Round 5: such a cold, cold night (for wassan20)
Fic Title: such a cold, cold night
Written For: wassan20
Main Character: Junho
Pairing: Taecyeon/Junho
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for language and sexual references
Word count: 3,450
Prompt used: M&D (Heechul and Jungmo) - Silhouette
Summary: Junho wanted all or nothing.
Out of sight, out of mind. Junho had made himself believe that would work, and for some time it had. It also helped that he had overworked himself to the point where sleeping was everything he wanted once his schedule was cleared. Sometimes that took longer than thirty hours to happen, but he was used to that.
Time would have passed even faster and he would have had more fun if he wasn’t wrapping up another solo tour. It was already a wild ride anyway; he lost count of how many flights he took from Korea to Japan and back again, and he didn’t want to know. He was back in Seoul now. On the way to his own apartment, to the place he had been calling home for about a year.
He took a deep breath as he leaned against the cold wall of the elevator. Home. He lived there, he had looked through dozens and dozens of places till he found the one that had everything he wanted, and that was the one. The place was huge, a vast emptiness that he had filled with all kinds of paraphernalia that he couldn’t make himself stop buying. He had already told his fans to stop sending him presents so that they could give to the ones in need, but that hadn’t really stopped them, or him.
Would he still call it home if it weren’t for his cats? He loved the place, that was true, he was proud of the path that had led him there, proud that he could finally afford a place like that. But that didn’t mean it had turned out exactly the way he had planned after he had decided to leave the dorm.
The elevator came to a smooth enough stop as the doors slid open to his floor, but Junho started as if shaken from a stupor. He rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his palm and pulled at the luggage next to him with his free hand, not letting it go as he typed in the code to unlock the front door. He had almost let his thoughts wander off to dangerous territories, but resignation made him move and his head was clear. He closed the door behind him, hearing the familiar sound of the automatic lock before he took off his shoes and turned to open the next, thin door that led inside the apartment.
Johnny and Wolie were still at his mom’s, he would pick them up the next day. He had wanted to go straight there from the airport, but when he called his mother said she would like him to stay a while and then he could also spend some time with Ggomaengi. Junho was grateful that she took care of all three cats while he was away, and he could admit that it was not just his mother who missed him. He was too tired to stay the night there though, so they settled for the following morning. They would have lunch together and then Junho would work on his first Korean solo stages in the afternoon, probably into the night, and for the rest of the week.
This would be the only night that Junho would really have to himself, but he wasn’t looking forward to that. Sure, he could get in touch with some friends and do anything other than stay home, but he wanted that. He just didn’t know what to do with it, in his empty apartment, all that space, the large bed, the piles of things that--
There was an extra pair of shoes next to the ones he kept against the wall inside the apartment, he noticed as he put on his home slippers. That was the row of clean pairs, as opposed to the ones he kept in the small cubicle where people should leave their shoes before entering his house. Junho was not worried about dirt or the fact that the shoes were not his; he knew the owner of those specific black leather sneakers. It was the latter that made him still for a moment, his hand slipping from the luggage as he looked past the narrow hall from where he could see part of the living room. The light there was on. His skin prickled and he bit his lip, but he willed himself to stay calm as he walked forward, his steps not as silent as he wanted them to be. There was nobody there though, and no signs that his couch had been used. Junho still cursed under his breath because that meant the person had had the audacity to go up the small staircase that led to the kitchen and the other, more private rooms.
He took a long, slow breath as he went upstairs to the open, empty room just before the small kitchen counter, and he saw one of the stools was occupied. The light above him was on, but the kitchen’s was not, and Taecyeon was facing him in the middle as Junho took the final step to the second floor. As absurd as it sounded, he felt like he could fall backwards and down if he stood where he was, so he took one more step forward just to be safe. Taecyeon had been waiting for him. That was what his mind decided to hold onto, instead of the annoyance at the intrusion and the fact that he had managed to enter the apartment in the first place.
