Winter Hearts

In Synth

Leo sat in the back trolley of the cute white tram that Hongbin had lead them to straightaway.

It was more of a street sightseeing novelty train with three large wagons that could seat about twenty people each, with the front engine designed like a rather jolly frontier steam train. Because it was still early, they had the tram to themselves, and Leo had chosen the back one to be furthest from the camera that N was wielding.

Hyuk got in to sit in front of him, Ravi and Hongbin took the middle wagon and N, Ken, Kkomae and Min Seok took the front. The warmth of the morning sun and the gentle rattling of the wagon along the sometimes cobbled, sometimes paved streets, began to lull Leo into a quiet meditative state.

"How is Siana?" Hyuk asked.

Leo smiled, nodding. "She's good."

"Is her heart pounding after you beat up that guy?"

Leo looked at Hyuk with a fatherly concern. Hyuk smirked, knowing what was coming.

"Hyuk-ah. It wasn't right for me to do what I did."

"Of course it was! He was a slime and he attacked first."

"I had the advantage."

"Which you didn't use til you had to. Ah, Hyung, you can't keep trying to make yourself into someone with a better conscience than the one you have. It used to be endearing, but now it is getting a little pitiful."

Leo laughed, attracting the attention of Hongbin and Ravi who were checking out the scenery.

"So have you professed your undying love already?" Hyuk asked sweetly.

Leo saw Hongbin look back at the scenery, closing his eyes against the small breeze and lifting his chin to the sun.

"None of your business."

"Okay, is it safe to say you are dating? Together? As one? A couple?"

"Of course they are, Hyukkie," Ravi said from the front. "Can't you tell?"

"I can tell. What I mean is, does everyone get to know that?"

Ravi looked back at Leo with his eyebrows upraised. From the front, Leo saw N turn his head a little to listen in. He sensed rather than saw, Hongbin go still.

"In time. That is my plan."

Ravi and Hyuk looked at each other and drew in excited breaths. If they had been any more melodramatic they would have wrung their hands at each other. Leo kept his eyes on N, who lowered his head and looked back at Kkomae. He wondered if that signalled disappointment, or resignation. HE hoped the latter, because he didn't want to feel he had disappointed N - which he knew he might have to make a choice about - and realised he would if he had to.

"Leo-ssi, can I take a video of you?" Hyuk asked, not waiting for an answer and pointing his phone camera at him. He turned a little to face Leo behind him, stretching one leg along the length of his bench.

Leo inclined his head a little, his eyes narrowed and looking sleepy under the sun.

"What for, Hyuk-ah?"

"So that our Starlights can see one more look of you as a single man," Hyuk said playfully.

Leo felt his lips twitch as he held back a retort - but he stopped himself. There was no need to deny anything. This was what he wanted to do. He gradually opened his eyes and looked at Hyuk, then looked sombrely into the camera.

"Hyuk-ah. Do you think Starlights will be disappointed in me?"

Even if Hyuk got the magnitude of Leo's question, as was his usual way, he smiled sweetly and then blinked as if listening to the fears of a child.

"Yes and no."

"Why?"

"Because they love you. And because they love you."

Leo sighed sharply, suddenly emotional and feeling a little self-conscious. How could he answer to that? He didn't know any Starlights personally except people he already knew and worked with who happened to be his fan, rather than fans of Vixx. The only Starlight he really knew was Siana.

He thought wryly to himself, that he should ask her if she were an official fan member or not.

"Why do you look so sad, Leo-ssi?"

Leo looked away, looking a little peeved that his expression was being mistaken for something else yet again - or was that just the maknae playing with him?

"You make me sad, Han Sanghyuk," he said, a smile creeping over his face as he looked down, feeling almost bashful at what he was about to say.

"Why?"

"You haven't asked me who has stolen my heart," he said, barely containing himself.

Hyuk squealed loudly, cringeing intensely and breaking into a hysterical giggle, prompting Ravi to squeal surprisingly high as well and making them all collapse into their mirth.

Leo wasn't expecting such a reaction, but Ravi and Hyuk sqealing so loudly caught him by surprise and tickled him so hard he starting laughing along quietly, covering his face with his hand.

"What's going on back there?" N yelled, causing Ken and the others to look back.

"Leo Hyung is trying to confess to me!" Hyuk managed to blurt out as Leo shook his head and waved a feeble hand.

Hongbin turned around with a broad smile on his face and let his lip curl at Ravi, who was too tickled by Hyuk's bubbly high-pitched laughter and Leo's almost-silent cackling. Ravi's ears seemed to perk up when Leo and Hyuk accidentally fell into a rhythm for a moment.

"They're making a beat, listen!" Ravi cocked his head at them and actually put his hand up to his ear as he softly guffawed, making Hongbin lean forward to listen intently for a moment before he realised what he was doing.

"Ah... you made me do this-"

"SHH - it's syncopated, do you hear it?"

Ravi's teary-eyed observations were making Hyuk more hysterical, and he stamped his foot on the wagon floor.

"Look, it's the kick drums! Don't you hear it Binnie?! Ahh, I am inspired to write a dub-synth dance track!"

Hongbin couldn't help it, he heard their rhythmical noises and realised that yes, it sounded like electronica. He laughed involuntarily, the smile reaching his eyes as he snortled over the discovery.

"You're so lucky Hyuk is recording-"

Ravi held a finger to his lips, which made them all laugh harder.

"Are you kidding me? You want a clean track too?!" Hongbin half-whispered, half chortled at Ravi.

Ravi squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop laughing.

In the front, Ken turned to N and scowled.

"I'm missing out on all the fun-"

"The fun's all HERE!" N interrupted, waving his palm in a circle as he indicated himself rather petulantly.

Kkomae and Min Seok giggled behind the camera, prompting N to give them a death stare, albeit a cute one.

Ken reached out, stroking N's shoulder.

"It's okay, shhh," he cooed, giving them a death stare too.

Albeit cutely.