Request #40. Sway10 - (Lee Know/ Hyunjin) 220715 - 220729

Your request was: Real life idol AU, so they are normal idols in their group SKZ like now. A is in love with (has a crush on) his bandmate B, so he gets jealous whenever B interacts with the others a little too much. (like giving a hug, cuddle, cook something for them, slapping butts, etc.) During shows/interviews/concerts/photoshooting etc. (they actually are on tour right now, so there might be hotel room jealousy etc lol) some fans and managers even notice the angry/jealous glances A throws to B. The others members don't know about A's crush, maybe one or two have hunch but no one says anything. At some point it escalates into an argument (misunderstanding) between A and B. Something like A is feeling neglected or rather gets treated differently than everyone else. During their fight they find out that they actually both have a cruch on each other. (They don't need to find out about each other's feelings during the fight, it can also be by coincidence later or something.)

Minho does not have anything against skinship, heck, he's one of those most affectionate and generous with these kind of gestures towards others out of the group. And of course he has favorites in terms of who he frequently does it to. That's normal. He has nothing against others doing skinship to him less than to the rest. That's also freaking normal.

What's not normal though, is when he's being avoided every time possible, for completely no reason.

And it doesn't help that it's Hyunjin that is avoiding him of all people. It's the brat that he's been secretly in love with since like, forever. And since another, shorter forever, he can't remember the last time this brat had treated him fairly like he does the others. How much time has passed since he first started acting distant to Minho like this? Probably three months? Or is it longer?

"I've noticed these past three days you don't seem very pleased with Hyunjin, Lee Know," the staff noona that was behind Minho's camera speaks up even before everyone could stand up from their seats to greet the staff and leave. They have just finished their World Tour announcement Live, everyone is seemingly tired, and being called out like this is the last thing he would have expected.

"These past three days?" He chuckles at the noona, because he's sure it's been like three months? Why is this sharp noona only catching onto it now? Isn't it a bit too late, noona?

"I'm being serious, Lee Minho." Noona rolls her eyes at him, mistaking his laugh for mockery on the actual situation when it's the opposite— he's just as serious about this, and maybe it's time he openly says it since Hwang Hyunjin didn't, is not, and will not tell him what's the problem anytime soon.

"If something's wrong, just tell me directly hyung." Hyunjin— the brat, adds in from the other side of the sofa they were all seated at. Everyone was chuckling, shaking their heads, but no one really sees a problem or they find going home more interesting now as they all stand up. Now that only two of them are left on the sofa, Minho can finally see Hyunjin.

Of course, Minho just knows that look. The look of innocent nonchalance. The look that if you hang out with Hyunjin long enough, you instantly know it's all a facade.

But unfortunate for him, no one seems to care enough or knows Hyunjin enough to realize he's being wronged.

He is being wronged... right?

Now that's the frustrating part. He just has no single idea if instead he really did anything wrong to make the younger behave in such a peculiar way towards him for the first time ever like this. And he's quite certain that he didn't do anything in particular that could trigger Hyunjin's ridiculous sensitivity. He's been long enough with this younger fella to know what he does or does not like as a joke, what to or not to banter for too long about.

But maybe there's still more to Hyunjin that he doesn't know. There's more sensitivities that he has yet to learn about this brat. There's more to learn about him, and Minho's dying to tell the kid how much he likes the latter so that he get to—

He's getting carried away too much. Now, the only thing he needs to focus on is figure out what's wrong before ignoring him becomes an acceptable norm between them.

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that?" Minho looks right inside the other's eyes, cocking his head to the side and squeezing his eyes as though he's looking right through his heart (and it's definitely right). "What? You wanna avoid me so much that you came back from the restroom walking all the way to the other side of the sofa while we're on live, while the only empty spot was next to mine? Or does my new cologne bother you that much?"

"Your cologne is fine!" Hyunjin immediately counters, and his eyelashes flutter for a moment before he sits up straight and looks back at Minho, saying, "that was because I wanted to tell Felix something and so I naturally went to him."

