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In hindsight, it really is Taehyun’s fault. Given his best friend’s obnoxious thirst for being a royal pain in the ass, Taehyun should’ve seen this coming from miles away.
What’s this you ask? Well, to answer that, Taehyun would need to start from the beginning.
It’s Wednesday afternoon. Classes have just ended and Taehyun is bubbling with both excitement and fear. Auditions for this year’s school play are taking place and Taehyun has managed to score the lead all three years of his highschool career so far, so senior year should definitely not be any different. The committee adores him, as they should; he’s gifted and he knows that. In fact, if he weren’t so enamored with pursuing a career in music, he’d probably be looking into theatre.
“Tyun!” Filed in the back of the auditorium are four rowdy teenagers, two who have already graduated. They’re not even supposed to be allowed into the building, but—Taehyun shifts his eyes towards the brunette that’s frantically waving his arms and jumping out of his seat—Kai would always find a way for mischief.
Gripping firmly onto the script, Taehyun rakes his eyes through the lines once more. There’s four people ahead of him so he’s got an ample amount of time. The competition for Prince Eric seems scarce, but the fact that he was auditioning was probably why many people dropped out of trying anyways. It’s not his fault he’s got a reputation to uphold.
“Eric, you’ve got to get away from here!” A high-pitched voice speaks from behind and Taehyun tosses a glance over his shoulder, just in time to see Kai dramatically press the back of his hand on his forehead. However, as Taehyun’s about to cut in, Kai dramatically turns around, tossing his arm down forcefully. “No! I won’t leave you.”
“What are you doing?” Taehyun inquires, biting on his inner cheek to suppress his growing smile. God forbid him encouraging the boy’s shenanigans by laughing.
“Acting,” Kai replies, effortlessly climbing over the row of seats separating the two of them. He’s the infamous klutz in their friend group but his long legs do grant him certain advantages. One being the ability to loom over Taehyun like he is now. “I’m a natural, don’t you think?”
“Right,” Taehyun rolls his eyes, watching as Kai lunges around left and right in front of him to mimic sword dueling. “Like a picture perfect replica.”
Kai laughs, lanky limbs finally resting when he plops down on the seat beside Taehyun’s. “It’s my favorite disney movie, you know,” Kai pipes up and Taehyun hums softly, eyes back on the script at hand. Of course he knows. How could he not know? They grew up attached at the hip and if Kai playing the movie every chance he got during their playdates said anything it was that.
“Do you remember my favorite song?” Kai asks, placing a hand over the script to obscure Taehyun’s vision and grab his attention. Taehyun relents, letting his gaze meet Kai’s, and smiles fondly. Had it been anyone else, he probably would’ve told them to kindly screw off because he was busy, but he’s always had a soft spot for Kai—no matter how hard he tries to hide it.
“I don’t know when,” Taehyun begins, chuckling under his breath at the way Kai’s doe eyes widen with anticipation.
“ I don’t know how,” Taehyun angles himself back a bit as Kai leans in uncomfortably close.
“But I know something’s starting right now,” he can feel Kai’s breath hit his chin as the latter barely whispers along to the song.
“Watch and you’ll see,” Taehyun hopes Kai doesn’t hear the way his voice quivers.
“Someday I’ll be,” when he hesitates, Kai comes in strongly, helping him finish the song.
“Part of your world.”
They sit there, staring at each other, and Taehyun faces a heavy realization as he begins to count the long lashes framing Kai’s captivating eyes. The way his heart is practically hammering against his chest and leaping up into his throat is proof enough that—
“Éncore!” A voice booms from the speakers. Immediately, the two boys jolt away from each other, knees knocking in a bruising manner. “Ow,” Taehyun hears Kai whine from beside him and he’s about to make sure the boy’s okay when someone grabs his arm.
“You never fail to impress me!” Professor Kim chirps, ushering Taehyun onto his feet. “That was,” there’s a pause, “Magnificent!—Oh that’s good. That’s a big word and it’s fitting.” Behind him, Professor Jeon rolls his eyes.
“Sorry, sir?” Taehyun asks in confusion, awkwardly shifting his weight onto his other leg as his gaze darts back and forth between the two instructors in front of him.
“You got it! You got the part!” Professor Kim gives two thumbs up and Taehyun furrows his eyebrows together. “But I haven’t—”
“You don’t need to! I’ve seen your work before, I'm sure you can handle it. Besides, no one’s voice can compete with yours.”
“Taehyung, you haven’t watched the other people perform yet.” Professor Jeon reprimands, but he’s quickly silenced. “So? You heard him! You’re gonna tell me you disagree?”
“I don’t but,” Taehyun stands up straight when Professor Jeon turns to face him. “Were you even trying out for Ariel?”
