Jooheon leads them as they wander aimlessly away, Minhyuk hugging him comfortingly from behind. Jooheon seems to still be collecting himself from the ride, so Minhyuk doesn’t force any conversation quite yet. He does make them stop, though, once they’re far enough away from the others, to take a seat and allow Jooheon to regain the rest of his bearings. It always takes Jooheon a while to recover from such an experience, after all. Minhyuk only sits beside him quietly, smiling at nothing and holding his hand tightly.

“Hyung,” Jooheon says at long last, his voice much stronger than Minhyuk expects it to be, “thanks for always being there for me. I know I don’t really say it enough, but I’m always grateful for your care for me.”

“What’s this all of a sudden?” Minhyuk asks, Jooheon’s seriousness putting Minhyuk on edge. This wasn’t his first time seeing Jooheon’s sincere side, obviously, but this turn of emotions is quite unexpected. Jooheon sighs, leaning back against the bench.

“I don’t know, I’ve just been thinking a lot lately,” he replies slowly. “We don’t really talk a lot about how we feel about each other around the dorm, but sometimes it feels nice to talk like this.” Minhyuk’s gaze falls from Jooheon’s cherub face to the ground at their feet, the younger’s sincerity bringing up a feeling he’d been trying to find the right time to mention.

“Jooheonney,” Minhyuk finds himself saying, “I need to tell you something.” He raises his eyes to watch Jooheon’s reaction. “I’ve come to realize recently that I’ve developed feelings for you, Jooheon-ah, and, honestly I—“

“Hyung,” Jooheon interrupts, giving him his signature dimpled grin, “you think I don’t know?  You think I don’t notice how affectionate you always are with me?” Minhyuk pauses, laughing slightly at the rapper’s bluntness.

“Would you be open to dating?” he asks. “I know, you’re way busier than me and probably don’t have time, but it wouldn’t have to be a burden. We could just go out whenever we both had the time, without any pressure.” Jooheon’s arm snakes around Minhyuk, pulling him close to his side.

“Sounds pretty casual,” Jooheon muses, seeming to seriously consider the idea, “but I don’t know. It doesn’t really sound all that great.” Minhyuk’s heart falls at the almost immediate response, unable to believe what he’s hearing. He tries to think of something lighthearted to say, but he can’t. Disappointment seals his lips tight. Jooheon smiles at him, as if amused by his uncharacteristically quiet response. “You know me, hyung. I don’t do anything without giving my all. So, I think we should become a serious couple, like Mom and Dad or Hoseok-hyung and Hyungwon-hyung. I agree that our schedules don’t mesh all that often, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be serious.”

There’s a long pause between the two, and finally Minhyuk gives a short laugh before kissing Jooheon’s cheek.

“You had me worried there for a second,” he admits as he hugs Jooheon’s neck. Jooheon beams at him, and tightens his hold on the older’s hand as he stands.

“Now, I’m hungry,” he says, “so let’s eat.”

The couple spends their remaining two hours, which pass by much too quickly in their opinion, walking around the amusement park while eating various fried foods on sticks. They speak about nothing in particular, and are the first of the couples to meet Kihyun and Hyunwoo back at the entrance. Changkyun is already there as well, leaving only Hoseok and Hyungwon. Kihyun begins to nag them about taking too long to get back to the others as soon as they arrive. Changkyun can’t help but encourage him to go on in order to annoy his hyungs, earning an aggravated glance from Hoseok.

“Don’t encourage him, brat!” Hoseok complains playfully, lightly swatting at the youngest’s arm. Jooheon and Minhyuk notice the car pull up, and greet Hongsik, their manager, as they climb into the back of the SUV to get the connected seats. Minhyuk turns back to watch the entranceway as they ride away, thinking the free day to be the best time he’d had in a long time, and begins to look forward to what could possibly lie ahead, his hand tingling warmly as Jooheon holds onto it.