Hoseok finds a way to move things forward.

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If it were anyone else but the two of them, this would probably be incredibly awkward, but Hoseok has to admit that he's actually quite enjoying this moment, what's about to happen, in a thrilling, breathless, I-can't-believe-we're-really-going-to-do-this sort of way. And if he's going to step out of his comfort zone, then there's no one on Earth he'd rather do it with than Kihyun.

They're sitting together in their pajamas, cross-legged on the living room floor, facing each other and sitting so close that their knees are touching. The other members are all in their rooms, so they're alone out here, and Kihyun's got this delicate, rosy blush splashed across his cheeks that has Hoseok's heart fluttering like flickering Christmas lights in his chest.

Kihyun is hunched forward slightly, hands resting in his lap, not even trying to hide how nervous he is (he never has to hide anything when he's with Hoseok) while Hoseok is leaning back, his palms pressed flat on the floor behind him, appearing relaxed and confident to ease the butterflies in Kihyun's stomach. It's all just a bluff though, because Hoseok's heart is racing, pounding irregularly, jumpy in his chest, and his palms are slick with sweat, and he's got the butterflies in his own stomach too, and he can feel the burning on the tips of his ears as Kihyun watches him carefully with those beautiful, bright eyes of his.

Hoseok knows that Kihyun can see right through him, of course, but he also knows that Kihyun will appreciate the effort he's making to make it look like at least one of them isn't terrified by this whole thing, everything that's happened between the two of them in the past few weeks.

It's been several moments of silence now since they decided to do this and sat down together, and Kihyun has settled on a soft, shy smile, his gaze slipping down to the floor. He asks quietly, "Is this really the best way to–"

"Oh, Kihyunnie," Hoseok interrupts, flashing Kihyun a warm, wide smile full of white teeth and flirty confidence, "it'll be fun! Just relax."

Hoseok sits up and takes both of Kihyun's hands in both of his, one in each, and he squeezes lightly. Kihyun's palms are warm on top of his, and slightly trembling.

"Just remember," Hoseok says, softly, urging Kihyun with his voice to look up at him, and Kihyun does so from underneath his eyelashes, "no touching. If you touch, you lose."

"I know," Kihyun says with a tiny laugh, "and you said you read about this game on the internet?"

"Yeah," Hoseok replies, the tops of Kihyun's hands absentmindedly with his thumbs. Kihyun's hands are so small and soft, and they fit perfectly into Hoseok's, like they were made to be held by him. Hoseok certainly thinks they were.

He's not surprised that they're both feeling a little shy right now. After all, they had only very recently come to terms with their feelings for each other, only very recently begun this strange, exciting, unlabeled relationship that they both know very well had been years in the making, probably going back all the way to the moment they met. They're not allowed to give it any labels, not really, not allowed to be very open about it even in the privacy of the dorm given their careers and their lives in the spotlight. But they both know exactly what it is, what it really is, and there's an unspoken, silent understanding between them that it's special and precious, even if they can only move forward in tiny steps, if and when they have any opportunities.

But as difficult as it is, and even though it sometimes feels like they're walking through a minefield together, it all feels so right, so worth the struggle, and when Hoseok had stumbled upon a rather steamy part of the internet and read about this little game, he had thought that this would be the perfect nudge to help move their relationship forward, to help ease away some of the lingering shyness between them and to take things to the next level.

The thing is, Hoseok has so much he wants to give to Kihyun, so much that he wants to do for him physically, but it's so hard to do anything when even a simple, chaste kiss is still such an earth-shattering event between the two of them, leaving them both blushing deep red and flustered for hours afterwards. It's kind of funny, because they were never hesitant or shy with each other before, back when they were still just best friends. But now that they've become, well, something more, it's like they're both back to being innocent little teenagers, shy and terrified and wanting to do so much but not knowing where to even begin.

And Hoseok loves those sweet, innocent kisses shared with Kihyun, of course he does, but he's ready for more, and he knows Kihyun is too, and for the two of them, both so silly and playful and competitive, this seems like a good way to cross that next bridge together. And Hoseok also quite likes the idea that, if this works, it might set a fun precedent for how they'll resolve any disagreements in the future. After all, how can they stay mad at each other when they'll be busy competing by–

"I'm ready when you are," Kihyun says, interrupting Hoseok's rambling thoughts, and Kihyun's face is even pinker now as he offers a tiny smile with his lips slightly parted, plump and shiny and begging to be kissed. He's so beautiful, and Hoseok really hates the stupid "no touching" rule at that moment because the last thing he wants to do right now is to let go of Kihyun's hands, but that's sort of the whole point of this game, and so Hoseok sighs as he slips his hands quietly from Kihyun's, resting them in his lap as Kihyun does the same.

They just look at each other for a few more seconds, scooting a bit closer, the air between them thick with anticipation and electricity and the peaceful hush of a quiet evening. Hoseok thinks he can hear Kihyun's heart beating, or maybe it's just his own heart as Kihyun's gaze drops down to Hoseok's lips and then back up to his eyes. They look at each other with a million different emotions, tinges of yearning and affection, a little bit of uncertainty, but mostly thrill, the kind of deep, buzzing thrill that they can feel thrumming in their fingertips and toes.

