There comes a point in time when fighting becomes useless. Youngjae’s certain they’ve long passed this point, because their fights have quickly transgressed from reasonable quarrels to petty arguments.

This has been going on for almost two weeks now and he honestly can’t take any more of it. He’s pretty sure Daehyun is fed up, too. He doesn’t like fighting, even over something as simple as the TV remote. It’s obvious that they’re both just hopped up on stress and a need for release runs strong through their minds, but their pride is standing in the way of their apologies.

Finally, after nearly three weeks, they give in.

Starting with Daehyun. “Jongup, can I talk to Youngjae for a minute?” he barges into the room the day it happens. He looks a little frazzled.

Jongup wastes no time leaving. Daehyun sits when the door is closed. Youngjae puts his book down, watching him shift around on the mattress. He’s feeling some wariness about what’s going to happen, but he knows deep down that it’s not going to be the usual quibble. Daehyun wouldn’t be this calm if he wanted to fight. He isn’t passive aggressive like Youngjae can be.

“Okay, look,” the older says when he feels ready. “Can we stop?” For a moment, the question confuses Youngjae. Stop? Stop what? “I mean, like, can we stop fighting? This is starting to get really annoying.”

Oh. Stop fighting. Okay.

“I know I’m probably the most stubborn prick on the face of the earth, but I’m just gonna get over myself and apologize first. So, I’m sorry.”

Youngjae sits there, probably looking mortified. But he doesn’t feel that way in the least. If anything, he’s relieved . Daehyun’s apologizing. It’s not the fact that he’s apologizing first , since Youngjae’s technically the one who started this mess so the roles should be switched. It’s the fact that he’s apologizing, meaning that they war he started is coming to an end. It’s a cease fire. Daehyun’s waving his white flag, meaning Youngjae’s going to as well.

“Me, too,” he replies when things go a little quiet. “I just didn’t know how to say it.” He receives a smile in response. “I hate fighting you, anyway.”

“Why fight when we can ,” Daehyun nods. As stupid as it sounds, he’s right. They’ve wasted so much time going against each other. All that time could’ve been put to better use.

Youngjae sighs, happy that they can finally let go of this foolishness. “Is this the part we kiss and make up?” he asks, tugging on the drawstring of his hoodie.

Daehyun’s grin grows wider. “Sure.” The older man opens his arms, and Youngjae moves the book aside to crawl over.

The effect of their lips meeting is profound. Youngjae’s never felt a heaviness being lifted quite like this. Daehyun has never felt so liberated.

The kiss is chaste and short-lived. When they pull away Youngjae throws his arms over Daehyun’s shoulders and tightens around him. The older man’s hands are at his sides instantly, steadying him as his body forces itself into his lap. “Whoa there,” he chuckles.

“Sorry,” Youngjae pecks his nose. “I love you.”

“Love you, too - ”

Daehyun cuts off at the sound of the bedroom door opening.

.

Just because he’s the youngest, doesn’t mean his intuition is . Junhong knows it’s there, buried deep down behind all the hormones and the musical genius. He thinks it works best whenever he’s around the Daehyun and Youngjae.

Lately, he’s noticed they’ve been a little tense around each other. Everyone is used to them making snarky comments during broadcasts and exchanging insults whenever they’re given the opportunity, but now it seems like they’re just out for blood.

Junhong is okay with them having their differences, he understands that because they’ve all had beef with each other at one point. But he knows that this one is different. This isn’t beef, this is a whole goddamn steak, and the bones Daehyun and Youngjae have to pick are never-ending . One day it’s Daehyun not picking up after himself in the bedroom, the next day it’s Youngjae hogging the laptop.

Whatever it is, it’s petty and Junhong’s got half a mind to put an end to it.

He asks Himchan, his daily source of drama, first. “Is there something going on between Daehyun and Youngjae?”

The man, currently taking a rest from the gym’s elliptical, looks up from his phone. “I don’t know, it’s something new every other day.” He takes a sip from his water bottle. He’s clearly over their little fights.

The diva hyung provides no help, in the end. So, like any young’un would, Junhong makes a visit to his leader in hopes that the man’s almighty infinite wisdom or whatever would provide him insight.

All he gets is a shrug but - to be fair - Yongguk’s sitting with his seniors, in the middle of producing the new album.

Junhong knows he isn’t going to get anything out of Jongup. The boy’s gonna admit to being just as confused as him. And asking either Daehyun or Youngjae is entirely out of the question. He’ll get a completely biased explanation no matter who he talks to, if he even gets one in the first place.

Solving this investigation seems to equal leaving it alone entirely. Maybe if Junhong waits for the answer he’ll receive one when he least expects.

He enters the dorm quietly, kicking off his shoes and dropping his duffel off to the side. From the front he can hear the shower running. No one is in sight, but the TV’s on so somebody’s home.

The youngest dabbles in the kitchen and then ventures into Jongup’s room, but as soon as he enters he freezes. A second later, he’s feeling about as heated as one would had they been dropped into a vat of boiling water.

Because there, on Youngjae’s bed, reside Youngjae and Daehyun. More specifically, Youngjae on top of Daehyun.

“J-Junhong,” Youngjae sputters, clambering off of Daehyun the second their eyes meet. He’s obviously at a loss for words. No one, not even Youngjae, loses their ability to speak that fast.

Daehyun attempts to cover for him. “I-It’s not what you think,” he says, but his voice cracks and his overall appearance says otherwise. He looks to Youngjae, lost , and then back to him. “Okay, well - ” he clears his throat “ - it’s kinda what you think but we weren’t - ”

“It’s…” he swallows, already stepping out of the room. “It’s okay, I’m just gonna - ” he looks down at his mayo sandwich. Junhong doesn’t allow his hyungs to get another sentence out before he’s slamming the door shut. That was -

He expected to find the answer to his solution unexpectedly, but he didn’t want to walk in on them.

What the hell .

He settles on the couch. The image of Youngjae and Daehyun still crystal clear in his mind. Something tells him it’ll be there for a while, at least until he comes to terms with the two being boyfriends.

Jongup appears from the bathroom ten minutes later, towel on his head, and walks into the kitchen. He makes a glass of orange juice. Junhong watches in silence.

“I just saw Daehyun and Youngjae mid-makeout,” he admits when the dancer has just begun to drink. Jongup pauses for a split second to frown. “Exactly.”

“That’s new. Usually they do all their touchy stuff when everybody’s asleep.”

“Wait - you know about them?”

Jongup purses his lips and looks at him like he should already know this. “They’ve been boyfriends since, like, the beginning of No Mercy promos. Everyone knows - except for you, obviously.” He sits on the adjacent couch and changes the channel. "Wait, you weren't watching that, right?" Junhong doesn't answer. He's still staring at where Jongup was just a second ago.

What the hell? His mind has never been so boggled.

a/n. this is the sequel to king of face-ia, which is a sequel to when the heater's broken

i am on a ROLL.