Work Text:
“My mum said eat a lot.”
“Thank you Taeyang mum! I will eat them well~” Juho half-twists in his spot on the couch to give a little bow to the phone in Taeyang’s hand. “Your mum really loves me,” he observes while clearing away the bags that came with their food. When he receives no response he continues, “No, really, I feel like she treats me like her own son.”
“Hyung, it’s just lunch. And she treats all my previous roommates like her sons. You're like, the 4th son.”
“But I’m her favourite, right?”
“Where does that leave me then?” Taeyang asks, amusement clear in his voice and in the way he looks at Juho for a response.
“The…co-favourite son?” This reply delivered with a big grin seems like a satisfactory enough answer for the younger boy as he chuckles lowly before turning his attention back to his phone.
“Sure, hyung.”
Taeyang can laugh all he wants but there’s no denying that his mum adores Juho. If he didn’t know better he would’ve thought she wants to make him her son-in-law.
Well…
Suppose he didn't know better.
Would he want to marry his roommate if that's what the mum wishes? Juho chews on the thought while he munches on his first pizza slice.
Being married to Taeyang would probably mean getting to hear more of his singing. Maybe he'll be able to persuade Taeyang that he doesn't have to limit his singing to when he thinks Juho is sleeping or can't hear him. Maybe he’ll finally have the courage to let Taeyang know that he thinks his voice is divine, that every time he manages to catch him singing feels like a gift.
Ooh and then maybe they'll find a way to bring in cats into their household! They would adopt rescued cats and Taeyang would dote on them like he did with Ppu Ppu. Seeing Taeyang taking care of the kitten was the most precious thing Juho had ever witnessed, and that was the moment when… things started to change for him. It was heartbreaking when they had to let go of Ppu Ppu to Seokwoo since their apartment has a strict no-pet policy, but if they were to be married they'll surely find a place where no such restrictions exist. Oh Juho can see it now; a feline friend lounging on the coffee table, another one hiding behind the curtain, a playful little one peeking out from behind the TV… It would be wonderful.
“Hyung, you don't want any chicken?”
“Hm?” The question must be triggered by Juho reaching for a second slice of pizza instead of the chicken. “I’ll have them after pizza.” He assumes that the chicken must be pretty good based on how much Taeyang had already…
“Taeyang-ssi, why are you putting the chicken bones in the pizza box?”
Taeyang looks between the bones and Juho as he picks on his next wing. “Do you want me to put them on the table instead?”
“That’s not— Taeyang-ah!”
“Okay okay! I’ll put them somewhere else!” He laughs at Juho’s horrified look and searches for something to discard the bones in from the shelf below the table, giving little regards to the oily fingerprints he’s leaving behind. Juho has to hold back a sigh.
“Here.” He hands a paper bag over, unwilling to watch Taeyang sticking his hands in between his books and spectacles case. He really hopes he was just teasing him about putting the bones on the table but honestly, you never know with Taeyang. He’s surprised the boy didn’t accumulate the bones in the chicken box itself like he did last ti—
“Taeyang-ssi, why is there pizza in the chicken box?”
“Oh that? I’m going to eat it later,” he answers nonchalantly, like it’s perfectly normal to keep a slice of cheesy, saucy pizza in between sweet honey-glazed chicken wings. Like one won’t affect the taste of the other. Probably sensing his rising frustration Taeyang nudges his knee against Juho’s. “Relax, hyung. You’re so sensitive today.”
“And you’re—” the words ‘a barbarian’ are stuck in his throat not out of fear of offending Taeyang – knowing Taeyang he would probably just laugh at the label – but because something else catches his eyes. “Wait a minute. Taeyang-ssi! You didn’t keep the ice-cream?” Juho looks in horror at the tub of ice cream sitting conspicuously in a shaft of sunlight. But Taeyang, of course, is unperturbed.
“It can last quite long outside. Besides, I want to eat it soon.”
“Soon is not now!” Juho takes the tub – after cleaning his hands with tissues, he’s not a barbarian – and gingerly opens the lid, expecting the worst. Thankfully it’s not yet liquid inside but there are obvious signs of softness around the edge. “Look! It’s melting! Taeyang-ah!” He lets Taeyang looks at the result of his carelessness but before the boy has a chance to open his mouth and aggravate him further Juho closes the lid and stands up.
“I’m keeping it in the freezer.” He marches the tub over to the freezer to salvage the ice cream and his sanity. It’s when he’s trying to find space in their cramped freezer for the small tub that the idyllic image of married life with Taeyang appears at the front of his mind again. But this time there’s no sweet singing and furry friends. No, now Juho can only see chicken bones in pizza boxes on the coffee table, tubs of ice cream melting behind the curtain, pizza sticking out of chicken boxes from behind the TV, and a loop of “Taeyang-ssi!” playing over it all.
Juho physically shudders at the thought. Good thing it’s nothing more than a flight of fancy by an overactive imagination. But even his imagination has a root in reality and this just shows how they’re simply not compatible. It’s what Juho tells himself whenever there’s the smallest sign of disharmony in their cohabitation. That it’s this incompatibility which stops him from ever addressing his feelings towards his roommate. That him hiding his affection in the lunchboxes he prepares for Taeyang almost every day is not a sign of cowardice, but a quiet acceptance that they’re not meant to be.
