Tuesday, April 17^th, 2:15 PM

“I’m hungry.” proclaimed Sandeul as soon as the two made it through the door. Glancing towards Jinyoung to pout in hopes some kind of empathy was taken on his growling stomach.

In response, the leader rolled his eyes with a faint lighthearted appearance. Slipping his shoes off, he began through the living room. “What do you feel like?” he questioned, stopping to turn once near the kitchen.

He thought for a moment about all the possible dishes that could be served before him. When deciding, he grinned excitedly. As he opened his mouth, words from the singer interrupted his response.

“I think I know actually.” he mentioned with a light chuckle, giving Sandeul a knowing expression afterwards. “Especially by the look on your face.”

Scowling faintly, he began removing his shoes as well, causing their eyes to break contact. “What if you’re wrong?” the other challenged.

When he was in his socks, he directed his attention back to Jinyoung, who had a smirk formed over his lips. The single look caused his heart to beat suddenly much louder.

“Then I guess I’ll have to make it up to you.” he replied casually, waving his hand passively as he retreated.

Sandeul didn’t know what he could possibly do to make it up to him when it was unnecessary in the first place. He was sure that Jinyoung knew what he wanted, it was almost obvious; and the other seemed to know him fairly well by this point.

Suddenly guilty that he was making Jinyoung make his lunch, he stepped carefully over the wooden floor until reaching the edge of the living room. Gripping his left arm unsurely, he watched in silence for a solid minute as the other moved around the kitchen effortlessly to gather supplies.

The remorse getting to him, having enough of just observing helplessly; it didn’t make him feel any better. Ever since he’d forgotten to help make breakfast the other morning, he felt horrible when he didn’t assist him; at least a little bit.

“Is there anything I can do?” he asked. His tone was strangely quieter than he’d intended it to be, making him frown at the betrayal of his normally audible voice.

“You’re sick remember.” Jinyoung reminded while beginning to wash his hands. “Go lay down, you look exhausted.” he added over the running water.

“But—”

Turning his head enough to catch his eyes, he reassured him all was well with a light smile. “I can handle it. Seriously, go take a nap. Remember what manager said? You need to be better by tonight, and that means well rested.” facing forward again to finish washing his hands and dry them with the towel that hung over the sink. “I’ll wake you up when it’s ready.”

Sandeul eyed him unsurely. “Promise?”

When he laughed, the brunette found himself smiling uncontrollably. Jinyoung’s laughs were like listening to a soft tune, so pleasant to the ears, it was impossible not to smile. If he could, he would record every laugh he’d ever made and play it whenever he felt down. Jinyoung had a quality about him that made it hard to feel upset around him, maybe because he was positive no matter what, and that seemed to rub off on anyone near. Whatever the reason was, he couldn’t deny that the leader made him inexpressibly cheerful, more so than normal.

“Promise.” he replied honestly before shooing him away with his hand. “Now go, rest.” 

“Ok! Ok! I’m going.” Sandeul answered underneath faint laughter. Making his way towards the couch, he pulled his backpack off; placing it down on the floor before sitting on the couch. Jinyoung was right about being exhausted, a nap honestly sounded like the best idea in the world. It was as if his head had been hit by a train, the uncomfortable heaviness weighing over him with no end. If he closed his eyes right now, he wouldn’t be surprised if he passed out. But before he did, something crossed his mind.

He realized how happy Jinyoung actually made him. It was more than any of the other members, or anyone else he’d met. Did that mean he favored him? It was a discouraging thought, but he couldn’t deny the actuality. There were so many things about the burgundy haired male that made him smile, that made his heart feel like it was going to beat out of his chest. He wasn’t sure if it was his illness that was causing him to feel this way, but if it wasn’t, then it made him reconsider his previous accounts.

For the first time, he thought about the possibility of not being sick at all. What if it was because Jinyoung made him so happy, he was just realizing it? His body and his mind had no idea how to react, so they caused these symptoms to occur? Could something like this seriously happen? He’d never heard of anything along the lines, but maybe Sunwoo would know. After all, he had been the one to bring up the whole idea of someone making you happy without necessarily doing anything.

