The Art of Persuasion
The Art of Persuasion
pg-13 // taemin/key & jonghyun/jinki // ~4k w
"whatcha got there, kid?"
kibum plops down next to taemin on the couch. and taemin, being light as a feather, bounces lightly.
"sorry, did i scare you?"
"what? no." taemin shakes his head, eyes reading the same sentence of his book for the umpteenth time. truth was, he didn't like the student lounge. the couches were dusty, it was too bright and it was crowded. and minho's gang was always there, loud and rowdy a few couches ahead. but the student lounge also holds kibum since kibum runs in the same circle as minho. go figure.
"your book's upside down." kibum taps on the spine.
taemin throws him a surprised look. that actually makes sense. "oh. uhm." he flips it over.
"you're weird." kibum didn't say things like that to be mean. he just doesn't have a filter like everyone else. he wasn't anything like jinki or jonghyun or any of the friends that he knew inside out. kibum just said what he felt. "so, are you coming to my party later?"
oh, the woes of highschool and parties. you weren't anyone until you get invited to the more exclusive get togethers. and taemin already having the right friends, having the right face and pretty having the right everything thinks that yes, he is somebody in the school. he's not going to act like someone who hates it, being under the microscope. it has its moments. but his cheeks can only take so much pinching.
he's not going to say no. in fact, he's going to do the complete opposite. but only because he knows that jonghyun is going to want to go. and where jonghyun is, jinki is close behind. and where jinki is, taemin always finds himself somewhere behind.
--
"you know this isn't going to last, right?" jonghyun hitches a piece of crumpled paper towards taemin's back. taemin takes one of jinki's pillows and smothers him with it. jonghyun struggles like an overreacting victim while jinki calmly strides over to his desk, books in hand. he throws them a can't-be-bothered glance, sinking into his swivel chair and sighing.
"taemin, please don't kill my boyfriend." jinki says as he types on his laptop.
taemin loosens his grip on the pillow while jonghyun sucks in as much air as he can, pushing taemin on the bed before the younger can retaliate. "psychotic much?"
"what won't last?"
"what?" jonghyun curls his fingers around his neck, nursing it as if taemin strangled him with a rope. taemin rolls his eyes.
"what's not going to last?"
"your boy crush."
"we're not talking about that." taemin falls back on the bed, arms spread wide.
"i'm just saying. kibum's going to eat you and spit you out. you don't stand a chance with him." jonghyun shrugs, and in taemin's head he thinks, oh god, i hope so. then shivers at his own perversion. "minho says he's not the type that people like you should fall for."
"people like me? no, wait. more importantly, you talk about me with minho?" taemin sits up, arms holding him up with palms faced down on the mattress just as jinki spins on his chair.
"you're still talking to minho? what the hell, jjong?!"
"one crisis at a time." jonghyun raises his hands as if to block their sentences from hitting him in the face. "minho and i talk. ocassionally. what does it matter, jinki? i love you. and you," he darts a finger at taemin. "you're too nice for him."
"too nice." taemin shakes his head. "i am not too nice-- oh just say it."
"say what? i already did."
"no, say what you really mean. be captain obvious, please."
"what?"
taemin rolls his eyes and lands back on the softness of jinki's sheets. "i'm too young for him."
"well..." jonghyun tilts his head. "that too. but mostly just the too nice part. taemin, you may be confident and self aware, but you're no match for kibum. he's a beast that one. i've been friends with him. hell, i've been to bars with him. he's like that monster from predator."
"you mean predator?" jinki suggests, crossing one leg over the other.
"what? no. the monster. just. back me up here, baby."
"eh." jinki shrugs.
"eh?" jonghyun imitates exageratedly. "eh? that's it? that's all you have to say?"
"he's his own man. he can deal with this on his own. you're being overly protective for someone with hair like yours."
"what's that supposed to mean?" jonghyun's hands defensively fly to the crown of his head.
"it means i've been asking you to dye it back to brown a month ago and you're still--"
"for your information this hair would completely be accepted in france--"
"--you can afford a new cell phone but you can't buy yourself a box of mahogany hair dye. i mean, it's not like you're some korean pop idol--"
"--and jessica totally thinks it works--"
"--jessica... really?"
taemin slowly covers his ears with his hands, eyes closed on the bed as the two talk over one another as they usually do.
--
when taemin enters kibum's house for the party (the place is packed, beer cans and bottles everywhere, much like the people) he thinks he sees jinki squeezing past a crowd to get to jonghyun. he can't be too sure. he's got a plan and hours of analyzation and full proofing to back himself up so the first thing he does is scan the room for kibum's rainbow streaked hair.
the older boy is just where taemin expects him to be, one arm around a senior named nicole and surrounded by groups of people who are laughing enthusiastically at something he just said. taemin breathes in. this is going to be easy. or it should be.
he hasn't exactly been in love or in like with kibum for a while. it's just that in a sea full of students kibum is always afloat in his eyes. maybe it's love. he doesn't know. it was just so far beyond his understanding, the way the butterflies in his stomach turned into blades when kibum first smiled at him and asked him if he was lost. it's exactly the same smile kibum flashes him now as the older boy spots him, beckoning him over and as if he's the opposing north side of a magnet and taemin is the south, taemin scurries over, hands in the pockets of his jacket.
kibum releases nicole and tugs taemin over to his side, waving his hands to get the attention of the crowd he's currently entertaining. when taemin lands into his arm he smells the alcohol in kibum's breath mingling with a hint of cologne that taemin knows too well. "you guys, you knows taemin, right?"
yes, they knew him. they all go to the same school, taemin doesn't say. instead laughs awkwardly. "hey, hyung..."
