Chapter Text
“Our Woozi really hates skinship, what a shame.” Jeonghan mourned patronisingly.
The team member in question stood up to reach for another serving of rice without deigning to answer Jeonghan’s obvious goad. Jihoon had been quietly enjoying their team’s monthly dinner and had found through almost ten years of experience that the best way to deal with Jeonghan while he’s deliberately being annoying is to ignore him.
Seungcheol, however, was generous enough to answer, waving his drink around, “I know right! Why is it that someone who is so cute and huggable hates hugs so much?”
“A cruel, cruel, twist of fate…” Jeonghan answered, nodding, while Seungcheol wiped an imaginary tear.
Soonyoung turned away from watching Seungkwan trying to impersonate Wonwoo’s ‘Tasty’ to add to the hyungs who sat opposite him’s conversation. “Sometimes he throws me off so quickly that you’d think he’s allergic to me.” He took another swig of his drink, causing Mingyu to pick it up to check how much was left, because his lightweight hyung was already looking slightly redder than usual.
“Jihoon-hyung doesn’t want to be mean, you know that! He just doesn’t like to be touched.” Dokyeom solemnly stated, nodding. Despite saying that, he still had an arm on Jihoon’s shoulders.
Jihoon tilted his head, “I don’t really mind it though? Skinship, hugs, touching, I don’t dislike it.”
The others turned to him in shock. “That’s such a lie!” Seungcheol laughed incredulously.
“I just don’t like it when you do it for the camera.” Jihoon answered.
Chan jumped into the conversation, “Okay, I agree that you’re worse when we’re on camera, but you still don’t initiate skinship anywhere near as much as we do!”
“I’m just not used to it.” Jihoon’s ears had started to go red, a sure sign of his embarrassment of having the members focus on him.
“Really?” Soonyoung asked. “I bet you’d get a rash if I tried hugging you for more than two seconds.”
“Bet.” Jihoon replied perhaps overly confidently, with one eyebrow raised.
Jeonghan jumped in, keen to capitalise on this opportunity. “Twenty-four hours of you letting us touch you without you trying to stop it and you have a deal.”
“You’re on.” Jihoon stated, eyes brimming with stubbornness. “And I’ll give you one week to make me say no, because as I said, I really don’t hate being touched.”
“Everyone! Listen up.” Seungcheol shouted and stood, and after gaining all thirteen members' attention, he grandly gestured towards Jeonghan to make the announcement.
“Everyone, we have one week, starting now, of free reign to touch Jihoon, whenever, wherever, and!” he paused for dramatic effect, “however we wish to. All we need to do is make him reject it and we win. Do we have a deal, Jihoon-ah?”
“Do your worst.” The shortest stood up and reached out to shake his hand.
Jihoon really should have known better than to make any kind of bet with a man as cunning as Yoon Jeonghan, but he shook his hand regardless, looking directly in each other’s eyes.
Kim Mingyu stuck his hand in the air. “I have a question! Um when you say anywhere, do you mean no matter where we are or can we touch” he gestured up and down Jihoon’s body with a pointed finger and obvious sweep of his eyes, “anywhere?”
“Anywhere.” Jeonghan answered. “But let’s not go too overboard when we’re on camera, shall we?” He smiled like an angel, but those gathered around the table were scarred deeply from their previous encounters with the devil beneath the façade. But the others also knew that Jihoon wasn’t the type to give in to a bet so easily, because he was stubborn to the bone. “And don’t hurt him. Or at least not too bad.”
Jihoon rolled his eyes. “Fine. Your seven days starts now.”
He immediately disappeared into a pile of limbs trying to grab him. Soonyoung, who was previously sat next to him, seemed to be the fastest and had managed to pull him onto his lap, where Jihoon sat diagonally. Jun, who was on the other side of Soonyoung, opportunistically reached over to wrap his arms around Jihoon, who sat rigidly with his arms now pinned to his sides.
“Oh Jihoonie, we’re going to make your life a living hell until you give in.” Joshua moved into Jihoon’s vacant seat and reached out one hand to cup his shocked face.
Minghao paused before shouting, “Oh, wait! But what happens if hyung loses?”