“That doesn’t matter! I’m sure he’s happy so long as he gets a lead role,” Professor Kim butts in, creating a picture frame with his fingers as he circles around the boy in question. “I think Ariel being a boy would be interesting,” a hand finds its way into Taehyun’s hair. “He’s even got the red hair to match it!”
This might just be the most humiliating day of Taehyun’s life. Kai seems to agree with the way he fails miserably at holding back his giggles. That is until—
“And you!” An accusatory finger points straight past Taehyun. “You look exactly like Prince Eric.”
Taehyun splutters, finally finding his voice. “Professor, this has to be a mistake. Kai doesn’t know the first thing about acting.”
Kai makes an offended noise, but doesn’t argue because Taehyun is right after all.
“Well then you can teach him! Consider it extra credit for drama class,” Professor Kim adds on happily, practically prancing away to announce that the lead roles have been taken.
“Sorry, kiddo,” Professor Jeon apologizes, lightly patting Taehyun on the shoulder. Taehyun doesn’t even register it at first, too numb from the awe. “I think it’ll work though. You guys sound good together.”
“With all due respect, Professor Jeon, I’m gonna have to politely decline,” Kai speaks up, deciding now to jump into the conversation. “If you want this play to be as amazing as usual, you do not want me in the cast. Especially not as a lead.”
“If I recall correctly, you still owe me an art history paper,” Professor Kim interrupts, eyes narrowed into a lethal glare that has Kai shrinking behind Taehyun, regardless of the fact that he’s a head (or two) taller. “Consider this an adequate substitute for it. Besides, you’ve got the best actor in your grade as your acting tutor. You’ll be fine.”
Normally, Taehyun would be basking in the compliments he’s being showered with. Right now, however, he’s too horrified to do anything of the sort.
“But sir, I really don’t know about this,” Kai tries again, voice meek. His fingers are curling into the hem of Taehyun’s shirt from behind and instinctively, Taehyun reaches around to pat the younger boy’s side to calm him down.
“You can’t force them,” Professor Jeon sighs, attempting to be the voice of reason. “Look at them. They’re practically shaking with discomfort.”
“That’s a shame.” Taehyun releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding in… until Professor Kim speaks up again. “I thought it’d be easier for Taehyun to kiss someone he’s comfortable around. I guess he’ll be fine either way though, given his talent.”
“Kiss?” Taehyun and Kai inquire at the same time. This wasn’t in the excerpt they were given for auditions.
“Yeah, at the ending. Haven’t you seen the movie?” Professor Jeon asks, just as surprised. “We didn’t put a disclaimer because—well—we thought that was obvious.”
“Is that not alright with you?” Professor Kim asks, stare critical as he reads into Taehyun’s expressions. “You don’t have to be a lead if that’s the case.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Taehyun clarifies, shaking his head with newfound fervor. There was no way he was risking his reputation over something as small as a kiss. (Well, he hasn’t kissed anyone yet and first kisses are a big deal, but.)
“I’ll do it,” Kai agrees, and Taehyun startles, whipping around to look at him inquisitively. “I’ll be Prince Eric.” Kai’s not meeting his gaze.
“Perfect! I’ll email you both the full scripts tonight,” Professor Kim clasps his hands together in victory. When the two instructors walk away, Taehyun hisses his complaint.
“Are you insane? You’ve never starred in a play before!”
“Wow, that was not the ‘thank you’ I was expecting,” Kai comments, arms folding over his chest. “I just saved you from kissing a complete stranger!”
“That’s not the point here! The point is that you’re signed up to play the lead role in a play when you haven’t even dabbled in theatrics! Not once,” Taehyun pinches the bridge of his nose.
“He’s dramatic, it should be alright,” Beomgyu scoffs, catching their attention. Soobin slings an arm around his shoulders and Yeonjun slings his arm around Soobin’s shoulders. They look like the three diablos from Puss in Boots in this stance.
“Exactly! I’ve fooled you before during my pranks,” Kai defends himself, huffing childishly. “Why are you so against it?”
“I just don’t want you to embarrass yourself,” Taehyun reasons and Kai snorts. “ Me? Embarrass myself? I’d need some dignity to do that and I have none.”
“That’s true,” Soobin offers. “A little too true,” Yeonjun continues, ruffling Kai’s locks affectionately. “If anything you should be the one worried about embarrassing yourself,” Beomgyu smirks knowingly, lifting his eyebrows upwards challengingly.
“Him? Why would he be embarrassed?” Kai asks, oblivious to the tension between the two shorter boys standing before him. “He’s like,” Kai motions with his hands, “The best!”
“Because,” Beomgyu replies, nonchalant as ever despite the death glares Taehyun is sending his way. “Taehyun hasn’t had his first kiss yet.” He saunters closer, one arm looping around Taehyun’s waist as his free hand interlaces their fingers, dipping Taehyun down gracefully. “No one’s swept him off his feet before.”
