Work Text:
Changbin was sitting on the couch of the waiting room. He was taking his time watching each member while they waited to be called for the interview. They were nearing the end of their comeback schedule. It was usually around this time that they started getting really exhausted, running from interviews to TV shows, while managing to find only a few hours of sleep here and there. It was why Changbin was searching for any sign of tiredness or sour mood in his friend’s behaviour. He was happy to help Minho and Chan take care of the younger members. Thankfully, today everyone seemed to be fine. Hyunjin was sketching something on the notebook he took everywhere, sitting next to Chan who was busy producing. Minho was on his phone, probably talking on Bubble if the way he was giggling was any indication. Seungmin and Jeongin were chatting together while getting their makeup done and Felix was dozzing off while getting his hair done. It suddenly struck Changbin that it was too calm, no random singing, no screams, which could only mean one thing. Changbin stood up, looking for their loudest member. He found Han lying on one of the couches next to Minho, sleeping soundly. He couldn’t see him from where he had been sitting. He got his phone out and took a picture of Han’s pout while sleeping. It was pretty cute. He then directed his phone at Minho who raised his head from his phone, an eyebrow raised.
“I thought it was too calm. I wondered where he was,” Changbin answered Minho's silent question.
“I see.” Minho didn't add more but the way he smirked knowingly was bothering Changbin.
“What ?”
“No, you just smiled really fondly right now,” Minho pointed, before going back to his phone, ending the conversation. Changbin looked at him, not understanding what he was trying to say. It was common for him to take pictures of his members.
Han wriggled on the couch, his eyes fluttering open, getting his attention.
“Hyung ?” he asked, still half asleep, his eyes going back and forth between Changbin and Minho.
“You can still sleep a little more,” Minho told him, stroking his head softly. Changbin was always amazed at how sweet and fond Minho was sometimes. Jisung was one of the lucky people who was the target of such treatment. They had this way of communicating through their eyes or subtle little movements, which made Changbin a little jealous. He wished he could find a bond like this with someone.
One time he had dared to ask them about their relationship, Minho and Jisung had insisted that their bond was purely platonic. Changbin had troubles believing them, when he saw moments like right now, when Jisung snuggled up closer to Minho. The latter had a pure look of adoration on his face, Changbin couldn’t be the only one noticing that. They seemed lost in their own bubble again and Changbin rolled his eyes.
He got distracted by Jisung’s laugh after Minho had whispered something in his ear. They looked at Changbin before looking at each other and broke into a laugh again. Changbin felt a pang of annoyment, but it was probably annoyment from being excluded from their little jokes. Nothing more.
__
After their day of work, while the members decided to get dinner together, Jisung had whispered an excuse and sprinted home. He had been too fast to even notice the worried looks the member gave him. He locked himself in his bedroom, jumping on his bed, screaming his embarrassment away in his pillow. Today, it should have been just another interview. The same questions and the same teasing between the members. At the beginning he had been in high spirits, energic from his little nap. The journalist was nice, and responded well to his jokes. They could see she had done good research on their work and she asked interesting questions. Everything was going smoothly, until one question that turned his world upside down. The journalist probably couldn't expect the chaos her question was about to create. He was maybe being a bit dramatic but it truly felt like it.
"Changbin and Han, each of you have written quite a few love songs. I wondered, however, why have you never written a love song together?"
Jisung couldn't remember what happened after. Who answered, if one of the members brushed off the question with a joke or if Changbin somehow produced an answer. All he could remember was how he panicked internally, how his heart rate rose and how his breath hitched.
He thought no one would notice. Even Chan and Changbin had not questioned yet how Jisung always managed to escape writing love songs with them when Changbin came up with an idea. They were probably thinking it was Jisung’s inexperience that made him avoid writing this kind of song with them. That he prefered working on love songs alone because he was too shy. The truth was far different and he could absolutely not explain it to anyone.
He must have been spiralling because he suddenly felt Minho’s hand on his shaking leg. He stopped, focusing back on the interview. He had tried his best, pretending everything was fine. He did a good job because no other member noticed anything.
It went almost smoothly, until after the interview ended, Changbin came to him. Throwing a hand over his shoulders, to bring him closer. You could think Jisung had gotten used to it by now, with every member in the group being quite keen on the physical touches. However, everything was different when it came to Changbin, just this simple touch was enough to make Jisung feel like his heart was about to burst. He had just become an expert at hiding it. Changbin's eyes were searching for something on Jisung’s face.
“Jisung, when are we writing a love song together ?”
This was precisely what Jisung had wanted to avoid.
“Yeah, no, this is not happening,” he answered too quickly. He must have sounded a little too cold because a flash of hurt passed through Changbin’s eyes, but he quickly hid it with a smile.
“Why is that ?”
"It's because our way of writing love songs is different," Jisung said, trying to brush it off.
However Changbin looked like he wasn’t ready to let the subject go, because he insisted.
"How so ?"
"You write from experience and I find inspiration from movies or anime. I can't match your energy on love songs," Jisung improvised. He hoped this explanation was enough because Changbin could be quite stubborn and Jisung was about to run out of arguments soon.
