Soft Yellow Petals

Untitled Part 1

It started with just a single soft petal. Jiho felt a tickle in his throat that grew and grew, coughing hard a few times before a bright yellow petal had fluttered from his mouth. He had reached out, catching it mid-air before examining it closely.

Just that single yellow petal.

It was about the time that Jiho noticed something was up with Kyung. It wasn't apparent immediately that something was different- in fact, it wasn't even that something was wrong. After knowing his friend for so many years, after being around each other almost constantly-like brothers- Jiho could notice even the slightest change in the other.

Which is why he started to notice the change in his demeanor when Jaehyo was around. Block B had been together for a number of years, so what suddenly changed between those two? Each member was close- probably too close, honestly, so what's different now?

Setting around the long, wide restaurant table, it was the first time in a long time every member was having a sit down dinner together. With how many hours Jiho put in at the studio, he had neglected to meet up for any sort of group dinner and found it a welcome change of pace. To see everyone together so relaxed, smiling- his family meant the world to him.

But seeing Kyung and Jaehyo so close- their chairs were shoved together, and although they weren't touching, Jiho could feel something strange about the situation. And there was the fluttering in his chest again, the same one he felt only a week ago when that soft yellow petal had flown from his mouth.

It was Taeil who first spoke up, head locked under Jihoon's arm, the two having some sort of mock wrestling match at the table.

"You and Jaehyo sure have been hanging out a lot, Kyungie." The phrase was straightforward, not accusing at all, but it caught everyone's attention immediately. Jiho wasn't the only one who had noticed.

Kyung's bright toothy smile exploded, that signature shit-eating grin of his with a soft chuckle. Jaehyo's eyes instantly locked onto Kyung's, and the two were positively radiant.

It made Jiho sick.

"Ah, see, me and Jaehyo are actually working on a song together- it's, uh, it's gonna be something really special."

Jaehyo nodded, folding his hands together.

There was the fluttering again. Deep in Jiho's chest he could feel himself trembling, and he wasn't sure if he needed to vomit or perhaps something else.

Looking across the table, Minhyuk's eyebrows furrowed. "Jiho, is something wrong?"

Silence. All eyes on Jiho.

"Uh, yeah. Just...Give me a second." Standing up, he excused himself from the table, making his way to the bathroom.

Just some cold water. Just breathe. But breathing was starting to become a challenge, and his heart was racing.

"Jiho? Can I come in?" Taeil's voice rang from the other side of the door, and unfortunately for Jiho, he didn't wait for a reply before entering.

Hands grasping the sides of the bathroom sink, Jiho was sweating. He was scared. He didn't know what was happening, and he didn't know what to say, how to say it, how to communicate to his hyung that something was very, very wrong.

"Jiho, you know...We can all tell something is wrong. You don't have to bear it yourself..."

Turning around to face Taeil, Jiho took a deep breath. "I know, it's just, I can't say I know what to say-" on that last syllable, suddenly he felt it. Something soft rising in this throat, something that made him feel like he was choking before he coughed again, and a number of those soft yellow flower petals fell from his lips.

"Jiho-"

And before they know it, Taeil is holding Jiho and they're sitting on the ground. All Jiho can do is stare in disbelief at the petals that he's collected in his hands, and Taeil is holding his head to his chest-
"Jiho..." All he can do is comfort him, keep him safe.

"Taeil...this is fake, right?" Pulling away from his hold, Jiho's eyes met with the tiny hyungs.

"No. It's real." Carefully opening Jiho's hands, he took the yellow petals and carefully tossed them into the trash bin. "But I promise I won't tell anyone. And we will figure this out."

Offering a hand, Taeil pulled his leader off the ground. "Let's go back, okay? We don't want them to worry. And please, sit next to Jihoonie. Don't let yourself think about him." But Jiho didn't have the right mindset to even wonder how Taeil noticed his feelings for Kyung, nor did he care. He simply tucked his hands into his pants pockets, following the tiny hyung back to the dinner table where he silently sat next to Jihoon. He didn't look at Kyung or Jaehyo the rest of the night and instead opted to smile and laugh at Jihoon and Taeil's antics and listen to Minhyuk and Ukwon talk about more normal things.

Not that it mattered. He doubted that they even noticed.