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Yuta’s been living in his apartment for about four years now. He’d moved there fresh out of college, throwing himself head first into the bustling city life in order to find a job. It was scary at first, changing scenery from a small midtown only thirty minutes outside of his village to the country’s metropolitan center requires quite a few adjustments after all.
But Yuta has always prided himself on being headstrong, always willing to face new challenges.
Now, he knows the city like the back of his hand, has compiled mental lists of his favourite restaurants, of the places in parks with the best street vendors, of hidden treasures like underground karaoke bars and vintage clothing stores. It’s safe to say that if you’re visiting the city, Yuta’s your guy.
Also, being a people person, Yuta is familiar with basically everyone that lives in his apartment complex. He helps the sweet Mrs. Lee bring her grocery shopping up three flights of stairs, babysits the newborn daughter of Mr. and Mrs.Whitaker, has late-night talks with the war veteran, Officer Kwon, whenever he sits on his small balcony as he smokes.
It’s a tight-knit community, and Yuta has been at the heart of it for the past four years. So, when he trots up the first flight of stairs on a Monday afternoon to find a man he’s never seen before roaming the halls there, Yuta’s first assumption is that he’s lost.
“Hey! Sorry, can I help you?”
The stranger turns around, and Yuta feels his breath catch in his throat for a moment. He’s gorgeous, standing a few inches taller than himself, with broad shoulders and defined muscle that sticks out even through a black tee and a blazer. His hair is auburn, not long but not quite short either, bangs falling just below his eyebrows. An embarrassed chuckle falls from his lips, low and rumbling, as he runs a hand through his strands.
“Um, yeah, actually. The concierge told me that my apartment was on the first floor, he gave me the key but—,” the man lifts up said key, showing Yuta the tag that hangs from it, “The number on the tag is faded, so I’m not sure which one is mine. Do you happen to know which one was recently vacated?”
Of course, Yuta knows, an old Cuban man used to live in the now empty apartment on this floor, having been moved to a retirement home by his family a few weeks ago due to a bad fall. He finds it a bit strange, however, that the man doesn’t know which number apartment it is that he’s going to rent out. Surely he would have come to look at it before making his decision, right?
It’s a little suspicious, but the concierge did give him a key after all, and besides, who would try to rob an empty apartment?
“I do, actually. It was this one.” Yuta brushes past him, getting a whiff of his woody cologne as he walks a few steps down the hallway. “Apartment number 1-6. You’re right underneath mine, in fact.”
“Oh,” the taller answers, taking a moment to run his eyes over Yuta’s frame, “Thank you.”
“No problem. I’m Yuta, by the way, Nakamoto Yuta.” He holds out his hand and the man takes it, the calluses on his fingers pressing against Yuta’s skin. For the first time, the stranger breaks out into a full smile, two deep matching dimples on display.
“Jung Jaehyun. Nice to meet you, Yuta.”
“Nice meeting you too, Jaehyun.” Yuta smiles, he likes the way the name rolls off his tongue. “Well, I’ll leave you be. Unless you need any help unpacking?” He asks, despite the lack of packages, seeing only two black suitcases that Jaehyun has tugged along.
“No, that’s okay,” Jaehyun says as he moves to insert the key into its lock, “Thank you again. I hope to see you around…?” he questions, tone somewhat hopeful as his door cracks open just a tad.
Yuta nods, turning on his heel to jog down the corridor and back to the stairs. “You will!” He calls over his shoulder, watching with a smile as Jaehyun disappears into his new apartment, before making his way up the steps.
The next morning, when Yuta heads down to the ground floor in order to step out into the city, he decides to stop at the front desk.
While most modern apartment buildings no longer have concierges, this particular one is a relic, leftover from the booming 1920’s, and even though it no longer carries the luxurious value it did back in its heyday, the apartment complex still carries on the tradition of employing one.
Yuta walks up to the desk, setting his elbows on the counter as he waits for the older man to notice his presence. His hands flicker through files, opening them occasionally to skim over the words printed on the papers. Evidently busy, Yuta figures he probably has to announce his presence with more than just standing there and staring.
Clearing his throat, Yuta greets the man whose back is still turned to him. “Good morning, Mr. Olsen.”