"Please, let's try. Don't you want to try ? I'm sure Stays would love a song we wrote together."
It was not fair play of Changbin to bring Stays into the equation. It was harder for Jisung to brush it off easily now.
“I told you I don’t think it will work,”
“We will work your way, I will adapt.”
“Ok fine, we will try sometimes,” Jisung answered. Changbin would forget all about this conversation in between and Jisung would be safe from writing a love song with his one-sided crush.
Because it was what it was. He had never expected it. At first, when they were still trainees, he thought it was just him looking up at Changbin. But now, years later he was harbouring feelings for his friend, so strong that you couldn’t quite call it only a crush anymore. Sometimes he felt like his feelings were going to overflow from him and spill everywhere, tainting his friendship with Changbin. That’s why he poured them in his love songs, so they wouldn’t end up being too obvious.
Jisung couldn’t pinpoint an exact moment when he fell in love. When they debuted, everything went so fast and they had so many things to work on that he didn’t have much time to think about his feelings. At some point he had realised Changbin was hot and that he made him feel some kind of way, but he had tossed and locked the thought deep in some part of his brain.
Later, Changbin had started dating some idol from the company, it was quick and not that deep but Jisung had felt like he was dying. He had been at his lowest point and he almost strained his friendship with him, boiling with dark feelings. He had put his jealousy on the fact that Changbin had managed to find someone while Jisung had not even had his first kiss yet. He still had a lot to learn at that time. Time passed, and Jisung came to the big realisation that he liked boys.
While Jisung was figuring out his sexuality, Changbin and his girlfriend had broken up. It was only after Changbin brang up a new flirt and jealousy slapped him again, that he had to come to the term that he had probably mistaken the origin of his jealousy. After that, he became aware of his feelings little by little and they only grew with time. He surprisingly did a good job at hiding them. It was still hard because they spent so much time together. He guessed he was lucky that Changbin treated him like a bro rather than seeking hugs and babying him as he often did with the younger ones. Even if sometimes he couldn’t help but feel some envy seeing Changbin marvel at Hyunjin’s beauty or cooing at Jeongin’s cuteness. It was probably better for his heart anyway, it wouldn’t be able to handle a flirty Changbin.
He sighed, trying to distract himself by looking at his phone. There were a few messages in the group chat, wondering if he was doing fine. He quickly answered saying he felt better now that he was lying down. He felt bad when he noticed the numerous messages from Minho, he must have zoned out more than he thought.
Soulmate
8:20 pm - Are you really sick ?
9:20 pm - Did you get home safely ?
9:21 pm - Hannie ~~
9:22 pm - Answer me ~~
9:32 pm - Do I need to come knocking on your door ?
9:52 pm - I hope you are resting well
10:22 pm - Is it the song thing ?
10:25 pm - We can talk about it if you want
10:27 pm - I can tell him to stop if you need
10:32 pm - Just let me know Jisungie
No one had noticed his feelings in the group, except for one. Of course, Minho being his soulmate and everything had somehow guessed Jisung had a crush on Changbin. One day when he had felt particularly down, Minho had dragged him on a walk and had made him spill everything.
At first Jisung had been really scared of his reaction, but Minho had been nothing but supportive. It hadn’t changed anything in their friendship, if only maybe bringing them closer. Because with this new piece of information Minho now had all the keys to understand Jisung’s mood and comfort him when needed.
The only downside was that it had raised Minho's protective behaviour toward him, as if he felt now that he was somewhat in charge of Jisung. While Jisung loved the attention, Minho sometimes worried too much about him, he wished it wasn’t putting such a toll on the older. He quickly typed some reassuring messages.
Me
10:50 pm - Sorry I fell asleep
10:50 pm - Don’t worry tho
10:50 pm - I’m fine :)
Soulmate
10:50 pm - Of course you were asleep
10:51 pm - We are on our way back to the dorms. The guys should be here soon.
Me
10:51 pm - I’m going back to sleep
10:51 pm - See you tomorrow
Soulmate
10:52 pm - Sleep well Jisungie
Han did exactly that, closing his eyes and falling asleep almost immediately.
__
Jisung had made a big mistake. A very bad miscalculation on his part, because how exactly did he believe that Changbin would easily forget his idea of writing a song together.
It had been a week since the interview and not a single day had passed without Changbin asking him to write a song with him. He was so insistent that Chan had voted himself out of the project. “It’s your mess,” he had said to Jisung when they were alone, “Fix it”. Jisung could still see him laugh at him as he left the studio.
Jisung had managed to escape from Changbin only because he had planned a movie night with Minho. They were in Jisung's bedroom but Changbin never bothered them when they were together. Unlike he did the previous four nights, where he invited himself in Jisung's bedroom, lying on his bed while Jisung was working on his messy floor. Jisung had to give it to Changbin, he was pretty obstinate. It came handy most of the time but not when it was directed against him.
He was laying on the bed next to Minho, trying to focus on the film. But it was difficult because now Changbin was even harassing him through texts.
Gym buddy
01:20 am - Just one song, Jisung ! It will be fun !
