This Time Around (2/3)
Title: This Time Around (2/3)
Pairing: Teddy/Taeyang
Rating: R
Word Count: 28,889
A/N: Despite the three parts, this is a very long one-shot meant to be read in one sitting (if you have the stamina, heh). I divided it only because of LJ.
Teddy wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but nothing changed. He met Young Bae in his studio, sat down next to him and went over some lyrics with him, letting him make a couple of minor modifications. It was only when Teddy draped an arm over his shoulders - not an unusual gesture by any means - that he really noticed any difference. Young Bae looked up from the lyrics and gave him a small, private smile that made his heart beat faster.
He hadn't felt like this in a long time, and never because of a man. He'd always been more about people than about labels, though, and it was much too late to pretend he didn't like Young Bae.
Besides, Young Bae was mature enough not to let whatever he'd started get in the way of the work they had to do. Recording went as well as usual, and only when Teddy decided they were done for the day did Young Bae do something out of the ordinary: Teddy packed up his stuff and he simply did the same and followed him all the way out of the studios.
"You coming home with me?" Teddy asked once they were standing at a particular red light. Young Bae would have to turn left to head to Big Bang's apartment, and he was showing no intention of doing so.
"Yes." He took his hands out of his pockets briefly to pull up his hood. "Is it okay? You said anytime."
"Wanna go get Boss first?"
The light changed to green and Young Bae stepped off the curb, which Teddy took as a no. "Ji Yong said he'd feed him today," he said, then glanced at him. "You can still work, I won't bother you."
"Don't be stupid," Teddy replied.
Thirty minutes later, though, Young Bae had settled on his couch with The Catcher In The Rye and his dictionary. Maybe he actually wanted Teddy to work. Or maybe he just wanted to be someplace quiet to get some reading done - Teddy would squat other people's places whenever he could, too, if he lived with four other guys.
He sat down at his desk to work on his latest loop. He'd recorded a simple little riff with his guitar the other day (his fingertips were still sore from starting to play again after abandoning it for so long), and it was shaping up better than he'd expected.
Even with someone else in the room, it was easy to lose himself in his music, and he jumped when Young Bae touched his shoulder. He pulled his headphones off and looked up at him. He was grinning. "Sorry... What's 'crumby'?"
He'd pronounced it wrong. Teddy didn't bother correcting him. "It's like... shitty," he tried, and nearly laughed when Young Bae nodded in understanding. His English might not be the best, but he always listened carefully, and Teddy suspected that his knowledge of slang and curses was a lot more impressive than he let on. "How's it going? You almost done?"
Young Bae made a face. "I'm only halfway through. Can I listen?"
Teddy handed him his headphones. He listened to the entire track, his eyes focused on a random spot on his desk, and looked at him again as he took the headphones off. "I like it. Is it for 1TYM?"
"I don't know... Why?"
He shrugged. "It doesn't sound like it's for me or 2NE1."
Teddy thought about it. "... Yeah, maybe." It'd be something, at least. And then he could stop ducking everyone's questions about his progress on 1TYM's comeback.
"I'm sick of reading. I'll make tea, okay?"
He would've said he didn't have any tea, but Young Bae probably knew his way around the kitchen better than he did. "Yeah, sure."
***
It was barley tea Young Bae set down in front of him at the kitchen table. Teddy had no recollection of ever buying barley tea. What he did remember was that Perry loved the stuff, though, and that was a little scary to contemplate considering how many years had passed since he'd moved out.
"What?" Young Bae asked as he sat down.
"Did you buy tea when I wasn't looking?"
"No," he replied, giving him a strange look. He peered into his own mug, took a tiny sip, and shrugged. "It's fine."
Teddy shrugged too and wrapped his hands around the mug. Tea probably didn't go bad. They sat in silence for a few moments, then he reached for the pack of cigarettes sitting on a corner of the table. "Mind if I smoke?"
"No," he said, running his finger over a chink in the rim of his mug, "but I don't like the taste."
Teddy put the pack down again. The silence that followed was uncharacteristically awkward, and he couldn't get a handle on the damn butterflies in his stomach. He wasn't even sure who leaned in first, but then he was cupping Young Bae's jaw and kissing him. It was Young Bae who deepened it, though, his tongue snaking out briefly to brush against his, and when they broke apart he had that smile on his face again.
Teddy took a deep breath and drank some tea. Young Bae mirrored him, then cleared his throat. "Did you write anything else for 1TYM?"
"Not really. Nothing good, anyway."
His fingernail worried at that chink again. "... Are you gonna break up?"
Teddy considered the various things he usually said in answer to that question, then decided to be honest instead. "Maybe. We have to talk about it."
Young Bae nodded. "Is it because we're keeping you too busy?"
"Nah. I'm keeping myself busy 'cause I don't wanna deal with it." It felt weird to admit that out loud, and Young Bae probably noticed because he backed off, going back to safer topics until both their mugs were empty.
"I should go," he said after a glance at his watch, then stood up and took the mugs to the sink. He'd probably assumed (rightly so) that Teddy would forget to do it.
He walked Young Bae to the door and watched while he put on his shoes and jacket and picked up his bag. "Want me to come along?"
"It's okay," he replied as he stepped forward. "I'll tell Boss you said hi."
Teddy pressed a light kiss to his lips, then pulled the lapels of his jacket closer together. "Don't catch a cold, a'ight? We got a lot more recording to do."
Young Bae left after assuring him it wasn't that cold, which Teddy still thought was debatable. As he made his way back to the kitchen to wash the mugs - if he didn't do it now, he'd never get around to it - the pack of cigarettes on the table caught his eye, then the stack of pictures he still hadn't touched.
He stopped, then gathered up all of the crap on the table (pictures, cigarettes, and pens included) and dumped everything into the trash.
***
"Fuck, man, I hope you didn't want any kids."
Teddy snorted as Jinu inched past him to sit in an empty chair. "I'm in the video. What's your excuse?"
"I'm fashion-conscious?" Jinu suggested, looking down at his own jeans.
Teddy wasn't sure why Jinu had to be present at every shoot and meeting and event ever, but as they sat there watching Young Bae dance, it occurred to him that he was just avoiding Jinusean's comeback. Much like Teddy was avoiding his own by cramming himself into too-tight pants and a leather jacket for a three-second cameo instead of working on something useful like beats or lyrics or finding out where the fuck Baek Kyoung and Jinhwan even were.
The sudden feeling of kinship compensated for the dig about his pants, so Teddy didn't bother trying to think of another comeback. He watched Young Bae instead - take after take of the ridiculously intricate moves, until his forehead was shining with sweat and the director let him have a break.
Young Bae walked over and watched the footage for a few minutes. Once he'd nodded his satisfaction to the director, he looked their way and smiled. "Hi, Jinu," he said as he moved closer.
"Hey. Looking good, kid."
He grinned and sat down on the only chair that was nearby and still empty, right behind both of them. "Thanks." He rested one arm on the back of Teddy's chair and leaned forward between them. "I think we're almost done."
"Gonna go celebrate afterwards?"
"I don't know... I'm kind of tired." He put his chin on Teddy's shoulder. "Maybe I'll just have something nice for dinner tonight."
Teddy, for a second, was certain the gesture amounted to a sudden coming-out, but then he remembered they always did that kind of thing in public. And even if Young Bae did want to be obvious about it in front of the family... Well, what Teddy had told him a while ago still applied: It wasn't a big deal. No one who mattered would care.
And Jinu, as it turned out, didn't even blink. "I'll make something if you want."
"That'd be nice," Young Bae said, then turned his head slightly. "Are you coming?"
"To your place? Yeah, sure."
"I guess they're gonna film your part at the end?" Jinu asked, and Teddy shook his head.
"Already done. It took, like, fifteen minutes."
"And you're still wearing that?"
"It's not that bad," Young Bae said, looking his way again. "You look like you're in Grease."
His two statements were completely at odds with each other, as far as Teddy was concerned, and Jinu's laughter was confirmation enough. He shrugged Young Bae's head away gently and stood up. "Be right back."
***
"Something nice for dinner" had somehow turned into grilled cheese sandwiches, which Teddy had been inclined to argue about until Ji Yong and Young Bae had put up a united front of "they're good"s and "no, really"s. He and Seung Ri (who had no clue what grilled cheese sandwiches even were, from the sound of it) had given up after a couple of their suggestions had been instantly shot down.
Teddy was now pretty happy they'd relented, though, because Jinu's definition of a grilled cheese sandwich involved bacon. A lot of it. Seung Ri had looked sadly at his empty plate and licked his greasy fingers after he'd finished eating.
The kitchen was a little cramped for seven people, so Big Bang piled up in the living room for what they'd apparently decided was dessert - a pint of green tea ice cream, which they were demolishing by passing a single spoon around. Teddy sat on the sofa next to Young Bae and draped an arm over his shoulders.
"I could wash more spoons," Jinu suggested after it became clear he wasn't included in the ice-cream-sharing circle.
Ji Yong, who'd been watching the carnage from his spot on the floor with a look of mild distaste, looked up at him. "Yes, please."
Jinu disappeared into the kitchen. The spoon wasn't making its way to Teddy, either, but he didn't mind much. Sweet green tea-flavored stuff wasn't his thing.
It took a couple of rounds for Young Bae to notice Teddy wasn't eating, but he eventually did and held out the spoon to him after stuffing more ice cream into his mouth. "Want some?" he said thickly.
"I'll get you a spoon, hyung, Jinu must be..." Dae Sung trailed off, blinking, when Teddy simply shrugged and took the spoon, reaching over to get some ice cream from the carton in Seung Hyun's hands.
The flavor wasn't so bad after all - not too sweet, and, hell, ice cream was ice cream. Ji Yong watched him silently, drumming his fingers on the floor, then sighed and stretched his arm out to wiggle them in his direction.
Teddy grinned. "Careful, man," he said as he handed it over. "Producer germs. They're real bad."