"isn't he just the cutest?" kibum pinches his cheeks while taemin closes his eyes, minding his manners and letting the rest of the people around him go oooh and ahhh. "i know, i know."
taemin rolls his eyes, shoulders sagging. "hey, hyung." he repeats, a little louder.
"yeah, kid."
"i was wondering if i could talk to you." taemin is mildly aware that everyone is just looking at them now. he kind of wants to poke their eyes out.
"yeah, okay." kibum sniffs. "what's up."
"oh, uhm." taemin stutters, side eyeing the rest of the group and how they're just standing there watching them. if it weren't for the music playing in the background taemin would have lost his strength to do or say anything else. "i was thinking more in private. that i could talk to you in private."
"oh." kibum's eyes light up. "is it a secret?"
"well, no. not. i mean. i was kind of hoping..."
"oh my god." kibum laughs. taemin widens his eyes. the fewer percentage of the group who are trying to get in kibum's pants (and there is always an existing percentage as such) laugh with him even though it's clear that no one gets what the fuck is going on. "there's someone here you like, right?"
"what?"
"I'M RIGHT!" kibum smacks taemin on the shoulder. taemin rubs the spot gently while kibum keeps laughing. "this is too cute. who is it? you want hyung to help you out? is it someone i know? i'm sure i can--"
"hyungwillgooutwithme?" taemin rushes, the tips of his ears feeling hot when kibum's laughter ceases. and it gets eerily awkward now. "will you go out with me." taemin says more than asks, more sure, more certain, more solid. he says it again just so no one can deny that he did. he says it because he can. because he deserves kibum. and kibum doesn't need-- shouldn't need a crowd at his beck and call. he only needs taemin. he just doesn't know it yet.
"taemin."
"i was thinking this weekend. if you're free." taemin won't take no for an answer. he needs to hear kibum say it. he needs kibum to know that he will grow up eventually and when he does he wants kibum to be there by his side.
"you. i. wow." kibum genuinely and eloquently delivers. "can. can we... kitchen?"
"yeah." taemin and kibum say at the same time, excusing themselves and heading for the kitchen, which was still crowded. so kibum opts for his room, leading taemin to the foreign place and turning on the lights.
taemin is distracted briefly by the wall opposite the foot of kibum's bed, not one inch of it untouched by a polaroid.
"taemin. taemin." kibum snaps his fingers when taemin is transfixed by the collection. "hey."
"hey. who are these people?"
"what?" kibum plants his hands on his waist, keeping a safe distance between them. taemin points at the pictures on his wall. kibum sighs impatiently.
"just. people." kibum explains. "i like faces. and the faces i like the most i post on that wall."
"hey." taemin smiles, eyes crinkling at a polaroid of him resting in the mix. his eyes are wide open in the picture, v signs formed by his hands on either side of his his small smile. "i'm on here."
"oh right." there's an unmistakable tinge of shock in kibum's voice. "i almost forgot about that."
taemin frowns then, slightly dismounted from his high. he spins around to finally face kibum, his palms sweating in the vicinity of his jacket pockets. "so..."
"taemin, you can't just pull shit like that." kibum says immediately. taemin expected something like this but it was on the very last of his list making it more of an impossibility in a long list of possibilities therefore rendering his course of action for such an occassion to be slightly... well... empty. "you can't just ask me out like that. it's not funny."
"i'm not kidding, kibum."
"oh, so it's kibum now."
"and it's taemin now? not kid? or cutie or whatever the fuck else you call me."
"i thought you liked cutie."
"it makes me gag in mouth a little." taemin spits out. "listen. i meant it. i'm not pulling your leg or whatever. i wanna go out with you."
"you know what, cassanova? get in line."
"what?"
"you fucking heard me." kibum covers his face with his hands and taemin tries to calm himself, make himself believe that everything is under control. kibum slumps over to his bed, dropping down to sit and breathe out heavily, fingers dragging over his cheeks as he burns his stare onto the carpet. "you think i'm gonna let you have a go just because we're friends? i mean, what the hell? what were you thinking?"
"me? why am i the idiot in this scenario, kibum? because i chose to be genuine?" taemin flails his arms about for emphasis. "and F.Y.I., asshole, i don't want to have a go! i want to take you out. maybe buy you dinner or see a movie, hold your hand possibly. not fuck you in the back of a convertible. the people falling in line for you, i'm not one of them. as cliche as that may sound. and i know you like me! you have your arm around me and sport me around like i'm some prize and the sick thing is i kind of like it, but... wow." taemin's gaze drops to the floor. he shoves his bangs away from his eyes. "just forget it. forget i ever said anything. i am an idiot. clearly."
taemin aims for the door while kibum stares at his wake, hands on his mouth while taemin's voice hugs his ears.
--
"well, i hate to say i told you so--" jonghyun's sentence is cut short with the help of jinki's hand shoving his face.
jonghyun almost bumps into the couple in line behind them for the ticket booth at the multiplex. "shut the fuck up jjong. then what happened?"
"i went home." taemin holds jonghyun steady and helps apologize to the startled couple. "jonghyun's right. i should stick to my kind."
"jonghyun is never right. it's just that kibum's got wrong written all over him." jinki links his arm around taemin, a gesture he never did before meeting jonghyun and no matter how simple, taemin thought he wanted that. he wants to be changed by someone too. he wants the bickering and the challenge of being the ying to someone's yang. and he can have that. kibum's not the only one with the line.
