Title: To Believe Or Not
Pairing: Sicheng/Yuta
Rating: R
Length: 1,540w
Summary: Yuta and Sicheng have been flirting as a joke since forever, so Yuta doesn't know how to make him believe this time the confession is real.
Author's Note: 'pounding rice cakes' is a korean phrase to say having sex. orginally posted on
ao3 The music blasts so loudly backstage that Yuta can’t even hear himself think.
“I feel like my ear drums are going to burst!” Sicheng yells and pulls at Yuta’s arm when they get off stage. His pouts at the older as if he expects some type of reaction. “You poor baby!” Yuta yells back, his arm snaking around Sicheng’s waist to pull him closer as he leans up. “Do you want me to take care of you, baby?” He says loud enough for Sicheng to hear but soft enough for the music to drown it out.
He pulls away, eyes scanning around just in case someone does hear it and when he looks back at the younger, he’s got a glint in his eye that excites Yuta in the slightest.
Sicheng smiles as he drags his hand across Yuta’s chest, “You can, hyung?”
Yuta smiles back at him Sicheng and the latter giggles. “Hyung! Oh my god!” He pushes at Yuta’s shoulder and wiggles out of his grip. Yuta pouts, “You have an ugly smile.” Sicheng says once they reach their dressing room.
“I agree.” Yoonoh pipes in as he passes them.
“Hey, I’m your hyung! Respect me!”
-
Yuta can’t remember when him and Sicheng had started this rendezvous of sorts.
Sicheng will start with an off-hand comment or complaint about something towards the general direction of the group members-whether it be about the weather, other groups, or anything he can think of. Most members will hum or make small remarks back but Yuta is vocal. He’ll make a sly remark that borders mockery or sarcasm but it comes off as casual flirting to the untrained ear (or so Taeil says).
Sicheng was remarkably quick to come back at whatever Yuta threw his way but he was always the first one to break their façade. He’ll giggle before whining a loud ‘hyung~’ and slapping Yuta’s thigh tenderly.
Taeil had noticed the shift of their relationship and notes how ‘colorful’ Sicheng’s korean vocabulary had become, even if it is limited.
He had ‘cornered’ Yuta one day.
Cornered is used loosely because Taeil pulls him into his room the moment Yuta passes by, so close to ripping his arm out of his socket. “Hey!” Yuta complains, rubbing his shoulder as he moves to sit on the bed.
Taeil snickers, “Listen, whatever you’re doing with Sicheng, stop it!”
“What am I doing with Sicheng?” Yuta questions. “Flirting! Or is it even flirting? Look, he shouldn’t know the type of words and phrases he’s learned because of you!” Taeil whisper-hisses and it borders a whine. His arms are crossed and he looks serious.
“Did you know he asked me what pounding rices cakes meant the other day? Do you know how much I didn’t want to tell him but he wouldn’t leave me alone till I told him?” Taeil croaks, looking completely shook to his core at the mere mention of the exchange.
He remembers how innocent it sounded coming out of Sicheng’s mouth, it scared him. He also remembers the strange glint in SIcheng’s eye when he had finally understood what Taeil was trying to convey. He knew it was Yuta who had mentioned it to the other, who else could it be?
Yuta laughs, “Really? Oh my god, that kid! He’s so cute!”
“Stop corrupting him! He’s been in this country for a little over a year, he shouldn’t know 1,000 ways to say sex when he doesn’t even know how to say cloud in korean! Kindergartens know how to fucking say cloud, Yuta!” Taeil huffs, his ears are red as he tries to guilt trip Yuta into stopping.
“But it’s fun.” Yuta admits because it is so much fun. It’s interest him that Sicheng even plays long. It gives him a thrill when he can pull some kind of exaggerated reaction from the latter when he gets close or touches him but Sicheng knows it’s all just playful banter between them. This won’t progress beyond what they do.
“Bullshit!” Taeil accuses, “You’re a softie for him, everyone can see it. You’re not just in it for the entertainment, you’re testing out the waters. Sicheng isn’t a toy that you can play with at will. So I’m saying this now, either stop it or sort yourself out and go for it.” He sighs.
“Go for it? You’re telling me to date Sicheng?” Yuta confirms.
