In the remaining days leading up to Hanbin's showcase, Jinhwan doesn't get to see the younger boy often. 

Hanbin spends his days holed up in the university, alternating between writing lyrics, composing music and preparing for his performance. Four full pieces of individual writing have to be submitted for final grading, alongside one group piece that will be performed during the showcase. The showcase is a pretty big deal, Jinhwan knows, a joint effort by all the various Arts Departments in Hanbin's university ranging from a photography exhibition, a fashion exhibition, making available some of the short stories, poetry, lyrics and other writings of the students as well as dance, vocal and drama performances and so on. A myriad of talent development agencies will be represented at the showcase too, sifting out potential talent as well as assessing students who had submitted early applications. Hanbin still has a couple more years to go in the university, but Jinhwan knows the younger has a lot riding on this, as a rare opportunity to get recognised for his talents and picked up by established companies to fulfill his dream of writing lyrics and making music. 

Hanbin's apartment is nearer to his university, so he usually heads back to his own place to sleep. On the night before the showcase, though, Jinhwan is just getting ready for bed when he receives a message from Hanbin.

i'm outside your door, hyung

Jinhwan immediately drops his phone onto his bed and hurries out to the front door, yanking it open only to be greeted by the sight of Hanbin bundled up in his thick winter jacket with his beanie jammed over his head, scarf wrapped around his neck and nose and ears tinged red by the cold outside. Hanbin's smile is small and tired when he tugs his scarf down with his fingers.

"Hyung," Hanbin greets quietly.

Jinhwan immediately pulls Hanbin into the apartment, locking the door behind him and flicking on the living room light so that Hanbin can toe off his shoes - Jinhwan feels warm when he notices it's the red converses he had gifted Hanbin for Christmas - and hang up his coat.

"What are you - " Jinhwan tries to ask, but then Hanbin is curling his fingers around his hip and pressing his lips against his. Hanbin's lips are dry and chapped, but Jinhwan hasn't seen him or touched him in days, so that doesn't deter him in the slightest as he rises up slightly on his tiptoes to kiss Hanbin back.

"Just," Hanbin starts, resting his forehead against Jinhwan's and exhaling, feeling his heartbeat falter when Jinhwan's lashes flutter against his. "Tired. Missed you."

Jinhwan feels that familiar rush of warmth in his chest and presses a kiss to the corner of Hanbin's mouth before stepping back.

"Go take a shower. I'll make you something to eat," Jinhwan says, padding into the kitchen. 

Hanbin disappears down the hall as Jinhwan pulls open the fridge door to retrieve the Tupperware of leftover kimbap he had packed for Yunhyeong's lunch that day. He transfers the kimbap onto a plate and places it on the kitchen island before moving to make Hanbin a mug of hot honey lemon tea. Jinhwan is in the middle of drying the Tupperware when he hears Hanbin entering the kitchen, but he starts in shock once he turns to face the younger.

"Your hair," Jinhwan says, staring at the messy damp strands on Hanbin's head. "It's red." 

Since Jinhwan had first met Hanbin, his hair had always been black. Sometimes it appeared to be the darkest of brown under the sun, but now it's a dark, maroon red, and Jinhwan is sure that once it's dry and Hanbin is standing under the bright spotlight during his showcase tomorrow, the red will be almost fiery. 

Hanbin's lips twitch a little in the hints of a smile at Jinhwan's reaction. "It is red," he repeats. "I got it done yesterday; went to the salon with some of my friends," Hanbin clears his throat, curling the fingers of both of his hands all the way around his mug of tea. "Do you - ah - how is it?" 

And it's this endearing quality of Hanbin's that reminds Jinhwan once again that Hanbin is really just like a child, nervous and uncertain and seeking approval even over the smallest of things. So Jinhwan slides into the high chair opposite Hanbin's and cards his fingers through the younger's damp hair, pushing his bangs out of his eyes before leaning in to press a quick kiss against his lips. 

"It looks good on you, Hanbin-ah. I like it," Jinhwan says, and it's true: the red suits Hanbin well, a fierce, commanding colour that matches Hanbin's fiery, youthful ambition. Then Jinhwan winks as he leans back in his chair. "You look hot. y." 

The red that spreads across Hanbin's cheeks could almost rival the new colour of his hair, and Jinhwan laughs as Hanbin chokes on his tea. Jinhwan stretches out his legs a little to tangle his ankles with Hanbin's under the kitchen island and gets rewarded with the younger's eyes crinkling a little at the edges and the corners of his pulling up into a small, shy smile as he takes a bite of the kimbap. They talk about Yunhyeong, the showcase, the cafe, Jinhwan's final months of university, voices soft and laughter hushed so as to not disturb the quiet stillness of the night or accidentally rouse Yunhyeong from sleep. 