That finally catches the man’s attention, his crystal blue eyes catching on Yuta’s frame, the crows feet around the edges becoming more apparent as he gives him a pleasant smile. “Good morning, sir. I’m afraid I’m a little busy right now,” he says, an apologetic tone to his voice.
Yuta sighs with a smile and a shake of his head. “How many times have I told you to just call me Yuta?”
“Sorry, force of habit, sir.”
Yuta refrains from commenting on the use of “sir” again, resolving to drop the argument as in the entire four years of living here, he and the older man have always gone through the same spiel. “I won’t take up much of your time, promise. I was just wondering about the new occupant in apartment 1-6…?”
“Apartment 1-6?” The concierge repeats, eyes drifting back to all the files laid out in front of him. Yuta feels bad for interrupting his work, but damn it if his insatiable curiosity isn’t a curse that’s plagued him since childhood. “You mean the new occupants? It was a married couple that came to check out the apartment a few weeks ago. They were set to move in yesterday, but I had a doctor’s appointment, so the temp checked them in.”
“Oh.” Yuta breathes out, feeling dumb for the way his stomach drops at the words. Pathetic, he hasn't even spoken more than a few sentences to the man and he’s already disappointed at the prospect of him being taken. “But I only met the one guy yesterday? It seemed like he was alone.”
He mutters the last part almost more to himself as he remembers the scene from yesterday, Jaehyun didn’t even have any moving boxes with him.
“Maybe he came ahead of his husband? Perhaps because of some business affairs or trouble with the moving company?” Mr. Olsen proposes as an answer, absentmindedly already starting to pick up the stack of unsorted files again.
Yuta figures he shouldn’t bother the man any longer, so he replies with a “Yeah, maybe.” and bids him a hearty goodbye before he finally sets out on his way to work, trying to push all thoughts of his new neighbour to the side.
A shiver runs up Yuta's spine as he finally steps back into the lobby, shaking his head so that his windswept hair falls back into place before he heads up the stairs, the strap of his laptop bag digging into his shoulder.
When he reaches the first floor, a pair of shoes come into his field of vision, and Yuta lifts his eyes to find a familiar figure standing just a few metres away. Jaehyun has hic back half turned to him, one hand holding two bags of groceries while the other fumbles with the key, trying to fit it into the lock of his apartment door.
Yuta can only see part of his face, but the man has his eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his cheeks puffed out. He can't help but find it somewhat adorable. Chuckling under his breath, Yuta takes a few steps closer.
"Need any help?"
Jaehyun startles, his shoulders jumping up in surprise before he turns around to face the older. "Oh, hi," he greets, tone rather sheepish, "Um, yes, actually. I just can't seem to get this damn key to work."
Yuta nods with a smile, taking the key from Jaehyun's grasp and pointedly ignoring how soft the pads of Jaehyun's fingers feel against his own skin. "Step aside, please," he says before placing himself in front of the door.
Pulling at the doorknob and slightly twisting the metal to the side, Yuta manages to slide in the key, hearing the lock click as the door is finally able to be pushed open. When he turns back to face Jaehyun, the man looks rather dumbfounded, the tips of his ears steadily turning pink.
"Oh. How did you...?"
Biting back a laugh, Yuta explains. "It's an old building, and it hasn't gotten many renovations done either, so a lot of things only work once you know all the little tips and tricks. You'll get used to it soon enough, I promise."
"And until then," Yuta continues upon Jaehyun's silent nod, "You'll always have me to help." He bites his bottom lip for a second, almost wanting to linger so they could keep talking, but the logical part of Yuta's brain argues that it probably wouldn't be in his best interest. "Right well, I'll leave you to it then."
"Wait!" Yuta is about to head off when he feels a hand wrap around the end of his sleeve. Jaehyun is quick to retract it once their eyes meet, but he continues speaking, even though the tips of his ears have deepened into a rich scarlet. Yuta wonders if it's from the cold, but then again the harshest winds don't make it past the lobby.
"I was just wondering... If you'd like to go for a coffee?"
Yuta's eyes widen, and it seems to alarm Jaehyun, so he keeps talking. "I just mean as a thank you... for being so nice? And to, well, as a sort of "Get-to-know-my-new-neighbor" kind of thing?"
Feeling another smile creep up his face, Yuta finds himself agreeing.
They exchange numbers so they can settle on a time and a place before Jaehyun slips into his apartment and Yuta takes to the stairs so he can reach his own, willing the butterflies that rattle the cage in his stomach to give it a rest.
