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1. Unappealing height difference
There were many reasons why Mingyu didn't want to date Junhui, and he was sure that the latter agreed with him. It wasn't that they didn't get along, in fact, they got along quite well, but there were many other things they had to take into consideration.
For example, their height difference. Junhui was only 4cm shorter than Mingyu, making each other the perfect shoulders to lean on, literally. However, as a result of that, they would lose out on a lot of "cute" moments that couples with large height differences had the privilege of experiencing. Take Soonyoung and Jihoon for example, when they went grocery shopping, Soonyoung would often lift Jihoon up so that he could reach the top shelf despite running the risk of receiving a punch in the stomach later. This also serves as an excuse for Soonyoung to follow Jihoon around while shopping instead of splitting up the items.
Meanwhile, when Mingyu and Junhui went grocery shopping, the two would just split up at the entrance and meet up again at the cashier, a less than romantic trip. Even if they wanted to spend more time together, two tall, well-built guys walking around in the aisles together would probably cause a lot of problems for other shoppers, especially if they started arguing about what brand to get and end up clogging the aisle or having to shout at each other while avoiding running into carts.
Unfortunately, because of that they are the fastest shopping combo so Seungcheol often sent them on errands together.
2. Unappealing visuals
Not to say that they weren't good-looking, they were too good-looking. As far as Mingyu was concerned, everyone in the group could serve as the visual, but the thing about couples with appealing visuals was the fact that they were different "types". Take Seungcheol and Jisoo for example, one was undeniably the manly, strong, reliable type, while the other was the beautiful, quiet, soft-spoken type. They literally completed each other, was what Mingyu thought.
Then there was him and Junhui, both tall, tanned, broad-shouldered, well-built, and all that. He could argue that Junhui was more of the "gorgeous" type, and his features were "slimmer" and more delicate, but Junhui's stage image just automatically placed him in the dominant slot along with Mingyu. In reality, Junhui wasn't as composed as he pretended to be, and was actually quite clumsy, but guess what? So was Mingyu.
It was like putting two same-type magnets together. Repelling.
3. Language barrier
Mingyu wasn't talking about spoken language, oh no, it was behavioral language the two had problems with. Junhui was naturally playful, he understood that, but he liked to goof around with the members a little too much. Even during rehearsals, he would continue to crack lame jokes and cling to the members despite the obvious tense atmosphere.
Admittedly, Mingyu had once snapped at Junhui and told him to focus instead of being a distraction for the others, then immediately regretted it when he noticed the shocked look in the older's eyes. Junhui remained silent for the rest of that rehearsal.
When Mingyu confided in Minghao about the issue, the latter had defended Junhui, explaining that it was a coping mechanism for Junhui. When the older felt nervous, he would attempt to lighten the mood for the others as seeing the others anxious only added to his own stress.
Mingyu then witnessed this himself when he noticed Junhui leaning against the wall, gripping a water bottle. His hands were trembling, but his face looked composed. In fact, Mingyu wouldn't have noticed if not for the sound of plastic crinkling and the light ripples forming on the water surface. However, the moment Junhui noticed Soonyoung sitting in the corner with his head hanging low, he immediately took quick steps towards the younger and knelt down in front of him as though he were talking to a kindergartner.
The two exchanged a whispered conversation, and Soonyoung eventually broke into a smile, giving Junhui playful smacks in the shoulder as the latter tickled and poked him in an attempt to cheer him up. Soonyoung then left to find Seokmin and Seungkwan while Junhui stayed in the corner, taking over Soonyoung's chair. His face had returned to a pokerface, and his eyes were glued to the clock, counting down to their performance time.
Mingyu understood, possibly more than anyone else, that Junhui gets nervous easily, but he always tried to calm the members down first. Because of that, Mingyu wanted him to stop and worry about himself first, but ended up snapping at him instead. He understood all that, but he wasn't able to convey that in actions or words, so he only ended up mumbling an apology to Junhui later on.
The latter had happily accepted the apology, but Mingyu still felt uneasy about it. Mostly because he could tell that Junhui was wearing a fake smile.
They were like cats and dogs. When a dog wags its tail, it wants to play, when a cat makes swishing motions with its tail, it's upset. Just like when Mingyu smiles, he feels genuinely happy, but when Junhui smiles, he's trying to hide his anxiety.
