It’s not that Junhong hates being the baby-faced maknae of B.A.P.

But he kind of hates being the baby-faced maknae of B.A.P.

The thing is, Junhong is a seventeen year old boy, and like most other boys his age, he’s rather tired of all the attractive noonas he meets calling him variations on cute and adorable. He’s not actually a matoki, god damnit!

His hyungs wouldn’t understand. Jongup and Yongguk hyung are manly and ripped (even if Yonggukie-hyung had been looking a little twiggy lately). Daehyun-hyung oscillates between built and skinny but his Busan twang and mischievous personality make him less cute and more charismatic. Himchan hyung may have been BAP’s aegyo king, but you couldn’t exactly call his husky voice, dangerous (or, according to Junhong, “crazy”) eyes and sharp face adorable. Youngjae had been the only company he’d had until the elder decided to start working out and went and got himself cheekbones.

Junhong knows that a muscle bound figure might not suit him, but he figures now is the time to try. He can always revert back to his lean, skater physique if it doesn’t work out and find other ways to make Secret noonas think twice about pinching his cheeks. He stared with barely concealed envy when they had playfully run their hands all over Daehyun’s newly built biceps, turning redder than the man himself. So when BAP finishes their latest round of promotions Junhong begins a new workout regime.

He has no idea how the hyungs do it. He’s beginning to think he’s made a terrible mistake.

Having been a dancer for much of his young life and still having the metabolism of a teenager meant that the only exercising he'd had to do was during dance practice. Junhong was very much a stranger to the repetitive motions of weight and resistance training, and he could honestly say now that he hated it.

Having decided  to keep his efforts a secret until he could reveal his new body in its muscled glory, Junhong did a lot of his exercising in his and Jongup’s shared room, door firmly locked to keep out his nosey hyungs.

He only hopes the trouble is worth it in the end.

*          *          *

“Hyungs?”

BAP, minus Junhong, are sitting around their living room when Jongup breaks the companionable silence. The group had seen the maknae disappear to his room, something he was doing more often lately, but chalked it up to the teenager needing his space to angst in private about “teenage things” as Daehyun put it.

“Yes, Jonguppie?” Himchan answers.

Jongup shifts uncomfortably. “Well. I was just going to get my Gameboy from my room, but I heard Junhong in there and…well, it sounds like he might be watching .” His voice drops to a whisper at the last word and he stares wide eyed at his hyungs, waiting for a reaction.

Daehyun and Youngjae snicker at this until Himchan whacks them both with the magazine he had been reading. Yongguk looks like he’d rather talk about planning tea parties but clears his throat and ventures on, “That’s…not exactly cause for concern, Jonguppie.”

Jongup shakes his head furiously, “Hyungs don’t get it, it doesn’t sound like normal . I thought I heard someone in pain and there was all sorts of yelling! And…and degrading! It just doesn’t sound right!”

Daehyun’s smile is wicked, “I might have to ask our Junhongie for recommendations.”

Jongup groans in frustration and begins to drag his hyungs to the closed door of the room he shares with the maknae, “Just listen!”

*          *          *

Junhong is sure their trainer hates him. The workout video he had recommended was going to kill Junhong before he ever developed any abs.

You think is hard, you little maggot? Wait until we turn this up and you’re begging to be done.

Junhong releases a pained groan. He can do this. He refuses to believe that his Daehyun-hyung can outlast him in an exercise regime. That fatty could eat his way through an entire cake in one sitting. He breathes shallowly and rises again.

Almost there. Don’t even think about stopping now!

He moans in pain as a sting runs up his sides. He’s not sure why some people think this is motivational talk.

Can you feel that pain? That’s good pain, that’s the kind of pain you want!

He’s sure his torso has been replaced by a body of burning lava as his breathes increase in pace.

Last one, come on!

“Oh, God!” Junhong slumps to the floor in exhaustion and reaches out a hand to stop the video. If he doesn’t have a 2PM worthy body after this, he’ll sue.

*          *          *

There is complete silence in the hallway.

Yongguk looks like he wants to drown himself and Himchan is turning an odd shade of green. Jongup hurriedly rounds them into the living room before turning to them with his arms crossed. “See?”

