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“I just don’t get it.”
Haru looks up from where they’d been scrolling on their phone. “Get what?”
“Them,” Rui repeats pointedly. She nods her head in the direction of their other members across the room. “They’re being all… weird again.”
“They’re always weird.” Haru counters.
Rui sits down next to them and lays her head on Haru’s shoulder. “Well yeah, but I don’t get why.” Rui complains. She usually tries not to judge too much, but they’ve been practicing for hours now and if she has to watch Hyun apologize one more time for merely grazing Wumuti’s arm, she’s going to lose her mind. She barely lasted long enough to pull Haru over for a break before she snapped and said something she would’ve regretted. “It’s not that big of a deal.”
“It is to them, I think.”
“But why?” Rui whines, a little too loudly. She lowers her voice, “Why can’t they just, oh, I don’t know… talk to each other?”
Haru makes an amused noise of acknowledgement, thinking. “Well,” They start, reaching over to hold Rui’s hand. Haru rubs their thumb across her knuckles in a attempt to soothe her. “It’s hard to talk sometimes. Especially for them.”
“I guess so,” Rui agrees, still grumbling. Like she knows it’s true but still isn’t happy about it. Figures she should change the subject, knowing it’s no use complaining like this. Rui lifts her head, turns her body towards Haru. “When did you get so smart?”
Like clockwork, Haru smiles shyly. They avoid Rui’s eyes and scratch at the back of their neck.
“You are,” Rui says before they can protest. “Our smart maknae.” She insists, tweaking their ear, giggling when it flushes under her touch. “At least you know how to use your words, unlike some people.”
Haru snorts. “You’re being mean, unnie.”
“Maybe,” Rui concedes. “But you like when I’m mean, right?” The blush creeping up Haru’s neck is enough of an answer despite their best attempt at keeping a blank expression. Rui cackles, drawing the attention of the others.
“Something funny?” Wumuti calls from the other side of the practice room.
Rui is truly moments away from saying something she probably shouldn’t before she feels Haru squeeze her hand tightly. She pauses, bites her tongue. Says, “Nope. We’re all good, unnie.”
Wumuti looks unconvinced.
And, well, now Rui just can’t help herself. “Okay, fine,” she starts pouting, “Haru was being mean to me.”
Without missing a beat, Haru reacts exactly like she expected: eyes going wide and gasping, hand not holding Rui’s over their heart. “I wasn’t!” They insist, looking back and forth between Rui and Wumuti all too quickly. “Noona, I really wasn’t!”
Wumuti starts laughing now too. Hyun behind her is clearly struggling to hold back his own laughter.
“Baby…” Wumuti says, “She’s fucking with you. I know you weren’t.”
Haru goes redder, if that’s even possible. “Oh.” They mumble. Then they reach up and punch Rui’s shoulder.
Rui squeals and pushes them back. She’s clearly stronger because Haru doubles over and starts whining, talking about Muti-noona, Hyunnie-hyung, did you see that?
The other two turn to her, but Rui doesn’t get the chance to say anything before Haru starts laughing, spoiling their own prank.
Rui, of course, tackles them to the ground.
“Noona!” Haru is squealing for real now, caught between giggling and screaming as Rui starts to tickle them. “Hyung, do something!”
To their absolute mortification, Hyun and Wumuti share a look, then turn on their heels to go back to rehearsing, leaving Haru fighting for their life in Rui’s hands.
🍒
Rui is being mean. She knows that.
She’s not trying to be, is the thing. It’s not like she doesn’t adore them both. If Wumuti told Rui to jump, she’d ask how high, how far, then do it without blinking. And Rui will embarrass herself a million times over if it makes Hyun laugh, so long as it means that smile never falls from his face. She loves them so much it hurts, really.
Which is exactly why this is so frustrating. Two people she cares about to the ends of the earth are—respectfully—being fucking idiots, and she can’t do a damn thing about it.
Like, okay. Yeah, it’s awkward. Of course it is. But if Wumuti is the crazy person who asked their ex to join their group, to put his entire lifestyle and career in their hands even after all they’d been through, then how can they also be so incapable of having a conversation?
And don’t get her started on Hyun, who is so often the voice of reason in their quartet, always talking about being honest with yourself and being the person you wanna be. If Hyun was really concerned with being himself, he’d have kissed Wumuti on the mouth by now!
Well. Again, anyway. Rui’s pretty sure they’ve kissed before. At least she hopes so.
Maybe it wouldn’t be such a nightmare if they weren’t coworkers, friends, family. If Hyun and Wumuti were just close friends who she could laugh at the antics of and then keep it moving, because that’s not her business nor her problem. But they’ve inadvertently made it her problem by acting stupid right in front of Rui’s goddamn salad.
“You okay?”
Rui startles. Okay, she might be thinking about it too much.
“Fine,” She says. Forces herself to smile a little, looks up at Haru above her. “You’re doing well, puppy.”
Haru flushes. They’re so easy to fluster, it’s annoying. It’s cute. It’s addicting. “Are you sure?” They ask again. “You seem kind of… pent up.”
Rui raises an eyebrow. She glances down to where Haru’s hips meet hers, where they were just thrusting into her and have now slowed to more of a grind. “You don’t say,” Rui murmurs dryly, lips curling into a smirk.
Haru rolls their eyes. “Not like that,” They say. “It seems like something’s bothering you.”
Rui makes a face and attempts to buck her hips, trying to take them even deeper. “I’d be less bothered if you kept fucking me, Haru-chan.” She argues.
They pause for real then, making Rui whine. “Hold on, unnie, wait.” Haru bites their lip, slowing to a stop. “Did I do something?”
“What?” Rui asks. “Oh. Oh, baby, no, that’s not,” She curses under her breath and pushes herself up onto her elbows. Haru leans down to meet her when she tries to kiss them, lips pouty. A quick, reassuring peck. “You didn’t do anything, sweetheart. It’s not you, I promise.”
“But it’s something, right?”
“I’m just—” Rui pauses, considers. Lands on what might be the worst excuse ever. “… thinking.”
“Thinking?” Haru repeats incredulously. “Unnie, that’s, like, the opposite of what you’re supposed to be doing right now.” Haru says all too honestly, making her laugh.
They unfortunately have a point. Rui should have been asleep by now, but someone (also Rui) made the very smart (stupid) decision of drinking an energy drink with her dinner, and well. Close to an hour of Rui not staying still for a second in the living room nearly sent Wumuti into a spiral.
Their face must have said it all (not that Rui would know, they were too busy speedrunning new girl group choreographies) because Haru made sure to step in. They steered Wumuti right towards theirs’ and Rui’s room before they could pop a blood vessel, making sure to promise that they could handle Rui and her hyperactivity.
Luckily Wumuti, even with all of their skepticism (because really, Haru is no better), listened.
