Wicked Ways, part 7 (Perry/Taeyang)
Title: Wicked Ways, part 7
Beta: Tama and Momo
Pairing: Taeyang/Perry
Rating: R
Previous parts: 1, 2, 3, interlude, 4, 5, 6.
Perry waited outside the meeting room, leaning back against the wall and tapping his foot to the beat running through his head. He'd never really been interested in the weekly this-is-where-YG-Entertainment-is-headed meetings - by the time he'd learned enough Korean to deal with them, it had become obvious that he had zero interest in any aspect of running a business. Music was his thing, and if YG needed his input on something, he usually just asked him directly.
This meeting, though, was important. If Jinu had done what he said he would, anyway.
And judging by the smug expression on his face when he finally walked out, he had. "Who's your favorite A&R guy?"
Perry grinned. "Depends what Hyun said."
"Apartment 403's all yours." He paused. "... Well, it's supposed to be for G-Drag and YB, but... whatever. I talked to G-Drag the other day and he's gonna say he's rooming with YB if anyone asks."
Min Suk emerged from the meeting room, gave them a tolerantly amused look, and headed to his office.
"I owe you one, man," Perry told Jinu as he gave Min Suk an innocent little wave.
"Nah, wasn't that hard. Didja know YG's, like, in love with your kid now?"
Perry raised an eyebrow. He hadn't spoken to YG since he'd refused to get him the lease, but he'd assumed that the whole "Taekwon's not working hard enough because of big bad gay Perry" thing still applied. "Whaddya mean, in love with him?"
"He's improved so much and he dances so well and he has such a nice body now~" Jinu replied, affecting a slight lisp that was so dead-on it was hard for Perry not to laugh. "Master Hwang was fawning all over him, too."
"Who?"
"Master Hwang? 'Bout this tall, follows 'em around with a thermometer..."
That took care of his urge to laugh. "Oh, him. ... What kind of a dumb-ass name is--" He closed his mouth as Master Hwang walked out of the meeting room, talking animatedly with Jae Wook.
Jinu glanced over his shoulder, then grinned. "Keep your claws in, man. I don't think he's YB's type."
"Yeah, well, YB's his type, obviously."
"YB puts his ring on before bed when you ain't in Tokyo. Chill." He glanced over his shoulder again. "Anyway, YG was saying we're gonna start working on his solo album, 'cause he feels bad about being harsh with him." He smiled slightly and rolled his eyes, clearly indicating what he thought of YG's reasoning. Perry had to agree, even though he was pretty happy about the solo album. Taekwon's singing and performances had been improving a lot. He deserved it.
"Good. Thanks for keeping me updated, man. D'you know when I can move in?"
"In a couple of days. G-Drag said you can have his key, so just ask him for it once you're there."
Perry thanked Jinu again before heading back to the studio, making a mental note to buy G-Dragon something nice and sparkly the next time they hung out together.
***
Perry looked around the room and nodded to himself, satisfied. It felt kinda bare without his CDs and DVDs, and he could've used a bed rather than a futon in the bedroom, but it'd do the job. He made his way down two flights of stairs, walked down the hall, and knocked on the door to Big Bang's apartment. That sure as hell was more convenient than flying across the sea every time he wanted to see Taekwon.
G-Dragon opened the door, grinning like an idiot. He already knew Perry was in Tokyo - he'd discreetly dropped by an hour or so ago, in fact, to get both keys from him. G-Dragon and Jinu had somehow managed not to let Taekwon know he had a room upstairs. "Hi. YB, Perry's here!" he said loudly, turning around.
Taekwon emerged from the bathroom, mohawk wet and spiky, pulling a bright blue t-shirt over his head. "Really??" Then he saw him, and G-Dragon got out of the way just in time to avoid being bowled over.
"You should tell me when you come to Japan," he said quietly as he squeezed him. He sounded vaguely like he was trying to be annoyed - not that it was working or anything.
Perry raised his head and kissed the corner of his jaw. "Sorry."
Taekwon turned his head and pressed their lips together, and Perry didn't realize how much time had passed until G-Dragon started laughing and pulling on Taekwon's shirt. "Geez, do that inside."
Taekwon laughed too as he stepped back, but his voice was a bit unsteady. "Yeah, um, come in. Where's your bag?"
"Hotel room," he lied, closing the door behind himself after stepping inside. TOP was in the living room, looking mildly uncomfortable as he tried not to even glance their way. The kisses had probably been too much for him or something. "Wassup, nigga?" Perry called out cheerfully.
He looked over as if he'd just noticed him, then thought for a second. "Uh... holla," he tried.
He'd get the hang of it eventually. "What are you guys up to?"
"Nothing," G-Dragon replied. "Well, I'm writing. They're not doing anything."
"Good. I'm kidnapping you," he told Taekwon, elbowing him.
He'd kept his tone light, but Taekwon's eyes burned into his as he nodded. "Let me just get my bag."
Apparently the words "hotel room" had gotten some ideas into his head. Perry was suddenly very aware of how much he wanted to kiss Taekwon again. He grabbed his arm to hold him back. "Fuck your bag. Just put on your shoes."
Taekwon nodded again, picked a pair of sneakers from the enormous pile of shoes near the door, and stepped into them. "See you," he told TOP and Ji Yong over his shoulder. Perry waved to them and followed him out the door, then grabbed his hand and headed upstairs.
"How far is the..." Taekwon trailed off, blinking. "Where are we going?"
"Home," Perry replied, grinning despite himself at the confusion on his face. He finally seemed to understand when Perry stopped in front of the door and took the keys out of his pockets.
"... No way."
Perry laughed as he handed one of the keys to Taekown. "Yes way."
He'd expected at least some enthusiasm, but he only frowned down at it. "Does YG know?"
"Yeah. He's all right with it. Don't worry about him, okay?" He unlocked the door and walked in, pulling Taekwon along by the hand again. "You gotta help me break in the new futon." No way in hell was he going to let YG get in the way of his sex life.
Taekwon looked around, then finally grinned at him. "Break the futon? Why?"
"Break in." He pulled Taekwon closer, because he'd just given the door a glance and Perry could guess he was thinking about getting his dictionary from the apartment downstairs. "Look it up later."
***
"Fuck-- Taekwon--" Perry gasped out, grabbing at the back of his mohawk as he tensed up.
Taekwon's rhythm faltered just enough for Perry not to come. He felt a quiet snort against his neck, then Taekwon started thrusting harder again.
Perry blinked and pulled on his hair a little. "What?"
He looked up and simply shook his head, eyes narrowed from the effort not to laugh. "Nothing--" He moaned breathlessly and bit his lip, closing his eyes as he moved his hips faster and faster. This time he didn't stop until he'd sent Perry over the edge.
There was still a smile playing on his lips as he lay next to him a few minutes later, catching his breath, and Perry couldn't help but ask again. "What the hell's so funny?"
"It's just..." He gave in and grinned widely, glancing away. "Don't say Taekwon when we're doing that."
"... Why not?"
Taekwon looked at him as if it was obvious, then started singing that Taekwon V theme song. He got about five words in before cracking up, and Perry found the energy to grab his pillow and whack him in the face with it. He could sorta see his point, though.
"Hey!" Taekwon grabbed the pillow, visibly considered hitting him back, then just put it on his chest. "Sorry, it's just... funny." Another snicker.
Perry grinned as he put the pillow under his head again. "Yeah, yeah. Young Bae."
***
They were finally having their proper dinner together. Perry had had to take one of Big Bang's particularly flaming Japanese staff aside and ask where he'd take his boyfriend on a date, which had been pretty complicated considering the language barrier. The staff's eventual suggestion had been a great one, though - Shimo-Kitazawa had lots of nice, quiet spots, and Perry had seen plenty of obviously gay guys when he'd spent an evening scoping the place out for a good restaurant.
They were led to their table at the back of the small Italian restaurant Perry had settled on, and Taekwon-- Young Bae immediately sat down on the chair that faced the wall, ensuring no one would see his face unless they were really trying to. That didn't seem necessary, but Big Bang had already started promoting their album, even though it was only dropping in a couple of weeks, so Perry couldn't really blame him for being nervous.
