- Camp Zerobaseone Part 2 -
You'd think with how soon their debut was approaching, Taerae's mind would be completely focused on that. However, lately there was something, or more truthfully, someone who had been stuck in his head.
He had heard people refer to Gunwook as a flirt, so he didn't want to overthink their interactions, but there just seemed to be more to it than that. Although, Taerae was completely new to the concept of being flirted with, and he had no idea whether he was picking up the right signals or not. There was a strong possibility that Gunwook's flirting meant nothing. All of the logical sense in him, was telling him to brush it off as an element of Gunwook's charming character, but there was just this feeling in his gut he couldn't ignore.
It was as if every time he saw Gunwook, the boy flirted with him. He couldn't quite understand why he was constantly complimenting his looks, bigging up his skills, and being way more touchy feely than he is with the other member. It made him feel weird. Not that bad kind of weird, more like the uncomfortable kind of weird. Like when Gunwook wiped a fallen eyelash off his cheek, and he felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest. Things like that happened all the time; the fluttery feelings in his stomach, the warm flush of his cheeks, the way he couldn't talk without stuttering.
Even today, on their way to film content for Camp Zerobaseone, Gunwook had swapped seats with Hao in the car, just to sit next to Taerae. When he asked why he did it, Gunwook said 'I feel most comfortable with you hyung', then he lent his head on his shoulder and took a nap. Most people wouldn't have thought much about it, but with how often Gunwook did things like this, it just added to Taerae's confusion.
"Ugh we were so close, where do you think they're gonna send us now?"
"I don't know, but it better not be the boys planet dorms."
Their filming for Camp Zerobaseone had just ended for the day, after Gyuvin had failed to get the wheel to land on ZB1's panel. Matthew was discussing with Taerae about where they were going to go, since their dreams of going to Jeju-do had gone out the window.
"Hey hyung, I'm starving, let's go eat something!" Gunwook suddenly appears, throwing his arm over Taerae's shoulder enthusiastically.
"Sure..." Taerae mumbles nervously, due to Gunwook's close proximity. He couldn't say no, but he definitely didn't want to be alone with Gunwook, so he casts a desperate gaze on Matthew. "Lets eat together."
"Oh I was actually meant to be eating with Hanbin, but I'll come next time." Matthew replies, waving before running off to presumably find Hanbin.
"Looks like it's just us." Gunwook smirks.
The last thing Taerae wanted, was to be awkward with one of his members. So he wasn't going to avoid Gunwook just because of his flirting. I'll get used to it eventually, he tells himself. Exposure therapy was the best course of action to get rid of these weird feelings.
It didn't take long for the two to decide where they wanted to eat. There was this really good restaurant, not too far from their dorms, that all of the members went to regularly. Taerae was actually super hungry aswell, and considering they had practice scheduled for this evening, he wanted to eat to regain some energy.
As he pulls out his chair, he hears Gunwook huff loudly. "What are you doing? Sit next to me." Taerae gulps, and sheepishly tucks the chair back under the table. He walks around to the other side, feeling himself pulled into his seat by Gunwook. Without a second to settle, he suddenly finds the boy leaning into the crook of his neck. "Wow you smell really good today hyung. What are you wearing?"
"The same stuff as usual." Taerae lets out an awkward chuckle, shuffling to the edge of his seat.
He hears a laugh come from Gunwook, that almost sounded too proud to just be meaningless flirting. "I'll order a lot today since you're paying." Gunwook chirps as he picks up the menu.
"Huh? When did I say that?"
"You don't have to say it. I know you'll pay because I'm your favorite."
Well he wasn't too sure about that, but he didn't mind paying. It was basically a requirement of eating with someone younger than you. Plus, the food at this restaurant wasn't too expensive, so he let Gunwook order as much as he liked. He always enjoyed seeing the younger members eat well, especially Gunwook, because his smile was so cute whenever he'd get excited over food.
"How are you finding practice?" Gunwook asks, shoveling a chunk of pork belly into his mouth.
"I'm worried I'm lacking too much in my dancing. I don't want to make our group look bad." He knew his strong point was singing, but to be an idol, everyone expects you to be good at everything. If his dancing wasn't perfect, then he'd be picked apart by netizens. Which would only bring negative attention to ZB1.
Gunwook was still in the process of chewing when he answers. "You've improved so much already hyung, seriously, I've been so impressed with you."
"Thanks, but I can't take all of the credit, you've helped me a lot. I hope I've not been too much of a burden-"
"Never say that again hyung." Gunwook's expression suddenly turns serious. "What's good about being in a team, if we can't help each other? Using the support system around you doesn't make you a burden, it's make you resourceful."
"I guess you're right-"
"You should trust me hyung, I'm wise for my age." Gunwook loosens up again with a chuckle. Turning to the table, he uses his chopsticks to pluck up a piece of pork belly, and plants it on Taerae's plate. "Now eat up."
"Who's the hyung here? I'm the one who should be telling you that." Taerae wears an amused smile as he watches Gunwook put another piece on his plate.
"You're so cute, if I don't look after you, then someone else will, and I'm not just going to let you be snatched away from me."
There it was again, the overly bold flirting that turned Taerae's cheeks a bright shade of pink. Was he really reading this wrong, because that sounded like something someone in a relationship would say. He felt like he was going insane trying to decipher Gunwook's words and actions. Sure he was a flirt, but if he only acted this way towards him, then there had to be something more to it. It kind of hurt to imagine it all being meaningless, but that was another feeling he didn't understand.