Which is precisely how they ended up here. Rui on the floor with Haru over her, trying to fuck Rui into submission, or at least into calming down. On the floor of all places because both of their rooms are occupied and Rui has already tried making the other two share a room, often to no avail, and Haru swore Wumuti would kill them if they used the couch. Nevermind that Rui is pretty sure Wumuti would let Haru set her on fire if it made them happy, but whatever.
It’d be weirder if this were the first time. But Rui gets like this a lot—active, jittery, always on the move. It’s usually when she’s got a lot on her mind, when her body takes after her brain and won’t stop no matter how much she tries.
Haru gets it, she thinks. They’ve been there too. And even if it just takes pinching the back of their neck to get Haru to relax, their little fox with the instincts of a fucking prey animal, Rui appreciates the solidarity. It’s why she likes them so much, her sweet Haru.
Her Haru, who’s still looking at her in hopes of an explanation. Right. That’s what they were talking about.
“Um.”
Haru shifts, sliding just the slightest bit deeper and making Rui moan a little. They shush her gently, reaching for her leg and pushing it up to her chest, rubbing circles into her soft skin.
“Sorry,” Rui blurts, “How exactly is this supposed to help me focus?”
“Shh,” Haru shushes her again as they smile down at her, still caressing her thigh. “I’m sure you can do it. Talk to me, unnie.”
It should be insulting, Haru talking down to her like this. Metaphorically and otherwise. Any other day she would say something snarky, turn the tables and make this about Haru being a brat, trying to tell their unnie what to do.
But Rui knows Haru too well to try. Knows that look in their eyes, the one that says I’m getting worried but I’m trying to be strong for you. Her heart aches with the realization that she’s upsetting them.
It’s with this guilt that Rui opens her mouth and spills.
“Unnie,” Haru says when she’s finished, a little awed. “It’s bothering you that much?”
Rui scowls. “Don’t say it like that,” She hisses, looking away from Haru and their all-too-earnest eyes. “It’s not bothering me. It’s just annoying. And I can’t stop thinking about it. But it’s not a problem.” Rui says. “Really. It’s not.”
Haru guides her chin so they’re making eye contact again. “Unnie,” They say in that be honest with me voice that Rui hates so much. It’s hard enough to deny Haru as is, nevermind when they look at her like that and talk to her with that tone. “It’s okay if you’re upset.”
“Is it?” Rui asks rhetorically. Tries to run her hand through her hair and scowls when she remembers that she already put it up earlier. “I feel like it’s kind of crazy.”
“It’s not,” Haru swears. “I think about hyungs sometimes when we have sex, too,” They admit, not giving Rui much time to process what the actual fuck that’s supposed to mean before they’re speaking again. “It’s normal to care about the people you love.”
“Hah.” Rui laughs, “Even when I’m supposed to be getting plowed?”
“Even then.” Haru says cheekily. They lean forward to kiss her on the cheek, somehow pressing even deeper inside of her. “Especially then.”
You know, sometimes Rui thinks Haru just says things. Like, she’s pretty sure they don’t think in words (when they’re actually thinking, anyway) and more in like, concepts. Coming up with speech is merely an afterthought.
Yet, somehow, it’s times like this that Haru is their most genuine. And that says a lot considering Haru is very rarely ingenuine. That even though they’re telling Rui it’s actually very normal to stress yourself out over your friends’ love lives while you’re having sex, she can’t help but believe them, at least a little. Somehow, it’s harder not to.
“Okay.” Rui finally agrees. She sees the way Haru beams and knows she made the right decision. “Can we talk more about this later, though? I’d rather not accidentally traumatize Hyunnie if he gets up for a glass of water, or something.”
Haru nods then pauses, as if realizing what was said. Turns the slightest bit redder.
“Holy shit,” Rui mutters in disbelief. “Our maknae’s a freak.”
It’s the perfect pivot somehow, because Haru’s ears go red and they start fucking Rui in earnest once more, trying to avoid eye contact. On the other hand, Rui is absolutely delighted by this revelation and the way it encourages her to tease them.
Some time later, after they’ve cleared the scene and Rui has bullied a rather sleepy Haru into showering, Haru practically drags Rui into their bed for the night. They’re currently cuddling with Haru as the little spoon, Rui’s chin tucked into their soft hair. It smells like strawberries, courtesy of Rui’s shampoo.
“They’ll be okay, unnie.” Haru murmurs quietly.
Rui says something like doubt it under her breath, wincing at how bitter she sounds.
Haru hums. Rui thinks that’s the end of that, until Haru suddenly shifts in her arms, turning themself around and completely ignoring Rui’s soft whines until they’re face to face.
“Unnie,” Haru starts, looking into her eyes. “Do you trust me?”
Her instinct is to ask what the hell that means, but Haru is staring so intensely and Rui is only so strong. She nods, albeit a little sleepily.
It’s good enough for Haru, who gives her a small smile, then leans forward to kiss her on the nose. “Okay, good.” They say, like it’s simple. All things seem to be, with Haru. “It’ll be okay, unnie. I promise.”
Rui really hopes they’re right.
🍒
Look. Haru never claimed to be the brains of this operation. But seeing Rui so distraught about the state of Hyun and Wumuti’s relationship (or lack thereof, they suppose) has them willing to try anything.
That’s not to say they’re doing it purely for Rui, though. Haru too would love nothing more than being able to have a group conversation without the air feeling tense when either of their pasts are brought up. But seeing Rui so sad hurts their heart, too.
Two birds, one stone. You know?
At this point in time it should be stated that Haru has no idea how to be a wingman (wingwoman? wing-them? whatever). And by no idea, they mean zero clue. Absolutely nothing going on behind those eyes.
“Hyunnie-hyung, you’re so strong!” Haru decides to observe loudly.
They have their hands wrapped around Hyun’s bicep, just barely squeezing at the muscle there. The excitement is played up but somewhat real, too, partly because Haru is easily impressed and partly because everything Hyun does is so cool to them. Though it's mostly the latter.
Their acknowledgement is met with cheers from their fans in their seats, and embarrassed laughter from Hyun himself. Haru supposes he’s probably blushing, unable to confirm with the already heavy blush he’s wearing, though very pretty.
“You’re just noticing?” Rui pipes in, winking in the direction of the crowd and chuckling when they yell even louder.
She gives Haru a weird look, wondering what their angle here is. Which is fair, given that Haru stopped in the middle of posing for photos with Wumuti to talk about Hyun’s muscles.
Speak of the devil.
“Muti-hyung,” Haru turns back towards them, taps their shoulder a truly unnecessary amount of times when they’ve already been watching. “Muti-hyung, feel how strong hyung is!”