Ji Yong glared his way before focusing on getting the pint down to his level. "Never mind, J, we don't need spoons anymore," he called out as he scooped up an impressive amount of ice cream, holding onto Seung Hyun's arm with his free hand.
Jinu's "tsch!" was more than loud enough to be heard from the living room. He came back, leaned over the back of the sofa, and sunk an obviously still-warm spoon into the ice cream. "Ji Yong's doing the rest of the dishes, just for the record."
"No, Seung Ri is."
Teddy heard a rebellious mutter from the kid in question, but another glare from Ji Yong shut him up. They kept at it until the carton was empty, then settled down again and turned on the television.
They weren't halfway through the evening news when Teddy's eyes started closing on their own, the food-induced daze and the news anchor's soothing voice working together against him. As tempting as it was to just doze off on Young Bae's shoulder, he did have some beats to work on. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. "Gotta get going, guys."
That was met with a chorus of equally unmotivated "m'kay"s and "oh"s, except for Young Bae, who blinked at him. "Hold on," he said, then stood up. "I wrote some new lyrics for Wedding Dress. Can you take a look before you leave?"
"Sure," Teddy replied, following him. His brain finally caught up as he stepped into the bedroom. "Wait, Wedding Dress? It's kinda too late, you know, I already sent it off for..."
Young Bae laughed. "I didn't write anything," he said, then wrapped both arms around his neck and kissed him.
Teddy had reflexively put a hand on Young Bae's hip before he even realized what was going on. He parted his lips and Young Bae pressed closer as he deepened the kiss. The distant sound of Dae Sung's voice stopped them, though, and Teddy pulled away, glancing over his shoulder.
Young Bae smiled at him and leaned in to give the door a push. Teddy didn't hear it close completely, but it'd have to do, because Young Bae was kissing him again and he sure as hell wasn't going to stop for a second time.
He was seriously reconsidering his decision to leave by the time they did stop, minutes later, both of them breathing heavily. He could feel Young Bae's erection pressing against his hip, and it seemed like he noticed it, too, because he moved away slightly.
"I wish you could stay longer," he said with a little smile.
Teddy fully sympathized. "Yeah, uh. I gotta get some work done." And he wasn't going to try anything with so many people in the next room. "Tomorrow?"
The door creaked a little, but Teddy recognized the clicking noise of Boss's claws on the floor. Young Bae didn't - he stepped away from him quickly. "... Boss," he said, mock-stern, as he bent down to pick him up. "You scared me, puppy."
"He ain't really a puppy anymore," Teddy said amusedly, watching Boss's paws flail frantically through the air. "Tomorrow? My place, I mean."
Young Bae frowned. "I'm really busy tomorrow... Is it okay if I come late?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
The flailing reached a crescendo and Young Bae set Boss back down before walking Teddy to the door. Everyone were still sprawled in pretty much the same way, except for Seung Ri, who'd fallen asleep in an uncomfortable-looking position with the script he'd been studying covering half his face.
"Bye, guys," Teddy said quietly. They all looked over and whispered their goodbyes. Ji Yong had the hint of a smile on his face, though, and Teddy was suddenly certain he knew what was going on. Not surprising. He smiled back before bending down to find his sneakers.
***
Jacoby's Burgers had, over the last several months, climbed its way to the top of Teddy's list of awesome burger joints. And that meant a lot, considering he'd tried most of the notable ones in Seoul, usually with Se7en and Danny in tow.
Tonight it was just him and Danny, though, and a pair of chili burgers as big as their heads. The place was dark but not crowded yet. The music wasn't too loud, either - it was a great place to talk, especially since the clientele consisted mostly of foreigners who didn't care who they were. Teddy usually ordered in English just because he could.
"Dude," he said between bites of his burger. "I gotta tell you something."
Danny made a vaguely inquisitive noise around the garlic fries in his mouth.
"You know how I..." Told you Young Bae's gay, he was going to say, but then he decided not to beat around the bush. "Uh, I'm dating Young Bae."
Danny chewed for several seconds. "... Yeah, okay," he said, laughing. "Did you meet a girl or something?"
"No, listen. I'm serious." He took another bite, trying to project nonchalance despite his rising apprehension. "He's great."
"What-- C'mon, man, you're not even gay. What'd he do, suck your dick a couple times?"
"Don't talk about him like that."
"What, 'cause he's your boyfriend?"
Teddy put his burger down. "Yes, 'cause he's my boyfriend. Are you fucking deaf?"
"Dude, we've known him since he was... what, twelve? It's just fucking weird, okay?"
He thought about the previous evening - the late-night stubble scraping against his upper lip and the hard dick pressing against him - and let out a short laugh. "He ain't twelve anymore."
"Fine, whatever." Danny picked up his burger and sank his teeth into it. Teddy knew he wasn't done, though, and he spoke up again once he'd swallowed, sounding even more incensed. "What the hell did you want me to say? You never told me."
"I didn't kn-- I didn't think it was important, okay?" Teddy said, catching himself right before he said something that wasn't true. He'd known, or at least suspected it for years. He'd just never felt the urge to confirm those suspicions with someone he didn't care for.
"Yeah, well... It is," Danny replied, frowning down at his fries. At least he sounded vaguely like he'd realized he was being an asshole. Teddy simply shook his head and continued to eat.
His attempts at conversation petered out after a minute or two for the rest of the meal. Danny was disgruntled and brooding into his beer, and he'd just about used up all of Teddy's patience on the subject. He'd put up with this already - Danny had had plenty to say about Perry all those years ago, of course, and there had been a few snide remarks about Ji Yong and his friends, more recently, that had left a bad taste in Teddy's mouth.
"It's on me," he said as the waiter walked over with the bill and Danny reached for his wallet.
"Thanks."
Teddy remembered, as they walked to the subway station in silence, that he hadn't even gotten around to telling him the other news he'd invited him out for. Finishing that 1TYM song didn't seem like something worth celebrating anymore, though, and he kept his mouth shut.
No one who mattered would care, he'd thought. That obviously wasn't the case.
***
Teddy jerked awake with a crick in his neck and his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. The message he saw when he flipped it open ("are you home? ㅜㅜ") made him curse out loud and stumble from the couch to the door to buzz Young Bae in.
He looked as tired as Teddy was. Tired and cold. Boss, though, was his usual self, straining against the leash to sniff his feet. "Fuck, sorry," he said, stepping forward to engulf Young Bae into a bear hug. "I fell asleep."
Young Bae laughed quietly against his neck as he wrapped his arms around his waist. "It's okay. Are you going back to bed?"
"Nah, not yet. You want tea or something?"
He nodded, so Teddy gave him a little push toward the couch before walking over to the kitchen. The box of tea was as dusty and ancient-looking as he'd imagined. He'd been a little scared that he'd see the words "barley tea" written neatly in marker on one side, but from the looks of it, it had been bought after Perry had mastered hangul, at least.
He went back to the living room, holding the two mugs gingerly, and found Young Bae sprawled on the couch, playing fetch with Boss using a small red ball. He narrowly avoided stepping on the dog and somehow managed to put the mugs down on the coffee table without spilling any tea. "At least one of us ain't tired," he said over the barking and scrabbling noises as he sat down next to Young Bae.
"Mm? ... Oh, Boss. Yes." He yawned, then slouched down further and leaned against Teddy. "What did you do today?"
"Just worked on some beats. And uh, I had dinner with Danny. Wanted to tell him what's going on."
Boss hopped up and put his front paws on Teddy's knee, panting around the ball in his mouth. He took it from him and bounced it off a wall, sending it rolling into the kitchen. Boss tore off after it.
"You told him you're gay?" Young Bae finally asked, looking up at him.
"Bisexual," he corrected automatically, then tried to remember what the hell the Korean term was.
"Bisexual," Young Bae parroted before he could think of it, his pronunciation and inflection flawless.
Teddy laughed. "Yeah. Well, I told him we're dating. I didn't wanna hide that kinda thing from him, you know? He's my best friend, so..." The words sounded hollow even to his own ears. No use trying to hide what had happened from Young Bae. "He kinda freaked out, but he's gonna get over it."
Boss, having apparently given up on them, settled down at their feet, chewing on his ball. Young Bae leaned forward to grab his tea and watched him for a moment. "You're still talking, right?"
He wasn't even sure. They'd parted at the subway station with awkward "see you"s, and after the way Danny had reacted at Jacoby's, Teddy wouldn't be calling him up anytime soon. "Yeah. He's gonna show up in a few days and pretend nothing happened, I bet." That was what happened whenever Danny did something retarded and didn't want to apologize for it. Teddy still hadn't made up his mind as to whether he'd accept the usual half-assed olive branch of a movie ticket or a cheap dinner.
"Did you hide it from him when you had boyfriends before?" Young Bae asked, offering him the other mug.
Teddy blinked at him as he took it. "How many boyfriends d'you think I've had?"
"... I wasn't sure." He leaned against him again, and Teddy moved his arm out of the way in time to put it around his shoulders and pull him a little closer. They sipped their tea in silence and Boss eventually moved to his blanket, abandoning the ball. Watching him fall asleep was enough to make Teddy sleepy again, and Young Bae was leaning against him a lot more heavily by the time they both emptied their mugs.
"Can I stay for the night?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah. You ain't got anything scheduled tomorrow morning?"
Young Bae shook his head and handed him his mug before standing up, heading to the bathroom. Teddy considered taking the couch for a moment, but dismissed the idea when Young Bae came back out and looked at him. "Which side of the bed do you sleep on?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll be right there." He took the mugs to the sink, then joined Young Bae in his room. He hadn't bothered to turn on the lights - he was silhouetted against the window as he took off his jeans, his t-shirt already on the floor. Teddy let his eyes linger over him as he unzipped his own hoodie.
He reached for Young Bae once they were under the covers, wrapping one arm around his waist to pull him close. Young Bae's fingertips found his jaw, then his lips, and he gave him a soft, lingering kiss before resting his head on the pillow. Teddy smiled to himself and closed his eyes.
***
When he trudged into the kitchen, too many hours later, Young Bae was already very awake, sitting at the table with his nose in The Catcher In The Rye and a bowl of something hot at his elbow.
