Work Text:
Seokjin was sitting in the airport lounge, busy on his laptop. He hoped to get some work done before his flight, and was mildly irritated when he heard it. The sound of a baby wailing. He looked up to see a harried woman trying in vain to shush her baby, no older than six months he reckoned. The more she tried to calm her, the louder the little one wailed. If there was one thing Seokjin hated about flights, it was irritable babies as travel companions. It should be illegal to let babies handle the stress of flying, who in turn alleviated above-mentioned stress by crying, shrieking, screaming, while passengers like him had to bear the brunt of it.
He tried to get back to what he was doing, when he noticed him. He was about as tall as Seokjin was, give or take a few centimeters. His brown hair fell carelessly on his heart shaped face. He had kind eyes, and when he approached the mother who was noticeably upset, Seokjin saw the boy flash a boxy smile at her. He spoke to her and offered to take the baby in his arms.
And then, unmindful of eyes watching him from many directions, the boy started singing a lullaby to the baby. Seokjin wasn't close enough to hear which song it was, but as he saw him lull the baby to sleep in a few minutes, he was as amazed as the other passengers who saw this whole situation unfold in front of their eyes. Seokjin wondered who the "baby whisperer" was. He didn't look old enough to be the kid's father, but who could say for sure? Or maybe he was just dating a single mother; families came in all shapes and sizes these days.
Thankful for this intervention, he went back to crunching numbers on his laptop. When he boarded his flight, he was relieved to see that the mother and baby were nowhere close to his seat. He sat in his window seat, picked the in-flight magazine and started lazily turning the pages to get rid of the boredom. He was engrossed in an article on a new K-pop act taking the country by storm, when he heard a cheerful, "Hi!" He looked up to see the boy whom he was mildly curious about earlier. So, he wasn't related to the baby or her mother? "Hi," he replied, with a puzzled look on his face. "You are the guy who put the baby to sleep." "Yes, that's me. I'm Taehyung. Kim Taehyung. Pleased to meet you." So, this guy made friends instantly.
"I'm Kim Seokjin, pleased to meet you, too." He got up and helped Taehyung store his hand luggage in the rack above. As he sat down, he noticed how handsome Taehyung was. He had an unreal aura about him, like he had walked straight out of a Japanese anime. Seokjin stared at his long eyelashes which made him look so dreamy. "Gosh, I have to put these thoughts to rest," he chided himself and went back to reading the magazine.
Though he tried to focus on the article, he couldn't help but notice Taehyung fidgeting in his seat. “He turned to him and asked, “Is something the matter, Taehyung?” Tae was quick to reply, “You can call me, Tae, hyung.” Seokjin smiled, “And you can me Jin, drop the honorifics.” “Okay, Jin. The thing is this is my first flight.”
“Ever?” Jin raised his eyebrow. “Yes, ever. And I am really nervous. Especially about the take-off.” Jin was a frequent flier, and thought it was his duty to put Tae's worries to rest. “Don't worry, you can hold my hand if you feel nervous.” Tae smiled shyly, and nodded.
Tae turned to his mobile phone when he heard the ping of a message. It was his best friend, Jimin. “You'll have to put in on “flight mode” while they begin taxiing,” reminded Jin.
“I will, but just see what my friend sent me.”
JIMIN: You'll soon be part of the mile-high club ;)
Jin sputtered when he read the message. He wondered if this Jimin was being humorous, or didn't know what he was talking about. That was when he noticed the wink emoji and his doubts vanished. “Um, do you know why he sent you this,” he asked cautiously. “Jimin-ah told me that once I took my first flight, I'd be part of the mile-high club. As I get to see the earth from miles above.” Jin saw Tae's innocence and he didn't have the heart to educate Tae about what the phrase really meant. Yet.
“So, are you and Jimin close,” he asked to change the subject. “Yes, he's been my best friend since I moved to Seoul from Daegu after middle school.” “Hmm,” said Jin, “the air-hostess is going to give the safety instructions now. Pay careful attention.” He noticed the childlike curiosity in Tae, as he listened to every word with wide eyes. And after the plane was cleared for take-off and began taxiing on the runway, Seokjin held Tae's hand gently and said, “Don't worry. I'm there for you.” Tae shut his eyes tightly, and held on to Jin for dear life.
When the flight took off, he had a strange sensation in his chest, but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. And having Jin by his side was really assuring, and he felt he couldn't have asked for a better travel companion. Once they were airborne, he let go of Jin, and relaxed in his seat. He switched on the in-flight entertainment and began to watch a movie. But the peace lasted only for a few minutes, when he heard the captain announce that there was a bit of turbulence, advising everyone to fasten their seat belts again.
“Jin, what do I do now?”
“Tae, don't stress yourself. It happens all the time. I'm now gonna let you in on a secret to take your mind off things.”
“What is it?”
“Uh, this might get a little awkward. But the mile-high club is not what you think it is. I've been on countless flights, but I'm not part of it.”
Tae was flummoxed. “How is that possible?”
Jin explained softly, “That is because Jimin was kidding around with you. You see, to be considered part of the mile-high club, you need to, er, have sex on a plane?”
Tae turned a bright shade of red, and could only manage a “Really?”
Jin chuckled, and said, “Your friend has a weird sense of humor.”
“Where would they do it, if that really happens on flights?”
“The toilets, for one. There are other possibilities as well, but you already have had enough shock for one day.”