He sat down and thanked the waitress before watching Young Bae read through the list of appetizers on the menu, brow furrowed. He smiled. "Want me to translate?"
"Nnno," Young Bae replied after a few seconds. He flipped to the next page, stared at it for a moment, then looked up at him. "There's kimchi pasta."
His expression was somewhere between amusement and confusion. Perry checked his own menu. Kimchi pork spaghetti. He snorted, unable to imagine what the hell they'd been thinking. "Yeah. Maybe it's good?"
"Maybe," Young Bae repeated, grinning. "... Oh, there's wine."
"Well, yeah." He paused. "You've never had wine, huh?"
"Not... really," Young Bae replied. Perry wasn't sure how someone could kinda-sorta drink wine, so he took that as a no and ordered some red wine along with the pasta he'd chosen when the waitress came back. Young Bae smiled at her shyly and ordered kimchi pork spaghetti in flawless Japanese - it sounded flawless to Perry's ears, anyway.
He raised an eyebrow at the dish he'd picked. Young Bae laughed and shrugged. "What? Maybe it's good."
"Uh huh." He put his hand on the table, palm up, and wiggled his fingers. Young Bae understood faster than he'd expected - he glanced around, shifted in his seat, took a sip of water and chewed on his lip, then finally slid his hand over, just close enough for their fingers to touch.
He didn't notice Perry's amused smile, probably because he was busy inspecting one of the paintings hanging on the wall. "YB."
He looked at him, flushing. "What?"
"Look over there." He nodded discreetly toward the two guys in their twenties who sat at one of the table behind Young Bae. They weren't holding hands, but the way they looked at each other was obvious enough that even he would notice.
He turned around, looked at them briefly, and turned back. It hadn't helped much - if anything, his face was getting redder. "Is it a restaurant for gay people?" he asked very quietly.
"What? No." A restaurant for gay people in Asia. Good one. "But no one's gonna give a shit in here."
"Oh." He took another sip of water, then finally covered Perry's hand with his. "... We can't kiss, though."
Perry gave it a squeeze. "I know. I'll kiss you at home."
Young Bae mostly relaxed after that, although he did let go of his hand pretty quickly when the waitress brought their pasta. The kimchi pork thing turned out to be surprisingly good, and between that and the wine, Young Bae had loosened up considerably by the time the girl walked over again to pick up their empty plates. Perry ordered chocolate mousse, and Young Bae either didn't realize how gay sharing it would make them look, or honestly didn't care. Perry didn't ask which one it was.
They took their time heading back to the train station, walking at a lazy pace through some dark, quiet streets lined with furniture and clothing stores. Perry was pleasantly surprised when Young Bae took the initiative and reached over to intertwine their fingers halfway down a particularly empty street, but the hasty kiss he planted on his lips surprised him even more. He smiled all the way back to the station.
***
"We should play a drinking game," one of the two staff members said, grinning and red-faced as he watched the waitress set down another round of shots on the low table they were all sitting at.
"Yeah!" Seung Hyun replied enthusiastically, and then all of Big Bang started teaching their staff some kind of weird chant and a clapping sequence, laughing and talking over each other.
Perry exchanged a look with Jinu, who was obviously as mystified as he was by Asian-style drinking games. "... Yo, the kids' album is in English, so let's play an American game," he called out.
"You play drinking games too?" Young Bae said confusedly, leaning too close and putting a hand on the floor behind Perry's back to support himself.
"Yeah. D'you know I Never?" he asked Jinu.
Jinu nodded and explained the rules in Korean, then switched to Japanese and explained again with no visible effort, despite all the beer he'd drunk. Perry could almost see how he'd gotten that A&R job.
"I've never cross-dressed," Jinu started. Predictably enough, all of Big Bang downed their shots, some with more enthusiasm than others. Seung Ri obviously wasn't a fan of strong alcohol. "TOP, your turn."
"I've never had anal sex," Seung Hyun said, and Perry was certain he'd misheard until the kid shot a drunken grin his way. Apparently his mistake had been to try to talk to Seung Hyun when he was sober. He was much better like this.
He tossed back his shot and nudged Young Bae into taking a sip of beer. Then he spotted Jinu's empty shot glass and couldn't help but call him on it. "Ooh, J's busted~"
Jinu looked at him like a deer in the headlights, then laughed and tossed a chopstick at him. It missed. "Fuck off, it was a girl."
"Did it hurt when she did it?" G-Dragon retorted before Perry even had time to think of a good comeback. He really loved that kid.
Jinu didn't do much more than gape in reply, but recovered after a few seconds and leaned over to smack G-Dragon upside the head. Perry was trying to find a suitable object to throw back at him when Young Bae interrupted him by leaning close again. "I don't get it."
Dae Sung, sitting on his other side, leaned in too. "I don't get it either."
"It's... like..." Perry trailed off, unable to think of a way to explain that wouldn't involve crude hand gestures and Korean terms he wasn't even sure about. "I'll tell ya later," he finally said, laughing and shaking his head.
Young Bae put his chin on his shoulder. "Okay. Can we go home after this beer?"
"Sure. You tired?"
He smiled widely enough for his eyes to pretty much disappear, which Perry still found fucking cute after all this time. "No."
They played a few more rounds of I Never, until his and Young Bae's glasses were empty. Standing up turned out to be a bit more difficult than he'd expected, and he grabbed onto Young Bae's arm to steady himself. "A'ight, gotta put the kid to bed."
"I'm coming too," Dae Sung said. He stood up too fast and put a hand on the wall, blinking.
"Me too." Seung Ri managed not to lose his balance, but he was looking kind of green, mostly because of the drinking game. Who the hell would've thought he'd slept with one of his friend's girlfriend and broken up with a girl by text message and cheated on someone. There was obviously a little playa lurking in there somewhere.
"You guys suck," Seung Hyun announced before downing the rest of his beer. "Wanna order more?" he asked G-Dragon.
Perry snorted and made his way out of the room to look for his shoes.
***
Seung Ri sat down on the armchair in the living room and clutched at the arms, staring straight ahead, greener than he'd been in the izakaya. The taxi ride obviously hadn't helped much. Perry had been intending to head upstairs and enjoy Young Bae while he was still drunk, but... "Hey, you should drink some water. 'S gonna help."
"Okay," Seung Ri said feebly. He didn't seem about to move, so Perry walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. He handed it to Seung Ri, who took a few sips before putting it down, making a face.
Young Bae snatched it up and flopped down on the couch, then patted the cushion next to him, grinning up at Perry. He sat down, and they were joined a minute later by Dae Sung in his pajamas. "Are you okay?" he asked Seung Ri.
Seung Ri nodded silently.
"... Maybe you should go to bed."
He shook his head, and Perry knew he couldn't handle moving just now. He also knew he didn't want to deal with the puddle of vomit that would probably ensue if Dae Sung tried to take him to bed. "Leave him alone, Dae, he's fi--" He couldn't quite get the last word out because Young Bae was nuzzling his ear, which was pretty distracting. "'The hell you doin'?" he asked, smiling.
Young Bae snickered into his ear and shrugged. "Dunno." He draped his arm over Perry's shoulders and pulled him closer, and Perry was just about to tell him to keep going when Dae Sung spoke up.
"Perry? Which war did you go to?"
Young Bae bit his earlobe. "... Huh?" he managed.
"Seung Ri said you got shot."
"Oh. Uh, the Cold War." He was expecting Dae Sung to believe him, but Young Bae stopped nuzzling him and started talking to Dae Sung in Korean, and after a few moments of discussion, he apparently concluded it had been a joke.
"Was there a lot of snow?"
Perry chuckled. "Yeah."
Seung Ri said something and they started talking in Korean again. Perry didn't even try to follow. He put his head on Young Bae's shoulder, absently listening to his voice.
The conversation was interrupted a few minutes later, when Seung Hyun barged in and bolted for the bathroom without even looking at any of them. Dae Sung watched as he crossed the room, then shrugged and stood up. "I'm going to bed. Seung Ri, are you coming?"
Seung Ri took a deep breath, then dragged himself out of the armchair and toward the bedroom.
"'Night," Perry said. He was about to suggest he and Young Bae head upstairs before the kid started in on his ear again, but a loud thump and muffled laughter just outside the apartment stopped him.
