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When Soobin went out to get ice cream for the others, the last thing he was expecting to see when he returned to their dorm was Beomgyu and Yeonjun locked in what appears to be a very intense arm wrestling match on the floor with Taehyun and Huening Kai excitedly cheering on the sidelines. Soobin did nothing but stop in his tracks by the door as he watched the two boys shout in frustration. Neither one seemed to have any plans of backing down.
“Just give up!” the pink-haired eldest exclaimed, his face grimacing with such ferocity as he tried to pin Beomgyu’s arm down with all his might.
“Never!” shouted the younger before letting out an even louder growl, almost like a guttural sound. The room felt like it vibrated from Beomgyu’s shout alone.
The maknaes enjoyed their hyungs’ exchange as they clapped and continued their loud cheering. Taehyun shouted words of encouragement at Beomgyu while Kai at Yeonjun. The youngest then lifted his head and locked eyes with Soobin. His eyes crinkled with delight as he beckoned their leader to join them in the fun.
“Soobin-hyung! You’re back! Quick, who do you think will win the match? My bet is on Yeonjun-hyung,” Kai said excitedly as he approached Soobin. Upon hearing those words, the others quickly turned their heads in Soobin's direction.
“Hi, Soobin-hyung!” Taehyun waved enthusiastically.
“Soobin-hyung! Tell him it’s me!” Beomgyu roared.
“Soobinnie! You’ll pick me, right?” Yeonjun yelled back.
All three of them spoke at the same time that it gave Soobin a whiplash. He chuckled at their extremely high energy, his dimples appearing on his cheeks. “My money’s on Beomgyu,” he replied smirkingly as he handed Kai an ice cream before walking up to Taehyun to give him his.
“Assa!” Beomgyu declared eagerly, his face gaining more smugness as he received their leader’s support. He stuck out his tongue at Yeonjun teasingly.
Soobin saw Yeonjun’s face distort as he stared at the bluenette in utter shock and disbelief. Soobin felt uncomfortable from the older’s stare so he averted his eyes, deciding to cheer for Beomgyu along with Taehyun. Still, his teasing smirk didn’t go away. Yeonjun felt betrayed by Soobin’s answer. Did he honestly think Beomgyu was stronger than him? Or was he simply teasing him to get him riled up? Yeonjun thought to himself.
Distracted by his own thoughts, Beomgyu noticed the older boy losing his focus and grabbed the opportunity to slam his arm down. Yeonjun didn’t realize that Beomgyu had already pinned down his arm until he heard the younger boy shout in victory.
“I won! I’m the strongest among all of us!” bellowed Beomgyu, punching the air above his head victoriously.
Soobin and the younger ones congratulated Beomgyu and pulled him in a tight group hug. Meanwhile, Yeonjun was still lying on his stomach on the floor, staring dumbfoundedly at his defeated hand.
Being the competitive player that he is, Yeonjun suddenly got up on his feet and pointed an accusing finger at Soobin. “Yah, Soobin-ah! How could you?! You picked Beomgyu over me? I thought you always have my back,” Yeonjun pouted, his brows furrowed and his eyes ablaze.
Soobin disentangled himself from the others and shrugged his shoulders. He tried his hardest not to stare at Yeonjun’s plump lips pulled into a pout. He always found Yeonjun too adorable for words when he’s pouting.
He retrieved a mint chocolate ice cream from the plastic bag he was still holding and offered it up as a peace offering. “I’m sorry, hyung. But Beomgyu has been working out lately and it looked like he had the upper hand when I came in. I was simply…” Soobin thought really hard about his next words, not wanting to upset the pinkette further. Yeonjun crossed his arms as he waited for Soobin to finish what he was saying. “I made a rational bet, that’s all,” Soobin concluded.
Yeonjun, though convinced by Soobin’s explanation, still kept his arms crossed, not accepting the ice cream that the bluenette was holding out. Pout still present, his lips were moving as if he was contemplating what to reply.