Teddy walked up behind him and wrapped his arms loosely around his shoulders, leaning in to kiss him on the temple. "Hey. Whazzat?"
"Chazuke." He smiled up at him. "I'll make you some."
Teddy gave him a squeeze before letting him up and giving the bowl a closer look. There were bits of fish floating in something yellowish, and rice at the bottom... His brain finally tracked down the word, or at least the first part of it, and he blinked as he straightened up. "Is that just rice and tea?"
"And salmon," Young Bae said as he cracked open a small can. "It's good. Our manager in Japan makes it for us sometimes."
"Oh. You went to the store?" He could imagine cans of salmon sitting around somewhere, but he was pretty sure there hadn't been any green tea in the apartment when he'd gone to bed the previous night.
"Yes. And I did some cleaning. I wanted to vacuum, but you were asleep, so..." He looked down at Boss, who was staring up at him expectantly, and dropped a tiny piece of salmon. Boss snatched it up before it reached the floor. Not that it mattered much, considering the state of the floor - vacuuming did sound like a good idea.
"Thanks. I'll do it today."
The glance Young Bae aimed his way seemed a little dubious, but he didn't comment. "... Oh, and I found some stuff under the couch. There's a keychain and a pen and some picks. I put them on the coffee table."
Frigging pens, Teddy thought, then decided to get up and investigate, since he didn't remember losing any keys. He recognized the Tinkerbell keychain the second he saw it, though, and tried to ignore the prickle of anger that always accompanied unexpected reminders of his ex-girlfriend as he grabbed it from the table. The keys were still on it.
"YB?" he called out as he walked back to the kitchen. Young Bae looked up from the chazuke he was preparing and Teddy slid the keychain across the counter. "Keep 'em."
"... Okay," he replied after a few seconds, a smile spreading on his face as he slipped the keychain into his pocket. "It's ready."
Teddy took the bowl to the table and Young Bae joined him, setting the book aside to eat. The chazuke was surprisingly good, considering how simple it was. He added it to his mental list of can't-be-bothered recipes. "When are you leaving?"
"In an hour. We have to change the choreography for Where U At so I can do it live."
Teddy blew on a spoonful of tea and rice. "That's gonna take a while, huh? 'Cause I was thinking we could do something tonight, but..."
Young Bae frowned thoughtfully as he chewed, then shook his head. "Tomorrow night? Sorry..."
Well, at least that'd give Teddy some time to cross some things off his to-do list. And think of something nice to do with Young Bae that'd amount to a date but wouldn't get them swarmed by fans.
***
2NE1 brought the usual amount of energy to his studio - they were all smiling as they squeezed themselves onto his makeshift bed. All of them except CL, that is, because she was tugging at the sleeve of his hoodie. "Papa! Dara keeps making fun of me 'cause I have two daddies."
She stood there grinning at him, looking proud of herself, and Dara let out a snort of laughter behind them. Teddy turned his chair around in time to see Min Ji scratch her nose and Bom stare resolutely at the floor, her lips pressed together. "Whatcha talking about?" he asked, even though it was pretty obvious Young Bae had talked to them.
"Oh, come on. Papa Taeyang told us."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, stifling his smile, and spun around again. "You wanna hear the remixes or not?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I still like you." She rested her arms on the back of his chair, leaning in to look at his computer screen.
"Lucky me." He fired up the medley he'd put together for 2NE1's performance at the mnet awards and grinned when CL clicked her tongue and gave him a push. There was a small chance she'd stop flirting with him, he supposed, but he wasn't holding his breath. He'd kind of miss it if she did, anyway.
***
It took nearly two days with no sign of Young Bae before Teddy decided to take a page from his book and show up at Big Bang's apartment unannounced. If 2NE1 knew, so did Big Bang - he knew he wouldn't have to make any excuses for being there.
He didn't even make it into the building, though. "Hyung," Ji Yong called out, his head poking out from around the corner. "Young Bae's out."
Teddy walked over, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Where's he at?"
"Dance studio. I think he'll be back soon." He raised a cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag.
Teddy leaned back against the wall next to him, trying not to think of how long it'd been since he'd last smoked. "Can't smoke in your room anymore?"
"I just wanted some fresh air. Want one?"
And now he sorely regretted bringing it up. "Nah," he said with some effort, looking away as Ji Yong took another slow drag. "How's the promotion going?" A lame question, but it was all he could think of with the smell of smoke hanging around him.
"Good. We just started preparing for the mnet awards. I think you'll win a couple," he said after a small pause, turning his head to look at him.
Teddy smiled. "2NE1 will, yeah."
"Mm. There should be one for producers." He shifted, and Teddy spotted the red and white pack sticking out of his pocket. He smoked Marlboros, too. Damn him.
"Yeah," he replied vaguely, feeling his resolve crumbling. He chewed on his thumbnail for a moment, decided that wasn't going to cut it, and elbowed Ji Yong. "Gimme a smoke."
The knowing, unsurprised smirk Ji Yong gave him as he passed the pack over was a little annoying, but Teddy appreciated the lack of comment. He knew, no doubt, that Teddy was supposed to have stopped. And why.
He handed Ji Yong the pack, took the proffered Zippo and lit up his cigarette. The first puff was fucking heaven. So was the second one. He closed his eyes briefly, savoring it, and opened them again when he heard Ji Yong laugh. "What? 'S been a while."
"I know. He really hates it."
The third drag was just as good. He made a vague sound in reply.
"He looks happy these days."
Teddy looked over. Ji Yong's stance was all nonchalance - he wasn't even looking his way - but he'd spoken in a careful tone that hinted at something more serious. "I hope he is," he said, then added, with a rueful smile, "'cause I don't really know what I'm doing."
"It's not like he does, either," Ji Yong replied as he tapped the ash off his cigarette. He watched it flutter away, carried by the wind, then looked at Teddy. "You're lucky."
"I know." He still wasn't sure how he'd ended up with someone as sweet as Young Bae by his side, but it was a welcome respite from the long string of money-grubbing, manipulative women that preceded him, and Teddy had learned not to question the good things that happened to him. "You okay with it?"
"Yeah, I'm over it now." And he really did sound like he was over it, but Teddy had seen that kid grit his teeth and smile through worse situations. "You look happier, too. I'm glad."
Teddy had been about to say something - without being sure what - when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, read the message and smiled. "Wanna go have a beer with Shaun and Lyle?"
Ji Yong shook his head and took out a portable ashtray from his pocket. "I have work to do," he said as he slid his cigarette butt into it. "Tell them I said hi."
"Will do. Get some rest, too," he said, clapping him on the shoulder, then walked away and flipped his phone open again to ask Young Bae for directions.
***
The pub was a tiny hole-in-the-wall kind of place, with only a few of the seats occupied by middle-aged men and tired-looking guys in suits. Young Bae and his dancers were sitting in the back and engrossed in an important conversation, judging by the focused frown on his face and the way Lyle's hands were moving as he spoke.
Teddy caught part of it as he walked over. "--phony too!" Young Bae said, then his eyes flicked up and he smiled, argument forgotten. "Hi."
Lyle and Shaun turned his way. "Hey," the latter said, grinning, as Teddy sat down next to Young Bae. "YB doesn't like Holden Caulfield."
"He's a phony," Young Bae said firmly before raising his glass of beer and taking a long drink from it. The pitcher on the table was nearly empty.
Teddy laughed and slid his arm to its usual, comfortable spot around his shoulders. "Didja finish the book?" Young Bae nodded. "He's too nice to get it," he told Shaun and Lyle, not really surprised to hear that his opinion hadn't changed. "Where's my beer?"
He'd intended it as a joke, but Young Bae immediately called for the waitress and asked for another glass. And a pitcher of soju. They were already at the point where mixing beer and soju seemed like a good idea, apparently.
"Ask Lyle if he likes strawberries," Young Bae said, getting his attention with one hand on his leg.
"What? C'mon, you know how to say that."
He sighed but turned back to Shaun and Lyle anyway, looking put-upon. His hand stayed where it was. "Do you like strawberry?" he asked slowly.
"... Yeah." Lyle's face lit up in understanding after a second. "Oh! You ordered that fruit soju stuff?"
"Yes. It's... good."
"Is it strong?"
The waitress answered Lyle's question by setting down four shot glasses on the table. "Ohh, nice," he said when he saw the large pitcher. Teddy considered warning him - the stuff went down like fruit juice, but it definitely packed a punch. He decided, though, that it'd be funnier not to.
***
Teddy hadn't quite managed to catch up with everyone else, but he was still well past tipsy by the time they left the pub. They'd all spent a little too long walking aimlessly in what had turned out to be the wrong direction while having a listen-and-repeat session involving the most useless Korean sentences Teddy and Young Bae could think of.
They'd gotten to "I'm bringing sexy back", which Lyle could now say flawlessly, before finally realizing that they weren't heading anywhere constructive and stuffing him and Shaun into a cab. Despite the wrong turns, the walk back to Big Bang's apartment seemed a lot shorter than it had been when Teddy was sober.
"I'm so drunk," Young Bae muttered as he unlocked the door. Teddy couldn't tell the difference - he looked as focused as he always did, and he'd walked straight the whole time. The door did take a few more seconds than usual, though.
"So," Teddy started, then paused to try and remember Big Bang's schedule. And his own. "... Guess I'll see you tomorrow?"
"What? No," he said, frowning as he looked over at him. "Come up with me." And then he walked in, leaving Teddy little choice but to follow.
The doorman greeted them and Young Bae straightened his back a little and nodded back to him, his expression serious. He relaxed again once they reached the elevator, shooting Teddy a grin after pressing the button. Teddy could tell the difference, now - he looked a little goofier, and the flush on his cheeks was visible now that they were inside.
The grin didn't fade in the elevator, and Teddy raised a hand in warning when Young Bae edged closer. "There's a camera in here, right?"
