Sweet and creamy, it is the taste of vanilla.

eighteen is two years (too young)

| but he's sure that he hates vanilla strawberries |

The air is cold on Seungri’s skin. Grocery stores are always too cold for Seungri. He should’ve brought a jacket, he thinks regretfully, as he stares at the row of meat in front of him. 

There is a poster beside the meat and seafood aisle, of a boy with the whitest teeth. He looks unnervingly cheery in his sailor suit, with his black hair peeking through the hat. The giant sushi plate in his arms clashes with his picture perfect smile. It’s ridiculously plastic and fake, but strangely charming; not an uncommon combination in Seoul. 

Seungri isn’t looking forward to being on the other side of the poster. He knows YG’s been pushing for endorsements lately, and while Seungri won’t say no to making more money, he also dearly hopes it won’t be a food ad.

Daesung’s mouth moves a little to the side, almost-but-not-quite frowning, and he sighs heavily. “Should we get beef or pork?” he asks. 

“Youngbae-hyung told us to get pork,” Seungri points out. “We’re making pork bone stew— can’t do that without pork.” 

“Yeah, but there’s a limited sale on beef,” Daesung whines, but he takes a package of pork neck bones and sets it in the basket. He slants his eyes over to Seungri, and smiles coyly. “We could always make beef bone stew.”

Seungri’s lips twitch. He holds back a laugh. “Wouldn’t that just be beef stew?”

Daesung grabs his shoulder and shakes him playfully, his eyes squinting and hiding what Seungri is sure to be pure mischief. “Beef stew, pork stew, they’re both so good! What’s wrong with having both?”

“I think,” Seungri says with a deliberate slowness, mouth curling into a smirk as he looks away, “that you’ve been hanging around T.O.P-hyung too much if you can say something like that.”

Daesung gasps dramatically and Seungri muffles his giggles. “Betrayal!” he cries. “From my own dongsaeng? Say it ain’t so!” 

“It ain't so,” Seungri cries out, feeling childish and loud because Daesung is silly and exactly the kind of person out for Seungri’s heart. He’s the older brother Seungri never knew he wanted; the other part of his jokester soul, his partner-in-crime. 

Daesung bursts into peals of laughter and Seungri grins at him proudly. Seungri strikes a pose and Daesung smiles. Seungri makes a silly face and Daesung giggles. Seungri throws his arms around his shoulders and Daesung hugs him.

It’s so easy to be around Daesung. So, so easy, Seungri thinks, that it’s almost hilarious to look back and remember how awkward they were before.

Daesung pokes the middle of his brows and Seungri blinks rapidly in surprise. Daesung smiles crookedly. “You’re going to get wrinkles if you think too hard.”

Seungri huffs. “My skin is silky smooth hyung.”

Daesung shakes his head. His face crinkles as he pretends to be a wise old man about to impart knowledge, “That’s what they all say at your age. Just you wait, by the time you’re twenty-one, you’ll start growing wrinkles everywhere.”

“You’re nineteen hyung,” Seungri drawls teasingly, closes his fingers around the cart handle and pushes it forward. “One year older than me.”

“Nineteen going on thirty, I’ve spent so much time around Seunghyun-hyung that his mid-life crisis is starting to bleed into my soul,” Daesung says, and Seungri laughs. “I need some comfort food. Anytime I buy something, hyung is somehow always there to take some.”

“I could ask Youngbae-hyung to get beef for you,” offers Seungri.

“Nah,” Daesung shakes his head, his eyes glinting with determination. “I’ve got a better idea”

“Better idea?” Seungri says questioningly.

Daesung leans against Seungri playfully, slipping and linking their arms together. “You'll see later, but first we have to finish shopping.” Seungri smiles. 

“Alright hyung,” Seungri agrees easily, and they fall into a comfortable quiet.

It’s just him and Daesung in a too-cold grocery store with music blasting from the speakers and someone humming along in the background.

“So what's been on your mind maknae?” Daesung asks, he picks up a box of cereal and scans the amount of sugar in it. He puts it back. “You look confused lately.”

“I do?” Seungri says. He rubs his thumb over the cart handle, feeling the deep indents in the red plastic. “I don't feel very confused.”

Daesung smiles at Seungri’s cheekiness. “Not confused then,” he amends. “More contemplative, maybe?”

Seungri blinks contemplati— he laughs a little. Well, Daesung’s not wrong. Seungri has been thinking a lot lately.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Daesung says. 

Seungri glances over at Daesung, and the older boy looks kind of fidgety, like he wants to say something but he’s holding himself back. 

Daesung has never been the sort to into other people’s businesses, and Seungri knows if he says it’s nothing, Daesung won’t pry. He’s nice, and Seungri thinks. He probably won’t judge, he thinks. And that's what convinces him to talk.

“Jiyong-hyung’s been avoiding me,” Seungri says, and he purses his lips, struggling to pull his thoughts together. He stares at a buy-one-get-one half-price deal for ice cream. They should get some later, for Seunghyun. 

(Ah, he’s trying to avoid thinking about it again. Seungri has to stop doing that.)

“Hyung?” Daesung prompts, and he raises an eyebrow but Seungri thinks he doesn’t look particularly surprised. Jiyong’s been hanging around Daesung more often these days after all.

Seungri tries not to feel jealous, and he mostly succeeds. 

“Yep,” Seungri pops the ‘p’ and blows a stray hair piece from his eyes. “I think he’s been avoiding me, and— I think that, maybe, he hates me again.” 

Daesung raises his other eyebrow, and he looks much more genuine in his surprise this time. “Hyung hating you?” 

Seungri isn’t sure why that shocks him so much; it’s not like this is the first time Jiyong has hated him. 

“Yeah,” Seungri says, feigning nonchalance. He reaches over Daesung’s shoulder to grab a different brand of cereal. “I’m not sure what I did this time, and I’ve been trying to figure it out,” he frowns a little, “but he always makes an excuse or distracts when I try to corner him.”

(Jiyong offers to stand instead of telling Seungri to sit on his lap.

He doesn’t pull him into hugs, and goes out of his way to avoid touching him.

Jiyong doesn’t look him in the eyes anymore.) 

“I thought you didn’t like him touching you,” Daesung says, and when Seungri looks at him, his eyes reveal nothing. 

“It’s not like that. He’s just too,” Seungri tries to find a word that explains what he feels every time Jiyong crowds into his space like he belongs there. He tries to find a word that encompasses how happy and sad and confused it makes him feel - he can't. “...close,” he finishes lamely. “Sometimes, I can't breathe with him around.”

“But?”

“I didn’t dislike it,” Seungri looks down at Daesung’s jacket, and pulls the sleeves over his fingers. “It made him happy, I think.”

Nyongtory; their couple name. Almost kisses and lingering glances and too close, too close touches. Nyongtory and the way Jiyong seems to