“Oh,” Kai says. Taehyun’s too busy shoving Beomgyu away from him with a scowl on his face to register a new pair of hands resting at his waist. Consequently, he’s pulled into a familiar embrace, shuddering as Kai yawns near his ear, bending down to rest his chin on the redhead’s shoulder. “I haven’t either. It’ll be fine. We’re best friends.”
“Yeah,” Taehyun manages to agree, albeit breathlessly. Three pairs of judgemental eyes bore into him. Soobin’s the one that speaks up first.
“Right. Best friends.”
“You’re still emphasizing the wrong words,” Taehyun critiques when Kai dances around his bedroom, performing the little he’s rehearsed over the span of an entire week. “We’ve been doing this scene for an hour!” Kai complains, flopping onto Taehyun’s bed, which sends the shorter flying into the air a bit.
“Maybe if you memorized more than four lines, we’d have more to work with,” Taehyun retorts, regaining his ‘cool’ after having flailed a few seconds ago from the jostle. “You’re not taking this seriously.”
“I so am,” Kai squeaks, peeking his head up from the plushie he’s got it buried in. It’s an alpaca with eyes that seem to stare into his soul; Taehyun’s not sure why he bought it, if he’s being honest. Now that he can fit it in the same frame as Kai, however, he begins to see a resemblance, so maybe that’s why.
“If you were, we’d be into Act 5 by now,” Taehyun points out calmly, setting aside the script and turning his upper torso so that he can fully face the pouty boy. “You still have time to back out, you know. You have an understudy that can fill in. I’ve worked with Jeongin before, he’s a quick learner.”
“Do you want me to back out?” Kai asks. Taehyun hesitates. He doesn’t want Kai to back out, so to say, but he’s worried. He knows how nerve wracking it is to perform in front of huge crowds and the closest Kai’s ever experienced to that is when he’d been a clown’s assistant at Beomgyu’s 8th birthday party. Which, by the way, did not go well at all. Taehyun had to spend 2 hours convincing Kai that no, the pigeon wasn’t actually set on fire, so no, he wasn’t a murderer and he should stop crying about being one.
There’s also something in the way Kai asks that question. It almost sounds like Kai is using his ‘serious-voice’. Something he only saves for important things, like when Taehyun threatened to toss out his plushies from their shared locker. (Kai, naturally, had forgotten his own combination so Taehyun offered to let him use his.)
“I don’t want you to, but if you’re actually gonna do this, you have to give it more effort.” Taehyun chides, reaching out to lightly flick Kai on the forehead. He doesn’t expect Kai to grab his wrist and drag him forwards though.
“I am giving it effort,” Kai asserts, swiftly maneuvering them until Taehyun finds himself flat against the bed, Kai hovering over him so close that the brunette’s bangs kiss Taehyun’s forehead. “I’ll prove it to you.”
This isn’t good, Taehyun thinks. At this rate, with the way heat is racing to his cheeks, Kai’s going to find out sooner rather than later the real reason Taehyun’s been so on edge. So, Taehyun does what any reasonable teenager avoiding his own feelings would do.
He pushes Kai off.
“Ow, what the heck?” Kai winces, awkwardly sitting up on the floor after being mercilessly tossed onto it. His hair is swept in all sorts of directions and Taehyun’s hand twitches, fighting the urge to fix it. “A ‘hey, could you get off me?’ would’ve done just fine, thanks!”
“Whatever,” Taehyun mumbles, coughing quietly and grabbing the script to bury his nose in before Kai can see the color on his face. “Let’s get back to practicing, yeah?”
He hears Kai stand up, the wooden floorboards wheezing in protest underneath the weight of a 185cm giant. There’s also the sound of rough patting and Taehyun assumes Kai’s dusting himself off, although his room is spotless. He makes sure of it.
“You’re acting weird,” he hears Kai say. Before Taehyun can present a clear defense, however, Kai announces that he’s going to get some grape juice from the kitchen and disappears behind the bedroom door.
Taehyun makes a strangled noise of defeat, eyeing the dip in his bed where Kai had lied a few seconds ago and then reaches for the abandoned plush, bringing it to his chest. He knows he’s acting weird, but he can’t help it. How else are you supposed to act when you find out you’ve developed a crush on your best friend? Especially when the chances of them reciprocating your feelings are slim to none?
Taehyun’s glad Kai is as oblivious as they come because he doesn’t need him figuring out that there’s a much bigger storm brewing than the upcoming play.
Kai proves to him in the span of just under a week that he’s not nicknamed the ‘ace’ for no reason. His first group rehearsal goes exceptionally well and the auditorium bursts with applause.
Both the Professors approach Taehyun to praise him for how quickly he’s taught the younger actor and Taehyun’s unable to voice that he had done nothing. Kai had managed to improve all on his own. Which stings. Not because it hurts his pride or because he’s jealous Kai can learn things so quickly, but because Kai didn’t really need him. In fact, he could probably carry the entire play without Taehyun.