“If that’s what you both want, then yes by all means date him. Just stop messing with him. One day, one of you is going to get actually attached.”
-
Taeil becomes more aggressive and constant after that.
He sticks close to Sicheng, whether it be right by his side or just within arms reach. Yuta doesn’t mind the first few weeks, he’ll try and coax something out of Sicheng but Taeil swoops in and intervenes. ‘Sicheng, I think you need to retouch your makeup’ or ‘Sicheng, did you make sure your phone was charged before we leave?’ and naive little Sicheng misplaces it as Taeil being considerate. “Thanks for looking out for me, hyung.”
But Yuta knows differently by the way Taeil shoots him a look after the younger scurries off. “Why do you keep doing that?” Yuta finally asks when it’s just them two washing up. “I already told you why. If you want to hang out with him, sort yourself out.”
What is there to even figure? Yuta just likes messing with Sicheng and he knows Sicheng doesn’t mind much, as long as he’s learning new vocabulary. He likes the way Sicheng’s mouth curls around foreign syllables when he talks or how shy he gets when he says it wrong. He also thinks Sicheng’s got one of the prettiest pairs of eyes he’s ever seen as he’s looking into them now.
Sicheng’s eyebrows are furrowed and his lips pursed as he strings together a sentence. “Why are you ignoring me? Did I do something wrong?” He manages to get out. He knocks their knees together and makes to hold Yuta’s hand. Sicheng hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s an angel.
It’s Yuta’s misguidance and misplaced feelings that were in the wrong because he realizes then, with the acute awareness of Sicheng’s body heat against his as they sit on the roof, that yeah maybe Taeil was right. Maybe he was quote unquote, ‘testing out the waters’ to see how the younger would react when it came time to actually tell Sicheng how he felt. Yuta hums, shaking his head. “You made me love you, that’s what you did wrong.” He tries boldly but all he gets in that tell-tale switch in Sicheng’s demeanor before the younger is throwing a flirtatious joke back at him.
“He thought I was joking.” Yuta grumbles into Taeil’s pillow. He had stalked immediately to him once they came back down, barging in even though Taeil was already dozing off for the night. Taeil hums, “You let it get too far. Maybe he’ll take all of your future confessions as a joke.”
There’s silence between them and Yuta turns over, back against the wall as he tries to meet Taeil’s eyes in the dark. “What should I do? You know, to make him believe?”
Taeil groans, “I don’t know. Try again or just make a move, I really don’t know and I really just want to sleep.”
“Make a move? Like skinship?” Yuta presses, his tongue clicking in interest but Taeil snaps up. “I swear to god, If you try anything sexual with him, I’ll punch you in the throat, Nakamoto Yuta!” He hisses.
“Sicheng is far from pure hyung.”
“I don’t care! Now get out of my room!”
-
Operation ‘Get Sicheng to believe’ is a bust after day five.
The younger deflects all of his advances because he honestly believes Yuta’s just messing around like always. So when he corners Sicheng in his room, it feels oddly similar to when Taeil had confronted him the first time. Sicheng sits with the most puzzled look on his face and Yuta feels bad for dragging him into this. “I want to talk.” Yuta states before moving to sit with Sicheng.
“Of course, what did you want to talk about?”
“I really like you.” Yuta blurts out, not wanting to drag this out any longer. Sicheng’s mouth is agape but Yuta can see the slight curl of his lip as if he’s refraining from simling. Yuta just leaning forward to kiss him once. The curling dropping from his lip and he jerks back.
“Hyung?”
“I really like you.” Yuta emphasises.
“Oh.” Sicheng says a beat later but then his face changes from confused to realization. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” Yuta whispers, eyes averting but Sicheng’s still next to him. It’s too quiet between them, he can hear the tv in the livingroom.
“Well, okay bye.” Yuta rushes out before he tries to leave. “Yuta!” Sicheng calls out, trying to reach out to him. “Stay.” It sounds promising.
And it is. Taeil doesn’t even question why Yuta is sleeping in Sicheng’s bed (fully clothed thankfully) when he goes to wake him up in the morning but he makes a mental note of asking Yuta why Sicheng has a hickey the size of Texas on his collarbone.