Work Text:
‘Hyung, are you free?’
Yuta glanced down at his phone. The message was from Ten - the first he’d gotten from him in over a month.
Rather than responding, he dialed Ten’s contact instead.
“Hyung?” Ten answered, tone warm but tired.
“Tennie~ what do you need?” Yuta asked, smiling. He didn’t manage to see much of him these days, with everyone being so busy (especially Ten) but he was always excited to talk to him. They’d always gotten along so well.
“Did I tell you I started studying Japanese?” the other boy asked. “For a few months now but especially since Christmas.”
“You didn’t tell me, but I still knew,” Yuta teased. “I saw it on one of your lives.”
There was a brief pause.
“You watch them?” Ten asked, sounding a little too surprised in Yuta’s opinion.
“Don’t you ever watch any of the other member’s lives?” he asked playfully.
“Sometimes…” Ten answered after a while.
“Why does that sound like a lie?” Yuta asked with a grin.
“It’s not,” Ten insisted before abruptly changing the subject. “I was wondering if you had time to help me a little. With my Japanese. I have some questions.”
“I’m at the company now,” Yuta said, a non answer. He would be perfectly willing to help Ten but he hadn’t even been sure he was in the country before this call.
“Me too! Where are you? I’ll come find you now if that works,” Ten responded, sounding adorably excited.
Yuta agreed to meet up in one of the spare classrooms as soon as he finished up vocal practice.
“I’m kind of annoyed you’ve picked it up so fast,” Yuta found himself saying about an hour and half later.
Ten had come prepared - he’d just finished his Japanese class with Doyoung and their teacher. He had books and notes and questions all prepared. Yuta hadn’t intended to hold a whole lesson of his own but honestly he was happy to spend some time with Ten for once, so he only encouraged the other boy to ask as many questions as he wanted.
Ten looked up from where he was furiously writing in surprise, then his expression turned mischievous.
“Afraid I’ll show you up?” he asked sweetly. Yuta grinned widely, snatching the pen out of his hand and holding it out of reach, causing the other boy to whine.
“You already speak more languages than me. You think you’re going to surpass me in my native language too?”
“I don’t ‘think’, I know,” Ten announced in Japanese with a smirk. Then he added in Korean, “It’s only a matter of time, hyung.”
Yuta cackled at this, returning the pen he’d stolen. He glanced at the time on his phone.
“We’ve already been here for too long,” he complained. “Are you done for the day? Let’s get dinner, I’m hungry.”
Ten, who had returned to taking notes, paused to look up at him in surprise.
“Oh, you’re not… busy?” he asked. Yuta wasn’t exactly sure how to describe his tone, only that he looked and sounded extremely cute.
“That question is rich coming from you,” he teased, standing. He went behind Ten’s chair and jokingly began making to pull him to his feet. “Come on, my treat. I miss you.”
So they went.
* * *
“I think learning Japanese has been one of your best decisions to date,” Yuta said happily as Ten got situated on his bed. “I was pretty sure you forgot I existed last year.”
“Hyung!” Ten complained, looking legitimately stricken. Yuta only laughed at him.
“What? I know you were busy, don’t worry. You debuted twice last year for god’s sake. Plus you had so many other pretty boys to worry about~”
He was promptly hit in the neck with one of his own pillows which only made him laugh harder.
“Yuta hyung why are you being like this?” Ten huffed, looking like he was doing his best to appear miffed. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “It’s starting to sound like you’re jealous.”
“Oh, I am,” Yuta replied, smiling wider.
Ten made a face at him, looking around for something else to throw. Yuta was faster though.
He jumped onto the bed, pillow in hand, laughing loudly as he attempted to smother his friend while Ten wiggled wildly in an attempt to escape.
“Cut it out,” he whined, “You’re gonna mess up my papers.”
Yuta relented, still chuckling. He put the pillow back in its spot behind Ten’s head, leaning back to allow the other boy to sit up again.
