Jaehwan stayed in the classroom going on with his work. After leaving a shy peck on the other’s cheek, Taekwoon left the room and headed to where he met Hakyeon and Wonsik that morning, knowing that by now all of his friends would be there.

When he was almost there, from far he saw his friends, but they were not talking and joking around as usual; he saw Hongbin’s trembling figure being hugged by Sanghyuk, while Wonsik and Hakyeon were standing next to them, the latter apparently saying comforting words to the crying guy.

Wonsik whispered something in Hakyeon’s ear getting him to look to where Taekwoon was approaching them. “Hyuk-ah, take him with you” The youngest nodded and with an arm around the sobbing mess Hongbin was, they left.

Taekwoon was in front of Hakyeon and Wonsik when the youngest guys from the group where far from them.

“What happened?” Taekwoon asked worried for his friend. “Why was Hongbin crying?”

“Nothing bad” Hakyeon answered just when Taekwoon was done talking. “He’s just really nervous for a big exam he has soon and you know how sensible he is so he just started crying over so much stress”

Even if it wasn’t actually a problem, Taekwoon hated when Hongbin cried; it was one of the things he hated the most. Taekwoon was planning to look for Hongbin when a hand in his wrist left him where he was. “Don’t follow them, hyung. You know how much Hongbin hates to have a lot of people watching him crying” Wonsik said, just releasing his hold on Taekwoon when he knew that the other wouldn’t leave.

Taekwoon felt a light sting on his chest area, but he decided to ignore it.

After looking for a long while at the way were Hongbin and Sanghyuk went, Taekwoon looked then faced his friends trying to remember what he wanted to tell them. “Ah, there’s something I wanted to tell you” He said with his lips curled a little bit upward.

“Is it about Jaehwan accepting your confession and the fact that you guys are dating now?” Hakyeon asked leaving Taekwoon speechless. “How do you...?” Taekwoon tried to say but the youngest between them interrupted him. “Jaehwan hyung texted us about it. Congratulations, Taekwoon hyung” Wonsik said, but his kind of sad eyes while talking left an uncomfortable feeling in Taekwoon.

“I’m happy that everything went well for you, Taekwoon-ah” The oldest one said while putting his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Hope you have a nice time with Jaehwan”

Taekwoon ignored how Hakyeon had the same look on his eyes as Wonsik’s and his lips curled again. “Thank you. I will”

A week passed since Taekwoon and Jaehwan started dating; it was the same amount of time that has passed since Hongbin had a real conversation with him. Taekwoon was starting to get worried. Hongbin was kind of ignoring him and there were just a few words exchanged between them through that long week.

“Hongbin-ah” Taekwoon called his friend after 3 days of not seeing him; for some reason, Hongbin always had to leave the group when Taekwoon just arrived. “What have you been doing the last few days that I wasn’t able to reach you? There’s something I wanted to tell you. Jaehwan and…” The younger twitched a little and interrupted Taekwoon. “Yeah, I know about it; I was there when Jaehwan hyung sent the text. I’m happy for you, hyung. I have to go, bye” And he left, leaving Taekwoon with the word on his mouth and with that annoying sting on his chest area again.

They were eating at the table located on his meeting spot. Taekwoon sat between Hakyeon and Jaehwan; Wonsik, Sanghyuk and Hongbin in front of them. Taekwoon didn’t pay to much attention to his relationship with Jaehwan on their first week together by worrying too much about Hongbin. He really missed talking with the other, and to be ignored by Hongbin kind of gave him a strange feeling.

Taekwoon jumped out from his thoughts when Hongbin and Sanghyuk’s laughed erupted; the older realized how close both maknaes have been lately, not like they weren’t before, but Hongbin used to spend more time with him than with Sanghyuk.

At the corner of his eye, he noticed Hakyeon looking at both maknaes with a motherly stare. “Why do you have that look on your face?” Taekwoon asked in a whisper just for the both of them to hear. Hakyeon looked at him as if thinking if it was okay or not to talk about it. “Well, the thing it’s that Hyuk kind of has a crush on Hongbin.” The sting came back, and it was stronger this time. “I don’t know if Hongbin could get to return his feelings, but for now, everything seems on Hyuk’s favor” Taekwoon just nodded for Hakyeon to know that he listened what he said and then turned to Jaehwan.

“Jaehwan-ah” The guy looked at his boyfriend while taking a bite of his sandwich. “Do you want to hang out after school?” Jaehwan nodded and kept eating. That’s what Taekwoon had to do, to spent time with his boyfriend and clear his mind.

