Junhoe almost didn't want Yunhyeong to leave, delaying him with questions about his actual homework. Why was his sister even still here, anyway? She usually didn't stay at their place during the week, preferring her apartment that was closer to campus. Junhoe did not want to talk to his sister about what she'd overheard. What was he even supposed to tell her? It wasn't a conversation for siblings.

Yunhyeong left a half hour later then he was supposed to, and it was like he understood why Junhoe was trying to delay him. But Yunhyeong's sympathy only extended so far.

“Look, unless you yourself want to pay me extra, I have to go. I actually have my own homework to do.”

“Stay here and do it,” Junhoe replied, “I won't bother you.”

“Yejin's not gonna let this go,” Yunhyeong replied, “even if you put her off tonight, she's not going to forget what she heard. Might as well get it over with.”

Junhoe watched as Yunhyeong packed his things up, feeling nervous. What was he going to say to her? Yunhyeong was right—his sister wasn't just going to let this go. She liked to stick her nose into his business, and he rarely ever had business going on, so of course she was going to pounce on this opportunity.

“Good luck, Junhoe! See you next week!” Yunhyeong waved to him from the door, and Junhoe frowned at him. Almost as soon as he left Yejin was standing there at his door.

“You ready for our chat?” She asked, and Junhoe glared at her.

“This is unnecessary, okay? I know what you heard, but it's not what you think.”

Yejin came into his room fully and shut the door behind herself. “I'll be the judge of that, dork. Now move over and tell me everything.” She sat down on the bed next to him, and Junhoe felt so uncomfortable at the prospect of talking to his sister about whatever it was that he had going on with Jinhwan.

“Junhoe-ya? Tonight, before I go home.” She looked at him but he refused to meet her eyes. “Listen, I just want to do my big sister duty and talk to you about things that you need to talk about, and I don't think you want to talk to mom and dad, do you?”

“No, and I don't want to talk to you either, though. It's just as weird.”

Yejin laughed at his response. “Oh come on! Like you, I also date guys,” she said, “so I am probably a good source of information.”

“Noona, maybe you overlooked this, but uh, I'm a guy dating a guy, which is different than you dating one.” Junhoe could feel his own face get hot when he said it, and he hated that he got embarrassed about this stuff so easily.

“You might be surprised at how not different certain things can be,” Yejin said, grinning when she felt Junhoe stiffen next to her, “oh come on, don't be a prude.”

“No offense but I really don't want to think about you, you know--” Junhoe couldn't even bring himself to say it. Nope. This was his sister, they were not going to talk about her.

“About me what? Having ?” Yejin mimicked his awkward tone from his conversation with Yunhyeong earlier, laughing when he whined. “If you're too much of a baby to even talk about , you are too much of a baby to be having it.”

She used her serious noona tone for that last line, and it sobered Junhoe up. She had a point. As weird as it was to discuss this topic with her, he probably should try and be a little more mature about it. “It's not that, it's just, it's just weird.”

“I understand,” Yejin's tone softened when she answered him, “you've always had an awkward time talking about serious things. So let's just cut to the chase, alright? Are you actually in a friends with benefits kind of relationship with someone? Or did I hear incorrectly?”

Oh God had she heard that part of the conversation?! “Uh, well, it's not that I am--”

“A simple yes or no will suffice, Junhoe-ya.”

Junhoe swallowed nervously; this conversation was just moving too quickly!

“Junhoe? Tell me the truth, or I will say something to mom. I know you don't really want to talk to me, but we both know which option is the worse one for you, don't we?”

Junhoe shook his head. His sister could really play dirty when she had to. “I kind of am? With, ah, with--” did he really have to tell her who it was with?

“With who? Do I know him?”

Junhoe nodded, but he couldn't bring himself to look at her. What was she going to say? She was going to have a problem with it, wasn't she?

“Junhoe? His name?”

He took a deep breath before going for it. “It's Jinhwan hyung.”

Yejin was silent, staring at the wall for a moment before finally looking at him. “The guy from jiu jitsu? The one you hated a month ago?” Junhoe nodded, and was surprised when Yejin actually laughed.

He finally looked at her, curious about her response. “Why is that so funny?”

Yejin just shook her head. “You always get yourself into the weirdest situations,” she answered, interrupted by her own laughter. Junhoe waited for her to continue, because he'd been expecting her to protest from the start, but laughter was unexpected.

“Ah, Junhoe. Does Hanbin know?”

“No!” Yejin laughed even harder at his answer, and it actually annoyed him a little. “Noona, can you take this seriously?”

Yejin stopped laughing and met his glaring expression. “Sorry, this is just really funny to me. You threw such a hissy fit when Hanbin started dating Bobby, all because of Jinhwan. And now you're, doing whatever it is you're doing with Jinhwan. Hanbin's gonna be pissed when he finds out, isn't he?”

“No he won't be!” Junhoe replied, defensive right away. “We've been friends for weeks, now!” God, but Hanbin would actually be happy if he ever found out. “He's never finding out, by the way.”

“Why not?”

“Are you kidding? He'd be unbearable!” Junhoe was never telling Hanbin. Not after hearing Hanbin say that he thought they'd make a good couple. Maybe, if Jinhwan ever changed his mind about dating. Maybe. But he wasn't going to, so Junhoe wasn't going to say anything.

