Dark Alley

The air was heavy with foreboding.

Hours before, the sun had long since set, leaving parts of the city unlit. A blanket of darkness settled over the city, the kind of darkness that even the moon couldn't protect everyone from as it swept through in-between buildings like an omen.

There was too little to see.

The stillness of the streets was like the eye of a storm, quiet and a cause for trepidation. Something would happen tonight. There was no doubt that something would happen. Between the open streets and the dark alleys, something was creeping its way into story of the night.

This foreshadowing was inescapable.

Laughter cut through the silence of the night, and Hanbin jumped, hand over his chest to calm his heart. His head snapped to the right.

“Don’t be so loud!” he hissed, eyes sweeping the empty streets. The laughter came back, louder, and Hanbin's eyes widened in warning. “Yah! June, shut up!”

Whether Junhwe would admit it or not, like Hanbin, he feared the unknown of the not.

He might have feared it more.

If it were not for Hanbin, Junhwe wouldn't be smiling. Had he not been glued to Hanbin's side, he wouldn't be laughing in such a carefree manner. Hanbin wasn't arrogant with these thoughts; they were the truth. Junhwe's arm was hooked with Hanbin's, his hands locked on the older man’s biceps in a firm grip. Junhwe was scared. If Hanbin had learned anything over the past few years, Junhwe was the type to laugh when he was scared.

Calling someone to come pick them from the convenience store they had just eaten at would have been wiser than walking. Staying at their home with the other members would have been wiser too. Instead, they had decided to sneak out and wander the streets in search of freedom. Freedom was hard to find, and they ended up lost for an hour after searching for a barbeque shop. Even if they called for a ride, they wouldn't have been able to give directions. Not that they could have called for a ride anyway—they left their phones at the dorm.

They were so going to get scolded.

The pair stuck close to each other, bodies relaxing under every lit part of their path. Junhwe was jittery, walking with a bounce in his step. When the vocalist began to sing, Hanbin sighed.

His energy was diminishing while Junhwe's was rising. His exhaustion was beginning to affect his mental state, because unless Junhwe was an angel, there was no way he'd be glowing. Hanbin blinked, and then he gave himself a mental shake of the head to clear his strange, vague thoughts. If he was at the point of comparing his teammate to angels then Hanbin really needed to get some rest. This time, he decided to looked at him, really looked at him.

He was a mess.

During their hours away from home, Junhwe had managed to look as though he had just rolled out of bed rather than spent all night in a practice room. He had been complaining that ramyeon they had eaten earlier was going to make his face swell up, but the younger man's cheeks had already puffed out from the lack of sleep, rounding his face. The bags under his eyes only added to the effect. His loose clothing wasn't helping either. It was a reminder that Hanbin hadn't changed since practice and had been wandering the streets like that all night.

It was past two in morning.

As they stepped away from another street lamp, Hanbin pried one of Junhwe's hands off his arm and grasped it with his own hand. The odd anxious sensation in his chest only grew. He glanced around wearily as they turned into an alleyway, taking a longer route out of habit in order to avoid being caught out. Junhwe was still talking as Hanbin scanned the alley. How could the vocalist have so much energy after hours of practice and little sleep? All of their team would definitely be considered night owls, but Junhwe was different. He wasn't conditioned to sleepless nights; he simply thrived after nightfall.

Junhwe said something; Hanbin can't remember what, but it must have been funny because he was laughing along with his friend. It might have been the lack of sleep and the darkness of early morning, but something didn't quite feel right. It was the odd feeling building in his chest that caused his laughter to go off pitch, but Junhwe didn't seem to notice. Junhwe cracked another joke and at first Hanbin smiled, because Junhwe was smiling so he should too, but then the grin fell from his lips as he continued to stare at his friend. A string of odd thoughts ran through his mind. These thoughts weren't new. They were the same thoughts Hanbin had often pushed aside during their training; thoughts heavy with feelings he had put on the backburner and never addressed. They never lingered in his mind, so for them to come back, full force and blatant, left Hanbin shaken. The louder these thoughts became, the clearer it was.

It might have been way the neon lights flickered across his face that made Hanbin wonder. It could have been the way the pale lights illuminated his perfect features that caused tightness in Hanbin’s chest. Or perhaps it was sound of his voice that sent thrills up and down Hanbin's spine, leaving the rest of his body tingling and wanting.

