Work Text:
Tik Tok.
Tik Tok.
Jaehyun's eyes follow the hands of the clock moving around, he was tired from the activities that happened earlier morning which is why he is lying down on the king-sized bed with the air conditioning blasting on the highest setting.
Summer always made him feel hot and stuffy, made him feel like he had to wear a lot of sunscreen before stepping out of the shade. But in the end, he'll always get sunburned because his skin is just that sensitive.
When his eyes start to flutter shut, he hears the door of the cottage opening and closing. He didn't care who was in the room because there are only one- actually two people that can only enter the room, which was his annoying American best friend and his lovely boyfriend Taeyong.
And hopefully, it's the latter because he can't afford to keep up with the hyperactive Johnny who always is up to something dumb and stupid.
"Are you already tired, babe?"
There it is, butterflies.
"I feel like I got run over by a fucking bus, Johnny dragged me towards the arcade earlier because he wanted to challenge the Dance Dance Revolution game and we walked on the way there because that fucker told me it was a short walk which took us an hour," Jaehyun complains and opens his eyes, deciding that seeing the love of his life is much more valuable than rest.
"You could've told him," Taeyong says with a pitiful look but it only lasts a second before he's smiling brightly at him.
I'm going to die , Jaehyun thinks. There's no way that he could handle that look.
"Didn't think of that," He says as he sits up, now moving towards the corner of the bed. Taeyong knew what he wanted, so he quickly engulfs him with a warm hug.
"Do you still have the energy for some drinks by the beach later? Yuta told me that we'll have some barbeque to celebrate the first night here in the resort." Taeyong asks, patting the soft and fluffy black hair of his boyfriend with his free hand as the other one is on his back.
"Barbeque?" Jaehyun lifts his head, his attention on the mention of eating tons and tons of freshly grilled meat by the sea sounds very tempting.
"You heard me right," Taeyong says as he cups Jaehyun's soft yet firm cheeks with his bony but soft hands. He couldn't help himself, the younger male looked too cute for him to resist.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer," Jaehyun smirks when Taeyong quickly removes his hands from his cheeks. The elder male feels the all too familiar heat on his cheeks, and he hated the way he got easily flustered by that one simple statement.
"Babe come back!" He whines when he sees the other leaving him and making his way to the bathroom. The blushing man pretended that he didn't hear that and proceeded to change into new clothes and take a shower to freshen himself up.
"He's too cute," Jaehyun huffs, clutching his heart that's beating too fast for his liking. Before his lover would scold him for not changing clothes, he takes action and changes into a casual outfit which consists of a plain black shirt, an army printed cargo pants, slip-on sandals, and a black beanie to complete the look.
After spraying some perfume, and putting on the beanie to hide his messy hair that he was too lazy to fix, he decides to sit on the bed once again as he waits for his boyfriend to be finished.
He opens his phone and he's overwhelmed with the number of notifications. Most of them are from their group chat, and he doesn't even open it as he already knows what's happening (which is Doyoung scolding them like children).
He then opens Instagram to kill time, first going through the stories of his close friends then visiting the explore page to look through interesting videos. He ends up watching slime videos, and the thing is that he didn't even know how he ended up watching them.
But his little bubble then pops when he hears a soft voice calling for him. He quickly turns off his phone and looks up only to get his breath taken away.
He's so beautiful.
Taeyong's eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he looked at his now frozen boyfriend. There was nothing different, he just changed into more appropriate clothes and added some accessories to compliment his outfit. He's done this so many times already but why is the younger looking like a frozen popsicle?
"Jaehyun? Jung Jaehyun?" Taeyong calls out, his voice rising when he repeats it again but despite the effort, the mentioned male still is frozen as ever.
He then stands in front of his boyfriend and waves his hand near his face which thankfully works. The younger then feels his face starting to heat up, so for the elder not to notice it he abruptly stands up and heads to the door.
"Yah! Jung Jaehyun!" Taeyong yells from behind, not liking how his boyfriend is leaving as if he's a punctual guy.
"We're going to be late!" He gives an excuse before leaving the cottage.
But despite him acting strangely, Taeyong thinks that it's cute.
Am I that handsome? I just look normal though , he thinks.
After being able to catch up with his boyfriend who left their shared cottage with no explanation, they walk around the resort in search of Yuta and Johnny's cottage.
"Are you sure this is the one?" Taeyong asks once in front of what Jaehyun thinks is their friend's cottage. He is a little bit wary because he's scared of embarrassing himself in front of strangers but his lover is the total opposite.
