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"hyung, could you help me hold something?" said youngho, extending a clenched fist towards the older.
taeil nodded and held out his palm, slightly curious as to what it was. youngho unclenched his fist and intertwined their fingers. taeil let out a sound of confusion as his cheeks were suddenly kissed a pale pink. youngho let out a chuckle before placing their intertwined fingers into the pocket of his hoodie. the state of utter confusion in taeil's mind physically translated to him gaping at the younger as though he had grown a second head.
youngho has been doing actions like this for the past week or so, every new action cheesier than the previous one. taeil was feeling slightly puzzled by the sudden skinship but brushed it off as youngho being random [and maybe, just maybe, he enjoyed the attention]
he assumed that youngho would stop being touchy after the first week and that assumption proved to be correct. but that lasted a mere two days before youngho was "back on his bullshit" for a lack of better words.
by the time their schedules ended and all the members of nct 127 were back in their dorm, it was nearly midnight. all the boys were rushing to wash up so that they could get as much sleep as possible. taeil threw himself onto the couch, playing with his phone while he waited for his turn to shower. he felt the couch slightly dip next to him and looked up to see youngho going through the pictures on his camera, probably for his ‘johntography’ posts.
the older went back to scrolling through his phone until he heard the sound of a camera shutter. taeil glanced upwards, his eyebrows raised and confusion clearly etched across his face. youngho chuckles at his expression before sitting down and facing the older.
"you really look like a prince, hyung. i can't help but want to capture and save your beauty in my pictures." whispered youngho with his sight trained on taeil's features.
taeil froze at those words and an unknown feeling bloomed in his chest. once again, he was at a loss for words as his cheeks reddened, almost matching the shade of his hair. youngho continued staring at him, seemingly hesitant to say anything else. the two boys settled into an awkward silence until jaehyun called out for the younger, signaling that it was his time to shower.
youngho snapped out of his trance before scurrying off to the washroom, leaving taeil to comprehend what had just happened.
“what was that all about? and why is my heart beating like it's going to jump right out of my chest?” whispered taeil to himself...or so he thought.
“are you okay, hyung?” asks jaehyun, making taeil let out a slight squeak when he notices the younger.
jaehyun plops down next to taeil, hair still wet from his shower. he raises his eyebrows at the older, waiting for an answer.
“uhm...you should go to bed, jaehyun. it's late and we have schedules tomorrow.” answers taeil while fidgeting with his fingers.
“do you really think i'm going to go to sleep after hearing you basically admit your love for youngho hyung?”
“w-what? what do you mean my love for youngho?” sputtered taeil.
“youngho hyung may be dense but i'm not. if you don't believe me then how about you tell me what you truly feel about youngho hyung?”
“i just see youngho as a really endearing dongsaeng , that's all it is. everyone else adores him too! he's so hardworking and always tries his best to keep up even if he's worn out. whenever he's playing with the dreamies or taking pictures, his eyes have this pretty sparkle and his face just lights up. it's not like i'm the only one who has the urge to support and love him and yeah, maybe sometimes i want to cuddle and kiss his worries-” taeil’s rant is interrupted by jaehyun coughing.
jaehyun asks with a smirk on his face,” so… youngho is a really endearing dongsaeng who you want to cuddle and kiss?”
the older just stares blankly at jaehyun as his brain tries to make sense of the words that had escaped his mouth. the two sit in silence with jaehyun smirking at taeil who looked like he was on the verge of a mental breakdown. and suddenly, everything clicked and taeil’s eyes widened.
“oh shit...i like youngho,” whispered taeil,” oh my god jaehyun, i like youngho?!”
jaehyun chuckles at that and responds,” yes, hyung, it took you long enough to realise that. one of you better make a move soon or i'll do it for you. i'm tired of seeing the both of you flirt with each other and calling it platonic.”
taeil shrinks at that statement, unsure of what to say. he has never been good with expressing his feelings, much less in a situation like this. although youngho does seem to be flirting with him, maybe he really is just joking around? jaehyun lets out a sigh when he sees taeil's shoulders slump.
