"Ah... I guess I’m not late, then?" Jisung muttered, scratching at his cheek like he hadn’t just walked straight into what would have been chaos (because Hyunjin was considering if he should throw tantrums for not given the morning tea time he wanted).

Jisung didn’t even get a chance to process before Hyunjin yanked him into a hug so suddenly it almost knocked the air out of him. Somewhere in the muffled chaos, Jisung hissed, “What the fuck?” loud enough for only Hyunjin to hear—but naturally, Hyunjin chose to ignore it entirely.

All that mattered was that he was free. Free from his so-called friend’s relentless torment. Free to put on a show for the spectators currently gawking at them.

Inside, Hyunjin was grinning like a lunatic, his inner monologue a chaotic chant: You see this hug, right? See how relieved I am? How clingy I look? Good. Now please, for the love of everything, leave me the hell alone.

Not a hint of that, naturally, made it to his face.

When he finally spoke, his voice came low and sharp, slicing through the embrace. “You lucky bastard. Why didn’t you come earlier?”

But as he pulled back, the frustration vanished behind a sunny, practiced smile. “Yeah, you came right on time.” His eyes flicked to Jisung’s luggage. Without breaking stride, he grabbed Jisung’s hand and swapped the battered suitcase for his grip in one seamless motion.

Jisung flinched, almost imperceptibly—but not enough to escape Hyunjin’s notice. He squeezed Jisung’s hand a little harder than necessary, as if to say get a grip. God forbid it looked like he’d just startled Jisung into cardiac arrest.

Seriously, it’d been what—a day? And Jisung was acting like holding hands was some kind of biohazard. Hah! It's still funny to him that of all things that would render Jisung weak it would be him forcing intimacy towards Jisung. (Okay, phrased like that, it did sound creepy. Someone should’ve edited his brain before that thought left the station.)

"Sungie! You didn’t tell us you were nearby!" Felix popped up, looking like he was about to dive in for a hug himself.

"Yeah, about that..." Hyunjin raised an accusatory finger, his brows shooting up. "...he didn’t tell me either." He gave Jisung a pointed look, one that screamed: You knew I was suffering. You saw the spam.

"Aw! Jisung just wanted to surprise you. He even told us to take care of you while he was gone."

He what now?

Jisung’s trembling shoulders and poorly stifled snicker gave him away instantly. Hyunjin’s eyes narrowed. This little shit. The cause of his misery had been Jisung all along. Hell! And Hyunjin, the fool, had been feeding him updates about his morning!

"And you guys did a great job,” Jisung said, all too casually. “Hyunjin here couldn’t stop spamming me about how much fun he was having and how I should join you guys.”

Hyunjin felt the betrayal like a knife to the back (no, he most definitely wasn't sulking). He tried to yank his hand free, only to find Jisung’s grip annoyingly firm. Ironic, really, considering this was the same Jisung who acted like holding hands was akin to stepping into radioactive waste. But no—now Mr. I’d-Rather-Die-Than-Hold-Hands-With-You wasn’t letting go, practically anchoring Hyunjin in place to make him endure every agonizing second of this reveal.

"Huh, I did wonder why he was glued to his phone all morning," Changbin chimed in, his hands doing that obnoxious grabby motion like Hyunjin was some kind of overgrown baby. "I didn’t know you were having so much fun with us, Hyunjin. Awwwww.”

Hyunjin’s eye twitch was so pronounced it could’ve started its own dance trend. He was done. Done with the betrayal. Done with the scheming. Done with the fact that all he’d wanted was a peaceful cup of tea this morning, and now it was lunch, and his patience was nonexistent.

"Yeah, I had fun,” he muttered, sarcasm dripping from every word. “And now..." He tugged on Jisung’s hand, pulling him closer and throwing an arm around him in a move so theatrical it practically deserved a standing ovation.

Jisung froze briefly, but the wicked glint in his eyes was enough to make Hyunjin want to throw him out the nearest window. God, he’s enjoying this too much.

