Himchan was sitting on his bed reading through the schedule for the next couple days when the bedroom door opened. Himchan looked up with a smile that quickly faded when he saw Zelo's expression. Setting the paper down, the older boy stood and moved to Zelo, his expression worried.

            "Zelo-ah?" he asked gently, his heart pounding in his chest. "Genchana?"

            Still in a state of shock, Zelo looked up at his hyung's face with wide eyes. The gentleness and concern he saw there was enough to make the tears start to fall. "Hyung." he croaked out before meekly reaching out to grip the olders' shirt in his hand, his body beginning to shake.

            Seeing the tears falling down the usually happy boy's face had Himchan's heart ripping in two. Swallowing hard, he pulled the tall blonde into a hug. "Zelo-ah what's wrong? Don't cry, it's okay." he cooed gently, trying his best to not only comfort the other but to figure out what was really wrong.

            Zelo shook his head as he buried his face in Himchan's shoulder and just cried softly, his body shaking.

            Himchan stood there holding Zelo comfortingly until the tall boy was reduced to soft hiccups and sniffles. The older slowly pulled back to look at his dongsawng's face.

            Zelo kept  his head down, wiping at his eyes and nose as Himchan pulled away. "M-mianhae." he murmured out softly after several moments of silence.

            "Don't be sorry Zelo...I'm not going to press you too much but I wish you would tell me what's wrong." he replied gently.

            Zelo took a deep, shuddering breath before shaking his head a little. "I-It's nothing hyung..." He looked briefly up at Himchan's face, trying to give a smile.

            Very slowly Himchan reached up and wiped away the rest of his band mates' tears. He took a moment to examine the others' eyes with worry-filled ones of his own. After a few moments he nodded. "Alright but I'm here if you want to talk."

            Meekly Zelo nodded. "Thanks hyung." he said softly.

            Himchan gave a warm smile and ruffled the others' curly hair. "Let's get some sleep hm?"

            Still not feeling 100% better Zelo nodded and moved to crawl into bed, curling up under the covers.

            Himchan gave the younger a final smile before he turned to climb back into his own bed. "Night." he said softly before he turned off the light.

            It was quiet for a few moments before Himchan could hear the sound of Zelo falling asleep. The elder couldn't help but feel a mixed sense of relief and worry.  Somehow he couldn't shake the feeling that Daehyun was involved in all of this.

            As much as he wanted to confront the other, Himchan resolved to let Zelo work the problem out on his own. Getting involved now would only cause more problems and after getting this far with Zelo, Himchan wasn't about to risk it. Rolling onto his side, Himchan peered through the darkness to see Zelo's sleeping form and in that moment he realized how much he loved him.

            No one could or would ever replace his precious maknae, an dno matter what happened at the end of the road, Himchan would be there to protect and support Zelo. Even with the younger's decison regarding he and Daehyun's feelings Himchan would support the younger whole heartedly. Sighing softly, Himchan finally closed his eyes. Two more days remained until their first award show and no prize would be greater than seeing Zelo happy and carefree again.     

            Zelo woke before the alarm the next morning, his tired eyes staring at the ceiling, heart beating fiercely in his chest. he wasn't quite sure what had woken him so early but the first thought that entered his mind had him unable to fall back asleep. He turned his head to look at the other side of the room where Himchan was still passed out, plump lips slightly parted.

            Almost subconsciously Zelo's fingers gently touched his lips as the memory of Daehyun's pressing against them ghosted across them. Somehow the thought of that happening again didn't make his heart beat like it did when he thought of Himchan's lips pressing against his own. Daehyun's lips had been warm yet cold at the same time as if the feelings hadn't quite meshed properly leaving the touch as nothing more than skin casually touching. Somehow Zelo felt kissing Himchan would feel different.

            The younger chewed his bottom lip as he continued to stare at his sleeping hyung, that same thought that had kept him awake still rattling around in his head. Hesitantly, Zelo crawled out of bed and quietly made his way over to Himchan's bedisde. He stood there for a few moments, heart pounding fiercely in his chest, before he took a deep breath and leaned down.

            His lips ghosted over Himchan's, not even daring to breath for fear of waking the other. After a few breathless moments, Zelo just barely pressed his lips against his hyung's. The lip contact only lasted a few moments before the maknae pulled back, letting out a soft breath before he opened his eyes, not realizing he'd even closed them.

            When the realization of what he'd just done struck him, Zelo blushed a bright red, his heart fluttering oddly in his chest. He turned his back on Himchan and stepped away, his shaking fingers pressed to his lips.