Me
01:21 am - I told you, I don't think it will work.
01:21 am - I don't even have inspiration for this right now :(
Gym buddy
01:21 am - Come on, I'm sure you have a ton of ideas. Just look around you, I think it's easy to find inspiration
Jisung raised an eyebrow, not really understanding what Changbin wanted to say. He jumped when he felt Minho's head over his shoulder, but quickly relaxed, turning his phone toward Minho.
"What is he trying to say ?"
"I don't know how you dumbasses are thinking. Just ask him," Minho teased him.
"Do I need to remind you that you are also part of Baboracha ?" Jisung asked, sinking his elbow into Minho's abdomen, teasing him back.
Me
01:23 am - Wdym ?
Gym buddy
01:24 am - I was just thinking.. You surely have a crush or smtg
Me
01:24 am - When exactly would have I managed to find someone to have a crush on ?
Gym buddy
01:25 am - So you really don't have a crush ?
01:26 am - Even in our team ?
Jisung simply dropped his phone, Minho catching it before it hit the floor.
"What ? He - Minho, I can't do that anymore," Han whined, hiding his face in his hands.
"I didn't think someone could be more oblivious than you but Changbin is really making me doubt."
Minho paused the film, patting Han’s back trying to comfort him.
"Do you think he noticed ? I don't want him to know Minho !"
Minho was quick to stop Han from spiralling with his anxiety.
"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure he isn't even considering the possibility of it being him," he said. Jisung did not notice the dry laugh that accompanied his words.
He looked again at Han's phone, before giving it back to him.
"You should be honest with him. Tell him you have a crush on someone or something. He will be too embarrassed to tease you."
Jisung looked at Minho's confident smirk, wondering if it was really the best solution. He decided to put his trust in Minho for once.
"Just let me tell you that if it doesn't stop him, you're in this mess with me," he still added, while typing.
Me
01:35 am - I have a little crush on someone but
01:35 am - It's one sided
Gym Buddy
01:36 am - YOU DO ?
01:36 am - who is it ?
01:36 am - Wait
01:36 am - Is it Minho ?
Jisung dropped his phone in Minho's hand, whining while he hid his head in a pillow.
"No, that's the worst !" He screamed, his voice coming out muffled in the pillow.
"He is really obsessed with Minsung," Minho laughed, reading the text messages.
"I always tell him it's platonic so why isn't he listening."
"He probably got too invested in those Minsung two hours compilation."
"You watched them ?" Jisung asked.
"Nope," Minho answered, trying to keep his voice calm while he felt his ears turn red. He hoped Jisung wouldn't notice but the younger one was too smart.
"How do you know how long they are exactly then ?"
Minho tried to avoid Jisung's eyes but unfortunately he wasn't quick enough. Jisung suddenly came close to his face with pouty lips.
"Ah you love me so much !" Jisung teased him, making grabby hands at Minho, who caught his hands, pushing him against the wall. They jumped when they heard the door open and Jisung felt like his heart jumped to his throat. Because there was no way Changbin, who was standing by the door, with a quite embarrassed expression, wasn't going to misinterpret the scene. With his message just earlier, it was really the worst timing. Minho quickly released Jisung, turning a shade redder which could only make them look more suspicious, and the way he had Jisung pinned against the wall a minute ago didn't help.
Changbin cleared his throat, as Jisung and Minho were trying to put as much distance as possible between them.
"Sorry to interrupt. I - I didn't know Minho-hyung was there."
"It's fine we were- Minho was just teasing me," Jisung tried to joke lightly, but considering Minho's frown and Changbin’s weird expression, he wasn't convincing in the slightest.
"Right. I should probably go now," Changbin said, looking at the corridor.
"Did you need something ?" Jisung asked, standing up to follow Changbin. He looked annoyed, his eyebrows furrowed with irritation. Jisung couldn't find what he could have done to make him upset like that.
"No, it's fine. I just wanted to ask -," he started, avoiding looking at Jisung, his eyes falling on the bed where Minho was still sitting. "Well, I think I got my answer anyway."
Jisung turned his head to look at Minho who now looked as annoyed as Changbin. He wanted to ask Changbin something but when he looked back, he wasn't here anymore, having already gone back to his bedroom.
Jisung flopped back on the bed next to Minho.
"He looked upset, didn't he ?" He asked Minho, as they were both looking at the door.
"Hum. If you want my opinion he looked more jealous than upset. But this thickhead probably can't make the difference."
"Why would he be jealous ?" Jisung asked, he was starting to get really lost and Minho wasn't helping. He blinked slowly at Jisung, in that cat-like attitude only he could master and threw his hands in the air, whining.
"Ah, you two are really made for each other !" Minho complained.
Jisung tried to get more explanation from Minho, but he stubbornly refused, focusing back on the film.
__
Jisung didn't understand what he had done to upset Changbin. At first he had thought the older was just going through a hard time, it happened to all of them and they often just needed a little time alone before it got better. But after seeing Changbin laugh with Jeongin and Hyunjin or talking softly with Felix, while very obviously avoiding Jisung, it became evident it was only with him that he was cold.