"...if you guys don’t mind," Hyunjin finished, his words polite, his tone an unmistakable warning.

Ignoring Felix’s whoops, Changbin’s exaggerated pouting, and Jeongin’s suspicious side-eye, Hyunjin dragged Jisung and his luggage upstairs. He was done with this clown show. There was a score to settle.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Jisung crumpled, clutching his stomach as laughter erupted out of him, loud and uncontrollable. Hyunjin stood by the door, arms crossed, his stare as deadpan as it could get.

“Done yet?” he asked, his voice flat.

Jisung’s laughter slowed, the sound tapering off into uneven breaths. He straightened slightly, wiping at the corners of his eyes, and raised a single finger. “Actually? Not yet.”

Then, as if on cue, the laughter started up again, even louder than before, as though he’d found a fresh reserve of amusement just to spite Hyunjin. He doubled over, nearly collapsing under the weight of his own hilarity.

Hyunjin groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Seriously? You’re killing me here.”

Jisung wheezed, attempting to compose himself but failing miserably, every pause quickly overtaken by another round of cackling. Hyunjin could only stand there, arms crossed, watching the scene with growing exasperation as his resolve to throttle Jisung climbed higher by the second.

This wasn’t just laughter. This was revenge. And Hyunjin, somehow, was the punchline.

“You’re not funny,” Hyunjin deadpanned, his glare sharp enough to pierce steel.

Jisung wiped at his tear-streaked cheeks, still grinning like he’d just won the lottery. Straightening up, he raised an eyebrow. “And you’re overdramatic. I wouldn’t be having this much fun if it wasn’t for that face of yours.”

Hyunjin blinked. What? What was wrong with his face, huh? First, Jisung had the audacity to mess with his morning routine, and now he wanted to take shots at his face? Absolutely not.

“Excuse me—” Hyunjin began, but Jisung cut him off, holding up a hand like he was making a declaration in court.

“You’re so proud of your ‘acting’ in front of the others,” Jisung teased, air quotes firmly in place. “But you were so obvious just now. If you’d just been, like, a little annoyed, I might’ve let it go. But no. You’re genuinely enraged, and it’s hilarious.”

Hyunjin’s mouth opened and closed as he tried—and failed—to come up with a retort.

“What’s wrong?” Jisung added, his grin stretching wider. “Can’t handle it when I’m the one pulling the pranks? Is that it?”

Hyunjin’s eye twitched again. He’d never wanted to throttle someone and simultaneously throw them out of a window more in his life but he realised that it was true. He was getting heated up and which only further satisfied Jisung. Therefore, he took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Seeing how you're able to pull something on me. I guess whatever you were doing wasn't all that much of a big deal. It's all settled, right?” Hyunjin’s voice was casual, but his eyes stayed fixed on Jisung. If it wasn’t settled, Jisung better not leave him hanging again. Hyunjin refused to deal with their nosy friends alone for another day. 

"Yeah, sure, it's all settled." Jisung’s laugh sounded forced, the kind that didn’t quite reach the eyes. His voice wavered just enough for Hyunjin to catch it. "I promise we can focus on this trip now." 

Oh, great, Hyunjin thought, another stellar example of Jisung’s inability to act. It wasn’t like he was about to point it out, though. No way. He was already neck-deep in Jisung’s one-sided love mess and didn’t need to add another layer of drama. 

"Well, yeah, about that," Hyunjin said, folding his arms. "They had been pestering me about you the whole day yesterday and even today. I had to deflect and call them nosy—too nosy for their own good." He paused, noticing the judgement in Jisung’s face, and glared. "No, don't even start. I handled that well. Do you expect me to act like a lovelorn idiot when you're not even here?" 

"You could have," Jisung quipped as he stood and reached for Hyunjin’s luggage. 

Hyunjin scoffed. “In case you forget, I had a bit of a situation yesterday with the ceiling and those two... oh my gosh, those two idiots in love! For the love of God, they drive me nuts. I spent the entire day trying not to lose my mind. Do you think I had time to act like a lovelorn idiot? I handled it better than any sane person could.” 

