who were dead tired from playing among themselves, he immediately cleared his throat and wore his sternest expression.

“Kevin, your mother has specifically requested for the company to start putting you in a more masculine light. Thus, for the next album, we’ll have you and a few others shirtless. The company has asked me to ask you to start visiting the gym everyday.” The manager informed, purposely leaving out the part where the staffs were chatting and laughing “because it’s impossible for him to get abs, might as well let him learn it the hard way.”

Heads turned to the manager in a split second, most of it in shock and disbelief.

“Really?” Kevin asked with a hopeful glint in his innocent eyes.

“Tch,” Kibum cruelly rolled his eyes. “As if that’ll make him manlier.”

“Hey!” Kevin pouted. Kibum raised his eyebrow and smirked in reply. Oh yeah, a man pouts.

Alexander shook his head and frowned. “Kibum-ah! Be more encouraging! Go Kevin, I’ll be rooting for you! Fighting!”

The others exchanged glances. It was a well-known fact that the two were a couple, and another known fact that when the two have different opinions, you HAVE to join either Team Kibum or Team Kevin (these two always have this game going on). The manager caught the hint of the situation and quietly sneaked out.

The funny thing about the situation is that whoever are in Team Kevin will always be there, and whoever are in Team Kibum has always been there. Soohyun and Eli are in Team Kevin, with the other three in Team Kibum (because the rest have no muscles to fight against Kibum, and the exception Kiseop has always been under Kibum’s control.)

Today, Alexander has more courage. He knew he had to stand up for justice, and is not afraid to join Team Kevin. (No, it’s not because he finally confessed to Eli and now has a boyfriend to protect him from evil Kibum.)

Kibum glared at Alexander as he moved to Kevin’s side of the room. Kevin cheered happily while high-fiving the oldest. “Yay! Welcome abroad!”

Eli plopped himself before Alexander and glared back at Kibum, with eyes firing bullets at Kibum.

Soohyun was lazy to stand up, so he crawled over to Team Kevin. Joining Team Kevin was really more because Kevin showers everyone in rainbows and smiles that whether he’s right or wrong, Soohyun finds himself supporting Kevin. If it wasn’t because Kibum was no longer the wimp he was during ‘Not Young’ days, Soohyun was sure everyone would be on Kevin’s side.

Hm...maybe it wasn’t a good choice to support Kevin?

“Yay! I have more people on my side this time!” Kevin grinned and hugged them all appreciatively.

Okay, maybe it still is.

-

Kibum has been seeing a horribly ghastly looking Kevin recently. Everyone would tell him to say something to his determined boyfriend, but Kibum wouldn’t, because he was afraid. He was afraid he couldn’t keep the care and concern in his heart from flowing out of his mouth and into Kevin’s ears. Stubborn, yet that’s Kibum. I mean, hey, Kevin’s looking like he could collapse the next moment, and Kibum just can’t hug the boy close and tell the younger that his heart is breaking from such a painful sight? If that’s not being stubborn, then it’s taking idiocy to a whole new high. Take your pick.

“Tch,” Kibum would go, trusting to only make that sound without looking like he was going to cry. He would then leave, and Kevin would be sulking behind him.

Kevin hasn’t been very happy either. He was currently stuck in the middle of proving to his boyfriend that he is a man (while dying from all the workouts) and his boyfriend recently only saying “Tch” (is that even a word?) to him. Both are horrible, and Kevin doesn’t know which is worse.

Kevin pulled up his shirt and stared.

“Nevermind..” Kevin sighed. “At least something’s appearing.”

-

“Are you ready? Kevin, you’re taking way too long for someone who is coming out shirtless.” Alexander knocked on his door impatiently. “Don’t tell me to change outside, because there’re noona-deul I don’t know here.”

“Okay, okay, coming!” Kevin bit his lower lip, took his clothes off the hook, and walked out.

“WHAT?!”

All heads turned to Alexander’s shriek, to find nothing worth screaming about.

Until Dongho realised something. “Hey, I thought you’re supposed to take off your shirt?”

Kibum smirked. “Nothing to show?”

Kevin chose to keep quiet and turn away. Damn it, he can’t confess that he is shy. He’s supposed to be manly. Or else why the hard work for the abs? Only to be ruined by unmanliness?

“Get ready, kids. Out of this room in two.” The manager informed as he walked out of the room to notify the company of the situation in the studio. “Soohyun, make sure of that.”

“Yeah, sure.” Soohyun stared at Kevin for a while and wondered how he should tell Kevin what he had in mind. Sighing, he shook his head and bothered himself with getting Kiseop’s brain back to Earth. “Stop spacing out, you can stare the dust particles at a later date.”

Kiseop pouted in reply. “But I’m ready!”

“...”

“I’M DONE!” Alexander announced and the boys took it as signal to start vacating the room.

-

“...Kevin, opposite Soohyun. Kibum, behind Eli on coffee table. Turn a bit so you’re facing inwards.” The music video director commanded. “Wait. Isn’t Kevin supposed to have his shirt off?”

Everyone stared at Kevin, putting him under immense pressure. He bit his lower lip in hesitation, but nodded. “Yeah, I was...cold.”

Eli laughed, but kept it down, knowing that Kevin was just being...Kevin.

Yet because Kevin was the one stalling the music video filming process, everyone looked at him and waited for him to strip his upper body...

Awkward...

Kevin shut his eyes tight and pulled the shirt he was wearing over his head, before throwing it towards the stylists present. He shook his head so that his hair was back in style, which was quite easy since it was unstyled anyway.

And everyone stared. A few fits of giggling from the noona-deul present, and some small voices going “Kevin has grown up into a fineeeee man!”

Kevin blushed at the compliment and tried to will away the redness in his cheeks. Must. Concentrate. On. Filming.

And then he caught a glance of Kibum’s facial expression which were definitely uncontrolled.

Kevin doesn’t know when he learnt to. He concludes that it must be the influence of Kibum. The irony, because now, he’s smirking at Kibum.

“Kibum, I like your expression. Do it again when I cue you to.” The director said.

Kibum swore he needed to die then. And he didn’t miss the smug look on Kevin. Forget it, he’ll deal with it later.

-

“...Kibum, now you face Kevin and turn your head to the left so your side profile is captured on the screen.” The director nodded when everyone followed the instructions.

The assistant director suddenly called for a pause. “Wait, I think...”

U-KISS then took an unofficial short break, not daring to move and thus staying in their positions. Kibum got tired of straining his neck muscles, so he turned back, forgetting that Kevin was right before him.

Kevin smiled innocently.

Damn it.

-

Kevin finds himself pinned against the wall, feeling the warmth of both their body since he had no time to grab his shirt. “Yes?”

Kibum hadn’t the mind to explain anything, only capturing the younger’s lips with his own and then letting his hands slide up from Kevin’s hands to his neck. Holding Kevin’s head with his hands, Kibum attacked with more force, missing the taste he hadn’t had for months since the “Kevin with abs or not” thing.

They finally broke apart when Kevin started digging his nails into Kibum’s back.

“I’m- I’m breathless.” Kevin managed to say, trying to catch his breath at the same time.

“I don’t care whatever you become, you’ll still be my Binnie. Get it?”

Kevin pretended to think for a while. “Hmm...I don’t know?”

And he got ready for the next passionate attack.

-

“Where’s Kevin-hyung and Kibum-hyung?” Dongho scratched his head.

“Shut up, it’s break time.” Alexander and Eli high-fived each other with a knowing smile.

-

I still remember being all hyped up over Shut Up and Break Time album :S
Now they're coming back with a new album and I have no idea what to feel.