Work Text:
please note that this is set in 2016, before bin discovered his talent for writing poetry, that's why he was frustrated to express himself in some parts.
Rain poured heavily, drenching the streets, colorful umbrellas making it look like a summer parade, except that it was almost winter.
November was getting to its end, however, the weather hadn't turned completely cold, the warm colors of autumn clothes haven't given place to winter's dark coats yet.
That was not the case in that small practice room in Fantagio's building though, it was so hot in there, the air so humid that the mirrors turned all blurry, even with the AC on, the result of 6 boys' nonstop dancing for hours and hours with no foreseeable end.
The members of Astro had just finished promoting their third mini-album; Autumn Story, and were preparing for various performances as follow-up activities, discussing with the management about their upcoming events.
The boys dropped down right after the song ended, too exhausted to even lift a finger. No voice was heard other than their heavy breathing, until a low groan was heard, "Food..", Minhyuk barely moved his lips.
They started sitting up slowly, like a bunch of zombies coming back from the dead.
Towels and bottled water were circulated between the members as they relaxed and discussed what to order for dinner, it was nearing 6 pm, so they decided to order dinner, have two more rounds of practice then call it a day.
Jinwoo was placing their order when the door opened, revealing none other than their manager; Noh Taeyoon. They barely reacted, used to him checking on them every now and then, he stood at the door and called out for Bin, "You're excused from the rest of practice today, Bin. Go home, shower, and have a change of clothes and I'll fetch you again." He ordered.
The boys exchanged worried looks, was Bin in trouble?
"Hyung, is something wrong? Where are we going?" Bin questioned, barely able to conceal the worry in his voice.
"No, everything is ok. Your parents want to have dinner with you tonight." The manager explained, only to have the boys be more confused. They were allowed to go home on their vacation days only, never did their parents ask for them, and if they ever did, the company wouldn't agree so easily, unless.."Are they fine? Is Sua ok?" It was Jinwoo who voiced their concerns.
"You don't need to worry. Come on Bin, let's go." It wasn't like their manager to leave them in the dark either, the man was more of a friend or an older brother than an authority representative, he always made sure the boys' voices were heard and their opinions are respected.
Bin gathered his stuff in his back bag, anxious and confused, he gave one last glance to his team before heading out.
Moon Bin was raised with love and affection. Lots and lots of them. You could see that in the way he cared for those close to him, even the look in his eyes, full of fondness, expressing his love and admiration often. Sure, he teased the people he loved, acted like a brat around them sometimes, but that was his own way of expressing his heart.
He took after his parents, who showered him and his sister with love and stopped at nothing to make their lives easier. That's exactly what they did that night; they cared for Bin like they always did, prepared his favorite dishes, and joked around with him the whole time. He couldn't shake the worry off his system though, sure there was a reason behind this visit and they avoided talking about it.
It wasn't until they sat down in the living room with desserts that he decided to ask.
His mother sighed, looking at her hands, obviously avoiding his eyes. His father decided to take matters into his hands and started talking.
"Bin-ah, you know we always follow your activities, right?" Bin nodded hesitantly, "It's because we love you and we will always support you, of course, but it's also to keep an eye on your behavior."
"Excuse me?" Bin was getting annoyed, so they called him over to lecture him about something he did on TV. His parents never did that before, but there's a first time for everything.
"Listen, son. It's not what you think. We were waiting for signs that you're... that you have..." His father trailed off, looking at his wife helplessly.
"Bin. My dear son. How are you able to identify your bandmates through their smell?" His mother's voice was steady, but her hands were shaking, and Bin felt bad for them.
"I don't know, they just smell different to me." Bin said, not able to guess where the conversation was going.
"Did you ever meet anyone who was able to do the same?" His mother asked again.
"No, but I've always had better olfactory senses since I was young."
His friends always joked around saying that he was a puppy, smelling his food before eating it, and claiming it will rain before there was a single cloud in the sky.
"Right. We noticed." His father commented with a grimace.
"I don't understand, I thought dad had a sensitive nose too, I thought I inherited a gene from him or something." Bin said. "You did, probably." His mom continued. "How did you describe your friends' scent? Can you tell me how do they smell like?"