Wumuti looks at Haru like they’ve lost their mind. Which, yeah, probably, but this is all they could think of and Haru has always been really bad at improvising, okay? They’re trying their best.
With things clearly not going exactly to plan (not that they had much of one in the first place), Haru panics. Meaning, they reach out and guide Wumuti’s hand to Hyun’s arm.
Instantly, Hyun looks like a deer in headlights, which would be weirder if that wasn’t his default look.
Wumuti shares a similar expression, though the awkwardness is overlooked when Rui bursts into laughter, followed quickly by Haru as they step away from the two.
Somehow, Wumuti’s hand doesn’t fall.
Instead, they shoot the fans (as well as Rui and Haru) curious glances, likely wondering why exactly they’re all so amused by this. Then, with the barest smirk, Wumuti squeezes just once. Smiles, giggles to themself.
Murmurs, “Looking good, Hyunnie.”
If he could, Haru is pretty sure Hyun would have melted into a puddle right then and there.
Rui corners them later.
“Haru-chan,” She pants into Haru’s mouth. She has them pressed up against the wall of the storage closet that she told Haru to wait for her in. Haru, never one to disobey and a little bit nervous she was upset with them, did exactly that. “Baby. How are you so smart?”
Haru feels themself warming up, not only from Rui’s arousal pressing up against their own growing hardness, but also her words. Haru will never understand how they can simultaneously adore praise and also feel like crawling out of their skin when Rui says things like that.
“Oh?” They force out, trying not to cringe at their own tone of voice. “Why do you say that?”
“Your little stunt or whatever,” Rui replies, nipping at their bottom lip. She grins when Haru throws their head back and hits the wall, groaning. “The perfect plan, really. Unnie would have known something was up if I did anything like that, but not you.” She explains, voice husky like she wants to devour them.
Haru has to be honest, they… hadn’t really thought that far. Truthfully, they were just admiring Hyun’s arms and thought what would Wumuti say? and then just followed that instinct. It didn’t seem very smart when they thought of it like that.
Rui disagrees, though.
“No, seriously,” She insists. “Our Haru is a genius.”
Haru rolls their eyes. “Now you’re just saying things.”
“I’m not!” Rui argues, pouty. Haru can’t help but lean forward to kiss her, smiling when she meets them in the middle. “I’m being so serious. Baby, that’s why I love you so much.”
Haru flushes for real this time, kisses them again to avoid having to answer. It’s a welcome distraction, Rui licking into their mouth like Haru’s tongue is her favorite sweet treat, trying to swallow down all of their little whines and whimpers. Well, that is, until Haru realizes what she said.
“Wait, unnie, really—?”
Rui just kisses them some more.
🍒
Obviously, that doesn’t fix everything. Rui knew that. Knows that.
But man is it upsetting to see things have regressed right back to square one a few days later. When Wumuti had been teasing her and Haru, who so unsubtly made a comment about how you’re just jealous, noona and in turn, Rui had to watch Hyun quietly slip out of the room while Wumuti attempted to tickle Haru into taking it back.
It’s not like she thought Haru’s little plan would tie up every loose end, but seriously? She thought they were at least at a point where they could make jokes.
Rui wishes Haru had another good idea like before. But when she’d cuddled up to them on the couch later on to ask if they had any other thoughts, Haru was quick to shake their head.
“Sorry, unnie,” They’d mumbled, looking legitimately sad. She never wants to see Haru look like that again. Rui knows what she has to do.
She’s going to have to take things into her own hands.
“This is your big plan?” Haru hisses under their breath.
“Oh, I’m sorry, do you have a better one?”
Haru stares blankly. “Unnie. You have to know this isn’t going to work.”
“Why do you have no faith in me?” Rui pouts. She doesn’t actually let Haru answer the question before she’s pushing them away, mumbling, “Out, out, out.”
She wastes time in the tiny dressing room Haru pulled her into. They’d done so under the guise of wanting to be let in on the plan that Rui has been so secretive about, but Rui knows Haru better than that. They’ve been unsubtly staring since she first tried on this top that she honestly had no intentions of buying until now, but. What Haru wants, Haru gets, or whatever.
Rui figured a shopping trip was her best bet. Not too out of the norm for her, and something that Hyun and Wumuti would both be interested in, at least enough that neither of them would try to ditch. And her job for Haru requires them out and about in the store, not in this back changing area, which is precisely why Rui didn’t try anything just now.
Well. That, and, like, public decency. Which Rui has admittedly never been very good at, but she’s an idol now, and Wumuti would almost certainly kill her.
Wumuti is now calling her name. “Rui?” They say, “You okay in there?”
Rui has to steel herself before she can pull open the curtain and step out. She immediately gets into her most dramatic pose, with her arms above her head and her back arched almost humorously so. “You tell me.” She says.
Hyun is on the bench next to Wumuti, an awkward amount of space between them both that Rui almost scowls at. Instead, she does it when Hyun snorts at her theatrics.
“Don’t laugh at me!”
“I’m not!” Hyun insists, looking scandalized. He’s always so easy to mess with, how could Rui not? “You look very pretty, noona.”
Rui smiles and rolls her eyes. “You always think I’m pretty,” She turns her attention to Wumuti, who’s had their eyes on Hyun this whole time. So predictable. “Unnie, what about you?”
“Huh?” Wumuti finally looks at Rui.
“Do you like it?”
Wumuti hesitates. They make a face, the kind that could read as just trying to find the right words if Rui didn’t know them so well. This is their I don’t know how to say this nicely expression that Rui has been on the other side of oh so many times.
“You don’t like it.”
Wumuti pauses. “I don’t… hate it?”
“Don’t lie,” Rui giggles. She’s not really offended, not when it’s Wumuti. They’re a hell of a lot more honest than Hyun, who would think Rui looked beautiful in a paper bag. “I thought you liked this style?”
It’s a halter top, black and styled like that of a butterfly, hence why Rui picked it out in the first place. Admittedly, it’s very pretty, with the lacy accents and the gorgeous design, but the backless design leaves a lot of skin on display. Rui isn’t exactly opposed, but it’s not totally her style, either. Wumuti, however…
“I do, usually.” They answer, tilting their head. “But I don’t know, something is off.”
“Do you want to try it?” Rui offers.
Wumuti pauses. “I wouldn’t want to…”
Rui gives them a look. “I’m not gonna be offended, unnie, it’s a top. I have plenty of those.”
Hyun speaks quietly, as if meaning it to be under his breath, “I would've thought Haru—”
“Not like that!” Rui screeches. “Oh my god, Hyunnie, you’re such a perv,” Never mind that she’s the one hooking up with their maknae. She doesn’t really mean it anyway, it’s just to bother Hyun. Which he now is. One point to Rui.
“Let’s not have this conversation here,” Wumuti tries to say, standing up.