Jaehyun is married, he reminds himself in a scolding tone. And in any case, it's just coffee.
Nothing more.
It's about a week after their last encounter when Yuta finally finds himself sitting across from Jaehyun, two steaming cups of latte between them, the low glow of the afternoon sun casting an orange hue onto Jaehyun.s face, brightening his dark eyes to an almost honey like shade. Today, a pair of wiry frames sit atop his nose, framing his handsome face, and a woollen turtleneck sits snug against his body, showing off his bulk.
Yuta feels his tongue swipe out over his bottom lip as he tries not to stare. There's no denying that Jaehyun is incredibly attractive. His husband should consider himself one very lucky man.
As the thought crosses his mind, Yuta lets his eyes flicker down to Jaehun's hands, honing in on the silver band that decorates his left ring finger. His stomach drops ever so slightly against his will.
"So, Yuta," Jaehyun's voice snaps him from his thoughts and Yuta hums as he brings the beverage in front of him up to his lips, "What do you do for a living?"
Yuta takes a sip of his coffee before he answers, reigning in his wandering thoughts so that he can focus on the present conversation. "Ah, I work as an illustrator for video game design. Mostly drawing up concepts for scenery, character design, sometimes I come up with sketches for world maps and so on."
Jaehyun's lips quirk up into a smile. "That is incredible," he says once Yuta is finished.
"Oh, it's nothing special, really," Yuta is quick to wave him off.
"No, seriously, that's amazing, I mean it." Jaehyun reassures, and Yuta feels the heat rise to his face, averting his gaze. "So you must be a great artist then?"
"Well, I'm pretty decent, I guess," Yuta lets out a nervous chuckle, not used to being so flustered when talking about something as mundane as his job for God's sake.
"I'd love to see some of your work one day," Jaehyun says then, dimples on full display as he smiles, genuinely, before taking a sip from his own coffee. Yuta clears his throat, sitting up a little straighter as he tries to find his composure.
"You're very welcome to," he replies, and after a beat, asks his own question in return, "What about you, what do you do?"
"Ah, nothing as interesting, I'm afraid. I'm currently in my third year of a corporate law degree at the University downtown. Boring, I know," Jaehyun chuckles, "But it gives me good prospects for a job in the future."
"Hey, I'm sure life as a lawyer can be sool, if "Suits" is anything to go by," Yuta says, an amused lilt to his tone.
"That show does not at all reflect the reality of being a corporate lawyer, I'm afraid."
Both of them dissolve into a laugh, the soft sounds mingling in the air between them and bouncing off the walls before they delve back into conversation.
They talk for hours, going through almost any topic they can find, but Yuta always carefully tiptoes around the elephant in the room, too much of a coward to ask about the ring that sits snugly around Jaehyun's finger. Some form of guilt gnaws away at his insides with the knowledge that while none of this is wrong per say, it's not exactly right either.
Still, he's not crossing any lines. They're just talking, and the fleeting touches and lingering stares don't have to mean anything, probably a figment of Yuta's imagination anyways.
So really, it's fine.
And no, Yuta doesn't spend the entire walk back from their not-date trying to convince himself of just that. Not at all.
Days stretch into weeks, summer looming just around the corner as the temperatures rise, the cool spring breeze replaced by the sun beating down on Yuta's back as he steps out on the balcony to water his flowers. Once he's done, he leans over the railing, peering down to the balcony that sits just below his.
Most days, Yuta will find the familiar site of Jaehyun's smiling face smiling up at him, standing there with his upper body exposed, apparently incapable of wearing a t-shirt ever since the days had begun to grow slightly warmer. Lord knows Yuta had almost suffered a heart-attack teh first time he's looked down only to be met with the intricate lines of Jaehyun's back muscles, his throat going dry as the younger man had smirked up at him after hearing the yelp he had unconsciously let out.
By now, Yuta has grown accustomed to the sight, though it still makes his heart beat faster within his ribcage. As do most of Jaehyun's actions, his deep chuckle, the featherlight touch of his skin when he brushes against Yuta, the amber glow of his eyes when the sun catches them just right.
Hell, if Yuta didn't know any better, he'd think Jaehyun walked straight out of a fairytale. The perfect Prince Charming.
