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[n]
Hakyeon firmly believes there’s no decree or proof in the whole universe that says soulmates should only come in pairs. For him, it’s always been this: learning and playing and working and growing up together in sixes.
It’s impossible for him to pinpoint the exact moment when he decided that he’s in love with five boisterous, beautiful boys who probably look up to him more than he deserves. It’s gradual, he thinks, possibly slow-burning, until – like everything else they do – they come to the consensus that love is just them piling on top of the other with enough affection and adoration to go around. Dates are movie outings (first family-friendly movies for Sanghyuk’s sake, but now gory horror films that Hakyeon and Wonshik not-so-secretly dread) and noisy dinners and watching crappy shows in the dorm, all squished into one space.
It’s never been a question for Hakyeon, how he manages to fall for five uniquely different people equally. He loves Taekwoon’s quiet passion, the way he cares and loves wholeheartedly, the calm in the storm that is their family. He loves Jaehwan’s energy, his beautiful heart, the abundance of affection he seems to have for everyone, his gentle way of speaking when they’re in private. Wonshik has such a wonderful, loving soul, always has been Hakyeon’s strongest pillar, always will be. He adores Hongbin’s quiet strength, the way he holds them all together with his infectious smile and fierce determination. Sanghyuk is the light of Hakyeon’s life: a beacon of unadulterated and unconditional love, giving as much as he’s given, unyielding in how he genuinely cares for each of them.
The first time they actually sat down to decide to be together, they agreed that it would inevitably be hard. But what they found out was that it wasn’t splitting affection five ways – it was sharing it. Sure, sometimes Jaehwan would feel abandoned when Hongbin and Hakyeon are paying too much attention to Sanghyuk, but Wonshik would step in readily to pamper him. Or when Hakyeon feels unappreciated in some way and Taekwoon and Jaehwan will swoop in and make sure he feels properly loved. It’s natural, almost automatic, and Hakyeon wouldn’t want it any other way.
[l]
Taekwoon is a mess. Five and a half hours of grueling dance practice will do that to you, he supposes. A cursory glance around the studio tells him that although he might not be the only one exhausted, he might be the worst. Jaehwan and Wonshik are leaning against each other, backs to the mirror and legs splayed in front of them, but they’re still talking pretty animatedly, Wonshik laughing at something Jaehwan is saying. Hakyeon is lying on Hongbin’s lap, eyes closed, soft smile gracing his beautiful features as Hongbin talks to him in a hushed tone, fingers carding through his bangs. Sanghyuk is standing near the water cooler, head tilted back as he wipes his face with a towel, chest heaving with exertion.
Taekwoon enjoys the serenity, them all together in this room that is theirs. His eyelids grow as heavy as his limbs soon enough, and he feels himself dozing off, waiting for Hakyeon’s voice to break through his sleep drunken mind to tell that the ten minutes is over.
When it does come, however, it’s gentle – the voice Hakyeon uses when they’re off the clock, sequestered away in their private home. “Taekwoonie,” he singsongs.
Hakyeon’s face is upside down when Taekwoon’s eyes refocus enough, and he’s actually facing the rest of the kids, circling him on the floor. It takes him a few seconds to realize his head is pillowed on Hakyeon’s thighs, now. “What’s happening? Is it time to go again?”
Hongbin smiles, dimpling sweetly. “You seem so tired, hyung. We’re resting some more.”
“Your musical rehearsal ran too long, didn’t it?” Jaehwan adds, lower lip jutting out.
Taekwoon nods, smiling tiredly. “We’re short on time, though. Need to keep moving.”
Wonshik reaches out to pat him on the hip. “We’re good, hyung. We can take a break.”
“I’m dying, Taekwoon hyung,” Sanghyuk whines, and that’s when Taekwoon knows they’re indulging him.
Hongbin scoffs, tugging on Sanghyuk’s earlobe playfully. “Serves you right for watching some silly cartoon all night.”
“Anime,” Sanghyuk corrects indignantly. “And how come Wonshik hyung doesn’t get any scolding for marathoning porn in our room?”
Wonshik gasps, horrified. “I never—”
“Because him watching those actually benefits us,” Jaehwan snickers. “Betterment of his skills.”
Wonshik sees Jaehwan’s lewd wink and pinches him in the thigh. “My skills do not need improving.”
“Says who?” Hongbin chuckles, joining in.
Wonshik looks genuinely affronted, cheeks flushing. “See if I ever put my tongue anywhere near your—”
“Knock it off,” Hakyeon shushes them, even though Taekwoon can hear the amusement in his voice. “Let Taekwoonie sleep. Go play somewhere else.”
“Nah,” Taekwoon slurs, shaking his head a little. “I’m fine. Just – keep talking.”