"It's easy, they are so different from each other. MJ hyung smells like green tea-"
"How, Binnie? How does he smell like green tea?" His dad asked anxiously. "Does he drink lots of it? Do you associate him with the scent?"
"Uh.. no?" It came out as a question, he had a hard time translating his thoughts into words, "He doesn't smell like a cup of green tea, he smells like the essence of the drink, like the freshness of it, almost like I'm sitting in a grass field with the sun shining on me." His parents exchanged looks. "What about Sanha? How does Sanha smell like?"
Bin sighed, he didn't know where they were going with this, he knew that there was something they needed to tell him, and they needed him to cooperate, so he did.
"Like baby powder, and no, he doesn't use baby powder, his scent feels like I'm hugging a newborn, nuzzling their tummy. He smells.. innocent? If that's an acceptable way to describe a scent." He breathed heavily, frustrated. Bin wasn't one for poems and pretty words, he was straightforward and blunt, however, there was no way to be blunt about this. There were no words to explain the scent.
His mother nodded. "And Eunwoo? What about Eunwoo?" His father added; "You said he has no smell, right?"
Bin's cheeks gained a rosy hue. How does he tell his parents that Eunwoo smelt like home? Like his other half? Like the person he wants to spend the rest of his life with, when he was barely even an adult. How does one even smell like that?
Bin wasn't even out to his parents yet, he knew he was bisexual from a young age, but his parents didn't. He had a small insignificant crush on Dongmin the moment he laid eyes on the other boy, chubby cheeks red from embarrassment, he knew nothing as a new trainee in his first day, surrounded by those who had years of experience, before he became Eunwoo, the charismatic visual with no lacking points. His crush grew with time, and now that they were inseparable, his crush wasn't a crush anymore, he was in love with his best friend who didn't even know of his sexual orientation. So how was he supposed to tell his parents what Eunwoo smelt like without confessing all of that?
"He... he has a scent that I can't describe, so I thought it was easier to say he has no smell at all." That was a safe response. Now his parents won't be able to ask questions that might expose his feelings.
"Let me guess, does he smell like coming home after a long tiring day?" Bin's face paled at his father's words, but the man wasn't done yet, "His scent is probably very comforting, it calms you when you are anxious. Does his scent help you sleep? You might want to try sleeping beside him when you can't sleep.. you probably did that already. Who am I kidding." His father chuckled, and when he saw Bin's terrified face he reached over to pat his knee.
"It's alright, Binnie." His mom whispered, running her hand through his hair and patting his head gently. "As we said before; we will always support you no matter the path you chose. Our support isn't career-limited."
Bin felt his body relaxing slowly, comforted by his mother's words. "Thank you," he whispered, "but how did you know?"
"Because you were right, you got my genes. I don't know what to call this whole thing. Dumb superpowers? Soulmates? The name doesn't matter, we have to live with it anyway." His dad explained, his words not helping Bin in the slightest.
"I'm... I'm not following." There was a storm in Bin's mind. He couldn't untangle the web of thoughts in his head. He was kind of scared to do so.
"I'm saying that I feel the same way about your mother," He reached for her hand, holding it tightly, "I'm saying that Eunwoo is your soulmate, Bin."
Bin gaped. The storm disappeared. His mind was completely blank.
"Wait a second! Wait a damn second!" His parents ignored his choice of words, that wasn't the time for discipline, "So just because he smells different now he is my soulmate? Dad, tell me, do you spend your free time reading fan fiction? Or is this some kind of a prank? Did Sua figure out my feelings for Dongmin and you're pulling a joint prank?" Bin yelled. He was thankful for his parents' acceptance of who he likes, but such a cruel prank was not cool of them.
"Bin. Just.. calm down and let us explain, ok?" His mom ordered in a stern voice.
After a couple of hours and a pretty lengthy explanation, Bin returned to the dorm. He was still shaken from the revelation.
He wasn't the person to carry a lot of secrets. He was honest and didn't like hiding. He had enough trouble hiding his feelings for Eunwoo, and he was pretty sure Jinwoo - at least- knows. Such a huge addition to his secret was burdening, and he felt his shoulders sagging.