Young Bae looked over to the door curiously. "... Must be Ji Yong."
Sure enough, G-Dragon stumbled in a few seconds later, Jinu right behind him. He grabbed G-Dragon around the waist, yanked him back against him, and G-Dragon dissolved into drunken laughter again, struggling half-heartedly.
Perry raised an eyebrow. "Hi."
Jinu's arms dropped back to his sides, but he didn't lose the stupid grin. "Oh, hi. Thought you'd be upstairs. C'mon, go to bed," he told G-Dragon, giving him a shove.
"No."
He could've easily predicted that reply. He snorted and stood up, pulling Young Bae along. "Good luck with that, man. And check on TOP before you go, he's pukin' somewhere." He took a step toward the door and nearly caught G-Dragon's elbow in the face as they started tussling again.
Young Bae clicked his tongue loudly, pushed past him and batted at G-Dragon's arms. "Be careful, okay, he's short."
G-Dragon stopped moving completely, stared at him for a few seconds, then burst out laughing, closely followed by Jinu. Perry grinned and pushed Young Bae forward until they were out the door. He probably should've been annoyed by that remark, but Young Bae had sounded so completely serious and indignant that he decided to let it slide.
***
Perry curled up against Young Bae, closed his eyes, and jerked in surprise when Young Bae's cellphone started beeping loudly after what felt like three seconds. Young Bae groaned softly and tightened his arm around him. He squinted at his alarm clock. They'd slept for just over two hours.
"Can you make breakfast?" Young Bae croaked miserably.
Perry sighed. "Yeah. I'll be downstairs."
Young Bae rubbed his nose against the back of Perry's neck in what was probably gratitude, then rolled out of bed and snatched up his cellphone on his way to the bathroom. Perry got out of bed, pulled on a pair of Young Bae's pajama pants (because they were right there on the floor, and he wasn't motivated enough to look for anything else) and walked down to Big Bang's apartment.
It was silent except for the sound of the shower running. He smiled when he stepped into the kitchen and saw Seung Hyun slumped over in his chair, his forehead pressed against the table.
"You okay?" he asked, ruffling his hair as he walked over to the fridge. Seung Hyun jumped, then grunted and squinted up at him. If the coffee maker hadn't already been almost full, Perry would've taken care of that before food - he was clearly in need of a very strong cup. "Why the hell are you up so early? ... Why did you wake up early?" he added in Korean, catching himself.
"Radio show," Seung Hyun replied. That wasn't surprising, but they really hadn't picked a good evening to celebrate the release. He peered into the fridge and grabbed leftovers from yesterday's lunch. He wasn't expecting any of them to eat a lot.
He popped the food into the microwave, then poured six cups of coffee. "Didja take painkillers?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Seung Ri and Dae Sung are in the bathroom with them."
Perry rolled his eyes and put one of the mugs down in front of Seung Hyun before walking over to the bathroom door and knocking firmly. Seung Ri opened the door, holding a razor and wearing only a towel, and his face fell almost comically when he saw Perry. "Hi," he said hesitantly after a few seconds of frozen silence.
And then he crossed his arms in an obvious attempt to cover up his chest, and Perry probably would've sprained something laughing if he hadn't been so tired. "Yo, if I wanted your scrawny ass, I'd be more subtle about it. Gimme the painkillers."
Seung Ri stared at him blankly until the word "painkillers" registered, then nodded and turned around. Perry listened to Dae Sung singing in the shower while he waited - his English was getting a bit better, but he still needed lots of practice.
"Here," Seung Ri said as he turned back, holding out the small bottle. Perry took it, but Seung Ri spoke up again just as he was about to leave. "Um, I'm sorry. I was just... suprised."
Perry smiled and waved it off. "Don't worry about it." He was pretty sure Jinu wouldn't have gotten the same terrified reception, but judging from the look in Seung Ri's eyes, he was fully aware he'd been an idiot. No use rubbing it in - he'd just keep being himself and let them catch up.
He took the painkillers to the kitchen and put them down next to Seung Hyun's now half-empty mug. Seung Hyun was grateful enough to help him set the table, which was probably pretty damn grateful considering the state he was in - he was slurring a bit and his eyes were bloodshot, and Perry was almost certain he was still drunk. Good thing they had an interpreter for Japanese radio shows.
Young Bae walked into the kitchen a few minutes after Seung Ri and Dae Sung did, and smiled at him tiredly. "Thanks for breakfast."
"Ji Yong doesn't want to wake up," Dae Sung said. "You should take care of it."
Young Bae yawned and rubbed his forehead. "Okay." He headed to the bedroom, then changed his mind and turned around to give Perry's hand a squeeze instead. "You should go back to bed. I'll be back tonight."
Perry hadn't thought he looked that tired, but Young Bae obviously knew him well enough to tell. He kissed Young Bae goodbye, waved to the others and went upstairs, glad for the nth time that his solo career had fallen by the wayside. He'd take training and babysitting five idols over being one any day.
***
"What do you think about those?" Young Bae asked, holding up a pair of large sunglasses.
"The other pair was better."
Young Bae hmmed thoughtfully in reply and eyed the display for another long moment before grabbing the pair Perry preferred. "... You should get some too."
Perry blinked. "What? Nah, c'mon, I don't even need..." But Young Bae had started inspecting the glasses again, and he knew protesting would be useless. Shopping with Big Bang was turning out to be less painful than he'd expected, though. The shops weren't too crowded, and it was kind of nice to spend time with the other kids outside of recording and vocal training. And cooking.
Young Bae picked up a pair of emo glasses, put them on Perry, and snickered at the result. Seung Hyun, who was eyeing the chains and pendants hanging nearby, grinned at him. Perry smiled and rolled his eyes. "I ain't buyin' those."
"Okay. Buy those," he said, pointing to another pair. Perry put the emo glasses back and was about to indulge Young Bae's sudden urge to make him stylish when he spotted a small group of schoolgirls standing on the street close to them, cellphones raised. It was obvious they were snapping pictures, and their excited giggles confirmed they'd recognized the kids.
Perry nudged Young Bae and took the glasses he'd selected earlier from him. "I'll go pay."
Young Bae nodded almost imperceptibly, a smile frozen on his face as he looked in the girls' direction. By the time Perry came back from the register, the girls had apparently found the guts to strike up a conversation with them. Seung Ri was signing a notebook. He walked over to Jinu, who was standing a few feet away from the little circle. "That ever happen before?"
"Nope," Jinu replied. "Usually they're too shy or whatever. You know how Japanese people are."
Perry chuckled, thinking of his grandmother. "Yeah." He heard Young Bae speak Japanese to the girls, which obviously impressed the hell out of them. He could see there was something wrong with him, though - it was clear in the way he stood, the tone of his voice, and the quick glances he kept sneaking in Perry's direction.
The girls finally walked off and Perry stepped forward, nudging Young Bae again. "Hey. You okay?"
Young Bae nodded, looked around, and glued himself to Ji Yong's side for the rest of their little shopping trip.
***
Perry had had more than enough of being ignored by the time they got home. "You ever gonna tell me what's wrong?" he asked, unable to hide the irritation in his voice as he handed Young Bae the small plastic bag containing his sunglasses.
Young Bae looked down at it. "... Sorry. It's just... I think they saw us."
Perry blinked. "The girls? Yeah, they did. So what?"
"We were standing really close to each other."
The light finally clicked on in his head. Young Bae seriously thought three Japanese schoolgirls had concluded they were having wild gay sex because they'd seen him put glasses on Perry's nose. "So what? There's no way in hell they thought we were a couple."
Young Bae twisted a corner of the bag between his fingers and finally looked up at him. "... What if we're in their pictures?"
"Jinu was there too. They know we go on trips with you guys sometimes, a'ight? And it's not like we were kissing or anything."
"Yeah..." he said uncertainly, then sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."
Perry moved closer and put his arms around him. "It's all right." He gave him a light kiss, which Young Bae didn't pull away from or anything - he'd truly just panicked about being seen in public with him. "Don't worry about it too much, okay? I ain't gonna hold your hand or kiss you unless you want me to."