“So, who do you have to talk to, about this stuff? Because I'm pretty sure you don't actually know what you're doing, do you?” Yejin winced as she said it, certain Junhoe would probably get defensive again.

Junhoe bristled, his face going red. “Jinhwan knows what he's doing.” Oh God it was so embarrassing to admit it! It shouldn't be, though. He was only seventeen. Most people his age didn't know what they were doing. There was no shame in it. None at all.

“Ah, so it's that kind of relationship! That's good, actually, it's good to have someone teach you things without feelings getting in the way.” Yejin patted his leg and grinned when he gave her a questioning look. “What? You wanna say something?”

Junhoe shook his head, because it was just weird to hear his sister talk about this sort of stuff so casually. Weren't girls all about love and romance and being all about deep connections?

“Listen, I know everyone always says that should be sacred and shared between two people deeply in love, but to be honest? If you just wait to find someone you're in love with, but that person doesn't know anything, then it kind of , no matter how much you love each other. Trust me, speaking from experience.” She grinned when Junhoe choked on nothing but air. “Unless you find someone who's really into researching about things, it's gonna be terrible. That's just life, no one is perfect at something new right away. But I'll put it to you like this. If you had a friend who wanted to get into jiu jitsu, would you tell them to go out and fight someone in a match right away?”

“Without training?” Junhoe asked, “of course not!”

“Think of the same way. If you want to be good at it, you need to find someone that can teach you what you need to know. So what I'm trying to say is that I approve of this set up. Just be smart about it, okay?” She grinned at the look on his face—slightly mortified, slightly understanding—and was glad that he was at least taking in some of what she was saying. “And be safe, too. Always use condoms.”

Junhoe felt like his head was about to explode. He was trying to be cool about the conversation, but this was almost too much. “Okay, I got it, can you please stop?”

Yejin frowned at his request. “What, is a woman not supposed to talk about this stuff?”

“No!” Junhoe didn't want to offend her. “It's just that, well, you're my sister, and it's just weird to hear you talk about this stuff so casually.”

“I'm your older sister, Junhoe. If you're concerned about me, then you should be happy that I can talk about this so casually, because it means that I'm being safe. Plenty of guys try to take advantage of women, because we're not supposed to talk about this stuff, and we're not supposed to show that we know anything until we're married. That's bull, and even though you're gay, I don't want you to have that attitude. God help any girls that want to be your friend, but I'd hope you'd be the kind of guy that encourages them to be informed about this sort of stuff.”

Junhoe bristled at her mini lecture, and it hit home because there was a lot of truth in it. He didn't really talk about the girls in his class, but he often overheard some of his classmates talk about them, and it wasn't always respectfully. He'd never thought twice about it before though, but maybe he would now. “I'm sorry, noona. You made a good point, I'm sorry if I, uh, made you feel bad, or anything.”

Yejin couldn't help but grin at his response. “It's okay, you're young, you don't always realize the things you do until someone tells you. You mean well, you have a good heart. That's the most important part.”

A moment of silence passed before he looked back at her. “So, you won't tell mom about this?”

She shook her head. “Not a word. Just promise me you'll be safe? And as uncomfortable as it would be for you, if you ever do need someone to talk to, about anything, please talk to me. I always worry about you, regardless of what's going on. I know part of growing up is figuring things out on your own, but sometimes just talking helps. Don't forget that, okay?” She stood up and laid a hand on his head, leaning down to plant a little kiss on his forehead. “Love you, Junhoe. I'll leave you be to think it all over.”

Junhoe watched her walk to the door, unsure about how he felt about their chat. Maybe it was good that she knew. It was awkward, but if anything happened... Not that anything would. What could possibly happen that would be bad?

“Hey, noona? Uh, thanks for the talk. For all of it, I mean. You gave me some things to think about.” Yejin leaned against the door frame and smiled back at him, and Junhoe thought she almost looked kind of proud. “And uh, I love you too.”

She left his room then, and once Junhoe was alone he finally felt comfortable that she'd made him talk about it. He was lucky she was willing to be open with him, because it would have been too easy for her to just tell their parents and be done with it. Instead, he realized, she was trusting him to make a good decision for himself. She wouldn't be doing that if she thought he was just a stupid kid.

Maybe it was weird, but it kind of made him feel a little older, a little more mature.

He went back to homework then, happy when everything was making sense. His work was interrupted by his phone buzzing, and he opened a text from Hanbin.

'fyi jinan hyung was asking where you were'

The message made him smile. Not for any romantic reasons, or anything. Of course not. It was just that part of being friends with benefits was being friends, and Junhoe didn't really have that many friends. It was nice to be missed.

He contemplated sending Jinhwan a text, maybe to about asking Hanbin about him. He got as far as opening his messenger, but he just couldn't find the right words, couldn't find a way to say it that didn't sound like he was looking for something more.

So instead he just put his phone away and went back to work.

But still. Jinhwan was looking for him. It was nice.

