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0rgell · 1 year ago

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The Roommate (And How He Got In Jonghyun's Pants) - JongTae Oneshot

Masterlist

Pairing: Jonghyun x Taemin

Genre: explicit, fluff, roommates AU

Word Count: 6.7k words

You can also find this story on: AO3

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Summary:

Jonghyun, who once didn't like his roommate, now likes him a lot. A whole lot.

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The Roommate (And How He Got In Jonghyun's Pants)

Jonghyun couldn’t afford the rent on his apartment anymore, which frustrated Jonghyun because it wasn’t what he planned on. He didn’t want to share his apartment; he picked that apartment, especially because he could afford the rent. However, his capitalist landlord struck him with the worst news a university student working one job could hear: his landlord wanted to increase his rent. This was typical of a landlord and it made Jonghyun resent them all; they were nothing but power hungry, money hungry bastards in his eyes. So he did what anyone would in that situation: he put up an advertisement for a roommate.

When Taemin and Jonghyun first met, Jonghyun didn’t believe that Taemin was old enough to be in university, let alone old enough to have a job to pay the rent. He nearly laughed at Taemin and walked out of the coffee shop. But unfortunately for him, Taemin was too cute to say no to. Also, he found out that Taemin was only a few years younger than him and he was an anthropology major. So they’ve been roommates for six months now and it's taken time for Jonghyun to get used to always having another person around because he loved solitude and found peace in it. Taemin never left the apartment, unless it was to go to university. But Taemin was also messy and it drove Jonghyun mad. Jonghyun was the type of person to clean up after himself; he’d do it right away. Taemin was the type of person who would wait for his mess to accumulate and then clean it up while making it look very painful, like he had never had to clean up after himself before. He was clumsy as well; Jonghyun didn't even know how many porcelains or glasses he’s had to help clean up and replace.

In retrospect, he should of prepared himself for little things like this. But he didn’t. At least Taemin’s mum always sends side dishes for them to share and she, although he wouldn’t say it out loud, made the most delicious side dishes, better than his own mum.

Taemin walked into the apartment after finishing his day at university in his—Jonghyun’s—black oversized sweater and joggers and greeted Jonghyun while he was cooking for them. Taemin placed his bag down on the kitchen table as he came up behind Jonghyun, looking over his shoulder and sniffing like a rabbit. “Smells good," he commented and Jonghyun laughed. Jonghyun had become used to Taemin and actually found him endearing in almost every way. His clumsiness that once irritated Jonghyun had now wormed its way into his heart and made Jonghyun want to help him, because now Jonghyun feels like he has to look after him, which he doesn’t mind at all. His mess now makes Jonghyun laugh and think about how fitting it is for Taemin, and his strange obsession with cereal, Jonghyun can deal with it all, he wants to deal with it all. Because it’s all Taemin.

“Yeah?” Jonghyun turns around and ruffles Taemin’s hair and Taemin leans into his touch like a kitten. “You hungry?” Taemin hums and closes his eyes, moving his head to let him scratch more at the base of his nape, making Jonghyun’s heart flutter. Jonghyun realised his feelings towards Taemin weren’t just platonic three months after he moved in and ever since he acknowledged them, they’ve grown and consumed him. He's gotten over his awkward part but sometimes he still doesn’t know how to act around the other. Because Taemin does and says a lot of strange things that he doesn’t know makes Jonghyun’s heart beat at a stupid rate. Which wasn’t what he wanted. When he first put up the advertisement for a roommate, before Taemin came into his life, Jonghyun was devoted to his studies and had no interest in relationships whatsoever. But Taemin was too hard not to like—so cute, so ditsy.

“How was Uni?” Jonghyun finds the words to make more conversation because he hasn’t heard Taemin’s voice all day and he misses it.

Taemin pulls away from Jonghyun’s touch and looks at him with wide eyes. “You know that second-year Kibum?” Taemin asks and yes, he does know Kibum; he’s younger than Jonghyun. While Jonghyun is in his last year of his bachelor's degree, Kibum is in his second and Taemin is in his first. Kibum is known by pretty much everyone in the university, or at least anyone with ears and eyes. Kibum is excessively loud in every way—his mouth, his fashion. But apart from all of that, he was the reason Jonghyun realised he was gay. He was the first man Jonghyun ever slept with, and now he’s worried about why Taemin has brought him up.

Cautiously, Jonghyun says, “Yeah, I know him.”

“He won’t stop bothering me! I don’t even know what he wants.” Taemin states candidly, not giving him time to adjust, the words making Jonghyun freeze on the spot. He tries to concentrate on something that isn’t bubbling up inside him, because he is not jealous.

“He probably just wants to talk,” Jonghyun says trying to sound as candid as Taemin just did. He isn’t lying, Kibum probably did just want to talk: whether it was the way Jonghyun wanted it to be or not.

Taemin shrugs and brushes the subject under the rug like he didn’t just make Jonghyun the most jealous person in the world and walks over to the fridge, pulls out a bottle of water, downing it and then, when Jonghyun can’t take his eyes off him, Taemin winks playfully, “Do I have time to have a quick shower and get changed?”

And Jonghyun’s heartbeat is driving him mad; he’s sure Taemin knows what he’s doing to his heart because how could he be that oblivious to his red face? “Yeah, sure, do that," he swallowed thickly, trying not to imagine Taemin in the shower. That's inappropriate. So is watching Taemin walk off and staring at his butt, Taemin doesn’t know any of it. He doesn’t know how Jonghyun’s heart craves him or how much he wants to be around him all the time. He doesn’t need to know either.

Jonghyun busies himself with thoughts like how he needs to buy more eggs and stuff like don’t burn the carbonara because that wouldn’t be good, and he doesn’t have any more money to buy takeout if he fails because he spent it all already on takeouts, restaurants, and rent plus utilities. It’s that time of month when they have to make do with what's in the fridge, and they should really get out of the habit of spending all their money on takeouts and then living on whatever they have left but they are students.

Taemin returns, hair wet, droplets of water down his neck, blue boxers, and a black hoodie. If Jonghyun thought his life couldn’t get any harder, he was wrong. He can’t just stare, but he wants to still look, so he makes the effort to start a conversation, “Nice shower?”

Taemin nods and walks to the cupboard, grabbing two glasses and getting a bottle of merlot out of the wine holder, filling the two glasses and bending down, sticking his butt out so he can be eye level with the glasses so he can make sure they are the same. And Jonghyun tries not to look at his butt. “We're in our ‘WEED era’,” Taemin says it out of nowhere and catches Jonghyun by surprise so he turns around and mixes the pasta—like he definitely was just not looking at the other's arse—releasing its doneness. He starts dishing it up into two blue bowls, which are the most recent addition to their collection. What is a ‘WEED era’ and is Taemin taking drugs? Should Jonghyun be concerned? “What's a ‘WEED era’? And how are you sure I want to be involved?” Jonghyun asks; he doesn’t actually care if Taemin includes him. He wants to be included in everything Taemin does, even if it’s as stupid as joining him in a ‘weed era’.

“Don’t lie, you want to join everything I’m doing." Taemin narrows his eyes, causing Jonghyun to gulp because, can Taemin read his mind? “It stands for ‘we enjoy every day’. I saw it on SNS but actually, it’s pretty cool. So I think I sound pretty cool if I say it. You should be happy I included you.” Taemin is such a nerd and Jonghyun loves it. He loves the way Taemin gets sassy and the way his nose scrunches. He loves the way Taemin puts him on a cliff and then pulls him off the edge but sometimes, just sometimes, he wishes Taemin would push him off the cliff.

Jonghyun didn’t need to think about that; he needed to think about a reply to Taemin. He needs to come up with the right thing to say, something witty or something that doesn’t sound strained, “You’re such a nerd.” And Taemin scrunches his nose up at his reply; his reaction could have been worse. So that feels like a win for Jonghyun. Jonghyun takes the bowls, sits down, and waits for Taemin to join him.

“You like nerds, though.” Taemin gasps as he walks over to the table with the two wine glasses. “Maybe, oh my. Does that mean you like me?” Jonghyun can handle a lot of things Taemin throws his way but Taemin walking in his tiny boxers and accusing him of liking him is something that he never thought he’d have to handle. Struggling now Jonghyun doesn't know where to look so he settles on staring at his pasta. The most Jonghyun can get out is a throttled chuckle as he feels his ears heat up. Whatever happens, he is not going to admit to liking Taemin; no way will he; he’s not going to mess up their friendship. Feeling like he’s on a bed of hot coals he makes use of his hands, tries to swirl his pasta around his fork and shoves the bit he manages to get into his mouth.

And Taemin sits down, placing the wine glasses in front of himself and Jonghyun, expectant eyes like a cat and if he had a tail, it would be swaying side to side. Objectively speaking, Jonghyun doesn’t even know if Taemin likes guys so maybe even if he said he did like him, Taemin wouldn’t even bat an eye. But what's the point if there's a slight chance everything could come crashing down? And maybe if he did take it the right way, what if Taemin felt uncomfortable and then he’d be awkward around Jonghyun and maybe he’d even move out? And Jonghyun needs to stop thinking. So he tries to push the thoughts aside and sinks deeper into his chair, drinking his wine and then sinking deeper. Watching Taemin’s plump lips part, a tiny sliver of his tongue pokes out and he takes the edge of his wine glass in between them. He watches as his Adams apple bobs as he swallows the red liquid and a drop collects at the bottom of his lip, making Jonghyun stretch out and swipe his thumb over it. Soft, warm, and pillowy. Jonghyun wishes he could just kiss him, just once. Someone having lips like Taemin should be a sin; there's no way anyone wouldn’t want to kiss them.

And maybe Jonghyun’s finger lingered for a second too long but when he removed it, his finger wasn't there long enough. He should probably say something, anything, like, “Shall we watch a movie after this?” Yeah, something like that. That was good.

And Taemin makes Jonghyun go sublime as his foot runs down his shin and Jonghyun has to rethink his whole life because, what the fuck, that one touch should not be sending blood straight to his dick and it should not be making the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “Yeah, sure, I’d love to. But, just saying, I’m not sitting there for an hour while you pick.” Taemin needs to stop talking and let Jonghyun’s brain catch up because it is going to take him a while to reply because all he can see is an angel in front of him.

Nevertheless, Jonghyun smiles and downs his wine and fills both of the glasses to the top, which, is really bad wine etiquette and he knows that. He’d like to get drunk enough to maybe sleep through the movie so he doesn’t have to think about how close Taemin will be, and he wishes Taemin would have mercy on his poor heart. “I’ll wash up then. You can pick the movie.” Jonghyun says, and he collects the bowls.

Jonghyun scrubs the bowls harsher than he should and the blue paint has chipped off—it doesn’t matter because Taemin will probably break them soon—but maybe if he scrubs them like this, he can distract himself from the thoughts swirling around his head that are so not appropriate. Maybe he can scrub away his feelings as well as his heart until they are just specks, like the specks of paint that are being washed down the drain. He hears Taemin hum in the living room, satisfied, and he knows that Taemin has found something, so he should hurry up and finish abusing the bowls, just like his feelings.

He walks into the living room, surrounded by the ambience of a single candle glowing on the coffee table. The room is dark and Taemin is sitting in the middle of the sofa, looking as pretty as a picture. Jonghyun wishes he could have him right there. He absolutely can't so he picks the spot furthest away from Taemin in the corner of the sofa and he curls his legs up so there is no chance of him accidentally touching Tamein and sending his mind into a spiral. Taemin reaches out to the coffee table grabs one of the glasses and hands it to Jonghyun and he must have brought them in when he was washing the bowls. Jonghyun has no limits on wine and he intends to drink as much as he can so he takes the glass from Taemin, their fingers brushing and sending chills down his spine. He’ll drink to that.

The horror film Taemin chose feels like it's playing in the background for Jonghyun; he can’t stop staring at Taemin. It’s not Jonghyun’s fault Taemin is more interesting than the film and it’s also not his fault the wine has completely gone to his head. Well, maybe the last part is his fault; his alcohol tolerance is terrible and he drank the wine knowingly because of this. The atmosphere is so cozy and Jonghyun just wants to grab Taemin and pull him into his lap. He doesn’t know if he wants to kiss him and play with his hair or bend him over the sofa until he cries and his legs shake.

The film is over and the wine glasses are empty and if Taemin asks Jonghyun about what happened, he won’t have an answer. He watches as Taemin gets up from the sofa and makes his way to the kitchen out of his sight, so he gets a blanket to cover himself because the winter weather has crept in through their shitty windows that need reinsulating. Feet rushing, slapping, against the wooden floor makes Jonghyun look up in anticipation, slightly worried and slightly excited to just see Taemin again. A little dance in the doorway makes him laugh. Taemin stood there with another bottle of wine in his hand, looking very accomplished with himself.

“Why are you hogging the blanket?” Taemin asks with a cute scowl on his face as he walks over and sits right next to Jonghyun, shuffling closer and pulling the blanket over him as well. “I got us more wine.”

“I can see that,” Jonghyun muses.

“Let’s watch another movie,” Taemin suggests, but Jonghyun doesn’t need to answer; Taemin will put one on anyway; he knows Jonghyun won’t go to sleep yet. Jonghyun watches as Taemin leans to get the wine glasses, and he catches a glimpse of Taemin's waist, soft and small, and he wants to grab it. He wonders what Taemin would do if he did; would he squirm? Would he laugh and push Jonghyun away, telling him it tickles? Or would he gasp in surprise?

Taemin sits back down too fast for Jonghyun to even try and he hands Jonghyun his glass which is now full and snuggles into his side, his head resting on Jonghyun's shoulder. Without uttering anything, Jonghyun lifts his arm and moves Taemin’s head to his chest as he wraps his arm around Taemin’s waist, as he expected, cute and small. Taemin doesn't actually protest; instead, he does the exact opposite and nuzzles into Jonghyun’s chest. Jonghyun should probably have thought about this beforehand; Taemin will be able to hear his heart. And his heart is pounding at an astronomical rate; if Taemin asks, he’ll just blame it on the alcohol. Yeah.

Throughout the film, Taemin slips further and further down Jonghyun’s chest and he is now on his thigh, one hand under it and the other on top, as if he doesn’t want Jonghyun to move. Jonghyun is not going to move because he can’t. He’s too busy thinking about not getting a boner. Taemin is so close to his dick and he could easily pull Jonghyun’s joggers down and suck his dick with his perfect lips and he’d look so amazing. Breathe. Jonghyun needs to breathe because Taemin is definitely not going to do that and getting a boner while Taemin’s head is right next to his dick would be so embarrassing and Taemin wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye for a week. Taemin does stuff like that; once he walked in on Jonghyun having a shower and he completely freaked out, hand over his eyes, face so red, and apologies spluttering out like quick fire, he couldn’t look Jonghyun in the eye for two weeks after that. And Jonghyun was the one who felt the worst; he hated Taemin avoiding eye contact. He didn’t realise how much he loved Taemin’s eyes and cute fast blinks until he was starved of them. So after that, Jonghyun tried his best to make sure nothing like that could ever happen again. Like now. He can’t get a boner. He can’t. He won’t.

Taemin needs to stop moving because Jonghyun is dying and when Taemin buries his head into Jonghyun’s lap and rubs his face against his thigh, like a cat, a cat that is making Jonghyun’s life so much harder and he should have worn boxers because Taemin just caught the shaft of his dick and forced a deep grunt out of him right from his dick. He’s so screwed. Taemin doesn’t seem embarrassed or perturbed, though. And what takes Jonghyun by surprise is when Taemin does it again, another grunt ripped from his throat. And his dick is now throbbing, half hard, and Taemin doesn’t seem to care. So Jonghyun presses Taemin’s neck down, he’s not sure what he’s doing, but Taemin has frozen, whether it’s from the pressure on the back of his neck or from the realisation of what he was just doing, “Taemin, what are you doing?” Shocked he manages to ask, shocked at how his own voice sounds to his ears. Breathlessly and rougher than it should as if he hadn’t drank water in three days, so he coughs a bit to try and get it back to normal and swallows.

A whine comes out of Taemin’s mouth, so slutty that it goes straight to Jonghyun’s dick, twitching in his joggers. Stuck on what to do and head spinning, Jonghyun pulls Taemin up by his hair, earning him another noise that can’t quite be described half like a moan and half like a groan. Taemin should really stop making all these noises; they aren't doing Jonghyun any good and Jonghyun really needs to think straight.

“Taemin, what are you doing?” He asks again with more authority in his voice because he is not going to screw this up and Taemin needs to be coherent for whatever he thinks he’s doing.

Pink flushed cheeks and fluttering eyes Taemin says, “I want to help you.” All Jonghyun can think is, oh god, and fuck. Taemin looks so sweet but so sinful at the same time, his lips swollen as if he’s been worrying them, and his eyes half-lidded and clouded in a haze of lust. Jonghyun has to dig his heels into the sofa to ground himself. He's trying to think with his brain instead of his dick, but his brain isn’t working; it’s clouded by lust and wine.

“Taemin, what are you talking about?" He needs to get this right. There's no way this is actually happening. Taemin must just be confused, right?

Taemin gives him this look that goes straight to his stomach, only fueling the fire that Taemin started, and he feels caught out for whatever reason. And Jonghyun’s world is shattering and shaking, probably just as much as he is. "Please." There is no way he is actually begging Jonghyun. There is no way. “I know you think of me. I’ve heard you in the shower moaning my name, more than once. Just let me help you, please,” Taemin says in whiney, sultry tones dripping from his mouth.