He blinked, then the serious expression was back on his face, the switch seemingly effortless even with all the alcohol in his system. "Right." The doors opened and he walked out, reaching out at the last second to grab onto Teddy's sleeve, tugging him along. He only let go to dig into his pocket for his keys again.
Ji Yong was still up, sitting on the living room floor with his back against the sofa and most of the space around him covered in papers. He smiled absently and muttered a greeting before hunching over again, chewing on the end of his pen. Teddy tried hard not to look at the pack of cigarettes next to him as he followed Young Bae to his room.
The kiss he planted on Teddy as soon as the door clicked shut behind him was enough to push the sudden cravings out of his mind. A little clumsy, a little too much tongue, and time slowed to a warm, pleasant crawl as Teddy stroked the back of his neck and kissed him back. He heard Young Bae's jacket hitting the floor and a few seconds later his own hoodie was unzipped. He opened his eyes, drawing back slightly, but Young Bae leaned forward, dropping butterfly kisses on his lips as he pushed both jacket and hoodie off his shoulders.
Teddy relented, letting them slide off his arms and to the floor. His hands found Young Bae's hips and pulled him closer, but he couldn't manage much more than that after Young Bae turned his own baseball cap to the side, moving the bill out of the way, and pressed his lips to Teddy's neck.
The first hesitant nip sent shivers down his spine. A low moan escaped his mouth of its own accord, and it was only when one of Young Bae's hand crept down his back and curved over his ass that he realized, through the haze of alcohol and arousal, how far Young Bae had managed to take things in just a few minutes.
"Whatchu doin'?" he managed, feeling like he was moving through molasses as he put one hand on Young Bae's shoulder, pushing lightly.
Young Bae's hand slid back up, but there was mischief shining in his eyes as he looked up at him. "... I'm bringing sexy back," he murmured, then snickered at his own joke, resting his forehead on Teddy's shoulder.
Teddy let out a snort of laughter despite himself. "Nah, c'mon. Don't wanna do it when we're drunk."
"I'm not that drunk," Young Bae tried, raising his head. His eyes weren't focusing quite right.
"Everyone's gonna hear."
That worked - Young Bae glanced at the door, teeth worrying at his lower lip, then finally nodded and took a few steps back toward his bed before sitting down on it. "Okay. But you should sleep here."
Teddy thought about refusing, but that would mean walking back to his place alone in the cold. Easier to let the rest of Big Bang think whatever they wanted to think; they'd be right soon enough, anyway. He joined Young Bae on the bed and leaned down to take off his socks. Young Bae followed suit, shooting sidelong glances at him as he stripped down to his boxers.
Teddy kept his shirt on - he usually did - and laughed when Young Bae gave it a tug, looking somewhere between curious and hopeful. "Hey," he said, smacking him gently on the side of the head. "No sexy business."
Young Bae snickered and leaned in to plant a kiss on his lips before pushing on his shoulder until he lay down. He got comfortable under the covers and Young Bae turned off the light, then joined him. The single bed was a little small for both of them, but Young Bae compensated by draping himself over him like an insistent, horny blanket, sticking his nose under his ear and tangling their legs together. He was heavier than Teddy would've thought, but he remembered something about muscle being heavier than fat and figured that probably explained it. He wrapped one arm loosely around Young Bae's waist and closed his eyes.
"... You wanna do it, though, right?" Young Bae said quietly after a moment.
Teddy smiled and turned his head to nuzzle his temple. "Yeah. When we're alone."
"Okay." He shifted, doing something unpleasant to Teddy's ribs in the process. "... So you don't think I'm pushy."
"No. Get off, I can't breathe."
They settled for spooning, in the end - it probably should've been a bit weird to be on the receiving end of it, with Young Bae's chest pressed against his back and one arm draped over him, but he was comfortable (and drunk) enough not to care.
"You should go out with us again," Young Bae mumbled, his breath warm on the back of Teddy's neck. "Shaun and Lyle, I mean. It was fun."
"Yeah." It had been fun. Like partying with the rest of 1TYM, back in the day, when any small accomplishment became another excuse to drink and celebrate together. The pang of nostalgia was unexpectedly sharp, and Teddy focused on the slow rise and fall of Young Bae's chest behind him, trying to return to the contented daze he'd been in just a moment ago.
"We hang out together a lot," Young Bae continued. "After practice and stuff."
"Mm." He sighed and pressed his face into the pillow. Young Bae kept muttering about his dancers and Teddy half-listened, not even bothering to keep up the mm-ing. He fell silent after a few moments, probably realizing Teddy wasn't paying much attention, and tightened his arm around him.
He'd relaxed again and started snoring softly by the time Teddy managed to stop thinking about 1TYM long enough to fall asleep.
***
Teddy woke up to a loud, sudden bark that sent the primitive part of his brain straight into panic mode. He bolted upright, heart pounding, and looked around for the source of the noise.
"Gaho!" Young Bae hissed from the doorway. He was holding Boss in his arms, and the obvious culprit was standing by the bed, tail wagging as he stared up at Teddy. "Sorry. Boss wanted to come in."
"'S okay," Teddy said, staring dumbly as Young Bae walked in and plopped Boss down on the mattress. He finally recovered from the shock a little and reached up to rub his eyes. "What time is it?"
"Almost one. Does your head hurt? Mine did." Young Bae hoisted Gaho onto the bed, too, and he immediately started walking all over his legs, sniffing around.
Teddy smiled and reached out to scratch his wrinkly head. "Nah, I'm fine. Drink some water."
"I know... Master Hwang said beer's really bad because it dehydrates you. And it's full of carbohydrates."
"You went to the gym?"
"Yes."
Teddy flopped back down, yawning, and narrowly avoided putting his head on Boss. "Does he live there or something?" Master Hwang had been around every single time Teddy had found the motivation to work out in the past few months. Granted, that wasn't many times, but it was a little too easy to imagine the man sleeping hanging by his feet from the chin-up bar like a giant bat.
"I think so," Young Bae replied, grinning as he if could read Teddy's mind. "I'll make breakfast, okay?"
Teddy nodded and, once Young Bae had left the room, spent a few minutes petting the dogs while his brain slowly caught up to his body. By the time he made his way to the kitchen after a side trip to the bathroom, there were already several side dishes on the table. Young Bae caught him by the arm on his way to it and handed him a small bowl of miso soup.
"Thanks," Teddy said, and got a smile in return before Young Bae started poking through the cabinets. He sat down and had time to take a bite of kimchi before his phone rang. Danny. He put down his chopsticks and flipped his phone open. "Wassup?"
"Hey. Wanna go get lunch? Or, uh, breakfast, whatever." Danny's tone was as carefully nonchalant as his own had been.
"YB's already making breakfast." Stating it like that was provocation, pure and simple, but Teddy couldn't resist picking at the scab.
"Oh." Silence. Young Bae walked over and put a bowl of rice next to his soup. "How is he?" Danny finally asked.
"He's fine. Busy, same as usual."
"Oh, good. So uh..."
Teddy let out a silent sigh and rubbed his forehead. The awkwardness was turning out to be too much to take so soon after waking up, and Danny was trying so hard that Teddy almost regretted the way he'd reacted to his invitation. "Sorry, man, I gotta go eat. Call me back later, all right?"
"Yeah, all right. Bye."
Danny sounded almost as relieved as he was to end the call. Teddy wasn't sure how they'd gone from best friends to whatever the hell this was. Danny wouldn't call him back today, that much he knew - he'd be licking his wounds for a little while.
"That sounded weird," Young Bae commented as he sat down at the table.
Teddy simply grimaced in reply and shoved a clump of rice into his mouth. He decided to say something a few bites later, though, when he noticed Young Bae's silence and the way he'd been staring down at the side dishes. "It's not you he's got a problem with, you know. I should've told him earlier."
"That you're bisexual?"
"Yeah."
Teddy had learned to recognize the thoughtful pauses that usually preceded Deep Questions About Teddy's Past. He smiled to himself and looked up at Young Bae after taking a sip of soup, waiting.
"When did you know?"
"Uh..." Young Bae's questions usually didn't stump him like this, though. The first thing that came to mind was Perry's quiet intensity when he'd taught him how to compose, eons ago. There'd been a couple of evenings where Teddy had suddenly noticed how close they were sitting and been unable to un-notice it. Nothing had come of it, of course, but the thoughts that had crept into his mind hadn't surprised him even then, so that didn't answer the question.
Then he remembered being sixteen and getting butterflies every time he spent time alone with his friend Jason, and realized he'd never be able to pinpoint a specific moment. "I dunno. I just like people, you know? I never really thought about it."
"Oh... Okay," Young Bae said, sounding a little hesitant. It was probably hard to understand for anyone with strict preferences, but Teddy had no idea how else to explain something he'd never even tried to explain to himself. He seemed to have given Young Bae some food for thought, though, and a mostly-comfortable silence fell over them as he continued to eat. Maybe that approach would work on Danny. If they ever talked about it again.
***
Teddy dealt with his worries in the only way he knew: he worked. The next two days he spent in his studio, working on various tracks and stopping only to feed and walk Boss, who was once again in his care while Young Bae promoted his new single. Their new single, really. At the crack of dawn he lay on his makeshift bed and wrote raps in his head until he fell asleep. Danny didn't call.
He woke up late on the second afternoon craving cigarettes, as he often did, but a paper bag from Starbucks lying on his desk distracted him just in time. He forced himself to put down the pack of Indigos one of the sound engineers had left behind and bit into his scone as he read the note Young Bae had tucked under the bag.
I took Boss with me
I'm free tonight
Call me when you wake up
Teddy smiled at the cartoon sun he'd left in lieu of a signature. He finished the scone, put the bag down on his desk, then caught himself and balled it up before tossing it into the trash. After a quick look around he also threw in a couple of fast-food containers he and Kush had left in a corner.
Calling Young Bae, he decided, would have to wait until he'd taken a shower and brushed his teeth. And shaved, he mentally added as he scratched his cheek. He put his shoes on, grabbed his jacket and headed out of the studios, trying to tell himself that he was actually looking forward to the cold autumn air after staying inside for so long.
