Winter Hearts

First Day

Leo walked back to his room, shedding the coat and about to peel off his sleepwear. The door to the balcony was still open as he had left it, and the room was too chilly. He closed it and undressed.

He kneeled in front of his baggage which he had opened and left splayed out like a patient on an unfortunate surgeon's table. Its contents had been rummaged through the night before as he searched for something to sleep in, and lay spilling out of the bag like entrails out of a long-dead victim.

He found skinny jeans, a long white tee and a loose sweater to wear on top. Although it was still chilly from the night, the morning sky was clear and he knew it could become hot under the rising sun. He grabbed a large scarf to wrap around his neck and found a beanie for his head and fresh socks for his feet. He grabbed his phone and some money and walked out of the room, picking up his overcoat on the way. Outside, he put his shoes on and looked for the key, before leaving the house and puling the door shut.

He walked slowly down the stairs and listened for sounds from Siana's place as he passed by. At the ground floor, he found N, Hongbin and Hyuk by the lift, whilst Ravi and Ken were outside with the others. Hongbin looked up at Leo with eyebrows raised, his dimples like two accusing dots in his cheeks. Leo ignored him and turned to N.

"What was that all about? I thought we were on a break? Who decided we need rehearsal space anyway?" He asked. 

N shook his head. "It's not like that. Ravi wants to do his dance practise, that's all. Mr Mikhalis is letting him use it for free because we took the rented the extra flat. So... score!" 

N smiled cheerily. "Anyway, why are you complaining, you just said you wished you had a studio. There's one right here, and he's willing to rent that too."

"Hyung, do you really want to do some work? Already? We just got here." Hyuk asked, surprised.

Leo nodded, then shrugged.

Hyuk understood immediately. "So you did, but now you don't."

Leo nodded glumly. N sighed. "Is it diet that makes you the way you are? Because you do eat a lot of fried food, you know. I read somewhere that free radicals cause your brain synapses to fire wrongly."

"As long as they don't go to his hips, it's fine," said Hyuk defensively, patting Leo on the chest. "Leave my hyung alone, leader-nim!" He smacked N's shoulder.

Leo looked appreciatively into Hyuk's adoring eyes and drew his hand gently across the maknae's neck in another neck-slice. Hyuk squealed, making Leo laugh.

"Twice in one day! Thank you oppa!!!" Leo and Hyuk cringed at each other.

Hongbin rolled his eyes. Whatever bromance that was going on between Leo and Hyuk, he hoped it wasn't catching.

They heard a door shut upstairs and quick footsteps descending down the stairs. Without a word, Leo turned and walked out of the lobby, followed by Hyuk who was smiling inanely.

Hongbin looked at N and then out at Leo. N raised his eyebrows in questioning.

"What?"

Hongbin shook his head and turned to see Siana leaping down the stairs, at the last minute, slowing to smile. He nodded and waited, seeing N go up to her to give her a hand as she took the last step.

She looked a little surprised at the gentlemanly gesture, and Hongbin was sure that N knew she was capable of making her way surely down the stairs. Hongbin looked at N in surprise. Was N's  gesture purely to make her feel taken care of? Hongbin raised his eyebrows.

Not N too? What was going on with everyone?

Hongbin shook his head. He knew Ken seemed gaga over her, but had assumed it was because he pretty much would cuddle and coo over any female thing that let him. Well, she had smiled so warmly at him that morning, Hongbin supposed that naturally Ken felt he had permission to fawn over her. Then again, Ken probably pulled out all his manly charms, whenever he could, with similar results, all the time.

And Leo... well, Leo seemed unable to process whatever was going on between him and her.

That left Ravi and Hyuk who seemed unperturbed by this creature in their midst. Hongbin felt Ravi was too preoccupied with work and improving himself, and Hyuk, although not really an innocent, was enjoying being single and busy and productive, and making friends and having fun.

Hongbin suspected that, despite his physique and cuteness, Hyuk was not one for emotional attachments, but rather had an affinity for people with a certain warped sense of humour that played up the strange, sometimes twisted nature of human beings. That explained his unusual relationship with Leo, where Hyuk must have found some touchpoint in Leo's character that allowed him to make fun of him in a way the others couldn't. Like the european fool in a medieval court who was allowed to say things others couldn't about the stern king. 

Hongbin thought, if Vixx were characters from mythology, Hyuk would be Mercury, the messenger and mischief maker who governed intellectual thought.

Hongbin looked at N as he linked arms with her and said, "Let's go!" before steering her out the door.

And N would be Pabo Number 3, he thought as he followed them out.