Daehyun looks mildly traumatized and tentatively begins to speak, “I was thinking a different kind of rough, you know, more-”

“Shut up, Dae!” Youngjae whisper-shouts.

Himchan is about to shush them both when the bedroom door opens and Junhong walks out, heading straight for their shared bathroom. The sounds of the shower turning on snap them out of their reverie and what follows is ten minutes of sheer panic.

“Should we…talk to him about this?”

“And say what?”

“I don’t know! Yongguk, you gave him the talk right?”

"Yes, and I do not want to do that again!”

"Maybe it’s just a phase?”

“Oh yeah. That phase everyone goes through.”

“Well, I don’t hear you helping!”

“I don’t want my baby going out and engaging in…in…dangerous liaisons!”

“Himchan-hyung, don’t be so dramatic.”

Yongguk sighs and silences the group with a single hand. “I’ll talk to him. Tomorrow.”

Himchan slumps, relieved, “Oh thank God. I was beginning to think we’d have to get Daehyun to do it.”

“Hey!”

“I don’t want him to replace one kink with a food !”

“What are you guys talking about?” Junhong is standing at the entryway, toweling his hair dry.

His hyungs abruptly still and proceed to shrug and look at each other, the décor, and everything but Junhong.

“Nothing.”

“Just. Dinner.

“Dinner’s good.”

"Let’s go get some!”

“Yeah!”

Junhong stares, unimpressed, as they frantically disappear into their rooms to change. His hyungs are dorks. He has no idea what girls see in them.

*          *          *

Junhong is waiting nervously for Yongguk to begin talking. The elder had spontaneously decided to take him out and when Junhong had excitedly begged for ice cream, pulling out every maknae trick in his bag (hey, they came in handy sometime), Yongguk had nearly looked ready to cry.

He had hastily agreed and hadn’t said so much as two words since.

Junhong waits patiently on the floor of one of TS’s smaller practice rooms as his hyung sits in front of him, head in his hands. He mentally sifts through the past month or so, trying to figure out if he had done anything to get himself into trouble.

“Junhong-ah.”

Yongguk is looking directly at him; face a mixture of concern and hesitation. “I, we, know what you’ve been doing lately.”

Junhong pauses and raises a brow in question.

Yongguk waves his hands around vaguely, “What you’ve been watching?”

Junhong’s eyes widen, “Oh!” He wasn’t going to reveal it for another few weeks; he had only begun to see the barest hint of progress. “Hyungs weren’t supposed to find out until later. I was going to show you eventually.”

Yongguk looks horrified, “Show us?”

Junhong nods, “Well, yeah, what’s the point if no one can see it? I want to prove I’m not a kid anymore!”

Yongguk turns a shade of green reminiscent of the pistachio ice cream Youngjae likes so much. “Oh, God…”

“You okay, Yongguk-hyung? You look a little sick.” Junhong continues to at his ice-cream and Yongguk makes a strangled, choking sound.

*          *          *

Himchan-hyung is the next to sit him down. Junhong is beginning to feel like he’s going through an intervention.

“Is this an intervention?”

Himchan grabs his hands and looks earnestly into Junhong’s eyes. Junhong’s weak attempts to escape are predictably ignored.

“No, Junhong. This is a concerned hyung trying to have a frank discussion with his dongsaeng about a serious issue. Junhong, your body is your own-”

Christ. Are all his hyungs conspiring against his newfound determination to have the body of a Greek god? Or Jay Park? His hyungs are so insecure.

“-and no one should ever tell you what to do with it. But it’s important to understand that above all, you must be safe.”

“Relax, Himchan-hyung. I’m not hurting myself; actually it’s starting to feel pretty good. At first I hated it, but now I can’t sleep without at least one intense session a day, and-”

Thud.

“Hyung? Himchan-hyung?”

*          *          *

Daehyun and Youngjae drag him out for burgers and shakes the next day and insist on eating at the rooftop to their dorm, far too enthusiastically. Junhong is sure this is all a ploy by his hyungs to keep him squishy, but saying no to free food from Daehyun-hyung is like saying no to a pardon on death row. You just don’t do it.

“So. Junhong. Zelo. Dongsaeng. Bro.”