4. Wingman duty
They were each other's wingman. Well, not seriously. During the first couple of months of their debut and even before debut, Junhui was keen on emphasizing his closeness with Minghao while Mingyu would agree and compare it to his friendship with Wonwoo. Junhui would then joke about how his relationship with Minghao wasn't as "impure" as the other two's.
However, things became a little more complicated when Mingyu and Minghao began to grow closer after debut, even giving each other the title of "best friends". Pretending to look betrayed, Junhui joked that he was stealing Wonwoo. From then on, during games where they had to pair up, Mingyu would drag Minghao to his side and say that it's best to leave Wonwoo and Junhui together now that Junhui had made his feelings evident. Just lighthearted jokes like that.
So of course Mingyu was completely caught off guard when Minghao came to him and asked for advice on how to get in Wonwoo's heart. Meanwhile, Wonwoo had gone to Junhui to ask for advice on how to get Minghao's attention. The oldest of the four had apparently fallen out of his chair from shock.
Unfortunately, Mingyu's and Junhui's tactics for the couple often clashed, violently.
For example, Mingyu suggested that Minghao remained slightly distant and uninterested since Wonwoo wasn't really a fan of clingy stuff, while Junhui suggested that Wonwoo initiate skinship and literally cling to Minghao at all times because that was the obvious way to get someone's attention, also it was what Junhui does to Minghao all the time.
Naturally, Wonwoo became uncharacteristically clingy towards Minghao while the latter followed Mingyu's directions and turned a cold attitude towards the older, resulting in both crying (not literally) to their respective wingmen later on.
"Are you sure it's working? If I don't reciprocate his actions he'll probably really think I'm not interested!"
"I bet he's disgusted by my actions... What have I done?"
One day, Junhui managed to get Minghao and Wonwoo to go out for dinner together, but his friend was such a nervous wreck that he asked Junhui to tell him exactly what to say through text while listening in on them from another table. Unfortunately, Minghao had also said the same to Mingyu.
"You look beautiful tonight."
"Thanks."
"I'm happy that our first date could be witnessed by a full moon. Full, like your lips. Slash slash pulls him closer for a kiss."
"What the fuck is he talking about, Hao, get out of there. Stop reading this out loud- oops."
Eventually they had to come clean with one another, well, it was kind of hard to proceed normally from there. They both found it hilarious and amusing how they had the same worries, had a good laugh over it for the rest of the night, and even promised to have a second date.
From then on, Mingyu and Junhui were quick to get out of their way and give them space when the four were gathered, if they could, of course. Sometimes they couldn't do more than just switching seats when all thirteen were gathered for a meeting of some sort. Often thanks to that, Mingyu found himself standing or sitting next to Junhui.
5. Different tastes in food
Remember how Wonwoo and Minghao talked about having a second date? Well, they did, except their respective wingmen got worried and secretly tagged along, eavesdropping on their coffee date from another table. Originally, Junhui was sitting at a table on his own, but soon caught sight of Mingyu trying very hard to conceal himself under the table cloth, but his figure was so large that Junhui could see the table practically being lifted off the ground a couple of inches.
As casually as possible while Minghao and Wonwoo had gone to the bathroom, Junhui walked over and asked Mingyu if he'd like to join him at his table instead. It was located behind a row of houseplants that concealed them from Minghao and Wonwoo, not to mention it was definitely a much more comfortable choice.
Mingyu was so endorsed in watching their friends' progression that he forgot to look over the menu. So in order to make himself not look like an idiot, Mingyu told the waiter that he'll have whatever Junhui's having. The latter had opened his mouth to protest for some reason, but then shut it again, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
It turns out that Junhui had ordered lemon sorbet, not sweetened. What kind of coffee shop didn't at least offer sweetener?
Junhui chuckled slightly at Mingyu's widened eyes when their order came, picking up his spoon and eating the sour frozen dessert nonchalantly, "You can order something else if you want."
"No, I-I can eat this! I'm not picky at all!" That was half the truth. Mingyu eats everything, except for lemons. He, like Seungcheol, couldn't stand lemons. "T-this is nothing, it's just ice!" He swallowed slightly as Junhui shrugged, resting his chin on the back of his hand as though anticipating for Mingyu to make a fool of himself.
Tentatively, he poked out his tongue and touched the frozen substance with the tip, then quickly withdrew, cringing. "I-it's just cold!" Mingyu insisted as Junhui let out a laugh.