The perfect Prince Charming who's taken, his brain reminds him, and Yuta feels the familiar weight of a stone sinking in his abdomen. It's bad enough that Yuta is crushing on a married man, but what's even worse is that he likes to pretend that sad man is not married.
It's easy, really, what with Jaehyun not bringing the topic up either, which in and of itself should be cause for concern. Yuta sometimes wonders whether their marriage is in trouble, that that's the reason why Jaehyun's spouse still hasn't moved in, or why he never talks about them in conversation.
Still, Yuta feels guilt wash over him whenever he leans into Jaehyun's touch as the man wraps an arm around his shoulder, the cold metal of the ring on Jaehyun's finger searing against his exposed skin, a reminder that brings him back to reality.
Letting out a groan, Yuta runs his fingers through his hair, wincing when his rings catch on the freshly bleached roots. He picks up the watering can he's left discarded on the balcony floor, casting one last glance downwards with the hope of glimpsing a brown mop of hair, but to no avail, and decides to head back inside his apartment.
"Shit!"
Yuta retracts his hand as the flames of the candle lick at his skin, sucking at the afflicted area for a moment as the pain dissipates. He looks around the room when he's done, the various candles serving as beacons of light that make the space visible, shining an orange glow around his living room. Beyond it, through the glass doors that lead to his balcony, Yuta sees the lightning that flashes through the sky, cracking through the thick wall of clouds and briefly illuminating the dark city skyline. The roar of thunder that follows makes a shiver run down Yuta's spine, but he does his best to ignore it, knowing many more will follow.
Storms, always arriving with the start of the summer, and almost always accompanied by the promise of blackouts. They happen in different parts of the city, and usually don't last longer than half a day at most, but Yuta supposes the power won't be back until after the first rays of morning sunshine.
Leaning back against the edge of his couch from where he's seated on the floor, Yuta continues to watch the sky rip apart from the safety of his apartment. He doesn't mind storms all that much, finds them fascinating to look at from a distance quite honestly, but he'd be lying if he said his inner child wasn't still a tad bit terrified of them.
As if to prove his point, a knock resounds throughout the small space then, causing the man to jolt up in his spot, one hand clutching at his heart as his head whips around to stare at the door.
He waits, one second, two, three...
"Yuta?" A familiar voice asks through the thickness of his wooden door, "Are you there?"
Taking a deep breath to rid himself of his initial shock, Yuta finally gets up from the floor. It's only Jaehyun.
"Yeah!" He calls out as he heads over to the entrance, "One sec!"
Once the door is swung open, Yuta is greeted by Jaehyun, stood there in a t-shirt and some pyjama pants, fuzzy slippers adorning his feet and his glasses perched atop his nose, reflecting the dim light of the candles inside Yuta's apartment.
"Hey," he says, smiling gently, one hand reaching up to scratch the back of his neck, "Um, this might be a weird request but is it okay if I stay here for a while? I don't have any candles, and I don't really want to spend my evening stumbling around in the dark, well, more than I already have when climbing up the stairs of course."
Yuta can’t help but crack a smile of his own at the endearing sight that is Jaehyun, stepping inside to welcome him into the apartment. “Be my guest.”
“Thanks,” the younger breathes out as he walks past him, and Yuta;s head swims for a minute as a wave of Jaehyun’s perfume washes over him, the by-now familiar scent of leather and suede tickling his senses. Shaking his head, Yuta quickly closes the door and heads over to join Jaehyun where he’s seated on the carpet, close to the balcony doors with a full view of the storm outside.
“Do you like this kind of weather?” Yuta asks after a few moments of comfortable silence pass as Jaehyun’s gaze remains fixed beyond the windows, the few lightning flashes reflected in his irises.
Jaehyun starles just the tiniest bit, his smile abashed as he turns toward Yuta, as if embarrassed by being caught staring at the sky. “Is it that obvious?”
“A little,” Yuta chuckles resting his chin on his palm as he continues to look at Jaehyun, giving the younger time to elaborate if he wants to.
“We used to live near the sea when I was little,” Jaehyun starts, a fond expression on his face as he seems to relive the memory, “We’d get storms like these all the time, except even stronger than this one, and scarier, I guess, since they were paired with giant waves, but...”
The younger's gaze shifts back towards the window, rain battering against the glass, and his shoulders fall back against the edge of the couch, so close to Yuta’s frame that by now they’re touching. Yuta doesn’t move, simply waits for Jaehyun to continue, silently enjoying the background noise that the storm provides.
