Thanks for reading, guys! This is such a weak attempt at HyukBin. Sorry in advance. Have faith in me? The other two chapters will be better.

“Hyung, listen, when I’m on a roll I’m on a roll and—“ Wonshik is now up and following Hakyeon around the kitchen while he digs out the coffee pot and fills the pot to the ’12 cup’ line. He only pauses for the small biscotti being shoved in his mouth by the second oldest.

“Taekwoon hyung,” crunch, crunch, “tell him about my roll,” he turns to follow the other boy now pulling another plate from the cabinet with a bag of biscotti’s in his other hand. “Tell Hakyeonnie I can’t possibly give up my roll.”

Taekwoon is already back at the table. Hakyeon was fed his biscotti Taekwoon offered like Wonshik, and now the other three boys look like expectant little birdies. He feeds Jaehwan his biscotti first, noticing his fellow main vocal’s focus has been tied to the ground all night. Their eyes meet briefly as Jaehwan mumbles a ‘thank you’ while crunching his cookie.

Throwing the other two their biscotti cookies, both try catching the air born cookies with their mouths, but end up needing their hands for the rebound. Both boys are giggling now, feeding off of the playful attitude their hyung has demonstrated for the night. “Yah,” Sanghyuk grabs the plate before Taekwoon can pour the rest of the biscotti cookies on it, “don’t dirty up another plate. Bad enough Hakyeon hyung is dirtying more cups.

Wonshik finally swallows his cookie, “yeah, are you trying to make us clean all night?”

Taekwoon returns to his silent demeanor and stares at the two boys putting up a fight for his plate of cookies. He thinks about threatening the youngest into setting the plate down, but doesn’t want to bring down the mood he’s already worked so hard to pump up. Thankfully the other members have taken his cue well.

Hongbin swipes the plate from under Sanghyuk’s arm. “Dishes take no time at all,” he sets the plate in the center of the table and motions for Taekwoon to plate the cookies he’s been holding the whole conversation. “Wonshik-ah, go tend to your roll,” snickers can be heard from Sanghyuk and Hakyeon who is now setting cups of coffee in front of the members, “I can help Sanhyuk with the dishes.”

“Really, Binnie? Thanks! That really helps.”

“Didn’t I say not to worry about work?” Taekwoon sighs, feeling the remaining two members refusing to relax might not ever enjoy their night off. He knew the two youngest would be the first to lighten up. He knew their leader has been asking for genuine laughter from the moment they walked in their dorm.

“Teakwoon, it’s not his work, it’s his roll.” The leader’s sass, perfect timing.

Hongbin and Sanhyuk almost give the other members a shower of chewed up cookie.

The members all enjoy their coffee with a slightly better mood than dinner. Taekwoon finds he no longer has to worry about the turn of the conversation thanks to the confidence the leader has been given. He leads the jokes and jabs with the two youngest members, even throwing in a few heartfelt comments towards Taekwoon. To which he ignores, but secretly is thankful for.

~

Hongbin stands and clears the table butler style, causing a few laughs from his co-dishwasher. For Hongbin, it’s hard to keep a somber attitude when he has the freedom to do what he wants. Well, after dish duty, he can do what he wants. It’s really no big deal to take dish duty off of the rapper’s hands; Hongbin has revenge to plan anyway.

The other four boys are still seated at the table, the oldest holding onto his coffee cup with both hands, throwing sideways glances at Jaehwan. Wonshik, although worried about losing his roll, still stays seated at the table, trying to explain to Taekwoon why his roll is so important to him. Taekwoon, trying to avoid the situation, keeps shoving cookies in the rapper’s mouth. Unfortunately, the explaining doesn’t stop.

Jaehwan keeps his head down, every now and then bringing his cup of coffee close to his face, then sets it back down to the table, not taking a drink. Both Taekwoon and Hakyeon watch as the self-proclaimed cute main vocal takes his cup from the table, mere millimeters from touching his lips, then sets it back down. Each time. Away from the table, close to the lips, away from the lips, back on the table. Taekwoon is seated too far away to see, but Hakyeon can see Jaehwan’s flashcards laying flat on his lap. No wonder Jaehwan’s head has been cast down the entire time.

Hongbin tops off the coffee cups that need topping and pulls their dish bin from underneath the sink. He fills the large bin full of soapy hot water and begins carefully dropping the dirty dishes from dinner in the bin. He’s always used a large bin to soak the dirty dishes from his meals. A technique he learned from staying with his grandfather at the temple. Saves energy and water.

