Jae had no idea how it happened, how it became a thing, their thing but he wasn't entirely opposed to it. He liked kissing. He liked Brian. So, it was logical that he liked kissing Brian. Right? 

 

Thinking about it, if anyone had the answers to his question, it should be Jae himself. After all, he was the one who started this entire thing. 

--

Day6 were in the middle of How Can I Say promotions but all of them were in the studio, thinking of song ideas for the next releases. Sungjin was slumped over a notebook, pencil in his hand while he continued glaring at the pages. Wonpil was zoned out, staring at the clock they had. Dowoon kept on yawning before shaking his head resolutely. Jae and Brian were sprawled on the floor, crumpled pieces of paper surrounding them. 

 

Jae sighed, sitting up a bit as he strummed his guitar. Tonight was a lost cause already. None of them have had any ideas for a few hours now and he wished Sungjin would admit it already so they could all go home. Reaching over, Jae idly tapped his pen against Wonpil's thigh, humming when the younger started swatting his hand away. That hum was probably the most noise any of them had made in hours. 

 

"Hyung, can we go home? We're all tired. I don't think we're going anywhere with the song writing tonight. Let's just go home, recharge and try again tomorrow." Dowoon finally said, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them. 

 

Dowoon's words seemed to snap everyone out of their trance. Sungjin sighed, closing his notebook while Wonpil pushed his chair back, smiling sheepishly when he managed to hit Jae. Brian had sat up properly now, opening a crumpled piece of paper. 

 

"Dowoon's right. Let's call it a night. The van's just downstairs so grab your stuff and let's go." Sungjin announced, already getting up and reaching for his guitar case. 

 

Jae grinned, getting up as well to pack his guitar. He paused when he realized that Brian wasn't moving from the floor. "What are you doing?" 

 

"I,uh, want to stay for a bit, hyung. I think I know where I went wrong in the lyrics earlier." Brian replied, looking past Jae towards Sungjin, asking for permission. 

 

Wonpil whined. "Hyung, come on. You can work on it tomorrow. I know you're tired as well." 

 

Brian only grinned up at Wonpil but didn't say anything. Instead, he uncrumpled another piece of paper before writing something on it. It was one of their better trials earlier and Jae knew that Brian could probably fix what was wrong with it and finish the song within tonight. If the bassist didn't sleep anyway. Ugh. 

 

"You guys go ahead. Bri and I will stay and work on it for a bit." Jae said, putting his guitar back down to meet Sungjin's gaze. 

 

"Are you sure, hyung?" Sungjin asked, eyeing Brian. Jae could see that their leader had already guessed that their bassist was in his writer mode again and wouldn't move anytime soon. "I could stay instead."

 

"It's fine. I got it. Just tell manager hyung where we are, okay?" 

 

Reluctantly, Sungjin nodded before herding Wonpil and Dowoon out. Wonpil reminded Jae and Brian not to stay up too late which got him matching teasing smirks from the two but mumbles of confirmation as well. Wonpil only rolled his eyes at them before tugging Dowoon away after the maknae waved his goodbyes. 

 

"I guess it's just you and me, huh?" Brian asked, switching to English, lips stretched out in a pleased grin. 

 

Jae sighed, claiming the chair Sungjin sat on earlier. "Guess so. Now, let's hurry up and finish this song. I want to actually get some sleep before tomorrow." 

 

Brian's grin just grew before the younger focused on the task he was doing. Jae let out another sigh, grabbing a few pieces of paper as well. Tonight was going to even longer than expected. 

--
Jae jumped when he felt someone kick his chair. Turning around, he glared at Brian, who at least looked apologetic. Pulling his earphones down, the blonde got up from the chair, stretching as he did. 

 

"What?" Jae asked as he sat down on the floor across Brian. 

 

"Nothing. I've been calling you a few times now but you were too focused. Plus the earphones." Brian shrugged. 

 

Jae hummed. "Thought of a few lines. Not that they'd all make sense anyway." He glanced at the paper Brian was holding. "What about you? How's yours going?" 

 

"I'll check on it later." Brian sighed as he handed Jae the piece of paper. "I really thought that I knew what was wrong with the lyrics from earlier but I've just been going in circles." 

 

Jae took the paper, reading over what Brian had written. It basically was the same lines that they've come up with earlier, only having a few lines added with a lot of question marks in them. Jae sighed again; Wonpil was right. They should have just worked on it tomorrow. He was about to tell that to Brian when he saw how the younger looked. 

 

Brian looked tired and dejected. He was looking at Jae like he knew that the other was disappointed in him. The frown on Brian's face seemed ingrained there and the sight made Jae's heart lurch painfully. 

 

"Hey, we all have our off nights." Jae said softly, knowing that it wasn't the time to tease Brian about it. "No one expects you to be coming up with lyrics every single minute of the day." 

 

"Right." Brian said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. 

 

Jae frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

 

"Nothing, hyung." 

 

"Don't hyung me. Come on. What is it?" 

 

"Jae, seriously, it's nothing. Drop it." Brian groaned, huffing in frustration. 

 

"Dude, literally anyone could tell that you're lying right now so why are you even denying it?" When Brian didn't say anything, Jae let out another sigh, moving closer to the younger. "Hey, Brian, come on. What's going on?" 

 

Brian stared at him for a minute before slumping down against Jae's shoulder. "I'm just tired, Jae. Everyone's looking at me to write the lyrics and I can't. I mean, I don't always know what to write as well. I feel like everyone expects me to write something amazing and I'm scared to disappoint you guys when I can't." 

 

Jae became quiet after hearing that. He never knew just how much pressure they were passing onto Brian and the guilt was eating him up. Carefully, Jae wrapped his arms around Brian, afraid that the slightest touch might break him. Brian sighed, pulling the older in closer as he nuzzled the taller's neck. 