“How’d I do?” Kai asks him breathlessly when they’re both backstage. His bangs are swept back with a clip and Taehyun can see the small beads of sweat forming on his forehead, along with fading creases from concentration. He’s not wearing any makeup, aside from the concealer covering his eye bags, and Taehyun’s at an absolute loss for words once more. Kai is—in all ways—breathtaking.
Taehyun opts for giving him two thumbs up which earns a satisfied hum and a lopsided hug. Lopsided because Kai has to bend down awkwardly to scoop Taehyun in his arms. At some point they’d been the same height, then Kai had started growing a little too fast and left Taehyun far, far behind.
As odd as it looks (and feels), they stay that way for a few moments longer than they normally do. Taehyun thinks it’s because Kai’s tired, given the way he’s leaning almost his entire weight onto the older boy, but then Kai whispers in his ear with a snicker. “I told you I was putting in effort.”
“Yeah, now you are, brat,” Taehyun clarifies, reaching up to lightly smack Kai on the back of his head after they untangle themselves from one another. Kai narrowly dodges the attack at the last minute, doing a weird head bop, which has Taehyun snorting. “You’re so dumb,” he says, knowing Kai’s completely unaware of the affection dripping from his voice.
“Oh, yeah? Would a dumb person be able to do,” and Taehyun can barely let out a yelp when Kai forcefully twirls him around once, twice, and then pins him against the wall. “This?”
Taehyun’s breath hitches and he shrinks away from Kai’s arrogant gaze. Kai’s hands are pressed firmly on the surface behind Taehyun, effectively preventing him from going anywhere, but it’s not like Taehyun is planning to. Sure, there’s a part of him that wants to run and hide before the gears in Kai’s brain begin turning, but there’s an even bigger part of him that wants to be selfish and relish in the attention he’s being given.
“I caught you off guard, didn’t I?” Kai asks, lips mere centimeters away from Taehyun’s. Shyly, Taehyun brings a hand up to fit in the gap between their faces, only being able to dart in some air once he’s no longer meeting Kai’s intense stare.
“Yeah, you did,” Taehyun admits, lingering in Kai’s presence for a second longer before ducking underneath one of his lanky arms and slipping into freedom. “I keep forgetting how tall you’ve gotten.”
There’s a pout on Kai’s face when he turns to meet Taehyun, leaning against the wall he’d just caged the boy against. “I’ve become other things too! Not just taller.”
“Like?” Taehyun teases with a raised eyebrow, hands slipping into his pockets so that he can discreetly wipe the sweat off them.
“Cuter,” Kai starts and Taehyun nods once in acknowledgement. “Cooler,” Kai continues and Taehyun makes an ‘eh’ to annoy him. “Stronger,” Kai hesitates and Taehyun almost barks out a laugh.
“Kai, you can barely do a single proper push up,” Taehyun points out, gesturing to the floor to try and egg the younger boy into doing one. “I could probably beat you in arm wrestling even if you used two hands.”
“That is so not true!” Kai denies, pushing himself off the wall and standing up in a weak stance of defiance. “I beat Soobin hyung last week! And I didn’t even have to cheat.”
Taehyun finds it silly, in an endearing way, that Kai feels boastful about not cheating as if it’s something to be proud of. Well, maybe it is. It should be normal not to cheat… if you were anyone but Huening Kai, who has made somewhat of a name for himself by always cheating.
“Soobin hyung doesn’t work out as much anymore, he’s not even a challenge,” Taehyun refutes, but before Kai thinks he’s dismissing him, he quickly adds on. “I’m proud of you though.”
And just like that, a smile reappears on Kai’s face. If Kai was really a puppy—a golden retriever puppy to be specific—Taehyun’s sure his tail would be wagging right now.
“I’m screwed,” Taehyun’s head bangs unforgivingly against the table. Beomgyu’s seated across him at the cafe, playing with the straw resting in his cup of lemonade. “I’m serious, Gyu.”
“Gyu hyung. If you want my help, you’re going to have to address me with respect,” Beomgyu demands, the shit-eating grin on his face making Taehyun to sink down even lower in his seat.
“Fine, Gyu hyung. Save me,” Taehyun pleads, reaching over the table to place his hand over Beomgyu’s. There’s chatter around them, so Taehyun’s not necessarily worried about having their conversation overheard. Besides, most people in the cafe were elderlies or unrecognizable sappy couples.
“Well, since you’re begging I suppose I could shed some mercy,” Beomgyu sighs playfully, leaning over so that him and Taehyun are at eye level. “What do you need saving from? Other than your… gigantic—and obvious, for the record—crush on Hyuka.”
“You know what,” Taehyun whines, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. This isn’t something he wants to say aloud, especially when Beomgyu’s already aware of what he’s implying.