"maybe it was the chase that thrilled me the most." the three of them take step forward as the line moves.
"what do you mean?" jinki asks, pushing onto taemin's side while jonghyun scans the food booth's lighted menu.
"i mean, maybe the challenge appealed to me more. i mean, i can always just turn the other cheek and i can have someone. it's not like i don't have a choice. it's just that when i see kibum i feel so limited." taemin shrugs.
jinki tries to not pinch his cheeks just then when taemin pouts because he knows how much taemin hates that. and that taemin, no matter how skinny, can punch him into oblivion. "time heals all wounds, little one."
"okay, hyung, seriously?" taemin pulls his arms away, frowning.
"What?" jinki laughs lightly. "cheer up. maybe he'll come around."
taemin groans. "don't be stupid."
--
taemin thinks he should take his own advice. don't be stupid. don't be stupid. don't be stupid.
but he can't help it.
the most he's ever interacted with kibum ever since the whole incident at his party for the past two weeks is through light, stolen glances. it's uncomfortable. and taemin isn't a tolerant kid. and through those glances he's realized that the butterfly blades in his stomach won't go away.
and this is why on a saturday afternoon, taemin is pressing the door bell to kibum's house, rolling his weight around the balls of his feet as he waits for a response.
kibum's sister answers the door and ushers taemin in (not without a quick hug and successions of bows and polite how are yous). she tells him that kibum is out in the backyard and taemin should just pop in. so taemin does exactly that.
"are you fucking kidding me?" are the first words that tumble from kibum's lips as he rolls over the hammock near the pool, dangling his feet over the edge and facing the younger boy, toeing the grass and squinting at kibum's lost expression.
"nice to see you too, hyung." taemin folds his arms across his chest, taking his time.
"you don't give up, do you?"
taemin doesn't know how to respond to that. he thinks that his unexpected arrival speaks for itself. he walks a little closer, admiring the sun rays hitting kibum's eyes just right and showcasing the chocolate puddle of brown filling the center.
"if you're here to ask me out again..."
"i am."
"no."
"why not?" taemin's brows draw together as he defiantly stares back, ironically much like a toddler denied of a toy in a toy store.
"oh god, taemin. can we not?" kibum hops off the hammock, toeing his slippers on. "it's a saturday for fuck's sake."
"no. tell me why."
"why what?"
"why won't you go out with me?"
kibum sighs helplessly, fingers raking through his hair. "why do you even want to go out with me?"
"i asked you first, hyung."
"oh, you asked me first, did you? really mature. you know--"
"stop avoiding the question." taemin extends his arms and lets them land against his sides lifelessly. "why won't you go out with me?"
"you're not my type."
"bullshit."
kibum chuckles, more of condescending than amusing.
"what is your type then?"
"guys that are not you. okay? end of story."
"i can be your type." taemin announces certainly. "i can be whatever you want."
"that's such a boy thing to say." kibum retorts, his eyes turning to slits. clearly, he's enjoying this. taemin just isn't sure how much of this he can take. he stick through it just to find out. "you shouldn't have to mold yourself into a type for someone. you either are or you aren't. and you aren't, taemin. okay? so, just. come on. let's leave it at that."
"that's really unfair."
kibum huffs.
"you don't even know what you're missing, hyung."
kibum laughs again, his reaction whenever he's stalling, taemin figures. "you're all talk."
"you don't know that." taemin answers without hesitation, taking a step forward, arms swinging along his sides. "hyung, maybe if you just..."
taemin takes a couple more steps and soon he's closing in on the distance, standing face to face with kibum, eyes roaming over the angles of kibum's face.
"taemin. don't." kibum warns in a soft whisper that taemin thinks is easy to ignore. especially now when they're so close taemin can count the shadows of the lashes painting the tops of kibum's high cheeks.
taemin dares to brush the shadows splayed across the contrasted white with his thumb, the softness grazing against his thumb acts as a retaliation that taemin can't seem to counter, instead succumb too.
"taemin." kibum tries again, lower, huskier, shooting through every bone in taemin's body-- taking control with a vice like grip. taemin is defenseless. "just find someone else."
"i don't want anyone else."
what kibum can't help is all of that certainty. he wishes that he can be as bold, talk as bold-- and he can... just not to people like taemin who sheds himself down to nothing but pure honesty. he wonders if taemin is really scared, if taemin is just that good. and he wonders....
he wonders about taemin's lips for the first time since knowing him. he wonders about the contours, the shape, the fit... he wonders if it will work...
without much fight left, kibum lets his eyelids fall close and there's only his sense of touch that he can depend on. and when taemin's lips graze against his, he learns the kind of softness that he always knew, that he's felt with boys and with girls but never with taemin.
taemin moves slowly, carefully managing to pass his kisses through the upper and lower lip before daring to slip his tongue past kibum's teeth. and then that's when kibum feels it. such sincerity in years and sweet, sweet moist touches of lips and tongue... it's almost heartbreaking. kibum doesn't know when exactly his hands manage to find taemin's sides and clucth at them to keep him close. and when taemin responds to the tug and pushes closer, presses up to share his warmth with kibum, kibum moans in the back of his throat, passing everything to taemin through his mouth.
taemin's arms snake around kibum's neck, locks together as he leans in a little closer, relishes in every quick, subtle shiver he gathers. and that's when the planets align for taemin, the one time he realizes that maybe he is a little in love and that he doesn't care.