“I was never really scared of them. My father and I would love to watch them unfold from my bedroom. Sometimes we’d sit there talking about everything and nothing at once, and sometimes we’d just sit there in silence, just watching,” he takes a breath, and the next words he speaks in a hushed whisper, “I miss him a lot.”
Yuta’s heart aches in his chest at the confession, reaching out his hand almost out of instinct to intertwine their fingers, giving Jaehyun's hand a reassuring squeeze. It catches Jaehyun’s attention, and the younger man turns his head so they’re face to face, only a hair's width apart, noses almost touching.
The sudden proximity has blood rushing in Yuta’s ears, louder than the storm still raging outside, and despite his best efforts to hold Jaehyun’s stare, his eyes betray him as they flicker downwards to the curve of Jaehyun’s lips.
It all happens fast then, the hand that cradles his jaw, another that settles on his waist, the smell of coffee and fabric softener and suede overwhelming his senses as warmth presses against him, his lips caught between Jaehyun’s. The kiss is soft but aggressive, gentle yet strong, a searing heat between their mouths as the kiss turns more passionate.
Yuta can feel his head spinning, reaching up his hands to tangle his fingers in Jaehyun’s auburn strands, tugging and scratching at the younger’s scalp in ways that have him subtly gasp into Yuta’s mouth. The butterflies in his stomach rattle their cage, crashing into each other in their excitement, and Yuta swears that never in his life has he been kissed like this, with so much adoration, so much —
Suddenly, he feels it. Metal against the edge of his jaw.
The ring.
As if touched by fire, Yuta pulls away, nearly stumbling and landing flat on his back. He looks up at Jaehyun’s face, seeing hurt and confusion and worry flash across his features. “Yuta, what’s wrong—?”
But Yuta can’t even speak. All he can focus on is the ring that sits on Jaehyun’s finger. He shakes his head violently, scrambling to stand up as he hears Jaehyun follow him. the younger reaches out, but Yuta manages to flinch away just in time, heading towards the door and yanking it open.
“Yuta? What is it? What’s wrong?” Jaehyun asks, his syllables stretched from the desperation that laces his voice.
“Leave, please.”
“But—”
“Just leave, please, Jaehyun.” It’s all Yuta can manage to say, keeping his eyes trained on the floor as he watches the faint shadow of Jaehyun’s frame stay rooted in its place for a moment longer before he finally moves, brushing past him and out of the apartment.
Yuta slams the door shut behind him before the younger has even the slightest chance of turning around, and then he leans against the wood, slowly letting himself slide down its surface until he’s sitting, left to listen as Jaehyun’s footsteps retreat.
The next two weeks are agony.
Guilt eats away at Yuta’s insides. His brain won’t stop reminding him of that night, replaying the scene over and over, and of course, throwing all of the flirty remarks and touches between him and Jaehyun that had led up to that moment back in his face.
Everytime he thinks about it (which is most of the time), his mind spirals with questions. Had Jaehyun been the one to initiate it all, or Yuta? Who was more in the wrong? Jaehyun, for flirting with another man while married? Or Yuta, for indulging him even though he was aware of the fact?
Sure, the easiest option would be to blame it all on Jaehyun, but Yuta isn’t that close-minded. In situations like these, more than one person carries the blame.
The sun reflects brightly off of his snow-coloured duvet as Yuta lays there in the early hours of the morning, his thoughts weighing him down, the same way a boulder would if it sat on his chest. His eyes wander to his nightstand, catching a glimpse of his phone and another rush of guilt floods him.
Jaehyun had texted and called him a million times, left countless voicemails, had even come knocking on his door more than once in the first few days of the aftermath. But Yuta had ignored him, ignored everything, just like he usually does when big problems arise, and Yuta shuts down completely.
Now, there’s radio silence from both ends.
Honestly, Yuta doesn’t know which is worse.
Groaning, Yuta rubs his hands over his face before sitting up. He may currently be feeling like utter crap, but the universe couldn't care less about it, and he still needs to get to work. And if he wants to make sure to avoid Jaehyun on his way down the stairs, he should really get a move on.
“Oh, come on,” Yuta whines, growing increasingly exasperated as his blow dryer refuses to turn on.
Nothing seems to be going right for him today.