Taemin doesn’t give Jonghyun time to reply before he palms Jonghyun’s dick through his joggers. Jonghyun’s head falls back and a moan is released from his mouth, submitting to pure hedonism; his mind is wiped blank and he struggles to breathe. He can’t even think about how embarrassed he is that Taemin heard him in the shower, not while Taemin is making him question why he waited so long for this to happen or why he didn’t just make a move on Taemin first, not while Taemin is mouthing his dick through his joggers, turning the light grey fabric to dark grey with his wet patches of saliva. The white heat spreading through his body—feeling something he’s craved for so long—feels like a dream. Not knowing what to do, Jonghyun gips the edge of the sofa, so tight, digging his nails into the poor leather as he tries not to levitate on the feeling as Taemin’s hand slips under his waistband, and when his fingers touch Jonghyun’s dick, his breath hitches. “Taemin.” Jonghyun doesn’t even know why he’s talking; it’s not like he has anything to say after that either. Maybe just to make sure it isn’t a dream and that Taemin is actually there.

The look in Taemin’s eyes is so mischievous as he pulls the other's joggers down. When they get past his dick, his dick springs back up, slaps his stomach, and Taemin mewls at the sight, making Jonghyun feel crazy. Jonghyun can’t get enough of Taemin’s visuals; he can’t get over the way Taemin is licking his lips at the sight of him so when Taemin blows hot air on his dick, he hardly manages to keep his hips from thrusting up. He never thought Taemin would be such a tease or even be interested in him.

Taemin doesn’t seem to care what he’s doing to Jonghyun’s mental state. He sits on Jonghyun’s thighs, looking a mix of angelic and demonic, because who thought Taemin would ever be like this? Jonghyun just marvels at Taemin; his thighs look so soft and feel so impossibly soft and warm on Jonghyun; his dick is hard; and there’s a wet patch forming on his blue boxers. It makes Jonghyun shiver at the thought that he has done that to Taemin.

Taemin drags his finger up Jonghyun’s neck, leaving goosebumps trailing behind until he reaches his jaw and Jonghyun has to suppress a shiver. He stops grabbing Jonghyun’s jaw and smiles, warm and all teeth showing like they would if he smiled at him any other day. Jonghyun feels like he’s just been given whiplash. The seamless change from lust filled cockslut to cute and innocent is absolutely mind boggling to Jonghyun. “You’re so beautiful,” Taemin breathes out and that's the first time Jonghyun has ever been called beautiful. Sure, he’s been called handsome, charming, and other things, but never beautiful . It makes his heart swell and his face glow redder than it did before. If that is possible.

He opens his mouth to reply—he’s not sure what—but is cut off by a pair of warm lips. It takes more than a second for Jonghyun to reciprocate in shock that this is happening and how fast everything is going and when he does, Taemin moans into his mouth, forcing him to swallow the beautiful sounds as he rocks his hips forward, grinding onto Jonghyun’s naked dick. The feeling of Taemin’s warm clothed dick makes Jonghyun release a sound he didn’t think he could make—low, rough, and almost animalistic. With not even a drop of self control left, Jonghyun releases his hands from the sofa and explores Taemin's body, one hand going up his jumper, gabbing his waist soft and warm so tightly that Taemin yelps and the other grabbing his arse, fingers digging into his flesh. He needs something to hold onto; otherwise, he’s not sure what he’ll do.

Jonghyun can hardly resist the urge to bend Taemin over and fuck him, but Taemin started this so he’s going to let Taemin do the leading. No matter how hard it is or how much Jonghyun wants to be in control. This is real and it is happening so Jonghyun takes the opportunity as best he can. Taemin bites down on Jonghyun’s lip, whimpering into his mouth as his hips continue grinding into him, giving him a mixture of pleasure and pain, and once again pulling a grunt from his lip, tongues now exploring each other's mouths, warm, wet, and everything he could ever want. Taemin's arms are now wrapping around Jonghyun’s neck, fingers playing with his short hair at his nape. Fiery passion into every mouth movement, lust and pent up feelings fueling it all, turning them into a beautiful mess of limbs.

When Taemin moves away from Jonghyun, a string of spit hangs from his mouth as he bites his lip, so Jonghyun just has to lean out and wipe it with his thumb, only for Taemin to take it into his mouth, sucks it and roll his tongue over the pad of his thumb. So needy. Jonghyun is beyond repair now and he doesn’t think he will ever be able to stop replaying that moment in his head. Taemin crawls off the sofa with as much grace and elegance as one can and Jonghyun tries not to huff at the loss of Taemin but when he sees Taemin on his knees between his legs, it's enough for him to moan. Jonghyun has always been someone who loves visuals and Taemin is the epitome of a visual; he is adonis; he is art and poetry. Taemin takes Jonghyun into his hand and pumps at a disgustingly slow, mocking pace, making Jonghyun moan and throw his head back, half satisfied that he’s being touched but half desperately needing some more friction. If Taemin doesn’t stop looking at Jonghyun like that—so beautiful, so sinful, so lustful—he doesn’t know how much longer it will be until he grabs Taemin’s hand and fucks himself into it like a brat, and Jonghyun isn’t a brat. “Wow, you’ve got such a pretty dick,” Taemin says while looking at it, watching as it slides up and down in his hand Jonghyun moans in response. “I want to put it in my mouth.” Taemin expresses his thoughts.

Taemin can do whatever he wants. Normally, when having sex, Jonghyun is the one who's teasing and in control; however, today he’ll let Taemin have him any way he wants. “Do it,” is all that Jonghyun can say almost in a whisper; he’s never wanted anything so bad in his life and Taemin’s lips were made for dick sucking, perfect lips for a blowjob. So when Taemin finally wraps his lips around the head of Jonghyun’s cock so wet and so hot that he’s not sure who is moaning louder, the feeling of Taemin's moans vibrating on his dick makes him see white and he thursts up on instinct into Taemin’s mouth, hitting the back of his throat, making Taemin moan and roll his eyes back. Every noise that Jonghyun manages to drag from Taemin’s lips with his dick feels like a blessing and he wonders how much more vocal he’d be with his dick buried deep inside him, or even just one finger.

Taemin gets to work, like he’s done this a hundred times, a soft hand like velvet wrapping around the base of Jonghyun’s dick, going in tandem with his mouth. Submitting himself to Jonghyun’s dick as if it were oxygen. The visual is enough to make Jonghyun cum. Taemin looks so beautiful and so slutty. Cheeks and ears flushed, mouth stuffed full of cock, eyes looking up at Jonghyun through his eyelashes, fluttering and glazed with lust. The air in the room is so hot it could be the gates of hell. If Jonghyun wasn’t so indulged in the feeling of Taemin's mouth, he’d believe that he actually was there but right now he’s feeling like heaven.

Taemin hollows his cheeks and pulls off with a pop, making Jonghyun moan so loudly that he’s nearly embarrassed but he can’t tear his eyes away from the sight as Taemin goes back down on him, using his tongue to swirl around the head and dragging it along all the veins. God. Jonghyun needs this to speed up; he’s been so close to tipping off the edge for what feels like forever so he grabs a fist full of Taemin’s hair and shoves him down, making Taemin practically wail. “So good. You’re so good,” he praises and Taemin releases a whimper and a shiver. Pride swims inside Jonghyun at the reaction and then he realises that Taemin wants to be praised. Taemin deserves all the praise in the world.

He lifts Taemin off by the hair so he can look at him. Taemin sobs at the loss of fullness in his mouth. Taemin is such a dream, so hungry for cock, so beautiful, and for a moment, Jonghyun is mesmerised; lips so swollen dribble down his chin, and he looks so fucked out already. He doesn’t want to imagine what he looks like if this is how fucked out Taemin already looks.

“You look so pretty. Do you like your mouth full of cock?” He’s not looking for a reply but he definitely got one that was less verbal. Taemin latches back on, moans around his dick and increases his pace as his other hand comes forwards to cup the others' balls. He detaches himself from Jonghyun and presses wet kisses to his balls, licking and slightly sucking, while his other hand continues working up and down Jonghyun's length, making Jonghyun gasp in surprise. “So good,” Jonghyun is a babbling mess moaning out praises like a broken vending machine and the knot in Jonghyun’s stomach is close to releasing, he needs Taemin’s lips back around his dick before it snaps so he grabs Taemin's hair and moves him back to his cock. “Fuck Taemin,” Jonghyun moans, dick on fire, toes curling, hand curling tighter into Taemin’s hair, ready to pull him off for when he cums. But when Jonghyun nearly sees white and goes to pull him off Taemin resists; his hands haven't stopped and his mouth is still full but he slacks it slightly and mumbles around Jonghyun’s dick, “Cum in my mouth, please.” Okay. Taemin doesn’t have to ask Jonghyun twice. One hand grips the sofa as Taemin gets back to work again, cheeks hollowed, sucking at an insane pace, hands doing indescribable things. Jonghyun’s dick is hitting the back of Taemin’s throat over and over again, until he feels dizzy and euphoric. His mouth falls open in a silent gasp, his eyes rolling back and trying to keep them open and his head from going slack so he can watch as he fills Taemin’s mouth full of cum.

“Fuck – I’m –” His grip in Taemin’s hair tightens, and Taemin’s hand strokes him quickly, up and down, up and down, lips tightening around him, tongue dancing in patterns, body tensing as he reaches his orgasm, hips bucking up, mind blank, white sparks appearing in front of his eyes as Taemin milks him, cum filling up Taemin’s mouth, a small bit dribbling down the corner of his mouth, his whole body contracting as little electric shocks tingle through him. His hands fall lifelessly, letting go of Taemin’s hair, and his body feels like the life has been sucked out of it. And when Taemin finally lets go of his dick and smiles up at him, he thinks he’s in heaven. Taemin gets off his knees and sits next to Jonghyun and Jonghyun can’t help but notice how much the wet patch on Taemin’s boxers has grown. He reaches out for Taemin and pulls him in for a kiss, not caring if he can taste himself; just so intoxicated by the miracle called Lee Taemin, nothing else matters.

Once Jonghyun has caught his breath and fallen out of his daze, though every second he’s near Taemin feels like one, he moves his hand up Taemin’s thigh, pulling little noises out of him, wanting to bite and leave marks on his soft, pale skin. But before he can even take action on that thought, Taemin’s phone rings.

Fuck.

Taemin grabs it, looks at who's calling and gives Jonghyun a dejected smile, “It’s my mum… I should answer.”

“Yeah… you should,” Jonghyun says as much as he wants Taemin all to himself. To hide him from the world. But he can’t do that, not from Taemin’s own mother.

Taemin nods and walks out, takes the call, and Jonghyun is left to nurse his feelings as they have now swelled to double the size, taking over his body so much it might burst, but he would be happy with that as long as his last thoughts were Taemin. He can’t get the sweet sounds that fell from Taemin’s lips out of his head. He can’t help but think about what Taemin would sound like in other situations while Jonghun is giving and Taemin is receiving. The wine has mostly lost its effect and Jonghyun is just floating on pure ecstasy, floating in the afterglow Taemin has given him.

Taemin is only gone for a few minutes and comes back in, looking sheepish. He smiles and sits back down next to Jonghyun, burying himself into his side, hiding his face in Jonghyun's shoulder and playing with his hands. “Is everything okay?” Jonghyun feels the need to ask, but he can’t help but look at Taemin with adoration, so shy and so cute and somehow he’s managed to curl up so small.

“Yeah, my mum wants me to come over and help her with her computer tomorrow,” Taemin replies, still not looking Jonghyun in the eyes, pink ears peeking out from his hair. Jonghyun feels an itch in his fingers to stroke his hair so he lets his hand scratch Taemin’s head.

“Taemin.” Jonghyun starts but he’s not sure where to finish. There are so many things he wants to say and ask but he’s not sure how to.

Taemin looks at him now, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “You’re such a pervert,” Taemin says in a teasing manner, making Jonghyun’s mouth fall open in shock at the sudden accusation.

“What?” Jonghyun asks in utter confusion. Where did the shy little Taemin go? And what even is Taemin on about?

Taemin hums, satisfied with the reaction he got. “You wank off to the thought of me in the shower and thought I wouldn’t know? The walls are literally made of cardboard,” he smiles again, this time the teasing is wiped from his demeanour. “It’s okay, though. It’s hot and I wouldn’t have known you thought about me in that way if I hadn’t heard.” Now Taemin is blabbering his words.

Now it’s Jonghyun’s turn to be embarrassed, but it’s not like he can deny it because he has done that, more times than he is proud of. “I don’t only think of you that way, Taemin. I do actually really like you.” Jonghyun has now let out his feelings, feeling more naked than he did when Taemin was in between his legs. Taemin’s silence is slicing him up like glass and he waits to be turned down, have his heart crushed, and be laughed at. But Taemin would never laugh at him, right? Taemin isn’t like that.

“I like you too.” Jonghyun’s heart swells. “Maybe if you take me on a date and buy me food, I’ll let you fuck my arse,” Taemin replies nonchalantly and absolutely shamelessly, and Jonghyun nearly chokes.

As Jonghyun lets go of the breath he is holding, the laugh that escapes him is loud and sudden and ripples through his body. “Taemin, I already buy you food, and I’ll take you on a date anyway; you don’t need to bribe me,” Jonghyun says after he calms down from laughing. Jonghyun would love to take Taemin out on a date. It's not like he doesn’t take Taemin out for dinner all the time and pay for his food anyway. But if that is what Taemin wants, Jonghyun will give him anything. Everything.

Taemin pouts, “You don’t want to fuck me?”

Of course, he wants to fuck Taemin. Why wouldn't he? If he didn’t, he’d have to be blind or crazy. He’s already crazy, though; just staring at Taemin makes his heart go crazy. “Of course I do! I just don’t need a bribe to take you out on a date.” Jonghyun splutters, stumbling over his words like an idiot, as his heart drops at Taemin’s statement.

A smug smile takes place on Taemin’s face, one that Jonghyun knows, one that says: I was just teasing you . Taemin gets as close as he can to Jonghyun and straddles his legs, looking at him deep in his eyes and Jonghyun swears he can see the world in the others. Two soft hands grab Jonghyun’s face and he’s met with two very soft, inviting lips. Although the kiss is only short, it’s sweet and carries weight. “Good, because if you didn’t say anything, I would have only let you take me out on a date, and you’d get no benefits after,” Taemin laughs, bubbly, hiccuping, and bright. Music to Jonghyun’s ears.

“I guess our date can’t be tomorrow then,” Jonghyun says with sadness lacing his voice a little upset that he can’t take Taemin out as soon as possible. He knows that Taemin can’t drop everything for him and he is being unreasonable getting upset about it. He can take Taemin out whenever he wants after tomorrow; it's only one extra day.

“What? Why?” Taemin asks as quickly as he can, leaning back a bit, and distancing himself from Jonghyun.

Jonghyun laughs at Taemin’s pouty face, completely in awe of him. He leans forward and circles his arms around Taemin’s waist. “You have to help your mum with her computer.” He reminds him.

Taemin now adds a frown to the mix, and he’s so devastatingly cute Jonghyun feels like he might burst. “Oh. Oh… well, can’t we go after I’m finished?” He questions and then his eyebrows pull deeper and deeper while waiting for Jonghyun to answer.

And how could Jonghyun possibly say no to Taemin? How could he ever deny Taemin? Instead of answering, he grabs his face and pulls him in for a long, sweet kiss. “Of course.”

“Good, I would have sulked otherwise,” Taemin admits, beaming so brightly at Jonghyun.

“It’s not just because I want to fuck your arse, either.” Jonghyun jokes, and they both look at each other once again and laugh. Jonghyun is feeling incredibly warm as feelings bubble up in his stomach. Maybe nerves but all he knows is that he gets to take Taemin out on a date tomorrow. So he’s happy with whatever feelings come because he’s got Taemin.

---

Thank you for reading this and I hope you enjoyed it.

Everyone have a lovely day, Orgel 🌸

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jehan-d-art · 7 months ago

Text

thank you for tagging me @clawbehavior

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! And then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Note: I'm only putting fics of which I haven't posted anything yet into this list to not make it too easy to guess what the stories are about (also, I've got like 15 or more on-going fics on ao3 at the time) ^^

kpop

SHINee

- jongtae - dream girl

- accidentally kink discovery

- minkey - it's all just a shell

- taekaiten - deep into the mood

- minkey - kei x yaku au

- minkey puppy love

- minkey - kinky office romance

Seventeen

- verkwan - Hanahaki Disease AU

- junhao - broke witch

- jeongcheol - worship

- jigyu - hybrid au

- meanies

- verkwan - primary school teachers

- verkwan - period drama

- Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Xu Minghao | The8/Yoon Jeonghan

- soonhoon - (a/b/o, still you 'verse)

SHINee and Seventeen

- minkey / solboo bodyswap

- foursome

Ateez

- jongsang - same scent (inspired by oneus)

- the courage of stars - seongjoong space pirates au

- woosan - mignon aka vampire au

- yungi - canon compliant friends to lovers

WayV

- vampire polycule, aka xiaojun/wayv

others

- taekaiten - deep into the mood

- ten/jackson/jeff - (code) switching

- bunny boys - I'm a bottom and you're a bottom, what the fuck… or how the fuck?