Soobin suddenly felt a cold prickle poke his heart at Yeonjun’s reaction, or lack thereof for that matter. He began to feel guilty about not picking him. Knowing his hyung, Soobin knew that Yeonjun always expected him to take his side no matter what the situation may be, even when he was wrong or losing in a game. He felt the weight of his arm holding the ice cream grow heavier with each passing beat that Yeonjun remained silent.
“Aw, don’t be mad at our Soobin-hyung, Yeonjun-hyung, just because you’re a sore loser.” Beomgyu appeared at Soobin’s side all of a sudden, linking his arm with the bluenette. But Soobin saw that Yeonjun was not mad. Rather, he looked sad? He now felt even worse, an uneasy feeling settling at the pit of his stomach.
“I’m not mad,” replied the pinkette. “I just wasn’t expecting Soobin to betray me like this.” He continued to pout, his eyes boring through Soobin even more, looking more forlorn by the second.
Soobin, being the kind of person who doesn’t like seeing any of his members feeling down because of him, approached Yeonjun and wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace. “I’m sorry, hyungie. I didn’t mean to betray you. What can I do to make it up to you?” Soobin asked as he gently stroked Yeonjun’s back.
He felt the older boy relax in his arms and return his hug a beat later. They stayed like that for a few seconds, not knowing that the younger ones were watching them with amused, and quite unsurprised, expressions. Excluding Soobin, they already knew that Yeonjun was up to something when they saw a shimmer of mischief cross the older boy’s face before returning the hug. Of course, Soobin didn’t see it because he wasn’t facing Yeonjun.
Soobin felt Yeonjun squirm under his hold so he pulled back just a bit to look at his hyung without letting him go, keeping his hands on the older’s thin waist. He feared that the older one was still upset over his support for Beomgyu. He expected the older to keep pouting, but what greeted him was the complete opposite. He was taken aback by the wide grin on Yeonjun’s face and Soobin suddenly felt dosed by a cold realization, grasping a little too late that this was all part of the older’s plan.
“Then, you can make it up to me by arm wrestling with me right now,” Yeonjun replied cheekily, his grin growing even wider as his fox-like eyes now turned into crescents.
Soobin threw his head back as he let out a short frustrated cry. “Ahhh! I can’t believe I fell for your act,” he said as he looked back down at the eldest who laughed at his outburst.
“Did you honestly think I was going to be upset over such a silly game?” A laugh escaped his lips as he pinched Soobin’s cheeks in the process. “I always make it a habit to get even. And since you supported Beomgyu, that means you’re on his side. So, I just need to defeat you and that will tie up our scores. Easy-peasy.” Yeonjun explained proudly.
Soobin chuckled at his explanation, still holding on to Yeonjun. “First of all, your logic makes no sense. I am not on anyone’s side. I was simply making a bet. And second, what makes you think you’ll defeat me? I'm definitely taller than you, which means I have the upper hand in terms of size.” Soobin raised his brow as a challenge, wanting to rile up Yeonjun before the match.
“Yah, you’re only a few centimeters taller than me. And I’m your hyung. Show me some respect,” Yeonjun countered playfully, poking Soobin’s dimples as he said his final words, which earned him a teasingly annoyed expression from the bluenette.
“Oh my God, are you gonna stay locked in each other’s arms all night or are you going to settle this on the floor?” Beomgyu interjected, always appearing out of nowhere at the best time.
Soobin and Yeonjun looked at Beomgyu and then back at each other, both chuckling at the younger’s demand before detaching themselves from each other and preparing for their arm wrestling match.
Once they were on the floor, Soobin and Yeonjun clasped each other’s hands tightly as they braced for the game. As the ever-supportive maknaes, Taehyun and Kai went on either side to cheer for one of their hyungs, splitting the support in half with Taehyun on Soobin’s side and Kai on Yeonjun’s.