“How did you get in?” Junho asked. Taecyeon had looked tense when he first saw him, and the question only made his eyebrows furrow until they looked like one. That was not a difficult feat, except for the moments when Junho would put a finger there, right above Taecyeon’s nose, pressing and then soothing the lines until Taecyeon grinned at him.
So much for keeping that and everything else out of his mind. It took him mere seconds in Taecyeon’s presence to jeopardize his resolution.
Taecyeon took something from the counter behind him, his jaw not clenched anymore as Junho looked at his profile. He seemed to be struggling with what to say, his lips moving until the shadow of a smile came and went, leaving words out of his mouth. “I wanted to give this back to you.” He took a sharp breath as if he was going to correct himself, but he remained quiet, his lips tight as he brought a jacket to his lap. He stared at it for the second that took Junho to realize that was the jacket he had taken with him the last time they saw each other (not counting the moments where they met as bandmates). It had been a chilly summer night, or early morning, but Junho hadn’t had time to feel the cold as he left the hotel room and all the warmth it had held. He had felt cold inside at that moment. The cool air had simply made him walk to his car a little faster, but he hadn’t gone home right then. He had driven around the city until his phone rang, but it wasn’t an incoming call. It was the alarm he had set just hours before, in case he fell asleep. He had never wanted to throw his phone out the window as much as he did at that moment.
“How did you get in?” Junho repeated, his voice not as strong as before, sounding more like a statement than a question now. His body had taken him closer to Taecyeon; he did not remember taking those steps but he wasn’t surprised as he stood just a couple of meters away from what was the dangerous territory personified before him.
Taecyeon stared at him, his fingers curling around the fabric of the denim jacket. Junho swallowed, flashes of grabbed hair and gripped hips assaulting him. His skin had always been quick to betray his thoughts, and Taecyeon had always seen right into him. The scowl was gone, the corner of his mouth lifting up just enough for a dimple to show as he spoke. “I don’t suppose you leave papers with codes written on them everywhere.”
Junho swallowed for different reasons this time. He had forgotten about the paper in the jacket, but never his own intentions. He let out a chuckle that sounded bitter, so he bit into his lip to hold back anything else. Another deep breath as he looked for words he had always had, words he had used before, words that had surely echoed in his absence. It wouldn’t have been hard for Taecyeon to realize what that paper meant, what the numbers and letters were, what Junho had wanted to give him.
Taecyeon stood up, and Junho waited, knowing the other was coming to him, aware that this might lead to false hopes of things working out the way they were, the way Junho didn’t want them to be any longer. But he was tired, and Taecyeon certainly knew that. He had chosen the moment Junho would be the most vulnerable to his touch, and as much as Junho hated that, he let him get close. He stood there as Taecyeon pressed the jacket into his left hand. He took it but let it fall to the floor a moment later because Taecyeon had leaned forward and sniffed at his neck. Junho held his hands back before he could do anything else, unsure if that was to stop or lead him. His brain made the decision for him.
“Why are you here,” he whispered, eyelids fluttering as Taecyeon nuzzled at his cheekbone. He had to fight hard not to give in, not to close his eyes and let his other senses take control, or lose it. At least Taecyeon didn’t try to move his hands from under Junho’s, something he could have done easily. That was a game they had played many times before, wrestling until one was on top of the other on the ground, play fighting in between messy kisses until one of them couldn’t breathe, bodies pressed against hard wood and cold tiles and glassy balconies, whispers of dirty promises that eventually came true, and oh how they came.
“I miss you,” Taecyeon’s voice was low but urgent, his eyes seeking Junho’s as their noses bumped softly. Taecyeon took a deep breath, his slow coming sigh just over Junho’s lips, which had parted of their own accord. “Please, Junho, I can’t do this anymore. I don’t wanna stay away from you.”