"I sense that this is the one," Jaehyun says with a determined look on his face.
"And what if this isn't the one?"
"Then my spidey senses aren't working for today," He says with a shrug before facing the door and placing his fist on it to knock. Taeyong's eyes widened, he didn't expect him to be too forward.
"Shouldn't we wai-"
"Johnny of the Suh! You better open this door now before I start screaming all the embarrassing moments that happened in your life-" Before Jaehyun could even complete his sentence, the door opens revealing a scared Johnny.
"See! Told you I was right!" Taeyong then sees his boyfriend put a fist pump in the air and completely ignores how he's acting like a total child at the moment.
"Dude you promised that you won't tell those!" Johnny complains, opening the door wider for them to enter.
"Promises are meant to be broken,"
"But it was a pinky promise!" Jaehyun sticks his tongue out before proceeding to call for Johnny's boyfriend, saying that he has some important things for him to hear with the American chasing him of course.
"This is going to be a very long night." Taeyong looks at his side only to see Doyoung crossing his arms together as the two idiots bicker in English.
"Tell me about it," He sighs before entering the cottage, removing his shoes and leaving him in the soft fuzzy socks his mother knitted for him.
______
From grilled pork belly to pork intestines, Jaehyun eats them all. It was cute seeing his boyfriend attempt to fit a gigantic wrap made by his best friend. Sure it may look messy and disgusting to others, but he is a whipped man.
"Are you going to be the one to drag a drunk man home?" Yuta questions Taeyong while monitoring the meat grilling on the pan, thinking it was the reason why his friend isn't drinking as much as he was.
"I plan to drink a few bottles, but I have to watch over that dork over there." He points towards Jaehyun who succeeded in eating a wrap that seemed impossible to eat in one single bite, but knowing his boyfriend, he'll make anything work.
"I'm not that scared of drunk Johnny, to be honest, he gets serious and dead quiet when he drinks more than his body can take," Yuta says as he flips the meat over to cook it properly.
“Can you guys stop looking at those idiots like you’ve been hit by the cupid’s arrow? Doyoung interrupts, making the two flinch in surprise at the sudden intrusion. He then grabs one of the Joomuk-bap beside the grill (Korean rice balls with seaweed flakes and fish roe) and tosses it into his mouth.
“You’re just bitter because your boyfriend is one busy man and he couldn’t join the trip,” Yuta says with a smile, but he regrets saying those words because he ended up feeling a sharp pain on his side which made him drop the tongs on the floor.
“What was that for?!” He yells as he clutches his side, hissing as the pain throbs. The attacker shrugs his shoulder, pretending not to know what happened even though he was the one who hit his side.
“If Taeil-Hyung was here, Doyoung wouldn’t be one bitter bitch.” Taeyong says after grabbing the tongs from the floor, giving it back to Yuta (wiping it with the baby wipes nearby first) who accepts it.
“I am not bitter!” Doyoung tries to defend himself, but his friends only chuckle at his attempt. It was so obvious that he isn’t coping well without his boyfriend, especially when he’s surrounded by love birds that act like they haven’t seen each other in such a long time. Yeah, it sucks.
“You pushed me into the pool right before Johnny and I kissed.” Yuta glares at the younger, who visibly tenses at the scary look on his face. He didn’t mean to push him, he just wanted to enter the pool and it was a coincidence that the Japanese were in front of him.
“You made me let go of Jaehyun’s hand,” Taeyong says with a sad look on his face, the look that makes everyone feel bad even if they didn’t do anything wrong.
Ding!
“D-did I do those?” Doyoung whispers, head hanging low. He knew that it was immature of him to act like that, messing up other people’s time with their love life just because he isn’t there with him.
“I’m sorry,” He apologizes, even doing a 90-degree bow to make it sincere. He felt guilty for his actions and he knows a simple sorry won’t be enough to patch up the wound that he made.
The two males didn’t know what to do, they thought that Doyoung would catch up with their on the spot prank but it completely backfires. They forgot one thing, and it is how serious he gets to the point he can’t differentiate the difference of a silly prank from his friends and a serious conversation.
“Doyoung it’s not what you think it is-“Yuta tries to explain that they pulled a prank on him, but he gets interrupted by the smell of burning meat. The Japanese male looks at his side only to see the fire turned off by Taeyong and the precious meat he bought, now looking like rocks.
Now it isn’t only Doyoung who’s feeling down.