kibum is the first to stop the kiss, breathing for a few beats, his forehead still connected with taemin's, arms still very much tangled around one another. kibum's brain runs on auto, forming thoughts involving taking taemin with him to his room and pushing him hard into his mattress. but he doesn't entertain these thoughts, instead smiles to himself, keeping his eyes closed and gripping at taemin's sides harder.
taemin kisses a part of his neck in response and it kind of sets kibum's skin on fire. "taemin. don't start something you can't finish."
taemin cracks one eyes open, preventing his grin from splitting his face in half. "can we do that again?"
kibum's head falls to the junction in between taemin's neck and shoulder as he laughs, cheeks flushing. "no. but you've got yourself a date on wednesday. how does that sound."
taemin leans back, head tilting forward to meet kibum's eyes. "really?"
"let's see what you've got, kid."
taemin can't help the smile on his face, can't mask his pleasure. he doesn't even try. "i'll pick you up after class?"
"you have a car?"
"i'll borrow my mom's."
kibum bursts out laughing then, mirth in his eyes as taemin smiles awkwardly. "you are unbelievable, you know that?"
"yeah. i do actually. but whatever."
--
the date, so to speak, was far from perfect. kibum was half an hour late because of being held back by his teacher due to a project of his that she wanted to discuss with him. taemin was snoozing in the driver's seat when kibum knocks on the window and the whole car reaked of this strong perfume that taemin borrowed from jonghyun.
"it's proven to increase the art of seduction." jonghyun said to taemin before the date, spraying him repeated with the perfume as taemin coughs. jinki just shook his head on one side as he observed the two.
kibum doesn't comment on the smell, instead does a not-at-all sublte gag sound as he fans the smell away with his hand, his other hand reaching for the seatbelt. "it smells like something kesha would puke out, to be honest." kibum says when taemin asks him if it's really that. taemin doesn't know what to make of that so he kisses kibum on the cheek and asks him if he's hungry.
they have dinner at a restaurant taemin and kibum have never been too. on the outside the restaurant looked decked out and fancy so taemin made a reservation thinking that it might be booked most nights. as it turns out they were the only diners of the restaurant for that night. kibum laughs behind his menu, kicking taemin under the table while taemin sulks, regretting his decision.
"this is fine, taemin. come on."
"i should have just taken you to a noodle shop."
"i don't know if that's an insult but i feel offended. i think you owe me a bottle of their most expensive wine."
by the end of dinner taemin isn't tired and neither is kibum. he asks if kibum wants to buy a six pack and drive over to the park overlooking the city lights and kibum bites his lip but says yes. taemin doesn't understand why at first, but when the cashier of the liquor store asks for his ID and kibum doubles over laughing in the car, he finally gets it. he pouts the rest of the drive to the park.
they sit on the hood of the car, a blanket underneath them and the beers settled between them. "did you know..." taemin says as he faces kibum, the glow of the lights illuminating perfectly on kibum's skin that taemin almost forgets what he's about to say. "that you'll know if you're soulmates with someone if when you connect your hands together and the lines on the base of the fingers form a straight line." taemin's already taking kibum's hand and kibum's curiosity is already piqued.
taemin laces their hands together and observes the lines, crooked and not at all in place. "oh." he says with a hint of disappontment. kibum stares down at the crooked line, a smile on his face.
"that's too bad."
"yeah." taemin says, his hand still comfortably tangled with kibum's.
"what a lame excuse to tell someone that you're not meant to be together." kibum props his chin up his vacant hand, not bothering to remove the connection of their hands either.
taemin looks up from beneath his bangs coyly, flipping their hands over and wrapping his fingers aroud kibum's. "or maybe it's just a lame excuse to hold your hand."
if there was ever a moment that kibum likes to look back on every time someone asks him when he knew for sure that he was in love, that was definitely high up on the list. because his heart has never skipped more beats in his life, it's lethal almost.
and there's nothing else to say after that. so kibum just allows taemin to pull his hand until kibum is leaning forward and their lips meet, smiles melting into one another.
--
taemin stops going to the student lounge after officially being known as kibum's boyfriend. only a few people know and a few people that care enough to ask.
kibum always knows where to find taemin. so later at lunch kibum roams the fire exits and ascends the stairs to the roof where it's breezy and empty save for a boy with earphones plugged in his ears, a book in his lap. kibum sits beside him, sighing.
taemin smiles brightly at kibum, tugging the earphones away. "so." kibum begins. "jonghyun gave me the talk today."
"the talk?"
"yeah." kibum nods, positioning himself closer to rest his hand on taemin's knee. "you know, the whole if you hurt taemin, i am so going to castrate you in your sleep talk."
"he actually said he was going to castrate you?" taemin closes his book. "he can't even properly operate a wine decanter, let alone manage to successfully castrate anyone."
"he said something along those lines. you know jonghyun."
"what did he say exactly?"
"that i should be careful with you." kibum picks at the loose threads of taemin's pants.
"uhuh." taemin nods. "and what did you say?"
"i told him that i'm going to take care of you."
"really?"
"no." kibum surprises taemin by locking their lips together, soft and chaste. when he pulls away taemin's eyes are still closed. "i told him to go fuck himself."