“You chose--” Junho bit at the corner of his mouth and hung his head, shaking it once. He didn’t want to have this discussion again. He was tired of many things, and that was one of them, the ongoing argument that he had wanted to end, that he thought he had ended. He had just made himself stop thinking about it, however. And while he had been away, while he had not been in Taecyeon’s presence, the proximity, the intoxicating shift between them as they stood like this, he had somehow convinced himself he could go on like this. But he couldn’t do it alone. If Taecyeon sought him out, he couldn’t stay away from him either.
Taecyeon moved one finger so that it was pulling at Junho’s hand, and he tugged until Junho let go. He saw Taecyeon shaking his head from the corner of his eye as Taecyeon held his hand again, showing what he actually wanted to do, and that was to get his attention as his fingers slid under Junho’s palm. He suppressed a shiver, anticipating the words before they came with the breath near his face. “Look at me.” And he did, his hardened eyes staring into Taecyeon’s pleading ones. Junho caught the Adam’s apple bobbing up and down while Taecyeon let him see the determination that had appeared in his eyes, on his face. “I want to know if the offer still stands.”
“No,” Junho said, and he immediately regretted the word that escaped him for the way Taecyeon’s face fell. He was faster though, he gripped at the other’s hands hard and pierced him with a look that told him to stay right there. Taecyeon would have teased him, called him tiger, wild cat, anything that only made Junho bare his teeth and hiss at him if the situation were different. But they had fought like they never had that night, and something had changed. Junho wanted all or nothing. Sneaking out in the middle of the night, hidden encounters and several different meeting places whose next spot and time they were never sure about... That had been exciting and fun when they were younger. When Junho didn’t care about relationships and being there for each other and waking up to a sleeping Taecyeon that he didn’t want to leave behind.
It had been strange for him to realize that he had been the one who wanted to move in together when the time came, when living in the dorm was unnecessary and he had craved for his own space. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t share it, and of course, if he was going to do that, it had to be with Taecyeon. He had thought it wouldn’t hurt if Taecyeon refused, because he had always been ready to reject the idea himself if Taecyeon proposed it to him. But Taecyeon never did that. And Junho had found out he cared, far more than he could put into words.
The truth was that he had always known what to do with nights like this. He knew what he wanted, and he had always acted on it. He was not one to sit and wait for things to happen, but this was something that depended not only on his efforts but on Taecyeon’s as well.
“You have to tell me,” Junho stated, his voice growing steady with every word, his gaze locked with Taecyeon’s just as the other laced their fingers together, listening intently. “If you’re willing to do this... If you’ve really changed your mind about everything you told me.” He paused, intent on every flicker of Taecyeon’s eyes, every reaction that showed on his face. He needed to be sure.
“I don’t mind your cats,” Taecyeon started, his head tilting to the side like he did when he was waiting for Junho to react to one of his stupid jokes. Except he seemed to mean it this time; his gaze was sober and the twist to his lips was a thoughtful one. He brought up their entwined hands, Junho’s left and his right one, his lips brushing over Junho’s knuckles as they stared into each other’s eyes. “I told my parents. I have a bag in my car, I was just...” he frowned briefly, and for that instant Junho wanted nothing more than to soothe that crease in his forehead. But he stood his ground, because that was the response he had been hungry for, and he could hardly believe he was hearing it. “Can Eddie come too?”
Junho’s laugh was more a choked tremble of his lips than anything else, and he nodded, shoulders rolling as the air left him and relief filled his chest. “I want the full package,” he said, his lower lip standing out as he waited to see what Taecyeon would say to that.
But Taecyeon was nodding, a mumbled “I know,” against his neck as he let go of his hands to hug him. Junho found it was not just relief flooding him, so he let himself sink into Taecyeon’s embrace, into the sheer joy that spread through him as his arms circled around Taecyeon’s shoulders. Taecyeon tightened his hold more and more, fingers pressing into Junho’s back while Junho stroked his hair and his nape and his neck, hoping his one sniff would go unnoticed. But Taecyeon drew back with a knowing look, his grip still strong around Junho’s middle, his eyes piercing at Junho’s.