He tried to talk to him but Changbin brushed him off, saying there wasn't any problem. It looked like it was annoying him even more so Jisung dropped the subject and decided to let time help.
When after a few days, the atmosphere between Changbin and him was still awkward, he decided to confront him. One night, after their schedule, he invited himself to Changbin's bedroom, plopping on his bed before he could say anything.
"What did I do to make you upset ? Whatever it is, I'm really sorry." He immediately asked. He curled on himself, hugging his legs, trying to relax. It was going to be fine, even if an angry Changbin could be a little scary, he would be able to handle it.
Changbin turned from his desk where he was working to look at Jisung. His shoulders were tense, while his expression was sad.
“You did nothing Jisung … It’s … Well, I guess, I am dealing with some things.”
“I didn’t seem like you had a problem with anyone else, so be honest with me.” Jisung was hugging a pillow, looking at him from behind his bangs. Changbin bit his lips, thinking.
“I’m sorry if I was cold to you, it wasn’t my intention. You really did nothing wrong. I was probably lost in my thoughts and you tried to reach me at the wrong time.”
With the way Changbin was avoiding his eyes, it was clear to Jisung he was lying, but at least he didn’t carry the same tension around Jisung he had the previous days. Jisung decided to not insist and let it slide, if Changbin said it was nothing, then he was going to believe him.
He hung out for a little while more before he left Changbin’s room, doing small talk to ease the remaining tension between them.
A few days passed, and Changbin came back to his old self, mostly. He wasn’t teasing him as much as he did before but he wasn’t avoiding him so Jisung was glad.
Now, Jisung was hesitating. The situation was quite ironic, because he had refused so strongly to make a song with Changbin but now, he was the one wanting to write with him. The thing was that he had started writing a song with the music Chan gave for Changbin and him. He had been overflowing with feelings and one night where he couldn't sleep, he had put everything into lyrics. While he wasn't always the most confident with his songs, he knew this one had potential. He could feel it in his guts. He just felt like it was still lacking a lot. While he went to Chan to ask for help at first, the older one had refused.
"I told you that you needed to sort things out with Changbin. This is a song for you to work on together, go ask him for help," he had said before pushing him out of the studio, not without a fond smile.
A while later, Jisung was standing in front of Changbin's door, his hand hovering over the door, trying to find the courage to knock. At first, he had fancied the idea of forgetting the song, too afraid his feelings for Changbin would be too obvious. But he often came back to it, and he reasoned himself that as his song wasn't mentioning him directly, he probably wouldn't be able to understand it was about him. He had to convince himself of that or he would never have managed to open Changbin's door.
"Hyung ? Are you sleeping ?" He asked peeping through the door, clutching his computer against his chest. Changbin was lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone. He raised his head, looking at Jisung with a surprised expression.
"Jisung ? Are you ok ? You couldn't sleep ?"
"No, I have been working on this song for a while and it feels like I'm going in circles. I wondered if you wanted to help ?" Han asked. It was almost comical how Changbin's eyebrows were raised, but he quickly stood and cleaned his desk.
"I wasn't sleeping either, so sure, let's see how I can help."
"Thank you !" Jisung happily sat next to Changbin, setting his computer on the desk.
"So, what are we working on ?"
Jisung paused, his fingers hovering above the keyboard. He could feel his blood running to his neck as he answered with embarrassment.
"Hum, you will probably find it funny, but it's a love song."
"Come again ?" Changbin asked, with his eyes opened wide, looking at him with disbelief.
"A love song," Han repeated with a low voice, avoiding Changbin's gaze.
"Are you kidding me ? After you said no to writing one with me for so long ?" Changbin took Han’s arm, making him look at him. He was so sure he was blushing.
"It just didn't feel right at that time !"
"Because now it does !?" Changbin pinched his cheek, squeezing it lightly.
"Stop screaming ! You'll wake up Hyunjin !" Jisung shushed him, placing his hands on Changbin’s mouth.
They stilled, looking at each other as Jisung slowly removed his hands from Changbin’s mouth. His eyes were always so expressive, but what Jisung liked the most was Changbin’s lips. The way he smirked never failed to give him butterflies. Now that his eyes fell on his mouth, he couldn't help but think about kissing him senseless. He was probably imagining things when he saw Changbin’s eyes fall on his lips as well.
They both jumped when they heard the door of the entrance slam against the wall. It was probably Chan coming back from the studio, but weirdly none of them moved and they waited to hear Chan close his bedroom door to speak again. Jisung wanted to continue this little moment alone with Changbin, it had become rare for them to have time alone like that, even more to compose together. Jisung didn’t know if he had unconsciously avoided Changbin but he surely missed him a lot.
They focused on Jisung’s song. He had written part of the lyrics and already recorded a bit of the guide to show Changbin what he was aiming for. He waited anxiously while Changbin listened with his headphones on. He saw with excitement how Changbin’s expression changed to surprise, his mouth hanging open as he listened.
“What do you think ?” Jisung asked, fidgeting on his chair. Changbin looked his way, but his eyes were unfocused. Jisung’s voice shook him out of his stupor.
