Apologies for any mistakes. It's been a long time since I've written a one-shot and I also wrote this quickly to get it out while it's still Valentine's Day somewhere in the world...

“This is stupid,” Sanghyuk tells himself.

He stares at the box of Valentine’s Day chocolates and the box stares right back. It’s gaudy. Tacky. All sorts of other words Sanghyuk doesn’t want to associate with something he bought. Bright red, shaped like a heart and with a huge bow in the corner, this box of chocolates is an abomination.

“You ing bought it, so just give it to him.”

Sanghyuk makes himself take a breath. He’s spent the last week talking himself into this, into giving Hakyeon chocolates on Valentine’s Day. He’d thought he was ready but now he’s having doubts. What if he’d been reading Hakyeon wrong and the flirting wasn’t flirting? What if Hakyeon rejects him? What if Hakyeon sees him as a little brother and nothing else? With a sigh – probably the tenth since he woke up half an hour ago – Sanghyuk pulls on some clothes and leaves his room to scope out the apartment.

It’s early and Sanghyuk isn’t expecting anyone else to be awake yet, but there’s flickering light and soft sound at the end of the hallway that suggests someone is watching TV. Wondering if it’s just one of the members passed out on the couch from the night before, Sanghyuk rounds the corner quietly.

“Good morning,” Hakyeon says cheerfully. “You’re up early today.”

Sanghyuk faulters for a second before managing an answer. “Yeah, you too.”

“Someone keeps stealing my phone and setting an alarm for five o’clock,” Hakyeon says and Sanghyuk can tell that he’s being watched carefully for signs of being the one responsible.

“It’s not me,” Sanghyuk says, perching himself next to Hakyeon on the couch. “It’s probably Taekwoon.”

Hakyeon sighs. “I know, he’s such a child. I’m thinking of sabotaging his coffee machine.”

Sanghyuk laughs, imagining the fallout from that, but immediately sobers up when he realises something. He and Hakyeon are here alone. He’s wasting time.

“What’s wrong?” Hakyeon asks when Sanghyuk springs back to his feet.

“Er, nothing,” Sanghyuk says, trying for casual and failing miserably. “I just gotta get something.”

“I’m sure you can go five minutes without your phone, Hyukkie.”

“Right, I need to get my phone.”

He darts back into the hallway and is in his room a moment later. The box of chocolates is in Sanghyuk’s bed, hidden between blankets and pillows. He pulls it out and then just stands there for a while, freaking out.

“Okay,” Sanghyuk says eventually. “I can do this. I can do this. Happy Valentine’s Day, Hakyeon. That’s all I need to say.”

Two deep breaths, thirty seconds hesitating inside his bedroom door and several curses later, Sanghyuk steels himself and leaves the room. He’s just about to walk into the lounge room when he hears talking.

“If I find out it’s you…” Hakyeon is saying, threat clear in his voice.

“It’s not,” Taekwoon whines back, sounding offended.

“,” Sanghyuk gasps, taking a step back.

He’s so busy mentally cussing out Taekwoon for being awake, that he doesn’t hear someone come up behind him until Hongbin is asking, “Why are you loitering in the hallway?”

With the same level of subtlety as a lying toddler, Sanghyuk shoves the box of chocolates up under his shirt and folds his arms over his chest to keep it there. “I’m not,” he says. “I’m thinking about if I need to pee or not.”

“Uh huh, sure,” Hongbin scoffs. He taps a finger to Sanghyuk’s chest, raising an eyebrow at the decidedly cardboardy sound it makes, and then passes him into the lounge and addressing Hakyeon. “Did you have a nice early morning today as well?”

“I will kill you,” Hakyeon retorts and Sanghyuk turns on his heel and hurries back to his room.

He falls onto his bed, the chocolates still pressed to his chest, and groans. This is going to be harder than he thought it would.
 

It’s rare for everyone to eat breakfast together but that’s somehow what happens today. Excluding Wonshik because he didn’t come home last night, they sit around the table with their various breakfasts and take the opportunity to catch up. Sanghyuk pushes his cereal around the bowl and tries to think of ways he can get Hakyeon alone.

He’s finding it hard to concentrate because Hakyeon is sitting way too close and all Sanghyuk can think about is how nice Hakyeon smells. The way Hakyeon keeps touching him doesn’t help either, clapping his hand to Sanghyuk’s shoulder or knee whenever something funny happens or he wants Sanghyuk to back him up. Sanghyuk volunteers to do the dishes just because he thinks it’ll get him a moment alone to think.

Elbow deep in sudsy water and staring at the wall, idealess, Sanghyuk has a brief moment of weakness where he considers asking his sister. However, before he can pull his hands out of the water and fish his phone out of his pocket, Hakyeon sticks his head into the kitchen.

“Do you want to come grocery shopping with me?” he asks.

“Yes!” Sanghyuk replies and even he is aware of how over-eager he sounded.