First the alarm on his phone didn’t ring even though it should have worked just fine, the way it always does, and Yuta still has no idea what went wrong but waking up thirty minutes later than usual leaves him with no time to dwell on it now. Then, the water for his shower just wouldn’t warm up, so Yuta had to resort to jumping under the freezing cold stream and try to get back out as quick as possible. The only positive from that being that all traces of drowsiness had left his body.
And now he finds himself half-dressed in front of his bathroom mirror, hair dripping wet, and his goddamn hair-dryer decides that today is the day it meets its creator.
Part of Yuta wants to cry, another part of him wants to scream,m but the wisest part of his brain settles on a deep breath. “Towel-dry it is then,” Yuta gives his reflection a tight-lipped smile before grabbing the towel from its rack and tousling his hair.
Sparing a glance at his wrist watch after finally managing to finish putting on his clothes, Yuta figures he has about ten minutes left to bolt towards the station before his bus arrives, if he’s lucky. He pulls the door open forcefully and quickly shuts it, almost forgetting to lock it behind him before he turns and skips down the first flight of stairs.
In all his hurry, he forgets to lift his eyes off the floor, completely missing the person that seems to materialize in front of him as he is suddenly sent stumbling backwards.
“Oh my God,” a hand reaches for his wrist, steadying him so he doesn’t fall, “I’m so sorry, are you alright?”
“Yeah,” Yuta breathes as the initial shock wears off, his mind not recognizing the voice that speaks to him. He finally lets his gaze wander up after another moment, finding a rather young-looking man staring back at him. He’s got light brown hair, sharp brows, all the features of a model to be quite honest. And the smile that stretches across his face is near blinding with how bright it is.
“I’m sorry, but, who are you?” Yuta’s mouth asks before his mind can even keep up. The young man simply smiles even wider, reaching out a hand that Yuta takes after a moment’s hesitation.
“The name’s Jung Jaemin.”
Jung… Jaemin. His mind and heart racing, Yuta does a quick scan of the man in front of him, spotting the wedding ring on his finger once their hands separate. It’s like Yuta can physically feel his heart drop into his ass. Shit.
“Hey, are you by any chance… Yuta?” Jaemin asks, an almost knowing lilt to his tone, though he seems completely oblivious to the way Yuta’s life is currently crashing down around him. The older nods, hoping the smile on his face doesn’t come across as pained.
“Ah, you are! Jaehyun’s told us so much about you!” Jaemin exclaims, looking like an overeager puppy as he clasps his hands together.
Suddenly, Yuta’s brain feels somewhat confused. “Us…?”
“Yes! My husband and I hear about you all the time.” Jaemin looks over his shoulder towards the apartment door that is slightly ajar. “Jeno, sweetie, can you come out here a moment?”
Yuta stands rooted to his place as he stares at the door, his breathing heavy and his heart beat positively thundering in his ear as he waits for someone to come out. Not a second later, a mop of inky black hair pops out through the crack, quickly followed by a whole body as Yuta sees another young man step out of the apartment, seemingly closer in age to Jaemin.
“Hello,” he greets him warmly, his eyes turning to crescent moons as he smiles.
“Jeno, this,” Jaemin gestures at him up and down, “is Yuta.”
“Oh.” Realization seems to dawn on Jeno;s features as he reaches out a hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Yuta nods dumbly as their hands meet.
And then he feels it, the familiar touch of a wedding band. He looks between Jaemin and Jeno, back and forth, as his brain connects the dots.
“Jaem? Jeno? Where did you—? Oh.”
Jaehyun and Yuta lock gazes immediately, both frozen in place, and suddenly the air is filled with tension.
“Um,” Jaemin breaks the uncomfortable silence, “Jeno, darling, why don’t we go back inside?” Jeno quickly agrees, and they both awkwardly shuffle past Jaehyun with their hands intertwined.
“So, I see you met my brother and his husband.”
Breathing out a long sigh, Yuta shakes his head. “So I did.”
None of them make any moves, just standing there, shuffling on their feet in the middle of the hallway when Yuta finally decides to brave the waters. “Can we talk... over coffee? My treat.”
“Right now?” Jaehyun asks and Yuta nods. The younger looks him up and down with his eyebrows drawn together. “Don’t you have work?”
Yuta shrugs. “Eh, I already missed the bus anyway.”
