ateez family au

163

Yunho looked at the ceiling, sighed, and turned on his stomach to look over Chan's shoulder. His best friend was on his phone; the family group chat opened and spammed with 'I'm hungry'- and ''food. now.'- memes. "Jihoon is going to kick you, I tell you that," he commented and laid his head next to the elder's.

"He wouldn't dare, he isn't even online-"

And just after his last word, Chan was enabled to send further messages.

"Looks like he doesn't give a fuck who it is," Yunho laughed and hit his other shoulder. "I told you we should just go order, Chan." Yunho rose from the bed he was laying on and next to his best friend on the floor, opening the delivery app. "... As revenge, let's just not tell them," he chuckled and jabbed the other's side.

~

"Mingi has a crush on Yuqi"

Yunho choked on his Pepsi and spat it back in the bottle. "What the fuck-"

Chan shrugged his shoulder and smirked at the other. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed? They obviously do."

Something in his memories made his elder-brother instincts ring. Yunho made an unbelieving grimace; he would have noticed that, wouldn't he? "Why? Are you insecure Mingi will snatch her before you?" Yunho gave back and looked at this Pepsi. He screwed the lid closed and put it to the side. "Uhh~ maybe it's you crushing on Yuqi?"

Chan looked up and stuffed his mouth with the last bite of his take-out. He looked Yunho dead in the eye. "Yuqi?" he said between stuffed cheeks, "she's pretty, sure... but not my type I'd say." Chan swallowed down what he had left and tipped his lips. All over his bedroom floor was the food they had just finished; how lucky Yunho was going to help him clean up and store away. "Did you ever fall in love?" he asked and started to pile up the white Styrofoam boxes.

Yunho's lips pressed in a thin line as his eyes fell on his lap and the almost emptied box of fried rice. For whatever reason, the air felt warmer now, almost thicker than before. "In love?... I don't think so," he gave back and scratched the back of his head, "who knows, maybe puberty hits me later as I thought..." Yunho gathered his left-overs in one box and helped Chan clean up the mess they had made. While the elder brought the rest back to the kitchen, Yunho opened a window to let out the heavy smell of food and spicy sauce. When Chan came back and they sat on the bed again to play another match on Chan's console, Yunho took the word. "Why were you asking?" he said into the quietness; not completely quiet, the background music of their game made the situation more awkward than it was. "Did you ever fall in love?"

Chan looked to the side and grinned. "Once," he said and turned back to the monitor on the low-board across his bed, "during vacation, was a hot ass dude, I'd fall for these arms anytime," he laughed and patted Yunho's thigh jokingly. "No honestly," Chan looked back at Yunho, tried to hold back the laughter, "You know, Mr. Seong-"

And Yunho had never strangled Chan faster.

~

Yeosang quietly tiptoed out of his shared bedroom out to the hallway. His feet held warm in fuzzy socks that silenced him from walking around in their corridor. The light coming from downstairs was dim and warm; likely the living room light his father used now and then. The boy's heart hammered against his chest as he stood at the top of the staircase, looking down and rethinking his actions.

There was no need to, no reason to; go back to your room.

But curiosity, what if; it's right down these stairs.

Though he was wrapped in his winter pajamas, a blanket, and warm socks, he felt his hands freeze, get cold and rough. And slowly he took a step; the stairs creaking underneath his foot. The sound was quiet, yet for Yeosang it was deafening loud at the moment. Their house seemed so much bigger and colder out of a sudden; had their downstairs hallway always been so long and dark?