-----
“It was a good thing that not all were burnt like crazy,” Taeyong places the paper plate with a mountain of grilled juicy meat that made everyone salivate like crazy. Yuta was hesitant to grab a slice, still down for almost burning the main course of the night. But he feels a familiar touch on his shoulder which made him tear his gaze from the table to Johnny who offers him a sincere smile that says:
It’s not your fault, now eat up before I will.
And that look coming from his lover made his shoulder feel light, not dragging him down. He then soon finds himself making himself a wrap and eating it. Of course, the thought still lingers in his mind, but when he looks at his boyfriend laughing at a corny joke Jaehyun made, makes him forget it.
“You’re going to choke if you continue eating like that,” Taeyong says to his boyfriend who’s inhaling the pork tripe rice in his bowl. The crazy appetite of Jaehyun never fails to make him feel amazed yet scared at the same time. It also baffles him that despite eating a lot, he still has a toned body which is something why people envy him.
“’ M not,” Jaehyun replies while taking a spoonful of the rice but he suddenly drops the spoon as he coughs like crazy, in other words, he choked. Johnny was quick to hand him a glass and he quickly downs it, not bothering to even ask what it contains. But once he drinks it, he is greeted by the all too familiar taste of Soju.
“Fuck!” He shouts as he bangs the glass on the table, creating a loud sound. He then looks at his best friend who gives him an innocent smile as if he didn’t hand him alcohol instead of water.
“That wasn’t water,”
“Congrats on knowing,” Johnny replies with a grin before taking a sip of the savory soybean paste soup, completely ignoring the glare that the other is giving him.
“You didn’t help him?” Doyoung asks Taeyong who takes a shot of Soju easily with no bitter expression on his face. The younger thought that he’ll quickly rush to his side and help him but he just watched Jaehyun choking.
“Serves him right. I told him many times before but since he already experienced it there’s no way that he’ll attempt it again.” He says calmly while building a tower of Bulgogi on his sesame leaf with a radish slice under the meat.
Reminder: Always make him stay at his good side. Doyoung says to himself, not wanting to go through the same treatment his friend went through earlier.
As the night continues, the plate full of meat slowly decreases and the bowls filled to the brim with rice disappears. It wasn't a surprise, as they all have quite big appetites. In the end, everyone has their stomachs full and like a ticking time bomb, it feels like it’s going to go off any moment.
And being the caring man he is, Yuta suggests that they would walk around the beach to improve their digestion. It also helps Johnny and Jaehyun to sober up as they consumed around two and a half bottles of Soju by just eating. They are a little bit tipsy and their cheeks are now red as a side effect of drinking.
"It's so cold," Doyoung complains once they leave the couple's cottage. The ocean breeze didn't hold back, passing by the small group with its cold air which made everyone's hair stand up.
"Much colder than I thought," Taeyong says as he clutches onto his jean jacket tighter around himself. He was already wearing a long-sleeved top but since it, the fabric's thin, the air easily seeps through it.
"I should've bought a jacket with me," Yuta says as he hugs himself to stay warm. He already knew it was going to be cold, but he didn't expect it to be this cold.
"You are not going to run back like a pussy," Doyoung glares at the elder who looked like he's going to head back. Yuta stills and gives him a smile that says "Of course not, why would I?"
"I can't believe we're graduating," Johnny says once they enter the beach area. The thought of themselves finally being one step closer to their dreams makes them feel warm inside. Sure there were obstacles, it was a given after all. But with the support and love coming from your friends makes everything worth it.
"Bro, when you finally debut your fashion line and if you need a model. Don't hesitate to contact me okay?" Jaehyun then wraps his arm around Johnny's shoulder and drags him down like it was nothing, making the elder slide towards the left.
"Sometimes I forget that Jaehyun's a model," Yuta says as they go further on the beach, and going through their sandals which will be a pain in the ass to clean later.
Ever since Jaehyun was scouted during his freshman year in college, he was able to create his name by participating in various shows and magazines. The workload is tough but he has someone dear to his heart that makes everything worth it.
"I can't believe I'm friends with a celebrity," Doyoung whispers to himself. He too forgets that his friend is a model. Does that mean he's going to be bombarded by paparazzi because he's a close friend? The mere thought of it made him already sick.
"Guys! Look, a campfire!" Taeyong points to a spot that is lit by a fire. It didn't take long for everyone to rush towards it, wanting to escape the cold breeze and warm themselves up.
"This hits the spot," Yuta groans as he places his hand near the fire, warmth starting to spread throughout his body.
Everyone quiets down as they focus on their main source of warmth at the moment, which was the fire right in the middle of the chairs placed by the resort. They didn't utter a single word and the only thing you hear is the crackling sound of the wood being burned by the fire.