- jeongcheol + kunten (+ jeongten + kuncheol) - matter of perspective

TV series

Beyond Evil

- entwined (pov after the loss)

- same old rut

The Devil Judge

- graven image

- dog motif

- dog motif teeth

Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart!

- nesting

- j/j as a/a

I have no idea who to tag and (let me count real quick...) I will not be tagging over 30 people, so I'll just be tagging a few people though even if I have not tagged you, please feel free to answer to this ^^

@little-arcadia @gaylilsherlock @uhhhhmanda @deepbutdazzlingdarkness @darthfluff @27vampyresinhermind

#ask game #ask games #writer asks games #writer asks #thank you for tagging me ^^#my wips

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pearlaquahearts · 7 years ago

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this is just a collection of aus I’ve texted @loeyxiu in the past couple of days so i can have them all in one place lol

car crash au: taem gets in a wreck and has subsequent nightmares in which his partners junghee and jinki are in the passenger seat when it happens

magic au: taemin is a phoenix, minjung and gwi are nonbinary witch girled friends, jonghyun is a non-magic human who owns a bookstore and jinki is his partner who sells crystals and herbs and charm pouches and the like. they’re all in a giant poly relationship by the end of it tbh

pornstar au: lol it’s not as secsi as it sounds there’s like close to zero explicit smut but basically taem and minho are pornstars who get paired for a scene where taem bottoms and he’s like “uh, no actually” when he sees minho because “that’s the twink I topped two weeks ago from a club y’all should have him bottom it’s litty” and then they go out for coffee afterwards and become friends. minho meets taem’s boyfriends (jongyu) and taem meets minho’s qpp (key) and they all end up cute friends.

important high school au #1: jjong is dyslexic and taem has aphasia so when there’s assigned reading in class, minho reads out loud to them and jinki teaches them all sign language to be able to understand taem when he’s overstimulated

important high school au #2: one of my most important aus yet where taem/taehyun is the new nanogirl on the baseball team, minho is a trans guy and also team captain, gwi and jonghyun are cheerleaders, and jinki is student president and they’re all best friends/life partners

pawn shop au: i literally saw two seconds of a pawn stars ep. when i was pulling sheets in the hotel i work at and the dialogue made me think of jongtae so

taem: “if I give you seven-thousand for these I won’t be able to eat dinner. what about $6500?”

jjong: “you’re gonna have a $500 dinner? i don’t think so. $6700.”

psych ward au: jjong and taem end up in a psych ward at the same time bc of their depression/anxiety (in taem’s case: a depressive spiral brought on by like seventy different phobias and an increasing lack of control in his personal life), and they recognize each other from school during group and they’re like “same hat? same hat!”

voltron au lmfao: listen, i might never even write this one so somebody take it off my hands I’ll promo you but,,, Black Paladin Jinki, Red Paladin Minjung, Blue Paladin Taemin, Green Paladin Gwi, Yellow Paladin Jonghyun, and Princess Amber who’s a beautiful butch bi Altean with a gigantic crush on trans lesbian Choi Minjung.... also Heechul is Coran thanks for coming to my ted talk

university au: in which taemin is literally me and can’t fill out legal documents without getting massively anxious & sick to his stomach so he has to get jinki and jjong walk him through filling out his fafsa verification and other such documents

#long post #shinee aus #ontae au #jongtae au #onjongtae au #minkey au #ot5 au #jongyu au #etc etc #writing ref #my writing #if anyone wants to write versions of these or takes inspo from them pls credit me

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somaybeimbiased · 8 years ago

Photo

Jongtae- Runaways

Can I get like a JonghyunxTaemin runaway au scenario?Extablished relationship pleaseee? -Anon

They had to run away

They didn’t really have a choice.

It was that, or get separated by their parents.

They had met in highschool and Jonghyun was a grade older than Taemin

They had a couple of classes together and Jonghyun quickly took a liking to Taemin.

It only took a few months for their friendship to hit the thin line between best friends and something more.

Lots of almost kisses in the locker room, or behind the school.

The only thing holding them back was fear of their parents.

Jonghyun’s parents were strongly against homosexuality and refused to let Jonghyun date anyone becuase they new he was gay

He’d told them on his 14th birthday and they’d grounded him and forbid him from dating, threatening to completely disown him if he ever fell for another boy.

Taemin’s parents on the other hand, were very religious and would punish him if they found out, he’d heard their conversations about ‘what if’ when he’d gone through a phase of having long hair. (They made him cut it)

The two boys vented to one another about their struggles and they quickly realized the only thing holding them back was their parents.

They began dating in secret, their only sanctuary being behind closed doors.

They were able to keep the secret for two years until they were outed by a mistake.

During winter break Taemin had gone over to Jonghyun’s while his parents were at work and they held their own little christmas together, unable to spend the actual day together.

Jonghyun’s parents came home early and found discarded gifts laying in the living room and they heard noises from the upstairs

You can guess what happened next.

Taemin and Jonghyun were ripped from each other

Taemin was kicked out of Jonghyun’s house and his parents were called.

Jonghyun was given a choice; Home or Taemin

Taemin was taken home and locked in his room and told to pray for forgiveness

Jonghyun showed up at Taemin’s house in the middle of the night and crawl in through his open window

He found Taemin asleep, clutching a Rosary with dried tears staining his face.

He packed for Taemin, taking the important things and then woke him up.

“Run away with me”

No one in the town has heard from them since.

Taemin’s parents have sent police to look for Taemin and Jonghyun, and are trying to press charges against Jonghyun for kidnapping Taemin

Both Taemin and Jonghyun cut and died their hair to change their appearance a bit and they travel along coastlines, doing what they can to survive together.

When Taemin asked Jonghyun why he didn’t choose his home over him, Jonghyun just hugged him.

“You are my home.”

A/N I hope you enjoyed! I think is this super angsty but cute too! If anyone wants me to write more about this Runaway AU, like maybe Jongtae can meet the Rest of OT% or something, I’m not sure yet. But I really do love thier backstories (I relate to Taemin’s on a very personal level)

Requests are open!

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luvjjongtae · 3 years ago

Text

It Started with a Drink - Ch. 1

Pairing: Lee Taemin x Kim Jonghyun.

AU info: (US) High School AU.

Genre: Fluff, Pining

Other tags and warnings: Underage drinking, Misunderstandings and miscommunication, House party, Teen Romance, Teen Angst, Jealousy, Two idiots basically

Summary: Taemin’s crush on his best friend Jonghyun comes to head at a high school house party. If only Taemin didn’t drink so much…

Total Word Count: 21k (divided into 5 chapters)

READ CHAPTER 2, CHAPTER 3, CHAPTER 4, CHAPTER 5 HERE

“Thank God it’s Friday,” Jonghyun said, throwing his backpack into the trunk of his car with a heavy sigh. “I don’t think I could’ve done another day of school.”

“Easy for you to say.” Taemin got into his usual shotgun spot in Jonghyun’s car and slammed the door shut, waiting for Jonghyun to get into the driver’s seat before saying, “Do you even have any real work now as a senior?”

Jonghyun chuckled softly and started the car. “You have a point. But it doesn’t make getting up at six a.m. any easier though.”

“Yeah, but I like getting coffee with you. It beats extra sleep any day.” Their morning coffee tradition before school had started ever since Jonghyun got his car and snatched a part-time job at the local coffee shop, meaning free transportation and discounted drinks. It was Taemin’s favorite part of his day.

“Me too.” Jonghyun turned onto the main road, his eyes focused on the street. “Do you have anything going on tonight, by the way?”

“Not really.” Taemin’s heart beat quicker as he anticipated what Jonghyun was going to ask him. Maybe they’d go to the library together and whisper quietly into each other’s ears over a stack of books. Or maybe they’d drive down the coast and blast loud music with the windows down. Or maybe…

“Want to go to Jack’s with me?”

Taemin felt his heart fall. “That’s tonight?”

“Yeah.” Taemin noticed Jonghyun glance over briefly, gauging his reaction at the invitation.

“I don’t know…” his voice trailed off with uncertainty. It’s not that Taemin never went to house parties, but it just wasn’t his idea of a good time. Plus, he had gotten his hopes up thinking he’d be able to spend some time alone with Jonghyun.

At the awkward silence filling the car, Taemin hurriedly filled in with an excuse, “Last year I heard the party went haywire. Didn’t the cops show up?” Great, now he sounded like a goody-two-shoes. Jonghyun gave a small nod and pursed smile as he fondly remembered the last year but tried to hide his amusement. Taemin added more quietly, “Besides, you know I’m not the partying type.”

“You should take advantage of this, Taemin!” Jonghyun said excitedly. “You might as well experience the most epic house party in town just once with me before I graduate. Try it, just for me?” Jonghyun looked over his shoulder and gave Taemin a fake pleading look, his bottom lip protruding in an exaggerated, adorable pout.

Taemin pretended to dramatically mull it over for a few moments. But at the end of the day he couldn’t say no to anything Jonghyun asked him. “Sure.”

Jonghyun immediately perked up like an excited puppy. “Really? You don’t have to if you don’t want to…”

“I want to. I promise.”

“Okay! I’ll pick you up around seven then.” Jonghyun pulled into Taemin’s driveway and unlocked the car. “Dress nice, okay?”

A few hours later, Taemin adjusted his collar in his bedroom mirror for the tenth time, biting his lip in concentration to get it just perfect. After analyzing it for a few more moments, he decided his outfit of a layered collared shirt, black undershirt, and ripped blue jeans was good enough for the party. He grabbed his phone after hearing it buzz and a smile lit up his face as he read a text from Jonghyun letting him know he was outside.

“Snazzy tonight, aren’t you?” Jonghyun said with a smirk when Taemin got into the car beside him. Jonghyun wore his classic white tank top and tight black ripped jeans. Taemin had to force his eyes up.

“You told me to dress nice,” Taemin said, suddenly feeling shy.

“I’m just teasing.” Jonghyun started driving through the familiar suburban streets they had both grown up in. “You dress up nicely, Taemin,” he said with a heavy glance over at him.

“Thanks, Jonghyun.” Taemin looked out the window rapidly so that Jonghyun couldn’t see the rising blush painting his cheeks pink.

It had always been like this. Ever since Taemin could remember, Jonghyun’s words and compliments to Taemin made his heart race and face go hot, no matter how hard he tried to stop it. It was only last year, however, that Taemin finally named what he felt towards his best friend as a crush.

But he bit his tongue around Jonghyun, terrified of ruining what they had. Jonghyun had never given Taemin any indication that he liked him more than a friend; he probably just saw him as a little brother.

His mind flitted back to the one time he did try to tell Jonghyun his real feelings. He cringed at the memory of Jonghyun writing that he loved him in his note with the annotated book he gifted him for his sixteenth birthday. Both of them sitting across from each other on Taemin’s bed, his breath had hitched when he read the line, and he remembered looking up at Jonghyun’s smiling, anticipating face.

“Do you like the gift, Taeminnie?”

“I…” Taemin’s voice trailed off, choked up with emotion. He sniffed and rubbed his nose with his hand. “Jonghyun…”

“I really do love you, Taemin. You’re my closest friend, and I can’t imagine my life without you,” Jonghyun said, staring into Taemin’s eyes with care.

After a moment, Taemin managed to swallow the rush of emotions he felt when Jonghyun said he loved him and register that it was only as a friend. He loved him, but only as a friend. A friend. “I– I love you too,” he said, knowing Jonghyun would only interpret it platonically now.

Jonghyun smiled at him his usual bright, caring smile, and pulled Taemin into a hug that Taemin melted into despite his heart feeling like it had been stomped on by a marching band of elephants. “Happy birthday, Taemin.”

Snapping back to reality, Taemin tried distracting himself by looking out the window and rating the different houses to get his mind off the painful memory. That was a very pretty modern house, but the concrete walls and blocky nature made it look cold. And that was an otherwise nice house but why on Earth did they paint it that color…

“Taemin, we’re here,” Jonghyun finally said. Taemin blinked and realized they were parked outside a house resonating with a booming bass and lingering partygoers outside on the porch drinking from red Solo cups.

“Oh,” was all Taemin said, staring blankly at the house party before him.

“You coming?” Jonghyun was outside the car, cocking his head at Taemin expectantly. “If you don’t want to, I’ll drive you home right now.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Taemin jumped out of the car and ran over to Jonghyun’s side, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets. “Let’s do this.”

Taemin and Jonghyun walked side by side to the front door, which swung easily open. Immediately, the sharp and heavy smell of alcohol greeted them and made Taemin scrunch his nose. It was also loud, with house music filling the entire place and thrumming through Taemin’s bones.

“Jonghyun, where do I go?” Taemin asked nervously, tugging lightly on Jonghyun’s shirt. A group of senior football players Taemin would usually avoid in the halls passed by them, punching each other playfully until one of them stumbled nearly into Jonghyun who sidestepped right into Taemin to avoid the crash. His face was close, and Taemin could feel his breath.

“You can stick with me, if you’d like,” Jonghyun said, backing away from Taemin’s face now. “Why don’t we get some drinks?”

Taemin nodded mutely and followed Jonghyun through the maze of sweaty high schoolers into what looked like the kitchen. Jonghyun found a cooler and pulled out a bottle of beer to hand to Taemin. “Is this your first time drinking?”

“Kind of.” Taemin knew that champagne in New Year’s family dinners didn’t exactly count.

“Well, be careful, Taeminnie,” Jonghyun said as he helped Taemin crack open his bottle with his. “Don’t go overboard, okay?”

“Okay,” Taemin said, taking a sip. It tasted awful and burned his throat. Then he saw Jonghyun staring at him and asked, “What?”

“Do you like it?”

“Not really.”

Jonghyun laughed lightly at that and patted Taemin on his shoulder. “Drink a bit more and you’ll start to feel it. Then maybe you’ll like it more.”

Why was Jonghyun being so touchy? Taemin eyed Jonghyun’s hand on his shoulder which stayed maybe a second too long before Jonghyun pulled it back and began making easy conversation with another senior that came up to them. From what Taemin overheard, they were talking about college.

Taemin’s shoulder felt like it was on fire, and it was all he could think about. But he knew he needed to distract himself from this crush before he did something stupid. He felt the cold beer bottle in his hand and decided that he didn’t care how it tasted as long as he could forget about how in love he was with Jonghyun for a bit. Bringing it up to his lips, he swallowed a few large gulps and tried to ignore the burning in his throat.

Jonghyun was still talking to the other senior when Taemin saw his friend Jongin through the kitchen doorway. He was talking to a group of pretty girls, one clinging onto his arm for dear life. He said something and they all laughed loudly.

Jongin must have felt Taemin’s eyes on him because he looked around, noticed him, and waved him over. “Taemin, you’re here!”

“Yep.” Being around his childhood friend made him feel a bit more at ease, even with the group of strange pretty girls around them. “Wanted to see what all the hype was about.”

“And?” Jongin asked, raising one eyebrow at Taemin.

“Beer sucks.” Taemin held up the bottle for the group and they all laughed.

“That won’t do anything for you anyway,” Jongin said, waving at the bottle dismissively. “Clara, why don’t you show Taemin where the real drinks are?”

A girl leaning on the doorframe rolled her eyes playfully before smiling cheerily at Taemin. “Sure thing, Kai.” She grabbed Taemin’s wrist and began dragging him away towards the thick of the party.

Taemin held back for a second to give Jongin a questioning look and ask, “Kai?”

Jongin just shrugged. “It’s the name I use around them.”

Before Taemin could respond, Clara yanked on his arm rather aggressively and forced him through the party crowd. Taemin accidentally bumped into a couple that was making out and tried to profusely apologize before Clara dragged him further along to a bar in the living room with empty shot glasses littered on the countertop. She sidled up next to him in a free spot and Taemin put his beer down.

“So,” Clara started, gesturing to the temporary bartender who looked like another senior to prepare something for them. “What’s your name, pretty thing?”

“Taemin.” He allowed himself to really look at her. She was pretty, with big sparkling eyes and a button nose. Her loose jet black hair framed her face nicely, Taemin noticed, as she pushed a stray stand behind her ear. “Lee Taemin.”

“And you’re friends with Kai?” The bartender handed them three shot glasses, all of which she pushed towards Taemin. At Taemin’s surprised look, she said, “I’m the designated driver, don’t worry about me.”

“Okay.” Taemin hesitantly took the first glass and looked at the clear contents swirling around inside it.

“It’s best if you do it all at once,” Clara said beside him.

Nodding stiffly, Taemin raised the cup to his lips and downed it all at once, feeling the searing burn in the back of his throat. He coughed a bit.

Clara patted his back and said, “The second one is never so bad. Just take it now.”

Taemin followed her instructions and drank the second shot immediately after, wincing a bit at the burn but trying not to show it. He smiled at Clara triumphantly.

But Clara looked distracted and impatient. “So Kai. How do you know him?”

“We’ve been friends since elementary.” The burn in his throat was insistent and begging for some sort of chaser, so Taemin grabbed the beer bottle close to him and drank some more of it to try and quench his throat. It kind of worked.

“Hm,” Clara hummed out thoughtfully. “My friend really likes him, but I think he’s leading her on.”

“Oh.” He wasn’t sure what else he should say to this girl. Jongin and he were friends, sure, but they had drifted a bit in high school and Taemin certaintly didn’t want to get involved in his love life. “I hope it works out for her.”