"Seriously, you can order something else, I'll eat your portion for you."
"Really? You'd do that? Wait... you intended for this to happen, didn't you?!"
"Thank you for the treat." Junhui ignored Mingyu's question, already sliding the sour treat towards himself and tipping it into the same glassware as his own.
Mingyu watched as Junhui dug into the lemon sorbets happily, "I hope you get a brain freeze."
6. Distracting
Mingyu had walked all the way down to the coffee shop early in the morning instead of staying in his bed to make sure his friends were having a good date, and they weren't mucking things up for themselves, but instead of them, he was watching Junhui instead.
Junhui had finished up the sorbets and was now spying on Wonwoo and Minghao, his chin still resting lazily on the back of his hand. His side profile was... really something. Especially that jawline... Mingyu couldn't help tracing his gaze along it, admiring it.
Seemingly having noticed Mingyu's stare, Junhui was forced to pull his attention away from the couple and turned towards his table partner instead, a small smile on his face, "Is there something on my face?"
Still in a trance, Mingyu nodded dumbly, lifting a finger and pointing towards a general area on Junhui's face. He watched as Junhui rubbed at the supposed spot, trying to get whatever it was that was tainting his beautiful face.
"Here." Mingyu said in a lower and quieter voice than he had intended as he leaned forward out of his chair, reaching all the way across the table and hooking his fingers under Junhui's chin, turning the older's face towards him. Before he could fully process what his own body was making him do, he found his lips connecting themselves to Junhui's.
All thoughts of Wonwoo and Minghao vanished, and neither of them noticed when the couple had gotten up and left.
7. Dishonesty
Junhui had always claimed that he hated lying the most in the world, it made Mingyu wonder if he had ever been a victim of a lie. Everyone must have had been one at some point, but Junhui hated it with a passion. Yet at the same time, Junhui was the one who lied the most in the group, especially about his feelings.
"Do you know what kind of lie I hate the most?" Junhui suddenly asked Mingyu one day while the group was taking a break from dance practice.
"What?" Instead of questioning why Junhui was asking him, Mingyu decided to go along with it. It was rare for Junhui to start such a serious conversation with him.
"When people say they're okay, but in truth, they're suffering. When I hear people say that, it makes me feel like I haven't been a trustworthy enough figure to lean on."
After a pause, Junhui shook his head, apologized to Mingyu for saying weird things, then turned to leave. Almost by complete instinct, Mingyu reached over and grabbed Junhui's wrist, pulling him back. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around Junhui's waist and swayed gently, leaning his chin in the crook of Junhui's neck, "Hyung, what happened? Is it Jihoon-hyung?"
Junhui shook his head, but didn't try to struggle out of Mingyu's embrace.
"Soonyoung-hyung then?"
No response this time, and Mingyu could feel Junhui tense up slightly.
"You know Soonyoung-hyung thinks of you as the most trustworthy friend he has." Mingyu soothed, backing up against the wall and sliding the both of them down onto the floor so that they were in a more comfortable position, "That's why he doesn't want you to worry. Just like how you do the same for us, right?"
Junhui heaved a deep sigh, "That's different."
"It's not, but I'll let it slide since you at least show me your true self." Mingyu replied cheekily, poking Junhui in the stomach.
The older rolled his eyes, but Mingyu could tell that he was smiling thanks to the reflection in the mirror. Junhui relaxed his body against Mingyu's, and Mingyu pretended to grunt, implying that Junhui was heavy, which earned a chuckle from the shorter.
After a moment of silence, Junhui spoke again, "By the way, speaking of lying, I see you haven't told anyone about our new status."
"...Have you?" Mingyu asked, licking his lips nervously.
"Nope."
"I thought you hated lying." Mingyu accused, giving Junhui's stomach another poke.
"I just didn't bring it up since no one asked." Junhui replied, turning around to give Mingyu his signature teasing smirk, "Besides, I hate lies, but I never said that I dislike secrets."
8. Too much cheese
Hand-holding, hugs, kisses, you name it, Junhui is always up for them, even during the most inappropriate moments. No matter if it was in the waiting room with all the members, in public, or even during live broadcasts, Junhui would always find some way to sneak in a couple of moments. Sneak wasn't even the right word, he doesn't try to hide at all.