“Is this about the kiss scene?” Beomgyu asks with feigned shock, reeling back with a hand over his chest—the one that Taehyun doesn’t have a vice-like grip on. “You’re worried that he’s gonna think you suck at kissing!”
Taehyun’s eye twitches at how loud Beomgyu is. He’s got no sense of an inner voice, what-so-ever. “Any louder? Want a megaphone next time?” Beomgyu doesn’t humor his sarcasm however, only shooting him a scandalized look.
“Well, Taehyun, I’m flattered that you would come to me for such advice, but… wouldn’t Yeonjun be better for these things?” Beomgyu asks, lowering his voice to a whisper. “I mean, me and Soobin are kind of a thing now, so as much as I would love to help, I don’t think kissing you would be a good idea.”
“What?!” Taehyun exclaims, pushing his seat back to keep a safe distance between the two of them. The wooden legs of his chair squeak against the polished tiles. “That is not what I was implying at all, you—you weirdo!”
A moment of silence passes by them and then Taehyun folds his arms over his chest and squints skeptically. “Regardless, I doubt you’ve confessed to Soobin. If you had, you two would be sending gross messages in the group chat instead of your poor, subtle hints at flirting.”
“You think he’s flirting?” Beomgyu gasps, hopefully eyeing his phone that’s perched atop the glass table.
“Yes, but that’s not the point right now,” Taehyun emphasizes, pointing at himself to further redirect Beomgyu’s attention. “I’m the one with an impending doom.”
“Personally, I think you’re overthinking this,” Beomgyu comments with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Kai said he has no experience either. So what if you suck? My bet is he will too.”
“It’s still embarrassing,” Taehyun complains under his breath, wincing at how whiny he sounds. He can’t help it, after all.
“Right, God forbid you’re bad at something,” Beomgyu scoffs, taking the last sip of his drink before leaning in. Before Taehyun can register what’s going on, slim fingers have reached around his chin and yanked him forwards. Somewhere behind him, the door chimes sing, but Taehyun’s too enraptured in the way Beomgyu’s yanking him forwards. Closer and closer, until their lips are a hair’s breadth away from touching.
“What matters is the way you approach him,” Beomgyu advises, his other hand coming up to cradle the back of Taehyun’s head while the younger boy freezes in place. “Do it when he least expects it and with confidence.”
“It’s a scene, he’s gonna know it’s coming,” Taehyun says, wanting so badly to escape from Beomgyu’s grasp, but being unable to. So maybe Beomgyu’s right. This is effective.
They hold the position for a few more seconds and then Beomgyu’s phone dings to signal he’s gotten a text. With that, they both yank back. “You’ll figure something out,” Beomgyu reassures him and then he’s giggling like the boy in love that he is. “He sent me a photo in his pajamas, he’s so cute. I’m gonna marry him.”
“Can’t marry him if you don’t confess first,” Taehyun chides, knocking his knee against Beomgyu’s leg underneath the table. He gets flipped off in response.
“Touché.”
Kai ends up biting into more than he can chew when he accepts a stupid dare to try a skateboard trick. He’s never even ridden a skateboard before.
Taehyun watches Kai limp his way to the seats the day he’s finally mustered up the courage to get the kiss over with. He’s been avoiding it for so long, faking a cough, stumbling, ‘forgetting’ his lines. So, of course fate would have it that the day he feels ready, he’s standing face to face with Jeongin and not Kai.
“You ready?” Jeongin asks him with a polite smile on his face. They’re not strangers. They’ve worked together countless times in the past, be it in performances or actual class projects. It could be a lot worse, Taehyun tells himself.
“As ready as I'll ever be,” Taehyun admits, laughing awkwardly. Professor Kim calls them to start and they flash each other a knowing smile.
The music begins playing and the extras file in, executing the choreo with accuracy. Jeongin’s hand reaches for Taehyun’s and Taehyun allows himself to be twirled once before they slide away from one another. They take their positions on either side of the ‘ship’ before carefully climbing the steps to the deck.
Taehyun’s sure the mic is gonna pick up the hammering of his heart any second, but he convinces himself to calm down. It’s just a kiss. He trusts Jeongin and besides, this means he’ll get some practice before the real thing, right? He’ll be less likely to embarrass himself in front of the boy he wants to impress. So why does he feel so reluctant?
Before Taehyun knows it, the spotlight is on them and Jeongin’s arms are outstretched, familiar and welcoming. Just as Taehyun’s about to fall into the embrace, Jeongin’s face begins to morph. “What’s wrong?” Jeongin whispers when he’s got Taehyun cooped up in his arms, but the face Taehyun sees isn’t Jeongin’s. It’s Kai’s.