Minho would say outloud how weak that excuse was but nobody would side with him because it's ridiculously plausible from an outsider's perspective. He would point out the way Hyunjin instinctively focused on denying the cause of why the latter was avoiding him which was not because of his cologne, rather than denying that he was avoiding Minho. But nobody would be able to point out the difference between the two. Not really. Between blurred lines and ambiguity, people usually choose to side with the more obvious looking case, and that more obvious looking case right now, being Minho openly displeased with Hyunjin.

What can he do now? Oh, look at that annoyingly, yet adorably innocent looking face the brat is putting up right now... he doesn't even know if he's amused, smitten, or stressed out by that face. One thing he knows, though, what he wants most is to make that face turn into a frown, of being in the disadvantage, because he likes teasing the boy, because it's fun to keep getting on the other's nerves, to be in the dominant side of things because he's just that capable.

Very good. If Hyunjin seems completely okay to be with him, that their relationship is still going fine, then he should act the same way too.

"Then shall we share a hotel room for the first World Tour stop?" He says, struggling to hide the smirk that's forming through his lips. It's just so fun to watch Hyunjin's expressions shift so quickly to a frown but so quickly regain the previous nonchalance. "I'm sure spending more time with Hyunjin and talking it out more with him in private would solve my little problem with him."

They normally divide into groups of two when they stay overseas in hotels when they tour by themselves and all the time the decision is only made upon arrival at such hotels. Saying this that much in advance would leave Hyunjin no choice but to accept, except unless he wants to contradict his own assurance that he has nothing against Minho right now.

"Sure hyung." Hyunjin clears his throat, clearly flustered and uncomfortable in Minho's eyes. But it seems to ease Noona's worries, so everyone calls it a day, hoping whatever feuds Minho is having with Hyunjin will be over soon.

*

Apparently, confronting Hyunjin turns out to be an impossible chore to do. Nothing has progressed since the last time Minho suggested they share a hotel room together.

The younger guy continues to act normal around him when the camera is on, and keeps his distance once it's off. It's not like a black and white difference, and only Minho could sense it. The little guy has been talking to him with more honorifics than before, less personal stories and more on the business side of things, he gets less cheery and chatty when it's only him and Minho alone. It's just frustrating to see Hyunjin act this way because he can't really just call Hyunjin out and throw tantrums. It's not like Hyunjin is doing anything to him that can possibly make him upset from an outsider's point of view.

But seeing the kid no longer share the important parts of his day with Minho, no longer responding to Minho's skinship with his own while doing so (excessively so) to the others, suffocates his heart and it becomes hard not to get jealous and even more upset that more and more people start to notice, albeit, they mistake it as hatred.

"You know, you should be honest and tell Hyunjin what's going on. Otherwise, it may escalate to something unnecessarily bigger later on," his manager hyung, who's been sitting to Minho's right says after gulping down another glass of soju.

All SKZ members and the staff are having a meal together in a local restaurant near the hotel they are staying at for their first concert tour location. They are going to be super busy with concert preparation the next two days, so they are giving themselves and the boygroup one last day of playing around and resting, which ended with everyone being here eating and drinking the night away.

This is not the first time he's been given a word of advice today. At first, he got defensive and argumentative whenever this topic was brought up, but now he's just too tired to care.

This is not an exception, he only chuckles at his manager hyung, takes a sip from his soju glass, and says casually, and a tiny bit sarcastically, "oh yeah, hyung? Being honest would solve the problem between..."

He finds himself trailing off as his eyes land their sight right on Hyunjin who's sitting at the other side of the large rectangular table, talking with Jeongin and... drinking.

Oh, how he could have missed this golden chance if not for his kind manager hyung's suggestion.

*

"Lee Know hyung, why are we leaving so early?" Hyunjin slurs, his eyes unfocused and sleepy, most of his body weight leaning onto the side of Minho, who's dragging their way to their shared hotel room. "We can't leave everyone by themselves... like that..."

"Don't you dare sleep just yet, Hwang Hyunjin." Minho panics a little when Hyunjin falters in between his talk. He did not expect Hyunjin to be such a light drinker. Leaving him there for a few more minutes and he would have actually passed out.

Even though Hyunjin has a very petite build for a man, it takes Minho great efforts to drag him all the way inside their room towards the sofa. He thanks god he finally makes it when he releases Hyunjin's waist and let the younger drop onto the sofa, pants harder than he normally would after a jogging session, and takes off his shoes and jacket before getting back to tend to Hyunjin.