It’s also not cowardice that causes him to narrow his eyes when Taeyang belatedly reveals that there is actually garlic sauce that came with the pizza, even though the younger boy’s sheepish smile makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The truth is he can never stay upset with Taeyang for too long, but Taeyang doesn’t need to know that. And so he pretends to graciously accept the late offering and looks forward to a more peaceful dining experience.
But sometimes even the most perceptive roommate can underestimate a person’s propensity for blunders, because not ten minutes later the younger boy in his argument that the ice element can’t be the fifth and most powerful element knocks over the cola bottle, causing a massive spill to spread across the table and a massive headache to develop for Juho.
“TAEYANG-SSI!! ARGHH!!”
“I’m cleaning it! Don’t shout.” And he laughs – he laughs! – like it’s the most amusing thing in the world, him pulling out wads of tissue to mop up a spill while Juho’s blood pressure rises besides him. Juho can only watch helplessly while Taeyang wastes the tissues because he couldn’t be bothered to get a dish rag or the kitchen towel. He sighs audibly.
“This is why I can never marry you.”
“Huh?”
Oh. Oh shit. He didn’t mean to say that out loud. Taeyang might think that he absolutely despises him, or that he considers Taeyang completely hopeless. Even now Taeyang is looking at him with wide eyes like he just insulted his entire lineage.
“You want to marry me?”
Or maybe not. It’s just like Taeyang to misread a situation entirely.
“…Not with that kind of table manners, I don't.”
“But you want to marry me… otherwise?” The knowing smile that blooms on Taeyang’s face as he asks that is making Juho feel unnecessarily nervous.
“I never said anything like that!” In any other circumstances Juho would find that confident, borderline smug smile to be incredibly charming, but now it only spells trouble for him.
“But you were thinking about it, weren’t you? You totally were!”
“I—” Suddenly the room feels too hot. Taeyang is sitting way too close. His pulse is speeding up again and he doesn’t think it’s out of frustration this time.
“Juho-ssi, do you like me?”
Looks like this is how Juho will perish; with Taeyang reading right through him as he flounders like a fish out of his fishbowl; exposed, vulnerable, and barely breathing.
It takes all of his energy to maintain his composure as he tries to dismiss the insinuation.
“Taeyang-ssi, you are coming to a lot of weird conclusions today.”
“Weird doesn’t mean they’re not true. Come on, hyung. You can tell me.”
“Tell you what?”
“That you like me.”
“Wh- what?”
“I mean, it would be nice if you do. Because I like you too.”
Juho’s mind must’ve wandered off for a moment there, because he suddenly has the ridiculous impression that Taeyang just said he likes him. Which he knows is impossible to happen.
Yet he’s having a hard time meeting Taeyang’s eyes to confirm what he did or did not say (did not, most likely).
“You…”
“Yeah.” Taeyang kindly answers the question Juho fails to articulate. “I thought it was obvious. Why do you think I didn’t move in with Youngkyun when his roommate moved out?” His tone and expression have gone considerably softer and Juho is not sure if that’s better for his heart. So he tries to focus on something else besides how Taeyang is looking at him.
“Youngkyun…” He remembers thinking that Taeyang would definitely move to Youngkyun’s place since the rent is lower and it’s nearer to the campus. He can’t say he was disappointed when Taeyang decided to stay instead. “I thought you stayed because you like this apartment.”
Taeyang’s response to that is a fond little smile that Juho never realized he is absolutely weak for. “It’s not the apartment.”
It’s you. Juho hears the unspoken confession, and it leaves him speechless as he stares at his roommate in bewilderment. But Taeyang is not done.
“And when you started making me lunchbox, I thought… I know you said it’s only because you always make too much for yourself, but I thought that it might possibly mean that you like me too? A little bit?”
It must be a miracle that Juho is not combusting on the spot. His face already burns with embarrassment and it’s not helping his brain trying to form some coherent response.
“And now would be a great time to let me know that yes, you like me too, because I’m starting to feel embarrassed.” Taeyang laughs a little to himself. “Unless I’m mistaken, then this is really—”
Juho silences him by placing his palm on the other’s arm. The state of their fingers mid-meal is the only thing stopping him from grasping Taeyang’s hand. “I do. Like you.” A lot. He only dares to look up to Taeyang’s face at the end of his sentence, and he’s blessed with yet another one of Taeyang’s dazzling smiles, pure and unrestrained. Oh he truly wants to believe that this is real, that it’s not just another one of his imagined scenarios.
Probably also trying to ground himself to the moment, Taeyang puts his other hand on top of Juho’s. Just lightly, but enough for Juho to feel the warmth coming from it. And to become aware of the greasy fingertips.
“In that case…”
Juho forces himself to look up and away from their hands and gets caught by surprise by how close Taeyang has gotten. From this proximity he can clearly see the subtle shifts in the boy’s demeanour; from his hooded eyes to his devastating little smile. Juho feels like a prey getting caught in the predator’s trap, an impression further amplified by his racing heart. He knows this is the end of him but there is no room for escape. Not when those eyes are trained on him.