Hanbin showed up on Sunday morning with flowers for the women, wearing an outfit that made Bobby feel severely under-dressed. But it was good, wasn't it, that Hanbin was trying so hard? He wanted to make a good first impression and Bobby was grateful for it. He greeted him at the door and wanted to pull him in for a kiss, but nerves gripped him too tightly. They'd told his grandmother that she'd be meeting his boyfriend today, and though she'd smiled politely and said she was looking forward to it, Bobby was still nervous. What if she was only pretending to be okay with him being gay? What if she dismissed Hanbin with barely a hello?

He wanted to believe that she was serious about supporting him now, but what if she was only doing it to appease his parents? He hadn't even thought about that until now. What if the whole thing still disappointed her? What if Hanbin met her and she refused to greet him?

He took a deep breath and just took Hanbin's hand, trying to get a grip on himself. This was his grandmother, even if she didn't support Bobby's uality, she wasn't a rude person. She'd be polite and welcoming to Hanbin because it was in their nature, his whole family. He was just nervous because the meeting was finally here, and after not worrying much about it all week, suddenly now in front of Hanbin he was clamming up.

He just didn't want Hanbin to get hurt. That's all it was.

Hanbin sensed Bobby's apprehension, and it had him feeling weird and almost a little protective. “Is everything okay?”

Bobby realized that he was projecting his nerves too late, and after Hanbin asked he shook his head and smiled at him. “Yeah it's fine, I'm just nervous for no reason.”

Hanbin smiled back and squeezed his hand. “Lead the way, then.”

Bobby squeezed back. “You look really good, by the way.” If he wasn't so nervous he'd kiss him, but he had a limit at the moment, and he couldn't get himself over it until he saw for himself how welcoming his grandmother was going to be. He led Hanbin into the kitchen, introducing him and smiling when his grandmother made a fuss over getting flowers.

“Oh, such a sweet thing to do! My own grandsons haven't bought me flowers in such a long time, have you, boys?”

Bobby grinned and felt all the tension lift from his shoulders. He never should have been worried. Hanbin had a way with people that Bobby envied—well, maybe not people so much, because Bobby was good with people too. But Hanbin had a way with adults that Bobby couldn't quite figure out.

Bobby was always nervous around adults, even his own parents made him nervous from time to time. But Hanbin was always comfortable, always charming and personable, like every adult he met was his own mother or father. Ten minutes into introducing him, and already Hanbin was sitting next to Bobby's grandmother, telling her all about Hanbyul while she held his hand and smiled warmly at him. Maybe it was cheating, because what grandmother wouldn't be enamoured with a respectful teenage boy who doted on his little sister?

They had tea and Bobby was eventually pulled away from the kitchen by his brother, requesting his help to bring a few bags of clothes to be donated down to their car. Jiun was quick to comment on Hanbin's quick work of their usually protective grandmother.

“I can't believe how fast that happened,” Jiun commented as they made their way down to their van, “she loves him! Hasn't let go of his hand once.”

“I know, right? I was honestly a little worried, I mean he's really good with older people, but you know, I thought she'd be a little weird about it because we're gay. But nope, she was in love right away. I think she likes him more than she likes us.” Bobby joked, and Jiun didn't even dispute it.

“He's good at first impressions, I'll give him that. Maybe it's because he's a guy, I mean it took her weeks before she was friendly with Jeeyoung, remember that?” Jiun opened the trunk and they put their bags in.

“Yeah, and Jeeyoung really went out of her way to be sweet! Maybe she was just wary about her, because she didn't like your other girlfriends? Didn't want to get her hopes up?”

Jiun laughed at the potential explanation. “True, when you put it that way. Mom was kind of the same way. It's funny, though. They were slow to accept Jeeyoung, but Hanbin stole their hearts right away. Mom got her hopes up from the first eye to eye meeting with Hanbin, and now she's pulling him into church with grandma! Anything to make sure you don't get your heart broken with your first serious relationship.”

Bobby glared at his brother for the teasing, though Jiun did have a point. After trying not to pry too much during the first two weeks of the relationship, he'd noticed that his mother was asking after Hanbin all the time now, constantly bringing him up in conversation, trying to be subtle. It was a little weird, but whenever he got annoyed by it Jinhwan told him to be grateful that she didn't have a problem with him and Hanbin.

“Alright, let's get back up there. Hopefully they didn't try to break into some really personal conversational topics since we left him alone.” Jiun locked the van back up, and together they made their way back up to their apartment.

Hanbin was happily conversing about school, and when Bobby and told him to stop being such a nerd because it made him look bad, Hanbin just grinned back at him as Bobby's mother told him that he should take inspiration from Hanbin to do better in school.

They left for church soon after that (the whole family minus Jinhwan, who had music lessons for his upcoming trumpet exam) and they met up with Jeeyoung at the church. She and Hanbin had met briefly once, but she greeted him warmly, asking if he was being treated well by the family.

Jiun and Bobby stood together while their significant others chatted. “Man, I think even Jeeyoung likes Hanbin more than us.” Bobby laughed at his brother's comment, but when he thought about it he felt grateful that Hanbin had such an agreeable personality. He managed to fit in with Bobby's family with ease. Not everyone could do that.

After the greeting Bobby's grandmother latched onto Jeeyoung for a bit, giving Hanbin a minor reprieve and finally allowing Bobby a chance to check on him.

