Work Text:
你知道你有多漂亮吗？
我爱你，真的真的爱你。
It had started as something silly to do when he felt playful. He’d say a sentence or two in English, just to confuse the people around him and make them question what he said. He’d laugh and shrug it off and they wouldn’t mind, knowing that sometimes a lot of them would forget how to say something in Korean and revert to another language for a few moments.
It wasn’t always that case.
Sometimes, Jaehyun would make funny comments to himself in English, mostly in case the others overheard him and started play-fighting with him. Then, later, when he realised no one paid attention to what he said - not even Johnny and Mark and whoever else who could speak English and happened to be around at the same time - he started getting a little braver.
Braver, as in he started giving compliments or nice observations under his breath. It wasn’t like he was intentionally trying to hide his nice comments, since he always repeated them to the other members in Korean, but most of his compliments were directed at one person only, and he doesn’t have the courage to say them in a language Taeyong completely understands.
Thus, began the habit of complimenting Taeyong in English. He isn’t even sure why he only regularly does this around Taeyong anymore, but Taeyong never questions him, just smiles a little confusedly and lets Jaehyun translate himself if he wants to. (he almost never does, but taeyong never minds.)
“Stop being so pretty,” Jaehyun had said one morning, when Taeyong had just woken up and was trying to make some breakfast for everyone before they went out for their schedules. “It’s not fair that you look so pretty in the morning.”
Taeyong had looked up, confused, but smiled when he saw it was Jaehyun. “You’re up. Have you washed up? Are you hungry? Come get some cereal or toast or something, we’ll have a better meal later like manager-nim promised last night.”
Jaehyun had left for the bathroom and tried not to cry over how unfairly pretty, caring and kind Taeyong was. (maybe this was the time he realised he had a crush or more on taeyong, but he forgets the small details, more concerned with how taeyong’s eyes were so sparkly.)
Another time, they were due to go up for a performance on a music show, and Taeyong had been dressed and made up and god, it would have been impossible for Jaehyun to keep his eyes off Taeyong. “You look gorgeous,” Jaehyun had said in a low voice so the English-speaking members wouldn’t overhear him. “You’re really so gorgeous, I can’t believe it.”
Taeyong had laughed and hit Jaehyun’s arm. “Stop speaking English! I don’t really understand what you’re saying, and you know that.”
“I know,” Jaehyun had murmured, voice low and caught in his throat, eyes lingering over the ruffle of Taeyong’s hair and the sweep of his eyelashes and the gloss of his lips. “You don’t have to, hyung.” Perhaps he had been staring, for Taeyong had shrunk under his gaze and looked away, cheeks starting to become red.
“You’re so silly, Jaehyunnie,” Taeyong said then, cheeks hot and not looking at him at all. “One day I’ll learn English well and I’ll know what you’re always telling me.”
“I’ll wait for that day,” Jaehyun teased, bringing a hand up to drag his palm down Taeyong’s arm. “I don’t know if you’ll like what I’ve been saying…”
Taeyong had gasped. “Have you been saying vulgar things? Have you been rude? No way… I didn’t recognise any rude words… Jaehyun!”
Jaehyun just laughed, ushering Taeyong up the stage.
Then, another time, another count in an infinite amount of times. “I love you,” Jaehyun had said when it was the two of them in a dark room in their dorm, exhausted by their practices and schedules.
This, Taeyong had recognised. “I love you too, Jaehyunnie,” He had said, smiling softly, edges laced with fatigue.
“You don’t understand ,” Jaehyun whispered when Taeyong was on the verge of falling asleep. “You don’t understand. I love you in a way I don’t think you do. I love your eyes and your lips and your smile and you. I want to take care of you and make sure you’re happy and make sure you’re eating well. I love you so much, you don’t understand.”
Taeyong had turned on his side, arm falling over the edge of the bed and almost touching Jaehyun’s own hand. “Go to sleep, Jae,” Taeyong murmured. “You’ll be tired tomorrow.”
But that was months ago, and Jaehyun’s never said anything else like that for fear that Taeyong will understand now that they’re all studying English more to go overseas for their tours. He sticks to low-voices, short compliments that he says too rapidly for Taeyong to hear anyway, and smiles nervously when Taeyong asks him what he said.
Still, his lack of English comments must have been normal enough for Taeyong to notice there’s been a lack of them recently, and Taeyong brings it up one day, much to Jaehyun’s dismay.
“You know, Jaehyun used to say a lot of things to me in English,” Taeyong says thoughtfully when they’re studying English that afternoon, all the members of 127 huddled in the room and bugging the English-speaking members to help them. “You haven’t been doing that lately Jaehyun, what have you been saying to me all these years?”
“Oh, he’s been saying things to you, huh?” Johnny swoops in, interested.
“You understand English now,” Jaehyun says, avoiding the question entirely.
“What did he say, Taeyong? Can you remember?” Johnny asks, looking way too invested in this for his interests to be pure.
Taeyong frowns a little. “I don’t really remember… he always says… oh! You said ‘pretty’, I remember that! You always say that, and you say ‘gorgeous’ as well,” Taeyong says, pronouncing the words with perfect clarity and Jaehyun wants to sink down into the floor and let the carpet swallow him whole. “Were you talking about someone you liked? Why would you say that in English?”
The dangerous but placid smile Johnny gives him is not something to be disregarded. “Maybe he was talking about you, Taeyong,” Johnny says, and Jaehyun thinks this is it, this is where his life ends.
“Me?” Taeyong asks, disbelieving.
“I don’t know how to break it to you,” Johnny says, “But Taeyong, a lot of people find you attractive. Possibly even… Jaehyun.”
