Chapter Text
Almost four months later, they’re back at Sukira and Jinyoung is amazed at how similar the situation is to last time, even though so much has changed. They talk about how last time, Jinyoung and Jaebeom’s lips had touched during their mission. Bambam of course has to loudly interject his signature “Ewwww!” and Jaebeom and Jinyoung have to partially lie about how it affected their relationship; after all, it’s not completely false to say they grew apart, because at one point they did, even if in reality, it was only for 3 days. (Jinyoung still feels a little embarrassed at how into it he had been. Jaebeom still laughs about it all the time, so Jinyoung has to remind him that Jaebeom had literally reacted by kissing him and then acting like it never happened, which usually ends in Jaebeom sulking for an average of 6 seconds before allowing Jinyoung to kiss him in apology.)
By some stroke of luck, Jinyoung and Jaebeom both end up in the exact same positions they were in last time, with a slight variation on the same mission. Jinyoung can’t help the delighted expression on his face as Jaebeom walks over to stand next to him, his eyes crinkling as he and Jaebeom laugh together about it.
“Hey hyung,” Jinyoung grins. “Are you gonna get all worked up and ignore me for days this time?”
Jaebeom lets out a laugh at that, shaking his head slightly at Jinyoung’s cheekiness. “Don’t tempt me,” he says, the massive smile on his face confirmation that he isn’t actually tempted in the slightest.
The actual mission is much more enjoyable this time around. Jinyoung doesn’t feel the fiery urge to do something the way he did before because he and Jaebeom are far beyond that now. The other members aren’t as excitable as last time either, because to be honest, they witness this kind of behavior all the time. (“The novelty has worn off,” Jackson informs them. “Now it’s just gross, watching our parents be romantic with each other.”)
Still, Jinyoung smiles as he places the gummy worm in his mouth, laughing a little as his lips brush against Jaebeom's, his hand cupping Jaebeom's cheek and the back of his neck, because this is probably the first time since they’ve gotten together that Jinyoung has actually tried to be the more dominant one. Jaebeom is smiling too as they break apart, which Jinyoung loves because this time he knows for sure that Jaebeom is enjoying it as much as he is.
The second time, Jaebeom actually puts his hands on Jinyoung’s waist and pulls him closer, which almost makes Jinyoung momentarily forget what they’re supposed to be doing because their lips fully meet this time. They’re both smiling giddily at each other when they break apart, something Jinyoung recognizes that they probably shouldn’t be doing, so he makes a big show of exaggeratedly wiping his lips even though really, he’s quite pleased that for the first time, Jaebeom played an active role instead of his usual passive one.
Later, when it’s time for Bambam’s penalty, Jinyoung notices Jaebeom watching him apply the bright red lipstick with interest. He doesn’t think much of it at the time, because they’ve all been watching each other anyway. Mark stands behind Jackson, smiling all the while, telling him he’s doing it wrong, which Jackson elects to ignore. Youngjae watches Mark put his on in fascination, possibly to learn the correct method, but then asks Bambam to apply his for him, a decision he mostly regrets after the fact.
After they all have lipstick on, though, Jaebeom is still looking at Jinyoung, which in itself isn’t out of the ordinary because he does it all the time (Jinyoung is amazed that Jaebeom thinks he’s subtle about it), but the expression on his face is a little strange, so Jinyoung finally asks, “What’s the problem, hyung?”
“Nothing,” Jaebeom says, rubbing his own lipstick-clad lips together distractedly. “You look good.”
Jinyoung rolls his eyes fondly. “Thanks, hyung. You look quite nice yourself.”
“Please stop,” Mark requests, interrupting the moment. “You’re grossing the maknaes out again.”
Sure enough, when Jinyoung looks over, Youngjae, Bambam, and Yugyeom are all in various stages of fake-gagging and pretending to throw up. “It’s their fault for eavesdropping,” Jinyoung says, exchanging an amused glance with Jaebeom. “We’re just having a casual conversation.”
When it finally comes time to start, the members all decide that over-the-top, dramatic kisses will be the most entertaining, mostly because Bambam gets really awkward and embarrassed in situations like that. After his unnecessarily long kiss on Bambam’s throat, Jinyoung is still in a playful kind of mood. On his way back to the rest of the members, he sees Jaebeom covering his lips shyly as he walks towards Bambam, and he suddenly can’t help himself.
In an instant, he’s trying to pull Jaebeom's hand away from his face, which Jaebeom immediately tries to resist. They’re both laughing, Jaebeom ducking away as Jinyoung insistently tries to get Jabum’s hand to move. He manages to spin away from Jinyoung, still laughing, and although unsuccessful in doing what he originally wanted to, Jinyoung still feels a vague sense of accomplishment. The whole thing lasts less than 5 seconds, but Jinyoung thinks it was still worth it, because Jaebeom smiling is one thing, but Jaebeom smiling because of Jinyoung is Jinyoung’s favorite thing in the world.
~~~
“It was actually fate that Jaebeom-hyung and Jinyoung-hyung got the same mission again,” Yugyeom says later when they’re back in the dorm, sandwiched between Bambam and Jaebeom. “Soulmates are always meant to be together.”
“Okay, then why weren’t me and Mark together again?” Jackson demands from his spot on the couch, his head on Mark’s shoulder and his feet in Jinyoung’s lap.
“You were with Bambam,” Youngjae points out from where he’s seated on the floor, leaning against Bambam’s legs and playing with Coco. “He counts, hyung, he’s your soulmate too.”
“Yeah, Jackson-hyung, how could you forget?” Bambam says, pretending to look offended.
“I could never forget my baby Bambam,” Jackson coos over-exaggeratedly, and Bambam’s expression morphs into one of embarrassment.
“What about you then, Youngjae?” Mark asks. “You weren’t by Jaebeom. And I wasn’t by Jinyoung or Jackson, either.”
“Youngjae-hyung was with you and you were with Jaebeom-hyung,” Yugyeom explains. “So he was kind of with Jaebeom-hyung and you were kind of with Jinyoung-hyung. It all works out.” Everyone looks at him strangely.
“This is the least logical conversation I’ve ever been a part of,” Jinyoung says. “Why are we still talking about this?”
“Let the kids have their fun, Jinyoungie,” Jaebeom says soothingly, gently pulling Jinyoung’s head towards him to rest against his chest. “I know they make absolutely no sense, but when do they ever?”
“I resent that, hyung,” Jackson complains. “We make sense. Sometimes.”
Mark wraps a reassuring arm around Jackson’s shoulders and laughs softly. “No, we really don’t. But isn’t it more fun that way?”