“He complimented your… what?” Kihyun asks, utterly confused as to what the sophomore is telling him. Changkyun huffs out an annoyed breath, shifting from foot to foot in a nervous little dance as his gaze drifts up to the ceiling. He presses his lips together, and flicks his tongue out slightly to wet them as he tries to muster up the courage to yet again say what Jooheon had told him earlier that day.

“My… My… Hyung, please don’t make me say it again.” Kihyun purses his lips, pushing out an amused breath at Changkyun’s frazzled expression.

“Sorry, Kkungie,” Kihyun sighs as he tries hard not to become too distracted as he cooks and talks at the same time. “I gotta say… No matter how you spin it, that’s pretty gay.”

Changkyun groans out in frustration, for that had been exactly what he did not want to hear. He slumps down to the floor, sliding against the cabinets and shoving his face in his hands in exasperation. He most certainly does not want to even begin to entertain the notion that Jooheon could somehow swing that way, not when isn’t even too sure on his own uality yet. He’d always been positive about his heterouality, but now, after these continued dreams and waking up next to Jooheon with a …

Well, it’s caused him to reevaluate a lot of things.

“Hyung,” he whines through his hands, “that isn’t helping.” He hears Kihyun’s familiar chuckle once more, and the continued stirring of whatever the hell it is the older is cooking now. He swears, this guy just lives in the kitchen. Whenever he calls to ask if he can come over to rant about what it is that’s bothering him, Kihyun is cooking something. How does he even keep enough food in this house to cook so constantly? Where does he even store all this food?

“So,” Kihyun finally says, sitting down beside the younger, “what’re you going to do about it?” He hands Changkyun a banana, which the younger takes with a pout and aggressively peels to eat. He shoves it past his lips and to take an oversized bite as he shrugs.

“What can I do?” he asks, sounding very much defeated as he leans against the older. “Is there anything I should do?”

“Only if you like him like that,” his hyung tells him, tilting his head to rest it atop Changkyun’s. “Do you?”

There’s no judgment in his voice, no sign of a held breath to learn once and for all the younger’s ual orientation. Each of the others had gone through this in one way or another during their sophomore years, so Kihyun had honestly been expecting it. After all, Hoseok and Minhyuk had discovered their true feelings for each other during their second year, and have been happily screwing around ever since. Not that that’s all they do, but it certainly isn’t lost on the others how much they do get up to their dirty business.

Changkyun’s undying silence serves as all the response Kihyun needs. The older sighs, and wraps a consoling arm around his dongsaeng’s shoulders.

“You don’t have to answer right now, Kkungie,” he tells him softly. “Just take your time figuring everything out. No one’s rushing you.”

Changkyun smiling gratefully, so very thankful for his hyung in this moment. Kihyun always knows just what to say to make him feel better. It’s a talent that he’s never even hoped to develop, for he’s always believed himself to be much too awkward yet also blunt to be able to do so.

“Thanks, hyung,” he mumbles, snuggling closer to the older. Kihyun hums and pats Changkyun’s shoulder, eyes flitting around the room to keep from focusing too hard on his adorable dongsaeng.

Jooheon sighs as he throws himself onto Minhyuk’s bed, staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling. Minhyuk’s too busy cackling at what he’s just admitted to to be of much help. He should’ve known this would happen. He should’ve gone to Hyunwoo, or maybe even Kihyun. Either would’ve been better than this snarky son of a—

“Did you really start out a compliment with ‘no homo’??” Minhyuk demands amidst his chuckles. Jooheon glances down to scowl at Minhyuk’s reaction.

“Yes, hyung, I did,” he confirms, his monotone making it extremely clear just how unamused he is. Minhyuk sighs, wiping at an imaginary tear falling from his eye.

“God, Jooheonney,” Minhyuk sighs as he attempts to regain some composure, “that’s so stupid. There’s no way a compliment like that can come off as hetero.”

“I was just trying to mess with him,” Jooheon defends, willfully ignoring how embarrassed he feels at his earlier words. He can’t believe he’d said that to Changkyun, or how sincere he’d been when saying it despite his intention. Changkyun’s had been… surprisingly large. Not that he’d imagined in his wakeless nights the size of the younger’s ia, mind you, it’s just…

God, this feels weird, he thinks in aggravation as he tries to make sense of it all. It shouldn’t feel weird. Guys can comment on other guys’ -sizes, no matter what hyung says. It’s not as if I like Kkungie like that or anything… For one, I’m straight. Secondly, he’s, like, a little brother. Only the same age as me. And way cuter than my real little brother. And that pops boners while sleeping in the same bed as me. But, yeah, totally not looking at him like that. Cause, I’m not gay… Totally not gay…

“Sounds like you meant it, too, though,” Minhyuk points out mercilessly. At Jooheon’s indignant spluttering, Minhyuk rolls his eyes as he adds, “Jooheonney, that kind of compliment is too specific to just be teasing. I don’t care what you say, you liked what you saw. Now all that’s left is admitting to it so that the two youngest of the group can finally get together like we’ve all expected.”

“Like we’ve all what?!” Jooheon demands, bolting up from his position. Minhyuk covers his mouth with both his hands, giving the perfect look of a deer caught in headlights.

“Nothing, Jooheonney!” Minhyuk insists, giggling almost conspiratorially. Jooheon groans in frustrations, pouting.

“How many times have I told you hyungs to not talk about my love life??”

“We wouldn’t if you had one!”

Jooheon groans again, this time standing from the bed and leaving his friend’s bedroom. He’d put off going home long enough by now. After all, he’s had just about as much of his meddling friends as he can at the moment.