After a quick shower later he climbed to his bunk, careful to not make a noise. Settling in, he thought of Eunwoo and how this will definitely change their relationship, for better or for worse he couldn't know, he drowned in his thoughts for hours till he fell asleep.
Bin managed to avoid awkward questions for three days, a record, when he lives and works with the same people who are dying to ask. "It's nothing." or "They just wanted to talk." were the short evasive answers he gave, before running to hide in the bathroom, or pretending to receive a phone call.
Jinwoo and Minhyuk cornered him on the fourth day, not letting him run away again no matter the excuses he tried to give.
"It's about Eunwoo hyung, isn't it?" Bin froze, the smile on his face turning icy as he turned to Minhyuk, "What about him?"
Bin thought Jinwoo guessed something, he never thought Minhyuk was observant enough to notice.
"Do they know? Did they notice something? Did they give you trouble for it?" Jinwoo stood silently while Minhyuk fired questions at Bin, and when he opened his mouth to answer, or avoid answering, his eyes met with Eunwoo's who had just rounded the corner, no more than two meters away from them. His eyes widened, how much did Eunwoo catch exactly?
"I don't know what you're talking about." He directed his words to Minhyuk, then turned to Eunwoo, "Hey Eunwoo, done with the meeting?" He slipped away from Jinwoo and Minhyuk, plastering a smile on his face and latching onto Eunwoo's arm. He ignored the boy's suspicious look and led him to the company's cafeteria, the most crowded part of the building, where he is sure his best friend wouldn't dare to ask questions.
He should have known that Eunwoo wouldn't let him get away easily.
That same night after they were done with practice, exhausted and almost sleepwalking, Eunwoo took a detour to the nearest convenience store.
By the time he was home Bin was already in bed, reading the latest update of his favorite webtoon. He was engulfed by the story, not giving much thought to the rest of the members getting ready for bed, until he heard the door to his and Eunwoo's room being shut, the click of the lock too loud in the silent room. He stopped breathing when he felt the bed shake a little under Eunwoo's weight, Eunwoo who was climbing the ladder to Bin's bed. Bin couldn't even pretend to be asleep, his phone illuminated his open eyes and by the time he looked up, he was face to face with a smiling Eunwoo.
"Hey, Binnie." He was so pretty. Even tired, just out of the shower Eunwoo was prettier than anyone Bin has ever seen in his entire life.
Bin resigned to his fate, "Hi." He took a deep breath, regretting it immediately as Eunwoo's scent filled his senses and he was reminded of why he was avoiding confrontation in the first place.
"Why are you drinking coffee at this hour? You won't be able to sleep." He pretended like his heart wasn't trying to break out of his ribcage.
"That's the point." Eunwoo smiled sweetly, pushing the large cup towards Bin, "We will share this, so neither I nor you will sleep until this conversation is over." Bin tried to speak, to deny there was anything to converse about, when Eunwoo interrupted him, "And I'll be the one to decide when it's over."
Sometimes, Bin thought, sometimes Eunwoo's smile was scary.
Bin sat up, he grabbed the cup from Eunwoo's hand, if he will be dealing with this, he will definitely need to be caffeinated.
"So," Eunwoo started, "what did your parents find out?"
"What?"
"Rocky was worried your parents knew something they shouldn't, is it something that I don't know either?"
Bin had half a mind to stick to his original plan and keep denying everything, but then what? There will come a day when he will tell Eunwoo, why can't it be today?
He looked at Eunwoo, the boy usually beat around the bush, was never blunt or direct, he didn't prod his friends' personal lives, never asked for more info than they gave him. Him sitting there, literally forcing Bin to talk was enough indication of how worried he was.
"Jinjin hyung and Rocky don't know anything. They guessed."
"Did they guess right?" Eunwoo looked more relaxed, and Bin thought it must be the relief of knowing he wasn't the only one in the shadows, that Bin didn't confide in them and leave him, his best friend, out.
"Kind of?" He had to think of every word before saying it. "They guessed half of the truth."
"Which is?"