Taekwoon and Jaehwan went for a walk close to Han River while holding each other hand. The older thought that his mind would be finally freed from Hongbin thoughts, but it was completely the opposite. Taekwoon couldn’t stop thinking about what Hakyeon said; why did he felt so bothered by the thought of Hyuk having a crush on Hongbin? And most important, why his heart- because he finally realized that spot from his chest was the one aching-went trough many stings just by the thought of Hongbin returning the maknae’s feelings.

A pull on his hand stopped him from walking. Jaehwan noticed he was distracted and got both of them to stop their walk. “Sorry, Jaehwan-ah. I have a lot of stuff in my mind lately and…”

“By stuff you mean Hongbin?” Jaehwan interrupted. Taekwoon didn’t expect Jaehwan to know what was happening in his head. “You are kind of obvious, hyung. When the six of us are together or when he passes by next to you, you can’t take you eyes away from him.

Did he? Taekwoon didn’t realize how full his mind has been of Hongbin the last days until Jaehwan said that. But why? He finally was dating his crush, shouldn’t his mind be full of Jaehwan?

“I know there’s a struggle in your head right now, but that happens because you are finally getting to know your true feeling” The younger said.

“What do you mean?” Taekwoon was really confused over what was happening.”

Jaehwan chuckled a little. “Remember that the day when you confessed your feelings to me I asked you if you were sure about it?” Taekwoon nodded. “I said that because of Hongbin. I thought he is the one you actually like. Now I can see that I was right.”

The older couldn’t stop getting more confused. “Hongbin is the one I like?”, he thought.

“You are a completely different person with Hongbin. You spend a lot of time together. You only talk a lot when it’s to him and when we are all together you just have eyes for him. Is for him that you say funny stuff, because you want to see him laughing; I have noticed how you can’t look somewhere else from him when he smiles.” Jaehwan confessed. “Actually, I’m not the only one that has noticed that; Hakyeon hyung, Wonsik and Hyuk have seen the same as me, so we were really surprised when you confessed having feelings for me.”

He remembered when he told Jaehwan and Hakyeon his feelings, especially when he told the latter who said he wasn’t expecting for that to be his answer. “He thought I was going to say that Hongbin was my crush”, Taekwoon realized. “But I don’t understand, how is that I’m the only one who didn’t know about my crush on him? And why I thought you were my crush.”

“Well, you are a really shy person, hyung. You don’t know how to show your feelings and it seems that nor even understand them.” The younger said chuckling. “About you liking me, I don’t know… I mean, what got you “falling for me”?” Now the confused one was Jaehwan.

Taekwoon tried to recall when he started thinking he had feelings for the other. “It started on that day our music classes got together to show our performances.” Taekwoon remembered. “When you performed, I was amazed of your voice and how much your skills developed. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and my conclusion was that I started having feelings for you”

“Wow hyung, you really are bad with all the feelings stuff” Jaehwan laughed. “Was there something else besides that that got you thinking of me?” The older took a while to think about it and then shook his head. “The you didn’t fell for me but for my performance, hyung” Jaehwan laughed again and Taekwoon blushed over how oblivious he was about himself.

The younger finally calmed down and looked at his hyung in the eyes. “Now, recall all the things that reminds you of Hongbin”

The things that reminded him of Hongbin? He could easily write a long list about them, about his voice, his eyes, the feeling at the palm of his hands when he ruffles his fluffy hair, his melodic laugh, the dimples that appear on his cheeks when he smiles, his smile; just everything about him it’s engraved on Taekwoon’s mind.

“I like Hongbin” Taekwoon said in a whisper that Jaehwan was able to hear and that got a smile appearing on his face over his hyung realization. “Well, I think more than liking him I actually love him.”

Jaehwan nodded madly. “Exactly, that escalated quickly… But exactly! Now go and heal our heartbroken Kong before it’s too late” The younger said while pointing dramatically to the horizon.

“Heartbroken? Was it that bad for him?” Taekwoon asked really worried.

“Hi, hyungs” Sanghyuk greeted after reaching the meeting point with Hongbin by his side. Both of the youngest guys sit with Hakyeon and Wonsik and talked for a while until the latter’s phone ringed because of a text. “Is Jaehwan hyung” Wonsik unblocked his device.

“What should I do, Wonsik-ah? Taekwoon just asked me out and I said yes. What about Hongbin?”

