This idea popped out after I typed the last chap. Not a continuation. Friendship!JunDong again (with blurred lines if you squint. hehe)

"You know, if you were a girl, I would have fallen in love with you."

Donghyuk chokes on his coned ice cream. Coughing a bit, he wipes his mouth with the edge of his sweater sleeve before turning to give the male beside him a small glare.

Junhwe only smirks then continues eating his Popsicle as if what he just said was something normal.

"Dude." Donghyuk sighs almost exasperatedly. "How am I supposed to react to that?"

"I dunno. You can at least be happy, or disgusted. Don't care." Junhwe shrugs. "I'm just saying."

Donghyuk sighs again at that then decides to ignore him for a moment. It's a beautiful day. The sky is clear, there's only a few people hanging around at the park, and so far no one recognizes them. They can sit side by side in a park bench eating ice cream without the expectation of someone interrupting them for an autograph or a selca. Days like that are rare, and he shouldn't waste the beauty of it by letting himself be affected with Junhwe's usual teasing.

But really, it’s the first time they're hanging out with just the two of them in almost 6 months - and that's what Junhwe says?

He glances at him from the corner of his eye. Junhwe's ignoring him too in favor of the birds around.

"Why though?" Donghyuk blurts out because, well, Junhwe rarely speaks of things like that so he figures he could just indulge him. "If I'm a girl, why do you think you'll fall in love with me?"

Junhwe gives him a look that says Why-are-you-complicating-things-that-shouldn't-be-complicated. Donghyuk shrugs at that.

"You started it."

Junhwe snorts, eats the remaining bottom of his Popsicle ice cream, and then plays with the stick using his fingers.

"I told everyone my ideal is a girl who's y inside and out right?"

"Oh." A smirk appears on Donghyuk's face. "So you think I'll be y inside and out if I'm a girl?"

"Sure. You're already plenty y as a male anyway."

Donghyuk coughs again. "Well, thanks for that Junhwe. But coming from you it’s a bit weird."

"I'm just stating a fact. Its only weird if you make it so." Junhwe glances at the shorter male with a raised eyebrow. Donghyuk throws the wrapper of his ice cream to the trash can on his side.

"You have a point. And since there's nothing weird about this conversation, I'll also say something."

"Go ahead."

"I'll most likely fall in love with you too, if you're a girl."

Junhwe can feel pink rise in his cheeks but he composes himself. He narrows his eyes.

"You just copied what I said, genius."

"I didn't. I told everyone my ideal is someone with a lot of aegyo right? You're not even a fourth of that."

Junhwe blinks at that. "Then why me?”

"Because ideals are just that, ideals. Doesn't mean it’s the same with reality. You're the one who understands me the most even if we usually banter. You're not afraid to tell me what I did wrong or where I should improve, and you never turn your back at me even if everyone does. If you're a girl, I might have fallen for you real hard already, even if you have zero aegyo."

Junhwe is stunned. He didn't expect such an answer. Hearing something like that coming out from Donghyuk's mouth, it makes Junhwe feel happy and weirdly honored at the same time. Then Donghyuk gives out a wry smile, a teasing glint in his eyes.

"That is, if you really ARE like that as a girl. I guess we'll never know."

"Way to ruin the mood. Shame." Junhwe rolls his eyes. Donghyuk laughed.

"So, who will you really fall in love with if that person is a girl? It's Jinhwan-hyung right?"

Junhwe blinks again. What?

What is he talking about? He just told him. Why is he - oh.

Oh.

"Donghyukie." Junhwe resists the urge to give out a full-on smirk. "Are you actually jealous of Jinhwan-hyung?"

Junhwe's expecting Donghyuk to turn red and pout (one of the biggest reasons why Junhwe often teases or annoys Donghyuk) but instead, the smaller male narrows his eyes at him with a look that says I-don't-want-to-hear-your-bull-right-now.

"I'm not."

Fine then, Junhwe thinks. If he doesn't want to play, fine. He turns his eyes away from him and focused on the birds again.

"But I get lonely sometimes."

That had Junhwe whipping his head towards Donghyuk again. That. Was...

"Ah..."

It is then that Junhwe remembers their early days. How it was actually the two of them who were always together, and how their duo dates were much more frequent during that time.