 

They stayed like that for a while until Brian pulled away first. His eyes were red rimmed and Jae's heart dropped again. 

 

"Sorry. That was awkward. I didn't mean to get emotional." Brian said, rubbing at his neck. 

 

Jae shook his head. "Shut up. It was nothing." He fiddled with his hands. "I'm sorry we made you feel that way though. It was beyond unfair and also irresponsible. And I'm just sorry. I really am." 

 

"You don't have to apologize. Really. I'm just being dramatic." Brian shook his head, looking down. 

 

And that was when it hit Jae. It was as if an urge was awakened in him and before he knew it, he was already leaning forward to capture Brian's lips in a kiss. It was awkward at first when Brian just froze up but soon enough, he was kissing Jae back. The kiss was nice and slow, like a comforting hug. Jae hummed into Brian's mouth, pulling on the rose colored locks as he brought the younger closer. Jae could feel the smile against his lips and he couldn't help but smile back. Eventually, they were smiling too much for them to keep on kissing. 

 

"You're not supposed to smile that much when you kiss, idiot." Jae said fondly, attempting to fix the mess that he had made on Brian's hair. 

 

Brian chuckled, hitting the blonde's shoulder. "You were smiling just as much!" 

 

"You started it first!" Jae laughed, glad that it wasn't awkward between them. And that Brian wasn't asking any questions because he wouldn't have known what to say. "But hey, I'm here for you, okay? Whenever you're feeling down, you can talk to me." 

 

Brian smiled, all soft and shy. "I know. Thanks, Jae." 

 

"Sure." Jae got up, offering his hand to help Brian up. "Come on. Let's go back already." 

 

Brian grinned, getting up. "Yeah, let's go before Wonpil starts to think that he and Dowoon could take over our room." 

 

"I'd like to see Wonpil try." Jae said seriously. 

 

That night, Jae dreamt of happy laughters and the feeling of soft lips against his. 

--
That was how it started. Jae had honestly expected it to be a one time thing but it just kept on happening again. Somehow, it had become Jae's way of comforting Brian, asking comfort from Brian and even sharing his excitement with Brian. Jae could still remember how he was practically vibrating with happiness after their Kpop Star performance. Everyone had indulged him that day, humoring him however they could, letting his excitement wrap around them like a cloak. Their manager had barely closed his door before Jae was pouncing on Brian, kissing the younger with a lot of vigor. Brian had gasped into the kiss, clearly shocked before melting against the kiss. And when Jae couldn't stop smiling enough to kiss properly, he started peppering Brian's cheeks, eyes, nose, just whatever piece of skin he could reach with gentle kisses that reduced the younger into a laughing mess. 

 

Things were great. They were undefined but great. Things were looking up for them; their songs were charting well. They were getting their name out there. For a moment, Jae believed that everything was just right. 

--
Brian was avoiding him. Jae really should have known better than to expect things to continue on being so smooth. It was naivety honestly. That positive thinking had caused him to let his guard down so when he had noticed that the bassist was doing his best to avoid any alone time with Jae, it both stung and surprised him. 

 

After a few measly attempts to talk to Brian about it, Jae had just accepted it as it was and left the younger to his own devices. Jae could take a hint and Brian nearly hitting the door frame in his haste to leave the room the moment their eldest walked in wasn't very subtle at all. Wonpil and Sungjin had already cornered him about what was going on but Jae couldn't really give a response other than a shrug with a weak smile. 

 

"Does this have anything to do with you guys kissing?" Wonpil asked casually. 

 

Jae spluttered, spitting out some of the water he was drinking onto Wonpil. "What?! 

 

"Hyung, you spat on me! Disgusting!" Wonpil screamed, looking around for some tissues. 

 

"Don't just drop bombs like that then!" Jae exclaimed, sighing when Wonpil glared at him. "Fine, sorry. Here." Jae handed Wonpil the flannel he was wearing earlier. 

 

Wonpil raised an eyebrow but took the shirt, wiping his face with it before handing it back to Jae. "So, does it? And I don't know why you're even surprised I know. You guys weren't exactly picky where you kissed. I've walked in on you at the studio and at the kitchen." 

 

Jae flushed, hiding his face in the shirt in his hand. "Oh my God." He mumbled in mortification. 

 

Wonpil grinned, looking all too pleased with himself. "You look so embarrassed right now. If I knew that this was what it took to embarrass you, I would have blackmailed you about it a long time ago." 

 

"A long time ago?! When did you first catch us?!" Jae squawked. 

 

"When we dropped the music video for I'm Serious? Seriously, the rest of us just went out to buy some snacks and the two of you started kissing as soon as we left! You're like a bunch of teenagers." Wonpil commented. 

 

Jae could only let out an incomprehensible sound, crumpling down on the floor as waves of embarrassment hit him. They really should have known better to do it in such public places. And now Wonpil knew. 

 

Wonpil crouched down in front of Jae, pulling the shirt away from the older's face. "Aww, you look so red right now, hyung. You're so cute." 

 

"I'm not cute!" Jae protested, pulling on the shirt to hide his face again. "Pil, give me the shirt!" 

 

"No, I like seeing you suffer." Wonpil grinned. He sighed when Jae kept on tugging on the shirt. "If it's any consolation, I don't think the others know. Yet."

 

That got Jae's attention. He narrowed his eyes at their keyboardist. "How do you know that they don't know? Did you ask them, Wonpil?" 

 

"Sort of? I'm not sure about Dowoon but Sungjin hyung doesn't know. I asked hyung how he would feel if I suddenly kissed him. He just went all red and started choking on air before asking where the hell the question came from." 