"What time are you leaving later?" Jinhwan asks Hanbin after the latter has finished eating and they've retired to Jinhwan's room. Jinhwan's sitting on his side of the bed, blanket pooled in his lap, as Hanbin sets his alarm on his phone.

"Don't even bother," Hanbin replies, dropping his phone onto the table. "It's a time way too early for you to be awake." 

Jinhwan rolls onto his side and pushes himself up on one arm such that he's hovering a little above Hanbin, reaching up a hand to card through Hanbin's now-dry hair. The moonlight filters in through the window and hits Hanbin just right, reflecting his new red hair and making him look almost ethereal with how it contrasts against his pale skin. Jinhwan twists a lock of the younger's hair around his finger and that pulls a grin from Hanbin, who trails a hand up Jinhwan's side before pushing the older's bangs out of his eyes. 

"I hope you don't like my hair more than you like me, now," Hanbin says jokingly.

As expected, Jinhwan rolls his eyes and drops his hand, but Hanbin slides his hand to the back of Jinhwan's neck and pulls him down for a kiss before the elder can move away. 

"Yunhyeong misses you," Jinhwan murmurs when they part, dropping his head gently onto Hanbin's outstretched arm and letting his fingers dance idly on Hanbin's chest. 

Hanbin's lips curl into a soft, affectionate smile at the mention of Yunhyeong before he lets out a quiet sigh. "I miss him, too. I'm sorry I didn't manage to get another ticket for him."

"I already told you it's fine," Jinhwan responds, resting his palm flat on Hanbin's chest and curling his body a little more into the younger's. It's times like these that Hanbin is reminded of how small Jinhwan is, so much so that he can fit himself so naturally against Hanbin's side, or at times when their fingers tangle together and Hanbin brings their joined hands up to see just how tiny Jinhwan's palm is compared to his. "The showcase ends too near his bedtime, anyway, and Jiwon and Donghyuk want to see him too." 

Hanbin tips his head down a little to press his lips against Jinhwan's hair, inhaling the familiar scent of the elder's shampoo that has begun to remind Hanbin more and more of home these days as compared to his own lonely apartment. Jinhwan's eyes are already closed, breath coming out in quiet puffs of air against Hanbin's white shirt, and Hanbin is lightly trailing his finger down Jinhwan's cheek when he feels the elder shiver against his side.

"Are you cold?" Hanbin whispers, immediately reaching down to pull the blanket higher up around Jinhwan before curling his other arm tighter around Jinhwan's back. 

"No, it's just - " Jinhwan lets out a quiet little laugh, eyelids fluttering open to meet - as he expected - Hanbin's concerned gaze. Jinhwan frees his right arm from beneath the blanket so that he can rest his small palm against Hanbin's left cheek, suddenly overwhelmed by the depth of affection he feels for the younger boy, who treats him like something infinitely precious and makes Jinhwan feel loved and cared for in a way he never imagined he'd be. "You're the best thing that's happened to me in a long time, Hanbin-ah, and I - " Jinhwan brushes his thumb across Hanbin's cheekbone lightly, watching the younger's pupils dilate and realising with a stunning clarity how sure he is of his feelings. "I love you."

Hanbin had always thought declarations of love were meant to be grand and outlandish: a fancy dinner at an expensive restaurant, buying a big bouquet of roses, or going down on one knee with a diamond ring in one hand. He had thought it was love when his ten year-old self received a kiss on the cheek from the pretty girl in class who always had her hair in two braids, and when he was 17 and he let his first serious boyfriend kiss him and touch him in ways he'd never been before, in that empty classroom in school after the sun had long gone down.

But it's lying here now in Jinhwan's small bed with the moonlight filtering in through the window and the elder's fingers resting feather-light on his face that Hanbin realises how wrong he's been about love. Never has he felt like how he does in this moment, like his heart is about to burst out of his chest and he could never love another person as much as he loves Jinhwan. Hanbin reaches up to tangle the fingers of his free hand into Jinhwan's dark hair so that he can bring the elder's head down to press his lips against his, and even though Hanbin is pretty sure he's shaking a little, Jinhwan doesn't mention it, just curls his fingers around Hanbin's cheek and tilts his head to deepen the kiss. Their chests are heaving slightly when they part and Jinhwan's lips are a little kiss-swollen, so Hanbin drags his thumb across Jinhwan's bottom lip and whispers back, "I love you too, hyung. More than you could ever know."