Next part
Pairing: Teddy/Taeyang
Rating: R
Word Count: 28,889
A/N: Despite the three parts, this is a very long one-shot meant to be read in one sitting (if you have the stamina, heh). I divided it only because of LJ.
Teddy wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but nothing changed. He met Young Bae in his studio, sat down next to him and went over some lyrics with him, letting him make a couple of minor modifications. It was only when Teddy draped an arm over his shoulders - not an unusual gesture by any means - that he really noticed any difference. Young Bae looked up from the lyrics and gave him a small, private smile that made his heart beat faster.
He hadn't felt like this in a long time, and never because of a man. He'd always been more about people than about labels, though, and it was much too late to pretend he didn't like Young Bae.
Besides, Young Bae was mature enough not to let whatever he'd started get in the way of the work they had to do. Recording went as well as usual, and only when Teddy decided they were done for the day did Young Bae do something out of the ordinary: Teddy packed up his stuff and he simply did the same and followed him all the way out of the studios.
"You coming home with me?" Teddy asked once they were standing at a particular red light. Young Bae would have to turn left to head to Big Bang's apartment, and he was showing no intention of doing so.
"Yes." He took his hands out of his pockets briefly to pull up his hood. "Is it okay? You said anytime."
"Wanna go get Boss first?"
The light changed to green and Young Bae stepped off the curb, which Teddy took as a no. "Ji Yong said he'd feed him today," he said, then glanced at him. "You can still work, I won't bother you."
"Don't be stupid," Teddy replied.
Thirty minutes later, though, Young Bae had settled on his couch with The Catcher In The Rye and his dictionary. Maybe he actually wanted Teddy to work. Or maybe he just wanted to be someplace quiet to get some reading done - Teddy would squat other people's places whenever he could, too, if he lived with four other guys.
He sat down at his desk to work on his latest loop. He'd recorded a simple little riff with his guitar the other day (his fingertips were still sore from starting to play again after abandoning it for so long), and it was shaping up better than he'd expected.
Even with someone else in the room, it was easy to lose himself in his music, and he jumped when Young Bae touched his shoulder. He pulled his headphones off and looked up at him. He was grinning. "Sorry... What's 'crumby'?"
He'd pronounced it wrong. Teddy didn't bother correcting him. "It's like... shitty," he tried, and nearly laughed when Young Bae nodded in understanding. His English might not be the best, but he always listened carefully, and Teddy suspected that his knowledge of slang and curses was a lot more impressive than he let on. "How's it going? You almost done?"
Young Bae made a face. "I'm only halfway through. Can I listen?"
Teddy handed him his headphones. He listened to the entire track, his eyes focused on a random spot on his desk, and looked at him again as he took the headphones off. "I like it. Is it for 1TYM?"
"I don't know... Why?"
He shrugged. "It doesn't sound like it's for me or 2NE1."
Teddy thought about it. "... Yeah, maybe." It'd be something, at least. And then he could stop ducking everyone's questions about his progress on 1TYM's comeback.
"I'm sick of reading. I'll make tea, okay?"
He would've said he didn't have any tea, but Young Bae probably knew his way around the kitchen better than he did. "Yeah, sure."
***
It was barley tea Young Bae set down in front of him at the kitchen table. Teddy had no recollection of ever buying barley tea. What he did remember was that Perry loved the stuff, though, and that was a little scary to contemplate considering how many years had passed since he'd moved out.
"What?" Young Bae asked as he sat down.
"Did you buy tea when I wasn't looking?"
"No," he replied, giving him a strange look. He peered into his own mug, took a tiny sip, and shrugged. "It's fine."
Teddy shrugged too and wrapped his hands around the mug. Tea probably didn't go bad. They sat in silence for a few moments, then he reached for the pack of cigarettes sitting on a corner of the table. "Mind if I smoke?"
"No," he said, running his finger over a chink in the rim of his mug, "but I don't like the taste."
Teddy put the pack down again. The silence that followed was uncharacteristically awkward, and he couldn't get a handle on the damn butterflies in his stomach. He wasn't even sure who leaned in first, but then he was cupping Young Bae's jaw and kissing him. It was Young Bae who deepened it, though, his tongue snaking out briefly to brush against his, and when they broke apart he had that smile on his face again.
Teddy took a deep breath and drank some tea. Young Bae mirrored him, then cleared his throat. "Did you write anything else for 1TYM?"
"Not really. Nothing good, anyway."
His fingernail worried at that chink again. "... Are you gonna break up?"
Teddy considered the various things he usually said in answer to that question, then decided to be honest instead. "Maybe. We have to talk about it."
Young Bae nodded. "Is it because we're keeping you too busy?"
"Nah. I'm keeping myself busy 'cause I don't wanna deal with it." It felt weird to admit that out loud, and Young Bae probably noticed because he backed off, going back to safer topics until both their mugs were empty.
"I should go," he said after a glance at his watch, then stood up and took the mugs to the sink. He'd probably assumed (rightly so) that Teddy would forget to do it.
He walked Young Bae to the door and watched while he put on his shoes and jacket and picked up his bag. "Want me to come along?"
"It's okay," he replied as he stepped forward. "I'll tell Boss you said hi."
Teddy pressed a light kiss to his lips, then pulled the lapels of his jacket closer together. "Don't catch a cold, a'ight? We got a lot more recording to do."
Young Bae left after assuring him it wasn't that cold, which Teddy still thought was debatable. As he made his way back to the kitchen to wash the mugs - if he didn't do it now, he'd never get around to it - the pack of cigarettes on the table caught his eye, then the stack of pictures he still hadn't touched.
He stopped, then gathered up all of the crap on the table (pictures, cigarettes, and pens included) and dumped everything into the trash.
***
"Fuck, man, I hope you didn't want any kids."
Teddy snorted as Jinu inched past him to sit in an empty chair. "I'm in the video. What's your excuse?"
"I'm fashion-conscious?" Jinu suggested, looking down at his own jeans.
Teddy wasn't sure why Jinu had to be present at every shoot and meeting and event ever, but as they sat there watching Young Bae dance, it occurred to him that he was just avoiding Jinusean's comeback. Much like Teddy was avoiding his own by cramming himself into too-tight pants and a leather jacket for a three-second cameo instead of working on something useful like beats or lyrics or finding out where the fuck Baek Kyoung and Jinhwan even were.
The sudden feeling of kinship compensated for the dig about his pants, so Teddy didn't bother trying to think of another comeback. He watched Young Bae instead - take after take of the ridiculously intricate moves, until his forehead was shining with sweat and the director let him have a break.
Young Bae walked over and watched the footage for a few minutes. Once he'd nodded his satisfaction to the director, he looked their way and smiled. "Hi, Jinu," he said as he moved closer.
"Hey. Looking good, kid."
He grinned and sat down on the only chair that was nearby and still empty, right behind both of them. "Thanks." He rested one arm on the back of Teddy's chair and leaned forward between them. "I think we're almost done."
"Gonna go celebrate afterwards?"
"I don't know... I'm kind of tired." He put his chin on Teddy's shoulder. "Maybe I'll just have something nice for dinner tonight."
Teddy, for a second, was certain the gesture amounted to a sudden coming-out, but then he remembered they always did that kind of thing in public. And even if Young Bae did want to be obvious about it in front of the family... Well, what Teddy had told him a while ago still applied: It wasn't a big deal. No one who mattered would care.
And Jinu, as it turned out, didn't even blink. "I'll make something if you want."
"That'd be nice," Young Bae said, then turned his head slightly. "Are you coming?"
"To your place? Yeah, sure."
"I guess they're gonna film your part at the end?" Jinu asked, and Teddy shook his head.
"Already done. It took, like, fifteen minutes."
"And you're still wearing that?"
"It's not that bad," Young Bae said, looking his way again. "You look like you're in Grease."
His two statements were completely at odds with each other, as far as Teddy was concerned, and Jinu's laughter was confirmation enough. He shrugged Young Bae's head away gently and stood up. "Be right back."
***
"Something nice for dinner" had somehow turned into grilled cheese sandwiches, which Teddy had been inclined to argue about until Ji Yong and Young Bae had put up a united front of "they're good"s and "no, really"s. He and Seung Ri (who had no clue what grilled cheese sandwiches even were, from the sound of it) had given up after a couple of their suggestions had been instantly shot down.
Teddy was now pretty happy they'd relented, though, because Jinu's definition of a grilled cheese sandwich involved bacon. A lot of it. Seung Ri had looked sadly at his empty plate and licked his greasy fingers after he'd finished eating.
The kitchen was a little cramped for seven people, so Big Bang piled up in the living room for what they'd apparently decided was dessert - a pint of green tea ice cream, which they were demolishing by passing a single spoon around. Teddy sat on the sofa next to Young Bae and draped an arm over his shoulders.
"I could wash more spoons," Jinu suggested after it became clear he wasn't included in the ice-cream-sharing circle.
Ji Yong, who'd been watching the carnage from his spot on the floor with a look of mild distaste, looked up at him. "Yes, please."
Jinu disappeared into the kitchen. The spoon wasn't making its way to Teddy, either, but he didn't mind much. Sweet green tea-flavored stuff wasn't his thing.
It took a couple of rounds for Young Bae to notice Teddy wasn't eating, but he eventually did and held out the spoon to him after stuffing more ice cream into his mouth. "Want some?" he said thickly.
"I'll get you a spoon, hyung, Jinu must be..." Dae Sung trailed off, blinking, when Teddy simply shrugged and took the spoon, reaching over to get some ice cream from the carton in Seung Hyun's hands.
The flavor wasn't so bad after all - not too sweet, and, hell, ice cream was ice cream. Ji Yong watched him silently, drumming his fingers on the floor, then sighed and stretched his arm out to wiggle them in his direction.
Teddy grinned. "Careful, man," he said as he handed it over. "Producer germs. They're real bad."
Ji Yong glared his way before focusing on getting the pint down to his level. "Never mind, J, we don't need spoons anymore," he called out as he scooped up an impressive amount of ice cream, holding onto Seung Hyun's arm with his free hand.