 

Jae's jaw dropped before he grabbed the back of Wonpil's neck, knocking his forehead against the other's, hard. "You don't ask those kind of things, Kim Wonpil!" Jae exclaimed, ignoring Wonpil whining. 

 

"That hurt!" Wonpil screamed, pushing Jae back. "Then how did you ask Brian hyung if you could kiss?!" 

 

The question stopped Jae. He had never asked Brian for permission or if what they were doing was okay. He felt his blood run cold. Was he just pushing what he wanted onto the other? Jae groaned, closing his eyes as he tipped his head back. No wonder Brian was avoiding him. He was probably tired of Jae's whims but just couldn't tell it to him straight. 

 

It was fine. Jae was fine. Jae got it. Now he just had to repeat that to himself until it became more believable. 

--
The realization made the distance more acceptable for Jae. Brian wasn't to blame and Jae wished that Sungjin would realize that as well. Sungjin had kept on trying to get the two to talk about whatever was going on but neither Jae nor Brian were willing to say anything. In the end, Jae had to ask for Wonpil's help to get Sungjin off their backs. Whatever Wonpil did, it got their leader to stop hounding Jae at every turn. Sungjin had agreed to it reluctantly so now, Jae spent most nights writing with Wonpil instead of Brian. It was definitely a change but it was nice, all things considering. Jae and Wonpil started working better together and despite all the teasing, their relationship had actually gotten better. 

 

Dowoon had started asking them about what was happening to which Jae would just shrug while Wonpil would hug Jae or his arm while wiggling his eyebrows. The guitarist tried shoving the other off when Wonpil did that but after few times, Jae just let it happen since it was futile doing anything about it. Jae could have sworn that Brian would stare at him and Wonpil when that happened but he just brushed it off as a trick of his imagination. The bassist was probably worried Jae was leading Wonpil to do something he didn't like as well. Jae heaved another sigh at the thought. 

 

"You're going to age faster if you keep sighing like that, hyung." Dowoon commented. 

 

Jae stuck his tongue out. "Bob still looks older." 

 

"How did I get dragged to this mess?" Sungjin asked, looking absolutely done with them. 

 

"Jae hyung just likes picking on you. He doesn't mean it, hyung." Wonpil said placatingly. 

 

Everyone froze at the comment but not because it was shocking. What was shocking was who said it. What Wonpil had said was something Brian always used to say when Jae teased their leader. Without thinking, Jae turned to look at their bassist, frowning when he saw the hurt look on Brian's eyes. Just as Jae was about to say something, Brian stood up, gathering his things. 

 

"I have to go. I just remembered that I have an exam tomorrow. I'll see you guys later." Brian said, almost tripping over his words. He gave one last look at Jae before storming out of the studio. 

 

"I'm just going to go,uh, check on that." Jae mumbled hurriedly before going after Brian, blocking the sound of Sungjin scolding Wonpil. 

 

It wasn't that hard following Brian; there was only one place the bassist went to whenever he had to study in the company. Jae couldn't help but roll his eyes as the two of them speed walked to the cafeteria. Brian still hasn't acknowledged his presence even when the two of them had reached a table and the younger had all but thrown his things on top. Brian pulled back a chair to sit on it, the scraping sound cutting through the silence and Jae couldn't help but wince. Without so much as a glance towards Jae's direction, Brian reached for a book and settled in to study. 

 

Jae waited for minutes, just staring at the bassist, waiting for Brian to say something because he was obviously upset by something. But nothing came. The cafeteria was silent save for the sound of Brian turning the pages or highlighting a text. All the silence was making Jae fidget and after twenty minutes of radio silence, the guitarist had enough. If Brian wasn't going to say anything or even look at him, then what was Jae doing here? With a frustrated sigh, Jae got up, turning to leave. 

 

But then something held him in place. Jae froze, looking at Brian's hand on his arm before looking towards the younger. Brian still hadn't looked up from what he was reading but Jae could see the tension in the other's body. The tension let up a bit when Jae relaxed, no longer looking like he was going to leave and after a gentle squeeze on his forearm, the guitarist sat back down, eyes following Brian's hand as it retracted back to his side. 

 

Jae cupped his chin, just looking at Brian, waiting for an explanation or anything. He knew that the younger could feel his stare, Brian's fingers twitching as a sign of his discomfort. Jae had to physically stop himself from sighing again because sure, the younger had stopped him from leaving but no one was speaking and he was starting to feel like a creep after watching Brian for so long. 

 

"Do you actually even have an exam or are you just making stuff up to ignore me?" Jae said, finally breaking the silence. 

 

With a sigh, Brian reached for his pocket, procuring his phone, tapping on it a bit before sliding it on the table to Jae. The older looked at what seemed to be a group chat, reading the announcement for the other's exam before handing the phone back to Brian. Okay so there really was an exam. But still, Jae was left with nothing to do and he didn't feel like simply sitting there until Brian was finished. 

 

"I'm just going to get my guitar and notebook." Jae reassured when Brian's hand shot up again the moment he stood up. Jae had to admit that it was sort of cute."Seriously, Bri, let go. I'll be back." He added when the bassist still didn't let go of his arm. It took a few more seconds before Brian actually listened, raising his head to glare at Jae, as if to make sure that the guitarist would remember his promise to be back. 

Rolling his eyes, Jae mock saluted Brian before trudging back to the studio. The noise immediately died down the moment he walked in, Sungjin's eyes looking behind him as if waiting for Brian to show up as well. When it became obvious that it was just Jae, everyone looked at him, questions obvious in their eyes. Shrugging his shoulders, the blonde grabbed his guitar and notebook, checking if he left anything else. 

 

"Is everything okay, hyung?" Wonpil asked, handing Jae his pick that had fallen to the floor earlier. 