Clara, sensing that the topic of conversation was dead, rapidly switched and pushed the final shot glass towards Taemin. “You want?”

Taemin eyed the glass in front of him, remembering Jonghyun’s words to not go overboard. But when he remembered that, he also remembered everything else he loved about Jonghyun: his caring words, his deep brown eyes, his pink lips, and the way the tank top hugged his chest…

Taemin shook the thoughts away and quickly grabbed the glass and swallowed everything inside it, with no regard to the burn.

“Atta-boy!” Clara said, clapping and laughing lightly. “Why don’t we dance for a bit?”

“Sure,” Taemin said, determined to have fun and forget about Jonghyun. Clara grabbed his hand softly and gently pulled him into the crowd on the dance floor, surprising him after she dragged him so roughly earlier. “So we just dance?”

“Yup. Like this.” Clara guided his hand to her waist and started swinging her hips to the music. “Just vibe to the beat and have fun!” she yelled over the loud music. Taemin concentrated and listened to the music, feeling Clara’s body moving near his and following her lead, dancing together to the beat. Clara reached up and said more quietly in his ear, “You’re a natural.”

“Thanks,” Taemin said, feeling some heat rush up his face at her proximity. Maybe the alcohol was starting to get to him now too. He felt looser and looser as he danced with Clara for a couple of songs, singing along loudly and off-key and at one point even spinning her around and holding her waist more firmly.

He was having fun and his mind felt free. All thoughts of Jonghyun vanished and he focused solely on Clara and the music all around him. After the sixth song, Clara yelled over the noise at Taemin, “You feeling the alcohol now?”

“I think so!” Taemin yelled back. “I feel great,” he said with a loud laugh.

“It’s fun, right?”

“Yeah!”

“You’re so cute.” Clara paused her dancing around and looked him up and down. “Lemme get your number, Taemin. I want to keep in touch after tonight.”

“Really?” Taemin immediately pulled out his phone, his inhibitions completely gone. “Sure, here.”

They exchanged numbers and Clara gave him a welcoming smile. “My feet hurt, I think I’m going to take a break.”

“Do you want me to come with you?” Taemin offered. He stretched out his hand for her to take it, and she placed hers gently in his and gave him a small squeeze before letting go.

“No, no, honey. Stay here having fun. I’ll call you later, okay?” She reached up on her tiptoes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning away and disappearing off the dance floor. Taemin felt his face get hot, but whether it was from the alcohol or kiss, he couldn’t tell.

He spun around aimlessly in a circle unsure of what to do with himself now that he was alone. Then the music changed to a slower song and the crowd calmed down a bit. Taemin was able to peek over and spotted Jonghyun across the room, a red Solo cup casually in his hand, his back against the wall watching the party.

Taemin felt himself immediately gravitating towards Jonghyun, forgetting that the point of him drinking to begin with was to not think about him. He drunkenly stumbled through the crowd of slow-dancing couples to the empty space Jonghyun occupied along the wall. “Hi,” Taemin slurred out, leaning heavily against the wall.

“Taeminnie?” Jonghyun snapped out of his absentminded people-watching and turned to look at Taemin, whose knees buckled slightly. “How much did you drink?” he asked, concern obvious in his voice.

“Don’t worry. It didn’t burn so much the second time. Or the third.” Taemin waved his hand around dismissively, almost smacking Jonghyun in the face.

Jonghyun stood up from the wall immediately and placed his cup down on the floor. He firmly grabbed Taemin by both his shoulders and held him in place as he examined his face. “Your face is red. You’re wasted,” he said, placing the back of his hand against his forehead to feel how hot he was. “Taemin, I told you not to go overboard.” He breathed out a frustrated sigh.

“But you just look so good in your tank top,” Taemin whined, his head slumping forward onto Jonghyun’s shoulder. “Wanna peel it off,” he murmured into his shoulder, barely audible over the music.

“You what?” Jonghyun’s breath hitched and he pushed Taemin off him to examine his face closely again, his deep brown eyes flitting over every feature of Taemin’s face. Taemin’s heart skipped a beat when they fluttered over his lips.

Too drunk to realize what he was saying or be embarrassed, Taemin repeated himself. “I want,” he tugged at the bottom of Jonghyun’s tank top with his hands and continued, “to take this off.” He whined out the last syllable, stomping like a spoiled child.

Jonghyun’s eyes widened, then narrowed in determination. “Right, that’s it. Let’s get you home.” He made a move to drape Taemin’s arm over his shoulders, but in doing so his face got dangerously close to Taemin’s, who - head foggy and pounding - seized the opportunity and grabbed either side of Jonghyun’s face and kissed him.

Taemin kissed him hard, letting all of the pent-up frustration over the past few years of pining out on Jonghyun’s soft, perfect lips. He felt Jonghyun’s entire body freeze at first before he began reciprocating the kiss, melting into Taemin’s hands. Taking that as a good sign, Taemin deepened the kiss, wrapping his arms around Jonghyun’s neck and pulling him closer.

Taemin felt Jonghyun’s hands trailing up his arms lightly, about to embrace him around his lower back. But then he stopped abruptly, his hands falling to his sides, leaving Taemin cold. He pulled his lips apart and turned his head to the side, a frown creasing his face.

“Wh– what’s wrong?” Taemin asked, his voice cracking with emotion. He was finally kissing Jonghyun and he was kissing him back! What happened?

“Taemin, you’re drunk. We can’t do this like this.” Jonghyun took a step back from Taemin, still looking away.

“But you kissed me back! You want this too,” Taemin pleaded, stepping forward and holding Jonghyun’s arms, both so he wouldn’t run away and to help himself stand upright. “Don’t lie to yourself.”

Jonghyun hesitated. He looked back into Taemin’s eyes and finally said, “You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re saying.”

“Stop saying I’m drunk!” Taemin felt tears burning at the corners of his eyes. He sniffed to try and keep them in. “Jonghyun, please.” His voice was hoarse and broken.

“Taemin, I–”

“You know what?” Enough was enough. He was making a fool of himself crying over a guy that clearly didn’t like him back in the middle of a dance floor. “It’s fine. I’m fine.” Taemin forced himself to stand upright and let go of Jonghyun. He felt the floor moving a bit beneath him and tried to ground himself before continuing strongly, “I get it. You see me as a little brother and nothing I ever say or do will change that, right?”

“Taemin that’s not–”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Forget this ever happened. Just forget it, okay?” he cried out, feeling the tears threatening to spill over again. He laughed deliriously, realizing what a hysterical sight he must be now, wobbling and sobbing in the middle of a party. But he needed to finish strong. For his pride. “And don’t pick me up on Monday for school. I’ll walk.”

And with that, Taemin spun on his heel as fast as he could without falling over and pushed his way through the party crowd towards where he thought the front door was. He faintly heard Jonghyun call after him, but he didn’t care, he bitterly told himself as he stomped off.

This was perfect. Just what he needed to actually and finally move on from Jonghyun after years of pining. Now that he knew Jonghyun didn’t like him back, he could move on. He had to move on.

The scent of freshly cut grass and vomit greeted him when he stumbled through the front door. He could hear some dry heaving on the other side of the porch and decided to thoroughly avoid that, beginning the walk of shame to his house. Maybe he’d sober up by the time he reached it.

He was scarcely three blocks away from the party when he heard the slow, recognizable hum of a car engine beside him. He gritted his teeth and stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets, staring straight at the ground so that the car would just pass him. But it didn’t. It just slowed down and drove right along beside him. Frustrated, he looked up and saw that it was Clara driving it.

“Taemin! I thought it was you,” she said cheerily as she lowered the window.

“Hey.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked, stopping the car when he stopped walking.

“Nothing.” He didn’t feel like discussing what just had happened with anyone, much less a girl he had met an hour ago.

“Okay.” She was silent for a bit, then chirped up, “Do you want me to drive you home?”

Taemin considered it. He had resigned himself to the walk of shame home so that he could wallow by himself in his self-pity. But his head was pounding and felt heavy to lift up. The sooner he got into his bed, the better. “Sure.”

He got inside the passenger seat and told Clara his address. They began driving in silence, no soft R&B playing or Jonghyun humming. God, he had to stop thinking about Jonghyun. He saw him as a friend. A friend.

“We’re here,” Clara said, putting the car in park in front of Taemin’s house.

“Thanks, Clara,” Taemin said genuinely. He exited the car and started walking towards his house before deciding something impulsive and turning around. “Wait, Clara!” he called out.

She lowered her window again and popped her head through. “Yeah?”

“Can I call you this weekend?”

He saw Clara smile wide and nod vigorously through the window. “Yes! I’m free on Sunday.”

“Okay,” he said, smiling to himself at the first step he made in getting over Jonghyun. “I’ll call you!” he said with a goodbye wave.

Clara waved back and pulled the car out of his driveway, leaving Taemin alone in the darkness. He was proud of himself for making the first move on Clara. She thought he was cute, and she was a nice girl…maybe this could go somewhere.

Taemin snuck through the front door and up the stairs to his bedroom, collapsing onto his bed with an exhausted sigh and a promise to himself to brush his teeth extra well the next morning. Kicking off his shoes, he decided to just sleep in his tank top and boxers, not bothering to fully change.

Right before fully passing out, he felt his phone buzz insistently a few times on his nightstand. He slammed his hand on the desk and picked it up, squinting at the notifications lighting up his screen.

They were from Jonghyun.

Taemin can we talk?

I don’t like how that ended between us

Please let’s talk about this

Please Taeminnie

Taemin blinked at the unopened messages for a few moments. No. No, he already decided. He was moving on from Jonghyun, and that was final. Taemin wasn’t going to respond. He shut his phone off completely so any new notifications wouldn’t bother him and, after placing his phone back on the nightstand, closed his eyes tightly and wrapped himself up in his blanket, trying to forget about Jonghyun and the kiss before falling into a deep sleep.

--END OF CHAPTER--

READ CH 2 HERE

#shinee #shinee fic #kpop fic #shinee fanfic #fluff #angst #kpop fluff #kim jonghyun #pining #high school au #lee taemin #jongtae #jongtae fluff

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lala-pipo · 4 years ago

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[FIC] When the red light turns on - 1/1 - ❤️

Pairing: Jonghyun x Taemin (JongTae)

Genre: Band!fic (read the tags on Ao3 please)

Rating: NC-17 (E)

Word Count: 9,750

Summary: I need you baby, kiss me now

When the red light turns on, kiss me then

When the world stops, you and I become one...

Jonghyun convinces Taemin to film a sex tape with him.

Sequel to "I can only say 'Happy Birthday!'"

Warning(s): None

Can be read on Ao3

#jongtae #taemin #jonghyun #shinee #shinee fic #kim jonghyun #lee taemin #jjong's month #fic post #this will most likely be my last band!fic for a while #i'm an au kind of person after all #but it was a nice change for a while ^^

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bymyside-fic · 4 years ago

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Harmony (~7000 words) read on AO3 // AFF

- November 1, 2018 -

The scent of burnt something wafted into Jonghyun's bedroom, rousing him sooner than he would have liked. Frowning, Jonghyun sat up, looking around his disheveled room as his brain slowly -- very slowly -- came around to the idea that it was, in fact, morning.

Then there was a clatter in the kitchen. A muttered curse. And Jonghyun was suddenly much more alert, fumbling for his wand only to double back for his room when he realized he was quite naked.

Though granted, that might be enough of a shock for whoever the intruder was to scare them out without him having to use magic at all.

He pulled on a pair of sweatpants before he snuck back out, tiptoeing his way to the kitchen.

Something sizzled a bit too loudly, a very audible wince or whine just barely louder than it. Utterly confused now, Jonghyun brandished his wand and turned the corner, only to lower it a second later, his mouth agape.

Smoke billowed from a blackened pan on the stovetop. Coffee bubbled out of a cauldron the next burner over, spilling out onto the floor where -- Merlin's fucking beard -- Garcons stood lapping it up. Dishes filled this sink, other attempts at cooking, perhaps, and Taemin stood in the middle of it, spatula in hand, hair askew, and perspiration shining on his face.

"I just wanted you to know that I'm not usually this bad at cooking," Taemin said as Jonghyun hurried in, removing the pan from the stovetop and cooling it with a spout of water from the tip of his wand. "Don't get me wrong, I suck at it, but -- "

"It's okay," Jonghyun said as he pushed Garcons away from the coffee with his foot before siphoning it back into the cauldron, where the boiling brew was reducing by the second. "I'm shit at it too, that's why everything is enchanted to do it for me."

Taemin let out a long, quiet Oh as Jonghyun cleaned everything else up with a flick of his wand before stooping to gather up Garcons.

"Is coffee bad for dogs?"

"No clue."

"Where's Comme Des?" Taemin hummed in question, mopping the sweat off of his face with a kitchen towel. "The red one."

"Oh, uh, he was whining to go out so…"

Nodding, Jonghyun moved past him, opening the back door and finding Comme Des curled up on Kibum and Minho's back porch. He set Garcons down, the little ball of black fluff running over to his brother, bowing playfully before him, enticing him to play. Jonghyun sat on the back porch step, watching the pair of them run around the community garden.

A guest of nippy autumn wind reminded him that he was shirtless, causing him to shiver as a rash of goosebumps bloomed across his exposed skin. The back door opened and Jonghyun looked back, finding Taemin stepping down to join him on the porch, a sweatshirt in hand.

He passed it to Jonghyun, who leaned away to pull it on, then rocked back, his shoulder brushing against Taemin's. "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem."

He stayed pressed against Taemin, the contact, however small, was pleasant. Peaceful, even. But maybe that was just the morning.

"Wait." Jonghyun swung his head around, looking incredulously at a confused Taemin. "Your flight!"

"Oh. Yeah, no that left hours ago," he said with a chuckle.

"Don't you…" he blinked rapidly, scooting away from Taemin so he could see him better. "Don't you need to go home?"

He grinned, eyes shining. "I've got two weeks of paid vacation time because I never take breaks. I already called my job to let them know I'll be here for a while." Jonghyun's mouth popped open, just barely, and Taemin's smile faltered. "If you don't want me to stay, that's okay, I understand."

What had been intended to be a single kiss, then a single night...turned into two weeks?

Whether it was a good idea or not, he still liked the thought. Because he liked Taemin, despite his being a Muggle -- or a No-Maj, or whatever the fuck. Would two spontaneously started weeks together be good for him? For both of them?

For his part, he was inclined to think so. If it didn't work out, then...what was the harm? A broken heart after only two weeks was nothing...comparatively.

“No, I think that should be okay.” Taemin relaxed beside him, and Jonghyun averted his eyes, turning his head to find the dogs again so he could hide his growing smile. “I guess I should go make us some breakfast, huh?”

“You’ll probably do better than I did.”

Jonghyun smirked, then schooled his expression as he looked back at Taemin. “Just relax out here with the dogs. I’ll call you in when it’s ready.” Taemin nodded, and Jonghyun grabbed his shoulder, hoisting himself up and heading back inside. “Wait, do you like coffee?” He looked over his shoulder at Jonghyun, nodding. “How do you usually take it?”

“Oh, uh…” His face scrunched in thought, and the word adorable crossed his mind. Maybe set up camp. Who’s to say? “I don’t remember. I just get it from a shop on my way into work.”

Jonghyun laughed. “I’ll let you doctor it up how you like, then.” And then he let the door close behind him.

Breakfasts were usually very simple fares for him, especially now that he didn’t live with the band anymore. Phillipe and Pierre were much better cooks than he ever was, which is why he couldn’t do much more than make some toast and scramble some eggs without the assistance of magic. So, once he got the coffee going, he started on the toast before grabbing the last of the eggs from the fridge.

Well, time to go grocery shopping again. He sighed heavily, then glanced at the door. Maybe Taemin would want to come with? He usually tagged along with Minho or Kibum or both of them, just so he wouldn’t have to brave the grocery store alone.

That, and their conversation usually drowned out the occasional Nebulous Stardust songs that would play throughout the store.

The toast popped up, startling the thought of his band out of his mind. He shook his head as he stirred the eggs for a few more seconds and took them off the heat, setting them aside so he could butter the toast and get plates for each of them. Then he poured the coffee and poked his head outside.

“Tae -- “ he started to call out, but then he stopped, grinning when he found him lying on the undoubtedly cold ground, the puppies clambering over him. “Breakfast is ready!”

Once Taemin stood, the puppies ran over to the open door and Jonghyun left it wide open for Taemin, who was a few steps behind, while he dished up their food and got them some water. Taemin was sitting at the counter sipping his coffee by the time Jonghyun returned, his plate before him. Jonghyun turned his back to him as he spooned some sugar in his own coffee.

“So, just out of curiosity,” Jonghyun said, gulping when Taemin hummed in question. “What exactly are you expecting to happen by the time you go home?”

Taemin coughed, and Jonghyun glanced over his shoulder before he twisted to face him, leaning against the counter and watching him expectantly. “I just...I don’t know...want to get to know you better. Is that okay?”

Jonghyun nodded, eyeing him as his attention returned to his meager breakfast. “What happens after, though?”

He smiled without looking up, then shrugged. “Whatever we want, I guess. We’ll just have to wait and see.” He looked up then, searching Jonghyun’s gaze before looking away.

Jonghyun sighed, then took a few more sips of his coffee before setting it aside. “I’ve, um, got to go grocery shopping later...would you like to go with me or would you rather stay here with the dogs?”