Taekwoon feels Hakyeon’s hand stroking his cheek lovingly, eyes shut tight as he listens to the younger members bickering about something else, now. He drifts in and out of sleep to their familiar voices and Hakyeon’s touch, listening in snippets.
“Did you lose my Disney sock in the laundry, you brat?” Jaehwan asks sharply, although his volume is lowered, for Taekwoon’s sake.
“All I’m saying is,” Sanghyuk says, in his big-boy tone, a few beats later. “A blanket fort would undoubtedly stand longer than one made out of cushions.”
“Care to test that theory?” Wonshik challenges.
Hongbin scoffs. “Bring it. We’ll smoke your ass.”
“No,” Jaehwan snaps nervously. “No smoking anywhere near my ass. My ass is sensitive.”
Sanghyuk laughs. “If your ass can stand Wonshik hyung’s subpar thrusting technique, it can stand us kicking it into oblivion.”
Wonshik growls. “You little fucker. I swear to god—”
Taekwoon wakes up again to a lot of shuffling and knows immediately from the excited chatter that it’s lunch time.
“You go get food,” Hakyeon says quietly into the room. “I’ll stay here with him.”
“Got it, hyung,” Wonshik replies.
Then there’s a short but sweet peck on Taekwoon’s brow, followed by three more – on his forehead and cheek and nose, before the noises disappear out the door. Taekwoon stirs, but doesn’t open his eyes, and Hakyeon kisses him on his mouth, firmly and languidly.
Just like that, Taekwoon falls back to sleep, his chest full and his mind clear.
[k]
Once upon a time, six little mer – um – people? Mermen? Mermen. Wait – let me start over.
“What are you even doing, hyung?” Sanghyuk sighs, plopping himself on the couch next to him.
Jaehwan barely looks up from his tablet, doodling away as he works on his amazing storyboard. “Our story deserves an anime of its own, Hyukie.”
“Really?” Sanghyuk says incredulously. “Us? Six messy, noisy, unequivocally dorky, us?”
“We’re mermen! Gentle and graceful!” Jaehwan insists.
Sanghyuk sighs again. “This oughta be good.”
Again, as I was saying: once upon a time, six little mermen entered the jellyfish castle deep inside the ocean. A year later, they came out, hand-in-hand and deeply in love. This is the story of how it all happened.
“Wow. Best opening sequence ever,” Sanghyuk deadpans.
“Shut up, Sanghyuk!”
Anyway. At first, the mermen didn’t really know how to be friends with each other. But the oldest merman, the wise one with the pretty lilac fishtail, suggested that they went to eat – uh – shrimps together to get to know each other.
“Kissass.”
“I will literally kick you in the kidney, Sanghyuk. Shut up.”
The six mermen spent all their time together, learning their art, singing, eating, playing, sleeping. Of course, it doesn’t become intimate until the smartest, cutest middle merman started wooing all the other mermen and sleeping together became more fun.
“Horny dweeb,” Sanghyuk corrects flatly. “And the word is humping.”
Jaehwan glares hard at him, but Sanghyuk doesn’t even flinch. He starts doodling on a fresh page as Sanghyuk gapes at the forming shapes.
“What the—” he chokes. “Are we nude? What sort of anime is this?”
The word is at the tip of Jaehwan’s tongue, but he doesn’t say it because he knows for certain Sanghyuk knows it, too. Instead he scribbles on a 19+ symbol at the upper edge of the paper to protect the minds of the innocent children.
Sanghyuk chuckles, ruffling his hair a little bit, just to be a jerk. “Hyung, I don’t think this is even safe for any human eyes.”
Jaehwan ignores him, pouting as he keeps drawing, making sure he gets every tiny detail perfect.
Sanghyuk snorts. “Look, hyung. I’m flattered, but my dick is not that huge. That’s just gross.”
“I know how big it is! I’ve had it in me multiple times!”
Sanghyuk starts coughing violently, face turning pink. Jaehwan tries not cackle.
All those times spent together made the six mermen realize that they care very deeply about each other. Even the youngest, the most emotionally constipated, cold-hearted one—
Sanghyuk tugs on his hair abruptly, grinning unapologetically when Jaehwan growls at him.
—grew to love the others. It is with the magical power of affection and adoration that the mermen were able to complete their training at the jellyfish castle. They sweated, cried, laughed, orgasmed—
“Oh my god.”
—in the company of the people they love, and nothing could ever be better than that. As they grew as men, their love for one another simply grew with them, and it shall continue to grow, in sickness and in health, through successes and failures, until the end of time. The end.
Sanghyuk has a faraway look on his face that Jaehwan recognizes as his I’m not crying, you’re crying! face. He kindly doesn’t comment on it.
“This is gonna be a hit!”