The small plates and utensils go in first, then bowls from the stew. Sanghyuk joins him at their sink, rolling up his sleeves. The two watch as the bubbles bubble over the sides of the bin and they both share an excited look. No matter the age, Hongbin thinks the magic of bubbles trumps all. He grabs a handful and tries to send the mass floating towards Sanghyuk. The younger laughs as he watches the bubbles fall flat between the two. The two try to juggle bubbles while the dishes soak.

Hongbin washes while Sanghyuk dries. The act of dish duty goes by quicker than Hongbin anticipates. He gradually feels Sanghyuk take the dishes from his hands a little more urgently, seeing quicker movements of drying out of the corner of his eyes.

Sanghyuk tries to not show his jitters. He thinks having Wonshik as his co-dishwasher would have been the better bet when he realizes how meticulous Hongbin is at washing the dishes. The first dish clean, a dish used for rice, takes minutes of slow scrubbing until Hongbin deems the dish worthy to be rinsed and dried.

The taller boy attempts cute impatient faces at the other boy too concentrated on the dish that Sanghyuk thinks is already clean. He smiles when he realized Hongbin’s tongue is poking out from the side of his mouth.

Rice is sticky. Not the kind of sticky that sticks to dishes unless left on the dish for days. Taekwoon’s rice, especially, stays moist, yet firm. Sanghyuk thinks he could hand pick each grain of left over rice from all the dishes and he would finish before Hongbin. Rice is not dirty, it’s boiled or steamed and always piping hot when served. There is no way bacteria can live through all that abuse. Sanghyuk silently commends rice. What tough little grains.

Any slight motion Hongbin takes towards his right Sanghyuk takes it as the dish in hand is clean. He snatches at any dish Hongbin puts in his two-foot radius. Which is every dish considering how close the boys are standing at the sink.

Hongbin picks up on the maknae’s urgency midway through the dishes. At this point the dishes have soaked, so any crusted remnants of food have turned to soft flecks of mush in the water. Hongbin reasons that there are still suds in the water, so the water is still clean. While Sanghyuk is distracted by another cookie Taekwoon is waving in front of him, Hongbin quickly rushes through the first three bowls and is almost finished with his fourth when Sanghyuk picks his drying towel back up. The two bump hands, Hongbin stacking the fourth bowl on top of the bowl Sanghyuk goes to dry. There’s a spark between the two and the game is on.

Only the clinking of dishes can be heard. The older of the two’s hands, soggy and slippery by now, are only an asset while digging in the soapy bin now with mushy food littering the bottom. The last dish from the water is set down and Hongbin takes this as a win. The younger boy is still working on the third to last dish and he can see the clenching of Sanghyuk’s jaw. He laughs and ruffles Sanghyuk’s hair while the other shrinks away from his touch.

“You’re hands are wet, Bin, my hair.” Sanghyuk whines as he finally finishes the last dish to dry.

“Don’t be a sore loser.” Hongbin reaches for Sanghyuk’s hair again.

Hongbin’s plan for revenge is in place. He bends down to “tie his shoe” but is secretly fishing out half a cookie Taekwoon offered him earlier he hid in his front pocket. If he wants food so much he’ll enjoy a hard cookie to the face. That’ll get him!

Just as he places his hands on his shoes for good show a tidal wave of soap and mushy food race down his shirt. The worst part, since his head is down Hongbin’s now open mouth catches some unfortunate pieces of kimchi and rice. He stands and now there is nowhere on his body that’s dry.

“Hyuk-ah!” Sanghyuk’s face is a mixture of emotion. His eyes are giving away his happiness and satisfaction of getting the last laugh, but his lips are drawn thin, revealing the grave realization that Hongbin is within reaching distance.

Hongbin’s shoulders are hunched, trying to stop any water still running down to his now squishy shoes.

“Hyung, I-I—“

“You little—“

“Bin-ah.” The two turn toward Taekwoon now peeking his head out of the bedroom. “Watch your mouth.”

Hongbin clamps his mouth shut.

The two meet eyes again and burst into laughter. “It’s okay, Hyukkie.” Hongbin pulls the younger boy into a big hug sharing the soapy water.

Sanghyuk catches a glimpse of the cookie stashed in Hongbin’s front pocket. “Come on,” he smiles as puts an arm around Hongbin. “I’ll help you clean up.” He gives Hongbin’s pocket a stiff pat and the older hangs his head in defeat.

Hongbin’s dimples never leave his face for the rest of the night. Sanghyuk never leaves his side, either.