*masterficlist | add me | tumblr
-- TAEKEY sidestory to what starts
in chaos. you do not have to read it
for this to make sense. but it does
help if you do. shamefully short.
i apologize. hope you liked it still.
all this fluff, omg.
pg-13 // taemin/key & jonghyun/jinki // ~4k w
"whatcha got there, kid?"
kibum plops down next to taemin on the couch. and taemin, being light as a feather, bounces lightly.
"sorry, did i scare you?"
"what? no." taemin shakes his head, eyes reading the same sentence of his book for the umpteenth time. truth was, he didn't like the student lounge. the couches were dusty, it was too bright and it was crowded. and minho's gang was always there, loud and rowdy a few couches ahead. but the student lounge also holds kibum since kibum runs in the same circle as minho. go figure.
"your book's upside down." kibum taps on the spine.
taemin throws him a surprised look. that actually makes sense. "oh. uhm." he flips it over.
"you're weird." kibum didn't say things like that to be mean. he just doesn't have a filter like everyone else. he wasn't anything like jinki or jonghyun or any of the friends that he knew inside out. kibum just said what he felt. "so, are you coming to my party later?"
oh, the woes of highschool and parties. you weren't anyone until you get invited to the more exclusive get togethers. and taemin already having the right friends, having the right face and pretty having the right everything thinks that yes, he is somebody in the school. he's not going to act like someone who hates it, being under the microscope. it has its moments. but his cheeks can only take so much pinching.
he's not going to say no. in fact, he's going to do the complete opposite. but only because he knows that jonghyun is going to want to go. and where jonghyun is, jinki is close behind. and where jinki is, taemin always finds himself somewhere behind.
--
"you know this isn't going to last, right?" jonghyun hitches a piece of crumpled paper towards taemin's back. taemin takes one of jinki's pillows and smothers him with it. jonghyun struggles like an overreacting victim while jinki calmly strides over to his desk, books in hand. he throws them a can't-be-bothered glance, sinking into his swivel chair and sighing.
"taemin, please don't kill my boyfriend." jinki says as he types on his laptop.
taemin loosens his grip on the pillow while jonghyun sucks in as much air as he can, pushing taemin on the bed before the younger can retaliate. "psychotic much?"
"what won't last?"
"what?" jonghyun curls his fingers around his neck, nursing it as if taemin strangled him with a rope. taemin rolls his eyes.
"what's not going to last?"
"your boy crush."
"we're not talking about that." taemin falls back on the bed, arms spread wide.
"i'm just saying. kibum's going to eat you and spit you out. you don't stand a chance with him." jonghyun shrugs, and in taemin's head he thinks, oh god, i hope so. then shivers at his own perversion. "minho says he's not the type that people like you should fall for."
"people like me? no, wait. more importantly, you talk about me with minho?" taemin sits up, arms holding him up with palms faced down on the mattress just as jinki spins on his chair.
"you're still talking to minho? what the hell, jjong?!"
"one crisis at a time." jonghyun raises his hands as if to block their sentences from hitting him in the face. "minho and i talk. ocassionally. what does it matter, jinki? i love you. and you," he darts a finger at taemin. "you're too nice for him."
"too nice." taemin shakes his head. "i am not too nice-- oh just say it."
"say what? i already did."
"no, say what you really mean. be captain obvious, please."
"what?"
taemin rolls his eyes and lands back on the softness of jinki's sheets. "i'm too young for him."
"well..." jonghyun tilts his head. "that too. but mostly just the too nice part. taemin, you may be confident and self aware, but you're no match for kibum. he's a beast that one. i've been friends with him. hell, i've been to bars with him. he's like that monster from predator."
"you mean predator?" jinki suggests, crossing one leg over the other.
"what? no. the monster. just. back me up here, baby."
"eh." jinki shrugs.
"eh?" jonghyun imitates exageratedly. "eh? that's it? that's all you have to say?"
"he's his own man. he can deal with this on his own. you're being overly protective for someone with hair like yours."
"what's that supposed to mean?" jonghyun's hands defensively fly to the crown of his head.
"it means i've been asking you to dye it back to brown a month ago and you're still--"
"for your information this hair would completely be accepted in france--"
"--you can afford a new cell phone but you can't buy yourself a box of mahogany hair dye. i mean, it's not like you're some korean pop idol--"
"--and jessica totally thinks it works--"
"--jessica... really?"
taemin slowly covers his ears with his hands, eyes closed on the bed as the two talk over one another as they usually do.
--
when taemin enters kibum's house for the party (the place is packed, beer cans and bottles everywhere, much like the people) he thinks he sees jinki squeezing past a crowd to get to jonghyun. he can't be too sure. he's got a plan and hours of analyzation and full proofing to back himself up so the first thing he does is scan the room for kibum's rainbow streaked hair.
the older boy is just where taemin expects him to be, one arm around a senior named nicole and surrounded by groups of people who are laughing enthusiastically at something he just said. taemin breathes in. this is going to be easy. or it should be.
he hasn't exactly been in love or in like with kibum for a while. it's just that in a sea full of students kibum is always afloat in his eyes. maybe it's love. he doesn't know. it was just so far beyond his understanding, the way the butterflies in his stomach turned into blades when kibum first smiled at him and asked him if he was lost. it's exactly the same smile kibum flashes him now as the older boy spots him, beckoning him over and as if he's the opposing north side of a magnet and taemin is the south, taemin scurries over, hands in the pockets of his jacket.
kibum releases nicole and tugs taemin over to his side, waving his hands to get the attention of the crowd he's currently entertaining. when taemin lands into his arm he smells the alcohol in kibum's breath mingling with a hint of cologne that taemin knows too well. "you guys, you knows taemin, right?"
yes, they knew him. they all go to the same school, taemin doesn't say. instead laughs awkwardly. "hey, hyung..."