He sits himself down next to Hyunjin, trying his best not to mind Hyunjin's excruciating gaze that's burning the side of his face while he s Hyunjin's jacket and helps him out of it. After a few grunts from Hyunjin, the task is completed, and Hyunjin is back to staring at Minho. He would be lying if he said his heart didn't accelerate by the passing seconds Hyunjin has this unreadable gaze on.

"What?" Minho suddenly feels small in front of the younger, well, not concerning the fact that he's actually smaller than Hyunjin. But he feels small figuratively, and he finds it hard to find proper words to talk to Hyunjin about the thing he has wanted to all this time.

"You..." Hyunjin deadpans as he breaks off their eye-contact to look down at Minho's chest, grabs onto the shoulder of his T-shirt, and brings his face closer to Minho's chest. He soundly inhales a long take of breath and he whispers, "you smell so nice."

"Don't try to distract me you ." Minho pushes Hyunjin away with his hands on Hyunjin's shoulders.

What the heck? It takes one compliment and he almost forgets he's holding grudges towards this brat.

Hwang Hyunjin sure is dangerous.

While getting distracted all by himself over one mere compliment, he is late to realize he's not the only one blushing.

Hyunjin is blushing on top of the already flushed cheeks from his alcohol intake. His eyes flicker between Minho's two eyes.

"Don't get close to me, hyung."

"What?" Minho says, not letting go of Hyunjin's shoulders. In fact, his grip gets a little stronger, holding the younger still as he feels Hyunjin is letting loose and dependent on his touch, all despite what he just said.

"Don't remind me..." And then he looks down at Minho's lips.

His eyes stay there.

Minho feels his heart skipping a beat. 

"Remind you of what?" Somehow the conversation is driving to wherever Hwang Hyunjin leads it, but Minho doesn't really mind where this is going. Whatever this is.

"Of that day..." Hyunjin says, his voice seems a little more sober, one hand lifts up and Minho watches with anticipation. Like a fever dream, Hyujin's hand stops right in front of his chin, thumb lands at the corner of his mouth, swiping at his bottom lip in a painfully, achingly slow manner.

Oh.

He's reminded of that day when they shared a van to a group schedule, and he accidentally smudged his lipstick while putting a mask on, and then Hyunjin helped him fix it by wiping and re-applying the same colored lipstick on him.

"But what about that day?" Minho asks, thinking he's actually approaching the reason why Hyunjin is avoiding him. As long as the brat answers his question before he passes out.

"That time I thought..." Hyunjin's droopy eyes struggle to stay open, to keep looking at Minho's lips.

"You thought?"

Hyunjin's thumb brushes over his whole lips as he finishes, "... such kissable pair of lips that you have..."

Minho feels his ears burning and ringing. Hyunjin already finished his sentence but he's still hearing that last statement like someone is putting it on repeat right at his eardrums.

It's intoxicating and poisoning his mind. Yet all this sensation gives him butterflies. He feels like he just got everything in the world.

"I want to kiss you, Minho-hyung. Weird... isn't it?" Hyunjin cups his cheek with that burning hand of his, his face leans in closer but soon his eyes give in, close shut and face ends up planting on Minho's shoulder. The older is too stunned to speak or do anything but let the younger lean on him. He's trying so hard to think straight but only one takes over his mind.

He thinks he just got everything in the world. His little world that is right here in front of him.

Maybe he really got it.

"Well then, wouldn't that make the two of us, weirdo?" Minho speaks to the now unconscious Hyunjin. Does not care if the younger can no longer hear him for the rest of the night.

There's nothing to rush, now that his little angst has been taken off his chest and even got replaced with something else much more loveable.

A/N: whoops compared to your last request this one was short asdfghjk

This time the narration is taken over by Lee Know for a change haha. A little tweaks to your original scenario I hope that's okay! Also I know there's gonna be a lot of weird wordings but I hope it's still bearable to read *sobs cause this comes out with a lot less beta-reading (actually I didn't proofread this one at all just thrown it to a spellchecker and done asdfghjk I'm getting lazy by the day help).