Was he actually feeling it? That happiness the rapper had spoken of? He didn’t think it would ever happen to him. If he wasn’t sick, and he was actually feeling an immense amount of joy, it felt odd. He hadn’t ever considered it, that he could ever make him feel this inhuman amount of bliss.

This wasn’t abnormal, was it? Didn’t it just mean they were becoming closer as friends?

If he wasn’t sick, was this some form of happiness instead? Was something like that honestly possible?

With these thoughts in his mind, he grabbed a thin light blue and yellow blanket off the edge of the couch. Wrapping it comfortably around his body, he fell over onto the pillow that also made a makeshift armrest and brought his feet up as well. Eventually closing his eyes, the questions he’d pondered still floating through his head as he drifted off.

Tuesday, April 17^th, 3:24 PM

When the smell of food came into his dreams, his mind was forced out of unconsciousness. Slowly opening his eyes, trying to pull himself back into reality, he could make out a plate of Kimchi pancakes on the table only a few feet away. At first he assumed it was a hallucination by his hazy grip on realism and closed his eyes again.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen you close your eyes after looking at food.” he heard a humored voice say from somewhere close by, putting him under the impression that he was no longer asleep.

He managed to pull his eyes open again, but not before yawning audibly and stretching his entire body. Gradually he sat up, still half groggy as he glanced in the direction of the voice he familiarized as Jinyoung. He was smiling at him like always, a plate of his own sitting on his lap.

“How long have I been asleep?” he mumbled tiredly, still trying to shake the sluggishness from his being.

“A little over an hour.” Jinyoung admitted, taking up his chopsticks to pick at a piece of his meal. “I decided to let the food wake you rather than myself.” he smiled good-naturedly. “And it worked I see.”

Sandeul grinned as best he could in reply, but wasn’t sure what Jinyoung saw it as. Leaning forward, he grabbed the plate. Even the appearance of his favorite food was making it feel like he hadn’t eaten in years; it looked perfect. Balancing the plate on one hand, he used the other to pick up his chopsticks and begin eating.

Filling his mouth with as much food as he could before he had to chew and swallow, he was completely overwhelmed. It had an undeniable sweetened flavor that made the pancakes even more delectable. “This is amazing.” he declared off handedly, not thinking much on it as he continued inhaling his meal.

He most likely finished the entire plate in record time, putting it back down onto the table. Now fully awake, he turned slightly to bow his head in the singer’s direction. “Thank you, your food is always the best.” Sandeul commented happily, tagging a cheerful smile on the back of his words.

It surprised him when he noticed Jinyoung visibly flush. He quickly looked away as a grin spread across his face like a wildfire. “I’m glad.” he replied calmly. “Are you feeling better?” Jinyoung asked quickly after his previous response.

“Yeah. A lot better actually.” he responded sincerely, glad that he’d taken the nap. The tiredness he felt when arriving at the dorm had all but disappeared. Even though he’d only slept for an hour, it had been a deep sleep. He recalled having a dream, but was unable to reminisce.

Remembering that their performance wasn’t for another two hours if he’d slept for an hour and they had arrived here at two. He was sure that they would be alone for a little while longer. Deciding to break the silence that was starting to settle between them, besides the sounds of Jinyoung’s chopsticks hitting his plate, he grabbed the T.V remote that was placed on the table. Pressing the power button, he began flipping through channels until finding one that interested him. Becoming so engrossed with the program he nearly forgot the singer was there at all.

He was able to watch until the conclusion of the show, making thirty minutes seem to fly by. Meaning they’d sat in stillness besides the minimal noises, for thirty minutes without saying a word. Sandeul felt like he’d ruined whatever conversation they would have had, but didn’t know how to revive it.