“Jisung, it’s … Really good,” he sounded a little amazed.
“You think so ? It’s not complete yet but it felt special.”
“It is, really.” Changbin paused, he looked like he wanted to add something but hesitated. He looked at Jisung before he focused on the computer again, looking at the lyrics Jisung had typed. After he read them, he finally decided to add, “Man, he is lucky.”
“Who is lucky ?” Jisung asked, oblivious.
“The one you wrote this song for.”
Jisung coughed, trying to keep himself from blushing, he was doing a poor job at not being obvious. Fortunately for him, Changbin just laughed.
“Relax, I won’t bother you with it anymore. I just think you should confess.”
“Not doing that, but sure.”
“Just send him the song when it will be finished, if he doesn’t run to kiss you I don’t understand.”
Jisung wondered who Changbin was thinking about exactly, because he clearly didn’t think the song was about him. He had a dreadful idea that he was talking about Minho, but he decided not to ask because after he would have to explain about who it was and it wasn’t possible, so he just moved on.
“Do you have any ideas for the lyrics ?”
“Ah, hum yes, I think you could go on with the I don’t like, something to match with quick brush …”
“I don’t like that anyone would die to feel your touch ?” Jisung sung, following Changbin advice. After a nod from Changbin as he focused on the computer, quickly typing the lyrics, he missed Changbin wistful eyes as he looked at him.
They continued adding to the lyrics for a long part of the night, until Jisung started dozing off on the chair and Changbin sent him back to his bedroom.
_
“Where is Jisung ?” Changbin asked when he arrived at their apartment, coming back from the gym. Hyunjin and Chan were eating in the living room. It wasn’t unusual for Jisung to stay behind but most of the time, it was because he was working with Chan, when he was alone he often preferred working in his bedroom.
“He’s still at the company,” Hyunjin said after greeting Changbin, “He’s working on something with Minho. I saw them when I left.”
Once again, Changbin felt this pang in his heart. He had been feeling it a lot lately when thinking about Jisung, and he wasn’t sure why. Or more exactly he didn’t want to admit why. It was really unfortunate that he had started to realise only recently that he had feelings running deeper than friendship for Jisung, after actively rooting for him to go with another guy for such a long time.
It wasn’t like there was anything he could do about it either, Minho and Jisung were made for each other, it was obvious for anyone.
Changbin wondered if they were working on the song Jisung had shown him. He felt the ugly burn of jealousy through his body. It was stupid, because Jisung had written this song for Minho, he had no right to feel like something special between the two of them. Still, here he was, wishing Jisung had kept it a secret between them. He loved the way Jisung wrote songs, the younger one was a real genius. However, this one felt really special, it was beautiful and Changbin wished for nothing except having it written for him.
He was interrupted in his thoughts by Hyunjin.
“Did you need something ? He should be here soon. I think they were almost finished.”
“Oh no, I think we said we would eat out together, but we didn’t confirm it, he probably forgot,” Changbin brushed off. He knew he was a little weird lately but he just needed time to accept his feelings and ... Eventually get over it.
He went to his bedroom, ordering some food and then laying on his bed as he waited. He was watching some videos when he received a message from Jisung.
Annoying Quokka
09:23 pm - Where should we meet to eat ?
Changbin cursed, he had really thought Jisung had forgotten and now his meal was about to be delivered. He considered joining him, he could still keep his delivery in the refrigerator for tomorrow. His phone rang a new message.
Annoying Quokka
09:24 pm - Minho-hyung will be there, I think
Changbin felt once again this nasty feeling in his stomach and he got inexplicably upset at Jisung. Did he feel obligated to invite Changbin while he had a date with Minho ? It was irrational because Jisung had very obviously not forgotten him, and Minho just happened to be there as well, but he couldn’t help and felt angry.
Me
09:27 pm - I’m not hungry
Annoying Quokka
09:28 pm - Oh ok ! Are you feeling fine ?
Me
09:29 pm - Yes, I just don’t feel like going out rn
Changbin was an idiot, he imagined Jisung’s sad expression as he read his messages. He saw the little dots come and go, sign that Jisung was probably having difficulties to find an answer.
Annoying Quokka
09:32 pm - No problem hyung ! Let’s eat together later !
He added a cute emoji, which only made Changbin feel worse. To top it, the next morning he found a box left by Jisung in the fridge with a note on it, “Hope you feel better, I took one slice of the cake from the restaurant for you. I really liked it.” Changbin definitely needed to get himself under control, and fast.
__
Minho was cutting an apple for Jisung, just in the hope of making him stop whining by feeding him. It wasn’t unusual for them but he was also painfully aware of Changbin’s eyes on him, or rather on them. Jisung was laying on the couch with his head on Minho’s lap.
Minho loved peace, he was not one to meddle in someone else’s business unless they asked him for advice. However, it seemed he had found himself in the middle of Changbin and Jisung drama without meaning to. If only those too weren’t so stubborn and oblivious, because there was no doubt that their feelings were mutual. First, he knew about Jisung’s feelings, he knew him so well it hadn’t been hard to understand. And second, it was becoming more and more obvious as time passed that Changbin was jealous of him.