Junho stared back at him until he felt like he could speak despite the overflow of emotions that made him want to cling to Taecyeon until he was absolutely sure the other was not going to suddenly regret this. He needed to trust Taecyeon as much as he needed to trust himself to bear the consequences that came with this decision. He knew it wouldn’t be easy for either of them, but that only made him want it even more. “What exactly did you tell your parents?”
Taecyeon snorted, shaking his head before he gave him a soft peck on the lips, but his gaze lingered and Junho longed for that kiss that hung like a promise in the air between them. “They said it was about time.” That didn’t really answer the question, but Junho was more interested in the effect he also had on Taecyeon, that line an instance of their mutual distraction, or rather the fact that their focus was shifting already. “Are you just tired or so exhausted that--”
Junho kissed him, Taecyeon’s words now jumbled against his lips, crumbling as Junho showed him the answer to that unfinished question more properly than anything he said might do. Taecyeon pulled him closer, but it was not enough, not like this. Junho craved for more and he made that clear with his mouth and his tongue and his hands and the sounds he drew out of Taecyeon’s mouth, the sounds he echoed and the ones Taecyeon stroked out of him.
“I want to move in, babe,” Taecyeon whispered against his ear, leaving a trail down his neck that was both from their kisses and his own mouth working on Junho’s skin. Junho gripped at his arms and shoulders, his hissing breath against Taecyeon’s hair as he pulled at it with the same intent that made him slide one leg up. Taecyeon’s hands were soon on his lower back, lifting him up like he wanted, Junho’s victorious smile mirrored in Taecyeon’s eyes, the flame that was visible through the fog of desire in them.
“You haven’t been to the bedroom yet,” Junho said. Taecyeon laughed quietly at the implication that that was necessary for them to seal the deal. Junho smirked at him, brushing their parted lips together, half-lidded eyes as he moved against Taecyeon, enjoying the way Taecyeon squeezed at his lower back while Junho took advantage of their current position. “I wanna take a shower. And you’ll cook for us. And if that bag you mentioned shows up, then maybe I’ll let you move in.”
Taecyeon just stared at him, temporarily dumbstruck but still amused like Junho had expected him to be. “I’ve missed you, asshole,” he said slowly, sounding like he needed to convince himself he still wanted to stay after that.
Although Junho knew Taecyeon had also jokingly insulted him, he couldn’t help but let his teasing smile grow at the pun he knew was not accidental. He raked his hands through the smooth dark locks that he had turned into a lovely disarray and leaned in to nib at Taecyeon’s upper lip just as he flexed his thighs around Taecyeon’s hips. “I know you want to make me happy.”
There was a noisy exhale before Taecyeon kissed him, hard. He let Junho drop to the floor slowly, just to ravish him until Junho was willing to take and be taken right there and then, his own words be damned. “Go,” Taecyeon said, drawing back a step. Junho missed him almost immediately, even as Taecyeon touched his face, fingertips sliding from his cheek to his chin, thumb rubbing at his swollen lips. “See what happens first, you walking out of that shower in a towel or me helping you finish it after leaving my things in your room.”
Junho wanted to bite back a moan but his teeth found the tip of that thumb instead, and he bit hard, satisfied at Taecyeon’s yelp and retreat. “You go. Now.” But come back quickly, his mind added, and Junho almost said it out loud.
Taecyeon wiggled his eyebrows at him before he went downstairs, and Junho let out a sigh as he heard the receding footsteps that ended with the fading sound of the front door locking on its own. He frowned, for his being able to hear that from the second floor meant Taecyeon hadn’t closed the door before that one, something that couldn’t happen if the cats had been there.
The cats, and now a dog and one giant cat, too. Junho smiled to himself as he headed to the bathroom, wondering how much Taecyeon would mind if he started calling him that. A lot, he hoped.