They sat in silence for a while, Bin thinking of how he should put his thoughts into words, and Eunwoo sipping at his coffee slowly.
He didn't repeat his question. "If... if you don't want to talk... it's okay... I was just worried. I don't want to force you." He sounded embarrassed.
"No!" Bin almost yelled. "I was thinking of how to say it. I want to tell you. I would have told you even if you didn't come to me. Maybe not soon, but I would."
Eunwoo let a small smile adorn his lips, looking more relaxed now that he was sure Bin wasn't hiding a secret from him specifically.
"Alright. Take your time." He put his hand on Bin's knee in a comforting gesture.
"The part they guessed is the easier part. You know I had a girlfriend back in middle school, right?"
Eunwoo retracted his hand, "Yeah. Are you back together?"
Bin wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him or was Eunwoo annoyed.
"No." He took a deep breath, subconsciously leaning into Eunwoo's personal space to have more of his scent. "She wasn't my only relationship like I told you. There was someone else in my first year of high school. We broke up right before you joined the company."
"And?" Eunwoo was smart enough to know that wasn't the point.
"Um.. that one.. wasn't with a girl." He avoided his best friend's eyes. "I'm bisexual."
It's not that he didn't trust Eunwoo, or that he thought Eunwoo might be homophobic, cause he knows him like the back of his hand. It was the implication that all of Bin's fascination with Eunwoo might be more than platonic. He was embarrassed.
"Ok." Eunwoo patted his shoulder, "Thank you for telling me, even though I technically forced you to." He giggled.
He giggled, and Bin's heart cartwheeled in his chest.
"You didn't. I wanted to tell you." He smiled softly, finally meeting Eunwoo's eyes. An unexplainable warmth filling him.
Eunwoo was his best friend, first and foremost. He was an amazing person who made mistakes like any other human being, and he always acknowledged his mistakes and apologized after. He was a 19 years old boy, learning how to deal with life, together with Bin. And as per his parents' words, they will continue to be together for a very long time.
"Also there's this embarrassing ability of mine," His cheeks gained more color as hr thought of his next words.
"Your sense of smell?" Eunwoo asked, and Bin was surprised that was the first thing he thought of. But it wasn't like Bin possessed a lot of abnormal abilities anyway.
"Yeah... My parents said... They said you are supposed to have one too."
"Me? Why? But my nose is normal though?" He scrunched his nose, and Bin fought to not swoon at how adorable he was.
"Not the same ability. Something similar. And.. it should be related to me."
Now Bin was delving into the crazy stuff. He didn't blame Eunwoo for looking lost.
"They said our brains are connected in a way I don't understand, I don't think they do either, to be honest. That my brain developed a way to recognize you by your scent, and your brain should have developed a way to recognize me too, maybe you didn't discover it yet."
At this point Bin had lost every ounce of embarrassment in his body, maybe it skyrocketed to the point it vanished completely, or maybe it was Eunwoo's interested reaction. He didn't laugh, he genuinely believed Bin and his parents, he was trying to understand. He was so precious.
"But you said I don't have a scent, how do you recognize me?" Eunwoo inquired.
Bin shall be damned if he let Eunwoo know how he smelt to him. There was no way in hell he would admit that out loud.
"You have a unique scent. I can't describe it. It's just you." He played safe.
"Wow. You never told me."
"There's no point when you would be curious and I wouldn't know how to explain."
"You are right." Eunwoo sat in silence, trying to comprehend the situation. "But I don't think I have anything special though. Isn't it supposed to be one of the five senses?"
Bin nodded.
"You don't smell different to me, you don't look different too, and I'm not gonna bite you to know but I bet you don't taste different too. Maybe your voice? I like your voice but I don't think it's that. And I don't feel anything weird when I touch you. What could it be?" Eunwoo was deep in thought, not aware that the sky he built for Bin when he talked about his voice crashed on him when he talked about touching.
"But why me?" He wasn't done questioning Bin yet.
"I don't know." Bin chickened out. "They knew when they watched our episode in weekly idol, because dad has the same ability."
He won't tell Eunwoo they are soulmates yet. It's too much for one sitting.