“I can come with you!”

“Let me just...oh, shit…” Taemin’s eyebrows shot up in question. “Your luggage. That’s probably still at the hotel, huh?”

“Oh, damn, I didn’t even think of that.”

Jonghyun snorted, cracking a half-smile when Taemin sighed in exasperation at himself. “We should probably go pick that up, too.” When Taemin just offered a sheepish grin, Jonghyun pushed away from the counter. “Let me just go get ready and we can head out.”

It didn’t take long for them to get ready to go. Jonghyun offered to let Taemin borrow some of his casual, No-Maj-passing clothes that Kibum had picked for him instead of donning the suit he had worn to the wedding. They were about the same size, Taemin a little lither than himself, so they fit fairly well. Jonghyun pulled on one of the old sweaters that Kibum’s grandma had knit for him that he kept charming to fit his now-adult body, a pair of jeans, and some boots. And, once the dogs' water was refilled, they were off.

“You don’t have to do the memory thing if we’re just coming right back, right?” Taemin asked as Jonghyun led him out of the wardrobe and into Madge’s shop on Canal Street.

“Nah, it should be fine. That’d probably get redundant,” Jonghyun said, waving to Madge as he led Taemin up the street. He looked curiously over their shoulders, no doubt searching for the ghost he couldn’t see. “Where’s your hotel again?”

“Uh…”

They ended up hailing a cab, since Taemin could only remember the address but not how to get there on foot, and Jonghyun was basically clueless when it came to No-Maj New York. When they arrived, Jonghyun roamed the lobby while Taemin got a new room key --he had misplaced his -- and packed up his stuff so he could check out.

Jonghyun, while he waited, found his way back to the piano. He sat at the empty bench, staring at the keys for a while before he raised his hands to let his fingertips graze them. He didn’t know much about playing the piano. Sure, he could pick out a tune and some of the chords that accompanied the melody, but the guitar had always been his preferred instrument, other than his voice. Still, he started to play. A simple melody, one that he had started to work the kinks out of in the final days of Nebulous Stardust.

“Sounds good,” someone said, startling Jonghyun enough to stop playing. He whirled around, finding Taemin staring at him in surprise. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to -- “

“It’s okay. Are you ready?”

He nodded, and together they went back outside, heading straight for Canal Street once more. Once they were through the Center and out onto the cobblestone lane of the Boulevard, Jonghyun stopped, grabbing his wand from his back pocket and laughing at Taemin’s wide eyes when he pointed the tip of it at his suitcase.

“What, you don’t want to lug this around the whole time we’re shopping, do you?”

“No…”

His eyes grew wider still when Jonghyun sent it flying away with a thought of /Depulso/ and his bedroom, his mouth popping slightly open as it disappeared around a corner. “Come on,” Jonghyun said, reaching for his hand and tugging him along toward the grocery store. “You can’t let them know you’re not a wizard, alright?” Taemin blinked several times, looking down at their joined hands until Jonghyun released his. “Technically, non-wizards aren’t allowed to be in wizarding communities. Or even know about them.”

“Okay, got it. Do you want me to hold that?” Jonghyun looked back at him as he grabbed the basket to carry his groceries in, then shook his head.

“Wingardium Leviosa,” he whispered as he pointed his wand at the basket, raising it easily to waist height and leaving it there.

Taemin gasped, all excited, then quickly schooled his expression as he looked around to make sure none of the other wizards noticed his reaction at such a simple spell. Jonghyun smirked, eyeing him for a second before he started forward, the basket on one side and Taemin on the other after he jogged to catch up to him.

Was he trying to be impressive? Perhaps. But, it wasn’t his fault that Taemin’s reactions were cute, okay?

“So,” he said once they reached the produce section. “Tell me about yourself.”

The shy, cute smile was back, and he looked around as Jonghyun grabbed a few oranges, then said, “I don’t know. There’s not much to tell.”

“Bullshit.”

Taemin licked his lips, smiling still, and for a second, Jonghyun let his gaze drop to them. The top lip was oddly shaped, he saw that now. Not that it was ugly. Nothing about Taemin was. It just…well, he found himself wanting to kiss him again, just to see if he could—

“Well, I guess, I’ve been into dancing all my life,” he said, the sound of his voice drawing Taemin away from his reveries. “My mom started my brother on it too, but he didn’t stick with it. I think she wanted girls if I’m being honest.”

“Why do you say that?”

Taemin shrugged, then laughed, stepping closer to one of the pots of baby mandrakes. “I think that turnip just glared at me.”

“Probably did,” Jonghyun said, slipping his hand around Taemin’s waist and guiding him away from the mandrakes before they started screaming.

“Anyways,” Taemin said, catching one of the dirigible plums before it floated away from its bin. “I wasn’t particularly interested in school, but I did okay. Mom was happy enough. My first,” he paused, squinting in thought, “sorta-boyfriend was one of my best friends, but I think we just spent too much time together. Broke up without telling our families about our relationship. We’re still friends, though.”

Still friends? Eh, guess he couldn’t fault him for that.

“I like his new boyfriend, though. Kinda quiet. Very funny. They suit each other.”

Jonghyun hummed, unsure of what else to say as he started for the dry goods section of the store.

“And then after I graduated, I went into the military.”

“Marines, like Minho?”

Taemin’s breathy laugh turned into a snort that drew a few of the passersby's attention. “God, no. I love myself too much for that. Military band for me.”

“What’d you play?”

He hummed, his brow furrowing as he read the moving labels on the soup cans Jonghyun was grabbing from the shelves. “Honestly? I can’t remember right now.” Jonghyun chuckled, glancing over at him with a smile. “After I got out, I went back to my old dance studio and they let me start instructing, which has been nice. Been doing that for a few years, now.”

“No other boyfriends since your first?”

Taemin shook his head. “Girlfriend, though.” Jonghyun blinked, doing a double-take as he looked back at him, but Taemin didn’t notice his surprise. “We broke up...what day is it?”

“Uh, first of November.”

“Right. Two months ago, then.”

Ah...so he must be the rebound then. He’d done the same with Pierre. Didn’t end well. “What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I was too clingy, I guess. That’s what Danbi said, anyway.” He sniffed a laugh, pointing to one of the bottles of premade potion, a few lizard eyes floating within it. “Are those eyes?”

“Yes. Shh, let’s go.”

It became quite the chore, keeping Taemin from revealing that he was a No-Maj to the rest of the shoppers. Jonghyun grabbed whatever he could think of -- he rarely made a shopping list, but today, especially, he was in a hurry -- and they checked out, laden with bags on the way home. The puppies greeted them excitedly, pestering Jonghyun as he put away his groceries until Taemin drew them away to the living room.

Once Jonghyun finished putting everything away, he found the coiled leashes for Comme Des and Garcons, slipping them off the counter and shaking them to get the puppies' attention. He tossed the red one to Taemin, who fumbled with it, but caught it. “That one is Garcons’.”

The chill autumn wind whistled around him as they walked down the cobblestone lane. Everyone still had their decorations for Halloween out — because, in Salem Boulevard, they usually went up mid-August and didn’t get taken down until the first of December. Taemin was still excited, though he wasn’t talking as much anymore. Just looking around, eyes bright and wide, taking everything in.

He still wasn’t quite sure what to think of him. Did he like him? Yes, he was funny and cute and sweet with a mischievous, playful side. The exact opposite of Pierre. But, well, again, he wasn’t sure. Should he open his heart up to this…No-Maj? Should he open his heart again at all? That had only given him pain before…

Or, maybe it didn’t need to be that serious. A two-week fling with a cute guy with low odds for ever crossing his path again? Sounded ideal. Just what he needed.

His eyes landed on Comme Des, then drifted over to Garcons, the sight of them reminding him of their owners. He sighed heavily, his breath pluming around him. Yeah, okay, maybe he wanted what they had. So what? Not everyone gets what they want…

“Woah, what’s that?” Taemin asked, his fingers grazing Jonghyun’s arm as he reached for him.

Jonghyun looked around him to where he was pointing. “Remember those weird nectarine things that were floating in the store?” He nodded, meeting Jonghyun’s gaze before looking back at the wild bush with floating orange fruit. “Those are that. Dirigible plums.”

“Can we go look at them?”

Jonghyun smiled, he couldn’t stop himself. “Sure.”

Taemin kept pressing down on them, only for them to float back up, higher than they had been. Technically, they weren’t supposed to take any of the wild ones, but no one was around and Jonghyun was just too soft when Taemin turned his pleading eyes to him. They did, however, have a bit of a hard time concealing them in their pockets on the way home.

Dinner was simple, even with the help of the cookbook Kibum had bought for him ages ago, but Taemin didn’t seem to mind. He ate his fill, then a bit more when Jonghyun cut up the dirigible plums they had picked and tossed them over some vanilla ice cream. Maybe he should have cooked them? Kibum probably would have, but Jonghyun wasn’t sure if he had any ingredients for that. Taemin didn’t complain, though, which was nice of him.

When Jonghyun came back from letting the dogs out one last time, Taemin was nowhere to be found. The puppies followed him up to his room when he ran up the stairs, both of them hopping on the bed once he reached the top stair.

The shower was running.

Jonghyun relaxed, his gaze continually trailing back to the door as he stripped out of his jeans and sweater. By the time he had slipped into his sweatpants, the water turned off. He froze, unsure of where to stand or look until the door cracked open and Taemin stepped through.

His damp hair clung to his forehead, and he grinned at Jonghyun as his hand settled on the towel wrapped around his hips. “Sorry, were you planning on showering?”

“Uh, no.” He gulped, his mouth suddenly dry as Taemin breezed past him, a hint of his musky body wash buffeting him. “I shower in the mornings.”

“Hm, should I have waited, then?”

He asked it so quietly that Jonghyun couldn’t be sure if he imagined it. Eyebrows raised, he followed Taemin’s progress into the room to where his suitcase lay by the bed. Ah, his cheeks and ears were a bit pink. Jonghyun smiled, looking away. Adorable.

“You don’t mind sharing a bed, do you?” Jonghyun asked as he turned and went inside the bathroom, raising his voice as he wet his toothbrush. “I wanna make sure you’re comfortable.”

He started brushing his teeth, jumping when Taemin appeared in the doorway. Their eyes met in the mirror. “I,” he cleared his throat. “I don’t mind at all.”

Jonghyun stopped brushing his teeth, pulling out his toothbrush just long enough to say, “Give me a minute,” before he continued.

Taemin was snuggled under the covers, hair and eyes and nose peeking out, by the time Jonghyun left the bathroom. Both of the dogs were curled up on the bed between his side and Taemin’s, making themselves quite at home. Sighing, Jonghyun crawled into the left side, flopping over on his back. He blinked a few times before he turned his head, amused to find Taemin watching him.

“Ready for the light?” Taemin nodded, and Jonghyun reached for his wand. “Nox!”

The lights winked out, blanketing them in velvety darkness.

“Can you do that again?” Taemin whispered into the night.

Since he had yet to find a counter jinx to the effect that Taemin’s excited interest had on him, Jonghyun relented, lighting and darkening the room a few more times until Garcons got up, barking at him.

Jonghyun set the wand aside, the darkness warm against his skin. He could barely make out Taemin’s silhouette in the pale moonlight streaming through the window. As he turned and dislodged Comme Des from his makeshift bed on his legs. He seemed to be hesitating. But why?

He sniffed in surprise when something damp and cold rested against his arm. Taemin stiffened beside him. “Sorry, I forgot…”

Did he want to cuddle? Or, something like that?

Jonghyun blinked rapidly, shifting closer to him. “It’s okay, I’m expecting it now.”

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the sheets and covers rasped together, and Taemin’s damp head rested on his shoulder, his arm draping across his middle.

He’d never really been held in bed before. Not even by Pierre. Sure, they slept beside each other for many years, and occasionally Pierre would indulge him, but it never lasted that long. When he was sure that Taemin had no intention of releasing him, Jonghyun slipped his arm around him, holding him closer still. And for the first time in living memory, he was asleep in moments.

When he woke, Taemin was still holding him. Still asleep. Maybe he was a little too warm, but right now, he couldn’t care less. Jonghyun looked down at Taemin’s sleeping profile, his thumb stroking lazily back and forth on his back. The urge to kiss the top of his head grew the longer he watched him, and before he could stop himself, he indulged the urge. Taemin’s face scrunched up a little, and he held Jonghyun a little tighter, but he didn’t wake.

He needed to get up, to get ready to head into work, to let the dogs out, but he couldn’t bring himself to detach Taemin from his side. Jonghyun shifted slightly, grabbing his phone. He had an hour and a half before he had to be at work, so hopefully, Taemin would wake himself up naturally before then.

Minutes ticked by, and nothing. Should he just get up? Leave Taemin to sleep peacefully while he got ready? He checked his phone again. One hour until work. He closed his eyes, sighing as he set his phone aside. Then he carefully extracted himself from Taemin.

“Where are you going?” Taemin mumbled once he reached the closet. He was sitting half up now, leaning on his elbow and rubbing his eye as he looked at Jonghyun.

“I have to get ready for work,” Jonghyun said, crossing the room to return to him. To kiss him good morning. As soon as he pulled away, Taemin blinked sleepily, his gaze searching his. “I can come back to check in on my lunch break,” he said as Taemin’s attention dipped to his lips. Jonghyun smiled. “Does that sound okay?” Taemin nodded, and Jonghyun kissed him again, lingering longer than he intended when Taemin’s hand slipped around his neck, holding him there.

In the back of his mind, he knew he had to get ready to leave, but there was something so addicting about him. He barely registered crawling back into bed, his only thought was of Taemin. And his lips and the way his kisses grew ever hungrier. His hands and the way they roamed his skin, holding him closer. Only when the alarm on his phone went off did Jonghyun pull away, and he stared blankly at it before he realized what it meant.

“Shit,” he muttered, and Taemin stopped kissing his neck, meeting his gaze when he looked back at him. “I really gotta get ready.”

With a great effort, he slipped out of Taemin’s arms and hurried to his closet, picking clothes at random. “I wish I could come with you.”

Jonghyun snorted, glancing over at him as he changed out of his sweatpants and into a pair of jeans. “Please, I need to be at least a little focused on work today.”

“Are you saying I’m distracting?”

He huffed a quiet laugh as he pulled on his boots and Taemin grinned. “You don’t mind looking after the dogs for me, do you?” Taemin shook his head and Jonghyun stood, walking over to kiss him one last time. “I’ll see you at lunch, then.”

While he did go home for lunch, he forgot all about the actual meal.

They fell into a rhythm, then, as the days passed. Each moment they spent together felt more natural and relaxed than the last. He’d gotten used to Taemin’s shyness, his clinginess. In fact, he couldn’t imagine why his ex had broken up with him because of it. Well, in any case, he was grateful to her. He hadn’t realized how much he had been craving someone like this. How had he stayed with someone as aloof as Pierre for so long? Obligation, perhaps?

Taemin was warm and friendly and funny and adorable when Pierre...well, actually, now that he was thinking about it, he couldn’t remember much about him. Especially when Taemin was around. Even the good points. True, he’d never be truly free of him. Pierre was a stain on his life that would linger in the back of his mind forever, but Taemin...Taemin filled his mind with such light that even thoughts of Pierre were fleeting when before they would linger long past their welcome.

When Monday rolled back around and it was time for him to go to work after the weekend off, Jonghyun could feel Taemin’s scrutiny as he got ready for work. He finally looked back at him after he pulled his head through the neck hole of his sweater, smiling at Taemin’s slightly forlorn expression. “Don’t look at me like that, you know I have to go to work.”

“It’s dumb.”

“I mean, you’re not wrong.” Taemin sighed, then smiled up at him as he returned to the bed to kiss him goodbye. “I’d rather not leave you either.”

“Then can I come with? Just until lunch?” he added quickly when Jonghyun’s brow furrowed. “You won’t even know I’m there, I promise.”

Doubtful, to be honest. But his track record for refusing Taemin anything in the few days that he had known him was not great. At all.

“Get ready quick, then, if you -- “ He didn’t even get a chance to finish. Taemin bounded out of bed and over to where his clothes hung in the closet.

After the dogs were cared for and they had a quick breakfast, they were on their way to the Center, Taemin’s hand slipping into his as soon as the door was closed behind them. Jonghyun swung their hands back and forth as they walked along, feeling warm despite the chilly autumn morning.

As with his experience with everything having to do with magic thus far, Taemin was extremely interested in whatever Jonghyun was doing up until lunch. Even when he was simply handwriting the labels and receipts for the different potions Crow made. He kept having to keep him from getting too near the spouts for the venomous tentacula. Sure, they were small, but somehow that made them even more vicious.

Still, it was cute to watch him interact with it all. Growing up around all of this, he never really thought too much about how amazing it must seem to an outsider. True, he reacted similarly whenever Minho -- or now, Taemin, as well -- showed him or explained a part of the No-Maj world that he’d never heard of before. He was just so amazed by what Jonghyun considered to be the simplest things. He kinda hoped that would never wear off.

“You ready for lunch?” Jonghyun asked as he wrote his clocking-out time down.

Taemin, who was absorbed in the copy of the Oracle that Jonghyun had translated into Korean for him, didn’t hear him until he asked again. “Yeah! Sorry…”

“It’s okay.” Jonghyun slipped out of his apron and came around the counter, holding his hand out for Taemin to take so he could lead him up to the food court.