"Okay." He chewed on his lip for a few seconds. "Do you want to watch a movie? I think Jinu bought popcorn the other day, maybe there's some left..."
Perry smiled at the obvious attempt to make amends. He couldn't really remain angry - not when he knew Young Bae was honestly scared of being outed (and for pretty good reasons, too). "Yeah, sure."
***
"Hey boo, wanna go out and have a crepe or something?" Perry asked, fully expecting Young Bae to say no. His last two suggestions to go out had been met with blowjobs. He'd enjoyed them, of course, but if Young Bae seriously thought he wouldn't see through that... Well, it had reminded Perry of just how young he was.
Now, though, he'd asked him out in the living room of Big Bang's apartment, and Perry didn't think Young Bae would try to suck his dick in front of Seung Hyun.
He clutched his Japanese grammar book instead. "I... don't know. I should study."
Seung Hyun looked over, interrupting his channel surfing, and kicked Young Bae's leg. "Dude, you've been studying for two hours. You should go."
"Well... I still don't understand," he replied defensively, not looking at either of them. He obviously knew Perry knew he was lying. And that wasn't stopping him.
"Fine. Seung Hyun, you wanna go?" he asked on impulse. It was either that or sulking upstairs, and he liked to think he wasn't that childish.
Seung Hyun blinked at him, then shrugged and put down the remote. "Yeah, okay."
Perry had to walk down the street at a brisk pace to keep up with Seung Hyun's long-ass legs, which usually would've helped him to cool off but didn't make much of a difference this time around. He let out a sigh and Seung Hyun looked over curiously.
"Nothing, sorry. ... What kinda crepe d'you like?"
"Uh... chocolate cheesecake," he replied after thinking for a moment, his lips curling up. "You?"
"You ever tried kiwi? 'S pretty good."
They kept up the small talk until they reached the nearest crepe stand, and Perry learned a few things he hadn't known about Seung Hyun - such as the fact that he found kiwis disgusting because they were "like slimy green testicles", or at least that's what Perry had understood. He went ahead and ordered a kiwi crepe anyway. He liked testicles just fine, after all.
They sat down on a nearby bench and Perry only had time to take one bite before his cellphone vibrated in his pocket. "I'm sorry... I'm just nervous," Young Bae had typed. Perry sighed again and stuffed the phone back into his pocket without replying.
Seung Hyun looked at him over the mound of vanilla ice cream that topped his crepe. "... Why are you mad at him?"
"I'm not-- It's just..." He snorted and shook his head. "Dude, it's gay stuff. Never mind, a'ight?"
Seung Hyun rolled his eyes. "You're mad 'cause he's scared he's gonna get recognized when he's out with you."
Perry frowned. "Did he talk to you about it?"
"No. He gets really quiet when he's feeling bad about something." He took a bite of his crepe. "I just think, like... Just 'cause you're American doesn't mean it's okay to do that stuff here."
He must've looked exactly the way he felt (like his head was about to explode), because Seung Hyun started backpedaling. "Not like that! I mean, I'm okay with it. We're just not raised that way, okay? It's pretty weird over here."
"What, you think everyone's a fag in America or somethin'? My father beat the crap outta me because I'm gay," he ground out slowly, then took a vicious bite of his crepe. Inviting Seung Hyun apparently hadn't been such a good idea.
"... Your dad hit you?" Seung Hyun said, blinking and raising a fist. Perry nodded. "Oh. ... I didn't know. Sorry."
He shrugged and ate his crepe silently, steaming.
"Uh. Young Bae always thinks about other people first, you know," Seung Hyun said, staring at his own crepe. "Maybe he just doesn't wanna get all of us in trouble."
"I know, okay? It's just-- shit, you're not gonna get it. Never mind."
Seung Hyun licked some melted ice cream off his finger. "... You could tell me anyway. 'Cause this is pretty awkward already, so I don't think it's gonna get worse." He gave him a tiny smile and Perry huffed out a laugh despite himself.
"Guess so." He ate a piece of kiwi while he tried to collect his thoughts. "I've been in fuckin' Asia for twelve years and I ain't ever had a boyfriend who didn't mind holding my hand on the street. I just wanna do the same shit everybody else does. Shouldn't be this fuckin' hard."
He had to translate that twice before Seung Hyun understood. "... But it'd be the same if you were dating CL or something," he finally said. "She's young and she's gonna be famous too, so you'd have to hide it."
"Yeah, but..." Most of the arguments remaining in Perry's mind involved stomping his feet and bitching about how fucking unfair his life was. He sighed and popped the last part of his crepe into his mouth. "Yeah."
Seung Hyun scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, I wish it wasn't so hard for you, though. It'd be cool if there was... I dunno, like... a city just for gay people."
Perry had to laugh again, because Seung Hyun had just suggested, in complete seriousness, what amounted to fag reservations. "Yeah, that'd be cool. You wanna walk some more?"
"... Okay," Seung Hyun said, eyeing him curiously. They stood up, and Perry spent the next several minutes trying to explain the concepts of segregation and reservations to him, which turned out to be a nice way to distract himself.
***
He went back to his apartment later than he'd expected, after stopping for a quick beer with Seung Hyun, and Young Bae pretty much threw himself out of the bedroom as soon as he walked in.
"I'm really sorry, okay? I don't wanna break up with you," he said, and the anxiety in his voice confused Perry for a moment. Until he remembered about the text message.
The one he hadn't replied to.
"Taek-- YB. I ain't gonna break up with ya."
"We can go out if you--"
"Wait, listen. I wanna talk to you." He toed off his shoes, then grabbed Young Bae's hand and led him to the couch, pulling him down next to him. "I just got pissed 'cause I came here so we could spend time together, okay?"
Young Bae looked down and nodded.
"And we ain't gonna be in Japan forever. You liked all the dates and stuff, yeah?"
He nodded again. "... But the album is out now."
"I know. I ain't gonna push you. I just don't think anyone's gonna figure it out even if they see us together."
"But it's stressful," Young Bae replied. "I'm not... like you."
Perry looked down at their intertwined hands and noticed that Young Bae had taken a page from G-Dragon's book and chewed his thumbnail down to a nub. He sighed. If he really had to choose between his principles and his boyfriend's peace of mind... "Yeah. It's all right." He leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry I got mad at you."
Young Bae gave him a shrug and a half-hearted smile. He had to make an effort not to sigh again. They'd been doing so well.
***
"Hi," Young Bae called out, eyeing him hesitantly as he walked in.
Perry pulled his headphones off. "Hey. 'Sup?"
He walked over to the table and put down a bag from HMV before wrapping his arms around Perry's shoulders from behind. "Nothing... I bought Ghost Rider," he said. "And um, Rihanna's new album. You like her, right?"
"Yeah, I do. Thanks." He turned his head to kiss him briefly.
Young Bae smiled, then looked at the screen of his laptop. "Are you doing something important? 'Cause we could watch the movie if you want..."
"Sure," Perry replied without much enthusiasm. "Just lemme finish this up first." He was actually getting sick of watching movies, as impossible as that sounded. Mostly because Young Bae usually couldn't take more than thirty minutes before falling asleep on him. And all the DVDs were clearly part of his attempt to compensate for not going out with him, which was kind of a turn-off. No use complaining about it, though.
Young Bae pulled away from him. "Okay. Do you want coffee? Or um, I bought chu-hai yesterday. There's grapefruit and peach and... lemon, I think."
"Grapefruit sounds good." Getting hammered on $1 fruit-flavored cocktails seemed like his best option. Young Bae grabbed two cans from the fridge, set one down next to his laptop, stood there for a few seconds, then walked over to the couch and sat down, looking guilty and awkward.
Perry kind of wanted to smack him. He took a sip of chu-hai and went back to work instead. After ten minutes, he gave up on the track and saved the files before shutting down his laptop.
"Perry?"
He stood up and grabbed his can before looking over. Young Bae was standing too. "... Yeah?"
"We could go to karaoke... if you want."
Perry blinked, wondering how the hell he hadn't thought of that. A nice, private booth, food and drinks... It seemed ridiculously obvious now. "Yeah, that'd be great."
Young Bae's face lit up. "Really?"
