No one would believe this unless they looked closely but beyond Zico's endless bear hugs and rugby-style tackles, and Jihoon's tickling, prodding fingers, and Kyung's teasing nudges and complete inability to sit in one single seat - Minhyuk is by far and away the clingiest member of Block B.

Perhaps clingy is the wrong word; he certainly gets away with it partly by maintaining that stoic, unflappable air of aloofness, like he doesn't much care whether there are people around him or not, but for his own satisfaction he wants to feel skin and muscle under his fingers. Jaehyo, despite his aversion to any invasion of his personal space, can be more accurately described as clingy; he's the one who likes to lug his laptop around the flat until he finds where everyone else has congregated, and you'd never catch Minhyuk sending whiny texts to anyone he thinks might be awake about how he can't sleep and he's by himself and it's creepy. Minhyuk values his alone time, the peace and quiet he can find away from his over-loud, over-active band mates. But when he's around, you know he's around. You can feel it, literally.

It's innocent, or so he would probably claim if ever questioned about it - which he isn't, because by silent consent you just don't ask Minhyuk questions like that. All he would do would be to arch his eyebrows nonchalantly and look up from his phone, eyes half-hooded, every line of his face expressing his own personal brand of gentle, refined contempt. There's this, in the occasionally frustrating position he holds as the quietest and most reserved, that everyone assumes he has good reasons for doing things, and he's rarely questioned about his motives. Even their brash leader, when faced with that silent immovability, has to back down and let Minhyuk have his way. Like when they're hanging out in the living room in the evening, some awful drama program that Jihoon's addicted to blaring in the background while the rest occupy themselves with their phones or books, and the doorbell shrieks to announce Jiho's arrival (he doesn't admit it, but they all know he gets lonely in his own place, and since there's a limit to how many times he can drag them there for sleepovers he ends up back at the dorm at least three nights of the week). Usually it would be Kyung who went to answer it, but he's currently trapped on the sofa underneath Minhyuk. The older boy has his feet tucked under Jaehyo's thighs and his back leaning against the other arm of the sofa, his book rested on his propped up knees, his lower back comfortably cushioned with Kyung's skinny legs. Taeil gets the door instead, but the first thing they hear from that foghorn of a voice is, "Where's Kyungie? I have something to show him."

It takes Jiho a minute to spot his best friend, among the general tangle of bodies in the living room which isn't really big enough for six of them, especially when Jihoon prefers to sit starfish fashion and take up as much room as possible. Kyung gives Minhyuk a little push but of course he doesn't budge, just squeezes the bony knee under his hand and settles back again.

"Hyung, get up, I need Kyung for a second," Jiho says, already with a small whiny note in his voice because he knows his request will be utterly ignored. True to form, Minhyuk doesn't even lift his eyes from the page; if anything he settles back more firmly. "Come on, , move," and Jiho grabs his shoulder and tries to shake him out of his spot. The other boy puts a stop to this with a swift foot that flies dangerously near to Jiho's crotch.

"I'm comfortable. You can wait." Jiho begins to push his lower lip out like he's thinking about continuing his protest, but he gives up a second later and flops down on the floor at Kyung's feet instead with a growl. Kyung reaches down to give him an apologetic pat on the head.

Or again, the time they're leaving the studio impossibly late, staggering under the weight of their exhaustion - all except for their irrepressible maknae, who has an enviable ability to sleep anywhere and at any time, and took so many naps while the others were recording that he's wide awake and talking with the speed, ferocity and noise of a turbo powered jet engine. That's how it feels to the rest of them, anyway, and while Jaehyo covers his hands with his ears with a soft moan and Taeil pulls his hood over his face, Minhyuk simply flexes his fingers and approaches Jihoon from behind. He's got hold of Kwon by the arm, repeating the same nonsense sing-song phrase he came up with about half an hour ago. The tactic is one Minhyuk pioneered on his younger brother: one hand goes around the shoulders, one slides over Jihoon's eyes, and he pulls back gently. Whether from surprise, confusion, or just the fact that it's gone suddenly dark and Jihoon is in fact part chicken, the youngest member goes soft and quiet and falls back against Minhyuk's chest. After a few seconds he's returned to an upright position, blinks a few times and gives them an apologetic grin, but he's magically calmed now.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Kwon gasps.

"It's kind of like putting a shark into tonic," Taeil says approvingly. "You know, when you turn them upside down. I'll remember that trick." Minhyuk just smirks and makes sure he sits next to Jihoon and pins him to his seat the whole ride home with one arm across his waist.

There's no escaping it - and no one does escape it. His hands will slide up your arm and settle on your shoulder without warning, or creep around your waist and his fingers will play rhythms on your hipbone, or you'll lean back and without knowing it you're half in his lap and can't remove yourself. It seems so utterly at odds with the rest of his character that no one can begin to understand where it came from.

That's until they play a concert in his hometown. Of course he brings them to his family home: his mother hugs all of them one by one when he introduces them; his father squeezes Minhyuk's shoulders firmly, beaming over his head with pride; his younger brother is already tugging on his arm and asking if they can all go to the park together. Minhyuk seizes the kid by the waist and initiates a tickle-fight while the rest of them look on with their mouths hanging slightly open.

"So that's where you get it from," Jiho says later on, and Minhyuk gives him a confused look.

"What?"

"Come on," Kwon laughs, "your mum ruffled my hair more times in that hour than my mum's ever done in my life."

Minhyuk shrugs, going back to his phone where he's texting a final farewell to his parents. "I don't know. That's just how we show affection, I guess." There's a split second of held in breath as everyone collectively twigs, and for the first time ever they see Minhyuk shift uncomfortably. "Oh shut up," he says, and settles back against Jiho's knees.