“hyung, i know what you're thinking. please stop thinking that, i know that youngho hyung loves you to bits and that you feel the same way. get some rest and we'll see what happens tomorrow, okay?” says jaehyun, a warm smile displayed on his face.
taeil returns the smile and lightly tugs on jaehyun's sleeve before spreading his arms. the younger's eyes crinkle due to his wide smile as he envelopes taeil in a hug. taeil mutters a thanks into his shoulder before pulling away and walking off to their rooms.
under an inky night sky with thick clouds blotting out the stars, moon taeil falls asleep, dreaming of shy confessions and toothy grins.
━━━━━『♡』
youngho awakes to soft sheets and the morning light trickling in through the white blinds. shedding himself of the remaining glimpses of a dream, the boy keeps his eyes shut and soaks in the warmth of his covers.
the tranquillity of this was soon ripped away when youngho's memories of the past night came rushing back to him. a blush seared through his cheeks as he groaned into his pillow.
“oh god, what did i even expect him to reply? how am i supposed to face him now?” said youngho out loud to himself.
although he was worried about what taeil would say to him, he couldn't help the faint smile that appeared on his face. he was content with the fact that he had told the older just how precious he was to him. he knew [ or so he thought ] that taeil wouldn't return his feelings but he felt light-hearted. the constant thoughts that had plagued his mind about confessing to the older were gone.
youngho knew that it was inexorable. he knew that sooner or later, taeil would walk up to him and ask him about last night. but he didn't expect or want it to be this soon.
youngho's eyes widened when he saw taeil's head poke into his room. his grip on his blanket tightened instantaneously when the older sat next to him, shoulder to shoulder. youngho's heartbeat quickened as though it wanted to jump right out of his chest and into taeil's hands. he heard the older clear his throat before he turned to face him.
“you know i'm not the best with words so i'm sorry if this is...lame? it's hard for me to shower you with compliments without having the urge to run away and hide so all i can say is that i cherish you with all my heart.”
taeil's ears looked as though he had dipped them in red paint after his confession. he lowered his gaze and stared at his fingers like they were the most interesting things in the world. youngho could only stare at his beloved hyung with his mouth agape.
finally, youngho snapped out of it and gently held taeil's chin, tilting his head and pecking his lips lightly. the two boys stared into each other's eyes which were filled with pure affection. with a sudden spurt of confidence, taeil moves in for a more passionate kiss, teeth clashing and all.
as they started getting breathless, they pulled away and taeil squeaked at the position they were in. during the kiss, youngho had managed to pull the older into his lap and taeil had subconsciously straddled youngho's waist.
as taeil tried to get off of youngho's lap, the younger locked his waist in a tight embrace and shoved his nose into the crook of his neck. the older's body slowly relaxed and melted into the embrace, sighing contentedly. his arms found their way up to youngho’s neck, massaging it.
after a few moments of silence, the younger smirked to himself, excited for what he was about to do. he tilted his head slightly and sucked on the skin on the older's neck. taeil was taken aback and almost fell off youngho's lap if not for the arms around his waist. the older whacked youngho’s chest while he laughed his ass off at taeil's wide shocked eyes.
“you don't just suck on my neck without asking to be my boyfriend first!” whined taeil.
“aw i'm sorry, my little prince. will you, moon taeil, do the honor of being seo youngho's lovely boyfriend then?”
taeil flushed for the umpteenth time that week before nodding slightly. youngho moved his hands towards taeil's thighs before lifting him up and spinning him around. the older shrieked at the action and tightened his grip around youngho's neck.
“seo youngho, if you don’t put me down right now, i'm going to take back being your boyfriend!” says taeil, trying to sound serious but giggles escaping in between words.
youngho responds,” thanks for accepting me, hyung. i love you.” as he gently placed taeil on the bed.
“i love you too, youngho.” mumbled taeil softly.
that made youngho beam at taeil as though he had hung the moon and stars in the sky just for him.
“it's time to stop being gross and get ready, lovebirds!” shouts jaehyun from the door, a warm smile on his face despite what he said.
━━━━━『♡』
“woah, hyung, what happened to your neck?” asked mark, trying to get a closer look at it.
“uhm...i fell.”
“you fell on a pair of lips, huh?” teased jaehyun.
“more specifically my lips.” added youngho cheekily before dashing off to avoid getting whacked by taeil.