“If you’re only going to tease me I might as well leave,” Ten grumbled, ducking his head away.
“You like it,” Yuta said cheerfully, giving him enough space to properly set up.
Ten didn’t argue, merely pursing his lips as he looked over his worksheet.
Yuta was being completely honest, though. They had been keeping in touch more regularly than they had in over a year. Ten would ask questions about Japanese and album preparations, and Yuta finally knew where his friend was on a regular basis. Plus, in the past few weeks they’d probably seen more of each other than they had all of the previous year. Certainly more times one on one than the past two years combined.
And to be perfectly frank, Yuta liked it. They’d been really close in the early days, what with the whole foreigners adapting, learning the language situation. It wasn’t as if there was ever a time Yuta hadn’t liked Ten but now he was getting a chance to really remember why he liked him so much.
“Taeil hyung doesn’t mind us using the room for this?” Ten asked after a while. They’d been practicing some basic conversation but the younger boy had started to get a little tongue tied, so they decided to take a break. Yuta was laying on his back beside Ten who was sitting criss-cross, still looking over his papers. Yuta had started running his nails down Ten’s back mindlessly at some point as they relaxed in silence.
Yuta paused, propping himself up on his elbows.
“Why? Are you worried he’ll come back?” he teased, catching Ten’s eye with a knowing smirk. “He’s out with some of the members but I could make sure he stays out longer if you think we need privacy.”
Ten sighed, fixing him with a rather fed up look.
“It always sounds like you’re flirting with me,” he accused. “Are you doing that on purpose?”
“Aren’t I always flirting with you? It’s nothing new,” Yuta pointed out, tilting his head slightly.
Ten just looked at him blankly.
“If you don’t like it, I’ll stop,” Yuta offered immediately, totally casual. Yuta and Ten were both naturally flirty people but he knew he could go overboard at times, so he had no problem reigning it in. Not that he’d prefer to. Flirting with Ten was fun.
“No I- It’s okay. I don’t really mind,” Ten said after a moment, turning back to his book.
Yuta grinned to himself, laying back again. He reached out, giving Ten’s elbow a little pinch before resuming scratching gently down his back.
* * *
“I thought we got your ment pretty much figured out,” Yuta mused as he moved aside to let Ten into his room. Taeil was out again, so they had the place to themselves. “Not that I mind. I like seeing you.”
“It’s not like I can just say one thing the whole concert,” Ten pointed out primly, brushing past him to settle onto Yuta’s bed. He took a moment to spread out his materials before adding, “I can’t let Taemin hyung be the only one talking the whole night.”
“Why not? That’s what 127 does to me,” he teased, coming to settle down beside Ten. He nudged the younger boy playfully. “So it’s finally ‘hyung’ instead of ‘sunbaenim’, huh? You’re making progress.”
Ten rolled his eyes at this, but leaned in to nudge him back.
“Are you sure you’re not too tired to teach me?” he asked seriously. “You guys just got back from your last concerts.”
“I’ve been resting for a few days,” Yuta shrugged agreeably.
“Good,” Ten said, offering him a sweet smile. “I wanted to see you.”
After that he immediately launched into a series of questions about a few of the phrases he’d been working on. Yuta hid a grin, sliding one arm behind Ten’s back and leaning his chin onto the other boy’s shoulder, looking the paper over as he read.
“Why do you keep telling the fans we’re meeting?” Ten mused after some time. They were taking a bit of a break, having come to the end of Ten’s prewritten phrases.
Yuta looked over at him, confused, then realized what he must be referencing.
“On vlive?” he asked. Ten nodded. Yuta grinned then shrugged.
“Because I felt like it. And I thought the fans would be interested. And because I like sharing things I enjoy with them,” he answered. Then his grin turned knowing. “Why? Have you been watching my lives?”
“Yeah,” Ten admitted easily. “Even from before you started helping me, to get practice listening to Japanese. And just to check up on you.”
