I'm going to be uploading one chapter a day from now on. There are nine chapters in total but I haven't edited any of them yet. Ta. 

Chapter 3 – The First to Know

Leo groans as a body presses up against his own. He knows it’s N because right now everybody else is pissed at him. It was his own fault, really, for yelling at them the way he did after they’d gotten too clingy. He’d made it so they’d have to reshoot a whole episode of Diary, since that one was way too awkward to use now.

“Wake up,” the member says. To Leo’s complete and utter surprise, it isn’t N. It’s Ravi.

He sits up, pushing Ravi away as he does. Ravi springs to his feet and pats his hyung’s hair, making sure it falls the right way.

“You’re so cute, hyung,” he says.

Leo glares up at the younger man before climbing to his feet and storming towards the bathroom. Behind him Ravi laughs and heads to the lounge room. He knows he’s pushing his luck already, especially if he’s right about what’s bothering Leo. He’s actually pretty certain at this point.

“Where’s N?” Leo asks after washing his face.

“He’s at a schedule,” Ravi supplies, watching Leo boil the kettle.

“And the others?”

“Schedules. It’s just you and me today, hyung.”

Leo’s relieved he doesn’t have a schedule today. His musical finished last week, but Ken still has two more shows. Hyuk, Hongbin and N are filming today. It would be quiet with just Ravi, and he really needed some quiet.

“What should we do?” Ravi asks as Leo sits on the couch with his coffee.

“Work.”

“Come on, hyung,” Ravi whines. “Let’s do something fun today!”

Leo throws his dongsaeng a look. He knows how serious Ravi is about his work. It was rare for him to blow off work for fun. But he feels he owes his dongsaeng an apology and isn’t sure how to begin, so he indulges him instead.

“What do you want to do?” Leo asks.

“Let’s go play baseball.”

Leo agrees easily enough at the mention of playing sport. They both get dressed and start for the batting cages they used to visit now and then.

Leo insists on paying, which both vexes Ravi, and delights him. They take turns batting for almost two hours, trying to do better than the other. Eventually they get bored of it though.

“Let’s get lunch,” Leo suggests after his turn.

“Sounds good,” Ravi agrees, actually starving.

They put the equipment away and start for the door.

“Hyung, that guy is staring at you,” Ravi points out, nodding towards a man who was probably in his late teens. Ravi had noticed the man maybe an hour earlier when he’d been outright staring at Leo batting.

Ravi is right, the man is once again staring intently at Leo. He looks a little dazed. Leo looks over and their eyes meet for a second before Leo’s cheeks flame. He drops his head and Ravi is a little surprised by such a strong reaction. He had known what he was pointing out, he’d done it to tease Leo after all. But really his hyung was being obvious about something he wanted secret.

“Lunch,” Ravi announces, trying to change the mood back. “Where should we have it?”

“Anything will do,” Leo answers, leading the way outside.

“I want Italian.”

It’s a bleak day, threatening to rain at any second. Luckily for them this meant that not many people were hanging around. Not that this area was particularly busy, but they’d prefer not to get recognised.

They enter a small Italian restaurant just as it starts to rain. It’s pretty empty inside, which is nice and quiet. They take their seats to choose what they want.

When they have decided they make their way to the counter since this restaurant doesn’t offer table service.

“What can I get you two?” the lady behind the counter asks. She’s middle aged and doesn’t give them a second glance.

“I’ll have the fettuccini carbonara,” Leo says.

“Small or medium?”

“Medium,” he answers instantly. “What are you having, Ravi?”

“Is this a date?” Ravi asks offhandedly.

Leo blinks once at Ravi before his cheeks turn bright pink. The lady at the counter’s cheeks do the same.

Ravi regrets his words instantly. Or the way he said it, anyway. It didn’t come out the right way. He’d meant it as a way to get Leo to stop paying. “Spaghetti bolognaise, medium.”

Leo pays for their meals in silence and they go back to their table with their cutlery. Leo is staring at the salt shaker, cheeks still red.

“H-hyung,” Ravi mutters. “I didn’t… I meant… Because you’re paying for everything today. N-not because, not because you’re –”

Leo’s utterly terrified expression cuts him off. Ravi reaches out and taps the back of his hyung’s hand.

“Sorry. I would never say something like that and mean –”

“It’s okay,” Leo says, cutting him off again. “I thought you might know… from last time.”

It takes Ravi a second to realise that Leo is talking about the time in the bathroom, not about just earlier when Ravi had .

“Aha, yeah,” Ravi laughs nervously. “I figured it out and wanted you to know it was okay but I didn’t want to just say it because you didn’t want to talk about it and I didn’t –”

“Are you trying to do freestyle right now?” Leo reaches out and pats his dongsaeng on the head. “Breath when you talk.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Ravi can see that Leo is both scared and relieved, there’s a small smile on his lips and his shoulders look more relaxed. Has has a feeling he’s the first person to know that Leo is gay, or he was the first person to take it well. Either way, it made Ravi feel a little sad.

When their number is called out, Ravi jumps up to grab their meals, refusing to let Leo help. “You paid for it, you can just sit and enjoy it,” he says as he comes back.

“Thanks,” Leo says, twirling some pasta on his fork.

“Hyung,” Ravi hesitates. “Can I ask why you’re paying for everything?”

Leo’s eyes don’t lift from his food but at least his face stays the colour it should be. “I wanted to apologise.”

“For?”

“The other day, when I yelled at you and ruined the Diary episode.”

Leo looks abashed as he admits it.

“You’re really cute, Hyung.”

“Stop that,” Leo scolds, his cheeks once again beginning to glow.

Ravi laughs, covering his mouth. When he stops laughing, he finally begins eating.

“Everyone already forgave you anyway,” he says. “And N-hyung told us off for bothering you.”

“I’m still sorry,” Leo mutters.”

“It’s really okay,” Ravi insists. “I think if you told them they’d –”

“No.”

Ravi isn’t surprised by the answer, and he doesn’t plan to really push his point. But he does say what he thinks would be best. “You should tell N-hyung.”

Leo doesn’t reply and continues eating his pasta in silence. Ravi doesn’t mind and let’s Leo have his thoughts.

They’re walking home when Ravi finally speaks again. “Sorry for teasing you at the batting cages, with that guy.”

For the millionth time today Leo’s cheeks flare up.

“So cute,” Ravi grins, receiving a pinch in return. “He was cute, wasn’t he? Pretty young though.”

“Ya, Ravi,” Leo warns.

“Sorry,” Ravi apologises once again. “You were pretty obvious about it though.”

Once again the answer is a pinch. Ravi opens his mouth to apologise for teasing again, but Leo ruffles his hair to let him know that it’s okay.

“Is it okay to talk to you about it?” Ravi asks when they’re almost home.

“Only if it’s just us,” Leo answers.