            Himchan mumbling in his sleep as he shifted in bed nearly had the tall boy jumping out of his skin. He quickly, yet quietly, left the room. He needed air and time to think. Slipping his shoes on, Zelo quietly left the dorm, grabbing his skateboard in the process.

The sun was just beginning to rise as Zelo's skateboard crested one of the taller hills in the neighborhood. What the hell had he been thinking? The scene of him kissing Himchan continued to play in his head.

            No matter how much he wanted to write it off as nothing more than a lapse in sanity, Zelo couldn't. There was something that had been stirring in him for weeks, and it felt like whatever it was had finally begun to take shape. The kiss was only proof of that.

            With a slight growl of frustration, Zelo shook his head. No. No, no, no, no, no~! It couldn't be that. Hadn't it felt the same way when Daehyun had kissed him last night? The tall blonde sighed. There was no way he could convince himself of that.

            A ringing cellphone brought the troubled boy out of his thoughts, and sent him rummaging through his pockets to retrieve the ringing device.

            "Ne, ne hyung. I'm almost back now. Ne. I know. YoungGuk hyung I'll be on time." With a sigh, he hung up the phone and began to skate like mad for the dorm, troubles momentarilly forgotten.

            The day was pretty hectic from the moment that Zelo made it back to the dorm until the time they all reached their two hour break. Other than the required interaction, the younger had steered clear of Daehyun, but that didn't stop the looks. Several times throughout the day, the younger could feel his hyung's eyes focused on the back of his head.

            As the maknae was heading to get a bottle of water, he could feel Daehyun's eyes on him again. Getting a bit frustrated, Zelo turned and found those eyes that had been driving him insane all day. A bit of a shock struck through him. Daehyun's gaze was not hard and demanding like he'd been expecting. No; instead they were sad, apologetic, and almost pleading. Was that a bit of shame he saw?

            "...elo?"

            Blinking, Zelo looked at a slightly confused looking YongGuk. "Huh?"

            YongGuk's brows furrowed a little. "You okay?"

            Zelo nodded, and flashed the leader a smile. "Yeah just got caught up in my thoughts is all."

            YongGuk seemed to study the younger for a moment before deciding to leave the issue alone. "I think we're heading out for a big meal before our final practice tonight. Are you coming?" he asked.

            Zelo perked up at the sound of food. He was starving. "Hell yeah!" he said with a grin.

            Guk gave one of his signature gummy smiles before ruffling the younger's curly hair. "Ara. the van's leaving in fifteen."

            Zelo nodded and watched YongGuk walk off before he looked back where Daehyun had just been, only to find the other had already disappeared. A hand on his shoulder had the tall maknae nearly jumping out of his skin.

            Himchan chuckled softly. "Sorry I didn't mean to startle you."

            Zelo blushed slightly as he faced his hyung. His heart was pounding fiercely in his chest and he wasn't so sure that it was from being startled. "Ah it's okay..." Zelo chanced a look at Himchan's face and nearly turned as red as the cherry tomatoes that he loved so much as his eyes fell on the others' lips. Flashes of that morning's lapse in sanity played in his minds eye.

            Himchan fixed his younger bandmate with a concerned look. "You okay?" he asked.

            Reluctantly Zelo moved his eyes up to meet with his hyung's concern filled ones. "Ah n-ne." The curly haired boy flashed what he hoped was a convincing smile.

            A confused look crossed Himchan's face, but the older boy shrugged. "Ah okay...are you going to eat with us?"

            Zelo nodded. "Yeah. I'm starving."

            A grin spread across Himchan's lips. "Awesome. Let's go. YongGuk hyung said they were leaving soon.

            Nodding, Zelo grinned and headed for the van, happily chatting about their first award show that was scheduled for the following day and their first comeback mv that was to air in a few hours.

            Sullenly Daehyun watched the hyung/maknae pair walk off. He'd messed up. Last night he'd let his anger and jealousy get the better of him. Since then he'd done a lot of thinking and soul searching. Seeing Himchan and Zelo together... he'd made his decision.

            It wasn't until they had finished eating and were all talking that Zelo realized one of their members were missing. "Where's Daehyun-hyung?"

            Guk swallowed the sip he had taken. "He said he had something to do and would meet up with us at the MV launching."

            Zelo blinked, but nodded and played with the condensation on his glass as he lost himself in his own thoughts.

            Himchan caught the look on the younger's face and couldn't help the stab of hurt he felt. He may not realize it yet, but it looked as if the maknae he loved so much had made his choice.

            A few hours later, the group gathered together for their comeback interview and MV release. Despite all that had been goig on behind the scenes, the group shared excited smiles as they waited for the cue to go on stage.