“Nothing,” Taehyun lies through gritted teeth. Jeongin—or Kai, in Taehyun’s delusions—shrugs it off and leans in, as confident as ever. Their noses brush against each other and then a ‘Wait!’ echoes through the hall. Taehyun pulls away from Jeongin so fast, he nearly trips. Had Jeongin’s arm not been so secure around his waist, he’s sure he would’ve ended up tumbling down the stairs behind him.
“Why did you do that?” Professor Kim asks with a grilling stare at the boy that’s grabbed the mic from him.
“Taehyun’s sick!” Kai announces. “He’s got the sniffles, I heard him!” Murmur erupts around them and Jeongin politely lets go, keeping a reasonable distance between them.
“I’m sorry, I’ve got the what?” Taehyun’s beyond bewildered at Kai’s sudden outburst. Now was not the time for his impish pranks. He was so close to getting this thing over with.
“Don’t lie!” Kai practically hisses into the mic before Professor Jeon finally coaxes him into letting it go. Taehyun watches as Kai limps his way over to the edge of the stage. Before he can awkwardly try to climb it though, Taehyun races down and firmly says, “Absolutely not. Get back to your seat. You need to heal that ankle of yours.”
“And you need to heal that throat of yours.” Kai stops his futile attempt of getting onto the stage, opting for pouting up at Taehyun with those plump, inviting lips of his. Taehyun has to clench his hands into fists while trying to concentrate on anything but the thought of kissing him then and there.
“Right,” Taehyun agrees absentmindedly, completely unaware of Kai’s intentions.
“See!” Kai exclaims victoriously, whipping his head around to face their professors. “He admitted it.”
Professor Kim sighs in exasperation while Professor Jeon dismisses the club for today. They’re both aware that nothing’s going to get done at this rate. Not when Kai is so adamant about not having Taehyun on the stage because what Kai wants, he gets. He’ll make sure of it; everyone knows this.
“And what was that all about?” Taehyun asks, sitting down on the edge of the stage before slipping off. He tries not to think about the way Kai’s hands automatically fly to his hips to help him down. “I’m not sick.”
“You were about to kiss Jeongin,” Kai says nonchalantly and Taehyun gives him the most incredulous of looks. “You haven’t had your first kiss right?”
“Yeah,” Taehyun confirms. “Why does that matter though?”
“Because,” Kai presses on, now looking just as confused as Taehyun. “It’s special.”
“It’s just a kiss,” Taehyun shrugs, carefully peeling Kai’s hands off of him and scanning the room for his backpack. He spots it leaning against Kai’s messily, a few rows back from where he’d actually left it.
“You shouldn’t just kiss anybody,” Kai argues, grabbing onto Taehyun’s forearm before the redhead can walk off. Their gazes meet and Taehyun’s cheeks turn red mercilessly when he realizes just how fiercely Kai’s looking at him. It’s just the two of them left in the auditorium now, but Taehyun feels so seen.
“Kai, I think you’re forgetting that we’re gonna be kissing as well,” Taehyun brings up, pointing back and forth between the two of them as if it would help get the message across. “It’s for a play, it won’t mean anything.”
Kai finally lets go of Taehyun’s arm after that and Taehyun’s thankful because his skin feels like it's on fire from Kai’s lingering touch. “It doesn’t mean anything to you?”
It does, dimwit. “Should it?”
Taehyun’s not sure if his eyes are playing tricks on him, but he thinks he sees Kai’s expression falter just a bit and his eyes—for the first time in years—lose their shine. Kai always bounces back within seconds though, so Taehyun can’t really confirm if he’s being delusional or not.
“No, you’re right.” Kai smiles at him and then turns around so quickly, it causes him to flinch because of his injury. Taehyun reaches out without a second thought, holding the taller boy in his arms, but Kai brushes him off gently.
“I was being stupid.”
“You!” Is all Taehyun hears before he’s being dragged into a chokehold. Had it been anyone but Yeonjun, Taehyun wouldn’t be in such a predicament, but of course it had to be Popeye the Sailor Man’s nephew.
“Ow!” A cough. “Have you gone crazy?!”
“Me? Me? No, you’ve gone crazy,” Yeonjun answers. Taehyun swears Yeonjun’s grip gets stronger, but the crushing weight on his windpipes are starting to get numb. Thankfully, Soobin pries Yeonjun off of him before Taehyun ends up dying on his own bed at the young age of 18.
“Can someone please explain why I was just pushed to the brink of death?” Taehyun spits out, rubbing at his neck where he’s sure bruises are beginning to form. He knows Yeonjun probably (probably) didn’t mean to hurt him. He’s like a grown puppy that doesn’t know it’s own strength.
“What did you do to Kai?” Yeonjun accuses, struggling as Soobin holds him back. “We trusted you!”
“He means,” Soobin sighs, silently ordering Yeonjun to calm down with a stern gaze. “Did something happen between you two?”