“Yeah,” Rui agrees. “But if we were going to have it, then—”
“Shut up,” Wumuti says now, pushing Rui back into her dressing room. “I don’t know what you were going to say, nor do I want to.”
Rui has never taken a top off so fast in her life.
Well. Non-sexually, anyway. She hopes it doesn’t look too eager—Wumuti has a pretty good bullshit detector specifically when it comes to Rui, and she’ll literally die if she fucks this up. It took her almost a week to come up with one idea, she cannot suffer through that again.
The second Wumuti puts it on, Rui knows this was the right decision. It looks so good on her that she gets distracted for a moment thinking about a pair of jeans she saw earlier that would work so well with this top and—wait. She’s on a mission.
When she starts messing with the strings behind her neck, clearly struggling, Rui recognizes her cue. “One second, unnie,” She says, hiding a smile when Wumuti raises an eyebrow. “I’ll be right back!”
She slips out of the little room and immediately rushes over to Hyun who has that cute little furrow to his eyebrows, confused by her urgency. She lowers her voice to murmur, “Hey, Haru needs my help with something. Are you good to help Muti-unnie?”
Rui glances down at her phone as she lies. She immediately regrets it, because for some reason Haru understood Rui’s instruction to text her like they need help as ‘send me a bunch of bullshit.’ She's being spammed with a handful of selfies taken from silly angles, plus a minion meme that is so profoundly stupid that it ropes back around to being sort of funny, but not really.
Honestly, this is what Rui gets for asking the twenty year old for help.
Luckily for her, Hyun is too distracted by the premise of her question to clock Rui’s hint of a smile. “Help with what?” He asks. “Are they okay?”
As if on cue, Wumuti yells, “Rui, where the hell are you?”
Rui gives Hyun a sheepish smile, pats him twice on the shoulder. “Sorry,” She apologizes half-assedly, not really meaning it.
She starts walking away, trying not to look too eager, then pauses. Turns on her heel and calls out, “Oh, and Hyunnie?”
He turns to her, looking absolutely lost.
“For the record,” She says sweetly, cocking her head to the side. “We switch.”
There’s a moment in which Rui thinks she only confused him further, too many thoughts going around in that pretty head of his. Then realization dawns. Hyun’s jaw drops, making Rui cackle as she skips away and turns the corner.
She waits all of ten seconds before peeking back around, thanking God that Hyun has turned and is, in fact, walking towards the dressing room. She has to cover her mouth so as to not squeal when he lightly tugs the curtain aside, pokes his head in. Exchanges a few words with Wumuti (who is almost certainly annoyed with Rui at this point, but what’s new) and then steps in fully, the two of them gone from view.
Rui pumps her fist into the air silently. She’s in the middle of a silly celebratory dance when she spots something out of the corner of her eye.
A little ways away stands Haru, holding denim in their hands.
“No, no, no.” Rui blurts instinctively, then again, louder as she heads in their direction. “Haru, no! You do not need more jorts!”
(Update: They got the jorts.)
🍒
Unfortunately for Rui’s ego, that also does not fix everything. In fact, she just made it much, much worse.
By some miraculous means that Rui cannot for the life of her figure out, Wumuti managed to catch on. They cornered her at the dorms later that day.
“Rui, come with me.” They’d said without even looking at her, which is precisely how Rui knew she was fucked. Well, that and the fact that as soon as their bedroom door shut, Wumuti was asking, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Rui, who has known Wumuti long enough to know they’re not fucking around, wishes she had been serious in that moment. Unfortunately, she’s still Rui, so she simply replied, “… I’m guessing you didn’t like the shirt?”
Wumuti laughed dryly, not because it was funny but because they couldn’t believe Rui sometimes. “God,” They’d said, pinching the bridge of their nose. “Haru was one thing, but you too?”
Somehow it hurts more knowing that Wumuti caught on to Haru’s scheming too, yet Rui is the one getting yelled at for it. Not that she wants Haru getting in trouble, but—whatever.
“We’re just trying to help,” Rui tried to say.
“Well stop.” Wumuti barked back, looking her up and down. “This isn’t middle school, Rui. You can’t just lock us in a room together and force us to work it out.”
Rui opened her mouth to say something about how she technically didn’t lock them anywhere, that Hyun went in on his own, but ultimately decided against it. No, instead she said, “So you agree? There’s something to work out?”
Wumuti looked at her in disbelief, then walked out. Now they’re not talking to her at all. So that’s… something.
At least Hyun is taking it better. Rui actually wasn’t sure if he knew what was going on at first, but she can see the way his gaze has started shifting nervously when she and Wumuti are in the same room, which is more than often given their careers. He doesn’t treat Rui any differently, though, which is nice of him but feels bad in its own way.
And as much as it upsets Rui, Haru is way worse. They keep following Wumuti around, not too out of the ordinary, but now it’s with these big puppy eyes, practically begging her to cheer up. It’s bothering her, Rui can tell, but Wumuti refuses to tell Haru to stop. The whole thing is miserable to witness.
They switch rooms for a little while. Rui hopes it’s temporary, anyway. She can’t really complain when it finally gives her and Haru the privacy they’ve been longing for. But in light of recent events, they haven’t been doing much.
Both because they’re not in the mood, and also due to the Wumuti-shaped elephant in the room. Or maybe those are the same thing.
“Unnie.” They call one day. Haru says something else but it’s muffled by her headphones.
Rui takes one earbud out. “What?”
“I asked if you were okay.”
Rui contemplates that. Is she okay? She’s not… great. She knows that, and Haru definitely knows that, so she doesn’t really understand why they’re asking in the first place.
Instead of saying any of that, she shrugs.
They nod as if that’s an acceptable answer. It most certainly is not. They point at the empty space next to her. “Can I sit?” They ask, already moving when Rui shrugs again.
Haru sits criss-cross next to Rui. Carefully eyes at the way her phone screen lights up with a notification from an app she probably should have deleted years ago, or at least turned off alerts for.
“I love that song,” Haru says quietly. Rui knows they’re lying because this is the same song Haru looked at weirdly when they shared playlists, mumbled something about the cover art looking questionable. And yet Haru nudges Rui lightly, eyes up her now free earbud. “Can I listen?”
Rui feels a little bit like a middle schooler now, sharing headphones with the person she’s longed for, acting as though they’ll die if they touch each other further than brushing shoulders here and there. She feels silly, more than anything.
Haru is the one to break the tension.
“They’re not mad.” They prod Rui’s leg with their knee when she doesn’t answer right away. “I mean it.”
“I’m sure you do,” Rui mumbles back. Still staring straight ahead.
“No, seriously.” Haru shifts so they’re facing Rui, no longer side by side. “Muti-noona is mad, yeah, but not at you.”