Hakyeon just smiles at him and that’s one thing Sanghyuk loves about Hakyeon; he always knows when the right time to tease is. This is the opportunity Sanghyuk needs to confess.

After showering and getting maybe just slightly more dressed up than usual, Sanghyuk has settled on his plan. He’s going to go shopping with Hakyeon, on the way there he’ll beg Hakyeon to stop at a café and then they can sit and chat and drink coffee and Sanghyuk will get his change. It’s perfect.

It probably isn’t necessary to bring the chocolates but Sanghyuk shoves them into a bag anyway. He’s feeling optimistic. After he’s confessed they can share a few chocolates and then go do the shopping.

Sanghyuk hoists the bag over his shoulder and goes to wait by the front door for Hakyeon to be ready. He’s barely managed to strike a casual position when Hakyeon appears. He’s also slightly dressed up and for a second Sanghyuk feels his heart soaring, Hakyeon is also treating today as something special.

Hakyeon stops on his way to mutter something to Taekwoon. Taekwoon groans, whispers something back and pats Hakyeon on the shoulder before sending him on his way. Sanghyuk frowns at the exchange but that frown is once against replaced with a smile when Hakyeon meets his eye with a grin.

“Let’s get going?” Hakyeon says.

“Yep.”

“We can grab a coffee on the way if you want?”

That is exactly what Sanghyuk wants. “Sure,” is all he says, feeling his heart beating furiously because this is it. He’s finally going to tell Hakyeon how he feels.

“Wait for me!” a shrill voice calls and they both turn to see Jaehwan running towards them with shoes in hand.

Hakyeon flounders for a minute. “You’re coming?”

“Don’t be too enthusiastic now,” Jaehwan says exaggerating a pout. “I want to buy some stuff.”

“We’re not getting too many snacks,” Hakyeon warns him.

“Yes, mum.”

Sanghyuk, dead inside and carrying an incriminating bag, follows them from the apartment.
 

Grocery shopping on Valentine’s Day turns out to be a really sad experience. There are couples everywhere. If Sanghyuk has to listen to one more couple ask each other what they’re going to cook together he might explode.

Left with the trolley and Jaehwan in the produce section, Sanghyuk is distracted by what is possibly the biggest cucumber he’s ever seen. He’s wondering if he could use it to bludgeon his band-mates, and especially Jaehwan, unconscious to get time alone with Hakyeon when the sound of a zip pulls him back into the real world. Sanghyuk is utterly horrified to find Jaehwan standing there staring into his bag.

“What’s this?” Jaehwan asks, slowly pulling the chocolates out. He looks thrilled by his find.

“Put it back,” Sanghyuk says, reaching out to grab his bag.

Jaehwan yanks it away before he can. “Who’re they for, Hyukkie?” he teases.

“Nobody. Give it.”

“Nah uh. Not until you fess up.”

“No, just put them back.”

Jaehwan lifts the chocolates higher out of the bag and Sanghyuk feels true panic spread through him as he spots Hakyeon at the end of the aisle, making his way back to them.

“Please, Jaehwan. Put them back, please.”

Maybe it’s the begging, maybe it’s the expression on Sanghyuk’s face, maybe Jaehwan just isn’t that big of a that he’ll keep teasing when Sanghyuk is upset, but he slides the chocolates back into the bag and zips it up just in time for Hakyeon to reach them.

“Are you two fighting?” Hakyeon asks, looking between them suspiciously.

“Psh. Us? Fighting? No way,” Jaehwan says. “I was just trying to get Sanghyuk to confess.”

He waggles his eyebrows at Sanghyuk and Sanghyuk wishes he’d gone through with his cucumber plan.

“Confess what?”

“Nothing,” Sanghyuk insists, grabbing Hakyeon’s shoulders and marching him towards the meat section. “What meat should we have?”
 

Sanghyuk has decided that today is the worst. Wonshik is home when they get back and, as much as Sanghyuk loves Wonshik, right now he’s just another obstacle. Sanghyuk isn’t sure if he’s imagining it but Hakyeon looks just as disappointed to see Wonshik as he is.

“Why are we celebrating Wonshik’s birthday tonight?” Hakyeon asks. “It’s Valentine’s Day today and Wonshik’s birthday isn’t until tomorrow.”

“Oh, come on,” Hongbin says. “We always end up celebrating the night before because he goes home on his birthday.”

“…His birthday isn’t on the 14^th?” Taekwoon says under his breath.

“No,” five people reply, all levelling Taekwoon with looks ranging from ‘Ugh, this guy’ to ‘I’m not even surprised anymore’.

“Besides, it’s not like any of us have valentines,” Wonshik says, all grumbly.

“Or do we?” Jaehwan mumbles conspiratorially under his breath, earning a glare from Sanghyuk. Hongbin’s eyebrow rises as well.

“I do,” Taekwoon says.