“Daehyun, shut up.”

“…Rude.”

Youngjae glares at Daehyun before turning back to the maknae, opening his mouth to speak before closing it again. He repeats this action a few times before Daehyun rolls his eyes and blurts, “We know what you’re doing and frankly it’s traumatizing and we’d really like it if you’d stop because Yonggukkie-hyung looks like he might have a heart attack and Channie-hyung is this close to having an actual cow.”

Junhong chomps on his burger. He is so done with his hyung’s . “And?”

“And? And?” Youngjae really looks like an anime character when he’s surprised. His eyes are just giant spheres.

Junhong shrugs and takes a sip of his shake, “It’s my body. I can do what I want with it. Hyungs will just have to deal. I don’t see what the big deal is anyway, all of you did it!”

Daehyun gapes like a fish at this, “Well. Yes, but not exactly like this. Have you tried something…different?”

“Different? What’s wrong with what I’m doing now?”

Youngjae and Daehyun share a look. Youngjae gestures vaguely, “Isn’t it…a little…painful?”

“Well, kinda. But I like it this way. Nothing else works, I’ve tried.”

The vocal line is silenced by this admission. What follows are a few awkward minutes of quiet where Junhong happily starts in on his fries. He has to get Daehyun to buy him food more often. The man does not kid around with his fast food. Youngjae and Daehyun observe him for a bit before simultaneously sighing and leaning against the wall in defeat.

“Well…”

“…we can always say…”

“…we tried.”

*          *          *

Junhong returns from the gym after a tiring bout of weight training with B.A.P’s fitness coach. He really just wants to shower and then laze away on the couch, maybe convince Himchan-hyung to make him some food. Despite the pain he’s feeling, his body is finally starting to change shape, and he’s happy with the way things are progressing. He supposes he has his seventeen year old metabolism to thank for such progress in only a few weeks.

He wishes he could say he’s surprised to see all his hyungs sitting in the living room, seemingly waiting for him in silence, but he isn’t. His hyungs have obviously become very threatened by their maknae deciding to muscle up, and frankly, Junhong thinks they should be. He isn’t called B.A.P’s giant for nothing.

Really though, his hyungs are so selfish.

He rolls his eyes and is about to head to his room when Yongguk’s stern voice calls his name. Yongguk is looking meaningfully at him and while Junhong can be insolent and a brat, he can never find it in himself to directly refuse any of his hyungs so he relents and sits on the coffee table in front of them.

Jongup is the one to speak, and when he does, Junhong actually starts to feel guilty about how he’s been acting lately. “Junhongie, I know you’re probably sick of hearing about this from us. We just wanted you to know that you can talk to us about anything, even if you think it’s weird or embarrassing. We forget sometimes that you’re not a child anymore, but…well, I guess we just don’t want to see you grow up so fast. You’ve already had to grow up enough for B.A.P’s sake.”

The others nod and every one of them is looking at Junhong sincerely, with as much care as his real older brother had whenever Junhong needed him. Junhong isn’t sure why everyone is so emotional about this, but he is touched. But he needs to convince his hyungs that there is nothing to worry about.

“I know that, and thank you, really. But I don’t see why you’re all so worked up about this. Look!”

Junhong proudly lifts up his shirt and shows off his developing abdomen. “My arms are starting to look pretty good, too! I don’t think I’ll ever make it to Jonguppie-hyung’s level, but I think it won’t be long until I start to look less like a noodle.”

The other boys are quiet. Yongguk and Himchan look confused, vocal line is silently communicating via frantic eyebrow movements, and Jongup seems to slowly be going through an epiphany.

Junhong drops his shirt and continues, “At first the exercise videos they have me were so hard! I mean, I guess they figured I already had enough stamina, but still, I thought I was gonna die! I don’t know how you guys did it, really!”

By now the others look various shades of embarrassed and relieved. Himchan is the one to tentatively speak, “So, you were secretly working out? That’s what all the sneaking off and strange noises and frequent showers were about?”

Junhong is puzzled, “Yes? I thought you all knew that.”

B.A.P is properly silenced at this. Junhong’s eyes narrow suspiciously.

“What the hell did hyungs think I was doing?”

END.