"How about we sleep now and think of possibilities later? It's late and we have to wake up early tomorrow." Bin suggested. He knew the more Eunwoo thought about it the more questions he will ask, and Eunwoo was a smart guy, he will get it sooner or later, so he wanted to buy some time before the bomb was dropped.
Eunwoo agreed, moving to go back to his own bed, in a sudden surge of panic, Bin held onto his arm, keeping him in his place.
Eunwoo looked at him quizzically and Bin's face almost caught on fire.
"Can't you sleep here tonight?"
They shared a bed every once in a while, the bed usually being Eunwoo's bed as it was easily accessible. It usually happened when one of them had trouble sleeping, the other would offer mindless conversations until they both fell asleep.
Today, it felt different.
Eunwoo blushed a pretty pink. "Yeah, why not." He dropped the empty coffee cup into the trash can and slipped under the covers, beside Bin, who waited eagerly for his friend to settle so he could lean his forehead onto the back of Eunwoo's head like he always did, nesting into his favorite place in the world.
"Your scent," Bin whispered when he was almost sure Eunwoo was sleeping. "calms me. You don't know how hard it is to fall asleep without you by my side."
If Eunwoo was awake, if he heard what Bin said, Bin doesn't need to know that.
It took them a whopping three months to figure out Eunwoo's ability.
A whole three months of Eunwoo suggesting the most bizarre stuff, and Bin trying to survive through all of his trials. He had to bear with Eunwoo smelling him randomly every now and then, because "Maybe we need to trigger it.", Eunwoo holding his hand, hugging him, being overly cuddly, because "I've always been touchy, I'm pretty sure it's related to my sense of touch!". No one needs to know he tried to lick Bin when he thought he was sleeping, just to make sure it's not his taste bud
Three months of Bin suffering.
On the bright side, now that Eunwoo knew of Bin's sense of smell and how much it affected him, and of how it's related to him, he was unbelievably cooperative. He offered they sleep together every other day, he didn't shy away from Bin's touch when he leaned way too close to him, and he gave the brightest smiles every time someone mentioned Bin's ability. He gave Bin the longest hugs, Bin would dare call them embraces, and let him bury his nose in the crook of his neck.
Life couldn't be perfect though, right? The disadvantage came in the form of a certain cheeky rap line. Both small boys were always giving them knowing smirks, winking at them, and arranging so they could have a lot of alone time. Eunwoo had no idea what was going on, and Bin pretended to be confused, but he knew their friends thought they were together now, what with the way Eunwoo was acting and Bin's blush never fading away. They made it clear that they knew about Bin's feelings towards Eunwoo earlier when they talked to him. He wasn't dumb, but maybe they were.
It was also them who, unknowingly, pushed Eunwoo to figure out his ability.
Spring was leaving with all its beautiful flowers and not-so-beautiful allergies, and summer was almost here. The weather wasn't so bad, however, the heat waves were unbearable.
"Sanha please get away from me," Eunwoo whined, pushing the lanky body of their maknae who was leaning against his shoulder. "It's so hot, I can't breath."
"I feel like a slice of steak, sizzling in the heat." Jinwoo claimed, to which Myungjun recounted with "You just love steak, don't you?"
Five minutes later saw both of them at the door, going out to eat steak.
"Jinjin hyung, can you get us bubble tea and ice cream on your way back?" Bin asked, getting out of the bathroom, flopping down on the couch to rest his head against Eunwoo's thigh. "I just showered but I'm sweating already."
Eunwoo's hand delved in Bin's hair automatically, combing through it as he watched the movie playing on TV.
"Ok, I will." Jinwoo muttered, slipping his shoes on. "So now you can breathe alright, Eunwoo? I see how it is."
Minhyuk snorted as the door closed behind the two oldest, "As if he is capable of rejecting Bin hyung," he teased, "you claim his natural body heat helps with winter's cold, so does he have a built-in AC for summer too?"
Minhyuk was having the time of his life, watching a blush spreading across Eunwoo's cheeks, before a loud gasp was heard and all traces of the embarrassed boy were gone, replaced by excitement and happiness. Eunwoo pulled a confused Bin by the hand to their room, shouting a "Thanks Rocky!" before locking the door.