He laughed. "Yeah, really. Down that chu-hai and let's go."
Beta: Tama and Momo
Pairing: Taeyang/Perry
Rating: R
Previous parts: 1, 2, 3, interlude, 4, 5, 6.
Perry waited outside the meeting room, leaning back against the wall and tapping his foot to the beat running through his head. He'd never really been interested in the weekly this-is-where-YG-Entertainment-is-headed meetings - by the time he'd learned enough Korean to deal with them, it had become obvious that he had zero interest in any aspect of running a business. Music was his thing, and if YG needed his input on something, he usually just asked him directly.
This meeting, though, was important. If Jinu had done what he said he would, anyway.
And judging by the smug expression on his face when he finally walked out, he had. "Who's your favorite A&R guy?"
Perry grinned. "Depends what Hyun said."
"Apartment 403's all yours." He paused. "... Well, it's supposed to be for G-Drag and YB, but... whatever. I talked to G-Drag the other day and he's gonna say he's rooming with YB if anyone asks."
Min Suk emerged from the meeting room, gave them a tolerantly amused look, and headed to his office.
"I owe you one, man," Perry told Jinu as he gave Min Suk an innocent little wave.
"Nah, wasn't that hard. Didja know YG's, like, in love with your kid now?"
Perry raised an eyebrow. He hadn't spoken to YG since he'd refused to get him the lease, but he'd assumed that the whole "Taekwon's not working hard enough because of big bad gay Perry" thing still applied. "Whaddya mean, in love with him?"
"He's improved so much and he dances so well and he has such a nice body now~" Jinu replied, affecting a slight lisp that was so dead-on it was hard for Perry not to laugh. "Master Hwang was fawning all over him, too."
"Who?"
"Master Hwang? 'Bout this tall, follows 'em around with a thermometer..."
That took care of his urge to laugh. "Oh, him. ... What kind of a dumb-ass name is--" He closed his mouth as Master Hwang walked out of the meeting room, talking animatedly with Jae Wook.
Jinu glanced over his shoulder, then grinned. "Keep your claws in, man. I don't think he's YB's type."
"Yeah, well, YB's his type, obviously."
"YB puts his ring on before bed when you ain't in Tokyo. Chill." He glanced over his shoulder again. "Anyway, YG was saying we're gonna start working on his solo album, 'cause he feels bad about being harsh with him." He smiled slightly and rolled his eyes, clearly indicating what he thought of YG's reasoning. Perry had to agree, even though he was pretty happy about the solo album. Taekwon's singing and performances had been improving a lot. He deserved it.
"Good. Thanks for keeping me updated, man. D'you know when I can move in?"
"In a couple of days. G-Drag said you can have his key, so just ask him for it once you're there."
Perry thanked Jinu again before heading back to the studio, making a mental note to buy G-Dragon something nice and sparkly the next time they hung out together.
***
Perry looked around the room and nodded to himself, satisfied. It felt kinda bare without his CDs and DVDs, and he could've used a bed rather than a futon in the bedroom, but it'd do the job. He made his way down two flights of stairs, walked down the hall, and knocked on the door to Big Bang's apartment. That sure as hell was more convenient than flying across the sea every time he wanted to see Taekwon.
G-Dragon opened the door, grinning like an idiot. He already knew Perry was in Tokyo - he'd discreetly dropped by an hour or so ago, in fact, to get both keys from him. G-Dragon and Jinu had somehow managed not to let Taekwon know he had a room upstairs. "Hi. YB, Perry's here!" he said loudly, turning around.
Taekwon emerged from the bathroom, mohawk wet and spiky, pulling a bright blue t-shirt over his head. "Really??" Then he saw him, and G-Dragon got out of the way just in time to avoid being bowled over.
"You should tell me when you come to Japan," he said quietly as he squeezed him. He sounded vaguely like he was trying to be annoyed - not that it was working or anything.
Perry raised his head and kissed the corner of his jaw. "Sorry."
Taekwon turned his head and pressed their lips together, and Perry didn't realize how much time had passed until G-Dragon started laughing and pulling on Taekwon's shirt. "Geez, do that inside."
Taekwon laughed too as he stepped back, but his voice was a bit unsteady. "Yeah, um, come in. Where's your bag?"
"Hotel room," he lied, closing the door behind himself after stepping inside. TOP was in the living room, looking mildly uncomfortable as he tried not to even glance their way. The kisses had probably been too much for him or something. "Wassup, nigga?" Perry called out cheerfully.
He looked over as if he'd just noticed him, then thought for a second. "Uh... holla," he tried.
He'd get the hang of it eventually. "What are you guys up to?"
"Nothing," G-Dragon replied. "Well, I'm writing. They're not doing anything."
"Good. I'm kidnapping you," he told Taekwon, elbowing him.
He'd kept his tone light, but Taekwon's eyes burned into his as he nodded. "Let me just get my bag."
Apparently the words "hotel room" had gotten some ideas into his head. Perry was suddenly very aware of how much he wanted to kiss Taekwon again. He grabbed his arm to hold him back. "Fuck your bag. Just put on your shoes."
Taekwon nodded again, picked a pair of sneakers from the enormous pile of shoes near the door, and stepped into them. "See you," he told TOP and Ji Yong over his shoulder. Perry waved to them and followed him out the door, then grabbed his hand and headed upstairs.
"How far is the..." Taekwon trailed off, blinking. "Where are we going?"
"Home," Perry replied, grinning despite himself at the confusion on his face. He finally seemed to understand when Perry stopped in front of the door and took the keys out of his pockets.
"... No way."
Perry laughed as he handed one of the keys to Taekown. "Yes way."
He'd expected at least some enthusiasm, but he only frowned down at it. "Does YG know?"
"Yeah. He's all right with it. Don't worry about him, okay?" He unlocked the door and walked in, pulling Taekwon along by the hand again. "You gotta help me break in the new futon." No way in hell was he going to let YG get in the way of his sex life.
Taekwon looked around, then finally grinned at him. "Break the futon? Why?"
"Break in." He pulled Taekwon closer, because he'd just given the door a glance and Perry could guess he was thinking about getting his dictionary from the apartment downstairs. "Look it up later."
***
"Fuck-- Taekwon--" Perry gasped out, grabbing at the back of his mohawk as he tensed up.
Taekwon's rhythm faltered just enough for Perry not to come. He felt a quiet snort against his neck, then Taekwon started thrusting harder again.
Perry blinked and pulled on his hair a little. "What?"
He looked up and simply shook his head, eyes narrowed from the effort not to laugh. "Nothing--" He moaned breathlessly and bit his lip, closing his eyes as he moved his hips faster and faster. This time he didn't stop until he'd sent Perry over the edge.
There was still a smile playing on his lips as he lay next to him a few minutes later, catching his breath, and Perry couldn't help but ask again. "What the hell's so funny?"
"It's just..." He gave in and grinned widely, glancing away. "Don't say Taekwon when we're doing that."
"... Why not?"
Taekwon looked at him as if it was obvious, then started singing that Taekwon V theme song. He got about five words in before cracking up, and Perry found the energy to grab his pillow and whack him in the face with it. He could sorta see his point, though.
"Hey!" Taekwon grabbed the pillow, visibly considered hitting him back, then just put it on his chest. "Sorry, it's just... funny." Another snicker.
Perry grinned as he put the pillow under his head again. "Yeah, yeah. Young Bae."
***
They were finally having their proper dinner together. Perry had had to take one of Big Bang's particularly flaming Japanese staff aside and ask where he'd take his boyfriend on a date, which had been pretty complicated considering the language barrier. The staff's eventual suggestion had been a great one, though - Shimo-Kitazawa had lots of nice, quiet spots, and Perry had seen plenty of obviously gay guys when he'd spent an evening scoping the place out for a good restaurant.
They were led to their table at the back of the small Italian restaurant Perry had settled on, and Taekwon-- Young Bae immediately sat down on the chair that faced the wall, ensuring no one would see his face unless they were really trying to. That didn't seem necessary, but Big Bang had already started promoting their album, even though it was only dropping in a couple of weeks, so Perry couldn't really blame him for being nervous.
He sat down and thanked the waitress before watching Young Bae read through the list of appetizers on the menu, brow furrowed. He smiled. "Want me to translate?"