 

"Oh, thanks." Jae said, pocketing the pick. He shrugged again. "Don't know. Brian won't talk but he isn't letting me leave either so I really don't know." 

 

"Well, at least he isn't avoiding you so that's a good thing?" Sungjin suggested. 

 

"Probably? Hopefully?" Jae said,giving the others an unsure smile. "Anyway, we'll be in the cafeteria. Brian really does have an exam. I'll work on the verse down there, okay?" 

 

After receiving everyone's nods, Jae headed back to the cafeteria, smirk in place when he saw Brian looking at his direction, as if waiting for him to come back. The smirk melted into something softer, warmth flooding Jae when he saw how Brian flushed when he noticed Jae staring at him. Brian Kang really was too cute. Setting his guitar case down, Jae got to work, lips quirking up to a smile whenever he heard a voice humming along to the strum of his guitar. 

-- 
Things went back to normal after that. There were still times when Brian would just stop talking to Jae but no one was leaving the room just to avoid the other so Jae still counted it as a win. 

 

Today, they had their shoot for the Sunrise album and Jae could only sigh when his skin started to crawl. Even though he had already taken his medication and his allergy was getting better, the prickly feeling of grass against his body was still something that bothered Jae. Taking a deep breath, the blonde gazed around the field. He couldn't deny that the location was beautiful and the sight helped lift everyone's spirits. He could faintly hear Wonpil and Dowoon's laughter at the distance and the sound made him smile. It was nice to relax amidst work. Jae continued to walk around, waving towards their manager to confirm that he wasn't going to stray. After taking a few pictures both of himself and of the place, Jae settled on an old stump, grinning when Dowoon waved excitedly at him. 

 

"You okay?" 

 

Jae startled, nearly falling on the grass. He turned to his side, eyes narrowing when he saw Brian and his smug smile. "Well, I was until you scared me! Jesus Christ, Younghyun." Jae exclaimed, placing a hand on his chest. 

 

Brian laughed. "It's so weird hearing you call me Younghyun." 

 

Jae didn't reply, still peeved at the other sneaking up on him. 

 

"Hyung." Brian mumbled, poking Jae's side. Jae could almost hear the pout in the younger's voice when he still didn't answer. "Oh, come on. I didn't mean to startle you." Brian pulled on the older's shirt when Jae still didn't respond. "Jae!" Brian whined. "Come on. It isn't my fault you get startled easily." 

 

Jae huffed, pulling his shirt free. "I don't know if you're apologizing or antagonizing me even more." 

 

"Apologizing, definitely." Brian said, patting Jae's thigh. "Scoot over. I want to sit down." 

 

"Then go sit on the grass. Why are you going after my tree?" Jae complained, not moving an inch. 

 

"I don't want to shoot later with grass on my pants. Just move already." Brian said, pushing Jae to the side. 

 

Jae rolled his eyes but complied, sighing when he almost fell off. The stump was just for one person and two grown men trying to sit on it was more than cramped. "Can't you go find your own stump?" Jae grumbled, sitting cross legged to accomodate the two of them better. 

 

Brian grinned, leaning slightly towards Jae. "I like it here with you." 

 

Jae scoffed, looking away to hide the flush on his cheeks. For a few minutes, the two of them just sat there, content to watch the others from afar. Both of them snorted when Sungjin tripped, probably from a stray root, laughing when their leader glared at them. The photographer soon waved at them, signalling that it was Brian's turn to shoot to which the bassist just heaved a sigh, nodding back as he reluctantly stood up. 

 

"Ha! I got my stump back!" Jae exclaimed, grinning up at Brian as he took over the entire space. 

 

Brian rolled his eyes. "Congrats." He mumbled sarcastically. Then his expression shifted, turning more serious as he cupped Jae's cheek. "You okay though? You aren't sneezing, yet anyway. No rashes?" 

 

Jae wanted to roll his eyes and ask Brian if he was taking on the mother role now but something about the younger's sincerity touched him, making him go soft. "No, I'm fine. No need to worry about me." Jae whispered, smiling up at the other. 

 

"Not like I can help it." Brian mumbled, caressing Jae's cheek. 

 

Jae felt his breath hitch. There was that feeling again, the urge to kiss Brian. The guitarist had to swallow, closing his eyes as he pushed those thoughts away. He had barely just gotten the other back; he wasn't going to ruin it so fast. So he prayed that if he couldn't see Brian, the urge would go away. 

 

But of course, he was wrong. Jae could feel Brian's eyes on him, gaze warming every part of him that it almost felt like he was on fire. But the heat wasn't unbearable or harmful; no, it was the kind of warmth that Jae wanted to bury himself in, wanted to just curl up and stay there. 

 

And when Brian's thumb skimmed across his jawline, ascending to trace Jae's lower lip, Jae had to remind himself to breathe. Breathe and control himself. 

 

"YoungK!" The loud voice of their manager broke the spell, startling Jae yet again. 

 

Brian laughed. "Told you so." He turned towards the others. "Coming, hyung!" He looked at Jae, stare pinning the older in place. "Let's uh.. continue this later, okay, Jae?" Brian said,a shy tone in his voice before he slowly pulled away, giving Jae one last glance over his shoulder as he jogged back. 

 

Jae could only watch on helplessly, futively trying and failing to get his heart to stop racing against his chest. This was definitely something new. 

--

Whatever Brian was doing didn't just stop there. The younger was touchy throughout the day, going as far as to fix Jae's turtleneck even while they were shooting. Jae couldn't really do much other than look on in confusion. And whenever they had breaks between cuts, Brian was always somehow beside Jae, laughing at Wonpil's antics, cooing at Dowoon, poking fun at Sungjin. Brian was just there. And if the stares of the others were to go by, everyone else were confused as well. When Wonpil tried to take a picture with Jae by the fairy lights, Brian had kept his arm secure around the blonde's waist, waiting until Wonpil got the hint and dragged Sungjin away instead. Before Jae could ask Brian what was going on, the bassist had already engaged Dowoon in another conversation, leaving the blonde to his own thoughts. 