It was an unfortunate circle, because Changbin’s reaction to feeling jealous was to try to push Jisung away, which resulted in Jisung coming to Minho for comfort. Which he never refused, it was his soulmate duty, and he couldn’t say no to anything Jisung asked, if he was being honest. But with comforting Jisung, it also made Changbin even more jealous.
Minho was really starting to get tired of this situation. It didn’t even make sense because they were both gone for each other. He didn’t want to meddle at first but it became evident he needed to do something. His mental health and the group’s future depended on it, because it wouldn't be long before the other members would get caught up in the drama too.
He was pondering his options : Changbin was so blinded by thinking Minho and Jisung had something going on that it made it incredibly hard for Jisung to think about confessing. Minho could have put some distance between him and Jisung but he didn’t feel like it would be right, there was nothing wrong with his friendship with Jisung and he didn’t want his plan to make it awkward between them.
His better option was probably to have a talk with Changbin and make it clear that he had nothing going on with Jisung and then to push Jisung a little so that he would confess, he just needed a little more confidence. Minho wasn’t looking forward to it, it was already tiring just to think about it.
He didn’t even have to create an occasion, because the topic was brought up by Changbin himself one day, when they ended up eating together. They were seated in a little restaurant, talking about the recording they did that day, when Minho’s phone lit up, he left it on the table as he unlocked it. He had a message from Jisung. When he opened it, a picture of Jisung shirtless appeared on the screen. His eyes travelled quickly to Changbin, who definetely saw the picture before he could lock his phone, if his frown was any indication. Minho wanted to smack Jisung and his stupid ideas, he wasn't helping him here.
“This dork … I joked about him not going to the gym anymore and now he sends me pictures every time,” Minho tried to explain with a little laugh but Changbin didn’t look like he found it funny.
“Right." He paused, thinking, before he added, “You know, you don’t have to hide with me, right ?”
“Hide what ?” Minho asked, putting on a surprised face, even though he had a pretty good idea of where this was going.
“You and Jisung, you are together, right ?” Changbin asked, with his cocky smirk, like he had a head start on him. Minho winced.
“No ! I already told you that ! We are just friends,” Minho insisted, poking Changin on the arm.
“He sent you half-naked pictures !”
If Minho was more focused he would have asked Changbin to tone it down, but he was probably speaking just as loud.
“He Facetimes you to show off his muscles, it’s just a Jisung thing !”
“You call each other soulmates and you look at each other with heart eyes !” Changbin added, but Minho could see his confidence crumple a little, like he was starting to believe Minho.
“Because we are soulmates. But it’s platonic. P-L-A-T-O-N-I-C !” Minho spelled, rolling his eyes. Changbin looked at him, thinking. His voice was calmer when he spoke again.
“Ok, maybe that’s how you feel but Jisung …”
“Jisung thinks the same ! Could you just … stop thinking about us and try to listen to Jisung ? Like, actually listen ? I think you hear what you think he wants to say rather than what he is actually saying.”
It left Changbin speechless. He was lost in his thoughts for a while.
“I am sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable with how much I insisted,” he said, his brows furrowed.
“It’s fine, just tone down the jealousy, please ?” Minho teased him.
“I don’t see what you are talking about !” Changbin answered, he tried to play dumb but his ears were slitghly blushing. Minho decided to spare him for once and did not point it out.
They carried on their dinner with lighter subjects, avoiding talking about Jisung. Minho was happy, the first part of his plan for peace was done, now they just have to confess to each other. Just that. Easy, right ?
__
Changbin was glad Minho had talked some sense into him. He was usually quite clear-headed but he had been totally mistaken with Minho and Jisung. He did a lot of thinking after their talk. He thought about what happened the few previous weeks and started to untangle the mess of his feelings. Minho had been right, he had been jealous. Everytime he had felt so upset at Jisung for the smallest thing, it had been his jealousy showing. He also realised he had been kind of a dick to Jisung. He had tried to apologise only for him to brush it off with a smile. All of them had their bad days every now and then, he had said. It somehow made him feel even worse.
After understanding this, Changbin only had to admit one last thing to himself : he had feelings for Jisung. Feelings which were obviously running deeper than their friendship. When he actually paid attention to it, it was easy to see. He had been so used to being close with him that he hadn't noticed how he went from candidly thinking Jisung was cute with his puffy cheeks and bright eyes, to wanting to kiss him senseless. He had not paid attention when exactly his eyes started to linger on Jisung's body at the gym or when he was walking around shirtless at the dorm. Now that he was actually paying attention, all he could see was Jisung’s broad shoulders and his small waist and wonder how he had managed to not find it insanely attractive before.
The fact that Jisung had taken interest again in exercising was a sweet torture to Changbin. He gave him exercises and had to use all his willpower to not touch him more than necessary when he corrected his postures, as his muscles were beautifully put on display. He was dizzy just thinking about Jisung, sweaty and out of breath post workout.
There were also times when they were producing, late at night, and Jisung was slowly drifting to sleep as they talked with Chan. Changbin had gotten used to letting him rest his head on his shoulder, as they snuggled in a hug. It was incredibly soft and Jisung looked so young and precious that Changbin wanted nothing more than wanting to protect him from everything that would come against him.