He let Taemin choose where they went for lunch, which was -- yet again -- the sushi bar. They ate their fill, but still had a bit of time before Jonghyun had to be back to work, so they roamed the shops, Jonghyun explaining some of the magical tools and instruments that Taemin pointed out. That was until Taemin pulled him toward the music shop, which usually sat out of sight from the apothecary behind the Grated Tree.

Taemin looked up at the display window, watching the instruments play a symphony all on their own. Their music bled out from the closed door, the harmonies drawing them closer to it. Without asking, Taemin opened the door, peering in before he opened the door wider and slipped inside. After a second’s hesitation, Jonghyun followed him.

He shoved his hands in his pockets as he wandered around, following Taemin over to where the pianos were. After getting permission from one of the employees, Taemin started to play, his music drowning out the symphony from the display window. Eventually, Jonghyun meandered away, finding the guitars. His breath caught in his throat as his gaze landed on one in particular.

It was nothing special. Just your standard acoustic guitar. But, it looked almost exactly like the one Mom had bought him ages ago.

The one that he had left behind when he moved here.

His hand shook a little as he reached for it, gently taking it off its hook. He slipped the shoulder strap around him, getting comfortable, one hand holding the neck, the other poised to pluck the strings.

Had it been too long? He hadn’t touched a guitar in years. Would he remember how to play?

Tentatively, he pressed a chord into the fingerboard, his thumb strumming the strings. It was in tune, at least. He closed his eyes as he played another chord, then another, and soon, he was playing one of his old songs. The band hadn’t agreed on it, so it had gotten scrapped. He hadn’t even come up with a title for it, but somehow, he remembered it. He hummed along until the end, most of the lyrics forgotten.

When he opened his eyes, he found Taemin leaning against the shelves across from him, watching him. Jonghyun gulped, pulling the strap over his head. “No, don’t stop because of me, please. That was beautiful.”

“I have to get back to work.”

His fingers ached, the familiar calluses long gone, as he put the guitar back on its hook. They left without purchasing anything, and Jonghyun walked him to the Center’s exit, kissing him goodbye before he trudged back to the apothecary.

It was almost as if the music shop were staring at him, daring him to come back inside.

He was only able to ignore it for a few days, but then his resolve broke when Crow handed him his paycheck. As soon as he cashed it in, he withdrew enough to purchase the guitar. He practically ran home, the case swinging back and forth beside him.

“Look what I bought!” he said as soon as he toed his wet boots off and shook the rain out of his hair. “Where are you?”

“Upstairs!”

Taemin was almost as excited as he was when he showed him the guitar, and as soon as he was able to start dinner cooking itself, he camped out on the couch, his legs thrown over Taemin’s, and started working on tuning /his/ guitar.

“What was that song you played before?”

“One of mine. The band didn’t like the lyrics so we never used it.”

Taemin started tickling one of his feet until Jonghyun twitched it out of his reach, glaring at him before looking back at his guitar with a small smile. “Why didn’t they like them?”

“They have bad taste.”

“Clearly.” Jonghyun sniffed a laugh, digging his heel into Taemin’s thigh when he tried to start tickling his foot again. He stopped, grinning impishly at him as he shook his head. “Do you remember the lyrics?”

“Some of them. It’s been a while.” He could feel Taemin’s expectant gaze, so he found the chord that started the chorus on the fingerboard. “Such a beautiful view...and then someone is supposed to adlib, but I don’t remember what...Show me more...” Feeling slightly self-conscious, he stopped playing, his palm pressing against the strings to quiet them.

When he looked up, Taemin immediately dropped his gaze, helping Garcons up onto the couch. Jonghyun leaned forward to scratch him behind the ears as he curled up between them. “I know you said it’s hard to get back into music because of your ex, and,” he cleared his throat, “I get that. But…” He looked up then, meeting Jonghyun’s curious gaze. “I really hope you’ll be able to soon.”

“I think you’re just being nice. Because you like me so much.”

Taemin grinned sheepishly, fiddling with a string on the hem of Jonghyun’s jeans. “It’s possible, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.”

After dinner, Jonghyun returned to the couch with his guitar and Taemin kept Comme Des and Garcons occupied on the floor. He had grabbed one of his self-inking quills and a new sheet of parchment so he could jot down whatever lyrics came to mind as he messed around with the old tune. He was underlining a line he especially liked when he thought he heard one of the puppies yelping. He jumped up, his guitar set aside, when he realized that it was Taemin who had made that noise.

He was backing away into the kitchen, his eyes on a spot on the carpet, his face contorted in a fearful grimace until he looked up to find Jonghyun watching him. His face colored and he looked back at the carpet. “I know it’s dumb, but...but I’m terrified of bugs.”

“Bugs?” He nodded earnestly, still not looking up. Jonghyun stepped over Comme Des on his way to the kitchen where he had left his wand. To be honest, he was no fan of bugs either, but at least he didn’t have to touch them to get rid of them. “What kind was it?”

“Spider,” Taemin said, shuddering.

Jonghyun grabbed his wand and looked back to where Taemin had been. Garcons was sniffing the carpet, so Jonghyun made his way over, and sure enough, a large disgustingly hairy black spider was making its way across the thick shag carpet. Jonghyun winced as he wordlessly flicked his wand at it, levitating it. “Get out of the way, babe,” he said to Taemin, who darted back across the room and as far away from the floating spider as he could. Jonghyun took it to the back door, flinging it out into the night.

He closed the door, looking back at Taemin. He was sitting in the spot that Jonghyun had vacated, watching him with wide eyes. Jonghyun smiled reassuringly, then tapped the door with the tip of his wand and said “Reverbaro!”

A ring of light bloomed from the spot his wand tip touched, growing and growing until it consumed the kitchen, the living room, then disappeared up the stairs.

“What did you do?” Taemin asked, his voice a little hoarse.

“That’s a repelling charm,” Jonghyun said, setting his wand back down on the counter before he started for the couch. “It’ll keep any bugs away for a very long time.” Taemin’s mouth was slightly agape as he watched Jonghyun settle back on the couch and take up his guitar again. He was about to start playing again when he still felt his gaze, so he met his eyes. “What?”

“Can you come and do that at my place?”

“Sure. Just name the time.”

He strummed a few chords, glancing over at him and doing a double-take when he saw his incredulous expression. “Where have you been all of my life?”

“Oh, around. I’m here now, at least.” He set his guitar aside with a chuckle, then glanced up at Taemin, half-grinning. “You know, I might have to come over pretty often, to check on the charm once it's in place, you know. Make sure it’s still working for you.”

For a second, Taemin looked as if he were about to say something, but he changed his mind, deciding instead to kiss him. Much later, when all was dark and tranquil and they were still tangled together in Jonghyun’s bed, Taemin’s voice, soft and tentative, broke the silence.

“Would you really want to come over?” he asked, his fingertips grazing Jonghyun’s arm as he held him close. “To Korea, I mean. After I go home.”

“Of course I do.” The silence seemed to smile, and Jonghyun pressed a kiss to Taemin’s head. “I wish you didn’t have to go if I’m being honest. I kinda like having you around.”

“I kinda like being around you, too.”

“You just like me because I’ll take care of the bugs for you.” Taemin let out a breathy chuckle, then brought their joined hands up to kiss the back of Jonghyun's hand. “When does your flight leave?”

“At seven. Which means I should get there at five.”

Jonghyun stretched out, grabbing his phone. “It’s two-fifteen now. We should probably try to sleep.”

“Or…” Or? Jonghyun’s eyebrows rose as he set his phone back down. “I mean, who knows how long it will be until we see each other again…”

He sniffed a laugh as he rolled over, bracing himself around Taemin. Even in the faint moonlight, he could see the eagerness, the playfulness in Taemin’s eyes. “So, what you’re saying is that you can sleep on the plane.”

“That and we’re wasting our precious time, don’t you think?”

They did not, in fact, sleep at all. But then, Jonghyun would never complain about that.

Getting Taemin ready for the airport was peppered with yawns and lingering kisses. They only had to go back to the house twice for things that Taemin forgot, but then they were off, not holding each other’s hand only when Taemin loaded and unloaded his luggage from the taxi and when he went up to the front desk to check his bag. He plodded sleepily back over to Jonghyun once he was free of his luggage, melting into his open arms.

“I don’t wanna go,” he murmured as they swayed a little together.

“I’ll be there before you know it.” He nodded, then sighed before he tore himself away from Jonghyun. “Let me know when you get home, alright?” Jonghyun said just before Taemin leaned in to kiss him.

“I will.” He kissed him again, then again when Taemin was back in his arms. “I guess I should go.”

“If you must.”

Sighing again, Taemin slipped away, waving goodbye before turning his back on him and starting for security. Then he stopped in his tracks, turning on his heel. Jonghyun’s eyebrows rose in curiosity when he came back to him. “What’d you forget?”

“Not me. You.” He hummed in question. “The memory charm thing. You forgot to do that when we left the Boulevard.”

Oh right. Huh.

“Well, maybe I wanted you to remember everything.” Taemin’s concern melted away to fondness, and he smiled as Jonghyun pulled him into one last kiss. “See you later, babe.”

“Yeah, see you.”

He grinned, his eyes glimmering in the airport lights, and he turned, hurrying now for the line leading to security. Jonghyun watched him until he slipped past the security barrier and was gone. He could feel himself start to deflate a little as he turned away, trodding back toward the exit.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and Jonghyun dug it out, finding that Taemin texted him. He stopped walking, opening the message.

[5:06 am]

I can’t wait for you to come over We’re gonna have so much fun

Jonghyun smiled, glancing back over his shoulder to the security barrier. But before he could respond, Taemin sent a picture. A very unflattering picture, with his eyes wide with a weird expression, his chin pulled back to give him several double chins.

Look at how attractive your boyfriend is

Boyfriend...Jonghyun smiled at his phone screen, his heart fluttering. Yeah, he had to agree with him there.

You’re such a nerd

When Taemin didn’t respond right away, Jonghyun started walking again, saving the picture as he did. He’d set it to Taemin’s contact picture when he got home. After Kibum and Minho got back, he’d be heading straight to the Portkey Approval Office at the Center so he could head over to Korea on his next weekend off.

Actually, he was pretty sure that he and the clerks at the PAO were about to become very familiar with each other.

#Jongtae #SHINee fic #SHINee au #SHINee #Jonghyun #Taemin #year: after hogwarts #bonus material #is it weird to tag this with 'after hogwarts' since neither of them were there? anyways

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shitfics · 4 years ago

Text

Up in the Air; onjongtae; nc-17

Taemin’s friendship with Jinki has been strained for months. When Jinki ditches their evening plans once again without explanation, Taemin follows him to see what Jinki had abandoned him for. He finds Jinki in the arms of a charming air pirate named Jonghyun—and after a few rounds of drinks, finds their relationship even more intriguing than it had first appeared.

AO3 LINK

I started this a few months back when I started replaying Skies of Arcadia. Consider it part of my ‘revisiting the setting of old unrated JRPGs with the Digital Devil Saga inspired fic. ^^ This has always been one of my favorite RPG settings. Though it can be a bit cheesy, it’s wholesome and fun.

I want to apologize/prewarn that this may be pretty low-quality, but hopefully isn’t confusing or riddled with too many errors. I didn’t really have anyone to beta it so I did the proofreading myself, even though I’m terrible at that. Whether or not hammocks can actually be used the way they are in this fic, I have no idea, but I prioritized horniness over physics here.

There is a bit of a hanging ending because I have a semi-complete plot for this verse, though I don’t know if I’ll revisit it since I’m busy with original things. So the open/kinda sad ending here is definitely not the ‘real’ one. Since this is a oneshot, I’ve gone ahead and put the full fic below the cut.

Taemin ran a thumb along the cork of the wine bottle in his lap.

Jinki should’ve shown up by now. This afternoon, Taemin had been late for his daily briefing from the Valuan Armada because he’d slipped away to remind Jinki of their plans. There was no chance Jinki could have forgotten, and it wasn’t as if their plans required any preparations. They were going to meet for drinks and cards after dinner. That was all Taemin had asked for.

And yet, despite all Taemin’s reminders, the plan had fallen through. Taemin set the bottle down on the table hard enough to rattle the still-empty glasses. When was the last time they’d gotten to spend time alone? Months ago?

With every day his mother got older, the court circled closer to him, desperate for some sort of connection before the Empress died and his ass was permanently cemented on the throne. Nobles that had ignored him for years, thinking their efforts at winning favor were better spent on his mother, now acted like his best friend. Taemin pretended not to notice and dismissed them as smoothly as he could. He didn’t want sycophants. If he was ever going to take advice, he wanted it to be from someone that had always been there for him.

Only he didn’t have someone like that anymore. That was becoming more and more apparent.

Tonight wasn’t the first time Jinki had snubbed him. For the past year, Jinki had withdrawn. They no longer shared tables at parties, no longer met in the Armada training yards to hone their swordplay or marksmanship, no longer sent each other suffering looks when an admiral decided to ruin an evening with inflated tales of the latest land they had conquered or air pirate they had apprehended.

Well. Taemin still sent Jinki looks—they just weren’t returned.

Taemin had tried to broach the distance between them. Surely, something had gone wrong to make their friendship to change so drastically. But every time he asked, Jinki would give him that damned glowing smile and insist things were the same—he was just tired, or busy, or distracted. Taemin would feel stupid for worrying and drop it, then feel stupid again once the evening was done and he returned to the royal wing with a knot in his chest.

He gave Jinki another quarter hour. The rapid-fire thwacks as Taemin shuffled his cards drowned out the unrelenting ticks of the grandfather clock, but his eyes never left it.

The quarter hour passed. Five more minutes, he told himself. Then one last shuffle, as if that were a unit of time.

His hands shook—with rage, hurt, or shame, he didn’t know—and when the two stacks of cards interlocked and bent, he misjudged their placement. The edges caught, sending the deck flying out the two neat stacks and across the table.

Taemin swore and stood, leaving the cards scattered.

The door of the lounge slammed behind him. He stomped towards the wing of the palace where Jinki spent most of his nights. Though his family had a mansion a short walk away in Upper City, they kept a suite at the palace, too. His mother and father were heavy enough drinkers that a closer place to crash after parties was prudent.

Taemin rapped a gloved hand against the door. The head servant of their palace staff answered, eyes widening when he recognized Taemin. The poor man wasn’t at fault for Jinki’s failure to appear, so Taemin tried to manage a smile.

“Good evening,” Taemin said. “I’m looking for Jinki. He was supposed to meet me in the Silver Moon lounge for drinks. Is he in there? Is it possible he’s gone to the wrong room for our meeting?”

“I’m sorry, your highness. I wasn’t aware he had a meeting with you. He’s left for the night.”

Taemin froze. “Left?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“And he didn’t tell you what for?”

The man shook his head. “I’m sure it must have been urgent, if he abandoned your appointment without speaking to you first.”

“I’m sure it was.” Taemin crossed his arms and scowled. If Jinki didn’t want to be friends with him any longer, the least he could do was say it. “Thanks for letting me know, at least.”

“Of course, your highness. I apologize again for his absence.”

The servant gave a hasty bow and shut the door with a too-loud click, no doubt eager to escape a pissed-off prince.

Taemin stared at the lacquered oak, then snapped out of his daze and paced the hall as he tried to decide what to do with another night alone. He stopped at one of the palace’s dozen balconies that looked over the grounds and squinted through the fog. Under the yellow moon and its constant storms, even wealth and magic weren’t enough to create the sort of lush and well-tended gardens royalty possessed in books. Instead, their status was displayed through fountains, statues, intricate marble pathways, and electric lamps to make up for the lack of natural color.

Though the rainfall was no more than a drizzle—a rarity—only a few figures strolled the grounds. Taemin propped an elbow against the window ledge and watched. The lights cast everything in a faint, murky yellow, but he could make out the black piping of a familiar coat at a distance.

His jaw flexed in anger. He’d recognize that stupid out of fashion garment anywhere.

Dashing down the stairs, he ran towards an exit that would put him closest to where he’d spotted Jinki.

He needed to see what was so damn important to make Jinki skip out on him.

The way out sent him past one of the palace’s dozen laundry rooms. He grabbed a plain outfit and rain cloak as he passed through, figuring a change of clothes would help him escape notice if he had to tail Jinki further out of the palace grounds.

Jinki’s pace was leisurely, and Taemin’s rush allowed him to catch up with Jinki just as he reached one of the lesser-used and lazily-guarded gates between the palace and the Upper City.

They both passed through without questions. When they reached a crowded strip of brightly-lit theatres, shops, and pubs, Taemin almost lost interest in his pursuit—what could be found in one opulent drinking place that wasn’t found in the palace?—but he continued to follow until Jinki ducked into an alleyway.

The alley was empty when Taemin rounded the corner. He swore, convinced that he’d lost Jinki, then spotted an open manhole cover. He approached the entrance slowly, nose wrinkling at the stink that emitted from inside. After waiting a minute to give Jinki a better lead, he climbed down the ladder.

Grabbing clothes turned out to be a brilliant idea. Taemin changed out of his dinner clothes as he walked along the dark tunnel, heart racing. Judging by its direction and slope, the tunnel led to the Lower City. The new clothes wouldn’t allow him to blend in perfectly, but at least they weren’t silk, and the cloak would cover most of it. He’d only have to worry about his boots.