“So you weren’t lying before,” Yuta pointed out. Ten blinked, appearing a bit embarrassed all of a sudden. Oh, what was this?
“Do you watch the other member’s lives?” he asked curiously.
“Some of them,” Ten said carefully. “When I have time.”
“But mine are your favorite?” Yuta pressed, unable to hide his grin. Ten rolled his eyes again.
“Sure hyung, whatever makes you happy,” he shot back cheekily.
“You make me happy,” Yuta replied instantly, not waiting for a response before asking, “What about me? Am I your favorite?”
“My favorite what?” Ten asked cautiously. Yuta smiled again, shrugging,
“Just… your favorite.”
Ten tapped his chin theatrically, pretending to consider.
“You’re one of my favorites,” he decided, sounding almost dismissive.
“I’ll take it,” Yuta replied cheerfully, drawing a smile out of the other boy.
“Ugh, I still don’t know what I want to say at the very end,” Ten said, delicately changing the subject. Yuta decided to allow it. “I want to thank everyone earnestly - I don’t know how to make the fans understand how much I really appreciate them.”
Yuta hummed thoughtfully, considering. They sat in silence for a few moments as Yuta thought and Ten waited.
“How about this,” Yuta offered, waiting as Ten picked up his pen, poised to note down the suggestion. He switched to Japanese,
“I have so much fun here with you. Being together with you means more to me than you can imagine. Receiving your loving attention is an honor for which I don’t feel worthy. It feels like everything we’ve been through together has led us to this.”
Ten had paused his writing halfway through and Yuta wasn’t sure if it was because he couldn’t quite understand the words or because he could.
He waited for some kind of reaction, watching as Ten set his pen down carefully, gathering up his materials. He set them on Yuta’s bedside table before turning to face him.
“Yuta hyung,” he said, looking at him very seriously. Yuta was worried that he’d managed to upset him somehow.
“Yes?” he asked when Ten didn’t continue.
“I really think you should kiss me now.”
Yuta blinked a few times before bursting into delighted laughter.
He leaned in eagerly to comply.
As soon as their lips met, Ten wrapped his hand around the back of Yuta’s neck, pulling him closer as if all of his restraint had been broken by that first touch. His other hand went to Yuta’s chest, fisting at his shirt.
Yuta had one hand on his face, stroking gently over Ten’s cheek with his thumb, using the other to support their weight as he carefully laid the two of them down on the bed.
They pulled apart as he straddled Ten’s waist, waiting for the boy to situate himself below him before diving back in. Everything felt at once desperately urgent and enjoyably relaxed. Somewhere in the back of his mind Yuta registered that his door was not locked but he couldn’t find it in him to care.
He traced his finger along Ten’s jawline, urging his mouth open before slipping his tongue inside. He tasted like mints and a little like coffee, and it was warm and perfect.
He wasn’t sure how long they stayed there like that before finally pulling apart long enough to regard one another.
“I guess my flirting is more effective than I thought,” he teased, running his fingers through Ten’s hair affectionately. The other boy giggled.
“Shut up, it wouldn’t have worked if I didn’t already like you,” he shot back. Yuta only grinned proudly.
“It’s still a win in my book,” he said happily. Then he pretended to consider the comment. “So if you already liked me, and I already liked you… what took us so long?”
“I dunno. Life?” Ten guessed, leaning forward to capture Yuta’s lips once more. Yuta smiled into the kiss, pulling back apologetically. He hopped out of bed, running over to lock the door.
“I guess we really do have Japanese to thank,” he teased as he returned. Ten reached out and pulled him back eagerly. “So who did you kiss when you learned Chinese?”
Ten groaned loudly, looking like he was considering pushing him away. Yuta only leaned in closer, grinning wickedly.
“Shut up, hyung,” Ten mumbled, laughing despite himself.
“Make me,” Yuta challenged.
So he did.