Beomgyu served as their referee as he placed his hand over the locked hands of his hyungs to steady their positions. “Remember, gentlemen, all kinds of dirty play ARE permitted, except for biting of course. You can cheat for all we care, but never injure the other. We promote a cheating-friendly game, is that clear?” Beomgyu looked at Soobin and Yeonjun seriously. The older ones laughed at his antics, but still nodded in understanding. “Good,” he continued, “we wish you all the best, our hyungies. Oh, and one last thing, GET HIM, SOOBIN-HYUNG!” Beomgyu let go of his hold on their hands, indicating the start of the match.
“Yah! Beomgyu, you-!” Yeonjun shouted at the younger one who laughed hysterically at him.
Soobin didn’t waste any time as he put all of his strength into his arm and tried to pin down Yeonjun’s hand early on in the match. But, he didn’t expect the pinkette to have so much strength left after a match with Beomgyu. He barely made a dent in Yeonjun’s upright arm.
Yeonjun yawned mockingly. “Is that all you got? I can do this all night, bunny,” using Soobin’s nickname to distract him, and just because he wanted to call Soobin that word. Bunny. It suited their sweet, shy, reserved, and though tall, leader too well.
Heat crept into Soobin’s cheeks as he heard his nickname. The last thing he wanted was to blush at Yeonjun calling him bunny. If Yeonjun wants to play with fire then fire, he shall get.
“I can do this all night too, hyung. I always wanted to hold your hand for so long,” Soobin fought back, finishing it off with his signature dimpled smile with his eyes trained on their locked hands. He expected Yeonjun to have a comeback locked and loaded, just waiting to be fired from his sassy mouth. But when Soobin was met with silence, he knew something was off because only the sounds of their maknaes’ continuous cheering could be heard.
Soobin lifted his eyes to look at Yeonjun. As he was about to ask if he was okay, the question died in his lips as he stared at the now red-faced Yeonjun with wide eyes staring right back at him, his soft lips agape slightly. He didn’t understand why the pinkette was blushing so hard. Was it because of what he said? Surely not. As far as Soobin knows, Yeonjun is not a stranger to flirting. Heck, people they don’t even know flirt with him every chance they get. So, the bluenette honestly cannot grasp the idea of a blushing Yeonjun because of his words that barely scratch the kind of flirting that Yeonjun is used to.
Pushing his thoughts away and turning his attention back to their ongoing match, Soobin felt the loss of force in the other’s arm and he seized the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to defeat the older boy in games of strength. He mustered up all his strength to his right arm and slammed down Yeonjun’s arm.
The moment Yeonjun’s hand connected with the floor, Soobin and the younger members erupted in cheers. Beomgyu pulled Soobin up to his feet and crushed him in a bear hug, the maknaes following suit. Again, their eldest member was left lying on the floor staring at his defeated arm for the second time. Only this time, his stare was more of longing rather than being upset from the defeat.
“Guess you’re just weak, Yeonjun-hyung,” mocked Beomgyu playfully, pulling him up to his feet as well. The earlier thoughts of Soobin came back as he watched Yeonjun take Beomgyu’s incessant teasing with absolute silence. He usually retorts back with a witty remark or two. Soobin approached Yeonjun and placed his hands on the older’s shoulders. “Hyung, are you okay?” A worried expression marring his face as he asked.
Yeonjun looked up and met his eyes with a small yet genuine smile with no trace of mockery or teasing. He placed his hands on top of Soobin and replied, “I’m fine.” Yeonjun took a step closer, their foreheads nearly touching as he whispered the next words, “And just so you know, I also want to hold your hand for as long as I want. You never need to have a reason to hold my hand, Soobin-ah.” A tender look on his face as he gazed at Soobin.
To say Soobin was blushing after hearing Yeonjun’s words is an understatement. Soobin was completely beet-red from the tips of his ears down to his cheeks and neck. His Adam’s apple bobbed in his neck, his mind running a thousand miles an hour as he tried to comprehend what the older boy just said. Not trusting his mind to conjure a coherent thought, his mouth just flapped open and closed like a fish.