Junhwe is actually reminded that before he became close with Jinhwan, he was close with Donghyuk first - to the point that he can consider him as his best friend. They had understood each other as if they've been friends since their primary years and despite the clashing dynamic they have, they can never be angry with each other. That's why their prank on Jinhwan during WIN had worked in the first place.

Junhwe shuffles in his seat, itching to do something but don't know what that is. He scratches his cheek and glances at Donghyuk.

"We can do this more often you know." He speaks with a slightly gentler tone. "Whenever you want to talk about things you can't say to the hyungs, or even when you just want to hang out, we can go out like this."

Junhwe clears his throat. "And...well, I also get lonely from time to time. You've been spending so much time with Yunhyeong-hyung and Bobby-hyung. You even hang out more with Chanwoo than with… umm, me."

Donghyuk looks at him, snorts, then gives out a huge grin.

"So you DO have aegyo. The way you're blushing right now."

"You're one to talk when your face is red too."

"Guess we're both huge dorks."

"Who isn't in our group anyway?"

They snickered at each other before laughing. More at ease, Donghyuk decides to tease Junhwe more.

"So, you didn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"About our what-if-one-of-us-is-a-girl conversation. It’s really Jinhwan-hyung for you." He smiles wryly. "You're just messing with me earlier right?"

Junhwe raises a brow at him, half confused and half curious as to why Donghyuk is so insistent in confirming that. He wasn't even lying when he first brought up that topic.

Then again, if seen from another person's perspective, Junhwe supposes he couldn't blame anyone from assuming its Jinhwan-hyung. He does stick close to his hyung like a puppy (yes, he admits it) nowadays, and it’s true that he's very close with him. But that doesn't necessarily mean Jinhwan would be his choice in everything.

Particularly about the "what if" topic he's been circling around with Donghyuk.

"I'm not messing with you." Junhwe answers so seriously, he even surprised himself.

"I'd really fall in love with you if you were a girl."

Donghyuk regards him with a contemplating look before nodding.

"I'm just teasing you Junhwe, but...ok then. I'll just take that as a compliment that I'm really y."

Junhwe rolls his eyes. "That's not the whole reason though."

"What is, then?"

"Like you said, ideals are just that. I'm not the most empathetic person and God knows how much of a jerk I can be sometimes."

"Damn right."

Junhwe playfully glares at him. "Anyway, there's a reason why we stuck with each other during our trainee days right? And why we're still ok even if we annoy each other. We just match. Your endless kindness balances out my mood swings, and my firmness balances out your gentleness. We're like Yin and Yang."

He pauses. "I guess...if I'm to fall in love and be with that person forever, I know it’s going to be a girl like that."

"...wow."

It took all of Donghyuk not to break out in sweat because what Junhwe said just made him feel like crying and laughing like a fool. He feels very flattered. Hearing those words from Goo Junhwe – iKON's King of Sass, can already be considered a life achievement in itself. A soft red appears on Donghyuk’s cheeks.

"That's some deep stuff Junhwe. You could use that as a song theme."

Junhwe rolls his eyes but refuses to look at him, red also adorning his face. Donghyuk grins again.

"But thanks. I'm glad you've thought of our relationship like that. Now I really feel like I can count on you for anything."

"Of course you can." Junhwe scowls. "That's like claiming you have zero aegyo when aegyo is practically your life's mission."

"What? What kind of analogy is that? You're teasing me again." Donghyuk laughs. "Anyway, I'd gladly end this topic now. We've been talking about this too much already. If the hyungs heard us they might think we're gay for each other or something."

Junhwe makes a face. "You're the one who insisted in exhausting the topic, idiot."

"And you're the one who thought I was asking seriously about Jinhwan-hyung. Like I said, I was just teasing."

"Whatever."

They're interrupted with the sound of Donghyuk's SMS ringtone. Donghyuk takes out his phone from his pocket.

"Its Yunhyuk-hyung." He simply says after reading the message. Junhwe sighs then lazily stands up.

"Let's go back?"

"Let's."

Donghyuk stands up too, exchanges a glance with the taller boy, and then starts walking with him in matching pace back to their dorm.

"Surprisingly, this has been enjoyable." He remarks with a small smile. Junhwe pretends to be unaffected but has a light grin playing on his lips.

"You're with Goo Junhwe. Of course it’s gonna be fun."

Donghyuk feels inclined to retort but instead, humors Junhwe with a hearty laugh.