“It doesn’t count if they’re working and you don’t actually see each other,” Hongbin tells him before demanding, “Who would want to go out on Valentine’s Day anyway? There are other people everywhere, all the restaurants are booked up and everything is love-love themed. Ew. No.”

“You’re always such a romantic,” Hakyeon says, rolling his eyes. “I like Valentine’s Day.”

Sanghyuk is certain he imagines the way Hakyeon stares at him while saying this.

“You got lip balm?” Taekwoon asks, hand on Sanghyuk’s shoulder.

Distracted by Hakyeon and how quiet he’s been today, Sanghyuk nods. “Yeah, it’s in my bag.”

“Thanks.”

It takes fifteen seconds and the most disbelieving look of all time from Jaehwan for Sanghyuk to realise what he’s just done. Sprinting is not subtle, but Sanghyuk has to stop Taekwoon from opening his bag. He already knows when he gets to his door that he’s got no hope of doing so.

The expression on Taekwoon’s face is strange, like he can’t decide if he’s happy about finding Valentine’s chocolates in Sanghyuk’s possession or if it’s the worst thing to ever happen. Sanghyuk swallows thickly. Today .

“Who did you get these for?”

Sanghyuk isn’t sure what compels him to answer truthfully. “Hakyeon… but I don’t know.”

Taekwoon frowns. “You should give them to him,” he says.

“I don’t know,” Sanghyuk says again.

“Give them to him,” Taekwoon insists, slipping the box into the bag and passing it to Sanghyuk.

He s around inside for a second before withdrawing the lip balm he originally came for and leaving the room. Sanghyuk covers his face with his hands, bag hanging off his wrists by the straps. It’s all well and good for Taekwoon to say that, but how the hell is he supposed to get Hakyeon alone so they can actually do this?
 

Everyone is standing around in the lounge room, the coffee table lined with snacks when Sanghyuk returns to them. They’re arguing about where to get a cake for Wonshik and what movie they should watch together. Sanghyuk pipes up to agree with Hakyeon that it probably isn’t worth trying to go out tonight and that they should just cook at home.

Jaehwan and Taekwoon both first look at him and then down at his hands. Holy goddamn, he curses to himself now aware that he absolutely did not put his bag down before leaving his room. This is quite possibly the stupidest thing he’s ever done. Being this distracted can’t be healthy. It’s probably a good thing he isn’t driving anywhere today.

It is at this point that Sanghyuk realises that everyone in the room knows about the chocolates except Hakyeon and that he has nothing to hide now. After spending a week imagining how he can make this into a private, romantic moment that will go well, Sanghyuk surprises himself when he simply pulls the now-crumpled box of chocolates from his bag, strides across the room with all eyes on him and shoves it into Hakyeon’s hands, forcing him to take it.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” he says.

A pleasingly harmonious “Oooooooo,” sounds from the others, followed by Wonshik’s muttered, “I ing knew it.”

If Sanghyuk wasn’t too busy staring at Hakyeon staring at the chocolates, he would acknowledge that , Wonshik didn’t know. As it is, he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. A tense silence settles over the room as they all wait for Hakyeon. Then, after about a billion years it feels like, a smile starts to slowly spread over Hakyeon’s face and he looks up.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Hyukkie.”

Sanghyuk is not prepared for Hakyeon to tip up onto his toes and kiss him but he’s definitely not going to protest. He’s smiling so much he can’t even kiss Hakyeon back. Hakyeon steps back, eyes still locked with Sanghyuk’s until he hears Taekwoon telling Jaehwan to pay up, and then he turns to glare.

“This is going to be disgusting,” Hongbin remarks. “I might sound-proof my room.”

“You can sleep in my studio if you want,” Wonshik offers.

Hongbin gives him a sharp look. “I’m not falling for that again.”

He resolutely ignores the questioning glances that comment garners from the others and throws himself onto the couch. Hakyeon and Sanghyuk look so happy, staring at each other like idiots. They’re going to be insufferable.

“So, Hakyeon, did you get Sanghyuk chocolate too?” Taekwoon asks as they all settle on the couch to watch a movie. He sounds way too innocent and therefore definitely isn’t.

Hakyeon’s cheeks flame, he regrets telling Taekwoon about his feelings for Sanghyuk now. He doesn’t know why he bought this. Why didn’t he just get proper Valentine’s chocolate?

With a great sigh, Hakyeon reaches down beside the couch and into the little flap that’s supposed to house the TV remote or magazines or something and pulls out the chocolate he got for Sanghyuk. It’s not very big, clearly egg-shaped. Rather that the traditional Valentine’s colours of red or pink, it’s blue and yellow.

“Is that a ing minion?!” Wonshik demands.

There are cries of outrage from all directions and Hakyeon’s cheeks might actually be on fire, but Sanghyuk just grins and reaches over to pluck to egg from Hakyeon’s grip. “I love it,” he says and this time he manages to fight off his smile long enough for a proper kiss.