Jinu's "tsch!" was more than loud enough to be heard from the living room. He came back, leaned over the back of the sofa, and sunk an obviously still-warm spoon into the ice cream. "Ji Yong's doing the rest of the dishes, just for the record."
"No, Seung Ri is."
Teddy heard a rebellious mutter from the kid in question, but another glare from Ji Yong shut him up. They kept at it until the carton was empty, then settled down again and turned on the television.
They weren't halfway through the evening news when Teddy's eyes started closing on their own, the food-induced daze and the news anchor's soothing voice working together against him. As tempting as it was to just doze off on Young Bae's shoulder, he did have some beats to work on. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. "Gotta get going, guys."
That was met with a chorus of equally unmotivated "m'kay"s and "oh"s, except for Young Bae, who blinked at him. "Hold on," he said, then stood up. "I wrote some new lyrics for Wedding Dress. Can you take a look before you leave?"
"Sure," Teddy replied, following him. His brain finally caught up as he stepped into the bedroom. "Wait, Wedding Dress? It's kinda too late, you know, I already sent it off for..."
Young Bae laughed. "I didn't write anything," he said, then wrapped both arms around his neck and kissed him.
Teddy had reflexively put a hand on Young Bae's hip before he even realized what was going on. He parted his lips and Young Bae pressed closer as he deepened the kiss. The distant sound of Dae Sung's voice stopped them, though, and Teddy pulled away, glancing over his shoulder.
Young Bae smiled at him and leaned in to give the door a push. Teddy didn't hear it close completely, but it'd have to do, because Young Bae was kissing him again and he sure as hell wasn't going to stop for a second time.
He was seriously reconsidering his decision to leave by the time they did stop, minutes later, both of them breathing heavily. He could feel Young Bae's erection pressing against his hip, and it seemed like he noticed it, too, because he moved away slightly.
"I wish you could stay longer," he said with a little smile.
Teddy fully sympathized. "Yeah, uh. I gotta get some work done." And he wasn't going to try anything with so many people in the next room. "Tomorrow?"
The door creaked a little, but Teddy recognized the clicking noise of Boss's claws on the floor. Young Bae didn't - he stepped away from him quickly. "... Boss," he said, mock-stern, as he bent down to pick him up. "You scared me, puppy."
"He ain't really a puppy anymore," Teddy said amusedly, watching Boss's paws flail frantically through the air. "Tomorrow? My place, I mean."
Young Bae frowned. "I'm really busy tomorrow... Is it okay if I come late?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
The flailing reached a crescendo and Young Bae set Boss back down before walking Teddy to the door. Everyone were still sprawled in pretty much the same way, except for Seung Ri, who'd fallen asleep in an uncomfortable-looking position with the script he'd been studying covering half his face.
"Bye, guys," Teddy said quietly. They all looked over and whispered their goodbyes. Ji Yong had the hint of a smile on his face, though, and Teddy was suddenly certain he knew what was going on. Not surprising. He smiled back before bending down to find his sneakers.
***
Jacoby's Burgers had, over the last several months, climbed its way to the top of Teddy's list of awesome burger joints. And that meant a lot, considering he'd tried most of the notable ones in Seoul, usually with Se7en and Danny in tow.
Tonight it was just him and Danny, though, and a pair of chili burgers as big as their heads. The place was dark but not crowded yet. The music wasn't too loud, either - it was a great place to talk, especially since the clientele consisted mostly of foreigners who didn't care who they were. Teddy usually ordered in English just because he could.
"Dude," he said between bites of his burger. "I gotta tell you something."
Danny made a vaguely inquisitive noise around the garlic fries in his mouth.
"You know how I..." Told you Young Bae's gay, he was going to say, but then he decided not to beat around the bush. "Uh, I'm dating Young Bae."
Danny chewed for several seconds. "... Yeah, okay," he said, laughing. "Did you meet a girl or something?"
"No, listen. I'm serious." He took another bite, trying to project nonchalance despite his rising apprehension. "He's great."
"What-- C'mon, man, you're not even gay. What'd he do, suck your dick a couple times?"
"Don't talk about him like that."
"What, 'cause he's your boyfriend?"
Teddy put his burger down. "Yes, 'cause he's my boyfriend. Are you fucking deaf?"
"Dude, we've known him since he was... what, twelve? It's just fucking weird, okay?"
He thought about the previous evening - the late-night stubble scraping against his upper lip and the hard dick pressing against him - and let out a short laugh. "He ain't twelve anymore."
"Fine, whatever." Danny picked up his burger and sank his teeth into it. Teddy knew he wasn't done, though, and he spoke up again once he'd swallowed, sounding even more incensed. "What the hell did you want me to say? You never told me."
"I didn't kn-- I didn't think it was important, okay?" Teddy said, catching himself right before he said something that wasn't true. He'd known, or at least suspected it for years. He'd just never felt the urge to confirm those suspicions with someone he didn't care for.
"Yeah, well... It is," Danny replied, frowning down at his fries. At least he sounded vaguely like he'd realized he was being an asshole. Teddy simply shook his head and continued to eat.
His attempts at conversation petered out after a minute or two for the rest of the meal. Danny was disgruntled and brooding into his beer, and he'd just about used up all of Teddy's patience on the subject. He'd put up with this already - Danny had had plenty to say about Perry all those years ago, of course, and there had been a few snide remarks about Ji Yong and his friends, more recently, that had left a bad taste in Teddy's mouth.
"It's on me," he said as the waiter walked over with the bill and Danny reached for his wallet.
"Thanks."
Teddy remembered, as they walked to the subway station in silence, that he hadn't even gotten around to telling him the other news he'd invited him out for. Finishing that 1TYM song didn't seem like something worth celebrating anymore, though, and he kept his mouth shut.
No one who mattered would care, he'd thought. That obviously wasn't the case.
***
Teddy jerked awake with a crick in his neck and his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. The message he saw when he flipped it open ("are you home? ㅜㅜ") made him curse out loud and stumble from the couch to the door to buzz Young Bae in.
He looked as tired as Teddy was. Tired and cold. Boss, though, was his usual self, straining against the leash to sniff his feet. "Fuck, sorry," he said, stepping forward to engulf Young Bae into a bear hug. "I fell asleep."
Young Bae laughed quietly against his neck as he wrapped his arms around his waist. "It's okay. Are you going back to bed?"
"Nah, not yet. You want tea or something?"
He nodded, so Teddy gave him a little push toward the couch before walking over to the kitchen. The box of tea was as dusty and ancient-looking as he'd imagined. He'd been a little scared that he'd see the words "barley tea" written neatly in marker on one side, but from the looks of it, it had been bought after Perry had mastered hangul, at least.
He went back to the living room, holding the two mugs gingerly, and found Young Bae sprawled on the couch, playing fetch with Boss using a small red ball. He narrowly avoided stepping on the dog and somehow managed to put the mugs down on the coffee table without spilling any tea. "At least one of us ain't tired," he said over the barking and scrabbling noises as he sat down next to Young Bae.
"Mm? ... Oh, Boss. Yes." He yawned, then slouched down further and leaned against Teddy. "What did you do today?"
"Just worked on some beats. And uh, I had dinner with Danny. Wanted to tell him what's going on."
Boss hopped up and put his front paws on Teddy's knee, panting around the ball in his mouth. He took it from him and bounced it off a wall, sending it rolling into the kitchen. Boss tore off after it.
"You told him you're gay?" Young Bae finally asked, looking up at him.
"Bisexual," he corrected automatically, then tried to remember what the hell the Korean term was.
"Bisexual," Young Bae parroted before he could think of it, his pronunciation and inflection flawless.
Teddy laughed. "Yeah. Well, I told him we're dating. I didn't wanna hide that kinda thing from him, you know? He's my best friend, so..." The words sounded hollow even to his own ears. No use trying to hide what had happened from Young Bae. "He kinda freaked out, but he's gonna get over it."
Boss, having apparently given up on them, settled down at their feet, chewing on his ball. Young Bae leaned forward to grab his tea and watched him for a moment. "You're still talking, right?"
He wasn't even sure. They'd parted at the subway station with awkward "see you"s, and after the way Danny had reacted at Jacoby's, Teddy wouldn't be calling him up anytime soon. "Yeah. He's gonna show up in a few days and pretend nothing happened, I bet." That was what happened whenever Danny did something retarded and didn't want to apologize for it. Teddy still hadn't made up his mind as to whether he'd accept the usual half-assed olive branch of a movie ticket or a cheap dinner.
"Did you hide it from him when you had boyfriends before?" Young Bae asked, offering him the other mug.
Teddy blinked at him as he took it. "How many boyfriends d'you think I've had?"
"... I wasn't sure." He leaned against him again, and Teddy moved his arm out of the way in time to put it around his shoulders and pull him a little closer. They sipped their tea in silence and Boss eventually moved to his blanket, abandoning the ball. Watching him fall asleep was enough to make Teddy sleepy again, and Young Bae was leaning against him a lot more heavily by the time they both emptied their mugs.
"Can I stay for the night?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah. You ain't got anything scheduled tomorrow morning?"
Young Bae shook his head and handed him his mug before standing up, heading to the bathroom. Teddy considered taking the couch for a moment, but dismissed the idea when Young Bae came back out and looked at him. "Which side of the bed do you sleep on?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll be right there." He took the mugs to the sink, then joined Young Bae in his room. He hadn't bothered to turn on the lights - he was silhouetted against the window as he took off his jeans, his t-shirt already on the floor. Teddy let his eyes linger over him as he unzipped his own hoodie.
He reached for Young Bae once they were under the covers, wrapping one arm around his waist to pull him close. Young Bae's fingertips found his jaw, then his lips, and he gave him a soft, lingering kiss before resting his head on the pillow. Teddy smiled to himself and closed his eyes.
***
When he trudged into the kitchen, too many hours later, Young Bae was already very awake, sitting at the table with his nose in The Catcher In The Rye and a bowl of something hot at his elbow.