He was fine, of course.

“I like your grandmother! She's really sweet.” Hanbin answered when Bobby asked.

“Good, she really likes you,” Bobby replied, standing next to Hanbin with his hands clasped behind his back, “she wasn't that quick to warm up to any of Jiun's girlfriends.”

“Guess it's my natural charm!” Hanbin teased, relieved to hear it from Bobby. On the outside he'd seemed confident and calm, but on the inside he'd been a nervous wreck all morning, wondering if he was doing a good job, mindful of Bobby's explanation that she'd had a hard time coming to terms with her grandson being gay. He'd been careful not to talk about Bobby too much, wanting to appeal to her as his own person, and not just as Bobby's boyfriend.

“Yeah, something like that, I guess.” Bobby smiled back at him. He wanted to put his arm around Hanbin's shoulders, felt weird standing next to him without touching him. But church wasn't the place for that. They went in to take their seats and Bobby was relieved when his mother told he and his brother to share the pew behind them. It was sure to take a bit of pressure off of Hanbin, not having eyes on him constantly.

Hanbin finally felt like he could breathe when they sat down. He was in between Bobby and the wall, and he was happy with that, not wanting the added pressure of a stranger on his other side. When he'd told Bobby that it had been a few years since he'd been to the church it hadn't been a lie, but he'd neglected to mention that it had been for a wedding and hadn't been a regular service.

In truth it had been seven years since he'd last attended a regular church service. His parents weren't really that religious, and neither was he, and if Hanbin had to pick a religion to identify with, he'd actually say that he was a Buddhist. He was only familiar with Christian church practices because, for a year when he was nine years old, he'd decided that he wanted to be Christian, like Junhoe. His parents had let him do it, supporting his own exploration into religion.

He'd given it up after a year, though, too many questions without answers weighing on his ten year old brain. After numerous weeks asking his father questions about God and the creation of the Earth, his father had finally offered him another philosophy that suited his line of thinking much better: Who says the world needed a beginning at all? Why do you worry about the beginning or the end, when you should just worry about your time now? Since that day Hanbin had given up on following Junhoe to church. He told him that he still believed in God, because it was easier than explaining what he really thought.

The church had good teachings, though, for the most part, so Hanbin didn't have a problem with any of it. He thought it would be nice to sit through a peaceful sermon and reflect for an hour. Without thinking about it he reached out and took Bobby's hand in his own, squeezing it lightly.

Bobby tensed when Hanbin took his hand, and even though no one save Jiun might see it, he still panicked and pulled his hand back. He wasn't really out at church, had no idea if his pastor knew, no idea if his parents had told any of their church friends. Everyone knew that Jinhwan was a family friend who lived with them, but this was the first time he was ever bringing a guy that wasn't Jinhwan. It probably already seemed a little weird to anyone who was used to seeing him. He glanced at Hanbin and shook his head, hoped that he wouldn't take it personally.

Hanbin had taken it personally at first, but when he met Bobby's eyes he realized that it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, flaunting something that might upset other people. He smiled sheepishly back at Bobby and mouthed an apology. There was a time and a place for hand holding, and church definitely wasn't it. He'd just gotten so used to always holding Bobby's hand that it felt weird to sit next to him and keep his hands to himself.

He tried to distract himself with the sermon, listening to the pastor speaking. It was calm and peaceful and Hanbin listened intently at first, but eventually his mind started wandering. He looked at Bobby, who was paying close attention. Hanbin thought it was cute. Bobby actually had a very short attention span usually, but he somehow managed to remain focused throughout the entire sermon.

When it was over they hung around the church for a bit, Bobby's parents making conversation with a few other older couples while his grandmother spoke to the pastor. Bobby was feeling calm but a little nervous, especially when he noticed that his grandmother and their pastor kept glancing his way during their conversation.

Was she telling him? Was she trying to get his blessing for him? Bobby felt a little sick to his stomach, because he had no idea what the pastor's reaction would be. He'd known Father Lee for the past ten years ever since he'd taken over at their church, and he always spoke kindly to Bobby. What if he was against it, though? What if he was so against it he'd have Bobby barred from coming to church unless he renounced his feelings? It was easy to hope for someone to support you when you didn't know their opinion, but the reality was that a lot of people still thought it was a sin, still thought there was something wrong with it.

Of course not everyone did, and there were churches that openly supported the gay community. Maybe it was equally as bad of him to expect that everyone would refuse to support him. But still. What if his pastor didn't? What if he was about to make everything tough on his family?

“Hey, you okay?”

Bobby was startled out of his thought by his brother. Jiun looked at him with concerned eyes, laying a hand on his shoulder. Bobby wondered what kind of expression he'd been wearing for Jiun to come over and inquire. Before answering he glanced around, relieved when he saw that Hanbin was in a lively discussion with Jeeyoung, and that no one was close enough to overhear their conversation.

“I'm good, hyung.”

Jiun wasn't convinced, though. “You sure? You're quiet, and you've got that look on your face,” Jiun spoke in hushed tones, “you know the one you get when you've done something wrong and you're waiting for mom to notice.”