Without breaking eye contact, they both slowly lean forward, and when their lips meet gently in the middle, their eyes slip closed.

It's really almost nothing, just a shy, light, closed-mouth press of their lips, but it's got fireworks going off in Hoseok's heart, warmth swelling up in his chest as they separate and come right back together, and they instinctively angle their faces and open their mouths, deepening their kisses for the first time since they confessed to each other. It's amazing, it's the most incredible feeling, Kihyun's lips melting with his, and Hoseok knows he's already addicted. Kihyun's lips are so warm and so soft, and so wet and so perfect as they carefully move together in those first few tentative moments that Hoseok hates himself for wasting all that time with his shyness and hesitation, time that could've been spent kissing Kihyun like this, like he's meant to be kissed.

As they kiss sweetly, mouths meeting over and over in soft bliss, Hoseok's hands in his lap ache with a desire to touch Kihyun, to wrap his muscular arms around Kihyun's tiny frame or maybe to cup Kihyun's full, soft cheeks in his hands and his thumbs beneath Kihyun's eyes, but the rules are the rules, and the rules say no touching, the first one to touch loses the game, and this is all about the game, after all, isn't it?

Who's he kidding, neither of them really care about this stupid game, it was always just a farce, just an excuse to get over their nerves by turning it into a silly little competition. Still, Hoseok will keep up the farce just as long as Kihyun does, though it's become harder and harder by the second as they kiss again and again and again, each kiss a little deeper, a little hotter and wetter and more desperate than the last, the two of them losing themselves in the feeling of kissing each other, falling into a slow, lovely rhythm as their lips move together in perfect harmony.

Kihyun whimpers into their next kiss, his lower lip pressing gently into Hoseok's, and it sends a spark of heat shooting up Hoseok's spine, and he can't help but lean a little more into the next one, igniting passion from the two of them, Kihyun leaning slightly back to accept Hoseok's subtle dominance. As they angle their faces, switching sides as they keep kissing so that each contact is hot and firm and perfectly fitted, Kihyun's mouth falls open against Hoseok's, and before he can stop himself, before he can remember to take it slow like they had talked about, Hoseok is sliding his tongue past Kihyun's lips and into the hot, wet cavern of Kihyun's mouth.

Hoseok's the one to make noise now, a soft moan slipping out and muffled as their tongues quickly and smoothly tangle together, and it's taking everything in him not to reach out, to lean forward all the way and push Kihyun over to lie on his back on the ground, to crawl on top of him and trace the soft planes and curves of his body as he squirms beneath him. Hoseok wants to break away and kiss other parts of Kihyun too, his neck, his collarbone, all over his face and down his chest, but now's not the time for that, and as Kihyun lightly on his tongue, as their kisses become increasingly messy and uncontrolled, their tongues pressing against each other and over the inside of each other's mouths slotted together, Hoseok can sense the both of them reaching their breaking point; any moment now one of them will give in. Hoseok himself is right there on the edge, his entire being wanting nothing more than to touch, to reach out, to make this what it really should be.

He bites down gently into Kihyun's plump lower lip, his tongue sliding back into his own mouth as he takes Kihyun's lip between his teeth and , and Kihyun whines loudly, the sound edged by a sob, and that's it, that's the moment, and as heat builds low on Hoseok's body and he kisses Kihyun full on the mouth again, he's suddenly reaching out and grabbing Kihyun's face with both hands, willing to accept defeat just for the chance to feel the silk heat of Kihyun's skin underneath his fingertips.

It's to his great surprise when, at the exact same moment, Kihyun grips onto his biceps and squeezes, hard, fingers pressing into the muscle like he'll die if he has to let go.

They break apart with a soft, wet noise and their eyes flicker open. They're both breathing hard, panting with half-lidded eyes, and Kihyun's face is deeply flushed and his lips are wet with spit and a string of saliva connecting their mouths. And as Kihyun blinks slowly, realizing what happened with blown pupils and watery eyes, he starts to grin, his eyes scrunching up into adorable half-moons, still clinging onto Hoseok's biceps.

Hoseok's got his hands cupping Kihyun's cheeks and as the fog clears and he understands too, he smiles wide, laughs, then leans forward and gives Kihyun another kiss, this one sweet and innocent like they're used to. He brushes his nose over Kihyun's as they break apart, smiling hard, at a loss for words and glowing in amusement at their mutual eagerness, their mutual neediness.

"I guess we have to play again," Kihyun breathes out, breaking the silence. "I mean..."

He pauses, smiling shyly and looking down, his flush growing deeper. "We have to keep playing until one of us wins, right?"

Hoseok smiles, squeezes Kihyun's cheeks beneath his hands and scoots closer until Kihyun is practically in his lap. "That's right," he murmurs, his voice deep and smooth and soothing.

They lean in together and start kissing again, slower, deeper, more indulgent than before, making sure to really savor it, feeling each other down to every last detail. And as they both throw away their hesitation, their shyness, and their fear of the unknown, they wrap their arms around each other, kissing fiercely and fitting together perfectly, both wondering why they were even so nervous in the first place when everything between them, as always, is so effortless.