Jisung ignored him completely, moving the luggage toward the wardrobe. Hyunjin kept ranting about the insufferable couple until he realized Jisung wasn’t listening. He snapped his mouth shut, annoyed. Was Jisung tuning him out, or was he just too tired for Hyunjin’s bullshit? 

The door to the balcony creaked open, and a blast of icy wind rushed in. Hyunjin winced as Jisung stepped outside. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you," Jisung called back over his shoulder. "I’m here now, so you don’t have to handle it alone." 

Hyunjin joined him on the balcony, leaning on the railing. "And how exactly do you want to handle them? They’re relentless. I give them answers, but they just come up with more questions." He tilted his head and continued mockingly, "'How is Jisung when he's alone with you?' or 'What’s Jisung’s favorite color? I want to buy him a souvenir but can’t remember.' Like I don’t know it’s a trap. Oh! And the pièce de résistance—'You never properly told us how you started dating. If you’re not comfortable sharing, that’s fine, but I am your best friend after all.’ That was low, even for Seungmin." 

"Oh God, do you ever stop talking?" Jisung groaned, rolling his eyes. "I get it already. You faced the entire universe alone while I was away, but I told you I’ll take responsibility." 

Hyunjin narrowed his eyes suspiciously, watching as Jisung retreated into the room. Responsibility? Since when did Jisung ever step up like that? He followed Jisung back inside. 

“What are you going to do?” Hyunjin demanded, crossing his arms. 

"We need to sell it," Jisung announced, spinning on his heel dramatically (and yet, Jisung was calling Hyunjin the dramatic one.)

Hyunjin blinked, dumbfounded. "Sell it?" He sat cross-legged on the bed and propped his arm to support his head, trying to digest what Jisung was suggesting.

Hyunjin leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching Jisung rant about the grand plan like some kind of frustrated director managing an unruly cast.  Yeah, whatever Jisung was doing yesterday. Hyunjin could see that he lacked sleep because Jisung appeared a bit deranged.

"We need to really eat this act up," Jisung had said, pacing like a madman. "Jeongin is hard to fool, but Felix… he eats it up, this enemies-to-lovers thing."

Hyunjin suppressed a snort. Yeah, Felix would probably buy it. The guy was practically made of sunshine and fluff. Jeongin, though? Not a chance.

Jisung rattled on, and Hyunjin couldn’t help but fixate on the sheer intensity of his partner-in-crime's annoyance. “We have all the materials, but we weren’t using them right! I mean, you gave me all those stupid things to do in the list, but they’re not even going to see any of that! You suggested ‘slow dance’—like, when the hell would we have the chance to do that in front of them?!”

Hyunjin rolled his eyes. He knew the list wasn’t for public performance; he’d explained this before, but here Jisung was, treating it like some kind of manifesto. “I told you!” Hyunjin shot back. “The list is to make you less awkward! It’s like a workshop—actors do this stuff all the time—”

Jisung turned on him with a look so sharp it could’ve cut through steel. Hyunjin instinctively raised his hands in surrender, already regretting his words. This was going nowhere fast.

“So what?” Hyunjin huffed. “Say we hate-fuck each other or something?”

Jisung gave Hyunjin a look; narrowed eyes and a sigh. He pressed two fingers on the space between his nose bridge and held his hand on the air for a time out. "First of all, that's nasty. Second, nobody is fucking anybody here and nobody is going to talk about my non-existent sex life with you."

Hyunjin laughed, almost toppling over the bed.  "More like your non-existence sex life in general." He wheezed.

"You talk like you have life outside watching K-Dramas. I bet you fucking climaxed when you watch K-Drama couples holding hands after 10 episodes." Jisung stared at him unimpressed once again.

"Oh, fuck you. I don't -"

Jisung cut him off, rubbing his temples. “Can we get back on track here?”

“Sure, go ahead, genius. What’s your grand plan?”

Hyunjin’s brow furrowed as he watched Jisung pace, the man’s words buzzing like an angry fly around his head. “We set up a stage,” Jisung said, stopping abruptly to glare at him, clearly expecting something. 