Written For: wassan20
Main Character: Junho
Pairing: Taecyeon/Junho
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for language and sexual references
Word count: 3,450
Prompt used: M&D (Heechul and Jungmo) - Silhouette
Summary: Junho wanted all or nothing.
Out of sight, out of mind. Junho had made himself believe that would work, and for some time it had. It also helped that he had overworked himself to the point where sleeping was everything he wanted once his schedule was cleared. Sometimes that took longer than thirty hours to happen, but he was used to that.
Time would have passed even faster and he would have had more fun if he wasn’t wrapping up another solo tour. It was already a wild ride anyway; he lost count of how many flights he took from Korea to Japan and back again, and he didn’t want to know. He was back in Seoul now. On the way to his own apartment, to the place he had been calling home for about a year.
He took a deep breath as he leaned against the cold wall of the elevator. Home. He lived there, he had looked through dozens and dozens of places till he found the one that had everything he wanted, and that was the one. The place was huge, a vast emptiness that he had filled with all kinds of paraphernalia that he couldn’t make himself stop buying. He had already told his fans to stop sending him presents so that they could give to the ones in need, but that hadn’t really stopped them, or him.
Would he still call it home if it weren’t for his cats? He loved the place, that was true, he was proud of the path that had led him there, proud that he could finally afford a place like that. But that didn’t mean it had turned out exactly the way he had planned after he had decided to leave the dorm.
The elevator came to a smooth enough stop as the doors slid open to his floor, but Junho started as if shaken from a stupor. He rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his palm and pulled at the luggage next to him with his free hand, not letting it go as he typed in the code to unlock the front door. He had almost let his thoughts wander off to dangerous territories, but resignation made him move and his head was clear. He closed the door behind him, hearing the familiar sound of the automatic lock before he took off his shoes and turned to open the next, thin door that led inside the apartment.
Johnny and Wolie were still at his mom’s, he would pick them up the next day. He had wanted to go straight there from the airport, but when he called his mother said she would like him to stay a while and then he could also spend some time with Ggomaengi. Junho was grateful that she took care of all three cats while he was away, and he could admit that it was not just his mother who missed him. He was too tired to stay the night there though, so they settled for the following morning. They would have lunch together and then Junho would work on his first Korean solo stages in the afternoon, probably into the night, and for the rest of the week.
This would be the only night that Junho would really have to himself, but he wasn’t looking forward to that. Sure, he could get in touch with some friends and do anything other than stay home, but he wanted that. He just didn’t know what to do with it, in his empty apartment, all that space, the large bed, the piles of things that--
There was an extra pair of shoes next to the ones he kept against the wall inside the apartment, he noticed as he put on his home slippers. That was the row of clean pairs, as opposed to the ones he kept in the small cubicle where people should leave their shoes before entering his house. Junho was not worried about dirt or the fact that the shoes were not his; he knew the owner of those specific black leather sneakers. It was the latter that made him still for a moment, his hand slipping from the luggage as he looked past the narrow hall from where he could see part of the living room. The light there was on. His skin prickled and he bit his lip, but he willed himself to stay calm as he walked forward, his steps not as silent as he wanted them to be. There was nobody there though, and no signs that his couch had been used. Junho still cursed under his breath because that meant the person had had the audacity to go up the small staircase that led to the kitchen and the other, more private rooms.
He took a long, slow breath as he went upstairs to the open, empty room just before the small kitchen counter, and he saw one of the stools was occupied. The light above him was on, but the kitchen’s was not, and Taecyeon was facing him in the middle as Junho took the final step to the second floor. As absurd as it sounded, he felt like he could fall backwards and down if he stood where he was, so he took one more step forward just to be safe. Taecyeon had been waiting for him. That was what his mind decided to hold onto, instead of the annoyance at the intrusion and the fact that he had managed to enter the apartment in the first place.