Hanbin laughed.

Something about Junhwe left him wanting and he found himself leaning toward Junhwe.

Hanbin wanted to kiss him.

He froze. In that moment, he couldn't hear. As his own laughter fell away, Junhwe spoke, lips moving rapidly, and Hanbin couldn't hear. His mind was focused one thing, and as he dragged himself back to reality, there was a deafening roar in his ears.

Just before Junhwe turned a corner, Hanbin took him by the wrist and pulled him back. The smile on Junhwe's face had dropped, his lips instead parting in surprise. He looked startled and confused; a visual reflection of Hanbin's own inner chaos. The surge of confidence he felt didn't falter. He was buzzing on a high, unable to think clearly. He didn't quite understand where this bravado came from; acting almost like liquid courage, but it was pushing him—begging him—to do something he never thought he would do.

“Don't ask what I'm doing because I don't know either,” was what he said before claiming Junhwe's lips with his own.

Junhwe blinked, eyes closing once, twice, three times before fluttering shut.

The voice in back of his head that told Junhwe that what they were doing was reckless was drowned out, smothered by the sound of his heart beating in his ears and the addled, hazy thoughts racing through his mind. He allowed himself to be pulled closer, deeper into the kiss.

Having his teammate, leader, and friend kiss him in the middle of the night had not been on Junhwe’s list of accomplishments—but he definitely wasn’t going to complain. He didn’t know what to think aside from this is nice and this is really nice. Hanbin had gained even more confidence, abandoning his cautiousness, and all Junhwe could do was follow his feverish passion. When his tongue had slipped past Junhwe’s lips, that’s when he realized that this kiss was becoming a bit too nice.

It wasn't until Junhwe was pushing him back that Hanbin realized just exactly what he was doing. His thoughts and feelings hadn't been the only thing that escalated. He couldn't remember letting go of Junhwe's hand. He didn't know when his hands had instead gently took hold Junhwe's hair to pull him closer. Realizing just exactly what he was doing, Hanbin loosened his hold, not resisting as Junhwe pulled away.

There was nothing holding Hanbin back, nothing to keep him from unconsciously following Junhwe's lips as they separated. Junhwe had stepped back, and Hanbin was left hanging. He closed his eyes, breathing slower. His hand was on the back of his neck as he tried to calm himself and regain some of the control he had lost. After a few steady breaths, his heart rate lowered, and he opened his eyes only to lock gazes with Junhwe.

The vocalist looked away.

A few steps away, Hanbin could see Junhwe withdrawing, becoming inhibited under Hanbin's gaze. He brushed his hair, almost as though he was trying to get a hold of some form of normalcy. He tried for a casual attitude, but he was far too hesitant and beyond confused. Hanbin could see this, yet he was thrown when Junhwe asked, “What was that?”

Hanbin suddenly looked sheepish. “I don't know.”

He dropped his hand from his neck and rocked forward on his feet, unable to control his need to close the distance between the two of them.

“Well,” Junhwe said, not quite able to meet Hanbin's eyes as he glanced around at their surroundings, “that was romantic.”

It was deadpan tone the vocalist used to mask his gauche, shy demeanor that caused Hanbin to laugh. His simple joke, an almost ironic observation, eased the tension between them—but not enough. Junhwe's cheeks were still flushed red. Whether it was from the kiss they shared or from embarrassment, Hanbin didn't know. He forced himself to step back; stuffing his hands into his pockets, because the urge to keep touching Junhwe hadn't quite went away. His body was buzzing; the adrenaline hadn't quite died, and he knew his feelings wouldn't either. He laughed again, trying to shake off the lingering euphoria, and began walking backwards.

“Let's get back home. Bobby is probably worried about you,” Hanbin added with a not-so-secret smile Junhwe caught just before Hanbin step out of the light.

“Stop saying things like that!” He ducked when Junhwe swung, laughter ringing out over the younger man's stuttering. “Are you trying to make us awkward?”

“You two don't need my help,” he said, dodging Junhwe's hands once again. He turned his back to him, trusting that Junhwe wouldn't try to strangle him. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded ahead of them. “Come on, June. Let's get home.”