A/N: I would suggest listening to the song Latch at least once if you've never heard it before. It's really good and it could help you get a feel for the fic. Listen to it while reading if you want.

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It started off with quiet looks. The kind that you can only spot out of your peripheral and disappear as soon as you turn your head. They were usually sent from across the room or from his position during an interview. Jaehwan always turned away before Hongbin could catch him looking. That’s where he drew the line.

Hongbin was handsome, that much was a known fact. He was called “artwork” for a reason. Everything about him seemed so perfect that it would only make sense to think he was carved, sculpted, or painted by some master artist. But then again even Davinci probably couldn’t capture Hongbin at his best. He wouldn’t have been able to see Hongbin the way Jaehwan saw him. He wouldn’t be able to capture Hongbin stumbling around in the morning, eyes still half closed with leftover sleep and hair mussed or the way he sometimes tripped over his own feet when they’re walking down the hallways of the company building. Hongbin’s smile could never be recreated or imitated. It was his own and no one else could compare.

Jaehwan will admit that it was Hongbin’s looks that first attracted him but as he got to know more about his bandmember, his feelings only grew. Hongbin was shy and polite and he always seemed to have this air of positivity around him. He was also fun, being able to poke jokes at the others and saying lame things to try and get people to laugh.

Sometimes it hurt Jaehwan just to look at him. It pained him to look at someone who seemed so flawless yet still so human and not be able to get any closer.

~~~~~~

He caught Hongbin staring at him through the large mirrors in the practice room. They were being given a ten minute break and Jaehwan was in the middle of the room with Hakyeon, working through several steps in the new choreography that he was having trouble with. At one point, when Hakyeon left to go talk to Taekwoon, Jaehwan turned back to face the mirrors. His eyes drifted off to the side and he locked gazes with Hongbin.

The latter was sitting against the far wall and was looking at him with an expression of almost wonder, a small smile tugging at his lips. His grin widened just a bit when his eyes met Jaehwan’s, as if acknowledging the fact that Jaehwan noticed him. It ended all too soon though. Suddenly, he looked away, turning to say something to Sanghyuk who was sitting next to him. Jaehwan let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding.

~~~~~~

They were in the waiting room for a music show when Jaehwan found himself pressed up against Hongbin’s side. Hakyeon and Wonshik both decided that the sofa in the room was big enough for four people when it really wasn’t.

Jaehwan wasn’t going to complain. Sure he was slightly put off with how Hakyeon seemed to be pushing him further against Hongbin but Hongbin was warm against his side and he smelled like his usual mixture of shower gel and cologne.

Hongbin shifted and Jaehwan stifled a gasp when the latter put his chin on his shoulder. Hongbin’s hair tickled the sides of Jaehwan’s face and it took all he had not to turn towards him and bury his nose in the strands. It was almost miraculous how Hongbin’s hair remained so soft to the touch even with all the bleaching and products the stylists put him through.

Hongbin leaned further in and nuzzled against Jaehwan’s neck, laughing under his breath and it was just loud enough for Jaehwan to hear. Hongbin was always touchy with the members so this was nothing out of the ordinary as no one paid them no mind. Jaehwan glanced down at him.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

Hongbin chuckled, the sound rumbling through him and it vibrated through Jaehwan’s body. “Nothing. I just like being close to you.”

Jaehwan didn’t respond. Instead he looked around at the other’s in the room. Once he was sure no one was paying attention, he reached a hand around Hongbin and placed it on his lower back. His thumb rubbed against the cloth of Hongbin's shirt, briefly feeling the muscles tense and then relax under his touch. He heard Hongbin sigh, the sound content.

Jaehwan decided that the line could be drawn further.

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It became more constant but nothing more noticeable than a touch on the thigh that lasted seconds longer than necessary, hands rubbing soothing circles on the lower back, and soft traces on the back of hands.

Jaehwan never asked for more than what Hongbin offered. If anything, he was left confused. Did all this meant Hongbin felt the same way? It was difficult to imagine someone like Hongbin ever reciprocating his feelings, no matter how close they were. Hongbin belonged with someone who was on par with him. Someone who looked just as good and whose personality was just as wonderful.

They were in an elevator when Jaehwan got his answer. They were holding a show in Japan and the rooms they were staying at in their hotel was close to the top floor which meant long elevator rides up and down. On their second night there, all of them piled into the elevator, members and managers, ready to head out to grab dinner at a restaurant.

When the elevator started moving, Jaehwan felt a brush against his hand. Hongbin stood almost foot away from him in the crowded space facing forward, his expression giving nothing away. Looking down, he noticed how close their hands were, the pinky fingers just barely in contact. He glanced up at Hongbin again and the latter was still facing forward but Jaehwan noticed the slight twitch of his lips, the corners of his mouth just barely lifting.