His reaction seemed to endear Yeonjun as the pinkette took a step back and let out a delighted giggle, his eyes crinkling into adorable crescents once again. “Aw, did I render our Soobinnie speechless?”
Still looking flushed like a ripe tomato, Soobin turned his head to sever his eye contact with Yeonjun. Regardless, they remained in each other’s arms without uttering another word. Yeonjun continued to stare fondly at Soobin who kept squirming under his intense gaze. This did not go unnoticed by their members who were surprisingly quiet as they watched the interaction between their hyungs.
Taehyun covered Kai’s eyes with his hand and tapped Beomgyu with the other. “Hyung, should we do something or just leave them be?” Taehyun asked Beomgyu with wide eyes.
In all honesty, Beomgyu would rather leave them alone because he knows that Yeonjun and Soobin sometimes get lost in their own world. But as the eldest among the remaining three, he knew he needed to do something before things got too much for their maknaes. He told Taehyun and Kai to go to their adjacent kitchen and that they’ll follow shortly. The young members nodded immediately and proceeded to the other room.
Beomgyu let out a tired sigh and approached the pseudo-couple, invading their space for the nth time. “Yah, break it up, break it up! We should celebrate Soobin-hyung’s first win in an arm wrestling match with Yeonjun-hyung. Come on, to the kitchen for some celebratory ice cream!”
Yeonjun let go of Soobin first, though reluctantly, which the bluenette followed. “Yeah, definitely worth celebrating. Let’s go,” responded Yeonjun, winking at Soobin which made him blush more if that was even possible.
Watching their exchange, Beomgyu couldn’t help but roll his eyes amusingly. “Save it for later, hyungs,” he said as he stood between them.
Soobin looked at him like he couldn’t believe what Beomgyu just said. The younger member innocently shrugged his shoulders as if to say ‘Why? Did I say something wrong?’ Soobin continued to look like a deer caught in headlights.
Yeonjun just shook his head and chuckled. “Come on, Soobin-ah. Let’s get you that ice cream before it melts.”
When they entered their kitchen, Kai presented Soobin with a chocolate-flavored ice cream cone with a red ribbon tied to it. “Congratulations, Soobin-hyung for defeating the formidable Yeonjun-hyung!” their maknae said excitedly.
Taehyun clapped and cheered in congratulations. Being the observant person that he is, he noticed that Soobin took the ice cream from Kai with one hand. Where was his other hand? Taehyun trailed his eyes to Soobin’s other arm and much to his surprise, his other hand was interlaced with Yeonjun.
This brought a smile to the young boy’s lips as he saw how comfortable his hyungs are with showing their affectionate sides in their presence without any hints of teasing and playfulness, even in the smallest gestures. Maybe this could finally be their step toward something more?
As if hearing his thoughts, Yeonjun jerked his head in Taehyun's direction. The older boy flashed him a smile, which became bashful as looked down at his hand holding Soobin’s.
Taehyun couldn’t help but chuckle at his hyung’s rare display of shyness. He gave Yeonjun a thumbs up, a silent message saying, “That’s great, hyung! I’m proud of you.”
Yeonjun’s smile got even wider and when Kai handed him his mint chocolate ice cream, he heard the young boy ask him, “What got you smiling so much, Yeonjun-hyung?”
“Just happy that I’m here with you all, Huening-ah,” Yeonjun answered as he accepted the mint chocolate dessert, his eyes darted to Soobin for a split second. Ever so innocent, Kai just beamed widely and proceeded to give Beomgyu and Taehyun their second round of ice cream.
Soobin felt a squeeze in his hand and looked at Yeonjun. They smiled at each other as their eyes met. Yeonjun checked to see if the others were looking at them or not. When he saw that they were too busy talking among themselves, Yeonjun brought their intertwined hands to his lips and placed a chaste kiss before bringing it back down.
Soobin was left blushing yet again, but this time, he welcomed it with open arms.