“Huh,” Taeyong says, and Jaehyun has never been more thankful of their manager barging in and telling them to split up to go practise. He knows he can’t avoid Taeyong forever, but he’s going to damn well try, because yes, he loves Taeyong and he doesn’t know how to face Taeyong anymore.
He lasts for a good three hours, which frankly amazes everyone - including himself - because they’re always around each other. (he doesn’t want to think about what that means, because that’s giving himself false hope, and he’s not that much of an optimist to go down that route.)
“Hey, you,” Taeyong says when Jaehyun steps into the recording studio, and Jaehyun immediately freezes.
“What - we’re not - we’re not recording together.”
“This is not a recording session,” Taeyong says helpfully. “I asked Mark to switch because I wanted to talk to you.”
Jaehyun’s hand freezes on the doorknob. “Okay, hyung, it’s not - it’s not what you think. I talked in English but it’s not anything bad! I - I just said some - some things and they’re not bad, I swear! I’m sorry, hyung, I shouldn’t have -”
“Hey, hey,” Taeyong says, standing up from the sofa and coming over to stand in front of Jaehyun. “I never asked you anything, and I’m not mad for whatever you said. I know you’d never say anything bad to me.” He says this with a smile on his face and a soft look in his eyes and Jaehyun doesn’t know what to make of this.
“Okay,” Jaehyun says, and hopes he’ll at least get out of this room in the next ten minutes, because he’s going to burst into flames from having Taeyong five inches away from him. He can see the strands of Taeyong’s hair reflecting the studio lights, the way when he blinks his eyelashes sweep down and flutter against the high points of his cheeks, the curve of his pout and the glisten of his mouth and the way they form sounds.
God, he really needs to get out of this room.
“You know, I always understood a little of the English you said last time,” Taeyong says thoughtfully. “But I didn’t really understand, and you looked happy when you said it, so I left it be. Why aren’t you saying them anymore, Jaehyunnie?” His eyes are wide as he looks into Jaehyun’s, and he looks so much like a puppy that Jaehyun is going to spontaneously combust.
Jaehyun’s about to open his mouth and deny everything when the edges of Taeyong’s mouth curls up just the slightest bit, curved into a small, sweet smile, and right there, in that moment, Jaehyun could give him everything. So he does.
“I said that you’re pretty,” Jaehyun starts, hoping his voice doesn’t shake. “And you’re still pretty. You’re gorgeous, and you’re beautiful, and I love it when I see you performing but I also love it when I see you at home asleep. I want to take care of you when you’re sick and when you need help. I want to make sure you’re eating well and sleeping well. I want you to be happy, and if I can make you happy I’ll be happy. I love you, Taeyong, I don’t think you understand.” He blurts everything out, words flowing once he opened his mouth, and he can see Taeyong processing the influx of words, trying to make sense of his spiel.
“Sorry,” Jaehyun says before Taeyong can react. “I’m sorry, hyung, I -”
“You’re sorry because you - you don’t mean them?” Taeyong asks quietly, sounding so small that Jaehyun wants to take him into his arms and shake him because no, no, no, that’s not right.
“No - I mean them, but - you must feel uncomfortable, hyung, I don’t -”
“But I love you too,” Taeyong says, English carefully pronounced, and he’s looking up at Jaehyun, eyes sparkling with what looks like tears, or maybe the lights are reflecting off, or maybe Taeyong just has stars in his eyes. “I understand now, and I love you too.”
Jaehyun takes a breath. “I - you - you really? I - I didn’t know -”
“I love you, silly,” Taeyong says, giggling a little, though it sounds wet. “I never really understood what you said, but if you had told me it was love confessions this would have taken a lot shorter.”
“Maybe,” Jaehyun says, and then he’s taking Taeyong into his arms and really, how has he not noticed Taeyong fit so perfectly into his arms? “You’re beautiful,” He mutters into Taeyong’s hair, and he doesn’t care if he’s shaking a little, because god, the one thing he had always wanted was here, in his arms, saying i love you too , and Jaehyun isn’t that much of an idiot to let go again. “You’re the best thing I’ve ever had, I love you so much.”
“Me too,” Taeyong says, muffled into his shoulder, and the world feels at peace.
“Let me kiss you?” Jaehyun asks a few moments later. “Can I kiss you, hyung?”
“I’ve been waiting,” Taeyong says, leaning back a little to look at Jaehyun properly. “Please.”
“Love you,” Jaehyun says, right against Taeyong’s lips, and he doesn’t know if he’s saying it for him or Taeyong to hear, but then his lips press against Taeyong’s, and he can’t quite remember anything else.
Taeyong’s lips are soft and press back insistently against his, and somehow, Taeyong’s arms wrap around his neck, and one of his own arms wrap around Taeyong’s waist, the other curled at the nape of Taeyong’s neck and tilting his neck so he can kiss Taeyong properly. Kissing Taeyong is - well, he can’t quite think of a word to say it because his mind is a little fuzzy, but it’s nice, more than nice , and maybe he presses Taeyong against the wall to keep on kissing Taeyong, but that’s between them and no one really needs to know that.
He goes back to old habits soon after that, spouting compliments in English randomly and at every other moment he gets to. Taeyong understands them now, returns some of them sometimes, and Jaehyun doesn’t think it gets any better than this.
“Why’s Jaehyun-hyung complimenting you in English?” Mark asks a few weeks later, confused, and clearly having not heard a single part of what went down weeks ago.
“He’s my boyfriend,” Taeyong says, and everyone gets a kick out of seeing Mark splutter, flustered.
“You’re so pretty,” Jaehyun says, a little while later, loud enough for Taeyong to hear, and Taeyong just smiles.
“Says you,” Taeyong says, then he pulls Jaehyun down for a kiss, and Jaehyun takes it back. Things keep getting better when he’s Taeyong, and he’s not ever complaining.