Hyunjin blinked. “Like... theatre?” he ventured, because Jisung’s face demanded a response, though the words didn’t quite connect in his head. 

Jisung sighed, the kind of sigh that made Hyunjin feel like he was the dumbest person alive. “Like the K-dramas. We act something out for them.” 

Oh. That kind of stage. Hyunjin’s brain perked up slightly, and then stalled again when Jisung added with barely concealed restraint, “You’ve watched a lot of dramas, haven’t you? Aren’t there any particular scenes we can replicate around them?" 

Hyunjin opened his mouth to answer but got distracted by the glint of frustration in Jisung’s eyes. Was he supposed to have an encyclopedic memory of every dramatic kiss scene or melodramatic confrontation he’d ever watched? Probably, knowing Jisung. “Uh, maybe?” he offered weakly, feeling the weight of Jisung’s judgment settle heavily on his chest. 

“Of course.” Jisung’s tone was flat, but the look he shot Hyunjin was enough to burn a hole through him. “Nothing but K-dramas up there, and they still can’t help us.” 

Hyunjin frowned. That wasn’t fair. He could think of something. Probably. If Jisung gave him a second. And stopped making him feel like an idiot. “Give me a minute! I’m not some drama machine!” 

“You could’ve fooled me,” Jisung muttered under his breath. Hyunjin heard it anyway. He always heard it.

Hyunjin leaned back and stared at the ceiling, blinking multiple times when a bug almost hit him in the eyes. They shouldn't have opened the balcony door, damn it. "There are a few but I don't know if you would like it." He said, waving his hands on his eyes to make sure he wouldn't go blind because a bug peed in his eyes.

"What could be worse than your fucking intimacy practice list?" Jisung poked Hyunjin by the side of his head and pushed his face away.

Hyunjin groaned, slapped Jisung's hand away and gave it a thought for a second. It was in their fucking intimacy list and Hyunjin had put It on there as a way to spite Jisung.

"It depends whether you will agree to it or not." He said once he looked up.

Hyunjin barely held back a smirk as Jisung muttered something under his breath 'It cannot be that bad'. Oh, he predicted as much that Jisung would be too proud to admit that he will hate whatever Hyunjin came up with since he suggested it first. It was a chance to fuck with Jisung, so, why the hell not?

But Hyunjin hadn’t expected the immediate regret that followed. He felt it in the awkward silence that stretched between them, the subtle tension in the air. He resisted the urge to glance over his shoulder. Not yet. He wanted to savor this moment, the realization dawning on Jisung that, yes, this was "that" bad.

He stared at the ceiling, feigning nonchalance, but his mind was buzzing. If he tilted his head just slightly, he could catch the faint sound of Jisung shifting behind him, probably blinking up at the ceiling too, trying to piece this mess together. Hyunjin could already imagine the look on Jisung's face—wide-eyed disbelief, mouth slightly open, brow furrowed like the world had personally betrayed him. Maybe in Jisung's head he was trying to make sense of it but no matter how he spun it he was in bed with Hyunjin. Hyunjin was in bed with him.

It sounded stupid any way you put it, even to Hyunjin.

Then came the grumbling. "Is this really necessary? Isn't there anything better than this?"

Hyunjin bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing outright. He rolled onto his side lazily, finally looking over at Jisung. “Oh, you mean like the couch?” he said, voice dripping with mock innocence. “Or the floor? That’d be cozy.” 

Instead of a response, all he got was Jisung wiggling around like a worm. Hyunjin resisted the urge to sigh as he pressed his head more firmly against Jisung’s arm, feigning indifference. "Will you stop squirming around?" he snapped, refusing to turn and meet Jisung's glare. "You said you would do whatever I think of."