"Nnno," Young Bae replied after a few seconds. He flipped to the next page, stared at it for a moment, then looked up at him. "There's kimchi pasta."
His expression was somewhere between amusement and confusion. Perry checked his own menu. Kimchi pork spaghetti. He snorted, unable to imagine what the hell they'd been thinking. "Yeah. Maybe it's good?"
"Maybe," Young Bae repeated, grinning. "... Oh, there's wine."
"Well, yeah." He paused. "You've never had wine, huh?"
"Not... really," Young Bae replied. Perry wasn't sure how someone could kinda-sorta drink wine, so he took that as a no and ordered some red wine along with the pasta he'd chosen when the waitress came back. Young Bae smiled at her shyly and ordered kimchi pork spaghetti in flawless Japanese - it sounded flawless to Perry's ears, anyway.
He raised an eyebrow at the dish he'd picked. Young Bae laughed and shrugged. "What? Maybe it's good."
"Uh huh." He put his hand on the table, palm up, and wiggled his fingers. Young Bae understood faster than he'd expected - he glanced around, shifted in his seat, took a sip of water and chewed on his lip, then finally slid his hand over, just close enough for their fingers to touch.
He didn't notice Perry's amused smile, probably because he was busy inspecting one of the paintings hanging on the wall. "YB."
He looked at him, flushing. "What?"
"Look over there." He nodded discreetly toward the two guys in their twenties who sat at one of the table behind Young Bae. They weren't holding hands, but the way they looked at each other was obvious enough that even he would notice.
He turned around, looked at them briefly, and turned back. It hadn't helped much - if anything, his face was getting redder. "Is it a restaurant for gay people?" he asked very quietly.
"What? No." A restaurant for gay people in Asia. Good one. "But no one's gonna give a shit in here."
"Oh." He took another sip of water, then finally covered Perry's hand with his. "... We can't kiss, though."
Perry gave it a squeeze. "I know. I'll kiss you at home."
Young Bae mostly relaxed after that, although he did let go of his hand pretty quickly when the waitress brought their pasta. The kimchi pork thing turned out to be surprisingly good, and between that and the wine, Young Bae had loosened up considerably by the time the girl walked over again to pick up their empty plates. Perry ordered chocolate mousse, and Young Bae either didn't realize how gay sharing it would make them look, or honestly didn't care. Perry didn't ask which one it was.
They took their time heading back to the train station, walking at a lazy pace through some dark, quiet streets lined with furniture and clothing stores. Perry was pleasantly surprised when Young Bae took the initiative and reached over to intertwine their fingers halfway down a particularly empty street, but the hasty kiss he planted on his lips surprised him even more. He smiled all the way back to the station.
***
"We should play a drinking game," one of the two staff members said, grinning and red-faced as he watched the waitress set down another round of shots on the low table they were all sitting at.
"Yeah!" Seung Hyun replied enthusiastically, and then all of Big Bang started teaching their staff some kind of weird chant and a clapping sequence, laughing and talking over each other.
Perry exchanged a look with Jinu, who was obviously as mystified as he was by Asian-style drinking games. "... Yo, the kids' album is in English, so let's play an American game," he called out.
"You play drinking games too?" Young Bae said confusedly, leaning too close and putting a hand on the floor behind Perry's back to support himself.
"Yeah. D'you know I Never?" he asked Jinu.
Jinu nodded and explained the rules in Korean, then switched to Japanese and explained again with no visible effort, despite all the beer he'd drunk. Perry could almost see how he'd gotten that A&R job.
"I've never cross-dressed," Jinu started. Predictably enough, all of Big Bang downed their shots, some with more enthusiasm than others. Seung Ri obviously wasn't a fan of strong alcohol. "TOP, your turn."
"I've never had anal sex," Seung Hyun said, and Perry was certain he'd misheard until the kid shot a drunken grin his way. Apparently his mistake had been to try to talk to Seung Hyun when he was sober. He was much better like this.
He tossed back his shot and nudged Young Bae into taking a sip of beer. Then he spotted Jinu's empty shot glass and couldn't help but call him on it. "Ooh, J's busted~"
Jinu looked at him like a deer in the headlights, then laughed and tossed a chopstick at him. It missed. "Fuck off, it was a girl."
"Did it hurt when she did it?" G-Dragon retorted before Perry even had time to think of a good comeback. He really loved that kid.
Jinu didn't do much more than gape in reply, but recovered after a few seconds and leaned over to smack G-Dragon upside the head. Perry was trying to find a suitable object to throw back at him when Young Bae interrupted him by leaning close again. "I don't get it."
Dae Sung, sitting on his other side, leaned in too. "I don't get it either."
"It's... like..." Perry trailed off, unable to think of a way to explain that wouldn't involve crude hand gestures and Korean terms he wasn't even sure about. "I'll tell ya later," he finally said, laughing and shaking his head.
Young Bae put his chin on his shoulder. "Okay. Can we go home after this beer?"
"Sure. You tired?"
He smiled widely enough for his eyes to pretty much disappear, which Perry still found fucking cute after all this time. "No."
They played a few more rounds of I Never, until his and Young Bae's glasses were empty. Standing up turned out to be a bit more difficult than he'd expected, and he grabbed onto Young Bae's arm to steady himself. "A'ight, gotta put the kid to bed."
"I'm coming too," Dae Sung said. He stood up too fast and put a hand on the wall, blinking.
"Me too." Seung Ri managed not to lose his balance, but he was looking kind of green, mostly because of the drinking game. Who the hell would've thought he'd slept with one of his friend's girlfriend and broken up with a girl by text message and cheated on someone. There was obviously a little playa lurking in there somewhere.
"You guys suck," Seung Hyun announced before downing the rest of his beer. "Wanna order more?" he asked G-Dragon.
Perry snorted and made his way out of the room to look for his shoes.
***
Seung Ri sat down on the armchair in the living room and clutched at the arms, staring straight ahead, greener than he'd been in the izakaya. The taxi ride obviously hadn't helped much. Perry had been intending to head upstairs and enjoy Young Bae while he was still drunk, but... "Hey, you should drink some water. 'S gonna help."
"Okay," Seung Ri said feebly. He didn't seem about to move, so Perry walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. He handed it to Seung Ri, who took a few sips before putting it down, making a face.
Young Bae snatched it up and flopped down on the couch, then patted the cushion next to him, grinning up at Perry. He sat down, and they were joined a minute later by Dae Sung in his pajamas. "Are you okay?" he asked Seung Ri.
Seung Ri nodded silently.
"... Maybe you should go to bed."
He shook his head, and Perry knew he couldn't handle moving just now. He also knew he didn't want to deal with the puddle of vomit that would probably ensue if Dae Sung tried to take him to bed. "Leave him alone, Dae, he's fi--" He couldn't quite get the last word out because Young Bae was nuzzling his ear, which was pretty distracting. "'The hell you doin'?" he asked, smiling.
Young Bae snickered into his ear and shrugged. "Dunno." He draped his arm over Perry's shoulders and pulled him closer, and Perry was just about to tell him to keep going when Dae Sung spoke up.
"Perry? Which war did you go to?"
Young Bae bit his earlobe. "... Huh?" he managed.
"Seung Ri said you got shot."
"Oh. Uh, the Cold War." He was expecting Dae Sung to believe him, but Young Bae stopped nuzzling him and started talking to Dae Sung in Korean, and after a few moments of discussion, he apparently concluded it had been a joke.
"Was there a lot of snow?"
Perry chuckled. "Yeah."
Seung Ri said something and they started talking in Korean again. Perry didn't even try to follow. He put his head on Young Bae's shoulder, absently listening to his voice.
The conversation was interrupted a few minutes later, when Seung Hyun barged in and bolted for the bathroom without even looking at any of them. Dae Sung watched as he crossed the room, then shrugged and stood up. "I'm going to bed. Seung Ri, are you coming?"
Seung Ri took a deep breath, then dragged himself out of the armchair and toward the bedroom.
"'Night," Perry said. He was about to suggest he and Young Bae head upstairs before the kid started in on his ear again, but a loud thump and muffled laughter just outside the apartment stopped him.