“Nothing happened. That’s the problem,” Beomgyu answers, peeking into the room with a bag of chips he’s stolen from Taehyun’s cabinet. “Absolutely nothing.”
“What are you guys talking about?” Taehyun questions again, emphasizing how lost he is by tilting his head to the side. Kai and him have been fine. Sure, Kai’s been a bit too busy to hang out these days and maybe his texts have gotten shorter and maybe he’s not walking to school with Taehyun anymore and—
“Oh my god,” Taehyun digs his face into his palms. “Fuck.”
“Language,” Soobin reprimands and then bites his tongue. “Sorry, force of habit.” He then sits down beside Taehyun, who’s hunched over with worry weighing down burdeningly on his shoulders. “Just talk to him, he’ll understand.”
“You have to talk to him. I spent three hours trying to convince him that you like him back and he’s just been whining about you not feeling the same,” Yeonjun informs Taehyun, grimacing as he does so. “He’s even tried to kiss me because he says you don’t want to do it and he doesn’t wanna seem lame. What on Earth did you say to him?”
“I,” Taehyun begins, recalling the events of that day. “I told him that kisses didn’t really mean anything.”
Beomgyu howls, almost dropping his bag of chips in the process. “Sorry, you said kisses don’t mean anything? When you were about to faint from the thought of kissing him?”
“He was interrogating me!” Taehyun squeaks, weakly trying to defend himself. Soobin flattens a palm against his back, patting it reassuringly.
“I’m pretty sure he was just jealous,” Soobin explains. “He said you were so ready to kiss… what’s his name?”
“Jeongin,” Yeonjun supplies, playing with the sleeves of his hoodie out of boredom. “The bubbly kid from Beomgyu’s class with the killer smile.”
“He sprained his leg and we had to rehearse the scene,” Taehyun frowns. He busies himself by plucking at the lint collecting on his trousers. Soobin reads into it and places a hand over Taehyun’s to comfort him.
“He signed up for this whole thing solely because he thought you were gonna kiss someone else, what’s not clicking?” Beomgyu asks, popping another chip into his mouth and chewing obnoxiously loud. Yeonjun groans in irritation and aims a pillow at the boy, but the latter dodges skillfully.
Beomgyu’s making some good points, if Taehyun’s gonna be honest. Taking a step back and seeing it from another person’s perspective is helping him a lot in terms of starting to finally connect the dots.
“He wants you to think kisses are special because you two are gonna be kissing,” Yeonjun adds on and Soobin finishes his train of thought for him. “He’s so worried about your first kiss going haywire, but he’s willingly giving you his. Doesn’t that say enough?”
“I know he’s not good with words, but he’s trying,” Soobin says and Taehyun’s eyes fly towards Beomgyu who has begun to choke on his snack. If only Soobin knew.
“You guys are right,” Taehyun grunts in exasperation, digging the heels of his palms against his forehead. “Where is he? I need to apologize.”
“Home,” Yeonjun snorts. “Where he's been the past few weeks moping because of you.”
Taehyun stands up, tossing on a sweater and a pair of shoes. It’s a bit weird to leave his own house while his friends loiter there, but it’s not like they haven’t done that before (and numerous times at that).
“Look,” Yeonjun says as he passes Taehyun his wallet and keys before he forgets them. “I’m sorry for earlier, but you two worry me, you know. You’re my babiest brothers, my protective instincts kick in.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Taehyun laughs, patting the older boy’s arm before opening the front door. “You should worry about your two brothers upstairs now, though.”
The path to Kai’s home seems a lot longer than usual, even when Taehyun’s sprinting his way there. Maybe it’s because of the fear lugging him backwards or because of the anticipation threatening to cause his legs to collapse. Taehyun feels like he’s been running for 5 hours instead of 5 minutes.
When he reaches the house and persistently rings the bell, Lea opens the door hastily. “Yes?” She asks, analyzing every aspect of Taehyun’s expression in a way she only does when she’s mad or irritated. Taehyun can’t blame her.
“Is Kai home?” He tries not to sound too hopeful, but he’s sure it shows anyways
“Maybe. Why?” Lea folds her arms over her chest, tapping her foot against the floorboard expectantly.
“I need to apologize for something,” Taehyun admits, twiddling his thumbs together behind his back. It’s a bit awkward to announce, but being honest would probably be best in this situation.
“You need to apologize for a lot of things, actually,” Lea says. Taehyun’s about to step back in defeat when the door creaks open and Lea nudges her head indoors. “Come in. He’s in his room probably talking to his molangs again.”
Thankfully, their parents and Bahiyyih seem to be too engrossed in a movie to realize that Taehyun’s stopped by. Which is good because Lea’s stare alone is enough to make Taehyun feel nervous and queasy. He’s not sure if he would be able to handle 3 more pairs of eyes questioning him.