Once they were locked in their shared room, away from the surprised and curious gazes of the maknae line, Eunwoo turned to Bin with the biggest smile on his face, ''I figured it out!''
Whatever the 'it' Eunwoo was talking about, Bin vowed to love it. He would love anything that makes Eunwoo this happy.
"What? What did you figure out?"
"That ability! It's really my sense of touch! I told you!" Eunwoo was jumping up and down in excitement, and Bin couldn't help the smile sneaking onto his face. How on earth was he scared of Eunwoo's reaction when he's such a sweet munchkin?
Oh, right. He doesn't know the whole truth, yet.
"What is it?" He said with a small smile.
"It's body heat!" Eunwoo exclaimed. "It was always there but we didn't notice. You know how I'm always cold in winter and no amount of clothes or heat packs is enough to warm me up, but-" His cheeks were colored in a pretty pink. He swallowed before continuing. "But it takes you just one hug or I can even lean against your shoulder and I'd be fine!"
Bin's heart was thumping in his chest. "Yeah, but body heat is known to be the best-"
"No wait I'm not finished!" Eunwoo held onto his arms so Bin stopped talking. "Yes. Body heat is the best-known way to warm someone up, and you always run hot, I know. But it happens in summer too! If it was like anyone else then I'm supposed to run away from you in summer. Your body is supposed to be too hot to touch, however, you're not. Just now, out there, when you were showering, Sanha had his head on my shoulder and it felt like fire, I couldn't take it for more than five seconds, but when you did the same thing I was more than fine. And that's always the case. My body always adjusts to yours. Like... like puzzle pieces!"
Bin was about to pass out. He agreed with Eunwoo, but seeing the boy he likes- loves using such intimate words about them wasn't good for his heart. Eunwoo, breathless with excitement, did dangerous things to his heart.
Like puzzle pieces. Bin would think of his words for a very long time.
He nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think you're right."
"Right? This is so exciting! Does it work the other way around too? Do you hate cuddling in summer?"
Bin pulled him into a hug, wrapping his arms around his body tightly. He could feel Eunwoo's smile on his neck. The boy returning the hug and relaxing into Bin's body. He borrowed his nose in the juncture between Eunwoo's neck and shoulder, breathing his scent in. It did wonders to his nerve system. He felt his own body going back to normal after the burst of anxiety it went through. Eunwoo's hands rubbing his back slowly must have helped.
"Binnie, you ok?" Eunwoo whispered softly.
"Yeah, I'm just a little overwhelmed."
They stood in each other's embrace for a while. Bin pulled away first. "I think we should call my parents."
Eunwoo nodded silently.
After the apprehension Bin's parents dealt with the whole issue with at first, they were pretty cool. They didn't pressure him to talk to Eunwoo, asked about him every once in a while to give their son an opening to talk if he wanted to. Sometimes Bin did, sometimes he had questions, other times he just wanted to vent and he had no one else to talk to. They always listened. His father giving better advice, probably because he went through the exact same process.
However, Bin realized he should have called his mother, he really should have called his mother.
After exchanging pleasantries, they told his father, and thankfully he knew someone else who had the same ability, so they knew they weren't hallucinating. He was happy they figured things out, and the call almost ended nicely, keyword being almost.
Eunwoo asked abruptly, "If you don't mind me asking, who shares their ability with you, Mr. Moon?"
The man was so joyous answering him, "My wife of course. Why would I marry someone other than my soulmate?" He chuckled.
"Dad!!" Bin screamed.
"Soulmate?" Eunwoo asked.
"Uh. I have work, boys. Talk to you later."
"Binnie?"
Bin sat there, looking at his beeping phone. His dad just throw him under the bus and ran away, what kind of a father did that?
Eunwoo touched his hand gently. "What are you not telling me, Binnie?"
Bin's heart ached, hearing Eunwoo's soft melodic voice coaxing him to talk, to explain the whole situation. It opened his eyes to the fact that it's not his situation, he's not in this alone. It's Eunwoo's as much as it's his. He had the right to know all the details whether Bin liked it or not.