“Yeah, a badly written, crudely drawn yaoi anime about dudes with fishtails. Sure.”
“Exactly. This is the stuff of fangirls’ and boys’ dreams, Hyukie.”
“There’s barely any plot! Where’s the villain, huh?”
“Maybe your giant dick can be the villain.”
“And do what? Wreak havoc on your bubble butt? Why do mermen dicks dangle like that when they have tails, hyung? Do you even know anything about drawing anatomy?”
“Shut up, Sanghyuk!”
“Make me—ummph!”
“Jaehwan, quit macking on the maknae and help me with these dishes!”
Jaehwan releases Sanghyuk’s mouth with an epic pout. “Maybe I should adapt Cinderella instead.”
“God, you’re a giant nerd.”
[r]
Wonshik is a sensory guy. He likes knowing his mother’s scent by heart, and remembering her whenever he smells flowery talc powder and jasmine. He’s been storing memories since he was a child, he thinks, the smell of grass and mud that reminds him of the first soccer game he won, the slightly musty stink of the hall when he was accepted as a member of VIXX.
It makes perfect sense that he has each scent of the members stored, as well. The five people he’s irrevocably in love with. He keeps them with him throughout the years, adding to them as they go along. He knows he’ll have those memories forever, and if he’s being honest, he wants to be able to add to them for as long as he lives.
The members don’t even ask anymore when he sidles up close, burying his nose in their necks or temples or hair, hands holding them like they’re the most precious (in more ways than one, they are). They don’t make fun of him when he says “you smell good” or “hmm, wanna stay like this, hyung”. They indulge him, the loves of his life, and Wonshik is forever thankful for it.
Hakyeon’s scent is the perfect embodiment of him: warm vanilla. It permeates into everything he owns, everything he wears, everything he touches – which includes Wonshik. Wonshik loves pressing kisses against the pulse at his wrist, where the smell is the strongest, and Hakyeon will allow it, fingers carding through his hair soothingly.
The first time Wonshik identified Taekwoon’s smell it came as a no surprise. Taekwoon smells inherently like coffee and spice – sometimes from the cologne he’s wearing, oftentimes from food. It’s masculine and comforting, blanketing Wonshik with security whenever they cuddle, Taekwoon’s long arms keeping him safe and warm.
If he is ever forced to choose, Wonshik thinks his favorite is Jaehwan’s. He had never imagined falling for someone so vibrant, but everything about Jaehwan makes him so fond, and Wonshik is completely helpless against his hyung. Jaehwan smells fresh and lovely: a combination of lime and often something sweet like hard candy. He tastes like it, too, because he eats them non-stop when he needs to destress, which is exactly when Wonshik’s kisses are warranted. With his scent, Wonshik’s memory latches onto the dreamy quality of his voice, silken honey even when he isn’t trying. Wonshik adores everything, and Jaehwan lets him, and so Wonshik basks in the sweet sunshine.
Hongbin is the calming simplicity among them all. He doesn’t do fragrances, opting to smell like whatever soap he has on hand – usually sandalwood and citrus. Wonshik can sidle up to his side, nuzzling his neck, and the clean boy scent will fill him up to the brim, Hongbin chuckling in a deep rumble at him for doing so. Hongbin is all about keeping peace, despite the snark he delivers on screen, and it translates in his smell – lulling Wonshik to sleep nine times out of ten.
Whenever Wonshik manages to grab the maknae for a cuddling session (which is quite a lot more times than they let people on), he always smells like fabric softener. Which makes sense, since the kid always ends up using a whole lot of it when he does his own laundry. A whiff of the subtle lavender, Sanghyuk’s booming laughter, and Wonshik curls up in satisfaction every time, letting gangly limbs smother him with affection. There’s a perk of sharing a room, because Wonshik gets the privilege of snuggling the elusive Han Sanghyuk over the others, and if he’s gotten a ridiculous nickname for it (Snuggle Bunny), he doesn’t even mind one bit.
[b]
Hongbin doesn’t make it a point to say a lot with words, at least not when it’s them. They read him like a book, anyway, especially Hakyeon. He doesn’t ever need to say please or more, just a shift in his hips, the tremble of his legs, the parting of his lips and the darkening of his eyes, and he gets everything he needs.
Hakyeon, however, likes to tease – loose fist and slow licks, likes seeing Hongbin come undone, sweating and writhing like he’s in heat. He does it all with that dazzling smile on his gorgeous face, a little sharper just because, and Hongbin laps it all up, if only to see Hakyeon lose control anyway when his orgasm rips through him like a hurricane.
Taekwoon likes things simple and straight to the point. Not to say that the sex is any less earth-shattering. But it’s like that with Taekwoon – gentle kisses and soft whispers, bodies so intertwined nobody knows where one begins and one ends (not that it matters – they both wake up at Jaehwan’s shrill crying or Sanghyuk’s booming call anyway).