Finally, he reached an end and another open manhole. Taemin climbed up, worried if he waited too long he’d lose Jinki in the unfamiliar streets above. When he emerged into another alley, all he had to do was step out onto the street to find Jinki again.

Taemin closed the distance between them. The constant rumble of thunder drowned out his heaviest footsteps, and even if Jinki turned, only half of the street lamps worked. The few that did flickered, switching the appearance of those passing beneath them from pallid to jaundiced on a whim. Only the periodic flash of lightning might give away his face, but Jinki never looked back.

They wound their way through the dirty streets of Lower City, until finally, Jinki approached one of the battered buildings that lined the stone-and-cement paths.

A pub.

Taemin let him enter alone. Why would Jinki come here? And why would he refuse to tell anyone about it? If he simply wanted to avoid Taemin or the other nobility and drink alone, it’d make sense, but the visit was hardly illicit. Plenty of nobles enjoyed visiting the Lower City for their less-than-legal affairs or an unrestrained night on the town. If Jinki enjoyed slumming it, Taemin couldn’t imagine why he’d keep it so secret.

One of the pub’s walls was half open, separated from an outside porch by a single counter. A tin veranda protected the crowd and tables that spilled outside from the steady rain. Most of the drinkers appeared to be workers, judging by the soot and ash that covered their arms and breeches. There were others—a few low-ranking soldiers and off-duty servants as well—but one table stood out amongst the rest.

The men and women seated there wore mismatched clothes, some in dresses, vests, scarves, and shirts. All were armed, visibly or otherwise. And each outfit had one thing in common: a touch of blue.

Blue Rogues. Pirates.

Taemin shifted his attention to the entry and exit of the pub and waited. If Jinki stayed inside, Taemin would have to go in to observe him and risk being noticed. Outside, he might have a chance.

After what felt like hours, Jinki reappeared under the veranda with an overflowing mug in hand. He moved through the crowd with ease and a clear destination: the table of Blue Rogues.

Taemin’s eyes widened. Surely, Jinki was meeting with someone Taemin didn’t see—someone behind the pirates and out of view, or some friend that had somehow gotten roped into their lively game of cards—but when Jinki arrived, the entire table of Blue Rogues cheered.

Jinki returned the greetings with half-hugs and laughter as he made his way around the table. Taemin watched, lips parted in shock, when Jinki finally stopped—and climbed into the lap of the eyepatched man at the head of it.

Heat raced to Taemin’s face. Oh, moons.

The man stole a kiss, then steered Jinki around by his hips to face the table and pressed a drink into his hand. The chatter and card games at the table resumed, though a few gazes lingered on the pair.

To Jinki, the whole event was plainly routine. He sipped from his mug, unbothered as the man— pirate— beneath him ran a hand along his ribs.

Taemin weighed his next action. This certainly wasn’t what he expected to find after following Jinki. But if he went back to the palace, what was he going to do? Sleep like normal, as if Jinki hadn’t ditched him and snuck out that very night to fuck a Blue Rogue?

He’d never cared before who Jinki slept with. It wasn’t his business. But Jinki had made this particular man his business by abandoning their plans for this.

Taemin tightened his cloak around himself and marched into the pub.

Immediately, he felt out of place. No primly uniformed server came to greet him at the door and escort him to an exclusive table sectioned off from the others with velvet curtains. The ordering system here was cut-throat. Shouts for drinks and meals rose over the din, with the returned yell from staff shielded from the overflowing drinks and food scraps by only a dirtied apron.

Content to be ignored, Taemin wove through the crowded pub until he reached the door to the patio. He hovered at the threshold, hesitant—this might be his last chance to go unnoticed—and jumped when a man shoved past him.

“Watch it, kid,” the man grumbled. “You’re blocking the whole fucking door.”

Taemin righted himself just before he fell. His heart pounded. He was completely out of his element. But he wasn’t turning back now. Jinki would never expect him to appear here, and maybe that would be the shock the man needed to realize what an ass he’d been for the past few months.

He kept his chin high as he approached the Blue Rogues. If there was one thing he knew about that sort of pirate, it was that they respected confidence. He stopped beside Jinki and tapped him on the shoulder.

“Good evening, Jinki.”

Instantly, he regretted his choice of greeting. Half the table turned to him, some with snickers, some with only a raised brow or puckered lips in mockery of his Upper City accent.

He flushed, but refused to step back. Jinki took his time turning—the pirate under him had been lifting another drink to his lips, and he couldn’t move without spilling the ale all down his front. When Jinki finally managed to look at him, his eyes went wide, but any words remained stuck in his throat.

The eyepatched man took in Jinki’s shock and scanned Taemin, gaze lingering on Taemin’s unworn and well-made boots, before tightening a protective arm around Jinki’s waist. “A friend of yours?”

“Yes,” Jinki said, clipped. “What are you doing here?”

“I think I should be asking what you’re doing here. Or who.”

The pirate snorted. He set his drink aside and leaned around Jinki to extend a hand. “I’m Jonghyun. Captain. Good to meet you.”

“Jonghyun,” Taemin repeated, shocked out of his attention on Jinki. He shook Jonghyun’s hand out of instinct before thinking to refuse. “The son of Eunkyung The Legend?”

“That’s my mom.” Jonghyun gave a mocking salute. “I see you’re up to date on bounties.”

“Yes. Valua sets most of those bounties, and it’s exciting gossip for the nobility.”

“Which you’re one of, I assume—like Jinki. You have a name?”

“Taemin,” he said, and left it at that. Even if he didn’t want to hide who he was, titles felt inappropriate here.

“Taemin,” Jonghyun repeated. “As in...”

“As in the prince,” Jinki finished for him.

“Oh.” Jonghyun inspected Taemin for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to be bothered, before finally shrugging. “Do I still have to pay for your drinks, if you’re joining us as a guest?”

“I think there’s bigger things to worry about,” Jinki muttered, glancing back. He leaned towards Taemin, but Jonghyun’s arm snaked around his waist to stop him from leaving earshot. After a small sigh, Jinki continued anyway, voice low and pleading. “Please don’t tell anyone of this. I don’t care about my reputation, but I don’t want the armada or anyone else finding out that Jonghyun comes here. He could get hurt.”

“I won’t.” Taemin’s eyes kept flicking to where Jonghyun’s hand rested on Jinki’s thigh, keeping him balanced. “I’m not a snitch.”

Jinki’s lips remained a thin line. Jonghyun patted his leg in reassurance.

“I could handle myself even if he did tell the armada, Jinki. I’ve been doing this my whole life. Hell, half the ships we rob are Valuan armada airships. That’s how Blue Rogues work.”

“I know, but...”

“I’m not going to tell anyone,” Taemin emphasized. “I only wanted to see what you’re doing that’s so important. We had plans tonight. Or did you forget?”

Jinki flushed. “Jonghyun doesn’t get to visit often, so when I heard he was in town...”

“You ditched him?” Jonghyun interjected. “I’m flattered you wanted to see me so badly, but that’s awfully rude of you.”

Jinki buried his face in his hands. “Years of etiquette lessons, and I’m getting lectured on manners by a pirate...”

“You could have at least told me something came up, so I didn’t have to hear some vague excuse from your servant,” Taemin said.

“I was worried you’d see through any lie I came up with.”

“Well, that backfired,” Jonghyun added.

“Clearly,” Taemin said, arms crossed. “I know everything now.”

“I’m sorry,” Jinki said. “I won’t do it again.”

Taemin bit his lip. He was hurt that Jinki had abandoned him. But he was intrigued enough by the reason to ignore the sting. It’d be foolish to come out all this way and not see what sort of romance Jinki had with a pirate.

“It’s fine,” Taemin sighed. “Though you’re definitely going to owe me something after this. Maybe a proper fencing match. Or a dinner from your family’s chef.”

Jinki smiled. “I think I can do that.”

Jonghyun’s hand soothed over Jinki’s knee. “Glad you two were able to kiss and make up.” When Jinki frowned and turned back, Jonghyun tucked Jinki against his neck to muffle his protest. “Since you’re already here, your highness, do you want to join us tonight? I’m not sure what sort of plans you had with Jinki.”

“We were going to play cards. And drink, probably.”

“Conveniently, we can do both of those here,” Jonghyun said. “Take a seat.” He swiped an abandoned deck from a few of his crew that had decided an arm wrestling match was more enticing, then passed it to Jinki.

“Mind shuffling this for us, handsome?”

Jinki sent Taemin an apologetic look before cutting the deck in half. The flutter of cards as he shuffled kept Taemin’s attention, though he felt Jonghyun’s gaze on him. When he finally found the nerve to meet Jonghyun’s eye, the pirate gave him a toothy smile.

“Are we playing for anything? I imagine you have quite deep pockets.”

Taemin licked his lips. He usually made friendly bets with Jinki when they played, so he had brought a small coin purse—and he’d already expected it to be empty by the end of the night. Jinki trounced everyone at court in cards.

“I have some money on me, though it’s probably not as much as you’re hoping for.” Taemin watched Jonghyun warily when Jinki started to hand cards back to Jonghyun, but made no move to leave his lap. “If you can see Jinki’s cards, I’m not sure it’ll be a fair game. You two could gang up on me.”

“Not if he keeps them on his right side.” Jonghyun tapped his eye patch. “This is real. Can’t see shit through it. Or without it, really. Lost it in a ship battle a few years ago with one of your armada vessels.” He held up his drink. “Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you.”

Jinki pursed his lips. “Maybe he just wants me out of your lap, Jonghyun. People are never this flagrant about their relationships at the palace.”

“Too bad. I only get to see you twice a month at most. If he’s not going to complain about you being in my lap, you’re staying.”

Jinki rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his lips that stuck as he finished dealing their cards.

“I don’t mind it,” Taemin said, which was true. He’d never seen this side of Jinki before. Maybe it was strange to observe his old friend so closely, but he was fascinated.

He pulled his first hand of cards up to his nose and fought back a scowl. Already, he was off to a bad start.

Their first pot of coins went to Jonghyun. Then the next. After Taemin took a few losses to Jonghyun without complaint, the tension in Jinki’s shoulders eased—probably convinced that Taemin wasn’t about to run and turn Jonghyun over to the armada. As they drank, they talked, and Jinki and Jonghuyn relaxed back into the behavior Taemin assumed was their usual in the dingy pub.

And Taemin watched.

Jonghyun would nose aside the longer hair against the back of Jinki’s neck, exposing his nape for a kiss that made his mouth twitch with a noiseless gasp. Jonghyun’s left hand switched between lifting a tankard to his lips, running along Jinki’s side, and roaming over his stomach. His right stayed on Jinki’s thigh, low towards the knee, but sometimes it moved up. Only then would Jinki push Jonghyun’s hand away—but it was always with a grin and a quiet glance that promised a later.

The thought made Taemin’s blood burn. Jonghyun couldn’t be that posssive. Jinki slept with people at the palace. But all of those affairs happened out of Taemin’s view—he only heard rumors or short mentions—so his image of Jinki had stayed the same through the years, even as Taemin absently noted his attractiveness. They were friends.

Now, though—he wondered at their dynamic, at what Jinki might be like. What was it like when they stole a moment alone? Was it like now, both of Jonghyun’s hands on him, gripping and guiding? Or was that just how the pirate captain acted in public to stake his claim, while in bed he’d lie back and let someone else order him around?

Taemin swallowed back every image with a mouthful of ale. Occasionally, Jonghyun would send what felt like a knowing glance from his single eye, and heat would race through him.

The dozenth time their gazes caught—while Jonghyun’s hand slipped inside Jinki’s pocket—was enough to push Taemin over the edge.

He licked his lips and leaned towards them. He needed to be close if he wanted to be heard over the din that had grown with each glass served.

“I have a question,” he said.

Jinki leaned in to hear him better. Jonghyun shifted Jinki aside until he was only inches behind him. Taemin’s attention flicked between their faces. This close, he could lean forward and kiss either of them if he wanted to.

Taemin inhaled sharply, suddenly needing air. “Do you both sleep around? You’re not exclusive to each other?”

Jinki’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You know the answer to that.”

Jonghyun’s smile widened and grew crooked. “Why, are you interested?”

“Yes,” Taemin said. There was no point in hiding it, and he was tipsy enough to be direct.

Jinki’s eyes widened. “Taemin—“

“I’ve been watching you two grab at each other for hours now,” Taemin interrupted. “Is that not supposed to stoke something in me?”

Jinki froze. Jonghyun’s hand rubbed up his side, along his ribs, before he kissed Jinki’s neck.

“If you’re jealous or uninterested, I’ll stop this now,” Jonghyun whispered to Jinki. If Taemin wasn’t staring to read his lips, he wouldn’t have caught a word. “You always come first.”

“You know I don’t get jealous.”

Jonghyun leaned back to look at him. “Then why are you pouting? Is it different, because he’s a friend?”

“It’s different because he’s the prince ,” Jinki hissed.

Jonghyun grinned. “Is that supposed to make it less exciting?”

“I’m cutting you off,” Jinki said, sliding Jonghyun’s mug away from him. “You’re drunk.”

“As you always do, when I have my best ideas.”

Jinki sent Jonghyun a final, reproaching look before returning his attention to Taemin. “You’ve never said anything about wanting to sleep together.”

“It’s not like you’ve ever made a display of yourself at the palace,” Taemin said. “I never gave it much thought. We’ve been friends all our lives, and we only see each other at parties and ceremonies anymore.”

“I didn’t realize how much that bothered you.”

“Of course it bothered me. I missed you. You’re the only damn person I trust in the palace.”

Jinki’s brow furrowed, though a flush crawled across his cheeks, and his lips remained pursed. In the silence, Jonghyun’s attention bounced between them before he reached out and tugged Taemin towards them by his shirt.

“Why don’t we do something to make up for lost time? I’ll be happy to help you two bond,” Jonghyun offered.

“I don’t want things to get complicated,” Jinki said.

“It’s not complicated,” Taemin protested. “You’re my friend. Anything else, well...” he shrugged. He didn’t care what they did—cards or drinking or simply talking. But it was hard for fucking not to be the first thing on his mind when Jonghyun and Jinki were doing everything but that right in front of him. “I don’t need to spend time with you like that, but I’d enjoy it. And I’m guessing you two planned to spend your night fucking, anyway.”

Jinki licked his lips. He watched intently as Jonghyun balled more of Taemin’s shirt into his hand, forcing him closer, until Jonghyun leaned forward and kissed the corner of his mouth. Though Taemin should have seen it coming, he nearly jolted back at the contact. He’d never been kissed in front of anyone, let alone someone’s lover. His eyes flew up to Jinki, uncertain of what he’d find, then widened. There was no jealousy in his stare. Only heat.

Jonghyun tilted his head back towards Jinki. “I can see your gears turning. You’re thinking about it.”

“Maybe,” Jinki murmured.

“You need more images? Or some ideas?”

“No.” Jinki took the half-empty mug he’d stolen from Jonghyun and downed in a single, long swallow. “I’ve thought about it before, honestly.”

Taemin inhaled. “Me joining you with Jonghyun?”

“Just you. The thinking was...a while ago. Years.”

“Then you should’ve fucked him earlier, because I always love your stories,” Jonghyun said. He patted the side of Jinki’s thigh. “You want to get going? Because I’d like to get going.”

“Where to?” Taemin asked. The pub looked like it had rooms upstairs, but he didn’t know how either of them felt about using them.

“My ship’s best. You’ll get to see it, too. It’s gorgeous,” Jonghyun gloated. He snuck in a squeeze to Jinki’s ass when they stood. “Just got a new cannon.”

Taemin pulled his cloak back on and followed them towards the airship docks. By the time they reached the metal walkways that stuck out over the clouds, they were nearly on the opposite side of Valua from the palace. He’d never been this deep into the Lower City.

Most of the docked airships were decommissioned from the armada, made of steel in typical Valuan style. A few other styles, more likely belonging to traders than pirates, were interspersed throughout, but the ship Jonghyun pointed out—a large, wooden ship with three towering masts that stood proudly against the black clouds—was striking enough that Taemin couldn’t help but gape.

Despite its height, the ship was narrow, slimmer even than the smallest armada ships. They climbed up the gangplank and onto the deck. Jonghyun came up last and leapt onto the deck with his arms spread wide.

“Stylish, yeah? And faster than any hunk of metal.”

Jinki rolled his eyes as Taemin examined the ship. Any ptools for fighting or boarding ships were hidden in the crates or below deck, but rolled up against the main mast was a blue flag, barely concealed. Taemin had to wonder how that ever got past the massive gate and patrols that protected the Valua‘s airspace, but Jonghyun seemed capable of charming his way out of anything, and his mother specialized in robbing people right under their noses.

“It’s gorgeous,” Taemin said.

“The inside is a bit less glamorous, but you better not point that out to my face,” Jonghyun teased. He turned towards a set of stairs that appeared to lead down into the cabin and gestured for Taemin to follow. “Come on. I’ll show you to my space.”

The room Jonghyun led them to was long and wide. A dozen hammocks hung from the ceiling, likely enough for the whole crew, and the one at the back that Jonghyun showed him looked no different than any other.

Taemin blinked at it, caught off guard by its plainness. “I thought you were the captain. Don’t you have a room?”

“I am, and I do. But I prefer to sleep in a hammock sometimes. The bed folds away, and that makes room for more loot.”