Jisung shifted again—dramatically, of course—and Hyunjin could practically feel the irritation radiating off him. "I keep squirming because it's fucking uncomfortable with your head on my arm," Jisung shot back, wiggling pointedly as if to emphasize his suffering. "Why is your head so heavy? It's hurting my arm, and it's so damn hot with you in this blanket." Before Hyunjin could fire back, Jisung sat up in a sudden burst of frustration, throwing the blanket off like it had personally offended him. "I'm not doing this."

Hyunjin turned to face him, biting back a sharp retort as he studied Jisung’s flushed, agitated face. "You said you would do anything to avoid suspicion. We just have to wait until someone comes looking for us and sees us cuddling." he reminded Jisung with a pointed look because Jisung was acting as if Hyunjin was the unreasonable one. "This was on our list too! You agreed to it! So, I don't know why you're fussing."

He paused, watching as Jisung fumed silently, clearly debating whether to start yelling or to sulk. It was almost funny if it weren’t so infuriating. Oh, sure, he’d said he’d do anything to keep their cover, but clearly, he doesn't know what he is talking about. Hyunjin scoffed quietly to himself. What part of cuddling under a blanket is even that big of a deal?

Jisung, meanwhile, looked like he was contemplating throwing himself headfirst into the nightstand, and honestly, Hyunjin wouldn't have been surprised if he did.

"Choose something else," Jisung insisted, crossing his arms defiantly, his ears red. "It's literally one of the mildest ones I can think of. How are we going to pull this off if you can't even stand something so simple? See? This is why I said practice is needed because you can't act for shit and have zero tolerance."

Hyunjin glanced down, catching the faintest twitch in Jisung’s fingers. Something was brewing in that overactive brain of his. He could almost hear the wheels turning. Jisung’s expressions were subtle—annoyingly subtle—but Hyunjin had learned to pick them apart by now. Whatever he was thinking, it was clearly something ridiculous, something Jisung assumed Hyunjin would tease him about. 

And he was probably right. 

He tilted his head, his voice light but baiting. “You’ve got that look again. Spill.” 

Jisung tensed, narrowing his eyes. “What look?” 

“The one that screams, ‘I have a stupid idea, but I’m too scared to tell Hyunjin because he’ll be mean about it.’ That look.”

Jisung rolled his eyes so hard Hyunjin almost thought they might fall out. “First of all, my ideas aren’t stupid,” he snapped, though the defensive edge in his voice only confirmed Hyunjin’s suspicion. 

“Uh-huh.” Hyunjin tightened his grip on Jisung’s hand just enough to keep him from pulling away. “Then why don’t you share it, oh wise one? Enlighten me.” 

“You’re already mocking me, and you don’t even know what it is!” 

Hyunjin grinned. “That’s because you make it so easy.” 

For a second, Jisung didn’t answer, his lips pursed in a way that made Hyunjin’s grin widen. Jisung was definitely holding something back, and now Hyunjin had to know. “What, were you going to suggest we stage a dramatic kiss for the crowd or something?” 

Jisung’s jaw dropped, then snapped shut, his cheeks flushing. “No! And don’t give me that smug look. It wasn’t that!” 

Hyunjin leaned closer, eyes gleaming. “Oh, so there was something.” 

“Forget it,” Jisung muttered, trying to tug his hand free. 

“Nope, too late.” Hyunjin’s smirk turned victorious as he kept his hold firm. “Come on, just tell me. What, were you going for something subtle? Like holding hands and pretending we didn’t notice people staring?” 

Jisung froze, his wide-eyed reaction giving him away instantly. 

“Oh my god.” Hyunjin’s laugh bubbled out before he could stop it. “That was actually it, wasn’t it? You wanted to do some kind of ‘oh no, we’ve been caught being cute’ performance?” 

Jisung groaned, ducking his head as if that might save him from Hyunjin’s teasing. “You’re impossible."
 

“And yet, here you are holding hands with me.” Hyunjin shot him a playful wink. “Admit it, you love my charm.” 

“Charm,” Jisung muttered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "You forced me to hold hands on top of the cuddling because what did you say just now? Ah! 'we can't slack off the practice on the list...so, let's just do a couple of them so we can get over it-"

Hyunjin tilted his head, still grinning like he’d won something. “Alright, alright. So you wanted to do the ‘holding hands and acting oblivious’ thing. That’s cute. We can still do it if you want.” 