Rui lolls their head to the side, blinking slowly. “Then who are they mad at?” She asks monotonously, just to see what they say. She doesn’t know why she bothers. Haru’s going to try to argue it’s about them, that it’s their fault Wumuti is upset. Like Rui didn’t drag them into all of this in the first place. That’s Haru, always trying to carry everyone else’s burdens. Their stupidly sweet maknae.
“Muti?” Haru says. But it’s not a question, Rui realizes, rather an answer. “They’re mad at themself, unnie.”
“Oh.” Rui doesn’t know what to say. She wishes she could believe that. “Maybe.”
“It’s true. They take it out on you cause it’s easier,” Haru says plainly, as if they’re discussing the weather. “Because otherwise they have to admit you have a point, and that means unpacking everything else about them and Hyunnie-hyung, which they’re not gonna do. So.”
Rui is a little surprised to hear how casually they speak about all of this. When Haru first approached, she expected more of a puppy-eyed thing to be happening, something like them begging her to cheer up. Maybe that’s her own fault for underestimating Haru.
“Mm. You sound pretty sure of yourself.”
“Well,” Haru starts, drawing out the L sound. “A wise person once called me a genius, if you can believe it.”
Rui hates how she found that to be so charming. “Yeah?” She asks, trying so hard to bite back a grin. “No offense, Haru-chan, but I think that person was full of it.”
“Nope,” Haru replies, popping the ‘p.’ Gives her a small smile as Rui keeps pretending she’s not endeared by them. “I think she just liked me a lot.”
Liked. As in past tense.
Rui pauses. Blinks once, twice. Briefly lets her gaze flicker down to Haru’s mouth, just for a second. Then she changes the subject before she can do something stupid.
“Did Muti-unnie tell you all this?”
Haru takes a second to process the shift in conversation, then starts pouting. “No,” They whine a little bit miserably. “But I know it’s true. She’s just being stubborn.”
Rui snorts suddenly. “She’s always stubborn.”
“I know!” Haru explodes, making Rui break finally, unable to help it. “Which is a good thing, obviously, or we probably wouldn’t be here… but still!” They complain, then look guilty about complaining at all. “It’s just so…”
“Annoying?” Rui suggests. She’s still giggling.
“I was gonna say frustrating,” Haru reveals shyly, “But yeah, that too.”
They watch quietly as Rui slowly but surely composes herself and reigns it back in.
“I love your laugh,” Haru admits all of a sudden, all too honestly. They don’t even let Rui breathe before adding, “I’ve missed it.” Then with an even quieter, smaller tone, “I’ve missed you.”
Those words hit Rui right where it hurts.
Rui knows she’s been off. Everyone knows that. It’s not easy getting scolded by your leader during rehearsals or recording sessions, never mind them berating you for getting involved with their personal drama. Not to mention doing it in their dorm with concerningly thin walls, so everyone else has to hear it, too.
But it’s not like Wumuti will never talk to her again. Rui knows there’s not a chance in hell. They’ve been through so much together, so many periods of being mad over little things that they eventually end up having a laugh over. They’ll be just fine, that’s not where Rui’s concern lies.
It made her think, though. All of this. About a lot of things, not just Wumuti and their inability to admit when they’re struggling, or Hyun’s longing to keep the peace even though it’s clearly making him miserable.
Rui’s thinking about Haru, too.
Thinking about their little face. The one that makes them squirm and whine whenever it gets called cute, even though they are objectively the cutest person Rui knows. The way it scrunches when Rui ruffles their hair, but is quick to sulk whenever she doesn’t.
Or the way their eyes have followed Rui’s every movement in these last few days. Rui contemplates that, finds herself wondering if Haru has always watched her this way, or if her current state was concerning enough to warrant such measures. She’s a little frightened as she grows more sure that it’s the first one.
Frightened because eyes on her are scary. Publicity is terrifying as is, sure, but that’s not the type Rui is talking about. It’s one thing to perform and welcome that type of attention—long for it, even. But Rui isn’t performing now, yet Haru’s still watching.
She thinks of Wumuti and Hyun. Of all they’ve been through but refuse to talk about now, even when they’ve got the space to do so. Of Hyun’s lingering eyes when Wumuti does just about anything, watching like they’re the most interesting person he’s ever seen. Or Wumuti, who is more subtle with their gazing yet just as passionate, monitoring Hyun without the technical eye they use on Rui or Haru. Just complete and total admiration.
They want so badly, the both of them. It’s obvious. Yet they keep holding back for the sake of what, exactly? Their careers? This isn’t exactly a stable career anyway, Rui wants to tell them. It takes so much from them already, why should it have their heart too? Their joy, their love.
She’s reminded of Haru’s presence when their knee bumps her leg again. An accident, if the furious blushing that follows is anything to read into. They shift awkwardly, and Rui realizes that she hasn’t responded to their confession yet, too lost in her own head.
Rui knows she can’t force her loved ones to figure themselves out. She wants to, clearly, but they have to figure that out for themselves, she’s realizing. And she has to give them some grace in that journey, too. As a genius once told her, talking is hard.
But Rui’s not Wumuti. She’s not Hyun. She’s not going to sit here and ignore her own feelings for the sake of an industry that already takes so much as is. She’s not going to give her heart to it, too.
Haru isn’t Wumuti either, nor are they Hyun. They’re Haru. They’re sweet and pretty and cute and annoyingly attractive. They’re the person who sits with Rui when she’s sad, who says they like a song even when she knows they don’t, just to try and cheer her up. They’re exactly what Rui wants.
Most importantly, they’re here. Haru is here.
Haru, who’s been patiently waiting for her to come back to herself. Haru, who’s always waiting for her.
Rui is tired of making them wait.
“I missed you too, baby.” She finally admits, then kisses them.
🍒
Wumuti walks through the front door to find Hyun on their couch looking like he’s having war flashbacks.
“Hey,” She greets. Hyun’s head snaps up just as she’s setting her bag down, keychains clinking as they hit the cool surface. Wumuti starts to take off her coat. “You good?”
“Um,” Hyun glances down the hall nervously. “Yeah.”
“You don’t sound very sure.” Wumuti remarks, a little bit amused. He looks terrified and embarrassed at the same time, and Wumuti only left, like, two hours ago. What could have possibly happened while she was gone?
“Ha,” Hyun laughs weakly, but doesn’t say any more.
Weird.
“Um,” Wumuti tries, stepping towards him slowly. The TV isn’t on, which isn’t that weird because Hyun is more of a reader anyway, but he doesn’t have one of those in his lap, either. Nor his tablet, actually. Huh. “Have you seen Haru?”
Hyun flinches, blinks a few times. “Yeah,” He says, looking flustered. “They’re… good.”
“They’re good?” Wumuti repeats. What the hell kind of response is that? “Okay, what about Rui?”