Tae was embarrassed and was thinking of ways to get back at Jimin. Jin sensed his annoyance, and with a twinkle in his eye suggested, “I have a way you can get your “revenge,” air-quoting the last word.
“Tell me quick, “said Tae eagerly.
“But you gotta trust me on this one, okay? I'm gonna head for the toilet at the back. I want you to come there after a few minutes. And do a 'one-two-one two-three' knock so I know it's you.”
“Okay?” said Tae hesitantly. He had no idea what Jin had in mind. Tae wasn't really good at hiding his emotions, and he hoped Jin hadn't noticed how pleased he was when Jin held his hands to comfort him during the take-off. Or how he stared at Jin's lips when he spoke, and unconsciously licked his own while doing so. But now he was worried. What if Jin had read the signs, of a mild crush, mind you, as something more.
He was sort of attracted to Jin, but was nowhere ready to have sex on a plane with a stranger. After a few minutes had passed he stood up to go to the toilet. He knocked on the door the way Jin had earlier instructed him to, and was shocked when Jin opened it in a jiffy and pulled him right in.
“Er, Jin, I'm not actually ready for this,” said Tae.
“Oh, yes, you are,” said Jin, unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt. “You do it, too,” he instructed.
As Tae followed the order, Jin tousled his hair, and proceeded to do the same to Tae, whose heart was pounding by now.
“Take out your phone. Now, give your best after-sex look. We'll take a selfie and send it to Jimin to shock the daylights out of him.”
“Jin, I would if I knew how to. I've never had sex before, not on a plane or elsewhere.”
“Tae, that's so cute. Just imitate my expression then.”
Jin took the camera, pulled Tae closer, gave a look full of oomph, and when Tae felt the heat from Jin's body radiating close to him he gulped. He tried to imitate the look on Jin's face, and at the count of one, two and three, Jin clicked a photo of them dangerously close to each other, with a look of insatiable hunger for each other.
“Now, once we land, send this to Jimin with the caption, 'Finally.' He'll be thrilled,” laughed Jin as he proceeded to button his shirt again, and smoothed his hair down with his fingers. He then ran his fingers through Tae's hair, and gently ensured it looked respectable again. “Don't forget the buttons,” he winked before deftly making his way out of the toilet.
“I like how your mind works, hyung... I mean, Jin,” said Tae as he finally sent the photo to Jimin as soon as they landed. There was still time before deplaning, and everyone proceeded to remove their baggage. “That ought to teach Jimin a lesson.”
* * *
“Jungkook, you won't believe this. Look what Tae just sent.” Jimin was screaming at the top of his lungs as he called his boyfriend to come witness something that had literally blown his mind.
He showed the picture of Tae and the handsome stranger shot in the toilet of the airplane, clearly after they both had had a lot of fun together. Jungkook was amazed as well, “Our TaeTae landed himself a hot travel companion.” When he saw Jimin pout, he quickly added, “But nothing can compare to you, my love,” giving him a peck on the cheek.
“I swear I'm not being delusional, but I've a strong feeling I saw this guy's face today,” said Jimin.
Jungkook grabbed the phone to get a closer look, and suddenly blurted, “I know where.” He rushed to get the newspaper from the living room. “Look, Jimin-ssi. He's Kim Seokjin, the founder of the EatJin food delivery app.” There was a write-up on the app and its young creator who, according to the article, was all set to go places.
“Doesn't Tae use it all the time?” wondered Jimin. EatJin helped connect customers to home-chefs in the city, and it helped Tae whenever he craved for a meal that reminded him of home. “It says, the six-month old app is getting rave reviews. And get this, the big Korean food conglomerate, BigEat, is going to pump in more funding to help Seokjin dream bigger and fly higher with his brainchild.
“Do you think Tae knows,” asked Junkgook.
“He will now,” replied Jimin, as he typed in “Eat Jin. He's a whole meal! ;)”
***
Tae and Jin were at the baggage carousel when Tae received Jimin's text. He turned to Jin and showed it to him with a puzzled look on his face. “What does he mean?”
“Your friend is a smart cookie. He figured out who I am.”
“Who are you?”
“Does EatJin ring a bell?”
“The app? Don't tell me you created it. It. Is. My. Favorite.”
“Guilty as charged, and thank you. I'm glad I'm able to put a smile on your face from time to time.”
Tae gave Jin a boxy smile, and continued, “Thank you for what you did back up there,” he pointed to the skies.
“It was a thank you, nothing more.”
“For what?” wondered Tae.
“For how you calmed that baby down. You have a gift,” said Jin, gratefully. “Well, here's my card. I'll be back in Seoul next week. Once you get back there, come visit me. We'll have dinner later.”
The card was elegantly designed with the words EATJIN in bold on one side, and Seokjin's contact details on the other.
Tae looked into Jin's eyes and asked him, “Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Would it be so bad if I did?”
“Not at all, I'll get in touch with you soon,” promised Tae. “And, Jin, can I have an extra card?”
“Why, sure,” said Jin handing it out to him.
Tae took a pen from his bag, and scribbled something on the card and gave it back to Jin.
The E-A-T in EatJin had two lines across them and on top were written the letters T-A-E.
“Just so you won't forget me,” said Tae, softly.
“I agree I'm older than you, but you don't have to distrust my memory that much. Besides, you never forget your first time,” said Jin raspily.
Before Tae had the chance to blush, Jin pulled him close and kissed him on the cheek.
“Just so you don't forget me either,” he said before making a stylish exit from the airport.