Jisung scoffed, pulling his hand away just to cross his arms, though the lingering warmth on Hyunjin’s palm betrayed the gesture. “Not a chance. You already nicked me for it, so now it’s your turn to come up with something, genius.” 

Hyunjin raised an eyebrow, feigning innocence. “Oh, so now I have to do the hard work? You had the idea, Jisung-ah. Don’t punish me just because I found it funny.” 

“You always find me funny,” Jisung retorted, his tone sharp but not sharp enough to hide the little pout forming on his lips. “If I suggest anything else, you’re just going to laugh at that too. So no. You figure it out.” 

Hyunjin hummed thoughtfully, his gaze dropping to Jisung’s arms, still stubbornly crossed. “You’re really that mad about it?” he teased, leaning in closer. “What if I promise to behave this time?” 

“You won’t,” Jisung shot back, deadpan. 

He reached out again, taking Jisung’s hand without waiting for permission, and tugged lightly. “Alright, fine. I’ll come up with something. Just don’t cry when my idea is ten times more embarrassing.” 

Jisung finally looked at him, his brow furrowed like he was weighing whether to let Hyunjin off the hook. “It better not be worse than public karaoke or pretending you tripped and fell into my arms.” 

Hyunjin’s smirk turned wicked. “Oh, those are good ideas. Thanks for the inspiration.” 

Jisung groaned again, “I hate you.” 

“Sure you do and I could only think of a kabedon. Real scandalous stuff, they'd eat it up but I think you would hate that more."

Jisung's confusion was palpable. "Why would I hate that more? Kabedon is just... what, you stick your hand to the wall and I just stand there. There's no skinship. It's much better than whatever this is!"

"Is that so?" Hyunjin's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Then why don't we try now?"

"Sure, give it a go," Jisung said, waving a hand dismissively.

Without a moment's hesitation, Hyunjin slammed his hand against the wall behind Jisung, closing the distance between them with a predatory smirk. "You're saying this isn't worse? At least if we cuddle, you don't need to see my face and I don't need to see your ugly face either."

Jisung narrowed his eyes, his irritation boiling over. "It's much better than holding your warm body. You're like a living hot pack. It's so uncomfortable." With a swift movement, he butt-headed Hyunjin, who yelped and rubbed his forehead in pain.

Hyunjin retaliated with a slap to Jisung's head. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Of course I did, you fool. You deserve it." After that, they erupted into a full-blown scuffle on the bed, limbs flailing and grunts of pain and frustration filling the room. Jisung grabbed Hyunjin's hair, pulling with a vengeance, while Hyunjin retaliated by shoving his fingers up Jisung's nostrils.

They had not been involved in any physical fights since...since the live broadcast incident but what could Hyunjin say about this? Jisung always brought his childish and petty side out.

"Let go..." Jisung wheezed, trying to dislodge Hyunjin's fingers.

"You first!" Hyunjin growled, his voice muffled as they rolled around, each trying to gain the upper hand. On count of three?" Jisung asked in hope for some sort of truce. Hyunjin nodded slowly.

"1"

"2"

"3"

...

None of them let go. "You liar!" Jisung yelled.

"You lied too, you insufferable moron!" They turned and tumbled on the bed until one of them ended on top of each other. It was Jisung who held a pillow above his head to hit Hyunjin. At some point, Jisung even slapped Hyunjin's lips because he talked too much and Hyunjin did the same. A mouth for a mouth, bitch - he said.

"Oh, no you don't." Hyunjin said as he started tickling Jisung to stop him from landing a hit. "Wait-ha! That's not fair." Jisung couldn't control his laughter as Hyunjin held his waist. "The world isn't fair to begin with, Han Jisung. Welcome to the real world."