            "We've made it, but we're still not done yet. This is what we've worked for. I'm proud of each and every one of you and even more proud to work with you and call you my family. B.A.P forever!" YongGuk gave one of his signature gummy smiles as his group chorused his declaration.

            All too soon, the group was being announced and the six boys filed out, waving and smiling widely at the crowd.

            The live interview that ensued was light hearted and filled with smiles, completely different from the radio show weeks ago.

            "So YongGuk-ssi what would you say was the group's most difficult area to overcome with this comeback?"

            The group shared a look before YongGuk turned to the host. "By now we've become a group that works together and is learning to help compliment each other. This comeback journey was more about learning about each other as more than artists. In the end we've learned a lot more about each other and have become brothers in more than just name."

            YoungJae, Daehyun, and JongUp all teased their leader with affectionate smiles, causing the leader's ears to turn a lovely shade of red.

            The rest of the comeback stage whent by in a flash and the group soon found themselves back at the company studio having a small celebratory party.

            Naturally everyone was eating and drinking, and talking happily. Zelo sat in a corner, smiling as he munched on some chips and watched the staff and his hyungs all joking around and having a good time.

            "Mind if I sit here?

            Zelo stiffened a bit as he looked up at Daehyun. "Uh...s-sure go ahead." he murmured, scooting over to give the other more room.

            Dae sat next to the maknae, making sure there was space between the two. Both stayed silent for a while before the older boy finally broke it.

            "Look...last night...I-I'm sorry."

            Zelo blinked. Honestly he was a little surprised. The way Daehyun had acted the night before, an apology was the last thing he'd expected out of him. "Thank you..." he murmured lamely.

            Daehyun fidgeted a bit before he gave a sigh. "Look...I-I want you to forget about me liking you okay? Don't feel like you have to be with me. As a matter of fact it'd probably be better if you didn't." The older boy looked up to meet the maknae's slightly shocked eyes. "I love you Zelo...ani Jonhong-ah, but maybe not the same way Himchan hyung does. To me you've always been like that little brother that I want to protect...I guess in that aspect I've sort of failed and I'm sorry I put you through all this. I guess what I'm trying to say is the difference between Himchan hyung and I is that Himchan hyung really does love you as more than a brother."

            Zelo blinked, his face slightly pale with shock. "Hyung...but...I-"

            Daehyun gave a small smile and lightly ruffled the youngers' hair. "Let me ask you something. Did you feel anything special last night when I kissed you?"

            The taller boy frowned a bit. "A-ani..."

            "Neither did I. Look, Zelo-ah, maybe at one point we were or are meant to love each other as moer than brothers...but either we've missed it, or that time hasn't come yet. That red string of fate isn't connecting us. Not that that's easy to admit, but I just have to accept the fact that that's how it is." Dae gave a wry smile as he shrugged. "What I do hope is that at least we can still be close friends and bandmates."

            Zelo blinked, suddenly feeling like crying. Giving a nod, he gave Daehyun a big hug. "Of course. We'll always be B.A.P brothers."

            Daehyun blinked at the sudden hug, but seemed to relax, smiling happily as he returned it. "Thank you." he murmured softly, feeling much more relieved.

            Himchan turned to encourage Zelo to come play the game several of the staff and memebers were joining in. His wide, happy smile faded at the sight that met him. The happy smile on Daehyun's face seemed to rip through his heart like a knife. Zelo, it seemed, had definitely made his choice.

           As soon as the group made it back to the dorm, everyone was exhausted. Many mumbled 'good nights' before they even entered the door.

           By the time Zelo shuffled into his room, Himchan was already in bed, his back facing the younger.

           Sleepily the maknae climbed into bed, yawning as he soaked in the feeling of a part of the weight that had been weighing him down lately being lifted. The only question he had to work out now was if he really did like Himchan that way. What was it Guk hyung had said? The young boy's sleepy mind was refusing the help him recall the words.

           "Hyung?" he called out softly.

            For a moment silence filled the room before Himchan gave a small sigh. "Ne?"

           "How do you know if you're in love?" Zelo asked, thankful for the darkness of the room.

           A flash of bitterness, hurt, and anger coursed through Himchan when the younger voiced his question. After a few moments, Himchan shifted in bed, berating himself for being selfish like that. "You just know...everything about that person speaks to you. You think about them all the time and can't help but be aware of their presence when they enter the room. You want to give them and do everything for them. Most of all you just want them to be happy." Himchan swallowed hard. Zelo's inevitable verbal refusal of his feelings would be hard to get over. Until he'd spoken the words aloud, he'd not realized how much he truly loved the maknae.