Then again, he didn’t even know what he wanted to say. But just talking with the other made him feel better rather than saying nothing, he didn’t want to admit that it was almost awkward. He’d tried to completely ignore his existence so that it wasn’t as uncomfortable, but it was impossible. Despite the small noises the other would make while eating, the duck couldn’t pretend he wasn’t there. It was unmanageable.

There wasn’t anything particular he wanted to say, but talking about anything, no matter how random; made him feel content. He loved the way Jinyoung spoke, and how he was almost always smiling; it made him feel like the leader seriously cared about their relationship.

Glancing to him a moment, he noticed that he was also watching the T.V. His facial expression changing depending on what he saw, it was curious to watch.

When he caught his attention, Sandeul quickly glanced towards the television. “Thanks… for coming to stay with me, I mean.” he covered hurriedly before the small exchange turned difficult.

“I couldn’t let you stay alone, could I? After all, Dongwoo was right. You would have destroyed this place.” he remarked, earning a scowl from Sandeul which he laughed off. “Plus it’s my job to make sure you guys are all ok, I’m the leader after all.”

Sandeul continued to frown, disregarding the other’s words. “You guys could have a little more faith in me, I wouldn’t have destroyed anything.” he protested firmly. Staring at the T.V with a strong expression instead of aiming it at the other, if he did, he knew he’d feel bad afterwards.

“Sure you wouldn’t have.” Jinyoung mentioned lightheartedly, then standing to place his plate on top of the one on the table. Lifting them up, but didn’t get far since the brunette had also stood, blocking his path.

Reaching out, he grabbed onto the plates as well. “Let me wash them, it would only be right.” he indicated. Already feeling debauched for not helping make their meal. The least he could do was wash the dishes so Jinyoung wouldn’t have to do everything.

“No it’s alright, I can do it.” Jinyoung countered with a faint smile, his voice straining slightly after trying to pull the plates from Sandeul’s grip.

But he wasn’t going to give in so easily, he began tugging on the items more vigorously. “Let me do it!” he cried childishly, continually pulling on the plates until they slipped out of the other’s hands. With the objects now in his possession, he turned to make a dash towards the kitchen. Unfortunately, Jinyoung’s reaction was much quicker. Grabbing the back of his shirt, he yanked him backwards and onto the couch in a sitting position.

He still held the plates tightly in his hands, sulking at Jinyoung who was frighteningly serious over two plates. Sandeul attempted to get up again, but Jinyoung placed an immediate hand to his shoulder, keeping him in place. The other hand went to the objects they were currently fighting over.

“Why won’t you just let me do something?!” he implored with a hint of playfulness so that Jinyoung would know he was more joking than anything.

“I said that I would. After all, I’m supposed to be watching over you, correct?” his words had a resilient challenge to them, making the other feel as though he didn’t plan to give in. All of a sudden, Jinyoung was leaning forward; much too close to his face for comfort.

Sandeul’s eyes widened at their proximity, staring into Jinyoung’s half lidded pupils that were filled with an emotion he couldn’t recognize. It was then he noticed his eyes traveling to either his nose or his mouth, and he was fairly sure that he was looking at his mouth. He trailed only slightly lower to also peer at the other’s lips, seeing as they were parted just barely. Watching nearly mesmerized as his tongue moved dauntingly over his lower lip, it was at this point he could hear his heart in his ears. The amount of blood he knew had traveled to his cheeks was unnatural; heat swelling, making his entire body scorch well past a normal temperature.

When their eyes were back on each other, Jinyoung seemed to take into recognition how prickly their situation became. He immediately stood up straight, glancing away as if ashamed while his face was also possibly as reddened as his own.

“Don’t break the dishes.” The singer mumbled gruffly, moving away from the couch in a few long strides.

When the bedroom door shut, he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Having no idea what happened or what it was supposed to mean, there was one thought which at this point, was terrifying him.

While their personal space had been compromised by each other, while he’d glanced down to Jinyoung’s mouth, he’d wanted to kiss him.

He had seriously wanted to kiss him, and it was one of the most frightening things he’d ever thought of.

Thank you for reading! 

TBC...