Hyun nods, a quick movement. “She’s, uh,” He stutters, offering a little nervous laugh, “She’s good too. I think.”
Okay, now Wumuti’s starting to get a little concerned.
She steps in front of Hyun and bends over slightly to look him in the eye. “Hyun-ah,” She says softly. “Seriously, are you alright?”
Hyun meets her eyes. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, strangely reminding Wumuti of a fish. It’s a little cute, she thinks offhandedly, then brushes the thought away. Hyun looks like he’s about to say something when they both hear it.
“Fuck, unnie! Harder!”
It’s already mortifying to hear your friends having sex. It’s way worse to hear your darling maknae crying out through the wall for one of your best friends to fuck them harder.
“Oh,” Wumuti can feel her own ears going red. “So they made up.”
“Yeah,” Hyun mumbles awkwardly. “Wait. Were they fighting too?”
Wumuti sighs and takes a seat next to him. “I don’t think so?” She answers, voice all high pitched. “I think it’s just been…” Wumuti pauses, trying to find the right word. Through the wall, Haru moans. “… weird.”
“Mm,” Hyun nods. “So they’re—a thing?”
She hesitates. “I’m not sure.”
Hyun turns his head to look at her, biting back a smile. “No?” He asks playfully. “What, you need more convincing?”
“Shut up,” Wumuti says back, shoving him on his shoulder. They both laugh a little bit, easing some of the awkwardness. “I just wasn’t sure.” They admit. “It’s not like they’re talking to me about it.”
Hyun’s laughter dies down. He goes quiet, as if thinking over what to say next. Wumuti has always admired that about him, his ability to think before speaking. Not like some people.
“Do you want them to?” Hyun asks. “Talk to you?”
“Hm.” Do they? Sure, maybe on some level it would be nice to let their leader in on the nature of their relationship. But they’re adults, no? They can make their own decisions, Wumuti supposes. “I guess so, I don’t know.”
Hyun contemplates that. “It’s good that you’re not mad at them, at least.”
“Who says I’m not?” Wumuti counters, raising an eyebrow.
“Muti-hyung,” Hyun deadpans. He doesn’t even say it affectionately yet Wumuti’s heart flutters all the same, the traitorous little shit. “You’re not that hard to read.” He says.
That’s what you think is how Wumuti wants to reply. Rui knows them like the back of her hand yet still looked so surprised when Wumuti talked about hers and Haru’s little stunts. As if either of them were being remotely subtle about it.
But Wumuti and Rui only collide in the first place because they’re so similar, almost freakishly so. It’s easy to know someone pretty much inside and out when your hearts beat to the same rhythm. Hyun has always been different in that regard, though, has he not?
Hyun has years on Rui and Haru both. He’s seen Wumuti before Wumuti even knew who they were, who they are. He’s seen the parts of Wumuti that they try to forget exist in the first place.
Wumuti realizes with mortification that to him, they are easy to read.
“Whatever,” She remarks, trying to ignore this newfound piece of information. They have bigger fish to fry. Wumuti reveals, “I’m a little mad.”
“Yeah?” Hyun mirrors her raised eyebrow. “Why’s that?”
Wumuti is so used to being (lovingly) badgered by Rui that she has to stop herself from snapping back. Hyun isn’t asking to be nosy, or to try and trick Wumuti into talking about her feelings. He’s asking because he genuinely wants to know.
God. He’s always so genuine, especially with her. Even after all this time. It pisses Wumuti off.
“Because… you know,” They try to say, interrupted by Rui saying something they can’t quite make out, and Haru wailing in response. Wumuti gestures wildly. “I mean, that.”
“Because they’re messing around?” Hyun asks.
Wumuti can’t resist the urge to mess with him a little. “Hyunnie,” They coo, giggling. “You can say fucking, you know.”
Now it’s Hyun who shoves at their shoulder. “Whatever,” He mumbles, smiling. “You don’t like that they’re hooking up?”
“Why the hell would I like it?”
“Because it makes them happy.” Hyun says. Like it’s so simple. Like it’s that easy.
“Of course I want them to be happy, Hyun-ah, but it’s risky.” Wumuti says seriously. “You know it’s risky.”
Hyun nods. He breathes in sharply, “It is.”
It should feel good to finally have someone agree with them. To not have Rui avoiding their gaze or staring like she knows all of Wumuti’s secrets (which she probably does). To not have Haru holding their waist and looking up into their eyes, practically begging Wumuti to talk about it, to talk to them about it.
And yet.
Hyun’s tone is off. That’s the issue. He’s not lying per say—Hyun isn’t the best liar, second only to their maknae who lets every emotion show on their face—but it doesn’t sound like Hyun fully means what he says, either.
Which is fine, of course. It’s not a problem. Hyun, like Rui and Haru, is an adult. He can change his mind about things.
Wumuti just… has to figure out how she feels about that.
“Do you like it?” She asks instead. “The two of them together?”
“Well,” Hyun says. He scans her face as if looking for what her aim here is. Wumuti hopes he can tell she’s asking seriously. “Obviously, there are some setbacks.”
As if on cue, they both hear a headboard thump against the wall. Wumuti snorts.
“But,” Hyun manages to say through his own stifled laughter, “It’s kind of fun, no?”
Wumuti makes a face. “Fun?” She asks, incredulous. “What do you mean, fun? It’s irresponsible.”
“That too,” Hyun concedes. “But I’m sure it has its perks. Think about it.” And when Wumuti opens her mouth to argue, he continues, “Really think about it, hyung. All of the sneaking around, the hiding. Having something that’s just yours, something nobody else can take.”
Oh, Wumuti is thinking about it alright.
She thinks of long nights of training, of collapsing in the early morning in a bed too uncomfortable to lay in were it not for the warmth by her side. She thinks of holding hands where nobody else can see, just for the reassurance of being held. She thinks of a hand tanner than her own holding her face, cupping her cheek. Pulling her in and making promises nobody else will ever hear, things for her ears only.
Of course she’s thought about it. It’s all she’s thought about for the last few years.
“And it’s kind of fitting, no?” Hyun continues, seemingly unaware of Wumuti’s crisis. Or maybe not, because there’s a twinkle in his eye that wasn’t there a few minutes ago. The slightest curl to his pretty, pretty mouth. “They're not conforming to industry standards.”
That’s what snaps Wumuti out of it. “You can’t be serious.”
Their expression must be funny, because Hyun completely ignores any of the intensity in their tone in favor of laughing. “No, really!” Hyun insists, smiling so brightly. “That’s literally our whole thing, isn’t it? We’re not trying to fit in, we’re just being ourselves. Is this not who Rui and Haru are?”
Wumuti scoffs. “What, sluts?”
Hyun shoots them a dirty look. “In love.”
“Rui and Haru are not in love, Hyun-ah.”