           Zelo felt his heartbeat pick up. The muscle seeming to be trying to beat out his chest. The whole time he'd been thinking about who he liked more, one of the two had stayed at the forefront of his mind every time. For the longest time, Zelo had brushed the idea aside. That was just because of their closeness...right? What Himchan had just said seemed to break apart that weak reasoning.

           The younger boy stared blindly up at the dark ceiling as reality sunk in. He loved him...there was no longer any doubt. Zelo loved him! A hysterically happy smile spread across the curly haired boy's face. in his moment of bliss, Zelo nearly screamed his declaration of conclusion to Himchan. He'd even taken in a deep breath to do so when he heard a soft snore fill the air. Looks like he'd have to wait to tell him tomorrow. Giving a sleepy yawn, Zelo curled up on his side with a smile on his face.

           The next morning came too early for the collectively worn out group. Even the maknae, who had been so happy and excited the night before, was too tired to manage even a happy smile. From the moment they were woken up it was a constant rush to get ready and head to the van to begin that day's schedule.

           First was an early morning show followed by a short fan meet. After that the boys were whisked off to a radio show and a small photo shoot for promotional items. Lunch was served in the van on the way to their final stop for the day: the long awaited awards show.

    Zelo was absent-mindedly picking at his leftover rice with his chopsticks as he stared out of the van’s window. The silence around him was only broken by the soft sounds of several sleeping members. With the hectic schedule that day, it’d been hard for Zelo to privately confess his feelings back to Him. He had tried to patiently wait for the right moment, but that moment had yet to come about.

    The youngest band member didn’t know why he felt such a strong need to confess today. Maybe he was afraid he’d chicken out and never confess. Zelo began to lightly chew his lip as he began the whole fretting cycle again.

    “You okay maknae?” YoungJae asked softly as he lightly ruffled the younger’s hair.

    For the first time in a while, Zelo turned a full-fledged maknae pout at his friend. “Youngjae hyung~” he whined.

    Youngjae blinked slightly. The stressed “hyung” was definitely a sign that Zelo was distressed. “What’s wrong?”

    Zelo sighed as he leaned his head back against his headrest, eyes focused on the ceiling. “How do you find the right time to confess to someone? I mean you should tell them as soon as you’re absolutely certain of them right? Cause’ if you wait too long they’ll lose the feelings they have for you right?”

    It took a moment for what Zelo had blurted out to fully sink in. When it did, a wide smile spread across Youngjae’s face. “You’re going to give them your answer? Who is it?”

    Zelo shook his head. “You’ll find out after I tell him. If I ever get to that is.”

    Youngjae chuckled and lightly poked Zelo’s cheek. “Don’t worry. You’ll get a chance. Somehow I have a feeling you could wait another week and those two will still claim their feelings for you.”

    Zelo sighed again and nodded, trying to relax. Youngjae was definitely right. After all, He had fought over Zelo’s affections up to this point.

    All too soon the van pulled up outside of the studio and the group was shepherded inside to make-up and wardrobe.

    Himchan scowled a bit in the mirror as his stylist was doing his hair. He had woken in a bit of a sour mood. Why was Zelo not coming out and rejecting him like he knew he would? The elder couldn’t see the younger being cruel enough to play with him like this...so why? Maybe he was afraid of hurting Himchan’s feelings. That was understandable, but didn’t make it hurt any less knowing that.

    Himchan hadn’t noticed the stylist was done until Zelo tapping him on the shoulder had him blinking out his thoughts. At first that familiar fluttering went through his chest at the sight of the maknae he so foolishly loved, but it was quickly replaced by dread. The boy looked pretty serious, yet very nervous. Himchan swallowed as he met the other’s eyes, preparing himself. This was it.

    “Uh...H-hyung...can I talk to you?” Zelo asked, looking around shyly for a moment before he met Himchan’s eyes again. “In private?”

    It took a moment of nodding and the clearing of his throat before Himchan could make himself speak as he rose a bit shakily from his chair. “Sure.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Long chapter but I can't believe after almost two years, this fanfic is finally finished. I apologized for how long it took but I hope you enjoyed experiencing this journey with me. :) I'm glad you all were along for the ride. Thank you so much for the comments, views, subscriptions, and upvotes. For being my first full length and completed fanfiction I am so proud of how well you all helped make it turn out. An author is nothing if they don't have readers so thank you all for making this a success. :) Just a few funfacts about this fanfic for those of you interested: Pages long: 92 and Word Count: 47,063

Again THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 And I hope you all will look forward to the many more fanfics I have planned now that this one is done ;) haha