Young Bae looked over to the door curiously. "... Must be Ji Yong."
Sure enough, G-Dragon stumbled in a few seconds later, Jinu right behind him. He grabbed G-Dragon around the waist, yanked him back against him, and G-Dragon dissolved into drunken laughter again, struggling half-heartedly.
Perry raised an eyebrow. "Hi."
Jinu's arms dropped back to his sides, but he didn't lose the stupid grin. "Oh, hi. Thought you'd be upstairs. C'mon, go to bed," he told G-Dragon, giving him a shove.
"No."
He could've easily predicted that reply. He snorted and stood up, pulling Young Bae along. "Good luck with that, man. And check on TOP before you go, he's pukin' somewhere." He took a step toward the door and nearly caught G-Dragon's elbow in the face as they started tussling again.
Young Bae clicked his tongue loudly, pushed past him and batted at G-Dragon's arms. "Be careful, okay, he's short."
G-Dragon stopped moving completely, stared at him for a few seconds, then burst out laughing, closely followed by Jinu. Perry grinned and pushed Young Bae forward until they were out the door. He probably should've been annoyed by that remark, but Young Bae had sounded so completely serious and indignant that he decided to let it slide.
***
Perry curled up against Young Bae, closed his eyes, and jerked in surprise when Young Bae's cellphone started beeping loudly after what felt like three seconds. Young Bae groaned softly and tightened his arm around him. He squinted at his alarm clock. They'd slept for just over two hours.
"Can you make breakfast?" Young Bae croaked miserably.
Perry sighed. "Yeah. I'll be downstairs."
Young Bae rubbed his nose against the back of Perry's neck in what was probably gratitude, then rolled out of bed and snatched up his cellphone on his way to the bathroom. Perry got out of bed, pulled on a pair of Young Bae's pajama pants (because they were right there on the floor, and he wasn't motivated enough to look for anything else) and walked down to Big Bang's apartment.
It was silent except for the sound of the shower running. He smiled when he stepped into the kitchen and saw Seung Hyun slumped over in his chair, his forehead pressed against the table.
"You okay?" he asked, ruffling his hair as he walked over to the fridge. Seung Hyun jumped, then grunted and squinted up at him. If the coffee maker hadn't already been almost full, Perry would've taken care of that before food - he was clearly in need of a very strong cup. "Why the hell are you up so early? ... Why did you wake up early?" he added in Korean, catching himself.
"Radio show," Seung Hyun replied. That wasn't surprising, but they really hadn't picked a good evening to celebrate the release. He peered into the fridge and grabbed leftovers from yesterday's lunch. He wasn't expecting any of them to eat a lot.
He popped the food into the microwave, then poured six cups of coffee. "Didja take painkillers?" he asked over his shoulder.
"Seung Ri and Dae Sung are in the bathroom with them."
Perry rolled his eyes and put one of the mugs down in front of Seung Hyun before walking over to the bathroom door and knocking firmly. Seung Ri opened the door, holding a razor and wearing only a towel, and his face fell almost comically when he saw Perry. "Hi," he said hesitantly after a few seconds of frozen silence.
And then he crossed his arms in an obvious attempt to cover up his chest, and Perry probably would've sprained something laughing if he hadn't been so tired. "Yo, if I wanted your scrawny ass, I'd be more subtle about it. Gimme the painkillers."
Seung Ri stared at him blankly until the word "painkillers" registered, then nodded and turned around. Perry listened to Dae Sung singing in the shower while he waited - his English was getting a bit better, but he still needed lots of practice.
"Here," Seung Ri said as he turned back, holding out the small bottle. Perry took it, but Seung Ri spoke up again just as he was about to leave. "Um, I'm sorry. I was just... suprised."
Perry smiled and waved it off. "Don't worry about it." He was pretty sure Jinu wouldn't have gotten the same terrified reception, but judging from the look in Seung Ri's eyes, he was fully aware he'd been an idiot. No use rubbing it in - he'd just keep being himself and let them catch up.
He took the painkillers to the kitchen and put them down next to Seung Hyun's now half-empty mug. Seung Hyun was grateful enough to help him set the table, which was probably pretty damn grateful considering the state he was in - he was slurring a bit and his eyes were bloodshot, and Perry was almost certain he was still drunk. Good thing they had an interpreter for Japanese radio shows.
Young Bae walked into the kitchen a few minutes after Seung Ri and Dae Sung did, and smiled at him tiredly. "Thanks for breakfast."
"Ji Yong doesn't want to wake up," Dae Sung said. "You should take care of it."
Young Bae yawned and rubbed his forehead. "Okay." He headed to the bedroom, then changed his mind and turned around to give Perry's hand a squeeze instead. "You should go back to bed. I'll be back tonight."
Perry hadn't thought he looked that tired, but Young Bae obviously knew him well enough to tell. He kissed Young Bae goodbye, waved to the others and went upstairs, glad for the nth time that his solo career had fallen by the wayside. He'd take training and babysitting five idols over being one any day.
***
"What do you think about those?" Young Bae asked, holding up a pair of large sunglasses.
"The other pair was better."
Young Bae hmmed thoughtfully in reply and eyed the display for another long moment before grabbing the pair Perry preferred. "... You should get some too."
Perry blinked. "What? Nah, c'mon, I don't even need..." But Young Bae had started inspecting the glasses again, and he knew protesting would be useless. Shopping with Big Bang was turning out to be less painful than he'd expected, though. The shops weren't too crowded, and it was kind of nice to spend time with the other kids outside of recording and vocal training. And cooking.
Young Bae picked up a pair of emo glasses, put them on Perry, and snickered at the result. Seung Hyun, who was eyeing the chains and pendants hanging nearby, grinned at him. Perry smiled and rolled his eyes. "I ain't buyin' those."
"Okay. Buy those," he said, pointing to another pair. Perry put the emo glasses back and was about to indulge Young Bae's sudden urge to make him stylish when he spotted a small group of schoolgirls standing on the street close to them, cellphones raised. It was obvious they were snapping pictures, and their excited giggles confirmed they'd recognized the kids.
Perry nudged Young Bae and took the glasses he'd selected earlier from him. "I'll go pay."
Young Bae nodded almost imperceptibly, a smile frozen on his face as he looked in the girls' direction. By the time Perry came back from the register, the girls had apparently found the guts to strike up a conversation with them. Seung Ri was signing a notebook. He walked over to Jinu, who was standing a few feet away from the little circle. "That ever happen before?"
"Nope," Jinu replied. "Usually they're too shy or whatever. You know how Japanese people are."
Perry chuckled, thinking of his grandmother. "Yeah." He heard Young Bae speak Japanese to the girls, which obviously impressed the hell out of them. He could see there was something wrong with him, though - it was clear in the way he stood, the tone of his voice, and the quick glances he kept sneaking in Perry's direction.
The girls finally walked off and Perry stepped forward, nudging Young Bae again. "Hey. You okay?"
Young Bae nodded, looked around, and glued himself to Ji Yong's side for the rest of their little shopping trip.
***
Perry had had more than enough of being ignored by the time they got home. "You ever gonna tell me what's wrong?" he asked, unable to hide the irritation in his voice as he handed Young Bae the small plastic bag containing his sunglasses.
Young Bae looked down at it. "... Sorry. It's just... I think they saw us."
Perry blinked. "The girls? Yeah, they did. So what?"
"We were standing really close to each other."
The light finally clicked on in his head. Young Bae seriously thought three Japanese schoolgirls had concluded they were having wild gay sex because they'd seen him put glasses on Perry's nose. "So what? There's no way in hell they thought we were a couple."
Young Bae twisted a corner of the bag between his fingers and finally looked up at him. "... What if we're in their pictures?"
"Jinu was there too. They know we go on trips with you guys sometimes, a'ight? And it's not like we were kissing or anything."
"Yeah..." he said uncertainly, then sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."
Perry moved closer and put his arms around him. "It's all right." He gave him a light kiss, which Young Bae didn't pull away from or anything - he'd truly just panicked about being seen in public with him. "Don't worry about it too much, okay? I ain't gonna hold your hand or kiss you unless you want me to."
