Hadon likes to watch Joonyoung practice, likes to see the tall ex-model go from laughing Ha Joonyoung to serious E.co, piercing gaze and pouted lips. Hadon sits cross-legged on rhe mats stacked against the practice room wall as Joonyoung's slender form travels across the floor, long limbs moving to the rhythm of a song Hadon doesn't know.

The song ends, and Joonyoung slumps against the mirror-covered wall, sweat glistening on his forehead. He meets Hadon's eyes and grins. "Hey," he says, voice husky from exercise. "Almost forgot you were here."

Hadon returns the smile and unfolds his legs to hang them over the side of his makeshift seat. "What were you dancing to?" he asks, kicking his feet absentmindedly. It's a habit, and he's never bothered fixing it even though Jongseok always says it makes him look like a little kid. (He's the maknae, after all, what does it matter?)

"Just some song Youngjin suggested. It's good practice," Joonyoung replies. He walks over to grab his water bottle next to Hadon and takes a long drink. His hair, dyed deep black, falls away from his face, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallows. Hadon finds himself staring, until Joonyoung's eyes meet his again and he quickly averts his gaze.

"You want me to teach you it?" Hadon blinks and looks at the older, wide-eyed. "It's not that hard. Here, come on." Before Hadon can protest, Joonyoung is dragging him to his feet by the arm and running him through the first steps. Hadon just laughs and lets him.

Hadon likes to go on walks with Joonyoung, likes to forget the worries that come with being an idol and just stroll along with Joonyoung next to him, breathing in the air that's just starting to grow cold as winter approaches. Hadon glances sideways at his companion as they make their way down the leaf-littered road; Joonyoung is humming one of their songs. 

It's the chorus of "Be Good", their mutual favorite, and Hadon starts to sing the words. Joonyoung gives him a surprised look, then his eyes light up and he joins in, until the air is filled with the song. A pair of doves flutter into the blue-gray sky, startled by their voices. 

They sing the last line - "come here and hug me for a moment" - and Joonyoung flashes Hadon a grin that lingers in his mind's eye long after it's gone. They walk in comfortable silence until they're back in front of the house, where Joonyoung ruffles Hadon's hair affectionately and bounds up the stairs and through the door.

Hadon is reminded, for some reason, of a deer.

Hadon doesn't know if Joonyoung realizes or not. He's not sure if he's noticed what Hadon himself only just realized - Joonyoung's pretty smart, but Hadon is too, and it took him almost a year.

Hadon likes Joonyoung. A lot. He feels like he's back in elementary school, when he liked one of his classmates and his heart would go ba-dum at the sight of them but this is ten times worse, he thinks, because it's not the girl with the pigtails in third grade or even the boy with the messy hair and lips that curved just right in his seventh grade science class, no, it's Joonyoung.

Joonyoung smiles at him when he walks into the kitchen in the morning and his heart goes ba-dum. Joonyoung falls asleep on his shoulder in the van on the way home from a music show and his heart goes ba-dum. Joonyoung catches his eye on-stage and not only does his heart go ba-dum, but he also almost trips over his own feet during their choreo. 

If this goes on any longer, Hadon is pretty sure he's going to go insane.

Hadon thinks Joonyoung is starting to catch on. The older's always been one for skinship but now it seems like he takes every chance to touch, to sling an arm around Hadon's shoulder, or brush his hand against Hadon's, or pat Hadon on the head (he's not even that much taller than Hadon, but he does it anyways), and it really is driving Hadon insane.

One night, Hadon is sitting in his room, reading, Sans lying on the bed next to him, when the door opens quietly and Joonyoung slips in with all the grace of his former model career.

"Oh, hey, hyung," Hadon greets, looking up at him curiously.

Joonyoung doesn't reply, just walks over to the bed and sits down next to him, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Sans gets up and trots out the door. Hadon's throat goes rather dry.

"San Cheong-ah," Joonyoung murmurs. Hadon blinks in surprise - they don't usually call each other by their stage names at home (they hear it enough everywhere else). "You're still reading that?" He reaches out and plucks Hadon's book from his hands, tosses it in the direction of his desk; it falls short by a few feet, landing on the floor with a thud. Hadon can't help but wince for his poor novel.

His attention, however, is quickly diverted back to Joonyoung when he snakes an arm around his torso, fingers curling above his hips. The head of impossibly fluffy hair rests on Hadon's shoulder, while his other hand absentmindedly taps a random rhythm on the mattress. Hadon sits stiffly, unsure what's going on and how he should react to it.

He doesn't think Joonyoung's drunk - there's no smell of the fancy alcohol he sometimes drinks on him, and they don't keep it in the house anyways - and this can't be some weird dare either - the other members aren't even home.

"San Cheong." This time, the name is drawn out and almost whiny as Joonyoung shifts even closer. He turns his head so his face is right next to Hadon's ear and whispers, "Look at me, San Cheong."

Hesitantly, heart beating wildly in his chest, Hadon does so. Joonyoung's face is barely four inches from his, and at this close range he can see every little detail of his complexion, his eyes. The corners of the elder's lips twitch.

Silence. Moments go by, the two of them just staring into each other's eyes. Hadon's mind is racing like a panicked rabbit, and when Joonyoung moves perhaps a millimeter towards him all he can think is oh my god, he's going to kiss me-

Then suddenly Joonyoung pulls away and stands up. His expression gives nothing away as he runs a hand through his hair and says rather emotionlessly, "Enjoy your book, Hadon-ah," before walking out of the room. 

Hadon is beginning to feel very confused about Ha Joonyoung.

Hadon decides after two weeks of conflicted feelings that he needs to just tell Joonyoung upfront, if only so he can sleep more peacefully at night again. Sans has stopped sleeping in his room, he's been so restless. And as someone who sleeps a lot, it's been wrecking his body, too, so he's been tired, less responsive, slower. Even Henry's noticed at this point.

So Hadon corners Joonyoung in a backstage dressing room after a performance, checks to make sure no one else is around, and puts both hands on the taller's shoulders. Joonyoung looks down at him bemusedly, until he says, "Hyung, you know why I can't sleep?"

"I could take a guess, given the circumstances," Joonyoung answers slowly. There's a smirk - a smirk - playing across his lips - he's messing with Hadon. "But you could tell me."

Hadon glares at him. "You were doing it on purpose, weren't you? The Saturday before last, not to mention every day between then and now?" He pouts a little bit, which only makes Joonyoung's smile widen. "Hyung, seriously?"

"Are you going to tell me or what? I mean, am I going to have to talk about how I was testing you out a little bit and then teasing you the rest, or are you just gonna cut to the chase? Because I really want to hear it, to be honest."

Hadon really doesn't like this side of Joonyoung.

Maybe, he thinks, he'll shut up if he tells him. So he takes a deep breath and says in a rush, "I like you a lot and I didn't realize for the longest time but now I've known for like a month and you're driving me crazy so I'm telling you to get it off my chest and so there."

Joonyoung is infuriatingly silent for a few long seconds, then Hadon feels a hand cup his chin and tilt his head up. "You're way too cute, Hadon-ah," Joonyoung mumbles. There's a wide grin on his face that makes Hadon's heart flutter, and when he leans down and kisses him ever so softly, his heart just about stops.

"And I like that about you. I like you."

Hadon still hasn't figured Joonyoung out completely, but that's okay. There's plenty of time for him too.

A/N: saNCO IS LOVE SANCO IS LIFE

i don't think people really ship much in jjcc and even when they do it's really really passive, so i feel kinda alone in the fic-writing community within the jjcc fandom lmao especially with stuff like this

i just really like san cheong and e.co together man