Time was passing so fast, the days rushing by. He couldn't believe it, he just wanted to press pause for a tiny while and enjoy how happy they all were in this new mundane life of theirs. Sometimes he even caught himself forgetting all about that hidden knot in his stomach that kept warning him this was all just temporary. Maybe he wanted it to last forever. What a scary thought. But what was even more scary was the fact that he didn't really find it scary anymore.

Jiyong sipped his red wine, feeling how it relaxed every little muscle, putting him completely at ease. It was one of those random, mundane nights that made it seem like they were just another family sailing together through life. They finally had a moment to relax after one of their legendary battles with Soonie, to get her to go to sleep, where she turned into this little dictator, ruling the house. A dictatorship where the number of bedtime stories became currency, where making you fetch glasses of water was actually a high-level Jedi mind trick and teary puppy eyes were a special form of torture. But they had made it. They were still alive. And their little monster was fast asleep, looking like a perfect angel, melting both of them into remoldable clay, ready for another day of trying to fake being in charge while crumbling down and giving in to her every demand. Jiyong had never thought he would ever meet anyone who could win over his blind determination and stubbornness, but he had never met anyone like Soonie. She didn't fight fair. She had crept into his heart like a ninja in the dark of night and taken over everything. One look and he was a puppet in her hands. And he didn't even mind it. He actually quite liked it. Maybe she had brainwashed him as well. Either way it felt good. He had never been as happy in his life, and he had had a pretty fortunate life.

How could something so simple and ordinary as sipping red wine while watching TV together feel so nice? He looked at Seunghyun, who was sitting beside him, completely engrossed in the movie, or was it a TV show? Jiyong wasn't paying attention. His heart did a double take as he wondered how Seunghyun could still look like a model after all they had been through tonight. Seunghyun had even been the one to give her a bath, turning the bathroom into a swimming pool, but something as lowly as water was no match for his dashing looks. He looked even better in the wet look, his damp shirt teasingly clinging to his abs, driving Jiyong crazy.

Seunghyun tore his eyes away from the screen, looking curiously into his. He had probably sensed that he was staring at him. Jiyong got a bit flustered, but held it together, working the poker face. They had been getting along really well lately. There had even been some flirting going on, at least it had felt like flirting to him. It was really subtle, so he couldn't be completely sure. A brief look here, a tiny joke there, a soft touch that felt like an invitation to more. It was kind of driving him crazy, but he was loving every minute of it.

"Kiss me." Seunghyun suddenly said, still looking into his eyes.

"What?!" he couldn't help but be taken by surprise, not even his masterfully constructed poker face was enough to hide how fast his heart was beating. Had he heard him right? Was this one of his weird jokes?

"Kiss me." Seunghyun simply repeated, calm as a leaf on a windless day. But Jiyong could see the edges of his lips curling ever so slightly upwards. This was some kind of trap. He wasn't falling for it.

"Why?" he asked, his eyes trying to X-ray Seunghyun's brain to uncover his true intentions.

Seunghyun shrugged, like it was no big deal. "Just kiss me." he said in a calm voice.

"What are you up to?" he peered his eyes, showing him he was on to him, even though he had no idea where he was going with this.

"You're just going to have to kiss me to find out." Seunghyun grinned. Ah, how frustrating! Jiyong actually really wanted to kiss him. He had wanted it for a while. And now Seunghyun was inviting him to fulfill his wish right then and there, yet he didn't dare do it. He didn't want to be made a fool of. He didn't want to risk him finding out his real feelings, when he wasn't confident of what it was he really wanted and he didn't even know if there was the tiniest chance of those feelings being reciprocated. He couldn't imagine how Seunghyun would respond if he found out, and he was not about to risk their friendship.

"Yeeeah, no. Just tell me." he ordered him, standing his ground.

"I guess you won't find out then." Seunghyun simply said, and turned his eyes back towards the television screen like nothing had happened.

They sat in silence and watched the movie. Jiyong's blood was boiling out of frustration. He tried not to think about it, to ignore his brain which was screaming with curiosity, but it was impossible. He tried so hard to play it cool, but in the end he was defeated by his own mind.

"No, seriously. What are you trying to pull?" he heard himself asking without his permission. Ah, he was so pathetic, letting Seunghyun psych him out, knowing he was playing right into his hands.

Seunghyun casually looked at him without saying anything, a visible smile in his eyes. Ugh, that annoying bastard. He knew he had won already. They both knew.

Taking a deep breath, he focused in on Seunghyun's lips, taking the plunge, having no idea what Seunghyun would do with him when he reached his destination. He gave him a really short peck on the lips. Just short enough to find out nothing, not about his own feelings nor about Seunghyun's. Short as it was, it did send a shockwave through his body, unnerving him, exposing his soft, vulnerable insides.

"So..?" he asked in the most aloof way possible, trying to prepare himself for whatever disaster was coming his way.

"No, I just wanted a kiss." Seunghyun shrugged and continued to watch the movie like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Jiyong had to grab his own jaw to prevent it from dropping on the floor. What was that? What was he playing at? Was this some genius plan to drive him insane? He didn't know what to think or how to react. He was used to being the smart one in the room, the one in control, but now he was like a fish out of water.

"You're so weird!!" he exclaimed and punched him in the shoulder to diffuse the situation.

"I'm weird?!? You're the one that kissed me." Seunghyun laughed, a wicked demon visiting his eyes. "You want another one?" he lunged himself at him and Jiyong pretended to be grossed out, fighting him with all he had. Seunghyun often and all the members by pretending to try and kiss them. It wasn't a big deal to Seunghyun. He just did it to keep the atmosphere light and playful, and Jiyong didn't want to ruin that. If he knew how much it meant to him, Seunghyun would start to avoid him when making these kinds of jokes, or maybe stop completely.

They horsed around for a while, both laughing their asses off until they fell off the sofa and on the floor. They continued a playful struggle for a bit, and then somehow Jiyong ended on top of him and they stopped abruptly, staring at each other, out of breath. Jiyong's heart was beating so loudly he couldn't think. He was painfully aware that he was on top of Seunghyun, hyper sensitive to his touch. It felt like they were having a moment. Seunghyun wasn't trying to free himself, he wasn't looking away, he was looking right back into his eyes. Jiyong was overtaken by a strong urge to kiss him and bury himself in his arms. He even got the feeling Seunghyun wouldn't hit him if he tried, yet he chickened out. He coughed dramatically and let himself fall on the floor next to him. They both laughed and decided it was time to hit the hay. Tomorrow was another day.