So he talked. He told him everything he knew from his parents; how there was only a handful of people like them in the world, that it didn't affect anything else in their life, that it's the result of a malfunctioning gene that Eunwoo must have inherited so there was someone else in his family who had the same story, whether they realized it or not. He told him that it's his choice, that if he wanted to walk away from Bin any second no one will stop him. They were soulmates, yes, but there were no consequences, only better understanding and intense emotions, like a boost to their relationship - if there will ever be one- to be better and healthier than most relationships. He recited, word to word, why they shouldn't talk about it, how they fear authorities reaction, which will hurt them, surely.
Eunwoo listened with rapt attention, his hand still holding his. "Why didn't you tell me all of this back when we first talked?"
"I was scared of your reaction. And I thought you will have more questions, but you took everything in stride. Not that this is an excuse. I should have told you. I'm sorry."
"Because I trust you." Bin winced. That hurt. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
Bin thought about just confessing and getting it over with, but the look on Eunwoo's face told him that's not the right time.
"No... nothing related to that issue anyway." Eunwoo looked at him in question then sighed.
"Yeah. I think there's a right time for everything."
Bin flipped the hand Eunwoo was holding, intertwining their fingers, he squeezed Eunwoo's hand. "Are you mad?" He spoke in a small voice, his stomach churning. He hated when Eunwoo was mad at him.
"No," Eunwoo sighed, "I just need to digest all of this. I'm overwhelmed. I knew it wasn't as simple as an 'ability', and I wanted to know what is it so bad so we can know why do we have those abilities. I thought you didn't know either."
"Sorry." Bin whispered.
Eunwoo nodded. "I will just need some time to digest it, yeah? A little bit of space."
"Yeah. Of course." He started slipping his hand away but Eunwoo held onto it.
"I'm not abandoning you. Nothing will change. I just need to think, okay?" Eunwoo smiled softly at him, Bin returned the smile.
But Eunwoo did abandon him.
He didn't stop talking to him, per se, but he stopped being affectionate towards him, he stopped sleeping in his bed, stopped getting into his personal space, touched him only when necessary or on camera. And it hurt. It hurt more than when he thought Eunwoo had a crush on that female trainee two years ago. It hurt more than when Eunwoo traveled for an entire month, and he had to sleep alone in their room every day with no trace of his scent. He thought nothing could hurt more.
He ignored the looks of their teammates and spent his time either in the practice room or in his bed. When Jinwoo asked, he said he is just tired, maybe he was coming down with something that needs lots of rest.
On the 3rd day since they talked he cried himself to sleep and got scolded for his puffy eyes in the morning.
On the 7th day, Minhyuk approached him, "Is it because of something I said, hyung? You were fine until I talked and Eunwoo hyung got excited."
On the 9th day, Eunwoo got scouted for a show that required him to stay at another place for 5 days, he told Bin "Take care of yourself for me." before he left. That night, Bin cried himself to sleep again.
On the 15th day, he woke up to Eunwoo snoring softly on his chest, and just like that, they were back to normal.
And just like that, after 15 days, Bin was back alive.
It took Bin additional 3 weeks to gather the courage to confess.
He decided to do it to be completely honest with Eunwoo, no secrets whatsoever. He knew this time it was his own secret, no one could blame him for not telling. He knew that Eunwoo might not like him back, that he might be setting himself up for heartbreak. Again. He didn't even know if Eunwoo liked boys. The boy might be ace, he could never know. Unless he confessed. So he did.
It wasn't that hard to get the boy alone, what with all of the members thinking they are already together. The hard part was looking into Eunwoo's gentle, loving eyes, and telling him he had yet another secret.
They sat cross-legged on the practice room floor. It was 1 am, all the other members had finished practice and went home, and Bin claimed he wants to refine some details in the choreography, knowing full well Eunwoo will offer to stay with him, which he did.
They did dance for a while. After, they ate a late-night snack and talked about anything and everything. It was always easy to talk with Eunwoo. He could ask why is the water called water and Eunwoo would humor him.
"Hey. Remember when we had that soulmate conversation and you said there's a right time for everything?" Eunwoo nodded. "I think now is the right time." Bin continued.