Teddy walked up behind him and wrapped his arms loosely around his shoulders, leaning in to kiss him on the temple. "Hey. Whazzat?"
"Chazuke." He smiled up at him. "I'll make you some."
Teddy gave him a squeeze before letting him up and giving the bowl a closer look. There were bits of fish floating in something yellowish, and rice at the bottom... His brain finally tracked down the word, or at least the first part of it, and he blinked as he straightened up. "Is that just rice and tea?"
"And salmon," Young Bae said as he cracked open a small can. "It's good. Our manager in Japan makes it for us sometimes."
"Oh. You went to the store?" He could imagine cans of salmon sitting around somewhere, but he was pretty sure there hadn't been any green tea in the apartment when he'd gone to bed the previous night.
"Yes. And I did some cleaning. I wanted to vacuum, but you were asleep, so..." He looked down at Boss, who was staring up at him expectantly, and dropped a tiny piece of salmon. Boss snatched it up before it reached the floor. Not that it mattered much, considering the state of the floor - vacuuming did sound like a good idea.
"Thanks. I'll do it today."
The glance Young Bae aimed his way seemed a little dubious, but he didn't comment. "... Oh, and I found some stuff under the couch. There's a keychain and a pen and some picks. I put them on the coffee table."
Frigging pens, Teddy thought, then decided to get up and investigate, since he didn't remember losing any keys. He recognized the Tinkerbell keychain the second he saw it, though, and tried to ignore the prickle of anger that always accompanied unexpected reminders of his ex-girlfriend as he grabbed it from the table. The keys were still on it.
"YB?" he called out as he walked back to the kitchen. Young Bae looked up from the chazuke he was preparing and Teddy slid the keychain across the counter. "Keep 'em."
"... Okay," he replied after a few seconds, a smile spreading on his face as he slipped the keychain into his pocket. "It's ready."
Teddy took the bowl to the table and Young Bae joined him, setting the book aside to eat. The chazuke was surprisingly good, considering how simple it was. He added it to his mental list of can't-be-bothered recipes. "When are you leaving?"
"In an hour. We have to change the choreography for Where U At so I can do it live."
Teddy blew on a spoonful of tea and rice. "That's gonna take a while, huh? 'Cause I was thinking we could do something tonight, but..."
Young Bae frowned thoughtfully as he chewed, then shook his head. "Tomorrow night? Sorry..."
Well, at least that'd give Teddy some time to cross some things off his to-do list. And think of something nice to do with Young Bae that'd amount to a date but wouldn't get them swarmed by fans.
***
2NE1 brought the usual amount of energy to his studio - they were all smiling as they squeezed themselves onto his makeshift bed. All of them except CL, that is, because she was tugging at the sleeve of his hoodie. "Papa! Dara keeps making fun of me 'cause I have two daddies."
She stood there grinning at him, looking proud of herself, and Dara let out a snort of laughter behind them. Teddy turned his chair around in time to see Min Ji scratch her nose and Bom stare resolutely at the floor, her lips pressed together. "Whatcha talking about?" he asked, even though it was pretty obvious Young Bae had talked to them.
"Oh, come on. Papa Taeyang told us."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, stifling his smile, and spun around again. "You wanna hear the remixes or not?"
"Yes. Don't worry, I still like you." She rested her arms on the back of his chair, leaning in to look at his computer screen.
"Lucky me." He fired up the medley he'd put together for 2NE1's performance at the mnet awards and grinned when CL clicked her tongue and gave him a push. There was a small chance she'd stop flirting with him, he supposed, but he wasn't holding his breath. He'd kind of miss it if she did, anyway.
***
It took nearly two days with no sign of Young Bae before Teddy decided to take a page from his book and show up at Big Bang's apartment unannounced. If 2NE1 knew, so did Big Bang - he knew he wouldn't have to make any excuses for being there.
He didn't even make it into the building, though. "Hyung," Ji Yong called out, his head poking out from around the corner. "Young Bae's out."
Teddy walked over, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Where's he at?"
"Dance studio. I think he'll be back soon." He raised a cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag.
Teddy leaned back against the wall next to him, trying not to think of how long it'd been since he'd last smoked. "Can't smoke in your room anymore?"
"I just wanted some fresh air. Want one?"
And now he sorely regretted bringing it up. "Nah," he said with some effort, looking away as Ji Yong took another slow drag. "How's the promotion going?" A lame question, but it was all he could think of with the smell of smoke hanging around him.
"Good. We just started preparing for the mnet awards. I think you'll win a couple," he said after a small pause, turning his head to look at him.
Teddy smiled. "2NE1 will, yeah."
"Mm. There should be one for producers." He shifted, and Teddy spotted the red and white pack sticking out of his pocket. He smoked Marlboros, too. Damn him.
"Yeah," he replied vaguely, feeling his resolve crumbling. He chewed on his thumbnail for a moment, decided that wasn't going to cut it, and elbowed Ji Yong. "Gimme a smoke."
The knowing, unsurprised smirk Ji Yong gave him as he passed the pack over was a little annoying, but Teddy appreciated the lack of comment. He knew, no doubt, that Teddy was supposed to have stopped. And why.
He handed Ji Yong the pack, took the proffered Zippo and lit up his cigarette. The first puff was fucking heaven. So was the second one. He closed his eyes briefly, savoring it, and opened them again when he heard Ji Yong laugh. "What? 'S been a while."
"I know. He really hates it."
The third drag was just as good. He made a vague sound in reply.
"He looks happy these days."
Teddy looked over. Ji Yong's stance was all nonchalance - he wasn't even looking his way - but he'd spoken in a careful tone that hinted at something more serious. "I hope he is," he said, then added, with a rueful smile, "'cause I don't really know what I'm doing."
"It's not like he does, either," Ji Yong replied as he tapped the ash off his cigarette. He watched it flutter away, carried by the wind, then looked at Teddy. "You're lucky."
"I know." He still wasn't sure how he'd ended up with someone as sweet as Young Bae by his side, but it was a welcome respite from the long string of money-grubbing, manipulative women that preceded him, and Teddy had learned not to question the good things that happened to him. "You okay with it?"
"Yeah, I'm over it now." And he really did sound like he was over it, but Teddy had seen that kid grit his teeth and smile through worse situations. "You look happier, too. I'm glad."
Teddy had been about to say something - without being sure what - when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He took it out, read the message and smiled. "Wanna go have a beer with Shaun and Lyle?"
Ji Yong shook his head and took out a portable ashtray from his pocket. "I have work to do," he said as he slid his cigarette butt into it. "Tell them I said hi."
"Will do. Get some rest, too," he said, clapping him on the shoulder, then walked away and flipped his phone open again to ask Young Bae for directions.
***
The pub was a tiny hole-in-the-wall kind of place, with only a few of the seats occupied by middle-aged men and tired-looking guys in suits. Young Bae and his dancers were sitting in the back and engrossed in an important conversation, judging by the focused frown on his face and the way Lyle's hands were moving as he spoke.
Teddy caught part of it as he walked over. "--phony too!" Young Bae said, then his eyes flicked up and he smiled, argument forgotten. "Hi."
Lyle and Shaun turned his way. "Hey," the latter said, grinning, as Teddy sat down next to Young Bae. "YB doesn't like Holden Caulfield."
"He's a phony," Young Bae said firmly before raising his glass of beer and taking a long drink from it. The pitcher on the table was nearly empty.
Teddy laughed and slid his arm to its usual, comfortable spot around his shoulders. "Didja finish the book?" Young Bae nodded. "He's too nice to get it," he told Shaun and Lyle, not really surprised to hear that his opinion hadn't changed. "Where's my beer?"
He'd intended it as a joke, but Young Bae immediately called for the waitress and asked for another glass. And a pitcher of soju. They were already at the point where mixing beer and soju seemed like a good idea, apparently.
"Ask Lyle if he likes strawberries," Young Bae said, getting his attention with one hand on his leg.
"What? C'mon, you know how to say that."
He sighed but turned back to Shaun and Lyle anyway, looking put-upon. His hand stayed where it was. "Do you like strawberry?" he asked slowly.
"... Yeah." Lyle's face lit up in understanding after a second. "Oh! You ordered that fruit soju stuff?"
"Yes. It's... good."
"Is it strong?"
The waitress answered Lyle's question by setting down four shot glasses on the table. "Ohh, nice," he said when he saw the large pitcher. Teddy considered warning him - the stuff went down like fruit juice, but it definitely packed a punch. He decided, though, that it'd be funnier not to.
***
Teddy hadn't quite managed to catch up with everyone else, but he was still well past tipsy by the time they left the pub. They'd all spent a little too long walking aimlessly in what had turned out to be the wrong direction while having a listen-and-repeat session involving the most useless Korean sentences Teddy and Young Bae could think of.
They'd gotten to "I'm bringing sexy back", which Lyle could now say flawlessly, before finally realizing that they weren't heading anywhere constructive and stuffing him and Shaun into a cab. Despite the wrong turns, the walk back to Big Bang's apartment seemed a lot shorter than it had been when Teddy was sober.
"I'm so drunk," Young Bae muttered as he unlocked the door. Teddy couldn't tell the difference - he looked as focused as he always did, and he'd walked straight the whole time. The door did take a few more seconds than usual, though.
"So," Teddy started, then paused to try and remember Big Bang's schedule. And his own. "... Guess I'll see you tomorrow?"
"What? No," he said, frowning as he looked over at him. "Come up with me." And then he walked in, leaving Teddy little choice but to follow.
The doorman greeted them and Young Bae straightened his back a little and nodded back to him, his expression serious. He relaxed again once they reached the elevator, shooting Teddy a grin after pressing the button. Teddy could tell the difference, now - he looked a little goofier, and the flush on his cheeks was visible now that they were inside.
The grin didn't fade in the elevator, and Teddy raised a hand in warning when Young Bae edged closer. "There's a camera in here, right?"
