The second time they kiss, they're in a bar with the members and some other friends, and they're completely drunk.

Hyesung would be lying to himself if he didn't admit he actually likes the way they're both flirting with each other, sharing soft gazes, giggles and lingering touches in their own bubble. Well, it's not exactly flirting, he tells himself, correcting his inebriated thoughts. It's just the alcohol's effects, making the usually shy young men act more comfortably with each other.

Indeed, Hyesung's head is pleasantly spinning from all the soju he drank that evening and he knows that Eric is equally drunk from the way he keeps leaning in close to speak to him, their faces mere centimeters apart. He's also very much aware that the young man has been eyeing his mouth for a while, and even if it's weird, the singer finds himself craving for a kiss. Even a cuddle would do.

He blames the alcohol and his recent celibacy. Yeah, it must be because he broke up with Soo Young – his girlfriend for two years – just a couple of weeks ago and he needs the attention to compensate, he tells himself again as Eric touches his hair.

"What are you thinking about?" Eric wonders out loud.

Hyesung doesn't answer, eyes dreamily riveted to Eric's handsome face. They keep staring at each other in silence, and soon, the other members pick up on their flirty behavior and start to tease them about the 'ricsyung couple'. It's becoming a thing among their weirdest fans, and if Hyesung finds it deeply annoying – Eric and he are just best friends and two men can't love each other anyway, duh –, it seems to amuse their friends to no end.

So when Hyesung sighs and tells them tiredly to shut up, none of them seems to listen.

"Stop eye-ing each other and just kiss already!" Minwoo dares them to do.

Everybody laughs around them. This time, Hyesung swears loudly and pushes Minwoo in retaliation, but he challengingly leans towards Eric, locking their lips for a short but firm kiss. Eric is frozen at first, but when Hyesung starts to pull back, he's quick to grab his neck to pull him in another, longer kiss.

The other members cheer loudly when it happens but soon wrinkle their noses and shout in mock disgust after a few seconds when the second peck lingers and wet tongues obviously meet.

But Eric doesn't break their kiss, his soft lips taking their sweet time to taste his mouth, so Hyesung doesn't care.

When they lean back, they're flushed, both laughing about the dare along with the other members. But they can't look at each other's eyes for the rest of the evening.

***

A few weeks later...

"Who have you kissed since the beginning of this year?"

No one speaks at first, even though they know the answer for each one of them. Even though they know Eric and he last kissed each other, not a long time ago.

Nobody has brought up the subject again since it happened and it bothers Hyesung somehow, considering that he can't help but think about it everyday for some odd, mysterious reason.

Hyesung doesn't look up but a glance out of the corner of his eye is enough to realize he isn't the only frustrated one. From the way Eric is staring at him since the question popped up, Hyesung knows the kiss is still on his mind too, and as every time he catches the handsome man stealing a glance at him, the singer is strangely pleased about it.

Smoothly, Junjin tries to make up a believable lie when Hyesung suddenly decides to speak up, to the other members' surprise. He just wants to tease the rapper.

"I can answer that question."
"Is it something you did with a member?" Minwoo immediately wonders, feigning innocence.

All the members have a knowing grin, and Hyesung tries not to snort. He's surprised and attentive when Eric joins in the conversation.

"If it was a member, then we will all go have a drink," Eric promises while staring at him, smiling a little but looking nervous too.

Staring back at him with soft eyes, Hyesung laughs then takes his mike.

"It was not a 'she', but a 'he'," the singer admits, faking coyness. "We drank too much so we kissed."

His shy but at the same time proud, cheeky looking smile at the confession suddenly makes the atmosphere very awkward. Looking shocked, the male interviewer stutters, and Dongwan intervenes to try and lighten things up.

"Who was it?"
"It was Eric," Hyesung answers with fake nonchalance, noticing how quiet Eric remains.
"Oh, right."

The awkwardness is still palpable in the room though, and Eric fidgets in his seat, looking very uneasy.

"It was a good chance and there was a good atmosphere, so we kissed," he clumsily tries to explain to the dumbfounded interviewer.

Afterwards, Eric tries to make eye contact with Hyesung but the singer nervously avoids his stare until the end of the interview, wondering if his little joke was a good idea after all.

***

Seeming in deep thoughts, Eric doesn't speak at all to him after that, doesn't even look at him once, and confused by his icy behavior, Hyesung feels too shy to talk to him first. Was the rapper really mad at him?

When they're back at their dorm, about two hours later, Eric grabs his wrist the minute they're alone in their shared bedroom.

"Why did you have to talk about that in an interview?" he asks him coldly, without preamble.

His sharp words and his dark eyes are full of reproach, and surprised at his unexpected outburst, Hyesung is momentarily speechless, destabilized to see how mad at him Eric actually is. He is also a little bit hurt to hear in his voice how ashamed of their kiss he seems to be, refering to it with a spiteful 'that'.

"Simply because it is the truth." It really was. Hyesung hasn't kissed anyone else since 'that'. "I just answered the question for fun anyway," he adds defensively. "What is your problem? It was just a drunken kiss, nobody cares!"

Eric just glares at him for a moment but weirdly, his eyes seem more sad than anything when he speaks again a few seconds later.

"Don't do that next time, it's not good for Shinhwa."

Without saying anything else, he lets go of his wrist, and ignoring him, walks up to his bed, plopping heavily on the mattress and sighing loudly.

Hyesung stares at Eric's back for a while, gripping his own wrist. His skin burns where Eric's fingers touched him, but he suddenly feels cold inside.

He wants to slip into the bed next to the rapper, hug him and kiss his cheek to apologize to the Shinhwa leader, but he's not drunk today and he feels like he's not allowed to do this sort of things in his sober state. It seems like a too intimate thing to do after everything that happened between them. It would be too... awkward. Who knows, Eric might even be disgusted by such behavior now and push him away?

Still...

Hyesung slips quietly into his own bed a few minutes later, and as he listens to Eric's soft snores, lulling him to sleep, he can't help but think about his words, again and again.

Don't do that next time...

Next time...

What did he mean by that? Next interview or...?

Kiss.

Hyesung blushes, tugging at his pillow. It's silly. There probably won't be a 'next time' anyway. It's not like they're going to smooch each other on a regular basis, duh. Men don't do that with each other.

In his dreams though, as confusing as it is, they do.

TBC...

Remember that suspicious interview everyone? ;D

Boring chapter because you all know about it~, but I just had to do it haha! xD

Next update might be a little delayed, sorry about that, I'll do my best >.<