“How did you get in?” Junho asked. Taecyeon had looked tense when he first saw him, and the question only made his eyebrows furrow until they looked like one. That was not a difficult feat, except for the moments when Junho would put a finger there, right above Taecyeon’s nose, pressing and then soothing the lines until Taecyeon grinned at him.
So much for keeping that and everything else out of his mind. It took him mere seconds in Taecyeon’s presence to jeopardize his resolution.
Taecyeon took something from the counter behind him, his jaw not clenched anymore as Junho looked at his profile. He seemed to be struggling with what to say, his lips moving until the shadow of a smile came and went, leaving words out of his mouth. “I wanted to give this back to you.” He took a sharp breath as if he was going to correct himself, but he remained quiet, his lips tight as he brought a jacket to his lap. He stared at it for the second that took Junho to realize that was the jacket he had taken with him the last time they saw each other (not counting the moments where they met as bandmates). It had been a chilly summer night, or early morning, but Junho hadn’t had time to feel the cold as he left the hotel room and all the warmth it had held. He had felt cold inside at that moment. The cool air had simply made him walk to his car a little faster, but he hadn’t gone home right then. He had driven around the city until his phone rang, but it wasn’t an incoming call. It was the alarm he had set just hours before, in case he fell asleep. He had never wanted to throw his phone out the window as much as he did at that moment.
“How did you get in?” Junho repeated, his voice not as strong as before, sounding more like a statement than a question now. His body had taken him closer to Taecyeon; he did not remember taking those steps but he wasn’t surprised as he stood just a couple of meters away from what was the dangerous territory personified before him.
Taecyeon stared at him, his fingers curling around the fabric of the denim jacket. Junho swallowed, flashes of grabbed hair and gripped hips assaulting him. His skin had always been quick to betray his thoughts, and Taecyeon had always seen right into him. The scowl was gone, the corner of his mouth lifting up just enough for a dimple to show as he spoke. “I don’t suppose you leave papers with codes written on them everywhere.”
Junho swallowed for different reasons this time. He had forgotten about the paper in the jacket, but never his own intentions. He let out a chuckle that sounded bitter, so he bit into his lip to hold back anything else. Another deep breath as he looked for words he had always had, words he had used before, words that had surely echoed in his absence. It wouldn’t have been hard for Taecyeon to realize what that paper meant, what the numbers and letters were, what Junho had wanted to give him.
Taecyeon stood up, and Junho waited, knowing the other was coming to him, aware that this might lead to false hopes of things working out the way they were, the way Junho didn’t want them to be any longer. But he was tired, and Taecyeon certainly knew that. He had chosen the moment Junho would be the most vulnerable to his touch, and as much as Junho hated that, he let him get close. He stood there as Taecyeon pressed the jacket into his left hand. He took it but let it fall to the floor a moment later because Taecyeon had leaned forward and sniffed at his neck. Junho held his hands back before he could do anything else, unsure if that was to stop or lead him. His brain made the decision for him.
“Why are you here,” he whispered, eyelids fluttering as Taecyeon nuzzled at his cheekbone. He had to fight hard not to give in, not to close his eyes and let his other senses take control, or lose it. At least Taecyeon didn’t try to move his hands from under Junho’s, something he could have done easily. That was a game they had played many times before, wrestling until one was on top of the other on the ground, play fighting in between messy kisses until one of them couldn’t breathe, bodies pressed against hard wood and cold tiles and glassy balconies, whispers of dirty promises that eventually came true, and oh how they came.
“I miss you,” Taecyeon’s voice was low but urgent, his eyes seeking Junho’s as their noses bumped softly. Taecyeon took a deep breath, his slow coming sigh just over Junho’s lips, which had parted of their own accord. “Please, Junho, I can’t do this anymore. I don’t wanna stay away from you.”