 

"We're going home!" Dowoon exclaimed after everyone had thanked the staff for the shoot. The boys were just waiting for their van so they could all go home. 

 

"Can we stop by a restaurant and eat? I'm starving." Brian asked, fighting to keep his eyes open. 

 

Jae laughed, pulling the other closer to him. "I think you need to sleep more than you need to eat." 

 

"Hyung, I'm hungry too." Wonpil quipped, pouting at Jae as he clung to the guitarist. 

 

Sungjin sighed, pulling Brian away. "Jae hyung can't carry both of you. Stop leaning on him so much." The leader only rolled his eyes when Dowoon started singing his part on Lean On Me. "Anyway, let's order something, take it home and whoever's awake enough can eat, okay?" 

 

"Yes, sir." Jae responded when it looked like no one would. He rolled his eyes when he saw Wonpil practically sleeping on him. "You better wake up, Wonpil or I swear, I'm leaving you out here." 

 

"You won't. You love me too much." Wonpil mumbled, opening his eyes tiredly. 

 

"Love you. Right." Jae mumbled, rolling his eyes as he supported Wonpil's weight. He turned to Brian who was looking more awake than before. "You doing okay, Brian?" 

 

Brian just nodded, lips pursed before training his eyes on their approaching van. Jae raised an eyebrow in question at the sudden mood change. Helping Wonpil into the van, the guitarist was supposed to climb in after him when someone pulled him back. Jae frowned as Dowoon entered the van, giving him an apologetic smile before gently pushing Wonpil to the side to make room. 

 

"You need to stop manhandling me." Jae mumbled, tugging his arm free from Brian before getting on. 

 

Jae could hear Sungjin sigh before getting in the passenger seat. The blonde turned his head to the window, earphones already in place as he stared outside, ignoring the other's eyes on him. Jae was tired after a whole day of shooting and moving locations; he didn't need Brian's mood swings on top of everything else. Jae was almost nodding off when he felt a weight on his shoulder. Letting out a noise of frustration, the blonde turned his head, determined to give Brian a piece of his mind. But Jae had overestimated the distance between them. It wasn't Brian's head leaning against his shoulder; the bassist had perched his chin on the blonde's shoulder, mouth scrunched up in a pout. 

 

"Uh, Brian...?" Jae mumbled, pulling his head back. "Back up a bit?" 

 

"It's not like this is the first time our faces are this close." Brian whispered. "Never mind that. Are you mad at me? Because I pulled you away from Wonpil?" 

 

"What? This isn't about Wonpil." Jae replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why would it be about Pil?" 

 

"Sshh. You'll wake the kids." Brian said, raising his head to look behind them. "So you aren't mad?" 

 

Jae sighed, rolling his eyes when the younger immediately frowned at that. "Stop frowning. I'm not exactly mad. I'm more on confused." 

 

"I'm sorry for confusing you then." Brian said, smiling as he leaned against Jae. "But at least you're not mad." 

 

"That's it? You're not going to explain yourself?" Jae asked, shifting to make both of them more comfortable. 

 

Brian hummed, shaking his head. "Figure it out on your own." He whispered, wrapping an arm around Jae's waist. "Hyung is so warm." 

 

Jae chuckled, placing an arm around the younger's shoulder. "What happened to me being too bony for cuddling?" 

 

"You still are." Brian countered. "But I'm used to it so it's fine." He grinned, tipping his head back to look at Jae. 

 

Jae shook his head in amusement. "Whatever." Without thinking, he leaned down to press a quick kiss on the younger's lips. It took Jae a few seconds to recognize what he had done. "Oh my God. I'm so sorry, Bri. I didn't mean to! It just happened! I'm really sorry!" 

 

"Hyung, shut up!" Wonpil hissed from behind them. 

 

Jae pursed his lips. "Sorry." He whispered, waiting until Wonpil started snoring again to look at Brian. "And to you too. Sorry."

 

"Do I look like I'm mad?" Brian asked, nuzzling against Jae's neck. "It's actually relaxing and after a long day, it feels nice." 

 

"Oh." Jae mumbled, relaxing as the younger continued to nuzzle him. 

 

Brian let out a low chuckle, breath tickling Jae, making him squirm. The bassist only let out another laugh from that, pulling back a bit. The weight of Brian's stare made Jae feel lightheaded and grounded at the same time so without letting himself think about it, Jae leaned forward again, unable to help the sigh of contentment when their lips started moving against each other. 

 

It strangely felt like coming back home. 

--

Somehow, Jae could already hear Wonpil nagging at him as he made his way back to the dorm. Clutching his stomach as lightly as he could, the blonde sent Bernard a text to inform him that he was almost home, rolling his eyes when all he got was a laughing emoji. Thanking the manager, Jae climbed out of the van, making his way upstairs, more grateful for the elevator more than ever. Typing in their passcode, the guitarist went inside, completely taken by surprise when Dowoon bumped into him. Jae let out a scream of pain as their bodies collided, certain that his ribs were surely going to bruise now. 

 

"Hyung, I'm so sorry! Did I bump into you too hard? I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was going! Hyung, are you okay? Oh my God, you're crying!" Dowoon rambled on, crouching in front of Jae who was crumpled in a heap of pain. 

 

All the commotion brought everyone running to their front door, everyone clamoring to see what had happened. Jae lifted his head, not even bothering to hide his tears as he grabbed their drummer's shoulder who looked like he was going to cry soon as well. 