"isn't he just the cutest?" kibum pinches his cheeks while taemin closes his eyes, minding his manners and letting the rest of the people around him go oooh and ahhh. "i know, i know."
taemin rolls his eyes, shoulders sagging. "hey, hyung." he repeats, a little louder.
"yeah, kid."
"i was wondering if i could talk to you." taemin is mildly aware that everyone is just looking at them now. he kind of wants to poke their eyes out.
"yeah, okay." kibum sniffs. "what's up."
"oh, uhm." taemin stutters, side eyeing the rest of the group and how they're just standing there watching them. if it weren't for the music playing in the background taemin would have lost his strength to do or say anything else. "i was thinking more in private. that i could talk to you in private."
"oh." kibum's eyes light up. "is it a secret?"
"well, no. not. i mean. i was kind of hoping..."
"oh my god." kibum laughs. taemin widens his eyes. the fewer percentage of the group who are trying to get in kibum's pants (and there is always an existing percentage as such) laugh with him even though it's clear that no one gets what the fuck is going on. "there's someone here you like, right?"
"what?"
"I'M RIGHT!" kibum smacks taemin on the shoulder. taemin rubs the spot gently while kibum keeps laughing. "this is too cute. who is it? you want hyung to help you out? is it someone i know? i'm sure i can--"
"hyungwillgooutwithme?" taemin rushes, the tips of his ears feeling hot when kibum's laughter ceases. and it gets eerily awkward now. "will you go out with me." taemin says more than asks, more sure, more certain, more solid. he says it again just so no one can deny that he did. he says it because he can. because he deserves kibum. and kibum doesn't need-- shouldn't need a crowd at his beck and call. he only needs taemin. he just doesn't know it yet.
"taemin."
"i was thinking this weekend. if you're free." taemin won't take no for an answer. he needs to hear kibum say it. he needs kibum to know that he will grow up eventually and when he does he wants kibum to be there by his side.
"you. i. wow." kibum genuinely and eloquently delivers. "can. can we... kitchen?"
"yeah." taemin and kibum say at the same time, excusing themselves and heading for the kitchen, which was still crowded. so kibum opts for his room, leading taemin to the foreign place and turning on the lights.
taemin is distracted briefly by the wall opposite the foot of kibum's bed, not one inch of it untouched by a polaroid.
"taemin. taemin." kibum snaps his fingers when taemin is transfixed by the collection. "hey."
"hey. who are these people?"
"what?" kibum plants his hands on his waist, keeping a safe distance between them. taemin points at the pictures on his wall. kibum sighs impatiently.
"just. people." kibum explains. "i like faces. and the faces i like the most i post on that wall."
"hey." taemin smiles, eyes crinkling at a polaroid of him resting in the mix. his eyes are wide open in the picture, v signs formed by his hands on either side of his his small smile. "i'm on here."
"oh right." there's an unmistakable tinge of shock in kibum's voice. "i almost forgot about that."
taemin frowns then, slightly dismounted from his high. he spins around to finally face kibum, his palms sweating in the vicinity of his jacket pockets. "so..."
"taemin, you can't just pull shit like that." kibum says immediately. taemin expected something like this but it was on the very last of his list making it more of an impossibility in a long list of possibilities therefore rendering his course of action for such an occassion to be slightly... well... empty. "you can't just ask me out like that. it's not funny."
"i'm not kidding, kibum."
"oh, so it's kibum now."
"and it's taemin now? not kid? or cutie or whatever the fuck else you call me."
"i thought you liked cutie."
"it makes me gag in mouth a little." taemin spits out. "listen. i meant it. i'm not pulling your leg or whatever. i wanna go out with you."
"you know what, cassanova? get in line."
"what?"
"you fucking heard me." kibum covers his face with his hands and taemin tries to calm himself, make himself believe that everything is under control. kibum slumps over to his bed, dropping down to sit and breathe out heavily, fingers dragging over his cheeks as he burns his stare onto the carpet. "you think i'm gonna let you have a go just because we're friends? i mean, what the hell? what were you thinking?"
"me? why am i the idiot in this scenario, kibum? because i chose to be genuine?" taemin flails his arms about for emphasis. "and F.Y.I., asshole, i don't want to have a go! i want to take you out. maybe buy you dinner or see a movie, hold your hand possibly. not fuck you in the back of a convertible. the people falling in line for you, i'm not one of them. as cliche as that may sound. and i know you like me! you have your arm around me and sport me around like i'm some prize and the sick thing is i kind of like it, but... wow." taemin's gaze drops to the floor. he shoves his bangs away from his eyes. "just forget it. forget i ever said anything. i am an idiot. clearly."
taemin aims for the door while kibum stares at his wake, hands on his mouth while taemin's voice hugs his ears.
--
"well, i hate to say i told you so--" jonghyun's sentence is cut short with the help of jinki's hand shoving his face.
jonghyun almost bumps into the couple in line behind them for the ticket booth at the multiplex. "shut the fuck up jjong. then what happened?"
"i went home." taemin holds jonghyun steady and helps apologize to the startled couple. "jonghyun's right. i should stick to my kind."
"jonghyun is never right. it's just that kibum's got wrong written all over him." jinki links his arm around taemin, a gesture he never did before meeting jonghyun and no matter how simple, taemin thought he wanted that. he wants to be changed by someone too. he wants the bickering and the challenge of being the ying to someone's yang. and he can have that. kibum's not the only one with the line.
