Chapter Text
First: Flavored Lip Balm
The first time Park Sunghoon got a chance to taste Kim Sunoo's lips was when the two of them shared the same spoon while having ice cream.
Well... kind of.
Sunghoon didn't even touch Sunoo, but he allowed himself to take it as a win anyway when the flavor of Sunoo's lip balm reached his tongue.
The taste was subtle, barely there, mixed with the predominant mint aroma. Sunghoon focused on the thicker texture that now coated his own lips, trying to ignore the strong refreshing flavor which resembled... well, nothing much but toothpaste.
"Hyung, I had no idea you liked mint choco that much," came Sunoo's voice amidst a laughter, his eyes squeezed like two crescent moons and his hand covering his mouth. "Leave some for me!"
Sunghoon felt his face heat up. His concentrated face may have given the idea that he was loving the ice cream but he didn't like the combination of mint and chocolate at all.
Initially, Sunghoon had accepted the invitation made by his friend just so he wouldn't be sad. Then he also thought it would be nice to do something while they had some free time and the hot weather showed them no mercy. But as they arrived at the ice cream parlor, Sunghoon was reminded of something far more serious than the possibility of dealing with a sulky Sunoo later, his boredom or even the heat: his recent obsession with Sunoo's lips.
Sunghoon wouldn't be able to tell when it began, but in his mind there was a vivid memory of a Sunoo with red lips, plump and shiny after eating a bowl of ramen prepared by Jungwon. Everyone around Sunoo (Jungwon, Jake and Jay) and even Sunoo himself were laughing at the messy situation, but something was squeezing Sunghoon's heart tightly, making it hard for him to laugh, or even breathe.
He watched as Sunoo's crimson lips parted and closed, without paying attention to the a single word that came out of his mouth.
Maybe it was because the exhaustion of preparing for a new album with the group was finally getting to him, but Sunghoon found himself wondering how would it feel like to touch those swollen lips. Would they feel warm under his fingertips?
And the sauce that escaped from the corners of the other boy's mouth... could Sunghoon taste it too? He could wipe it using his own tongue... And Sunoo would react, allowing him to feel the warmth of those glossy lips not only using fingers, but the mouth too...
"What's wrong?" Sunoo asked back then, oblivious to the thoughts that flashed in Sunghoon's mind as he stared at the poor guy.
Sunghoon couldn't help but let out a cough. Not even himself could believe what had just happened in his head. But it really happened, so he reasoned out by affirming that he was too tired.
And that it's been so fucking long since he last kissed someone.
And that all the pressure of being an idol was constantly there, a permanent weight on his chest. Those motives were enough to make a young man like him go insane, he thought.
Insane... Sunghoon could only be going insane.
"Be mindful of what you eat," he finally said. "We're preparing for the comeback, you have to take care of your health."
A laugh came from the other end of the couch. Jay threw a pillow at Sunghoon.
"Aye... it's just spicy ramen, we all ate that. Nothing's gonna happen."
Sunghoon got up and tied the strings of his sweatpants.
"Whatever," Sunghoon had already turned around as he headed to his room. "Just don't skip practice tomorrow saying you have a stomachache!"
A muffled "What has gotten into him?" was the last thing he heard before closing the door, the sound coming out louder than he intended.
That night, Sunghoon went to bed expecting the imagine of Sunoo's pretty lips to vanish from his mind as infinite tasks filled his schedule. But that didn't happen.
Even in airplanes and hotel rooms at the other side of the world, there was no sign of a truce in the war between him and his imagination.
The thing is, Sunoo's mannerisms when he spoke were kind of adorable – It wasn't his fault, though... It was only natural that his lips formed a pout during various ocasions, without him even noticing, in the middle of a conversation.
And Sunoo's lips were always... so impeccably moist. He took his skincare routine very seriously, never skipping it for even a single day, always giving his lips a special attention. So they were always glossy, pink coloured and without a single flaw. It was actually impressing.
And when he took selfies or pictures with his friends, Sunoo would pose with his lips pouted, making that coat of glaze even more evident...
It didn't take long for Sunghoon to start wondering what would Sunoo's trusty lip balm taste like, the one he always carried in his pocket wherever he went.
And so, with a bit of help of fate, Sunghoon finally got his question answered.
His hand held the red plastic spoon, where a tiny translucent sparkly bead emerged from the small pond of pastel green cream.
Sunghoon completely brushed away his shame, and took his chance as his cheeks and ears burned.