Eunwoo gave him a pretty smile, his expression open and welcoming, Bin's heart skipped several beats.
"Before all of this happened we were best friends, and we will remain best friends, right? Soulmates or not."
Eunwoo hummed in agreement.
"It's... It's that I don't know what is the exact effect that stray gene has on us. How much of us does it change? I don't know. And I believe in platonic soulmates, believe me, I do. And I have absolutely no problem with us falling under that category, but I think you deserve to know, I want you to know that my feelings run deeper than that."
His eyes were focused on his hand, his hair falling over his eyes. He had no idea about Eunwoo's reaction. He wanted to get it all out there without looking at his best friend's eyes, scared he will back out.
"I can't even say when it started exactly. I remember thinking you were the most attractive person I have ever seen when I first saw you. But then I got to know you, and I was convinced that you are the most attractive person, not because of your face, but because of your personality. You are kind, you are hard-working, you are helpful, selfless, you are smart and studious, and even when you lose control of your temper, you always apologize and make up for it."
He wanted to chance a glance at Eunwoo but was too afraid of what he could see in his eyes.
"Over time, I started developing romantic feelings for you," His cheeks were hot, surely pink by now. "I never planned to tell you, though. You were always such a good friend to me, that was enough. But then my parents talked to me, and Jinjin hyung and Rocky noticed." He started biting his nails, a habit he had under control for so long, only resurfacing when he was really nervous.
He heard shuffling, and suddenly his hands were engulfed by Eunwoo's much bigger one. He looked up, startled, to find Eunwoo's face so close. When did he get here?
"And?" Eunwoo whispered softly.
"I like you. Maybe even love you. I'm not asking for anything, I ju-" He was interrupted by Eunwoo's hands dropping his, to cup his face instead, and Eunwoo's face getting so close, he had to go cross-eyed to look at him. "Can I kiss you?"
Bin leaned forward, sealing their lips together tentatively. What started as a slow, shy kiss, quickly turned into a hot open-mouthed one, courtesy of Eunwoo, who was usually shy and soft-spoken, but turned the exact opposite when he was really comfortable.
When they pulled away, they were both short of breathe. Eunwoo had a radiating smile on his face, while Bin's brain was slowly registering what happened.
"I love you too, Binnie." His smile rivaled the sun. "Remember the first evaluation we did together? My first evaluation when I knew nothing about singing nor dancing and they wanted us to perform as dues and you chose to perform with me. That's when I started falling for you and never stopped."
Bin's heart was about to burst, was it ok to feel so much happiness? Was he going to die? Was that what heaven felt like?
Eunwoo wasn't done, "When your father let it slip that we are actually soulmates, I was torn between being happy and confused, because why didn't you tell me? Is that because you weren't happy? Were you burdened? I had too many bad thoughts. I couldn't act like everything was fine."
"Then what changed?" Bin was still in a trance. He had a soft smile on his face, still cupped in Eunwoo's hands. He felt cherished.
"That night I came home after you fell asleep. I was jet-lagged so I laid in bed awake for hours. At one point through the night you started talking in your sleep." Bin splattered, "I did?"
Eunwoo chuckled, "You wanna know what you said?" He said teasingly.
"NO!" Bin shouted. "Wait yes. No. No, I don't. Was I too embarrassing?"
"Don't do that, Binnie. You're too cute for my heart." Eunwoo pouted. "You were just as cute back then, whining to your mom that you don't want to go home until I get back because you missed me and you had to protect your soulmate." Eunwoo giggled. "I don't know what you wanted to protect me from, and I couldn't know from those words If you liked me or not, but I thought that either way, I still want to be with you. Romantically or platonically, I just want to be with you."
Bin was blushing all the way from his neck to the roots of his hair. "I'm glad, but please remove all memories related to that day from your brain and never mention it again."
"Ten kisses and I'll think about it." Eunwoo said smugly.
"Lee Dongmin." Bin hissed. And the next second he was on top of Eunwoo, tickling him mercilessly.
Eunwoo's screams resonated through the empty room and inside Bin's heart, filling it with happiness.