"maybe it was the chase that thrilled me the most." the three of them take step forward as the line moves.
"what do you mean?" jinki asks, pushing onto taemin's side while jonghyun scans the food booth's lighted menu.
"i mean, maybe the challenge appealed to me more. i mean, i can always just turn the other cheek and i can have someone. it's not like i don't have a choice. it's just that when i see kibum i feel so limited." taemin shrugs.
jinki tries to not pinch his cheeks just then when taemin pouts because he knows how much taemin hates that. and that taemin, no matter how skinny, can punch him into oblivion. "time heals all wounds, little one."
"okay, hyung, seriously?" taemin pulls his arms away, frowning.
"What?" jinki laughs lightly. "cheer up. maybe he'll come around."
taemin groans. "don't be stupid."
--
taemin thinks he should take his own advice. don't be stupid. don't be stupid. don't be stupid.
but he can't help it.
the most he's ever interacted with kibum ever since the whole incident at his party for the past two weeks is through light, stolen glances. it's uncomfortable. and taemin isn't a tolerant kid. and through those glances he's realized that the butterfly blades in his stomach won't go away.
and this is why on a saturday afternoon, taemin is pressing the door bell to kibum's house, rolling his weight around the balls of his feet as he waits for a response.
kibum's sister answers the door and ushers taemin in (not without a quick hug and successions of bows and polite how are yous). she tells him that kibum is out in the backyard and taemin should just pop in. so taemin does exactly that.
"are you fucking kidding me?" are the first words that tumble from kibum's lips as he rolls over the hammock near the pool, dangling his feet over the edge and facing the younger boy, toeing the grass and squinting at kibum's lost expression.
"nice to see you too, hyung." taemin folds his arms across his chest, taking his time.
"you don't give up, do you?"
taemin doesn't know how to respond to that. he thinks that his unexpected arrival speaks for itself. he walks a little closer, admiring the sun rays hitting kibum's eyes just right and showcasing the chocolate puddle of brown filling the center.
"if you're here to ask me out again..."
"i am."
"no."
"why not?" taemin's brows draw together as he defiantly stares back, ironically much like a toddler denied of a toy in a toy store.
"oh god, taemin. can we not?" kibum hops off the hammock, toeing his slippers on. "it's a saturday for fuck's sake."
"no. tell me why."
"why what?"
"why won't you go out with me?"
kibum sighs helplessly, fingers raking through his hair. "why do you even want to go out with me?"
"i asked you first, hyung."
"oh, you asked me first, did you? really mature. you know--"
"stop avoiding the question." taemin extends his arms and lets them land against his sides lifelessly. "why won't you go out with me?"
"you're not my type."
"bullshit."
kibum chuckles, more of condescending than amusing.
"what is your type then?"
"guys that are not you. okay? end of story."
"i can be your type." taemin announces certainly. "i can be whatever you want."
"that's such a boy thing to say." kibum retorts, his eyes turning to slits. clearly, he's enjoying this. taemin just isn't sure how much of this he can take. he stick through it just to find out. "you shouldn't have to mold yourself into a type for someone. you either are or you aren't. and you aren't, taemin. okay? so, just. come on. let's leave it at that."
"that's really unfair."
kibum huffs.
"you don't even know what you're missing, hyung."
kibum laughs again, his reaction whenever he's stalling, taemin figures. "you're all talk."
"you don't know that." taemin answers without hesitation, taking a step forward, arms swinging along his sides. "hyung, maybe if you just..."
taemin takes a couple more steps and soon he's closing in on the distance, standing face to face with kibum, eyes roaming over the angles of kibum's face.
"taemin. don't." kibum warns in a soft whisper that taemin thinks is easy to ignore. especially now when they're so close taemin can count the shadows of the lashes painting the tops of kibum's high cheeks.
taemin dares to brush the shadows splayed across the contrasted white with his thumb, the softness grazing against his thumb acts as a retaliation that taemin can't seem to counter, instead succumb too.
"taemin." kibum tries again, lower, huskier, shooting through every bone in taemin's body-- taking control with a vice like grip. taemin is defenseless. "just find someone else."
"i don't want anyone else."
what kibum can't help is all of that certainty. he wishes that he can be as bold, talk as bold-- and he can... just not to people like taemin who sheds himself down to nothing but pure honesty. he wonders if taemin is really scared, if taemin is just that good. and he wonders....
he wonders about taemin's lips for the first time since knowing him. he wonders about the contours, the shape, the fit... he wonders if it will work...
without much fight left, kibum lets his eyelids fall close and there's only his sense of touch that he can depend on. and when taemin's lips graze against his, he learns the kind of softness that he always knew, that he's felt with boys and with girls but never with taemin.
taemin moves slowly, carefully managing to pass his kisses through the upper and lower lip before daring to slip his tongue past kibum's teeth. and then that's when kibum feels it. such sincerity in years and sweet, sweet moist touches of lips and tongue... it's almost heartbreaking. kibum doesn't know when exactly his hands manage to find taemin's sides and clucth at them to keep him close. and when taemin responds to the tug and pushes closer, presses up to share his warmth with kibum, kibum moans in the back of his throat, passing everything to taemin through his mouth.
taemin's arms snake around kibum's neck, locks together as he leans in a little closer, relishes in every quick, subtle shiver he gathers. and that's when the planets align for taemin, the one time he realizes that maybe he is a little in love and that he doesn't care.