He tried his best to hide his smirk when he returned the empty spoon to Sunoo.
Cherries.
Sunoo's lips tasted like cherries.
Second: Cream
Sunoo was giving his own reflection a weird face when Sunghoon entered the trailer. He smiled at Sunghoon – who was more than used to his personality and this kind of usual behavior – and went back to checking himself in the mirror.
The group was in the middle of an outdoor photoshoot session, Sunoo and Sunghoon were respectively the first and second ones to finish their solo parts.
Sunghoon observed as Sunoo posed for the camera, obediently following the photographer's lead. The rest of the boys were also there, hyping Sunoo up with compliments and jokes – that would make the boy laugh for a few seconds, before quickly going back to focusing on the camera in front of him.
For as long as Sunghoon could remember, Sunoo was always charismatic and comfortable around cameras. Even when the team got shy and their actions became awkward during video recordings or photoshoot sessions like this one, Sunoo managed to go around it all with confidence, giving the other boys some motivation to keep going too, and suddenly their synergy would make things unfold smoothly. Sunoo was modest and didn't appear to know, but sometimes it felt like he was a professional from the very start, while the rest of the team was still learning.
In the beginning, Sunghoon envied him.
Sunoo was carefree, all smiles and bright eyes... Sunghoon felt like everything was so easy for him.
For Sunghoon, things were much different. There was always an invisible barrier; something that made him tense up even when he was supposed to be completely relaxed. He felt like he couldn't naturally express himself, fully, as something constantly held him back. Something that was neither visible nor explainable, but certainly there.
And then, there was Sunoo... the warm, ray of sunshine, Sunoo. His laughter came out easily, as well as his tears whenever he became frustrated.
Sunoo felt and let it show. Sunghoon, many times, couldn't even identify his own feelings.
As the months turned into years, it became inevitable for Sunghoon not to look back in awe as he noticed how important Sunoo became to him. The weight carried by Sunghoon wasn't nearly as heavy as before he met Sunoo. Although he would never admit it, Sunoo had taught him so much.
Sunghoon felt the corners of his lips raise in a grin when he remembered a certain day, when Sunoo taught him how to take proper care of his hair when the staff weren't around. Back then, he had recently gotten his hair bleached and the strands were pretty damaged, specially at the ends. So Sunoo grabbed his arm and pulled him to a corner, handing Sunghoon a small bottle, making the latter frown his eyebrows in confusion.
"What's this?"
"It's oil, for your hair." Sunoo's voice wasn't much louder than a whisper, the whole context making them look like culprits in a crime.
Sunghoon chuckled. Sunoo looked around to see if anyone heard them, a giggle betraying him and escaping from his mouth.
"This was the last one in Minji-nim's bag, so there's no way I'm letting her know I got it."
Sunghoon's eyes grew hearing Sunoo's confession. The boy in front of him hid a smile behind one hand and used the other one to playfully hit him on the shoulder.
"Ya! Don't look at me like that", Sunoo laughed in his best quiet tone, and before noticing, Sunghoon was silently laughing along with him. "Just apply it every night, before going to bed. It'll be super soft in the morning!"
And it was true.
Next morning, after letting the oil do its miracle overnight, Sunghoon's hair was soft as silk and the fragance was stuck to his pillow like an expensive perfume.
Sunoo thought about everything, he paid attention to every small detail. He knew what Sunghoon liked, what kind of perfume he used. It was reassuring to have someone as attentive as him around.
"Blergh!"
Sunghoon was abruptly pulled out of his reminiscence by a sound of disgust emited by Sunoo. He looked at him with an expression of pure confusion on his face.
"That's the worst coffee I ever drank!"
Sunoo sheepishly laughed, then used his index finger to slide the cup farther away from him on the desk.
But Sunghoon, knowing that Sunoo was cutting all the sugar from his diet, could only sigh.
"Just add sugar to it."
Sunoo pursed his lips, and Sunghoon ignored how his heart raced at the sight.
"Can't. I'm on a diet, remember?"
There was a moment of silence until Sunghoon finally got up from the couch he was sitting and walked towards his friend. He took the cup of iced coffee in his hands and removed the lid, grabbing something from the pocket of his jacket. Sunoo raised an eyebrow.
"You walk around with sugar in your pockets?"