Wonsik sighed and stole a glance to Hongbin who was distracted keeping a conversation with the other two on the table. The white haired guy knew his hyung was really uncomfortable about it for him to have said, “what should I do?” instead of “ottokaji” as he usually did.

“Don’t worry, hyung. We bothered Hongbin about Taekwoon hyung but it’s not like he actually likes him”

“Something happened with Jaehwan?” Hakyeon asked when he noticed his boyfriend staring deeply at his phone screen.

Wonsik talked cautiously while staring at the table. “No, he was telling me that Taekwoon hyung and him started dating”

Immediately-but slowly-everyone’s eyes turned to Hongbin who actually twitched a little at the news but kept his expression. “Why are you looking at me like that? You are making me feel uncomfortable” Hongbin said.

Hakyeon didn’t know if he should ask what he was thinking but he did anyway. “Are you okay with that, Hongbin-ah?”

Hongbin twitched a little again. “Of course I am. Why would I be bothered by that?” Hongbin laughed weekly. “I’m happy for Taekwoon hyung; how can I not be happy for my…” A sob. “…Friend” And Hongbin couldn’t stop the tears anymore. Sanghyuk enveloped him in his arms and the couple went next to them. “Please, don’t cry, Hongbin-ah” The older one tried to comfort him while rubbing his back.

“Why do I feel like this?” Hongbin said as his weeping didn’t relieve. “I want to be happy for him because I love him, but because I love him it’s that I’m also feeling so hurt right now” Hongbin didn’t care about confessing his secret to his friends; he just wanted the pain to go. For everything to go. “I wish I could get rid of this feelings, but it’s so hard. Why did I fell for him?” The front of Sanghyuk’s shirt was wet by now.

“The worst happened; he just don’t like Taekwoon hyung but actually loves him” Wonsik thought. After a while of trying to stop Hongbin from crying-but he didn’t-, Wonsik noticed Taekwoon coming to them. “Taekwoon hyung is coming” He whispered to his boyfriend who looked on the way that the other was.

“Hyuk-ah, take him with you”

Jaehwan sighed. “Wonsik told me that was what happened”

“So that’s why Hongbin was crying that day” Taekwoon remembered, and he felt like for not realizing his feelings faster.

“Back to what is most important; go to look for Hongbin and confess your feelings for him” The younger one hurried Taekwoon.

“But isn’t it late for that? I can wait for tomorrow and…”

“Is not that late, hyung!” Jaehwan interrupted. “And is better to do it as fast as you can because now you have rival” Taekwoon wanted to asked about it but the younger didn’t let him. “Yeah, you have a rival. Sanghyuk has a little crush on Hongbin but never did a move on him because he thought you and him had feelings for each other, but when us happened...” Jaehwan said while pointing each other. “Well, he saw that as his opportunity to act.”

Taekwoon remember that Hakyeon also talked that day about Hyuk having a crush on Hongbin, but he didn’t think the older guy was serious about it.

Out of nowhere, Jaehwan pushed him. “What are you still doing here, hyung!” Jaehwan complained. “Go look for Hongbin, he must be almost done with his basketball training so you will find him at school, but for that you’ll have to rush” Taekwoon nodded and started running but stopped not so far from when Jaehwan was standing and then turned to looked at him. “Jaehwan-ah!” He called.

Jaehwan rolled his eyes. “You don’t have too much time, hyung! You can thank me later”

Taekwoon released a small laugh and went back to look for Hongbin. While running Taekwoon thought that his friends did know him more than he knew himself.

Hongbin was dead tired. With the tournament just around the corner the team had to go trough a harder training and his coach sure was an expert in getting them to work nonstop. To overwork himself wasn’t easy, especially while having a constantly pain on his chest, more specifically, his heart.

Hongbin was happy because Taekwoon was happy, but the pain of seeing they guy he loves with someone else is still way bigger than that little happiness-if he can call it that way.

Anyway Hongbin decided to get over Jung Taekwoon, but for that he needed time; his plan was to try to stay as far as possible from him, but that was obviously something really hard to do-not just because they had the same friends but Hongbin didn’t want to stop seeing him neither-so then he changed it to just ignore Taekwoon as much as he could.

“Hongbin-ah”

“Even when he’s taken I’m still thinking about him,” Hongbin thought.

“Hongbin-ah!”