"Ah, I fucking hate it whenever you say that. What the hell are you? The ambassador for the world? You speak for the world now? Is that what the world is saying that life isn't fair?!?'" Even while he was laughing, he couldn't stop arguing back with Hyunjin. Finally he had enough and slammed both of his hands on the bed. "Enough! You fucking win, ok? I will do your stupid kabedon or cuddling."

Right at that moment, the bedroom door swung open with a creak, and both Jisung and Hyunjin turned their heads in unison toward the sound. Standing there, wide-eyed, was Felix, a box of tarts tumbling from his hands to the floor. "Lunch is read...ah! I—my bad... you may continue?" he stammered, his face turning as red as the strawberries in the tarts.

Felix hiccuped nervously before scurrying away, leaving Jisung painfully aware of the compromising position he was in. He was straddling Hyunjin, his hands on either side of Hyunjin's head, both their lips cherry-red from their slap-fight. To any observer, they looked like they'd just finished a heated make-out session. Their hair was tousled, clothes askew—a sight to behold.

"Well, you wanted real scandalous stuff" Jisung air quoted his words. "Now he's definitely going to tell Jeongin and the rest about our non-existent sex life," Jisung groaned, rolling off Hyunjin and plopping down beside him. "It's your fault,"

"Hey, you don't get to blame me when you're the one on top of me," Hyunjin retorted, propping his head on his hand, elbow sinking into the pillow. Jisung huffed, sitting up and crossing his arms.

Hyunjin smirked, looking far too pleased with himself. "Well, mission accomplished—we delivered what we needed to Felix. Sure, it’s not exactly an ‘oh no, we got caught being cute’ moment. No, no. This is so much better. This is an ‘oh no, we got caught being naughty’ performance. Way more impactful."

He spread his arms like he was presenting a masterpiece. "Because now it’s not just me suffering lifelong trauma courtesy of Minho-hyung and Chan-hyung’s lack of sense of surroundings. Nope! Felix gets to join the club too! Traumatized by us! Absolutely brilliant!"

"Or we looked like we just had a slapping battle, which is exactly what happened," Jisung countered.

"Eh, To-may-to, to-mah-to" Hyunjin shrugged nonchalantly. "Still want to cuddle?"

"Fuck you, no," Jisung shot back, though his resolve wavered. "This is ridiculous," Jisung grumbled, his chest heaving. "Why do we always end up like this?"

Hyunjin, equally out of breath from their tussle, chuckled. "Because you're an idiot who can't follow simple instructions." It wasn't that hard to stay in place and hug each other. It wasn't even as hot as Jisung made it out to be. He was merely exaggerating and it was even quite comfortable since it was cold.

"And you're a sadist who enjoys torturing me," Jisung shot back.

Hyunjin lounged on the bed, his head propped up on one hand as he regarded Jisung with a mockingly serene expression. "Cuddling is not torture, Jisung," Jisung sat by the foot of the bed, grabbing a pillow to hold before his arms crossed defensively. "It is when it's with you."

"Why? Can't resist my royal hotness?" Hyunjin purred, his voice dripping with smugness as he stretched, the motion deliberately slow to show off the ripple of lean muscles under his shirt. His lips curved into a self-satisfied grin that made Jisung roll his eyes so hard he nearly sprained something.

"Please," Jisung scoffed, punctuating it with an exaggerated gag. "I'd pay good money never to witness that again. Watching you pretend you're even remotely charming is physically painful."

Hyunjin arched an eyebrow, clearly unbothered. "Admit it. You can't stand how hot I am."

"Oh, I can't stand something, alright." Jisung crossed his arms, a wicked glint in his eye. "But it's not your imaginary good looks. It's the fact that you think you're hot. That said, I’ll give you credit for one thing in that sentence."

Hyunjin’s grin widened. "Finally, some recognition. What’s that?"

Jisung smirked, already savoring the punchline. "You being a royal. Because you are one, aren't you, princess?"

It took a beat for the insult to click, and when it did, Hyunjin's grin vanished as fast as his dignity had in primary school when the nickname had been born. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath, thoroughly cursed by his own childhood.

.
.
.
.