Sunghoon smiled. He ripped one sachet and dropped its content into the cup. He then grabbed the straw and mixed carefully, so the chantilly that floated on top of the drink wouldn't dissolve completely, and covered the cup again with the lid before giving the coffee to Sunoo. He waited until Sunoo grabbed the cup back to answer:
"Because, they might not notice, but I know your mood gets better after a little treat", Sunghoon rested his back against the dressing table, facing Sunoo. "Also because there were way too many of these at the café, and I doubt Hybe will even bother."
That last sentence made Sunoo laugh. Sunghoon caught himself laughing along.
"Okay", Sunoo pulled the straw from the cup and licked the cream around it. "Thank you, hyung."
Sunghoon turned his face away immediately. Suddenly, he was staring at a poster of a singer he didn't know, glued to one of the trailer's wall. His face was warm, and he felt embarrassed for looking like this in front of Sunoo.
"You're welcome," Sunghoon let out after clearing his throat. He knew he had to move on, so he emptied his pockets and placed it all on the table. "You can keep them. If they tell you to take coffee without sugar, you can just sneak a sachet in. It won't do any harm."
By the corner of his eye, Sunghoon saw Sunoo nod with comprehension.
For a while, aside from the quiet air conditioner buzz, the only sound that could be heard in the trailer was the one that came from Sunghoon tapping his feet gawkily, not knowing what else to say or do. He stayed silent even when a new sound invaded the place: Sunoo had reached the end of his drink and were trying to suck the cream left at the bottom with the straw. Once he finished, Sunoo let out a satisfied "Ah!" and laughed a little.
Seconds passed, and then another one or two.
"Wah... The others are taking so long," exclaimed Sunoo, sounding sleepy as he raised his arms up high to stretch them. "Are we that good? I didn't seem so hard."
Sunghoon saw an opportunity in Sunoo's words to run away from the weird atmosphere he had accidently created.
"I'll go check how they're doing."
But he soon made a big mistake by letting his gaze fall back to Sunoo.
Unaware, Sunghoon paused in the middle of a step, what he intended do to before, now long forgotten.
It was Sunoo's turn to blush. He looked away and Sunghoon noticed, one more time, how long his eyelashes were. He always forgot beautiful Sunoo's eyes looked.
"What's wrong?" Sunoo laughed timidly, fidgeting with his fingers around the cup that rested on top of his thigh.
Sunghoon felt something inside his chest tighten up, as if his shirt had suddenly shrinked to a smaller size and squeezed him until he had trouble breathing.
Sunoo's lips were sparkling with wetness. A white trace of whipped cream covered part of his upper lip, which forced Sunghoon to fight the urge to lick it clean.
He was surprised at how hoarse his voice came out when he said: "You have something on your lips."
From his chair, Sunoo raised his chin and looked at Sunghoon with big scintillating brown eyes. He rushed a hand to his face, but, before any of them could even process what was happening, Sunghoon caught Sunoo's arm and stopped him.
With his other hand, Sunghoon reached for Sunoo's face first. The latter was silent, his lips parted in surprise.
Sunghoon held his breath, fearing their trance would fade if he weren't careful enough, then gently slid his thumb across Sunoo's upper lip.
Sunghoon felt the soft and humid texture of Sunoo's pretty lip. He noticed how it moved under his digit and that alone was almost enough to make his heart stop beating. He swallowed hard, realizing he gave in and dragged them both to a point of no return.
He noticed the confusion in Sunoo's face and began trying his best to look nonchalant. He exhaled, quickly thinking of the acting tips he received for music videos and other previous projects, and prayed he could pull off a casual tone when he spoke.
"Were you trying to be cute, Sunoo-ya?," Sunghoon forced a laugh out. "How come you didn't notice you made a mess?"
And that was when he realized the cream that stained Sunoo's lips wasn't anymore, but on his own finger.
Their faces were close enough for Sunghoon to breathe in the aroma of the drink Sunoo just had. Sunghoon saw Sunoo blinking his big doll eyes one, two, three times.
So, without saying a single word, Sunghoon did what he knew he wanted to do: he took his thumb to his tongue, finally letting the cream melt in his mouth. It was normal frosting, a light cream, sweet and a little buttery, with a light taste of coffee that lingered for a while. Sunghoon already knew this flavor, he had bought drinks like this for himself a billion of times. But, for some reason, this time it tasted like nothing he ever had before.
Sunoo did not react. Not even when Sunghoon stood up straight and exited the trailer with his hands in the pockets of his jacket; the ones that were once filled with a ridiculous number of sugar sachets.