Hongbin sighed and whispered to himself. “What’s wrong with me? I’m even hearing as if he were calling at me” Hongbin pulled desperately his own hair. “I’m going crazy. Stop doing this to yourself, Lee Hongbin”

Hongbin couldn’t avoid the loud squeal that left his mouth when someone took him by the arm; luckily he was able to suppress one when he saw that Taekwoon was the one holding him. “I was calling for you. Are you still ignoring me?” The older guy asked with a faked pain expression.

“No. It wasn’t on purpose this time, I was distracted and…” Hongbin realized his mistake and rapidly covered his mouth with both hands. “Why am I so clumsy?” He whispered while not being able to look at Taekwoon in the eyes.

“I’m the clumsy one in here by not being able to notice how much I adore you,” Taekwoon thought and couldn’t suppress a shy smile that Hongbin didn’t notice. “Do you feel sorry for being ignoring me?” He asked.

Hongbin nodded madly.

“Will you stop doing it?”

Nod.

“Because you don’t want to keep hurting me?”

Nod.

“Because you love me”

Another nod but then the younger boy froze and started to shake his head as madly as he nodded before. “What? No… Hyung… Sorry…” Even when Hongbin was looking at the floor Taekwoon was able to notice the other’s watery eyes.

Taekwoon cupped Hongbin’s face and got him to finally look at his eyes. “Don’t cry, Hongbin-ah. Everything it’s okay.” He said while wiping with his thumb one tear that finally left the younger boy’s eye.

“I’m sorry, hyung” Hongbin was slowly becoming a sobbing mess. “Just forget what I said. Please do as if that didn’t happen. Don’t hate me, please. Let’s keep being…” Taekwoon silenced Hongbin by pressing his thumb against the other’s lips.

“Listen to me. There’s no way that I could get to hate you, not especially when I love you” And finally Hongbin calmed down and forced a little smile. “Thank you, hyung. I’m happy that you don’t hate me and we can still be friends”

Taekwoon sighed. If he was the one in the group not being able to understand himself, Hongbin was the one that didn’t understand the others around him. “Hongbin-ah, you are not getting what I’m trying to say. When I said that I love you, I meant love you love you.”

The younger boy was dumbfounded. “Is he playing a joke on me?” He thought still astonished over what Taekwoon said.

“Yah! You know me. I’m not the type that plays jokes” Taekwoon said after knowing what Hongbin had in his mind.

“B-b-but Jaehwan hyung and you…”

“We broke up” Taekwoon interrupted. “And you should thank him because he is the one that made me realize my true feelings”

Hongbin shook his head. “No. Jaehwan hyung is the one you like. You are just confused”

Taekwoon turned really serious and looked deeply at Hongbin’s eyes. “I thought I liked Jaehwan, but I was damn wrong. If I actually liked him, I would have spent the last week thinking about him, but I only ignored him. Why? Because my mind was full of you and only you. I missed to spend time with you, to hear you laugh; it hurt so much to notice that you were ignoring me” Then his serious expression turned into a smile. “It may sound weird, but I’m also kind of thankful that happened, because without it I wouldn’t have been able to realize that I just don’t like you but as I already said, I love you.”

By the end of Taekwoon words Hongbin became a sobbing mess again. Taekwoon caressed the other’s hair and held him tightly in his arms to calm him down. “Come on, don’t cry” Taekwoon said softly.

After composing himself, Hongbin separated from Taekwoon without breaking the older embrace on him. “Sorry for being like this, hyung” He apologized. After a long sigh Hongbin took courage to finally look at Taekwoon at the eyes. “It’s just that all of this seems so surreal and I have so many mixed feelings that I couldn’t stop myself from crying over how happy I am” Taekwoon was finally able to see Hongbin’s smile directed to him after that eternal week. “Date me, hyung”

Taekwoon got a bit startled but then chuckled; Hongbin could be really straightforward when he wanted to.

“Sure. But I was the one confessing here, I should have been the one asking you out tho” Both of them laughed. Taekwoon finally felt the extreme happiness he thought he was going to feel when he started dating Jaehwan.

“I love you, Hongbin-ah” Taekwoon didn’t see coming the soft and sweet peck Hongbin gave him on the lips.

"I love you too, Taekwoon hyung”

I was finally able to finish a fanfic. I feel so proud of myself because of this. I'm really thankful for the subscriptions, comments, upvotes and even the views. I'm sorry for the gramatical mistakes; I really hope you enjoyed the story. I may write drabbles or one-shots about this Leobin universe-maybe even Navi. Thank you so much for reading.