. He hadn't even realized he'd been that worried. “Ah, really? I'm okay.”

Jiun looked over at their grandmother, who was still talking to their pastor. “Nervous about their conversation? You keep looking at them.”

Bobby shrugged. “I don't think he knows about me, and I just hope that she's not telling him.”

Jiun nodded and put his arm around Bobby's shoulders. “I'm sure she's not, Jiwon, but he probably did ask her about Hanbin. You know he likes to know about newcomers to the service, and he was sitting next to you, and now he's talking to Jeeyoung. He's used to seeing Jinhwan, but he's never seen Hanbin before. Probably just curious.” Jiun ruffled his hair. “Don't worry about it, though.”

Bobby felt a little better at his brother's words. “I guess I'm just afraid of messing things up.”

“There's nothing to mess up, Jiwon. Don't stand around looking guilty when you're not doing anything wrong.” Jiun's arm tightened around his shoulder. “If anyone does have a problem with you and Hanbin, well it's their problem, not ours.”

Bobby felt grateful for his brother. When they were younger Bobby used to go to Jiun all the time, looking for support and protection. It had been a while since he'd needed it, but it still felt just as good to know Jiun was still there for him. “Thanks, hyung.” They moved closer to Hanbin and Jeeyoung, and Bobby was tempted to put his arm around Hanbin's shoulders.

He looked back at his grandmother, but he wasn't being watched anymore. Maybe she hadn't been telling his secret? Maybe he'd been worrying over nothing. He still kept his hand to himself, though. Maybe next time.

Jinhwan returned from his trumpet lesson when they were mid-way through lunch, walking into the dining room and heading over to give Bobby's grandmother a hug before he did anything else.

“How was your lesson this morning, Jinhwan-ie? We missed you at church, Father Lee asked me why you weren't there,” she asked him as she ladled him a bowl of kimchi stew.

“It went well, I think I'll pass my exam without a problem. My lips are tired, though.” He'd performed his piece flawlessly a few times through, though there was still one passage he occasionally had trouble with. He was getting better with it.

“My poor boy, eat up and be healthy!”

“I will, thank you!” He looked across the table at Hanbin, who was grinning at him. Jinhwan had already gotten a text from Bobby, telling him that Hanbin had handled church like a pro. Jinhwan still wanted to ask, anyway. “How was church?”

Hanbin smiled back at him. “It was nice! Calm and relaxing. It was a little weird seeing Bobby so focused, though.” Hanbin smiled at Bobby, who shook his head.

“I know, right? It's bizarre!”

“Both of you, quiet.” Bobby grumbled at them.

“It's true! Normally you have a super short attention span. You should see him in class...” Jinhwan teased, grinning when Bobby kicked him under the table.

“Jinan! Shut up.”

“What's he like in class?” Bobby's mother asked, looking pointedly at Jinhwan.

Jinhwan looked at Bobby before looking back at his mother. “He's a model student.” They all laughed at the comment.

“Ah, don't lie! I've seen his report cards!” Bobby's mother teased. “I'm hoping that Hanbin might influence him to be a better student.”

Bobby shook his head while Hanbin grinned and reached out to pat Bobby's head. “I'll start organizing study dates, Mrs. Kim.”

Bobby swatted his hand away. “You will not! We're not in the same grade, it would be useless.”

“He'd probably understand the work quicker than either of us,” Jinhwan butted in, “Hanbin's super smart!”

“Not helping, Jinan!” Bobby replied, only pretending to be annoyed.

“Jinan-ie hyung's right, if you ever want a tutor let me know, just give me a day to read your text book first.” Hanbin couldn't help but tease, leaning in close to him.

“Ah, this kid! You're pushing it.” Bobby replied. Hanbin winked at him before laying a hand on his leg and squeezing. Bobby caught his hand, but this time he was happy to hold it.

“Oh, Hanbin? Are you free on Thursday night?” Jinhwan asked.

“I guess, wasn't doing anything except studying. Why?”

“Remember that violinist I mentioned, Amadeus Leopold? Well, Seiyeon called me when I was on my way back and she can't come to the show, so I have a free ticket. I thought you'd probably enjoy it more that anyone else, so I thought I'd ask if you wanted to go.” He'd thought about inviting Junhoe, but he'd remembered how much Hanbin had liked him. Besides, inviting Junhoe on his own would almost be like a date, right? He didn't want to promote that sort of interaction so soon. It might get confusing for Junhoe.

“Are you serious?” Hanbin asked, mouth open in shock. “If you're teasing me I might cry. I keep watching that video of his!”

Jinhwan smiled at him, happy to hear it. “Yeah I'm serious! If you wanna go, I'll bring you.” Jinhwan was excited that Hanbin was still into it. He glanced at Bobby then, but was surprised to see his face drawn in a tight pinch. Jinhwan knew that expression. It was the one Bobby wore when he was angry but trying to keep it hidden. Maybe he should have run the invite by Bobby first.

“Ah hyung, thanks for inviting me!” Hanbin almost couldn't believe his luck. Maybe the concert offer was like cosmic karma for making such a good impression on Bobby's grandmother and getting through church? Because Hanbin hadn't been lying, he really had watched the video quite a few times.