After a dinner with Minho and Jisung, another thing shocked Changbin. Because he was good at reading people, and particularly good at reading Jisung, so how had he not noticed the difference in how he acted around Minho and him. He wondered why he had even been jealous, because while the bond and understanding between Minho and Jisung was totally clear, it was also obvious how Jisung reacted to him. How he was trying to get on Changbin’s nerves, only to blush when Changbin teased him back. How he reacted to the smallest touch or compliment made by him.
Changbin really hoped he wasn’t reading too much into it and misunderstanding the situation, because he wanted more, and Jisung was giving him positive signs that he wanted that too. Changbin wasn’t one to wait when he was fixed on an idea, he just needed to find the right timing.
_
Minho was weird, but that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Changbin was also weird, which was a little more alarming. And Jisung was just lost. Minho was coaching him to confess, he probably thought he was discreet but the way he pointed out every little thing Changbin said to Jisung was very obvious. Changbin, for one, was not avoiding Jisung anymore, which Jisung couldn’t be more happy about, he had really missed the older.
Jisung was probably crazy about this but he truly felt like Changbin was flirting with him sometimes. There had been this time when they went to eat out together and Changbin had been very touchy with Jisung, softly cleaning his face when he had some leftovers from his meal. He had even given his sweater to Jisung who was freezing. If Changbin had noticed he was still missing his sweater, he said nothing. Sometimes, Jisung loved to put it on, to rest at home, it still faintly had Changbin’s smell. There was also another occurrence when they were watching a show on the TV at the dorm, he had fallen asleep on Changbin’s shoulder and when he woke up, Changbin had an arm around him and his hand was softly petting Jisung’s arm. He felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest.
It was with those thoughts in mind that Jisung worked on Changbin’s song. It was quite late and he was alone at the studio, but it had felt like the right time. He was quite happy with it, he thought, as he listened once again. He quickly typed a message to Changbin.
Me
10:45 pm - I finished the song !
He added a cute emoji, smiling when he noticed Changbin was answering immediately.
Gym buddy
10:45 pm - Really ? Let me listen !
Me
10:46 pm - I’m still at the company, but yes, whenever you want :)
Gym buddy
10:47 pm - Which room ?
Me
10:47 pm - Chan's room, why ?
His message was left on read, but five minutes later, he heard a knock on the door. He leaned on his chair, stretching out his arm, to open the door, unsurprisingly it was Changbin. Jisung’s heart missed a beat, Changbin was gorgeous, bare faced and fluffy hair with a soft expression.
“You want to hear the song so badly ?” Jisung asked, with a cocky smile. Changbin pushed him back on his chair, and sat next to him, putting his arm around Jisung’s shoulders.
“Just be honest and tell me you couldn’t wait for me to come.”
“I never said that !” Jisung whined. He was painfully aware of the heat of Changbin’s body against his neck, how his hand was drawing some random path on his skin.
“Texting me as soon as you finished the song … You made it quite obvious.”
There was no way Changbin wasn’t aware of the effect he was having on him. Jisung wanted nothing more than to kiss the smirk out of Changbin’s face but he fought the blush on his face by focusing on his computer.
“I followed your advice and made some minor changes … I think with both our lyrics it’s quite good, even if I still think I could have made it better …” Jisung started rambling.
“Han,” Changbin tried to stop him.
“It’s my first song about something personal -”
“Hannie, it’s fine … Just, let me listen.” Changbin poked his cheek, trying to have Jisung focus on him.
“I - I can do that,” Jisung said, finally stopping his rambling. He gave his headphones to Changbin, watching anxiously as he listened with his eyes closed. Changbin’s hand travelled up from Jisung’s arm, leaving goosebumps on his trail. It stopped on his neck, his fingers softly caressing his skin, as Changbin was humming to the song. Jisung was going to combust. He was always anxious to let someone hear his song for the first time. It was always a precious experience, like he was letting go a part of himself, sharing it with the world. Even if Changbin had helped write the song, it was still a rollercoaster to let your crush listen to a song you wrote about him.
He patiently waited for the song to finish, while he tried to read Changbin’s face, but he wasn’t letting anything appear. His face looked concentrated as he listened, Jisung took this opportunity to observe him, bare faced with his pink lips and the light frown of his eyebrows. He was gorgeous.
Suddenly he opened his eyes, removing the headphones. He caught Jisung staring, who immediately tried to move away, but Changbin’s grip on his neck prevented him from moving too far. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Changbin was smiling softly, Jisung was pretty sure his heartbeat could be heard from outside of the room.
“This song is a masterpiece,” Changbin simply said, not breaking eye contact. Jisung knew him enough to notice the proud spark in his gaze.
“I am happy you like it. This one is special. And of course, thank you, you helped too !” Jisung didn’t know where to watch. The atmosphere felt unusually heavy, loaded with tension and unsaid things. It was the perfect timing for Jisung to confess, but this little step felt like climbing a damn cliff bare handed. It could be the best thing to happen to him but it could also have the worse outcome. As he was trying to gather enough courage, it was Changbin who extended him a hand.