He turned forward as well. Slowly, Jaehwan reached his hand down further, just lightly touching the skin on Hongbin’s hand. He felt a finger wrap around his pinky. Gently pulling away, he traced down Hongbin’s hand, felt in between the spaces of his fingers. He pushed his own fingers through slowly, sliding them into place and thought with bliss at how they fit between Hongbin’s.

Hongbin’s hands were soft despite the few callouses he received from playing guitar. They were warm and Jaehwan heard Hongbin release a quiet sigh. He thought he might’ve crossed the line and was about to pull away when the fingers around his tightened, willing him to stay and that’s just what Jaehwan did.

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With a lot of pestering and cute gestures, Jaehwan managed to convince Hakyeon to let him room with Hongbin the next time they traveled. They held hands in private, fingers rubbing against knuckles and thumbs making circles onto smooth skin. In front of people, they gave gentle squeezes to the arms and thighs, always making sure the moves seemed natural.

Hongbin let all this happen but he never said anything about it. It was beginning to bother Jaehwan. He wanted to hear what Hongbin thought about all of this. He wanted to know for sure that this was something they both wanted.

His ears perked up when he heard the shower turn off. Minutes later, Hongbin stepped out of the bathroom, plaid pajama pants and white T-shirt on. He looked at Jaehwan sitting on the bed. “Something wrong?” he asked casually.

Jaehwan bit his lip as he watched a drop of water slide down Hongbin’s temple, to his cheek, down his neck before finally getting soaked up in the collar of his shirt. He stood up. “Hongbin,” he said, “what are we doing?”

“What do you mean?”

“All this secret hand holding and stuff,” says Jaehwan. “What does all this mean to you?”

Hongbin furrowed his eyebrows and came closer to Jaehwan. “I don’t understand. I thought you liked all this.”

Jaehwan shook his head with a quiet laugh. “Of course I do. I love being close to you. It’s just-- you’re so quiet about it. You never say anything about it. You just let it happen. I--” He paused and looked at Hongbin. The lights were dimmed, the only lamps on were the ones on the night stands and the small spotlights above the beds. Shadows danced across Hongbin’s face. He looked so beautiful. Jaehwan sighed. “I just want to know how you feel. You already know how I feel about you. I’m like an open book.”

“Oh Jaehwan,” Hongbin said in a tone that Jaehwan could only describe as one that should only be used on a small child. He came closer to Jaehwan and reached out his hands. Almost instinctively, Jaehwan wrapped his fingers around Hongbin’s. They were so close now, the smell of Hongbin’s shampoo spilling onto Jaehwan. His eyes were closed, his breath gone shallow.

Jaehwan looked at him through his eyelashes. He felt Hongbin’s breathing against his lips, the air around them charging, becoming electrified with each release of carbon dioxide. He shook his head again, this time more slightly. He leaned in further, tilting his head just a bit. Their lips almost met, but Hongbin tilted his head a bit too much, their chins almost bumping into each other.

Hongbin chuckled. “Are we close enough?” he whispered.

“No,” Jaehwan muttered and closed the gap between them.

Hongbin tasted like mint toothpaste and something so sweet, Jaehwan couldn’t quite place it. It was new and unfamiliar, something that was so individually and uniquely Hongbin. His lips were warm and so, so soft. He let go of one of Hongbin’s hands and reached up, cupping Hongbin’s neck and continuing upward to his face, Jaehwan’s thumb caressing the skin of Hongbin’s cheek.

He felt one of Hongbin’s hands hold on to his waist while the other threaded through his hair, tugging gently on the strands. Hongbin’s lips parted easily, and Jaehwan felt the silky heat of Hongbin’s tongue against his own. The hand on his waist was moving underneath his shirt, fingers going over each of the bumps on his spine, as if Hongbin was silently counting them through his touch.

When they pulled apart, Hongbin kept his eyes closed with his forehead against Jaehwan’s. They breaths mixed together, the amount of space between them almost nonexistent. They both put their hands down and once again, their fingers latched onto each other immediately, never wanting to let go of the other for fear of missing that warmth.

“You know what you’re getting into, don’t you?” Jaehwan asked.

Hongbin nodded, his hands tightening around Jaehwan. “Just don’t let go for now,” he mumbled.

“Hmm,” Jaehwan hummed before placing his lips against Hongbin’s again. He wasn’t planning on going anywhere.

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So yeah. I wrote KenBin fic. I kinda like how this one came out but it still sounded so much better in my head.

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