Bobby was every bit as annoyed with the invite as he looked. What did Jinhwan think he was doing, inviting Hanbin without asking him first? Hanbin was his boyfriend, and as much as Bobby liked that they were friends, it just felt weird. Bobby should be the one taking Hanbin out to things like concerts, and here was Jinhwan, stealing his thunder?

The longer Bobby wore that angry look, the worse Jinhwan felt. He definitely should have asked. Then again, was it really such a bad thing? Shouldn't Bobby be happy that he was doing something nice for Hanbin? Jinhwan could have invited anyone. But he'd known that Hanbin would enjoy it the most. He hadn't been wrong, had he? “You don't mind, Bobby, do you?”

Bobby shook his head, but he refused to look at Jinhwan, instead picking up his spoon and going for another bite of kimchi stew. “Why would I? You guys are friends, it's cool.”

It was a problem, and Jinhwan knew that Bobby probably wouldn't let it go right away. It was rare that they ever got upset with each other. He wasn't looking forward to trying to mend this. He'd drop it for now, though, because he didn't want Hanbin to think anything was wrong.

“I think it's very sweet of you to invite Hanbin, Jinhwan-ie!” Bobby's mother smiled at him in that proud mother sort of way, and it almost made Jinhwan feel even worse. He was definitely going to have to do something big to smooth it over with Bobby.

“Ah, it's not that big of a deal! I'd have invited Bobby, but he wasn't really enchanted by the guy.” Jinhwan hoped his teasing comment wouldn't bother Bobby more.

Bobby just wanted them all to shut up about the stupid concert. Whatever. It wasn't that big of a deal! It's not like Jinhwan had specifically bought a ticket for Hanbin. It was originally a present from Seiyeon, so really it was like Seiyeon was taking him. Bobby wished that it was Seiyeon who was taking Hanbin. If Jinhwan had just asked him first, he wouldn't be upset.

Would he? It's not like he had a problem with Jinhwan and Hanbin hanging out together. They'd gone to his basketball game together. It was good that they were friends. The problem, really, was that it was a concert. He hadn't taken Hanbin anywhere special since they'd started dating, and now Jinhwan was taking him to a show. And it wasn't just any old concert, either. It was some fancy violinist that Bobby didn't even care about. Some artsy thing that he apparently wasn't cultured enough to appreciate.

He was distracted out of his thoughts by Hanbin's hand that was back on his leg, and when he finally looked up from his plate he was met with his favourite smiling face and he couldn't help but smile back at him.

Ah, he was being stupid. Hanbin was happy, did it really matter that Jinhwan hadn't asked him first? Maybe it was just a sign that Jinhwan felt comfortable enough with Hanbin that he thought of him as a friend first instead of as Bobby's boyfriend. That was good, right? Jinhwan was his best friend, he didn't want him to feel like he wasn't allowed to hang out with Hanbin. Bobby wasn't that kind of guy.

When Jinhwan finished eating Bobby's mother excused the three of them from the table, letting them retreat back to Bobby's room. Hanbin was grateful for the reprieve. He was sure the morning had gone well, but he still felt exhausted after it all. As soon as they got to Bobby's room he face planted into Bobby's pillow.

Jinhwan flopped down next to him. “Congratulations, Hanbin-ah! You survived the grandmother test!”

Hanbin grinned back. “Thanks, hyung! I feel like I just ran a marathon.”

Jinhwan patted his head. “Oh come on, it wasn't that bad, was it? She loved you, didn't she?” Jinhwan looked up at Bobby, who grinned down at them, no trace of anger on his face anymore.

“You did good, Bin! She adores you, honestly.”

Hanbin smiled back at him, pleased to hear it. “I think I deserve a reward for getting through that.”

“Oh yeah? What do you want as your reward?” Bobby asked, and he already had a few ideas running through his head.

“I don't know, what do you have on offer?” Hanbin replied.

Bobby grinned back at him before looking pointedly at Jinhwan.

Jinhwan grinned back at him. “Oh, is that my cue to leave?” He asked, and while he'd usually protest and stick around just to annoy Bobby, he figured he'd be nice this time and leave. He owed him for the concert invite, at least.

“Yeah, either get out on your own or I'll throw you out myself.” Bobby replied, and he was a little surprised when Jinhwan actually got up and headed for the door without a fight.

“Alright, I'll be nice, but only for Hanbin! I'm not doing you any favours.” Jinhwan winked at Bobby before waving to Hanbin. “Don't do anything dirty, though! Your whole family's still here, don't forget.” Jinhwan teased before disappearing behind the door.

Bobby looked back down at Hanbin then, whose eyes were on him. “So, what do I do with you now?” Bobby asked, kneeling down on the bed next to Hanbin.

“You heard Jinan, nothing dirty!” Hanbin teased, but seconds later and Bobby was on top of him, lips pressed over his own, cutting off any further commentary. They kissed for a few minutes, both caught up in a bit of privacy after spending the entire morning barely able to touch one another. It wasn't until Hanbin felt Bobby's hand settle in between his legs that he thought again about Jinhwan's warning.