In the living room, Felix coughed and looked around like he was about to break the nation's secret. "It's a weird time to say this but damn, Jisung must really miss you. I had never seen him so proactive."

Jisung choked on his drink, and Hyunjin reached over to pat his back with exaggerated care. “Oh, he’s always like this when it’s just us,” Hyunjin said, grinning "right, babe?"

Jisung shot him a murderous look, but Felix and Jeongin didn’t seem to notice. Jeongin narrowed his eyes, skeptical. “Just what happened upstairs that Felix came down almost falling down?"

“Oh, nothing dramatic,” Hyunjin said, his tone casual but layered with mischief. “Felix just walked in on a private moment and panicked. Didn’t you, Lix?”

Felix’s ears turned a bright shade of red as everyone turned to him. “I—I didn’t panic!” he stammered. “I just... wasn’t expecting you two- and Jisung to-”

“To what?” Jeongin pressed, his eyes narrowing further.

“—to be on top of Hyunjin!" Felix shrieked, looking anywhere but at Hyunjin and Jisung.

The table fell silent for a heartbeat before chaos erupted.

Jeongin's brows shot up so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline. “On top of Hyunjin?!” he repeated, his tone equal parts scandalized and amused.

Jisung groaned, slamming his hands on the table. “Felix! Seriously?” His voice cracked as he practically combusted on the spot.

Hyunjin, on the other hand, leaned back in his chair, the picture of calm amusement. “Well, it’s not like he’s wrong,” he said with a lazy shrug, his lips curling into a smirk that practically screamed I’m enjoying this too much.

Before anyone could say more, Chan strolled into the room, a plate of food in hand. He glanced around at the chaos, his eyebrows quirking up as he caught the tension in the air. “What’s all this about?” he asked, casually sitting down.

Jeongin snorted, pointing his fork at Jisung. “Apparently, Jisung was on top of Hyunjin upstairs. Felix walked in on it, ran and nearly fell down the stairs.”

Chan froze mid-bite, his eyes darting between Hyunjin’s smug grin and Jisung’s mortified expression. He let out a low whistle, shaking his head. “You guys really know how to live it up, huh?”

Jisung let out a strangled noise, his face turning so red it looked like it might catch fire. “It’s not what it sounds like!” he blurted. “Felix is just being dramatic!”

"I’m not being dramatic!” Felix protested, though his tone betrayed him as he avoided making eye contact. “It was exactly what it looked like!”

Hyunjin chuckled, leaning his elbow on the table and resting his chin on his hand. “Relax, Sungie. Let them think whatever they want. It’s not like we’ve got anything to hide... right?” His voice was as smooth as silk, but his eyes gleamed with mischief.

Jisung glared at him, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I swear to God, Hyunjin, I will end you.”

Seungmin, who had been quietly eating his food, finally spoke up with a deadpan expression. “I don’t even want to know. I’m just here for the food.” He took another bite, clearly trying to avoid getting tangled up in the chaos.

Changbin, who had been silently observing, let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “It’s always a mess when you two are involved,” he said, voice tinged with amusement but also a touch of disbelief. “But seriously, we don’t need the details.”

Minho, who had been unusually quiet up until now, shifted in his seat. Hyunjin caught a brief glance between Minho and Jisung, and suddenly it clicked—Minho was uncomfortable. He wasn’t used to hearing about his best friend in situations like this. Normally so stoic and collected, Minho looked like he was trying to vanish into his chair, his hands gripping his drink a little tighter than usual.

Hyunjin smirked but kept it to himself, not wanting to make things worse. He glanced over at Jeongin, who was still watching them like a hawk. It's like he's the wall of china. How were his walls still up after all of that acting?!

Whatever, at least, Hyunjin thought their damage control was pretty decent and Jisung was practically combusting, which was a great addition. Even if he didn't get to drink his morning tea, he got his revenge.

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I apologise again for not updating quickly!!! You know how it goes, I'm way too busy and my creative juice could only go so far.

I hope you had fun reading this! Make sure to leave comments and vote 🥰 - Hunny