The first trace of a smile finds its way to Jaehyun’s face then. “Okay then. Coffee.”
“Coffee.”
“So, let me get this straight—”
Jaehyun leans forward on the table, tilting his head to the side, an amused grin on his face after Yuta had finished explaining the situation from his point of view. “This whole time, you thought that I was married? And so when I kissed you, the reason why you pushed me away was because you thought I was cheating on my husband… with you?”
“Yes,” Yuta groans out, rolling his eyes as Jaehyun tries to fight back a chuckle. “Why are you laughing? It’s not that far-fetched of an assumption to make!” Despite himself, a few huffs of laughter spil past Yuta’s lips as he continues to explain himself.
“The concierge had told me that it was a married couple that had come to check out that same apartment I helped you unlock the day before, so of course I assumed you were one half of that married couple. It’s only logical.”
“Okay,” Jaehyun smiles, leaning his chin on his palm, clearly enjoying himself, “And why did you think I was alone then, what about my husband? And why would I never mention him at all?”
“I don’t know,” Yuta shrugs, “I figured you were having some marital problems, or something…” His voice teeters off towards the end, feeling less confident in his deduction skills as he defensively crosses his arms.
“Well, to be fair, this ring is a wedding ring.” Jaehyun says as he lifts up the hand that carries said ring, the dainty silver glistening under the morning sun as Yuta’s eyes flit between it and Jaehyun’s face. “But it’s not mine. It belonged to my grandfather, and my father passed it on to me before he died. Never thought it would cause such confusion.”
“It’s pretty,” Yuta comments as he sits up straight, deciding to unfold his arms. “But wait, there’s something I still don’t get, what’s the deal with Jaemin and Jeno?”
“Ah, well, Jaemin and Jeno have been together since…” Jaehyun purses his lips in thought as he pauses, “Well, since forever really. Joined at the hip ever since they met in like third grade or something. Transferred to all the same schools and started dating once they were both sophomores. And now that they both graduated, Jaemin decided to just… pop the question. He says they’ve always destined to be together, so why wait, you know?”
Yuta feels his own smile widen. “That’s so sweet,” he says, genuine, feeling a fondness for the two young men spread through his chest.
“Yeah,” Jaehyun agrees easily before continuing, “My mom kind of… freaked out about the whole thing, saying they were too young and that it was a stupid decision and whatnot, so her and Jaemin got in this big fight which basically ended in her kind of.. kicking Jaemin out.”
“Oh ,shit.” Yuta feels for the boy, but then he remembers his sunny disposition from before, “He doesn’t seem too shaken though, none of them do.”
Jaehyun nods. “Yeah. Well, he knows our mom will get over herself eventually, she’s always been overdramatic, but Jaemin and Jeno ended up deciding to just move in with each other right away. Because, why wait, you know? And I was actually in the middle of finding a new place as well, but since I was so busy with my studies and the internship, Jaemin said they could just include the apartments I had picked out for myself as they went apartment hunting. And now that they’ve got most of their stuff settled, they’ll only be crashing at my place for the rest of the summer until their own place is ready.”
“Wow.” Yuta lets himself assimilate all the information for a moment, before he slowly begins to shake his head in disbelief, giggling. “How is it that none of this ever came up in conversation?”
Jaehyun simply gives a nonchalant shrug after taking a sip of hic coffee. “Didn;t really seem relevant, I guess. Besides, most of the time when we were talking, I just wanted to know more about you.”
Now that makes Yuta’s cheeks heat up, not because of Jaehyun’s words, but because of how sincere they are, how warm his expression is when he says them. Yuta finds himself having to glance away under all the attention. “Speaking of, now that you know I’m not married… And you know that i like you… and you… like me too…?”
Yuta tilts his head, blinking innocently as he waits for jaehyun to finish. The younger clears his throat. “Would you mind trying this again?”
The smile that graces Yuta’s face is blinding. “I would like nothing more.”
Holding out his hand over the table, Yuta waits for Jaehyun to take it, feeling the familiar sensation of the silver ring against his skin. “The name’s Nakamoto Yuta. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” Jaehyun replies, “I’m Jung Jaehyun. And just so you know, I’m single.”
“God, you are such a dork.” Yuta laughs, and Jaehyun joins him.
The butterflies in his stomach sing with joy, and this time, it feels just right.