kibum is the first to stop the kiss, breathing for a few beats, his forehead still connected with taemin's, arms still very much tangled around one another. kibum's brain runs on auto, forming thoughts involving taking taemin with him to his room and pushing him hard into his mattress. but he doesn't entertain these thoughts, instead smiles to himself, keeping his eyes closed and gripping at taemin's sides harder.
taemin kisses a part of his neck in response and it kind of sets kibum's skin on fire. "taemin. don't start something you can't finish."
taemin cracks one eyes open, preventing his grin from splitting his face in half. "can we do that again?"
kibum's head falls to the junction in between taemin's neck and shoulder as he laughs, cheeks flushing. "no. but you've got yourself a date on wednesday. how does that sound."
taemin leans back, head tilting forward to meet kibum's eyes. "really?"
"let's see what you've got, kid."
taemin can't help the smile on his face, can't mask his pleasure. he doesn't even try. "i'll pick you up after class?"
"you have a car?"
"i'll borrow my mom's."
kibum bursts out laughing then, mirth in his eyes as taemin smiles awkwardly. "you are unbelievable, you know that?"
"yeah. i do actually. but whatever."
--
the date, so to speak, was far from perfect. kibum was half an hour late because of being held back by his teacher due to a project of his that she wanted to discuss with him. taemin was snoozing in the driver's seat when kibum knocks on the window and the whole car reaked of this strong perfume that taemin borrowed from jonghyun.
"it's proven to increase the art of seduction." jonghyun said to taemin before the date, spraying him repeated with the perfume as taemin coughs. jinki just shook his head on one side as he observed the two.
kibum doesn't comment on the smell, instead does a not-at-all sublte gag sound as he fans the smell away with his hand, his other hand reaching for the seatbelt. "it smells like something kesha would puke out, to be honest." kibum says when taemin asks him if it's really that. taemin doesn't know what to make of that so he kisses kibum on the cheek and asks him if he's hungry.
they have dinner at a restaurant taemin and kibum have never been too. on the outside the restaurant looked decked out and fancy so taemin made a reservation thinking that it might be booked most nights. as it turns out they were the only diners of the restaurant for that night. kibum laughs behind his menu, kicking taemin under the table while taemin sulks, regretting his decision.
"this is fine, taemin. come on."
"i should have just taken you to a noodle shop."
"i don't know if that's an insult but i feel offended. i think you owe me a bottle of their most expensive wine."
by the end of dinner taemin isn't tired and neither is kibum. he asks if kibum wants to buy a six pack and drive over to the park overlooking the city lights and kibum bites his lip but says yes. taemin doesn't understand why at first, but when the cashier of the liquor store asks for his ID and kibum doubles over laughing in the car, he finally gets it. he pouts the rest of the drive to the park.
they sit on the hood of the car, a blanket underneath them and the beers settled between them. "did you know..." taemin says as he faces kibum, the glow of the lights illuminating perfectly on kibum's skin that taemin almost forgets what he's about to say. "that you'll know if you're soulmates with someone if when you connect your hands together and the lines on the base of the fingers form a straight line." taemin's already taking kibum's hand and kibum's curiosity is already piqued.
taemin laces their hands together and observes the lines, crooked and not at all in place. "oh." he says with a hint of disappontment. kibum stares down at the crooked line, a smile on his face.
"that's too bad."
"yeah." taemin says, his hand still comfortably tangled with kibum's.
"what a lame excuse to tell someone that you're not meant to be together." kibum props his chin up his vacant hand, not bothering to remove the connection of their hands either.
taemin looks up from beneath his bangs coyly, flipping their hands over and wrapping his fingers aroud kibum's. "or maybe it's just a lame excuse to hold your hand."
if there was ever a moment that kibum likes to look back on every time someone asks him when he knew for sure that he was in love, that was definitely high up on the list. because his heart has never skipped more beats in his life, it's lethal almost.
and there's nothing else to say after that. so kibum just allows taemin to pull his hand until kibum is leaning forward and their lips meet, smiles melting into one another.
--
taemin stops going to the student lounge after officially being known as kibum's boyfriend. only a few people know and a few people that care enough to ask.
kibum always knows where to find taemin. so later at lunch kibum roams the fire exits and ascends the stairs to the roof where it's breezy and empty save for a boy with earphones plugged in his ears, a book in his lap. kibum sits beside him, sighing.
taemin smiles brightly at kibum, tugging the earphones away. "so." kibum begins. "jonghyun gave me the talk today."
"the talk?"
"yeah." kibum nods, positioning himself closer to rest his hand on taemin's knee. "you know, the whole if you hurt taemin, i am so going to castrate you in your sleep talk."
"he actually said he was going to castrate you?" taemin closes his book. "he can't even properly operate a wine decanter, let alone manage to successfully castrate anyone."
"he said something along those lines. you know jonghyun."
"what did he say exactly?"
"that i should be careful with you." kibum picks at the loose threads of taemin's pants.
"uhuh." taemin nods. "and what did you say?"
"i told him that i'm going to take care of you."
"really?"
"no." kibum surprises taemin by locking their lips together, soft and chaste. when he pulls away taemin's eyes are still closed. "i told him to go fuck himself."
*masterficlist | add me | tumblr
-- TAEKEY sidestory to what starts
in chaos. you do not have to read it
for this to make sense. but it does
help if you do. shamefully short.
i apologize. hope you liked it still.
all this fluff, omg.