 

"Hey, I'm fine. Well, not fine. But this isn't your fault, you fluff ball." Jae assured, wiping his tears with his free hand. "I got kneed in the ribs while playing ball so I was already injured. Don't cry, okay?" 

 

"You're injured?!" Sungjin exclaimed, pushing Wonpil aside. "What happened?!" 

 

Jae sighed, expecting this from Wonpil rather than their leader. "It was an accident, Bob. Stuff like this happen all the time. I'll be fine." 

 

"Hyung, you literally cried when Dowoon bumped into you." Wonpil chastised, tugging on Jae's arm. "Come on. Let's get some ice on that." 

 

Jae allowed himself to get pulled, rolling his eyes when Sungjin made him lie down on the couch. Dowoon had left to buy the blonde some dinner, even when the guitarist had said he wasn't hungry. Once Sungjin was sure that Jae wasn't going to move anytime soon, the leader headed towards the kitchen along with Wonpil. 

 

"You're quiet." Jae whispered as he watched Brian sit down on the floor by his side. 

 

Brian frowned, taking the older's hand in his. "Sungjin and Wonpil already said everything. Dowoon's buying you food. I'm pretty much useless right now." 

 

"You are not." Jae hissed, giving the bassist's hand a gentle squeeze. "You're keeping me company and that's enough." He scoffed. "Besides, everyone's overreacting. I'll be fine." 

 

"Jae, you tend to pretend you're fine and then you're burning up the next day. You're always downplaying your pain so it isn't a surprise that no one believes you anymore." Brian said, rolling his eyes. 

 

"Brian hyung gets it." Wonpil said as he walked back to the living room. "Hyung, move aside." The keyboardist nudged Brian, lifting Jae's shirt without preamble. 

 

"Dude!" Jae exclaimed, sitting up in protest. 

 

Wonpil rolled his eyes, pushing the older back down. "Not like I haven't seen it before." 

 

"Creep." Jae mumbled, lifting his own shirt and trying not to wince at the cold feeling from the ice. "Are you just going to sit there and hold it? Cause I can do that on my own." 

 

Wonpil hummed. "Good point." He nodded towards Brian. "Hyung, why don't you hold it? I still have to do the laundry before Sungjin hyung gets mad." 

 

"I heard that." Sungjin grumbled. "I finally found our painkillers." He said, handing the medicine to Brian. "Make sure hyung drinks one before he sleeps. Drink one after you eat what Dowoon brings back, okay?" Sungjin said, eyeing Jae. 

 

"Need I remind everyone that I am the oldest?" Jae complained. 

 

Brian pinched his hand before taking the bag of ice from Wonpil, nodding at Sungjin. "Ice him, feed him. Got it. I'll take it from here." 

 

"Alright. I have some things to discuss with the manager so I'll be off. Wonpil, the laundry please." Sungjin said before heading to his room. 

 

Wonpil sighed, giving Jae one long glance before heading off as well. Jae kept on grumbling under his breath, trying to take the bag of ice from Brian and frowning when the younger just slapped his hand away. The blonde couldn't even sleep because the bassist kept waking him, insisting that Jae should eat something. Jae shouted for joy when Dowoon walked in, making the other jump. The blonde eagerly reaching for the bag of food while waving off the apologies their drummer gave. After a few minutes of unnecessary apologies, Dowoon excused himself to help Wonpil out with the laundry. 

 

"You said you weren't hungry." Brian said in amusement, watching the older eat. 

 

Jae shrugged. "I wasn't then. I am now." He picked a piece of bulgogi, holding it up. "Open up." 

 

"That's for you, idiot." Brian said, rolling his eyes but opening his mouth anyway. 

 

"It's not like I can finish all of it." The blonde said, reaching for the bottle of water, wincing a bit. 

 

"Tell me if you want something so I can get it for you." Brian sighed, handing Jae the bottle. "Please make an effort not to move so much." 

 

Jae sighed, nodding as he downed some water. He ate in relative silence, feeding the bassist every now and then before handing Brian the rest when he couldn't eat anymore. After drinking his medicine, Jae just sat there, watching the younger eat. It never failed to amaze the guitarist how Brian could eat even after having a full meal while Jae himself could hardly finish one serving. It was amusing to watch, Jae mused as he leaned over to remove a piece of rice from the corner of Brian's lips, mirroring the bassist's smile with his own afterwards. 

 

Jae couldn't help but think of how domestic they were being. The two of them had gotten softer, more gentle with each other after the shoot. Though they'd still play around and tease each other, neither could deny that there was an undercurrent of something else in there. Jae was curious about it, extremely so but also scared of bringing it up. He didn't want to ruin whatever this was so he'd just wait until Brian asked. 

 

After Brian had finished eating, the younger started cleaning up, glaring at Jae whenever the other shifted on the couch. It led to a lot of grumbling from Jae who hated being babied all of which were just ignored by the bassist. They were about to head to their room to clean up and get some rest when Sungjin called Jae. 

 

"Hyung, you're sleeping with me." Sungjin said, yawning around the words. "I already told Wonpil so everything's fine." 

 

Beside Jae, Brian had stiffened up, a frown making its way on his face as he placed a hand on the blonde's arm. "Why can't hyung sleep in our room?" Brian asked. 

 

Sungjin sighed, pulling Jae from Brian's hold. "Because you're going to cuddle him to sleep which could hurt his ribs. And don't say you'll be careful. You don't always remember to control your strength, Younghyun." 

 

"As if I'd hurt Jae on purpose." Brian retorted, reaching for Jae again. 

 

"Stop that." The leader grumbled, slapping the other's hand away. "And I didn't say on purpose. I know, everyone knows, you won't hurt hyung. Just until Jae hyung heals okay?" 