“Aren’t they?” He asks. The headboard thumping has turned into more of a steady beat now, accompanied by the squeaking of the mattress. Wumuti faintly thinks of Rizz. “Is that not love, hyung?”
Honestly? No. No, it is not. That is Rui and Haru coming together (ha!) and maximizing their joint idiocracy, or something like that.
But Wumuti is starting to get his point.
“Even if it is,” They relent somewhat. “That doesn’t mean it’s not still careless. Being in love doesn’t mean you don’t have responsibilities.”
Hyun tilts his head. “I think they’re very responsible.”
“Really?” Wumuti juts their head in the direction of the hall, where Haru’s squeaky voice is hitting notes that they weren’t even aware Haru could hit. “You think they’re responsible?”
“I do.” Hyun doesn’t miss a beat, nodding. “This is our home, not the stage. They’re not performing now.”
They’re not performing, says the guy who’s been trapped in the living room while his friends have sex. Okay. “Sure sounds like they’re performing.” Wumuti counters.
“I don’t mean it literally,” Hyun rolls his eyes. “Okay, look at it this way. Do you see them parading their relationship around on stage? Do other people think they’re together?”
“Well, I mean, I can’t know that for sure—”
“Mama.” Hyun deadpans. He’s been calling Wumuti that more often lately. It’s embarrassing, the slow realization of how much they like it. “You’re always checking in on our fans, don’t lie.”
Wumuti gasps, one hand on their chest, pretending to clutch their pearls. “Rude.”
“True.” Hyun mimics their tone perfectly. Haru is rubbing off on them more and more as of late. Well. Really, Haru is rubbing off on—never mind, not the time.
“They’re not, right?” Hyun pushes further. “Nobody thinks that.”
Wumuti can’t even bring themself to joke. “No.”
“Exactly. Look,” Hyun hesitates to place a hand on their knee, then meets their eyes. “I know you care about them. About Rui, Haru… about all of us.” About me is left unsaid. Wumuti wonders if it’s because Hyun doubts its validity. “I know all you want is for us to do well. We want that too.” Hyun says softly. “But what’s the point if we can’t be people too?”
If we can’t be people.
Fuck. Wumuti is going to have to sit with that one.
God fucking damnit, Hyun, always the one to poke and prod at her most sensitive parts. He really does know her too well.
She doesn’t get a chance to respond to the bomb Hyun has just dropped because they’re interrupted by the noise of a door creaking open. It’s Haru who steps out, shockingly enough, clad only in briefs that are most certainly not theirs, waddling down the hall quickly. Yes, waddling. Haru looks like a little duck with their clumsy, fumbling steps.
They don’t even notice anyone else’s presence. Haru is just walking—stumbling, really—along with a little smile on their face, looking like a pleased little kitty. It’s cute. It’s like they're waiting for Wumuti to tease them.
Hyun beats her to it. “Having fun?” He calls.
Haru freezes where they’re standing at the bathroom sink, running water over a washcloth. Didn’t even close the door either, tsk, this kid. They turn their head slowly, face falling when they register Wumuti and Hyun sitting on the couch.
“Oh my god,” Haru starts blubbering. “Hyung. Noona. I didn’t— we thought— Rui-unnie said—”
“I think Rui-unnie said a lot of things,” Wumuti can’t stop herself from mentioning, snickering when Hyun pinches her leg.
“Oh my god.” Haru says, repeating their walk of shame to head back to the bedroom, muttering under their breath, “This is the worst day of my life.”
Wumuti has the decency not to make any more comments, more for Hyun’s sake than Haru’s, because bullying her maknae is Wumuti’s favorite pastime. They’re so easy to tease, it’s really not her fault.
Speaking of easy to tease.
“Hyung.” Hyun says, redirecting their attention once Haru is gone. “Are you okay?”
Wumuti nods. This time, they think they mean it.
“Okay,” Hyun exhales. “And you heard what I said?”
“Mm.” Wumuti hums. “When did you get so wise, huh?” They ask, narrowing their eyes at him. “You used to be such a scaredy cat.”
Hyun gives them a look of fond annoyance. That’s how they’d grown used to him looking at them all those years ago. It’s been a while since Hyun has looked at them this way. Or maybe Wumuti just hasn’t noticed it until now. Maybe it’s because they weren’t ready to.
Just like they aren’t ready for Hyun to hit them with, “Someone taught me to be brave.”
“Who, Haru?”
“I hate you,” Hyun says immediately. He stands up, laughing in disbelief. “You’re so annoying, you know that?”
Wumuti can’t help but laugh too. “Yeah,” They agree, not even trying to deny it, too focused on staring at Hyun’s hand. Wumuti takes their bottom lip between their teeth. Wills themself up to reach out, to take Hyun’s hand in their own.
“Um.” They’re trying to be serious, now. “We should—talk.”
Hyun raises both eyebrows this time. “Yeah?” He prompts, and that’s when Wumuti sees it. For just the briefest moment the mask cracks, just enough for her to peek through. The moment when Hyun stops being the mature adult that he’s grown into and reverts to the sensitive kid Wumuti once knew him as.
The wideness of his eyes, big and blinking down at them. The way his hand feels clammy in Wumuti’s, not because of it but rather like it’s been that way this whole time they’ve been talking. The slight tremble of his lips, barely perceptible.
He’s scared, Wumuti realizes. He’s just as scared as her.
It worries her for a moment. She never wants her members to be afraid, and especially not of her. She’s harsh and particular and stern, but she doesn’t want to be scary.
She squeezes his hand once, twice. Murmurs back yeah and hopes it conveys every thought she’s ever had, everything she needs him to know.
She thinks that maybe they can be scared together.
Hyun nods and gives her a small smile. “Okay.” He says so gently. “Let’s talk, then.”
🍒
Rui and Haru attempt to make an apology breakfast the next morning. That really means Haru’s making pancakes while Rui sits on the counter looking pretty and offering them commentary.
“I don’t think we were that loud,” She’s saying now.
Haru shakes their head quickly. “You didn’t see their faces,” They insist, haunted by the memory. “They were both so red. Noona looked like she wanted to kill us.”
Rui hums. “Yeah, okay, sounds about right,” She supposes. “Not really our problem, though.”
They giggle. “It’s totally our problem. Unnie, how would it not be our problem?” They’re saying, not at all succeeding with this argument because they physically cannot stop smiling. It’s to the point where their face is starting to hurt.
“Haru-chan,” She says. Reaches a hand out to hold their chin, lifting it to face her. “Baby,” She’s murmuring, “I don’t care.”
She kisses them, and Haru feels like they don’t care, either.