"Jaehyun, I've been wanting to ask you a question for quite a while," Doyoung speaks out of the blue, turning his attention to the now sober man who's snuggling at his boyfriend's side for additional warmth. The younger hums in reply, showing that he's ready to answer any question thrown at him.
"Just make sure that it isn't math, he's quite slow at it." Taeyong teases his boyfriend, who gives him a light blow at the side in reply. The male hisses at the pain while the other grins like nothing
"Fuck you,"
"Later," He simply replies, not thinking of what he just said. Everyone's jaws are on the floor, not believing what they just heard.
"So how did you and Taeyong meet?" Doyoung interjects, trying to move the attention towards his question which was something the elder is grateful for.
Oh no, Taeyong thinks. He looks at his boyfriend who is clearly in shock, not expecting this question at all.
Yuta, despite having Jaehyun's best friend as his lover has completely no idea of how the two meet. They were different but as they say, opposites attract. The Japanese move forward and look at the questioned male, who's still trying to process it in his mind.
Despite being together for so long, sometimes Jaehyun still doesn't know how to answer the question "How did you and your boyfriend meet?" because he just can't say that "We met at the cereal aisle in Target and he punched me in the gut because he thought I was going to sexually harass him when in fact I was trying to reach for the last box of Cinnamon Toast crunch."
"Do you want the full story or the summarized one?" Jaehyun finally talks and Taeyong releases a sigh that he didn't know he was holding.
"Full story," Doyoung and Yuta say in unison, shocking themselves with how in-sync it was. The male felt like he was going to die because of the way that his loving boyfriend and he met isn't something romantic at all.
"You guys will get bored," He tries to persuade them but they just shake their heads in reply.
"Don't worry, we got plenty of time," Yuta says and opens a can of beer that he carried along with him. It baffles Taeyong that he was carrying a 6 pack of beer without anyone noticing at all.
"I'm going to regret this," Jaehyun says as he drinks the opened beer that Johnny hands him (who gives him a pitiful look because he knows it is going to be very embarrassing).
"You look like you're going to enjoy this," Doyoung points out Taeyong who isn't fazed by the question, a total opposite of the younger.
"I am," He says before opening a can of beer, offering the younger a smile.
"Once upon a time..." He trails off.
________
Jaehyun's stomach made a noise, it was as if it was growling for food. It was understandable, as the male hadn't eaten dinner because he was distracted by the flashy and addictive online game he was playing.
He decides to ignore it and drinks the bottled water near his computer, it should buy him enough time for another match. But before he could enter the lobby, his stomach contracted again and it was more painful than it was before.
"Fuck this," He says, standing up and turning his computer off (save electricity people!) before grabbing his belongings and leaving his apartment.
He heads towards Target; sure he could crash at the nearest convenience store but he needs to do some grocery shopping as the food stocked in his humble home isn't enough for a meal.
Although the price of his apartment is a little bit heavy on his wallet, he couldn't resist not renting it. The apartment complex is not only near to his university, but it is close to the places that he frequently goes to.
After walking for what felt like hours, he finally sees the all too familiar red logo shining brightly. He then grabs a grocery cart from outside before entering the grocery store.
Once he was inside, he noticed that there aren't that many people inside. It was a given as it was already nearing its closing hours, but still, it felt odd for the male to not see the long lines at the counter.
Still, he felt happy. Fewer people meant fewer confrontations, meaning that there is no possible way for him to embarrass him tonight.
But will he though?
Apples
Bread
Nuggets
Frozen Tteok-galbi
The cart becomes heavier as the time passes, there were more items that he thought he'll buy but there are so many items on sale that he couldn't resist buying them.
"Oh, shit, cereal," Jaehyun says to himself after looking at his cart. He could not buy it, but cereal is his savior. It fed him when he was late for class or when he was busy playing Overwatch with Johnny and needed a snack.
In the end, he finds himself searching for the cereal aisle. He should've brought his air pods with him so that he wouldn't have to endure the generic grocery music that makes him want to punch the nearest wall.
Cereal Aisle
Jaehyun felt like he was in heaven. As a child, his parents forbid him from eating the sugary goods as it was "bad" for his health. Those were true, yet he felt like he was missing something as he was growing up.
But now, he's an adult. And what can adults do? Make important decisions.
"Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Oreo O's?" Jaehyun asks himself as he pushes the cart through the aisle that made him feel like a child again. There were many varieties of cereal, but he knows that he can only pick one because if he buys two one would end up expiring.
But I had chocolate cereal last week.