 

Jae sighed loudly, wriggling out of Sungjin's hold. "Listen, mom and dad, I'm here so could you not talk about me like a child in custody?" He gave the two a pointed glance before continuing. "And I still believe you're overreacting. I'm not that fragile. But!" Jae exclaimed when Sungjin looked like he was about to protest. "But I know that your Bob the builder heart is in a good place so I'm willing to do it if it'll make you worry less. Just for tonight." 

 

"Thank you." Sungjin said in exasperation. He looked between Jae and Brian, who was still frowning at him before sighing. "Fine, fine. I'm going to give you two sometime to say good night even though you'll just be right across each other." 

 

"Don't listen to him. I won't hurt you." Brian pleaded the moment Sungjin closed the door to his room. 

 

Jae rolled his eyes because Sungjin said that as well. "I know. But still, Sungjin already has a lot of things on his mind and I don't want to add to that. If me sleeping in Wonpil's bed would make things easier for him, then I'll do it." 

 

Brian sighed, ruffling his hair before leaning his head on Jae's shoulder causing the older to smile. Carding his hand in the younger's hair in an attempt to fix it, Jae couldn't help but find this side of the bassist cute and endearing. Brian was never clingy, always teasing Wonpil or even Jae when they got too touchy but here he was grumbling under his breath because the blonde wasn't going to sleep with him. 

 

"Wonpil and Dowoon are going to be noisy again later while cuddling! Dowoon should honestly stop trying to push Pil off. It doesn't even work." Brian complained. 

 

Jae laughed. "I keep telling you guys that Wonpil is an evil creature that feeds off people's displeasure." 

 

"I'm pretty sure that's only you because you keep on teasing him, even on Twitter." 

 

"He makes it too easy." Jae said lightly, hesitantly pulling back. "We should probably get some sleep. Sungjin's waiting for me." 

 

Brian frowned. "Just for tonight, right?" 

 

"Yeah, just tonight." Jae chuckled. "You're so clingy." 

 

"It's hard to fall asleep without hugging you." Brian whined, smirking when Jae flushed. "Aww, who's being cute now?" 

 

"I never said you were cute; don't assume things." Jae retorted, pushing the younger playfully. "Seriously, go sleep. I'm tired, too." 

 

"Good night kiss first." Brian demanded, leaning against the wall as he grabbed the blonde's hand. 

 

Jae blushed again. This was the first time Brian was explicitly asking for a kiss and he was beyond flustered. Raising an eyebrow, the bassist pulled on his hand, bringing Jae closer. When the guitarist still didn't do anything, Brian sighed loudly, lips turning down into a frown afterwards, making a move to leave. That snapped Jae into action. Blocking Brian's way with his free arm, Jae pressed a gentle kiss on the younger's temple as some sory of apology, lips leaving a soft trail south until their lips finally met. 

 

"Good night, hyung. See you tomorrow morning." Brian said, voice soft and pliant as if the kiss had made him more sleepy. 

 

Jae nodded, a hand already on the doorknob to Sungjin's room. "You know that's like in a few hours, right?" 

 

"Shut up. I was being cute." Brian said, rolling his eyes and motioning for Jae to go in first. 

 

Jae let out a quiet chuckle, slipping in the room to see Sungjin sitting up on Wonpil's bed. The leader just motioned for the blonde to close the door and turn off the lights before lying down. Jae smiled, feeling touched that Sungjin did wait up for him. Carefully lying down, the guitarist hugged one of the plushies their leader had received as he curled up, testing to see if his ribs still hurt. 

 

"You and Brian are cute." Sungjin suddenly said, voice thick with sleep. 

 

Jae hummed, feeling more than a little drowsy. "What do you mean?" 

 

"You're so soft with him and he's clingy to you. I'm torn between cooing and puking at the sight of you guys." 

 

"Go to sleep, Jin. You're not making any sense anymore." Jae replied, burying his face in the despite not having an audience to his blushing face. 

 

"Just saying." Sungjin shifted, blanket rustling above Jae. "But please stop making out by the front door. You've scarred all of us already." 

 

"Park Sungjin!" Jae exclaimed in mortification, sitting up and banging his head on the bed frame. 

 

Heaving a sigh, the blonde heard the other sit up and then Sungjin's upside down head was looming by Jae's face. "Stop injuring yourself, hyung. June's schedules are packed so we don't have time for anyone to get sick. Plus I don't want to handle a frowning Brian again. He worries more than Pil does when it comes to you." 

 

"I can handle the schedules. Don't worry about me." Jae mumbled, rubbing his head and ignoring the rest of what Sungjin had said. 

 

"And Brian?" 

 

"What about him?" Jae groaned. "Can we please go sleep? I thought you wanted me to get better." 

 

"You're acting all shy now; I can see why Brian thinks you're cute." 

 

"Good night, Sungjin!" Jae exclaimed, lying back down, hissing in pain when he landed a little too roughly. 

 

Day6 was made of evil little pieces of trash, Jae swore, as Sungjin's laughter echoed throughout the room. 

 

--

Sungjin wasn't joking when he said that their June schedule was packed. The days were blurring between music shows, fan meets, radio shows, the odd V live here and there, late night to dawn meetings and tweets made when he should have been asleep. Jae had undoubtedly gotten a cold earlier and now, Brian was at the tail end of his. Wonpil had teased the two of them, saying that it was their karma for making out everywhere and anywhere. Brian had flipped him off before sneezing loudly, causing everyone but Jae to laugh. The bassist turned to him with a look of betrayal when the blonde didn't say anything, leading to Jae petting Brian's hair to apologize. 

 

Honestly, the guitarist was lost in his thoughts, the impending wedding of his sister weighing heavily on his mind. It felt weird now, even just imagining his sister walk down the aisle. Their was pretty long; ten whole years was enough for Jae to think of her as a second mother most of the time. And now she'd probably be a real mother soon. It was disorienting. 

