hello my friend. i have thought about this every day for the last 4 months. i'm still not fully convinced it happened honestly but operating under the assumption that it HAS, i have imagined every possible scenario this conversation could be in. i have made attempts to write my own version of it. so of COURSE let's discuss it.

firstly thank you for your patience (i hope you're still around somewhere) i'm sorry it's so late. and secondly, ALL OF THE ABOVE!!!!! we are definitely aligned. honestly i think heeseung is sunghoon's ultimate source of truth. in a way that's not burdensome, but simply Devoted. he values his opinion the most. heeseung is his only hyung of course and sunghoon trusts and follows him implicitly in All things, i think it's only natural that he looks to heeseung to help him make sense of Love, of all things, which he has comparatively less experience with. he definitely sees heeseung as someone dependable and experienced, but also someone he trusts wholeheartedly with his most vulnerable, unsure, curious self. like he feels safe enough to ask that? i think part of sunghoon also wants to know if they're compatible and aligned in this, the way they are with everything else (work, ambitions, etcetera...) and spoiler alert: They Are. because they love each other.

also i think they Feel loved by the ways the other person quietly takes care of them... like they feel and see love so clearly in each other. compatible love languages etcetera. which is also why i think heeseung says sunghoon is the most romantic. like yeah of course YOU would think so... you are literally in love with each other. but i definitely think most "romantic" extends the way that sunghoon moves through the world, his mindset and treats the people around him. like he IS extremely romantic even if it's not immediately evident to people that don't know him. he loves fully, earnestly, honestly, selflessly. his love is very Giving. when he loves you, he shows himself to you in ways that he wouldn't normally. as fans, we are lucky enough to experience even a fraction of that (parasocialisms and such) with how he lets us in and lets us see him when he's cute, soft, gentle, emotional, vulnerable. he's very sweet and expressive. and of COURSE, heeseung not only sees that, but experiences that kind of love and romance tenfold. i'm always think about how heeseung knows a version of sunghoon that we never will, and that's really because they LOVE each other and sunghoon trusts him with his whole self. so of course heeseung thinks he's the most romantic. and i also think that heeseung sees him as someone to treat delicately–not because he doesn't think sunghoon can't handle toughness, but because he loves sunghoon and that makes him want to be soft. but maybe i'm also projecting bc i think heehoon love each other sooo gently and honestly and it comes through in the most quiet and unassuming moments. but i'm also insane, so.

i hope this answered your question... I HOPE YOU'RE STILL HERE. SORRY AGAIN FOR MAKING YOU WAIT

YES. the first thought is actually just this is my bias line and i want them all to kiss... but beyond that i really enjoy thinking about their dynamic bc i think heehoon definitely see parts of their younger selves in riki (the perfectionism, intensity, high expectations on themselves, the self discipline, being dedication to their craft at a young age - esp the parallels w hoonki both being Very seriously into dance/skating as children and kinda sacrificing parts of their youth for that) and i think that makes heehoon want to be more indulgent with him and preserve the youth he does still have ykwim. and that's very sweet to me.

on the other side of that, i think riki really looks up to and respects heehoon and their work ethic and skills, like he just thinks they're so Admirable and there are definitely parts of them he strives to emulate. he respects and loves All of his hyungs, but i think it manifests differently with everyone - with jake/jay/sunoo, he definitely teases a lot more teasing and bratty (fond), jungwon is somewhere in the middle, and i think he's still a little cute and starry eyed with heehoon (heeseung in particular). this could also DEFINITELY just be me projecting my own obsession with heehoon onto riki, but i do think he craves their validation and attention and really values their approval in a way that still makes him feel a little Young. like. CUTE. you know??? like those are his Hyungs. capital H.

another thought i have is that hoonki are kinda just like heeseung's big tall babies. like no matter how much they grow and how much their all come to rely on each other as equals, part of them are still just His Babies. and he his always going to be their Hyung... he's just very gentle and indulgent and fond in a way that hasn't really changed since they were trainees/on iland yk... the moment that really encapsulates this for me is during the no doubt comeback live where riki is like heeseung hyung doesn't play the NBA game with me anymore :/// and he's trying to convince heeseung to play with him again and he's like hyung let's go to LA!!!!!!! and then sunghoon chimes in and he's like noo hyung we still have to go to the canyon (aka play League) AND I JUST THOUGHT THAT WAS SO CUTE AND SILLY... like ultimately they r just cute little guys who want their heeseung hyung's attention and maybe they fight for it a little too... it's so endearing to me bc for sunghoon in particular, there's no one else he really acts like that with bc heeseung is his Only hyung, and with riki, heeseung will still always be his oldest and coolest hyung and there's really something to be said about that. BUT I THINK HEESEUNGS HEART IS BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF HIS BABIES. I REALLY DO.

but also!!!!!! when it's time to Be Serious, heeseung can always rely on both sunghoon and riki. regardless of age they're just Dependable. he trusts them and their work ethic and skills and they all kind of exist in the same plane of Neurotic. which i think is quite comforting for everyone involved. those are my thoughts. i love them ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ can i just please get ONE fic. im begging