"Okay." He chewed on his lip for a few seconds. "Do you want to watch a movie? I think Jinu bought popcorn the other day, maybe there's some left..."
Perry smiled at the obvious attempt to make amends. He couldn't really remain angry - not when he knew Young Bae was honestly scared of being outed (and for pretty good reasons, too). "Yeah, sure."
***
"Hey boo, wanna go out and have a crepe or something?" Perry asked, fully expecting Young Bae to say no. His last two suggestions to go out had been met with blowjobs. He'd enjoyed them, of course, but if Young Bae seriously thought he wouldn't see through that... Well, it had reminded Perry of just how young he was.
Now, though, he'd asked him out in the living room of Big Bang's apartment, and Perry didn't think Young Bae would try to suck his dick in front of Seung Hyun.
He clutched his Japanese grammar book instead. "I... don't know. I should study."
Seung Hyun looked over, interrupting his channel surfing, and kicked Young Bae's leg. "Dude, you've been studying for two hours. You should go."
"Well... I still don't understand," he replied defensively, not looking at either of them. He obviously knew Perry knew he was lying. And that wasn't stopping him.
"Fine. Seung Hyun, you wanna go?" he asked on impulse. It was either that or sulking upstairs, and he liked to think he wasn't that childish.
Seung Hyun blinked at him, then shrugged and put down the remote. "Yeah, okay."
Perry had to walk down the street at a brisk pace to keep up with Seung Hyun's long-ass legs, which usually would've helped him to cool off but didn't make much of a difference this time around. He let out a sigh and Seung Hyun looked over curiously.
"Nothing, sorry. ... What kinda crepe d'you like?"
"Uh... chocolate cheesecake," he replied after thinking for a moment, his lips curling up. "You?"
"You ever tried kiwi? 'S pretty good."
They kept up the small talk until they reached the nearest crepe stand, and Perry learned a few things he hadn't known about Seung Hyun - such as the fact that he found kiwis disgusting because they were "like slimy green testicles", or at least that's what Perry had understood. He went ahead and ordered a kiwi crepe anyway. He liked testicles just fine, after all.
They sat down on a nearby bench and Perry only had time to take one bite before his cellphone vibrated in his pocket. "I'm sorry... I'm just nervous," Young Bae had typed. Perry sighed again and stuffed the phone back into his pocket without replying.
Seung Hyun looked at him over the mound of vanilla ice cream that topped his crepe. "... Why are you mad at him?"
"I'm not-- It's just..." He snorted and shook his head. "Dude, it's gay stuff. Never mind, a'ight?"
Seung Hyun rolled his eyes. "You're mad 'cause he's scared he's gonna get recognized when he's out with you."
Perry frowned. "Did he talk to you about it?"
"No. He gets really quiet when he's feeling bad about something." He took a bite of his crepe. "I just think, like... Just 'cause you're American doesn't mean it's okay to do that stuff here."
He must've looked exactly the way he felt (like his head was about to explode), because Seung Hyun started backpedaling. "Not like that! I mean, I'm okay with it. We're just not raised that way, okay? It's pretty weird over here."
"What, you think everyone's a fag in America or somethin'? My father beat the crap outta me because I'm gay," he ground out slowly, then took a vicious bite of his crepe. Inviting Seung Hyun apparently hadn't been such a good idea.
"... Your dad hit you?" Seung Hyun said, blinking and raising a fist. Perry nodded. "Oh. ... I didn't know. Sorry."
He shrugged and ate his crepe silently, steaming.
"Uh. Young Bae always thinks about other people first, you know," Seung Hyun said, staring at his own crepe. "Maybe he just doesn't wanna get all of us in trouble."
"I know, okay? It's just-- shit, you're not gonna get it. Never mind."
Seung Hyun licked some melted ice cream off his finger. "... You could tell me anyway. 'Cause this is pretty awkward already, so I don't think it's gonna get worse." He gave him a tiny smile and Perry huffed out a laugh despite himself.
"Guess so." He ate a piece of kiwi while he tried to collect his thoughts. "I've been in fuckin' Asia for twelve years and I ain't ever had a boyfriend who didn't mind holding my hand on the street. I just wanna do the same shit everybody else does. Shouldn't be this fuckin' hard."
He had to translate that twice before Seung Hyun understood. "... But it'd be the same if you were dating CL or something," he finally said. "She's young and she's gonna be famous too, so you'd have to hide it."
"Yeah, but..." Most of the arguments remaining in Perry's mind involved stomping his feet and bitching about how fucking unfair his life was. He sighed and popped the last part of his crepe into his mouth. "Yeah."
Seung Hyun scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, I wish it wasn't so hard for you, though. It'd be cool if there was... I dunno, like... a city just for gay people."
Perry had to laugh again, because Seung Hyun had just suggested, in complete seriousness, what amounted to fag reservations. "Yeah, that'd be cool. You wanna walk some more?"
"... Okay," Seung Hyun said, eyeing him curiously. They stood up, and Perry spent the next several minutes trying to explain the concepts of segregation and reservations to him, which turned out to be a nice way to distract himself.
***
He went back to his apartment later than he'd expected, after stopping for a quick beer with Seung Hyun, and Young Bae pretty much threw himself out of the bedroom as soon as he walked in.
"I'm really sorry, okay? I don't wanna break up with you," he said, and the anxiety in his voice confused Perry for a moment. Until he remembered about the text message.
The one he hadn't replied to.
"Taek-- YB. I ain't gonna break up with ya."
"We can go out if you--"
"Wait, listen. I wanna talk to you." He toed off his shoes, then grabbed Young Bae's hand and led him to the couch, pulling him down next to him. "I just got pissed 'cause I came here so we could spend time together, okay?"
Young Bae looked down and nodded.
"And we ain't gonna be in Japan forever. You liked all the dates and stuff, yeah?"
He nodded again. "... But the album is out now."
"I know. I ain't gonna push you. I just don't think anyone's gonna figure it out even if they see us together."
"But it's stressful," Young Bae replied. "I'm not... like you."
Perry looked down at their intertwined hands and noticed that Young Bae had taken a page from G-Dragon's book and chewed his thumbnail down to a nub. He sighed. If he really had to choose between his principles and his boyfriend's peace of mind... "Yeah. It's all right." He leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry I got mad at you."
Young Bae gave him a shrug and a half-hearted smile. He had to make an effort not to sigh again. They'd been doing so well.
***
"Hi," Young Bae called out, eyeing him hesitantly as he walked in.
Perry pulled his headphones off. "Hey. 'Sup?"
He walked over to the table and put down a bag from HMV before wrapping his arms around Perry's shoulders from behind. "Nothing... I bought Ghost Rider," he said. "And um, Rihanna's new album. You like her, right?"
"Yeah, I do. Thanks." He turned his head to kiss him briefly.
Young Bae smiled, then looked at the screen of his laptop. "Are you doing something important? 'Cause we could watch the movie if you want..."
"Sure," Perry replied without much enthusiasm. "Just lemme finish this up first." He was actually getting sick of watching movies, as impossible as that sounded. Mostly because Young Bae usually couldn't take more than thirty minutes before falling asleep on him. And all the DVDs were clearly part of his attempt to compensate for not going out with him, which was kind of a turn-off. No use complaining about it, though.
Young Bae pulled away from him. "Okay. Do you want coffee? Or um, I bought chu-hai yesterday. There's grapefruit and peach and... lemon, I think."
"Grapefruit sounds good." Getting hammered on $1 fruit-flavored cocktails seemed like his best option. Young Bae grabbed two cans from the fridge, set one down next to his laptop, stood there for a few seconds, then walked over to the couch and sat down, looking guilty and awkward.
Perry kind of wanted to smack him. He took a sip of chu-hai and went back to work instead. After ten minutes, he gave up on the track and saved the files before shutting down his laptop.
"Perry?"
He stood up and grabbed his can before looking over. Young Bae was standing too. "... Yeah?"
"We could go to karaoke... if you want."
Perry blinked, wondering how the hell he hadn't thought of that. A nice, private booth, food and drinks... It seemed ridiculously obvious now. "Yeah, that'd be great."
Young Bae's face lit up. "Really?"
He laughed. "Yeah, really. Down that chu-hai and let's go."