And when Hanbin gets rewarded with Jinhwan's eyes crinkling at the edges and his wide, unadulterated smile that can brighten up a whole room, Hanbin feels his heartbeat finally relax into a more comfortable, serene tempo.

-

The following evening sees Jinhwan clutching the stem of a single rose between his fingertips as he treks up the hill to the Performing Arts Centre of Hanbin's university, carefully weaving his way around the other individuals, couples and groups of friends mingling outside the entrance. Classes were off since they were in the last few days of the year, so Jinhwan had begun his day by dropping Yunhyeong off at kindergarten before heading to the cafe for work, where he shared a fun and familiar shift with Junhoe before bringing Yunhyeong to Jiwon and Donghyuk's apartment and then finally setting off for Hanbin's university, not forgetting to purchase the rose at a small stall beside the train station.

Jinhwan lets out a huff of cold air as he pulls his phone from the back pocket of his black jeans to check the time. It's about ten minutes to the start of the showcase, and Jinhwan shivers a little as he tucks his phone back into his pocket before pulling out his ticket and tugging his winter coat tighter around himself, getting in line to enter the venue. The Performing Arts Centre has two floors, boasting comfortable-looking, red-cushioned seats, a high ceiling and a large, wooden-floored stage right in the front. When Jinhwan reaches the row as indicated on his ticket, he slides into his aisle seat and tries to ignore the way the three males sitting next to him stop their conversation abruptly to look over at him. Before he can so much as slide his thumb across his phone screen, though, the male next to him clears his throat quietly and taps him lightly on the shoulder. 

"Hi," he greets, voice friendly and lips curved upwards in a warm, amicable smile. The first thing Jinhwan notices about him are his eyes, large and almost doe-like, and the second thing that hits Jinhwan is that this guy is very attractive, perhaps even more pretty than he is handsome. "Are you - um - Jinhwan?" 

"Yeah," Jinhwan replies, voice a little uncertain even as he tries for a small smile. The boy must notice his hesitancy, though, because his smile grows and he lets out a tinkling laugh. 

"I'm Jinwoo," the boy says, outstretching a hand. "Hanbin's friend and senior. I graduated a few years ago. Oh," Jinwoo leans back a little in his seat after Jinhwan shakes his hand and gestures to the other two boys next to him. "This is Seunghoon, and that's Mino. They're Hanbin's friends and seniors, too." 

Seunghoon offers him a friendly smile whereas Mino flashes him a boyish grin. "I feel like I know you even though I've only just met you," Seunghoon says, laughing.

"Hanbin really does not stop talking about you," Mino adds, grin widening when he sees Jinhwan duck his head a little, embarrassed. 

Jinwoo rolls his eyes at them but his smile is kind when turns to face Jinhwan again. "It's true. It really is nice to finally meet you, though," Jinwoo leans a little closer to whisper to Jinhwan. "I think Hanbin didn't introduce you to us sooner because he was afraid Seunghoon and Mino would scare you off. They're kind of weird. Dumb."

Jinhwan's lips quirk upwards at that, and at the playful sparkle in Jinwoo's eyes. Jinhwan can tell that Jinwoo, Seunghoon and Mino are close, and that they're close to Hanbin as well. He's happy that he's finally able to meet some of Hanbin's friends from university, though, and he makes sure to convey the sentiment to Jinwoo, who smiles warmly in return. Conversation is cut short by the lights dimming, though, and Jinhwan can't help but to glance over to his right and smile a little when Seunghoon and Mino let out excited whoops and when Jinwoo laughs in response to their loud cheering. 

Jinhwan may have only just met these people and they may be Hanbin's friends, but somehow he feels more comfortable and at ease with them than he does with his own coursemates in university, so he twirls the rose carefully between his fingertips as he's reminded once again of how much better his life is now that Hanbin is in it.

-

A/N: Hello everyone (=^_^=) I'm so sorry it's been so long since the last update but I've finally graduated and am done with college!! (⌒∇⌒) the past few months were hectic and awful and there was really no time to come online to write, but I'm really grateful for all your patience and for the continued interest in this fic: honestly I'm just really happy that people are still reading this and waiting for updates and I promise I've read every single comment and am just very thankful (☆▽☆) as a pseudo-apology/gift, I've created a new story titled iKON ficlets where you all can leave fic prompts in the comments, and I'll do my best to fulfill as many requests as possible (o^-^o) please do leave as many prompts as you want - I'm always keen on writing new things!! Hope yall continue to enjoy this story too, and that you're enjoying iKON's ongoing debut as much as I am (✿ ♥‿♥) happy early holidays, too!!