"Shouldn't you be more careful? If the fans see..." Mingyu had muttered as Junhui locked their fingers together under the table during a fansign where they were fortunate enough to be placed next to each other in the lineup.
"They'd think of it as fan-service." Junhui replied casually, swinging his arm playfully back and forth, "Besides, it's not unusual among members."
"...By 'fan' you mean our actual fans, right? You're not implying anything?"
Junhui laughed, pulling his chair closer to Mingyu and bumping him lightly in the shoulder with his own, "You know you're not 'just a fan' to me. No offense to our real fans, of course."
Mingyu rolled his eyes, but he had no intention of letting go or struggling out of Junhui's hand.
9. Different units
Being in different units also meant having different strengths, different responsibilities, and occasionally, different schedules. Sometimes Mingyu would be locked in the recording studio with the rest of the Hip Hop Unit and go by an entire three weeks without seeing Junhui. Mingyu would be working on lyrics nonstop for days, and even after he finished, they would move onto the recording process, and then it would be Junhui's turn to be locked in a room for choreography planning.
Mingyu would spend most of his free time staring at the closed doors of the practice room, waiting in vain for them to somehow open before the given deadline. Then it was time for dance practice, the most suffocating part. You'd think that he should be happy that he could at least see Junhui now and be in the same room with him, but it was a crucial time for the members so they all needed to focus, work faces on.
It was suffocating, seeing the dancer right in front of him, occasionally touching him briefly while walking him through the new choreography, but they were unable to interact any more than that.
There were so many things Mingyu wanted to ask, like if he's been given breaks at all, or if he's been eating properly, because, man, he's obviously lost weight.
It was suffocating. Not being able to be by Junhui's side at all times was suffocating... and painful.
10. Mutual disinterest
Before deciding on getting into a relationship with someone, it was essential that one thought carefully about whether they wanted to spend more time with this person or not, and it most likely wouldn't work if a couple shares no mutual interests at all. Or even worse, they don't have mutual interest towards each other and it was completely one-sided.
Thankfully, Mingyu and Junhui weren't like that. What they had, however, was mutual disinterest.
Since Junhui had a naturally affectionate personality, Mingyu didn't really mind that the older would go around giving free hugs to everyone and anyone who asked for it. He wasn't going to be one of those overbearing boyfriends, after all.
Meanwhile, Junhui was totally fine with Mingyu spreading his pheromones everywhere while on stage, it was like he had no self-control, which he didn't. Most of the time he releases pheromones unintentionally, but at least it was something that was working in his favor.
In other words, they had complete trust in each other and showed genuine casualty towards the others' supposedly intimate interactions with others.
However, there was one thing Mingyu had to put his foot down on, "Why did you kiss Chan's forehead just now?" They were in a middle of a confrontation of some sort in the hallway outside of their dining room.
"He walked into a wall, can you believe how clumsy he can be?" Junhui laughed lightheartedly, but was cut off by a growl from Mingyu.
"Holding hands and hugs are fine, but kisses..."
"Are you getting jealous of the maknae?" Junhui chuckled, ruffling Mingyu's hair playfully, "All right, I get it, I don't want to do anything that makes you upset."
Mingyu sighed, satisfied. See? As long as jealousy didn't happen often their relationship was more than peaceful-
"What?" Mingyu blinked quizzically as the older suddenly pulled away from their reconciliation hug, and Junhui never said no to skinship.
"You shared a cup of water with Wonwoo earlier. Indirect kissing should count, too, right?" Junhui prompted, looking up at Mingyu with feigned innocence. He proceeded to chuckle at Mingyu's dumbstruck expression before quickly stealing a kiss from the younger's halfway parted lips, "You have no idea how much you've underestimated my jealousy. I've just been waiting for you to make a move first, finally got you to lose your cool, huh?"
With that irresponsible comment dropped, Junhui hummed happily to himself while walking back towards the direction of the dining room. Mingyu simply stared after him, rooted to the spot. Somehow, he always found the tables turned against him when Junhui was involved.
Suddenly, a clatter was heard behind him. He honestly didn't want to look, but he didn't have to.
"Someone has some explaining to do."
"You mean, some people."
It was Wonwoo followed by Minghao. Well, things couldn't get any worse from here.
And that, was why Mingyu really didn't want to date Junhui.
...Really.