Jinwoo was busy interacting with another fan at the NII Fan meet when he overheard something he didn't take too kindly to.

"...And apply some whitening cream now..."

The mat-hyung fought the urge to cut in, but he couldn't even if he wanted to.  Winner still had not debuted officially and they needed all the fan support they could get and being rude to a fan would cast them in a negative light.  After all, reputation was everything when you were to debut as an idol.  Jinwoo knew Mino could handle it himself. If it bothered him he could just confide in Jinwoo later after they returned to the dorm.  Plus, there were other fans to attend to. Jinwoo was taken out of his thoughts when he heard Mino's deep voice trying to laugh off the rude colorist suggestion. "What do you mean?"

Without hesitation the female fan replied, "Your face is dark."

Jinwoo's jaw clenched as he turned towards the fan and grimaced.  How dare she.  Who did this girl think she was to think casually recommending skin whitening to Mino so he could reflect her beauty standards was okay?  Mino was fine the way he was.  The flashing of a press camera was the only thing that stopped Jinwoo from berating the fan for her brash words.  Jinwoo risked a glance at Mino.  The younger man was smiling but it didn't quite reach his eyes as the fan walked away.  Jinwoo took a deep breath to quell his anger and painted a happy smile back on his face so he could get through the rest of the fan meet. 

All five members were dropped off at YG headquarters so they could return their NII clothes to the stylists and change back into their usual attire.  Seunghoon, Seungyoon, and Taehyun decided to stay and work on some song demos, Mino was still undecided on what he wanted to do, and Jinwoo wanted to walk back to the dorm. Seungyoon questioned the decision. "But Hyung, isn't it too cold to be walking home?"

"I just--" Jinwoo sighed,"I just have some stuff on my mind and I figured a walk would help me clear things up a little."

Seungyoon was going to nag the older, but Jinwoo had a pleading look in his eyes.  It was a look Seungyoon had become accustomed to over the years from being his roommate.  That look was saved for when Jinwoo didn't want to be questioned over his actions, the only time he played the "hyung card".  Seungyoon conceded to the look.  He brushed his growing hair out of his faced and huffed, "OK." The leader glanced over to Mino who busy with his phone. "Hey Mino-hyung."

The rapper jumped up at the call of his name. "Yeah?"

"Do you think you could accompany Jinwoo-hyung home?"

Mino grinned and playfully saluted Seungyoon. "Yes sir!" Even though he was still upset from earlier, the corners of Jinwoo's mouth raised to form a faint smile. Mino hooked his arm through Jinwoo's. "C'mon Hyung, grab your coat and let's go."    

A brisk gust of wind smacked their bodies as they exited the building.  Jinwoo felt Mino shudder next to him.  He cleared his throat before speaking. "Do you want to stop and get something warm to drink?"

Mino rubbed his hands together and blew on them for warmth before he responded. "That sounds great."

"Since Seungyoon-ah roped you into this, you can pick the place and I'll buy."

"Are you sure? Taking you home really isn't that difficult. I like spending time with you, Hyung."

Jinwoo hid his blushing from Mino's words by bowing his head and pushing the younger. "Aish, I'm sure. Pick a place before it gets dark."

Mino chuckled at Jinwoo's reaction.  He rubbed his chin as he thought of where he wanted to go. "How about the cafe we usually go to? It's not that far and I can easily get my drink to-go so we can get home before the sun sets."

Jinwoo placed his gloved hands in his pockets. "Sounds good to me."

They took a short-cut through a nearby alley to get to the cozy cafe.  A tiny bell chimed as they entered the establishment.  Jinwoo took a seat at one of the small tables that lined the large front window.  He took a bill out of his wallet and gave it to Mino. 

"Are you sure you don't want anything Hyung?" Mino wanted to double-check before he entered the small ordering queue that was forming near the cash register.

"Mhmm," Jinwoo hummed. He flashed the younger a modest smile. "Just make sure to give me back the change."

"OK." Mino walked towards the queue. He glanced back at Jinwoo who was supporting his head with his hand. He was looking outside with a solemn expression, his eyebrows creased in thought. He began wondering what was bothering the older man.  He was so cheery earlier, what happened? A bright voice brought Mino back to reality.

"What can I get for you today?" The cashier chirped happily.

"Just a tall chocolate mocha to-go please." He handed the petite ajumma the money.

The ajumma gave him back the correct amount of change and brightly beamed. "Coming right up." 

Mino walked back to Jinwoo's table with the change in hand.  Jinwoo was still staring outside when the rapper sat down.  He placed the change loudly on the table as a way to alert Jinwoo of his presence, but his gaze was still focused elsewhere.  Mino cleared his throat as a second attempt to get his hyung's attention, but still, nothing.  As a final attempt, Mino waved his hand directly in front of Jinwoo's face.  The older shook his head and gave an awkward laugh. "Oh! Sorry."

"You seem distracted Hyung." Mino bent over the table to grab Jinwoo's free hand and placed it on the table. "Is everything alright?"

Jinwoo sighed, "Well, mostly. I just keep going back to that fan."

Mino's eyebrows creased in confusion. "Which fan?"

"The one who said you needed whitening cream," Jinwoo muttered while he bit his lip.

Jinwoo watched as Mino's face fell slightly. "Oh, her."

"I just don't get it." Jinwoo whispered with frustration. "Why did she think that was okay?"

"It's just typical beauty standards stuff, I guess." Mino toyed with Jinwoo's tense fingers. "It totally that things like that happen, but I'm used to it."

Jinwoo clasped Mino's hand with his own. "But I see how it hurts you. You shouldn't have to get used to it Mino-yah. "

Mino sighed, "I know Hyung, but that's just the way it is."

Their conversation was interrupted as Mino's order was called.  Mino collected his drink and they headed out to the quiet street to begin their walk home.  Jinwoo's brain was swimming with thoughts. How can Mino just let comments like that roll off him so easily? Does it bother him no one says stuff like that to me? Why do I care so much? He felt a firm hand squeeze his shoulder.

"Hyung, if you think any harder, smoke's gonna start coming out of your ears," Mino joked.

Jinwoo chuckled faintly. "Sorry."

"Are you still thinking about the girl?" Mino sipped from his Styrofoam coffee cup.

"A little." Jinwoo kicked a pebble that laid in the street. "How do you cope when they say that?"

Mino took a moment to think as he took another sip of his drink. "Well, it's childish, but I start rapping diss verses in my head.  Or I kind of push it to the back of my mind until we're done with our schedules so I can draw it out.  I take all of that sadness or hurt or frustration and I try turning it into something creative because what's the point of wallowing in it when I could do something productive with those feelings. Does that make sense?"

Jinwoo hummed and nodded. Mino let out a childish giggle. Jinwoo snorted, "What?"

"OK, this is gonna sound really bad, but sometimes when someone says that my skin is too dark or whatever, I think of all the people who want to me because I have darker skin."

Jinwoo's eyes widened at his dongsaeng's words. He blamed his flushing red cheeks on the cooling temperature. "Well that's one way to think about I guess."

Mino smirked. "Hyung, you're blushing."

 "No I'm not," Jinwoo spluttered. "It's just the cold. Maybe walking was a bad idea after all."

The rapper snorted as he wrapped his arm around Jinwoo's shoulder. "Yeah, sure Hyung."

Jinwoo ignored how his heart fluttered at Mino's touch.  The younger man could never know that he was one of those people who would him or even make love to him if given the chance.  

A/N: It's not my best work, but I think I did alright.  Let me know if you want to see a more explicit version of this story in the future.