____
Tonight's practice left Taerae exhausted, so he didn't hesitate to head home once it ended. Some of his group mates hung back to practice more, and usually Taerae would do the same, but he could feel how badly his body needed rest. He always had his health in the forefront of his mind, of course ze_rose would want to see amazing performances, but they would also want him to be healthy. He knew that if he got some rest, he'd be able to come back more energized tomorrow, and give his 100%.
Back at the dorm, Taerae took a nice long shower and did his skin care routine. He got into his favorite casual and comfy clothes, then grabbed a glass of water before settling down in his room. Although he'd had a long day, he wasn't feeling that sleepy, so he decided to spend some time scrolling through twitter. He enjoyed seeing the excited tweets from ze_rose about their debut, and checking up on the fandom's inside jokes. As he was laughing at one of the tweets, he hears a knock at his door. He wasn't sure who it was, as he didn't know which members had come home yet. He assumed it was probably Gyuvin though, since the boy had been coming to him for advice a lot lately. Dropping his phone onto the bed, Taerae walks over to the door, and before he can even open it properly, someone pushes their way in.
"Where's Hao hyung?" Gunwook asks, immediately throwing himself onto Taerae's bed.
It was actually shocking that he hadn't considered the person to be Gunwook, when the boy had been glued to him all day. "Maybe still at practice." Taerae replies. "Why are you looking for Hao hyung?"
"Oh I'm not, I was just wondering where he was." Gunwook sits up, and taps the spot beside him. "I'm here for the other roommate."
"Of course you are." Taerae scoffs playfully and ambles over, leaving a big gap between the two of them. Unfortunately, Gunwook doesn't let that gap stay for long, as he quickly scoots over with the biggest grin on his face. Obviously Taerae gets a bit flustered, but instead of moving away, he just flops back onto the bed, hoping to calm himself down by staring at the ceiling.
"Are you tired?"
To no surprise, he feels the bed dip beside him, but he doesn't take his eyes off the ceiling. Although, he can feel a pair of eyes burning through the side of his head. "With how much we practiced I should be." He chuckles depressingly.
"Same, I can't sleep." He hears Gunwook sigh heavily. "I think the pressure is getting to me at the moment, but that's why I'm glad I have you hyung. I just feel peaceful when I'm with you."
It was strange how little Gunwook needed to say to make him smile. Taerae had always wanted to be considered a reliable person; he wanted people to depend on him. This road ahead was going to be tough for them all, so he wanted his members to feel comfortable around him, and to hear that Gunwook was, made him really happy.
He wasn't sure if it was by accident, but he feels Gunwook's hand graze his own, and his heart instantly starts to race. Possibly his mind already knew what was about to happen, but to his own astonishment, he doesn't move his hand away. A few seconds pass with no movement, though he can hear Gunwook's breath become heavier. Slowly he feels a hand crawl over his, intertwining their fingers, in a way that couldn't have felt more natural.
Taerae didn't know what he was thinking, surely he should have smacked Gunwook's hand away. This was clearly another attempt at flirting that he shouldn't have been encouraging. However, he couldn't deny how much he liked the feeling of holding Gunwook's hand. This whole time he'd kept his gaze on the ceiling, but he suddenly felt the urge to turn to Gunwook. He didn't expect the boy to still be looking at him, so when he turns, he finds their faces only inches away from each other.
"What do you think of me hyung?"
Taerae gulps, caught slightly off guard by that question, he didn't know how to answer. "You make me feel nervous."
"In a good way?"
"I don't know."
The room falls into silence, as they stare into each other's eyes. It was the first time he could tell Gunwook was dissecting his words too, the same way he did with each one of their interactions. Taerae had no idea what was going on, he'd never felt this way around Gunwook before. The heavy atmosphere that surrounded them, locked him in this moment. Like the world had stopped spinning, like the sun would never rise, as if the only thing that mattered was the person right in front of him. He couldn't bring himself to move, or look anywhere else, and as Gunwook leaned forward, he simply shut his eyes.
He feels Gunwook grasp his chin gently and pull him into a kiss, but it only lasts a couple seconds, before he pulls away. "How about now?"
It may have been curiosity, or the result of being swept away in the moment, but Taerae grabs the back of Gunwook's neck and smashes their lips together. Immediately, his fingers get tangled in Gunwook's hair, as he feels the boys hands snake around his waist. The kiss went on for a considerably longer amount of time than the first, and when they do eventually pull away, they both just lie there trying to catch their breaths.
"I'll take that as my answer."
Was it normal to feel this shy after kissing someone? Taerae knew how pink his cheeks probably were, so he rolls onto Gunwook's chest, and buries his face into the boys hoodie. He feels one of Gunwook's hands stoke the back of head, and the other trace up and down his spine. It actually helped him calm down a lot.
"Does this mean you like me hyung?" Gunwook chuckles, and Taerae just lets out an embarrassed hum. "If you don't answer me, I'll think that you don't."
A spike of panic shoots through him, causing him to snap his head up, but he hesitates to speak. This was all so confusing for him. "I don't understand my feelings completely yet, can you give me a bit of time?"
"Take as much time as you need, but while you're trying to figure that out, can we cuddle?"
Now that was something he could easily agree too. With a little nod, he curls up at Gunwook's side, as the boy wraps his arms around him and plants a soft kiss at the top of his head. Turns out Gunwook's flirting did mean something after all, and he couldn't have been more happy about it.