“Bobby--”

But Bobby cut him off with another kiss, his hand squeezing tighter, and even though Hanbin really wanted him to keep doing what he was doing, he couldn't help but think about Bobby's parents, about his grandmother, all just down the hall. He couldn't take that chance, not after this morning.

Grudgingly he pushed Bobby back. “We shouldn't,” he said, frowning when Bobby just tried to kiss him again, “hyung, I mean it.”

Bobby finally quit pushing. “It's fine, Hanbin, no one's gonna bother us.”

“You don't know that,” Hanbin replied, “your door doesn't lock and the hallway's got a carpet, so we wouldn't even hear anyone coming.”

“It doesn't matter,” Bobby said, “honestly we're fine, and even if anyone does come in, well, I'll take the heat for it, it's my house.”

“I don't want your family to think poorly of me.” Hanbin replied, frustrated that Bobby wasn't taking his concerns seriously.

“They won't, they adore you.” Bobby said, frustrated with the interruption. This always seemed to happen, almost every time he ever tried to make out with Hanbin. Didn't Hanbin want this too? Why was he always so concerned about getting caught by someone?

“But what if they walk in and see me with your hand down my pants?” Hanbin replied, and he was honestly a little surprised that Bobby was willing to push like this with his grandmother here. His parents were one thing, but his grandmother?

Bobby sighed in frustration before moving off of him. “Fine. You don't want to make out, you could have just said so, instead of making me think that you wanted to.”

“I do want to!” Hanbin replied, sitting up next to him.

“You sure about that?” Bobby asked, and maybe it came out sounding a little more accusatory than it should have. But he'd spent weeks already dying to do more with Hanbin than just kiss. It was getting frustrating to continually be turned down.

Hanbin felt hurt by the question. Was Bobby really questioning his interest? “Why would you even say that? Of course I want to!”

Bobby shrugged, and he couldn't stop himself before speaking. “It just feels like every time I try to make a move on you, you keep pushing me away.” Bobby couldn't look at him while he said it, though, because in reality it was something he was actually a little afraid of. What if Hanbin wasn't actually attracted to him, physically? Hanbin was into it when they were kissing, but the second Bobby tried to do anything more, Hanbin was always protesting. Wasn't he feeling as desperate as Bobby was?

“That's because there's always someone around!” Hanbin replied, frustration creeping into his tone. He was still hurt by the accusation, even though he knew that there was some degree of truth to it.

“Well, I'm telling you that it's not a problem, and you're not even willing to give me a minute. I'm not used to being pushed away, Hanbin.” Bobby didn't even realize what he'd said, not even when Hanbin suddenly got up from the bed. “Hey, where are you going?”

Hanbin didn't want to answer, could barely think past Bobby's comment. I'm not used to being pushed away. Was it that much of a problem for him, that they hadn't done anything serious yet? He'd just spent the morning at church with Bobby's family, but suddenly he was a problem because he didn't want to get caught by that same family?

“Hanbin?” Bobby got up and followed him to the door, grabbing his arm when Hanbin reached for the doorknob.

“Maybe I should just go home.” Hanbin didn't look at him, couldn't look at him.

Bobby felt like when he heard the hurt in Hanbin's voice, though he wasn't entirely certain what he'd done. “No, you're not leaving. I'm sorry, okay? Whatever I said, I'm sorry.”

“That's a ty apology.” Hanbin grumbled, torn between wanting to stay and wanting to leave. He'd never been very good at turning the other cheek and accepting mistreatment from anyone, and the topic was sensitive for him after his relationship with Woosung.

Bobby bit the inside of his cheek, frustrated but not saying it. He didn't necessarily think that he'd done anything worthy of apologizing for, and usually he avoided apologies altogether because he was terrible at them. But he wasn't willing to avoid Hanbin. “Hanbin? I'm sorry, but, I'm not really sure what you're so upset about. Can you tell me, please?”

Hanbin bristled at the comment. He nearly pulled his arm away, determined to leave. But he thought about what Bobby had said and was hit with a very good reminder that Bobby was not Woosung. Bobby was asking him what he was upset about, he wanted to know, wanted to try and fix it instead of just insisting that Hanbin was wrong. He couldn't let their first ever argument ruin what had been an excellent morning.

He turned around to face him, leaning back against the wall. “It really bothers you, doesn't it? That we haven't done anything serious?”

Bobby's first instinct was to lie, to say that he was just frustrated after a long morning. But there was an odd sort of vulnerability between them at the moment, and he thought that lying might just make things worse. “Yeah, I guess it kind of does.” He felt like a jerk as soon as he said it.

Hanbin nodded. The answer just made him nervous all over again, made him think about how things had ended with Woosung. That's not how they'd go with Bobby, though, the situation was different, his own feelings were different. It still hurt to hear it, though. “I'm sorry that I'm not giving you what you want--”

“No, Hanbin, it's okay.”

“It's not okay, Bobby. You said it yourself—I'm not used to being pushed away. Clearly you're used to getting more out of a guy.” Hanbin watched as realization dawned over Bobby's face. It looked genuine.

“, that was thoughtless of me, I shouldn't have said that.” Bobby felt like kicking his own , now that he realized what he'd said to upset Hanbin. “Listen, I'd rather get pushed away by you every day then get it from someone else, okay?” He actually meant it, and the realization of just how serious his feelings for Hanbin were starting to get kind of shocked him.