Jaehwan likes to indulge – both himself and whoever he’s with. He likes kissing until their lips go numb, tongues aching from all the wrestling, dicks hard from the stimulation. Then he’ll either climb on top of Hongbin and ride him languidly until they’re both shaking, or he’ll spread Hongbin’s legs and drive him insane with carefully angled thrusts and hips rolling paced every conceivable way. It’ll always be hours with Jaehwan, but he will kiss Hongbin so reverently after, on his forehead and against his dimples, and Hongbin can never complain about the time lost.
Wonshik treats Hongbin like he treats the other members – tender and loving. He loves giving as much as he loves receiving – taking his time pleasuring Hongbin then fucking his mouth when the mood strikes. Wonshik prefers to top, and Hongbin isn’t picky at all, because he’s incredible at it – the fluidity of his dance moves translating into the bedroom. Sometimes, though, he’ll let one of them put him in their laps, and Hongbin cherishes those moments, too, the feeling of Wonshik coming all around him so exquisite and precious.
Sex with Sanghyuk is like everything else with Sanghyuk. It’s playful banter and mock wrestling, tumbling between sheets and frotting on the couch – often accompanied by Hakyeon’s sulking (he gets jealous, sometimes). Sanghyuk gets extra clingy after an orgasm, and Hongbin savors it, basking in his boyish scent and warm bulk.
Then there’s the rare opportunity of them all being together, and somehow Hongbin always ends up being the most doted upon. Maybe it’s the elated, dimpled smiles he gives them, or the delicate way his skin looks beneath the dorm’s lights, or the soft mewls he reserves for special occasions. The mechanics of it all are tricky, but they’re used to it now, manipulating limbs and mouths like experts, making sure everyone is taken care of. Hongbin usually ends up being the messiest – the only time he’ll tolerate any filth – covered in his members’ marks and sticky everywhere (between his thighs, all over his front, streaked across his jaw), sated and happy every single time.
[h]
They give Sanghyuk everything. It used to be affectionate hugs and hair-stroking, washing his hair and body in the shower, dry closemouthed kisses and wet openmouthed ones; now they’re even giving him responsibilities and decisions to make, following his lead in certain things. It’s only right that Sanghyuk gives them all something in return:
Slow, sweet kisses for Hakyeon, mostly when he least expects it. Sanghyuk enjoys the pleasant surprise that shapes his mouth into a lovely O, the way his warm chocolate eyes light up, the tender touch of his fingers against the nape of Sanghyuk’s neck. Hakyeon laughs, or smiles wide, afterwards, and Sanghyuk drinks it all in – heart fluttering with adoration.
For Taekwoon he gives tiny origami animals in all sorts of colors. He’s not very good at it and his fingers feel too big most of the time, but he makes Jaehwan teach him anyway. Taekwoon thanks him in that soft voice Sanghyuk loves so much, pets his hair, sometimes kisses him short and sweet. But seeing the little darlings lined up all along his window sill and working desk and on his bookcase is what makes Sanghyuk’s chest warm with joy.
Jaehwan appreciates the littlest things – a dinner date or a quiet night in with a movie and long kisses on the couch. Sanghyuk doesn’t mind spending hours and hours just basking in Jaehwan’s company, never bored or bereft of affection, the time he’s allowed to be just a boy loving another boy.
Sanghyuk makes sure to give Wonshik tiny trinkets from time to time. Subtle yet treasured jewelries – rings and ear studs that are slowly but surely taking over the compartments in his personal jewelry case. Wonshik makes it a point to wear at least one of them at all time, and if Sanghyuk takes pleasure in touching his ear or his ring finger adorned with his gifts, Wonshik never calls him out on it.
Hongbin gets the scented candles and fragrant lotions that Sanghyuk finds himself looking at online and whenever they’re passing expensive stores in airports or overseas. Hongbin grins at him whenever Sanghyuk passes him the fancy paper bags, tissue paper crinkling and brand names emblazoned across the side. He thanks him, sincerely, then maybe he’ll light the candles up and kiss Sanghyuk lingeringly on his bed, the soft scent of sugar cookies or pina colada wafting all around them.
His friends tells him their sob stories about the horror of being the youngest in strung-out and stressed-out groups, and all he does is smile, saying it’s not bad at all for him. They doubt him, sometimes, because dealing with an overbearing leader, a taciturn elder, a temperamental main vocal, a creatively demanding rapper-slash-producer and a sharp-tongued visual should not be a walk in the park.
Sanghyuk shrugs, tells them, “We love each other. Very much.”
And, really, it’s as simple as that.