"'Sung, who is the song about ?" He asked with a serious expression, his hand stilling on Han’s neck.
"I think I made it quite obvious," Jisung admitted after hesitating.
"I would like you to tell me.” For the first time, Jisung saw Changbin’s confident mask falter, and he saw how anxious he actually was. It was obvious, from his little frown to the flicker of his eyes, Jisung wasn’t the only one putting his heart on the line.
Run then jump. Words escaped Jisung’s mouth before he could think clearly.
"It felt like dying writing love songs with you when I knew you were thinking about other people while my head was just full of you."
As Jisung took the first step and jumped, Changbin was there to catch him. He invaded Jisung space, until his lips were just millimetres away. He took his sweet time, looking at the way Jisung inhaled sharply, realising their proximity and what it announced.
“So all this time, I was jealous of myself ?” Changbin joked, relaxing Jisung by making him laugh, only to surprise him again when he closed the space separating them. Hands cupping Jisung’s cheeks, he tilted his face, until he had him exactly how he wanted. Jisung was pliant under his hands, letting him lead the dance. He was surprised by how pleased he felt because of this power he had on the younger one. Jisung followed his lead, almost shy as they kissed. His brain was overwhelmed with too many feelings. Changbin’s hands on his face, his solid grip a reminder of the control he had on him. His lips against his, how he was nipping at his bottom lip, and how it made Jisung melt. His hands clung to Changbin like an anchor, before he grew more confident and started discovering Changbin's body, trying to map every detail. He had dreamed too much of this to not make the most of it.
When a wanton moan escaped his mouth, he decided he needed to take action. He wanted to see Changbin crumble under his hand so badly. He pushed him until his back hit the chair, straddling his hips. They took only a few seconds to gather their breath before Jisung claimed his lips again.
At first it was clumsy while totally honest. Jisung was eager to please and Changbin was already gone for him anyway. As most things he did, Jisung didn’t take long to understand what he was supposed to do and ace it.
“Damn, I should have known you would be a menace,” Changbin said, parting to catch his breath. Jisung preened at the praise.
“That’s because I’m totally irresistible.”
Changbin’s hands gripped his waist, slipping under the hem of his shirt. Jisung’s reaction was immediate, his torso bending to bring him closer to Changbin. While he tried to not let out a groan, a mix of pleasure and surprise at the cold of Changbin’s hands.
“You were saying ?” Changbin asked, smirking at Jisung’s embarrassment.
“That’s it, we are done.”
Han tried to move away playfully but Changbin’s hold in his waist tightened, preventing him from doing so. Jisung’s puffed cheeks were endearing and Changbin resisted the temptation to kiss him again.
“Already ? We didn’t have time to even give our relationship a proper label.”
“Mister Changbin, is it a really lame way to ask me out ?” Jisung battled his eyelashes looking at Changbin in a teasing way. Changbin acted as if was going to let go of Jisung, which would have resulted in him landing on the floor. Jisung linked his arms around Changbin’s neck, balancing his weight until he rested on Changbin’s chest.
“You were saying ?” Changbin challenged him, an eyebrow raised.
“Changbin, ‘Come on. I confessed already …” Jisung pouted, stroking Changbin’s curly hair. His eyes turned serious but not without fondness.
“I shouldn’t make you wait longer, right ?” His hands moved to cup Jisung’s face, his eyes were wide and a pretty shade of pink colored his cheeks. “Jisung, I really like you. Would you be ok if I call you my boyfriend ?”
Jisung smiled at him brightly, placing his hands above Changbin, linking their fingers together. “Only if I can call you mine,” he answered, kissing him again.
After softly making out together for a while, they unwillingly stopped after receiving a message from Chan that he was coming soon. When he arrived, he looked at them, blushing slightly. Fortunately for them, he chose to not comment on Jisung’s puffed and red lips or Changbin's messy shirt.
However the next day, when they arrived at practice, they were not able to avoid Minho's scrutinising gaze. He easily cornered them after practice, when everyone had left the room.
"Did something happen ?" He asked, pointing his index finger between them. They looked at each other before blushing.
"Is it that obvious ?" Changbin asked, scratching his neck with embarrassment while Jisung hid his face behind his hands.
"I worked for it to happen so it is, at least to me," Minho explained, "Now what do you say to me ?" He looked at them very seriously, but Changbin and Jisung were lost.
"Come on, I said I worked for it," Minho whined.
Call it their weird telepathic bond, but it suddenly clicked for Jisung.
"Huh … Thank you hyung ?" Jisung tried, while Changbin just looked at them with wide eyes.
"You're welcome !" Minho answered, high-fiving them before walking away, satisfied.
"He is never going to let us forget that, is he ?" Changbin asked, looking at Jisung with a smile.
"No, I'm afraid no." Jisung laughed, locking his arms around Changbin’s neck before kissing him on the cheek. "And wait, he hasn’t given you the shovel talk yet."
Jisung broke into a laugh when Changbin looked at him alarmed, before easing him with a kiss. They would be fine.