Jinki raised a brow. “Uh-huh. And you refuse to have sex in the same place twice in a row.”

Jonghyun grinned. “That too. Used my bed a few days ago, so it’s time to fuck somewhere else.”

Jinki hummed, as if recalling the experience himself, and stepped closer to Jonghyun. As soon as he was within reach, Jonghyun grabbed a fistful of Jinki’s hair, tugging him down to an easier height to kiss.

Taemin froze, fists clenching in the fabric of his cloak when he caught a glimpse of Jinki’s tongue. Watching was new enough that he didn’t know what to do with himself. Jinki’s eyes fluttered open as he glanced back at Taemin. A wave of heat rolled through him when their gazes locked, then again when Jinki’s attention returned to Jonghyun, as if it was perfectly normal for them to have a witness to their kiss.

For all Taemin knew, it could be.

The side of Jonghyun’s grin was just visible as he shifted his mouth to Jinki’s neck and nipped along the vein. With a soft swear, Jinki clutched at Jonghyun’s back, but shoved him away when Jonghyun began to unfasten his shirt.

“You aren’t getting me out of my clothes before we give Taemin some attention.”

Jonghyun tsked, but let his fingers fall from Jinki’s buttons. Taemin swallowed under the weight of their stares . Jinki held out a hand, inviting him to where they stood, but Jonghyun closed the distance between them and kissed him—the same way he’d kissed Jinki, hands buried in his hair—before Taemin could take a single step.

He shivered and gripped back. His thumbs caught in the straps of Jonghyun’s eye patch, earning a laugh that gave him an opportunity to slip his tongue past Jonghyun’s lips. Jonghyun hummed, pleasantly surprised, and relaxed to let Taemin lead.

Taemin was too eager not to take advantage of the chance. He leaned in and kissed Jonghyun harder until he had no choice but to bend back and hold onto Taemin’s shirt for balance. The instant he eased off to breathe, Jonghuyn reached for his belt. The open air of the cabin brought goosebumps to his thighs when Jonghyun shoved down his breeches. Taemin helped him the rest of the way and stepped out of them, refusing to break the kiss a second time until Jonghyun smirked and turned his cheek.

“You think I wouldn’t be surprised by Valuan nobles being decent lovers after Jinki, and yet...”

Taemin scowled. “Why would you assume that makes me bad in bed?”

“Most of you don’t do much. But I suppose that leaves you plenty of time to get good at this.”

“If you thought I would be bad, why invite me?”

“Jinki likes you. You’re pretty.” Jonghyun shrugged. “And that sort of thing can always be taught.”

“I think the only thing I haven’t done is fuck two people at once,” Taemin said. When Jinki gave a skeptical snort beside them, Taemin sent a glare.

“I doubt you’re that worldly, your highness,” Jonghyun said. He squared his shoulders and worked Taemin’s shirt open button-by-button, as if mimicking a personal butler. “You’ve only slept with other Valuans, no? Technically your subjects?”

Taemin bit his lip. “Well...”

“I’m not judging.” Jonghyun shoved his shirt open. “Just doubt they’re willing to get too dirty with you. Rank can come with too much respect. When I was on my mother’s ship, it took ages for me to convince the crew I wasn’t too fragile to be bent over a barrel.”

Taemin’s ears burned. But the words rang true.

Every person he’d slept with had come onto him slowly, with flowery praise or teasing to test the waters, then treated him like he was breakable between the sheets once they were finally there. No matter how hard he gripped at their back in return or egged them on. They concentrated too much on pleasing him. And then after everything was done, there was the pillow talk which inevitably turned into requests for favors.

Once he realized that was how it always ended, Taemin had stopped letting anyone in his bed.

He could already tell Jonghyun would be different. Jinki would, too.

Taemin licked his lips and looked between them. “Well, what’re you planning to do to me?”

Jonghyun grinned and shoved him into the hammock. Taemin swung back. He tried to adjust to keep from barreling feet-first into Jonghyun as his weight returned him forward, but Jinki caught the fabric at the end of his arc and held him still.

Jonghyun’s fingers wrapped slowly over Jinki’s knuckles. He whispered something against Jinki’s cheek that made his eyes cloud with lust.

Their attention shifted down to where Taemin was suspended beneath them. Like this, there was no simple way for them to kiss him. Reaching his mouth or his hips with more than a hand or a cock would require kneeling, hunching over, or some other sort of contortion they had no reason to bother with.

Taemin had an idea of what they wanted.

He licked his lips and let his head hang back. The hammock swung slightly, then slowed into a smaller arc when Jinki grasped the rope tighter. Upside down like this, Taemin imagined he looked ridiculous, but there was no amusement in Jinki’s exhale—only anticipation.

Hands ran up his thighs. He lifted his head to see whose they were—Jonghyun’s—then followed with his eyes as Jinki circled around to the opposite side of the hammock, leaving only Jonghyun between his legs.

When he raised his head, he saw Jonghyun reach into his shirt and pulled free a small vial of oil. He pulled out the cork with his teeth and spat it away, then grinned down at Taemin as he coated his fingers.

“I have another if we need more. I always bring a few when we dock somewhere. You never know what might happen.”

Jonghyun’s hand returned to him, this time going straight for the innermost crease of his thighs. As Jonghyun circled towards his rim, he threw an arm over his mouth to muffle a moan. There was the simple pleasure of it, and the realization: the oil Jonghyun was using had been meant for Jinki that night, or vice versa. And now it was being used on him .

“You can make noise, you know,” Jonghyun teased and pressed in. “That’s half the fun.”

Jinki drew Taemin’s arm away, fingers trailing along the vein of his wrist before shifting to card through his hair. Taemin leaned into the contact and reached up, pressing a palm around the outline of Jinki’s cock in his breeches just as Jonghyun added another finger. His motions were clumsy and distracted, but Jinki didn’t seem to mind—he cupped his hand over Taemin’s to guide it, before finally settling on holding it in place and thrusting against Taemin’s palm.

“You seem ready enough,” Jonghyun said. He spread his fingers, as if to prove how open Taemin was, and drew out a gasp. “Do you need more time?”

‘No,” Taemin’s eyes fluttered shut as Jonghyun brought his fingers back together and curved them. A patch of precome had leaked through Jinki’s breeches and dampened the heel of Taemin’s hand, adding to his desperation. “Please, I want this.”

Jonghyun grinned and gave him an encouraging smack to the thighs that sounded twice as loud as it stung. Taemin bit his lip, pulse pounding in his ears.

“Stay open for me.” Jonghyun slicked himself up, then hitched Taemin’s thighs up around his hips. When he shifted forward, his cock pushed between Taemin’s cheeks, missing his hole but lighting his nerves with anticipation. Jonghyun’s tongue stuck out from the corner of his mouth as he concentrated, realigning them until Taemin felt pressure against his rim.

“There we go,” Jonghyun murmured and pushed forward, slow and unyielding.

Taemin’s nails scratched at the canvas of the hammock. Already, the stretch felt too good. He rocked forward, trying to bring Jonghyun deeper, but the motion hardly moved him at all—Jonghyun had bracketed his hips to keep him steady, and Jinki’s hold on the hammock’s rope was too firm. All Taemin could think of was how exposed he was and how little he could move.

By the time Jonghyun pulled back, Taemin was panting, overheated despite the lack of a body pressed against him. Without any ability to aid the motion, he felt the force of each thrust that much harder.

His cock throbbed, desperate for something, anything, but he held off from touching himself, too caught up in the idea of seeing how Jonghuyn and Jinki might use him to want to satisfy himself. Jinki maneuvered his own laces open with a single hand and kept the other on the knot of the hammock, steadying it as Jonghyun’s pace quickened.

Taemin turned his head and reached for the base of Jinki’s cock. At the awkward angle, the underside ran along his cheek, then bumped against his chin, leaving wetness behind until Jinki steered it directly into his mouth.

Jonghyun’s movements turned lazy, a tease that made Taemin whine even as he closed his lips around the head of Jinki’s cock and glanced back. Jonghyun’s complete attention was on them—on the stretch it took for Taemin’s mouth to fit around Jinki’s girth—distracting him more from his task.

“You sure you two can handle all this happening at once?” Jinki muttered, stroking himself to take over the motion Taemin hadn’t yet managed. “If it’s too much, we can take turns.”

Jonghyun huffed. “I’m not going to apologize for taking my time and enjoying the show.”

With an apologetic hum, Taemin tugged on Jinki’s hips to beckon him deeper. Their eyes met only briefly before Jinki ran a thumb along the edge of Taemin’s tipped-back jaw and tilted his head back further, creating an easy path for his cock to slide over Taemin’s tongue into the start of his throat.

Taemin blinked hard, eyes wet as he fought back a gag, but curled his fingers in the loosened waist of Jinki’s breeches and took him further the next time Jinki fucked into his mouth. Suspended between them as he was, it was easier to let Jinki drive the pace than try and guide it himself.

Encouraged, Jinki shifted one hand into his hair and kept another on his chin, holding Taemin steady through every thrust to better complete his own. Jonghyun’s fingernails dug into Taemin’s thighs as he lost rhythm, alternating between slow and fast before finally halting.

He pressed against Taemin with a small curse, keeping him close through every throb, before finally jerking back. Taemin whimpered as Jonghyun’s cock slipped free, then again when he heard the rustle and clink of Jonghyun tugging up his breeches and refastening his belt. He kept his legs open—he didn’t know how to close them, with such a mess of come and oil between them—and he was hopeful Jonghyun would give him something more.

Jonghyun shifted Taemin’s knees to stand beside him. Taemin watched from the corner of his eye as Jonghyun reached down and ran a single finger along the underside of Taemin’s cock. He gasped at the contact, hips jolting up as he snapped out of the daze he’d fallen into from taking both of them. All he wanted to do was give himself over until they’d had their fill of pleasure, but if Jonghyun granting him pleasure was part of that, he would take it gladly.

Jonghyun traced up his cock again, this time with two fingers. “I can’t believe you’re this hard—I don’t think we’ve even touched you here once. What if we keep you like this until you make Jinki come?”

Unable to speak with Jinki in his mouth, a moan and a full swallow around JInki’s cock was the only way to beg for his own release. Jinki cursed and tightened his fingers against Taemin’s scalp.

“He really wants to come,” Jinki said. “You’re making him work harder.”

Taemin hummed an agreement. Jonghyun took hold of his cock in response, lifting it from where it hovered hard and ignored over his stomach to stroke him smoothly. The short motion was barely anything, but it was enough to bring Taemin close. He shifted his hips, uncertain of whether to pull away before his release or simply let it happen, but Jonghyun didn’t allow either. He stopped just before Taemin’s pleasure reached its crest, producing a groan that made Jinki’s hips stutter. Jinki continued to fuck into his mouth, and again and again, Jonghyun stopped before he could come. Each time he neared his release, Jonghyun’s hand would loosen, and Taemin’s need would grow.

When Jinki finally cursed out a warning, Jonghyun’s grip on Taemin tightened and quickened. Taemin’s muscles tensed, back rising into an arch, but his mouth slackened just enough to let Jinks cock fall free. Come streaked across his lips and cheeks, then into his open mouth. Jinki stroked himself to the end, every movement loud and wet, and nudged his cockhead past Taemin’s lips to shoot the last of his release onto his tongue.

The cabin was silent, save Jinki and Taemin’s rough breathing.

He closed his eyes with a small sigh, letting his head hang upside down as the pleasant warmth of his aftermath rolled through him. When he felt the mess on his chin start to drip down his cheeks, he raised a hand and clenched his fingers in the universal gesture for something to clean with. Jinki passed him a handkerchief and helped him wipe down his face, then balled the cloth into his fist and tossed it aside.

With Jinki’s help, he sat up in the hammock. Jonghyun pulled another rag from somewhere and cleaned his stomach, grinning through the task.

“I assume this means we’re done for the night.”

Taemin nodded. He was tired, and his throat and thighs were sore to a level he was certain he’d feel in the morning.

“I was hoping Jinki wouldn’t clean you up so quickly. It would’ve been nice to take a mental image of what you look like with him on you.”

Taemin gave a breathless laugh. “I wasn’t sure how to get myself up, and I didn’t want anything to get into my eyes.”

“Fair. If you want protection, a blindfold would help next time.”

“How is it you always want to talk more about sex right after we’re done? Haven’t you had your fill?” Jinki complained, though his expression was fond.

“If something’s fun one way, I want to do it again and find other ways of making it fun. Don’t you?”

Jinki grumbled an agreement and leaned around Taemin to kiss Jonghyun. Taemin watched them linger, then pull apart, heart tight in his chest. As brief as their kiss had been, Jinki’s eyes were warm from it, and something about the sight sobered Taemin.

Taemin wasn’t jealous. Or at least the word seemed too simple and petty to fit. He didn’t want to take Jinki’s place. He didn’t want to take Jonghyun’s place. He was happy they had each other. The ache in his chest was because he’d never had anything like they shared, and with where his life was headed, he couldn’t imagine he ever would.

He startled when Jinki dropped a blanket over him. Jinki helped fit it over his shoulders. “If you’re not going to get dressed, you should put this on. It’s colder out here on the airships.”

“Thanks.” Taemin wrapped the blanket tighter around himself. He didn’t want to get dressed yet, if only because the clothes he’d stolen would remind him of the palace.

Jonghyun looked between them with a small smile before fixing his gaze on Taemin. “You’re welcome to linger for a while. You want some more to drink?”

“Sure,” Taemin agreed. Jonghyun patted Taemin’s knee and spun on his heel, then disappeared down a set of stairs that led deeper into the airship.

Jinki and Taemin watched him go. Once his footsteps faded, Jinki crouched beside him.

“This is why I started pulling away, you know,” he whispered. “I worried what would happen if you found out about Jonghyun. You’re getting closer and closer to the throne, and I...haven’t known how to deal with that. Never letting either of you meet seemed like the best way to keep him safe.” His eyes crinkled, the old tell Taemin remembered that came with any confession that made him feel guilty. ”If it’s worth anything, I’ve missed you too.”

“It’s worth a lot,” Taemin said. He reached for Jinki’s hand and squeezed it, then looked to where Jonghyun had disappeared. “What is he to you?”

”Everything, anymore,” Jinki said without hesitation. “I’m going to leave Valua with him someday.”

Taemin’s stomach dropped. “And do what? When?”

“Pirate stuff, I suppose,” Jinki teased. “There’s so much of the sky that hasn’t been charted. He wants to discover as much as he can, once his ships outfitted for stronger currents. I want to be with him for every one.”

Taemin inhaled. “What about your family? And Valua?”

“You know how I feel about our country.”

Taemin’s stomach panted. “And you don’t think I’ll change anything when I’m in charge.”

Jinki winced. “It’s not that I think you have the wrong ideals. But I’m sure you know the problems you’ll bump up against. How much say does your mother have, compared to the armada? She gets to decide how things are run here , but it’s not like we stay in our borders, or like they wouldn’t challenge her if she did something they were opposed to.”

“I know, but...” Taemin reached for a counterpoint, but found nothing. There was no argument to refute Jinki’s words when he’d noticed the same thing.

He hung his head. Was that why he’d been so mad at Jinki? Selfish as it was, it was easier to think of the personal problems that came with the throne—losing friendships, not knowing who to trust—than the responsibilities he’d bear just sitting on it.

“ Please tell me you’re not talking politics, Jinki,” Jonghyun whined, loud enough to be heard up the stairs. He sauntered between them and passed Jinki a handle of rum, then threw himself into the hammock beside Taemin. “I can’t imagine a poorer time for it. It was our first time with a third, too. You should be a little sentimental.”

“I was only explaining why I’m going to leave with you, since Taemin asked,” Jinki said. He took a swig, then held it out to Taemin. “It’s not as if I’m getting philosophical.”

Jonghyun quirked a brow. “I think after how I fucked him tonight, he knows why you’re leaving.”

“It’s alright, really.” Taemin managed to smile for them, but it faltered when he brought the bottle to his lips. He tipped it back, squeezing his eyes against the burn, and swallowed back as much as he could take.

His mother was alive, and Jinki was still here. As prince, he was only an ear until fate decided to shove the empire into his lap. He had time to enjoy himself before he had to worry. And damned if he wasn’t going to soak up every second of it.

When he went for a second drink, Jonghyun pried the bottle from him. “Slow down, your highness. I can’t let you stay here tonight. As nice as it’d be to beat my mother’s record for bounties, I’d rather do it the old fashion way than be accused of kidnapping the prince.”

Taemin laughed. “And you’re not worried that’ll happen when you take Jinki?”

“Not at all. We’ve had a plan for a while.”

“Oh,” Taemin said. “Well, good luck to you both.”

Jonghyun raised the bottle to him in thanks. Jinki cast his eyes down and reached to take the rum, but Jonghyun refused to hand it over until Jinki gave him a kiss. Taemin watched, stomach in knots, as the guilt that twisted Jinki’s mouth melted into an unfettered smile.

Taemin didn’t want to ask if Jinki would have left without saying anything. Judging by the distance Jinki had forced between them, he imagined that had been the plan. And judging by the warmth that seeped into Jinki’s eyes every time he looked Jonghyun’s way, nothing would come between Jinki and leaving Valua.

The knowledge made the future that much darker. But Taemin supposed he’d rather know.

#onjongtae #jongyu #jongtae #ontae #shinee fic #skies of arcadia au #feat inappropriate use of hammocks

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