Well, that is, until there’s warmth near their front, and they’re not talking about the butterflies that have taken residence in their tummy after last night. “Ah!” Haru pulls away and turns off the heat, flipping over the last pancake. A little charred, but edible. Maybe. They glare up at Rui, pouting. “You distracted me.” Haru grumbles.
Rui snickers. “You let me distract you.” She counters, then starts saying lalalala and covering her ears when Haru attempts to argue back.
She’s so annoying. Haru likes her so much.
They’re so glad she knows that now. After that mortifying interaction with Wumuti and Hyun (which Rui laughed about for a full five minutes when they told her about it, mind you), Haru was finally able to lay all of their thoughts bare. Rui looked at them and bit her lip, smiled so softly, and said, “Me too.”
It feels silly to be this giddy. It’s been months since their little predicament began, since Rui pinned them once while they were messing around in the practice room and then one thing led to another. Since everything spiraled out of control.
Well. Not too far, if the way Rui’s looking at them now is any indication.
It’s stupid, probably, to fuck someone for months and then confess. To know what they sound like at their most vulnerable, to feel their hands clutching at you, their nails scratching across your skin as they beg for more—only to curl into a ball when the idea of romance is introduced. Haru can sit on Rui’s dick with minimal embarrassment now, but struggles not to hide their face whenever they call her their girlfriend.
Fuck. She’s their girlfriend now. God, Haru is such a loser.
“My loser.” Rui murmurs suddenly. For a second, Haru thinks they slipped up and said that last bit out loud, but Rui gives no indication of such. She just wanted to say it. Yet another moment of their weird little mind melds, their freaky connection that Haru loves so much.
Haru is about to say something disgustingly cute like yeah, yours when Rui gasps lightly, looking past them. “Good morning, sleepy head!”
Haru turns around to see Hyun entering the kitchen. “Morning, hyung.” They wave, stumbling on their words when Rui pulls them by the shoulders to stand between her spread legs so she can play with their hair. “We, um. We made breakfast!”
“You don’t have to have the pancakes, obviously,” Rui steals the words right out of Haru’s struggling mouth. “But we cut up fruit, too. Well, I did.” She says, “Wasn’t that so nice of me?”
Hyun seems to still be waking up a bit, but he meets Haru's eyes and smiles softly. “Thank you for breakfast, Haru.” He says, then barely casts a glance up at Rui. “And you too, I guess.”
Rui gasps like she’s been wounded. Hyun smirks like that was the exact reaction he was hoping for. Haru prepares for Rui’s inevitable whining, when they pause. “Hold on—hyung, you didn’t go on your run?”
Hyun glitches in real time. “Ah, you know,” He says, waves his hand around, then looks at the arrangement of fruit. “Thank you for this, too, noona.”
Above them, Rui makes a satisfied little sound. Haru can’t help but notice that Hyun never answered their question.
There’s no time to dwell on it as more company arrives. “Hey, what did we say about giving Rui knives?”
Everyone’s heads snap to Wumuti as she enters. She looks more disheveled than usual, though still beautiful obviously, but like. You know. And she’s in a shirt that hangs off her shoulder, clearly not her size. Haru squints, trying to place where they’ve seen it before.
“Rude,” Rui comments. She’s probably rolling her eyes if Haru had to guess. “I only stabbed someone one time.”
“What?” Haru screeches, turning back around to look up at her. “Unnie, how did I not know this?”
“‘Cause she made it up,” Wumuti supplies as they pop a strawberry into their mouth. “Sorry to be the one to tell you this, baby, but your girlfriend’s a liar.”
They say it like it’s a joke. A teasing nickname more than anything. But Rui starts smiling when Wumuti says it, and Haru can’t help but do the same, stabbing rumors be damned.
And they would have gotten away with it, were it not for Hyun.
“Girlfriend?”
Rui and Haru make eye contact for a long moment. Rui nods, just barely, just enough for Haru to know what she means.
They turn again to face the other two. “Um,” Haru bites their lip. Rui’s hands find their head again, twisting the hair at the nape of their neck between her fingers. They decide to just spit it out once and for all. “Yeah.”
But the admission isn’t met with the boisterous reaction that they expected, exactly. Instead, it’s Hyun who’s already grinning that says very softly, “I’m happy to hear that.”
Wumuti, on the other hand—
“Well, I’d sure fucking hope so.” They comment a little too casually, their annoyance exaggerated. “If Rui’s gonna fuck you in our room, she better at least ask you out after.”
“You’re the one who wanted to switch rooms,” Rui opposes, unbothered, as Haru squeals and hides their face in their hands.
“Yeah, yeah,” Wumuti waves her off, shifting their focus to Haru. “Oh, are you embarrassed? You didn't sound like it last night.” They clear their throat so as to begin their worst Haru impression ever (and that’s saying a lot). “Oh, unnie, please give it to me!”
“I’m gonna die,” Haru mumbles into their hands. “I have to leave the group, seriously.”
Rui laughs at their torment, the absolute demon. “You’re not gonna die,” She insists, pressing a kiss to the top of Haru’s head. “Unnie’s just jealous.”
And then everything seems to pause. For that brief moment, it’s silent, and Rui silently curses herself. She was doing so well too. Wumuti was talking to her now, Hyun’s not so sad, Haru is being the silliest guy ever in her arms but she just had to open her big mouth once again. She braces for impact.
Nothing happens.
Instead, Wumuti just snorts and eats another berry. Rui’s eyes flicker to Hyun. He doesn’t look remotely uncomfortable.
“Something’s up with them,” Rui whispers into Haru’s hair. It makes them shiver, so Rui of course starts blowing on their ear just to be annoying.
“Stop it,” Haru whines, scolding as if Rui were a misbehaving animal. They turn to Wumuti. “Noona, is that a new shirt?”
“Um.” Wumuti looks down as if just noticing what they’re wearing. “Yeah, actually. Hyunnie got it for me.”
Haru squeaks. Rui has to force herself to bite her tongue, the words since when are you buying each other gifts? right on the verge of slipping out. She’s actually quite proud of herself for holding back for once.
Well, that is, until she sees it.
“Holy fuck.”
Haru looks up at her, eyes wide. “What?”
Wumuti pauses where they’d just started stretching. It would be normal if not for the reddish-purple bruise peeking out from the waistband of their sleep shorts. Which, okay, crazy fucking placement by the way. Literally. Rui looks over to Hyun, because there is no fucking way—
Hyun is staring at the same place where Rui just was, his eyes locked Wumuti’s exposed stomach. He licks his lips subconsciously.
“Muti-unnie,” She interrupts, scoffing as Hyun startles. “Do my eyes deceive me, or is that a hickey?”
There’s a moment of silence. The calm before the storm. Because as soon as her words register Haru starts screeching, Hyun goes the reddest she’s ever seen him, and Wumuti is looking at her like they want their hands around her neck.
Oh, Rui is never letting them live this down.