He blinked, then the serious expression was back on his face, the switch seemingly effortless even with all the alcohol in his system. "Right." The doors opened and he walked out, reaching out at the last second to grab onto Teddy's sleeve, tugging him along. He only let go to dig into his pocket for his keys again.
Ji Yong was still up, sitting on the living room floor with his back against the sofa and most of the space around him covered in papers. He smiled absently and muttered a greeting before hunching over again, chewing on the end of his pen. Teddy tried hard not to look at the pack of cigarettes next to him as he followed Young Bae to his room.
The kiss he planted on Teddy as soon as the door clicked shut behind him was enough to push the sudden cravings out of his mind. A little clumsy, a little too much tongue, and time slowed to a warm, pleasant crawl as Teddy stroked the back of his neck and kissed him back. He heard Young Bae's jacket hitting the floor and a few seconds later his own hoodie was unzipped. He opened his eyes, drawing back slightly, but Young Bae leaned forward, dropping butterfly kisses on his lips as he pushed both jacket and hoodie off his shoulders.
Teddy relented, letting them slide off his arms and to the floor. His hands found Young Bae's hips and pulled him closer, but he couldn't manage much more than that after Young Bae turned his own baseball cap to the side, moving the bill out of the way, and pressed his lips to Teddy's neck.
The first hesitant nip sent shivers down his spine. A low moan escaped his mouth of its own accord, and it was only when one of Young Bae's hand crept down his back and curved over his ass that he realized, through the haze of alcohol and arousal, how far Young Bae had managed to take things in just a few minutes.
"Whatchu doin'?" he managed, feeling like he was moving through molasses as he put one hand on Young Bae's shoulder, pushing lightly.
Young Bae's hand slid back up, but there was mischief shining in his eyes as he looked up at him. "... I'm bringing sexy back," he murmured, then snickered at his own joke, resting his forehead on Teddy's shoulder.
Teddy let out a snort of laughter despite himself. "Nah, c'mon. Don't wanna do it when we're drunk."
"I'm not that drunk," Young Bae tried, raising his head. His eyes weren't focusing quite right.
"Everyone's gonna hear."
That worked - Young Bae glanced at the door, teeth worrying at his lower lip, then finally nodded and took a few steps back toward his bed before sitting down on it. "Okay. But you should sleep here."
Teddy thought about refusing, but that would mean walking back to his place alone in the cold. Easier to let the rest of Big Bang think whatever they wanted to think; they'd be right soon enough, anyway. He joined Young Bae on the bed and leaned down to take off his socks. Young Bae followed suit, shooting sidelong glances at him as he stripped down to his boxers.
Teddy kept his shirt on - he usually did - and laughed when Young Bae gave it a tug, looking somewhere between curious and hopeful. "Hey," he said, smacking him gently on the side of the head. "No sexy business."
Young Bae snickered and leaned in to plant a kiss on his lips before pushing on his shoulder until he lay down. He got comfortable under the covers and Young Bae turned off the light, then joined him. The single bed was a little small for both of them, but Young Bae compensated by draping himself over him like an insistent, horny blanket, sticking his nose under his ear and tangling their legs together. He was heavier than Teddy would've thought, but he remembered something about muscle being heavier than fat and figured that probably explained it. He wrapped one arm loosely around Young Bae's waist and closed his eyes.
"... You wanna do it, though, right?" Young Bae said quietly after a moment.
Teddy smiled and turned his head to nuzzle his temple. "Yeah. When we're alone."
"Okay." He shifted, doing something unpleasant to Teddy's ribs in the process. "... So you don't think I'm pushy."
"No. Get off, I can't breathe."
They settled for spooning, in the end - it probably should've been a bit weird to be on the receiving end of it, with Young Bae's chest pressed against his back and one arm draped over him, but he was comfortable (and drunk) enough not to care.
"You should go out with us again," Young Bae mumbled, his breath warm on the back of Teddy's neck. "Shaun and Lyle, I mean. It was fun."
"Yeah." It had been fun. Like partying with the rest of 1TYM, back in the day, when any small accomplishment became another excuse to drink and celebrate together. The pang of nostalgia was unexpectedly sharp, and Teddy focused on the slow rise and fall of Young Bae's chest behind him, trying to return to the contented daze he'd been in just a moment ago.
"We hang out together a lot," Young Bae continued. "After practice and stuff."
"Mm." He sighed and pressed his face into the pillow. Young Bae kept muttering about his dancers and Teddy half-listened, not even bothering to keep up the mm-ing. He fell silent after a few moments, probably realizing Teddy wasn't paying much attention, and tightened his arm around him.
He'd relaxed again and started snoring softly by the time Teddy managed to stop thinking about 1TYM long enough to fall asleep.
***
Teddy woke up to a loud, sudden bark that sent the primitive part of his brain straight into panic mode. He bolted upright, heart pounding, and looked around for the source of the noise.
"Gaho!" Young Bae hissed from the doorway. He was holding Boss in his arms, and the obvious culprit was standing by the bed, tail wagging as he stared up at Teddy. "Sorry. Boss wanted to come in."
"'S okay," Teddy said, staring dumbly as Young Bae walked in and plopped Boss down on the mattress. He finally recovered from the shock a little and reached up to rub his eyes. "What time is it?"
"Almost one. Does your head hurt? Mine did." Young Bae hoisted Gaho onto the bed, too, and he immediately started walking all over his legs, sniffing around.
Teddy smiled and reached out to scratch his wrinkly head. "Nah, I'm fine. Drink some water."
"I know... Master Hwang said beer's really bad because it dehydrates you. And it's full of carbohydrates."
"You went to the gym?"
"Yes."
Teddy flopped back down, yawning, and narrowly avoided putting his head on Boss. "Does he live there or something?" Master Hwang had been around every single time Teddy had found the motivation to work out in the past few months. Granted, that wasn't many times, but it was a little too easy to imagine the man sleeping hanging by his feet from the chin-up bar like a giant bat.
"I think so," Young Bae replied, grinning as he if could read Teddy's mind. "I'll make breakfast, okay?"
Teddy nodded and, once Young Bae had left the room, spent a few minutes petting the dogs while his brain slowly caught up to his body. By the time he made his way to the kitchen after a side trip to the bathroom, there were already several side dishes on the table. Young Bae caught him by the arm on his way to it and handed him a small bowl of miso soup.
"Thanks," Teddy said, and got a smile in return before Young Bae started poking through the cabinets. He sat down and had time to take a bite of kimchi before his phone rang. Danny. He put down his chopsticks and flipped his phone open. "Wassup?"
"Hey. Wanna go get lunch? Or, uh, breakfast, whatever." Danny's tone was as carefully nonchalant as his own had been.
"YB's already making breakfast." Stating it like that was provocation, pure and simple, but Teddy couldn't resist picking at the scab.
"Oh." Silence. Young Bae walked over and put a bowl of rice next to his soup. "How is he?" Danny finally asked.
"He's fine. Busy, same as usual."
"Oh, good. So uh..."
Teddy let out a silent sigh and rubbed his forehead. The awkwardness was turning out to be too much to take so soon after waking up, and Danny was trying so hard that Teddy almost regretted the way he'd reacted to his invitation. "Sorry, man, I gotta go eat. Call me back later, all right?"
"Yeah, all right. Bye."
Danny sounded almost as relieved as he was to end the call. Teddy wasn't sure how they'd gone from best friends to whatever the hell this was. Danny wouldn't call him back today, that much he knew - he'd be licking his wounds for a little while.
"That sounded weird," Young Bae commented as he sat down at the table.
Teddy simply grimaced in reply and shoved a clump of rice into his mouth. He decided to say something a few bites later, though, when he noticed Young Bae's silence and the way he'd been staring down at the side dishes. "It's not you he's got a problem with, you know. I should've told him earlier."
"That you're bisexual?"
"Yeah."
Teddy had learned to recognize the thoughtful pauses that usually preceded Deep Questions About Teddy's Past. He smiled to himself and looked up at Young Bae after taking a sip of soup, waiting.
"When did you know?"
"Uh..." Young Bae's questions usually didn't stump him like this, though. The first thing that came to mind was Perry's quiet intensity when he'd taught him how to compose, eons ago. There'd been a couple of evenings where Teddy had suddenly noticed how close they were sitting and been unable to un-notice it. Nothing had come of it, of course, but the thoughts that had crept into his mind hadn't surprised him even then, so that didn't answer the question.
Then he remembered being sixteen and getting butterflies every time he spent time alone with his friend Jason, and realized he'd never be able to pinpoint a specific moment. "I dunno. I just like people, you know? I never really thought about it."
"Oh... Okay," Young Bae said, sounding a little hesitant. It was probably hard to understand for anyone with strict preferences, but Teddy had no idea how else to explain something he'd never even tried to explain to himself. He seemed to have given Young Bae some food for thought, though, and a mostly-comfortable silence fell over them as he continued to eat. Maybe that approach would work on Danny. If they ever talked about it again.
***
Teddy dealt with his worries in the only way he knew: he worked. The next two days he spent in his studio, working on various tracks and stopping only to feed and walk Boss, who was once again in his care while Young Bae promoted his new single. Their new single, really. At the crack of dawn he lay on his makeshift bed and wrote raps in his head until he fell asleep. Danny didn't call.
He woke up late on the second afternoon craving cigarettes, as he often did, but a paper bag from Starbucks lying on his desk distracted him just in time. He forced himself to put down the pack of Indigos one of the sound engineers had left behind and bit into his scone as he read the note Young Bae had tucked under the bag.
I took Boss with me
I'm free tonight
Call me when you wake up
Teddy smiled at the cartoon sun he'd left in lieu of a signature. He finished the scone, put the bag down on his desk, then caught himself and balled it up before tossing it into the trash. After a quick look around he also threw in a couple of fast-food containers he and Kush had left in a corner.
Calling Young Bae, he decided, would have to wait until he'd taken a shower and brushed his teeth. And shaved, he mentally added as he scratched his cheek. He put his shoes on, grabbed his jacket and headed out of the studios, trying to tell himself that he was actually looking forward to the cold autumn air after staying inside for so long.
Next part