Lea motions for Taehyun to head upstairs and then returns to the living room, but Taehyun looks blankly at the flight of steps before him. Now that he’s here, everything is ten times more scarier.
Eventually, he encourages himself to head up and towards Kai’s room. It’s the last one in the hallway, but Taehyun can hear One Direction playing meaning that Kai probably hasn’t heard the floorboards creak yet. Taehyun’s presence is unknown until he knocks against Kai’s door.
The music stops, but no words are said. It’s almost as if Kai’s questioning his own sanity, thinking that the knocks were just a part of his imagination; they often are when he’s on edge. To avoid spooking the boy, Taehyun speaks up despite how nervous he is. “Kai, you there?”
He discerns a heavy sigh and then the lock clicks, signaling the door is open. When he pushes it slightly, he’s met with Kai slouching by the doorframe, as if ready to open the door himself.
“Hey, Tyun,” Kai greets, stepping back and heading over to his ‘gamer’ chair. He drops down gracefully and then motions for Taehyun to come in, gesturing to the empty bed. “Sit.”
Taehyun does so, pursing his lips together at how hard Kai’s trying to keep up his facade. “Kai, I’m sorry.” It’s a good start. He’s introducing the topic without addressing it directly so that there's less tension and surely, Kai will pick up on what he’s hinting at.
“About what?” Kai asks and he really does look clueless, despite the eyebags on his face telling Taehyun that he’s been up for nights thinking about this. Taehyun should’ve known better. Kai’s been oblivious to his feelings for years after all, but Taehyun was just as oblivious, if not more, so he can’t really judge him.
“You know,” Taehyun’s awkwardness seeps through. The sun peeking in through Kai’s blinds forms a line between them. “For what I said that day.”
Kai’s lips form into a small ‘o’ and Taehyun fights the urge to cringe at himself for zeroing in on them. “Why?” Kai asks in a quiet voice, playing with the hem of his hoodie. He’s nervous, it says.
“I shouldn’t have said that to you.” Taehyun wants to reach out, wants to convey his thoughts with actions because he’s never been good at expressing them through words, but he doesn’t have the strength to. Not when Kai looks so fragile, hiding away in the shadows, just inches away from the sunlight he usually basks in.
“It’s okay!” Kai says, trying to convince Taeyun with a smile, but Taehyun’s known him too long to be fooled. It’s all wrong. The way his lips are pressed together too tight, the way his eyes aren’t forming into those mesmerizing crescents and the way they lack that dangerous twinkle of his. “I understood your point.”
“No, listen,” Taehyun tries to cut in, but Kai keeps going, unhindered. “I was being childish. Making a fuss out of kisses, I mean, really? Way out of line. We’ll probably share a dozen kisses! With people we don’t spend forever with. And first kisses are so overrated; so 2019.”
He’s rambling. It’s something he does when he’s about to cry. Taehyun knows this and that’s the push he needs to get up, off the bed, and cradle Kai’s face in his hands before suddenly pressing their lips together. At first, he’s ready to be pushed off, but when Kai doesn’t protest after a few more unsure seconds, Taehyun starts to think that maybe Beomgyu’s advice wasn’t so bad after all.
It’s awkward at first. Taehyun’s bent in a weird position trying to slant their lips together and they’re both anything but experienced, but then Kai eases Taehyun onto his lap and they find a better angle. Kai’s also, again, a fast learner, so he naturally takes the guiding role after a few moments and Taehyun feels a little flustered. One, he’s kissing the boy of his dreams, and two, he’s usually the one teaching Kai not the other way around.
So, yeah, it’s not perfect, but it’s perfect for them.
When they pull away, Taehyun hesitantly rests his forehead against Kai’s, shifting to get more comfortable on his best friend’s (boyfriend’s?) lap. “You’re right,” he says, tracing imaginary circles onto Kai’s cheek. “We’ll probably kiss a lot in our lifetime.”
Kai’s the prettiest when he’s like this. Doe eyes wide and unsuspecting, cheeks flushed, and glossy lips parted.
“But if it’s alright with you,” Taehyun continues, brushing their noses together gently. “I’d like to be the only person you share them with.” This time, when he leans in, Kai’s a lot less surprised and their lips fit together naturally as if they’ve been doing this for years. Taehyun’s hands curl over Kai’s broad shoulders while Kai’s shyly rest on the older boy’s hips. It’s soft, sweet, and over too quickly for either of their likings, but Taehyun needs to get this out; he needs to get this out now because he’s tired of waiting.
“Forever,” he finishes, reaching down to bring one of Kai’s hands up so that he can hook their pinkies together.
Kai giggles, light and pure, just the way Taehyun’s heard so many times before. (And Taehyun’s heart trembles from the overwhelming amount of adoration he has for the boy.)
“Of course,” Kai says after catching his breath, placing a chaste peck onto the left corner of Taehyun’s lips.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”