“You chose--” Junho bit at the corner of his mouth and hung his head, shaking it once. He didn’t want to have this discussion again. He was tired of many things, and that was one of them, the ongoing argument that he had wanted to end, that he thought he had ended. He had just made himself stop thinking about it, however. And while he had been away, while he had not been in Taecyeon’s presence, the proximity, the intoxicating shift between them as they stood like this, he had somehow convinced himself he could go on like this. But he couldn’t do it alone. If Taecyeon sought him out, he couldn’t stay away from him either.
Taecyeon moved one finger so that it was pulling at Junho’s hand, and he tugged until Junho let go. He saw Taecyeon shaking his head from the corner of his eye as Taecyeon held his hand again, showing what he actually wanted to do, and that was to get his attention as his fingers slid under Junho’s palm. He suppressed a shiver, anticipating the words before they came with the breath near his face. “Look at me.” And he did, his hardened eyes staring into Taecyeon’s pleading ones. Junho caught the Adam’s apple bobbing up and down while Taecyeon let him see the determination that had appeared in his eyes, on his face. “I want to know if the offer still stands.”
“No,” Junho said, and he immediately regretted the word that escaped him for the way Taecyeon’s face fell. He was faster though, he gripped at the other’s hands hard and pierced him with a look that told him to stay right there. Taecyeon would have teased him, called him tiger, wild cat, anything that only made Junho bare his teeth and hiss at him if the situation were different. But they had fought like they never had that night, and something had changed. Junho wanted all or nothing. Sneaking out in the middle of the night, hidden encounters and several different meeting places whose next spot and time they were never sure about... That had been exciting and fun when they were younger. When Junho didn’t care about relationships and being there for each other and waking up to a sleeping Taecyeon that he didn’t want to leave behind.
It had been strange for him to realize that he had been the one who wanted to move in together when the time came, when living in the dorm was unnecessary and he had craved for his own space. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t share it, and of course, if he was going to do that, it had to be with Taecyeon. He had thought it wouldn’t hurt if Taecyeon refused, because he had always been ready to reject the idea himself if Taecyeon proposed it to him. But Taecyeon never did that. And Junho had found out he cared, far more than he could put into words.
The truth was that he had always known what to do with nights like this. He knew what he wanted, and he had always acted on it. He was not one to sit and wait for things to happen, but this was something that depended not only on his efforts but on Taecyeon’s as well.
“You have to tell me,” Junho stated, his voice growing steady with every word, his gaze locked with Taecyeon’s just as the other laced their fingers together, listening intently. “If you’re willing to do this... If you’ve really changed your mind about everything you told me.” He paused, intent on every flicker of Taecyeon’s eyes, every reaction that showed on his face. He needed to be sure.
“I don’t mind your cats,” Taecyeon started, his head tilting to the side like he did when he was waiting for Junho to react to one of his stupid jokes. Except he seemed to mean it this time; his gaze was sober and the twist to his lips was a thoughtful one. He brought up their entwined hands, Junho’s left and his right one, his lips brushing over Junho’s knuckles as they stared into each other’s eyes. “I told my parents. I have a bag in my car, I was just...” he frowned briefly, and for that instant Junho wanted nothing more than to soothe that crease in his forehead. But he stood his ground, because that was the response he had been hungry for, and he could hardly believe he was hearing it. “Can Eddie come too?”
Junho’s laugh was more a choked tremble of his lips than anything else, and he nodded, shoulders rolling as the air left him and relief filled his chest. “I want the full package,” he said, his lower lip standing out as he waited to see what Taecyeon would say to that.
But Taecyeon was nodding, a mumbled “I know,” against his neck as he let go of his hands to hug him. Junho found it was not just relief flooding him, so he let himself sink into Taecyeon’s embrace, into the sheer joy that spread through him as his arms circled around Taecyeon’s shoulders. Taecyeon tightened his hold more and more, fingers pressing into Junho’s back while Junho stroked his hair and his nape and his neck, hoping his one sniff would go unnoticed. But Taecyeon drew back with a knowing look, his grip still strong around Junho’s middle, his eyes piercing at Junho’s.