“You believe me when I say that I want it, right?” Hanbin was surprised to see uncertainty in Bobby's eyes. “You're not the only one that's frustrated. But are you honestly okay with your mom possibly walking in on us?”

Bobby didn't want to admit that he wasn't confident in Hanbin's level of attraction to him, but he saw the truth in Hanbin's eyes. He was just being an idiot. He grinned when Hanbin brought up his mom. “No, I'm not really okay with it, I was just thinking with the wrong head.” He laughed when Hanbin shook his head. “I'm sorry, Bin.”

“You've never reacted like that before, though. I feel like you were really upset with me.” Hanbin couldn't just let it go so easily.

Bobby frowned at the comment, because he really didn't want to admit to Hanbin what the cause of his issue was today. “Yeah, I guess I just really wanted to do something nice for you today.”

“Why, because of church?” Hanbin asked, surprised at his answer.

Bobby thought about using the offered excuse, but he was terrible at lying. He could never keep his story straight, and Hanbin remembered everything. “No, because Jinan is taking you to that concert on Thursday.”

Hanbin wasn't expecting that answer, and it took him a moment to figure out a response. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Because I haven't done anything special for you! I should be the one taking you to concerts. But I haven't done anything, and I just wanted to do something for you, something that no one else could do.” God, why did admitting that make him feel so vulnerable?

Hanbin was surprised at the admission. On one hand, he thought it was stupid. But on the other... “You don't have to do anything special for me. I mean I haven't done anything special for you, either, if we're keeping tabs.”

Bobby shook his head. “Yeah well, that was all good and fine until today. I know it's probably stupid, but it bothered me, okay?”

“Did he ask you if he could ask me?” Hanbin said, wondering if that was the problem.

“No. It came as a surprise.” Bobby watched him, wondered if Hanbin that he was stupid for letting it bother him.

Hanbin didn't think it was stupid, though. Well, he kind of thought it was stupid. But he understood why it might bother Bobby. “It wouldn't have bothered you if he'd asked you, right?”

Bobby nodded. “I'd probably have been okay with it, I mean, it's something you want to see, right? I want you to go see this violin guy. Just because I can't take you, doesn't mean you shouldn't go. I probably wouldn't really enjoy it, so it's better for you to go with Jinan.”

Hanbin felt better about everything after hearing Bobby admit how he was feeling. They clearly still needed to do something about their other issue, but for now he was feeling better. “Thanks for telling me how you feel.”

“Thanks for not leaving,” Bobby replied, bringing his hands up to cup Hanbin's cheeks, “I'm sorry I got in my own way earlier.” He kissed Hanbin softly, surprisingly content with just that. Hanbin slid his arms around his back, and Bobby leaned into him.

Hanbin hugged him tightly, relieved they'd worked through their problems. He didn't like the idea of fighting with Bobby, it made him exhausted all over again. But things were okay now. Time to move on.

“So, you know in a week's time, one of us is going to be able to do something nice for the other,” he said, “because our bet's gonna be up.”

“Oh is it?” Bobby asked, because he'd actually forgotten about the bet. “Kinda looks like I might win it, at this rate.”

Hanbin frowned. “There's still a week left.”

“I expect somewhere really fancy,” Bobby teased, “your family's got way more money than mine.”

“Not fair!” Hanbin replied.

“Dessert will be free, though.” Bobby said, sliding his hands down to Hanbin's waist.

Hanbin glanced at the door, making a split second decision that he really hoped he wasn't going to regret. “You can have some dessert right now, if you're still hungry.” Bobby's eyes widened almost comically, and Hanbin was quick to list his caveat. “One condition, though. We do it right here.”

“Why right here?” Bobby asked, curious.

“Because if we're on your bed and someone opens the door, they'll see us right away. But we're behind the door--”

Bobby couldn't help but laugh, which he knew would probably annoy Hanbin, but he couldn't help it.

“Don't laugh at me!” Hanbin punched him in the arm. “I'm trying to compromise with you!”

“I'm sorry,” Bobby replied before wrapping his arms around Hanbin and pressing a kiss into his neck, “you're cute.”

“Too cute for you.” Hanbin sulkily replied, glad that Bobby's head was in his neck so he couldn't see him smiling.

It was weird, the way that situational context made the same sentence have such different meanings. If anyone else ever said that Hanbin was too cute for him, Bobby knew it would bother him, knew it would cause his slowly growing self doubt to manifest and wreak havoc. But hearing it out of Hanbin's mouth gave it the opposite effect, and Bobby just felt all the more confident after hearing Hanbin say it.

“Yeah, you probably are too cute for me,” he replied, teeth nipping lightly at Hanbin's skin, fingers working at the top button of his pants, “I'm lucky you like me so much, right?”

“Don't you forget it.” Hanbin answered, trying his best to sound annoyed, but a second later he was gasping as Bobby's fingers tightened around his .

Maybe he just needed to stop being so paranoid about someone walking in on them.

Five minutes later, when Bobby was down on his knees and Hanbin was trying desperately not to make a sound—yeah, he definitely needed to stop being so paranoid.