"Hey. Jae, you okay?" A soft voice pulled him back from his thoughts. 

Jae blinked, Brian's frowning face coming onto focus. "Oh. Hi, Bri. When did you get here?" 

The younger rolled his eyes, taking the shirt from Jae's hand. "I've been asking you if you needed help packing a couple of times now." He paused, looking around their room. "And clearly you do." Reaching for Jae's bag with his empty hand, the bassist took a seat beside the blonde. "What are you thinking of? You had your thinking face when I walked in." 

"The wedding." Jae said simply, happy to let Brian do things for now. 

"Hm? Why, don't like the guy?" Brian asked, grabbing more clothes. 

Jae shook his head, folding a shirt. "No, he's nice." 

"So what's the matter?" 

"Noona getting married is just... weird. l don't know how to deal with it. I mean this is noona we're talking about. She only deserves the best; no guy could ever deserve her." 

Brian stopped packing, just staring at Jae. He kept his eyes on the blonde before his lips curved into a smile. It was Jae's favorite smile. It was the smile that Brian had when he was deeply pleased with a subtle hint of surprise about something. Jae unintentionally started relaxing just by the sight of it, unable to keep himself from getting affected. 

"I really want to kiss you right now." Brian whispered, moving closer to Jae, ignoring the choked sound of surprise from the other. "You're really sweet, aren't you? You make people think that you're just sassy and funny then you shock us with this soft and utterly lovable side of you. This is why I love you." 

Jae was about to deny him being lovable when what Brian said registered in his mind. "You love me?!" He squawked. 

Brian winced. "Did you have to scream it at my ear?!" 

"Never mind that! What do you mean by you love me?! What kind of love?" 

"Are you seriously asking me this? Dude, what? Hyung, of course, the romantic kind of love! Seriously, Jae, you're so dumb." 

"You never said anything! Or hinted at anything!" 

"We've been making out for a few months already! What did you think those were? Hormones?!" 

"Yes! I mean, no! I don't know, Brian! You avoided me for a few weeks, !" 

"Okay, yeah, that was my bad. I was confused why I liked kissing you so much and why I wanted to see and hold you as much as I could. Why did you have to go to Wonpil while I was thinking?!" Brian exclaimed, looking at Jae in accusation. 

Jae choked on nothing as he came up with a reply. "I didn't go to Wonpil! He and Bob asked me what was wrong with us and I didn't know what to say but then Pil said he caught us already so I almost died of embarrassment! Then he called me cute which was highly inappropriate!" 

"He called you cute?!" 

The door to their room was suddenly thrown open with a pissed off Wonpil marching in. "I don't know why you have to announce to the whole dorm, the whole floor that you love each other when all of us already knew but please stop screaming! Dowoon and I are trying to watch a drama and you're ruining the moment with all these unnecessary shouting!" 

Jae blinked, chest heaving slightly from all the screaming. He and Brian shared a look before he faced their keyboardist. "But you were screaming as well?" Jae said slowly. 

"Shut up. Make out. I don't care. Just keep quiet." Wonpil hissed before leaving the room, slamming the door shut. 

Brian and Jae just remained frozen for a few seconds after Wonpil had left. Snapping out of it, the blonde cleared his throat before going back to arranging his luggage. He could feel Brian watching him but Jae was too scared to actually talk about it. The bassist waited patiently for Jae to finish before putting the older's bag to the side, pulling the two of them on his bed. Brian laid down on his side, tugging for the blonde to follow and for a few moments, they just remained like that. 

"Did you really think I was just making out with you for fun?" Brian asked, voice laced with hurt. 

Jae sighed, hating that tone immediately. "You're making it sound really bad, Bri. I didn't and still don't know what to think about that. You never initiated anything. I don't know. I thought that maybe you were just going with what I wanted. Then you started avoiding me. I just... it made sense, okay?" Jae explained in a rush, embarrassment and exasperation forcing his words to tumble out messily. 

"Oh, Jae. Why didn't you say anything?" Brian said softly, hand coming up to caress Jae's cheek. "All this time you were doubting yourself on your own. Why didn't you ask me?" 

"And say what? Brian, we keep on making out and I like it more than I should. Are we a thing or am I just a pastime?" Jae scoffed. "There wasn't a way to say it without embarrassing myself." 

"You are not just a pastime to me. Never ever think that." Brian said firmly. "I'm sorry I didn't notice you suffering in silence." 

"Oh please. What suffering? I get to make out with my hot bandmate whenever I wanted." Jae teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. He turned serious again after seeing Brian's expression. "Seriously, I'm fine, Bri. We're talking about it now, aren't we?" 

"I love you, Park Jaehyung." Brian declared all of a sudden. "Even if you hadn't kissed me for the first time that night, it would have happened soon anyway. You're too charming for your own good." 

"And you're too honest, oh my God. Warn a guy before you drop those words, please." Jae complained, obviously flustered. It took him a few seconds to speak again. "But, I, uhm, you know, me too." He cleared his throat. "I love you too, I mean." 

And the smile that Brian gave him was worth all the embarrassment Jae was feeling at that moment. It became even more wonderful when his boyfriend— his boyfriend oh my God, he could call Brian that— grabbed the back of his neck, eyelashes fluttering prettily before Jae's own eyes closed, and kissed him as if Jae was the most special person in his entire life. It was a heady thought but it was okay. 

Brian was the most special person for him as well. 
~
A.N: this is the longest one shot I've ever written so ofc, it had to be jaehyung parkian. I am sooo in love with these two, I'm sacrificing study time. Ugh. 

Hope you guys could leave a comment because I absolutely love reading those and encourage me a whole bunch!! ♡♡

Thank you for reading!! xx