Not when he wants to be caught.
“It’s okay if you don't want to be my husband.” Oh god, even his voice drops a tone! “What do you say to being my boyfriend?” If Juho isn’t already completely enamoured he’d still have no chance going against that voice and whatever it demands. Taeyang must know it too, evidenced by the way he advances so slowly but surely, like it's just a matter of time before he gets what he wants. And Juho can't help but gets pulled in by the same want as he, too, leans in just a little bit closer.
A small but persistent voice in his head is trying to pull him back but he shuts it out. The only thing that matters now is that smile is calling out to him, beckoning him nearer.
Until they are but a breath apart, where Juho feels like all the air had escape his lungs. But within that small space between them a question still hangs, preventing them from going further.
What do you say to being my boyfriend?
Just as Juho takes a shallow breath to utter the most delicate one-word affirmation, that persistent voice from the back of his mind makes its way through.
“Only if you promise to stop putting chicken bones into the pizza box,” Juho murmurs against his best interest. His eyes dart to Taeyang’s as soon as he says it, searching for any signs of disbelief or hurt. But he only sees fondness looking back at him, with the corners of the eyes crinkling in growing mirth. He also doesn’t miss the silent chuckle that Taeyang breathes out which causes his gaze to pan back to that playful smile.
“Deal.”
The moment their lips touch is the moment Juho knows that this is actually happening, because not even in his wildest daydreams had he ever dare to imagine kissing Taeyang. Even if he did, no amount of imagination can come close to this feeling. Taeyang tastes of greasy food and bliss, and Juho wants to spend his whole afternoon revelling in this sensation. There's no hesitation, no timidity in their action, yet the kiss is soft and gentle. It makes Juho feel calm even though his heart is still beating a little too fast.
When Taeyang pulls away Juho has half a mind to chase him but he opens his eyes instead to witness Taeyang’s pleased smile – a smile he doesn’t manage to return before Taeyang decides to close their distance again. From the corner of his eyes Juho can see the other’s hands moving towards his face, and though he’s all in for more skinship and definitely more kissing, he reflexively grabs both of Taeyang’s wrists when they near his face and their lips are only inches apart.
Juho sighs.
“Wash your hands first, Taeyang-ah.”
“Ahh… Taeyang-ah, how are you so careless?”
“It’s not my fault that the prawn is slippery.”
“I already asked you if you need help with the prawns but you said you can do it yourself but then you didn’t even handle them properly like I showed you and now one of them already flew off the table and— stop looking at me like that, you're distracting me.”
“I can't help it. You're just so cute when you're upset, hyung.”
“Oh? You think I'm cute now?”
“Extremely, irresistibly cute.”
“You know, if you keep saying things like that I'll start to believe that you want to see me upset.”
“Do I?”
“Mhmm. I think that might have been your intention all along. Maybe this is all just an act.”
“Maybe it is. What are you going to do about it, Juho-ssi?”
“Taeyang-ssi,”
“Yah!” Seokwoo exclaims in alarm as they get dangerously closer by the second. He has to stop… whatever that is before they forget that they’re in a family-friendly restaurant and that there are seven other people at this table! Juho at least has the decency to look embarrassed as he leans back into his own seat, but Taeyang seems to only register Juho leaning away from him before he even realizes Seokwoo had made any noise.
The fact that everyone else at the table is looking at them – in mild exasperation or amusement – doesn’t faze Taeyang at all as he looks back at them with a little “Hm?” before proceeding to pick some fried tofu into his plate like nothing happened. But Youngkyun is not about to let it slide.
“Hyung, as birthday boy, I request that you two don't do anything funny in front of my dinner, please,” Youngkyun says from the other end of the long table, half-teasing and half-actually-pleading.
“As not-birthday boy I say don't do it in front of me, ever,” Sanghyuk adds, though Seokwoo knows it’s a little too late for that command to be truly effective. “And please spare some thoughts for Jaeyoon. The guy just got here.”
Juho and Taeyang are saved from further admonishment when the octopus dish arrives to a chorus of ‘wahhh’ from the table. After the excitement simmers down, however, Jaeyoon quietly addresses the couple again.
“I actually didn’t know that you two are… together. I thought you’re just roommates.” Welp, that’s Seokwoo’s fault for failing to mention that fact when he introduced them but Jaeyoon is bound to know it sooner or later anyway. These two aren’t exactly the most subtle.
“Well, we were, and still are roommates.”
“And now we just happen to also be… boyfriends.”
If Seokwoo is watching a drama he might just swoon over the way they are looking at each other so dreamily like that but right now he doesn't appreciate feeling like a gigantic third wheel together with Jaeyoon. Before he can kick Juho’s leg from under the table though, Jaeyoon asks a question that Seokwoo already knows the answer to.
“How did that happen?”
The little query causes Taeyang's smile to widen in glee which leads to Juho covering his face with his hand. They both turn towards Jaeyoon at the same time.
“It's not really that interesting—”
“He wanted to marry me.”