Junho stared back at him until he felt like he could speak despite the overflow of emotions that made him want to cling to Taecyeon until he was absolutely sure the other was not going to suddenly regret this. He needed to trust Taecyeon as much as he needed to trust himself to bear the consequences that came with this decision. He knew it wouldn’t be easy for either of them, but that only made him want it even more. “What exactly did you tell your parents?”
Taecyeon snorted, shaking his head before he gave him a soft peck on the lips, but his gaze lingered and Junho longed for that kiss that hung like a promise in the air between them. “They said it was about time.” That didn’t really answer the question, but Junho was more interested in the effect he also had on Taecyeon, that line an instance of their mutual distraction, or rather the fact that their focus was shifting already. “Are you just tired or so exhausted that--”
Junho kissed him, Taecyeon’s words now jumbled against his lips, crumbling as Junho showed him the answer to that unfinished question more properly than anything he said might do. Taecyeon pulled him closer, but it was not enough, not like this. Junho craved for more and he made that clear with his mouth and his tongue and his hands and the sounds he drew out of Taecyeon’s mouth, the sounds he echoed and the ones Taecyeon stroked out of him.
“I want to move in, babe,” Taecyeon whispered against his ear, leaving a trail down his neck that was both from their kisses and his own mouth working on Junho’s skin. Junho gripped at his arms and shoulders, his hissing breath against Taecyeon’s hair as he pulled at it with the same intent that made him slide one leg up. Taecyeon’s hands were soon on his lower back, lifting him up like he wanted, Junho’s victorious smile mirrored in Taecyeon’s eyes, the flame that was visible through the fog of desire in them.
“You haven’t been to the bedroom yet,” Junho said. Taecyeon laughed quietly at the implication that that was necessary for them to seal the deal. Junho smirked at him, brushing their parted lips together, half-lidded eyes as he moved against Taecyeon, enjoying the way Taecyeon squeezed at his lower back while Junho took advantage of their current position. “I wanna take a shower. And you’ll cook for us. And if that bag you mentioned shows up, then maybe I’ll let you move in.”
Taecyeon just stared at him, temporarily dumbstruck but still amused like Junho had expected him to be. “I’ve missed you, asshole,” he said slowly, sounding like he needed to convince himself he still wanted to stay after that.
Although Junho knew Taecyeon had also jokingly insulted him, he couldn’t help but let his teasing smile grow at the pun he knew was not accidental. He raked his hands through the smooth dark locks that he had turned into a lovely disarray and leaned in to nib at Taecyeon’s upper lip just as he flexed his thighs around Taecyeon’s hips. “I know you want to make me happy.”
There was a noisy exhale before Taecyeon kissed him, hard. He let Junho drop to the floor slowly, just to ravish him until Junho was willing to take and be taken right there and then, his own words be damned. “Go,” Taecyeon said, drawing back a step. Junho missed him almost immediately, even as Taecyeon touched his face, fingertips sliding from his cheek to his chin, thumb rubbing at his swollen lips. “See what happens first, you walking out of that shower in a towel or me helping you finish it after leaving my things in your room.”
Junho wanted to bite back a moan but his teeth found the tip of that thumb instead, and he bit hard, satisfied at Taecyeon’s yelp and retreat. “You go. Now.” But come back quickly, his mind added, and Junho almost said it out loud.
Taecyeon wiggled his eyebrows at him before he went downstairs, and Junho let out a sigh as he heard the receding footsteps that ended with the fading sound of the front door locking on its own. He frowned, for his being able to hear that from the second floor meant Taecyeon hadn’t closed the door before that one, something that couldn’t happen if the cats had been there.
The cats, and now a dog and one giant cat, too. Junho smiled to himself as he headed to the bathroom, wondering how much Taecyeon would mind if he started calling him that. A lot, he hoped.