With that thought in his head, he leaves his cart on the side and sets his mission to find Cinnamon Toast Crunch. He spent time looking through the cereals, but the cereal that he was longing for couldn’t be seen despite his efforts.
All hope was gone and he was ready to mourn over the loss of his precious cereal while eating boring Honey Nut Cheerios that tasted too healthy for his liking, but in his peripheral vision, he saw the box. His head snaps towards the direction, and he sees the cereal in its glory. It was the last one standing, meaning it was destined for Jaehyun to consume.
It was as if his body went on auto-pilot, moving to grab the last box before someone could snatch it from his hands. The only thing he could see was the cereal, nothing else and nothing more.
Before his fingers brushed against the box, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach which made him flinch back and caress the area that is throbbing in pain. It felt more painful than what he thought it was going to be, but why? Why is he hurting?
“Don’t touch me, you perverted bastard!” A male in his early twenties yells on top of his lungs, his cheeks red from what he just experienced. His elbow looked like it was swelling, which means that he used it to hit Jaehyun’s stomach.
“Touch you?! I did not touch you at all!” Jaehyun retorts, now standing up properly as if he wasn’t in pain earlier. The two started to have a staredown, both of them not willing to break it. It was weird but he just went along with it, after all, he knew he didn’t do anything wrong.
“Then why were you cornering me?! Only a pervert would do that!” The man says while pointing to Jaehyun who’s eyes widen at what he just heard.
“Me? A pervert? Does my face scream pervert?” Jaehyun says as he removes his black cap and his face mask, showing his flawless face that didn’t show any single pimple.
“A lot of people look decent but they harass people, you idiot!” He yells and it struck a chord in the younger’s heart.
He does have a point.
“Look, I just want my damn Cinnamon Toast Crunch here. So I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable in any way, I should’ve looked around my surroundings before grabbing the cereal. I sincerely hope you’ll forgive me.” Jaehyun then bows, shocking the other male as he didn’t expect him to ask for forgiveness because he looks like the type of person who does whatever he wants without caring for others.
“So you said you liked Cinnamon Toast Crunch?” The younger then stands up properly, only to see the male grab it from the aisle and sways it back and forth in front of the male.
“Yes, I do,”
“Then you better make a run for it,” The male said before he started running. Jaehyun was left dumbfounded, not understanding what just happened to him.
All he knows is that he’s going to get back the Cinnamon Toast crunch from that man no matter it takes.
-------
“So you’re telling me that yall found love at Target?” Yuta concludes after listening to the story his friend told them. The way they met was more comedic rather than something romantic like a blind date.
“Is that what you only got from that?” Jaehyun says as he covers his blushing face with his hands, not wanting to see any of his friend’s reactions to the story.
“Not only that, but I also didn’t know you were a freak for cereal.” Doyoung chuckles when he sees the younger whine. Their story was perfect for the setting, it was something lighthearted and not too dramatic that would ruin the vibe that they had.
“If you only saw what was inside the pantry,” Taeyong says with a small smile on his face as he tells them about how Jaehyun’s side of the pantry was filled with so much cereal and Twinkies. He also told them about how his boyfriend would scold him if he used his “special spoon” that was only used for cereal.
“This is so sad; I’m going to cry,” Johnny says after laughing his heart out from what he heard. He didn’t know that his best friend was this childish and immature, he had a small peek of it before but it still shocks him from time to time.
“I’m disappointed you didn’t tell them what happened next,” Taeyong pouts, showing his disappointment at him. The other’s perked at what he said, they wanted to know what happened no matter how boring or fun it is.
“Do I have to?”
“Fine! Just stop looking at me with those eyes, you’re going to make me cry if you do.”
“So, as I was chasing Taeyong Hyung around Target because I wanted that cereal. There was a wet mop sign on the floor and I didn’t pay any mind to it because I thought it dried…” Jaehyun trails off, not wanting to continue it already because, from the look of Johnny, he’s going to laugh like there’s no tomorrow,
“He slid and he landed on his butt,” Taeyong says it with a straight face like it was something serious which made Yuta laugh with Doyoung following suit. Their laughs only became louder when they imagined what it looked like.
“No wonder why his ass is so flat.”
While the group was laughing themselves off with Jaehyun’s embarrassing story, he looks at his lover who’s giggling with them. It made his heart feel warm and fuzzy at the sight. There was no flaw in the man by his side but there’s one actually and it was how he can make everyone fall for him so effortlessly.
I’ll fall on my ass a hundred times if it meant that I could end up loving you for the end of time.