Chapter Text
Park Moondae. Yes, that was his name. Well, the name of this body, not his actual name. But it was also his name.
Not Moonpuppy, not Tibetan fox—none of those. No, not "Moondae-moondae" either, and certainly not rice cake puppy or whatever.One day, a bunch of ridiculous nicknames got added to the list.
"Sweetheart," "darling," "pupcake," "rizzler"—what did rizzler even mean? It must have been from those videos on TikTok again.
The bad thing was, it wasn't the loviewers who were calling him these; it was TeSTAR, his own members. Keun Sejin, Ahyeon, Eugene. Hell, even Cheongwoo! And they didn't just call him sweet nicknames; they'd been oddly touchy and affectionate.
Moondae could handle it if it came from Eugene or Keun Sejin, who were always like that. But Bae Sejin? Ryu Cheongwoo? They weren't normally like that; it was weird. Did something good happen? Was there some sort of inside joke he was excluded from that they refused to tell him?
And it wasn't just his members; it was Keundal, and even the VTIC sunbaenims. He liked it... it felt nice... but why him of all people?
°------°
The ray of the sun hit his face. Moondae stirred slightly, letting the warmth wash over him before finally opening his eyes, expecting to see the ceiling.
"Eugene...?" What the heck.
Who stares at someone right just as they are waking up? Moondae closed his eyes right after, but suddenly he felt a heavy, warm body pressing down on him.
"Get off. Why are you torturing your hyung right after he wakes up?" Moondae grumbled, trying to push the other man off him, but Eugene held on tight.
"Pookie," whatever that meant..
"Can I kiss you?" Eugene asked warmly and almost needy
"What?" Moondae mumbled. "No. Now stop this nonsense."
Moondae finally opened his eyes, staring up at the cat-like man on top of him. Eugene made an obvious pout on his face, clearly upset with his answer.
"Please, hyung...?" Eugene said pleadingly, giving him those puppy eyes that no one could refuse.
"Fine. Promise me you will get off after,"
Moondae said calmly as he turned his head slightly at the perfect angle for a quick, soft peck on the cheeks.
But before Moondae could actually do it, he felt the softness of Eugene's lips press onto his own, catching him completely off guard. Time seemed to stall as the intended platonic gesture melted into something tender, warm, and utterly breathtaking.
Eugene pulled back just an inch, his breath hitching against Moondae's. For a second, neither of them moved; the room was entirely silent except for the frantic thudding in Moondae's chest.
Moondae's eyes were wide, tracking the flush creeping up from the collar of Eugene's shirt. He touched his own lower lip, his fingers trembling slightly.
"Eugene," Moondae said, clearing his throat, his voice cracking slightly. "That wasn't my cheek."
Eugene’s face turned an even brighter shade of red. He scrambled off the bed, stumbling over his own feet before bolting out of the bedroom like a cat chased by a vacuum cleaner. Moondae sat on the mattress, staring at the closed door, the warmth of Eugene’s lips still lingering. He let out a deep, tired sigh and ran a hand down his face.
"Today's gonna be a long day.." Moondae muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He dragged himself out of the room, determined to find some coffee and put a stop to whatever collective delusion had taken hold of TeSTAR.
He walked straight into the kitchen, not bothering to go after Cha Eugene. His eyes then laid upon Seon Ahyeon; who is..trying to make something? Wait no, no no!
"Ahyeon..What are you doing?"
Ahyeon jumped, nearly dropping the spatula in his hand. He turned around, his eyes widening in pure panic as his face instantly flushed red.
"M-Moondae-ya! You're awake!"
On the stove, a pan of pancakes was smoking dangerously. Moondae didn't waste a second. He stepped forward, reaching past Ahyeon to slide the pan off the burner and turn off the gas.
"Im sorry! I wanted to make you breakfast.... but I got distracted.." Ahyeon looked like he was about to cry, his fingers nervously fidgeted the hem of his sweater.
Moondae sighed, waving the smoke away. "It's fine. Just don't burn the dorm down.. Why are you making me breakfast anyway? Is there a special occasion?"
"No! It's just... I wanted to do something nice," Ahyeon mumbled, looking down. But as Moondae leaned in closer to inspect the ruined food, Ahyeon suddenly reached out. His trembling fingers gently touched Moondae’s lower lip.
"Your... your lip is a little swollen, Moondae-ya. Did you hurt yourself?"
Moondae froze, the memory of Eugene’s sudden kiss flashing through his mind. Before he could answer, a heavy arm draped casually over his shoulders.
"Oh what's this? Is Ahyeonahyeon trying to seduce our Moonpuplt with burnt breakfast?"
Keun Sejin's cheerful voice rang through the kitchen.
He leaned his weight into Moondae, his face dropping incredibly close to Moondae’s ear.
"If I knew you liked breakfast in bed, Moondae, I would have cooked for you myself. Though... I think I'd rather eat you up instead."
Oh ok.
What the hell is wrong with these people today? Moondae thought, his heart drummed against his will.
"I'd rather have you not..."
Keun Sejin laughed in response, completely unfazed by Moondae's rejection.