Work Text:
“Hyung”
“Hm?”
"What’re you doingg?" Ricky plops himself next to Taerae waiting for an answer.
“Just watching Netflix, nothing much” Taerae replied yawning.
“I’m bored. Anything you wanna do?” the younger said with a glint of hope in his eyes. Seems like something was up.
“I feel like regardless of what I’ll say, you’ll make do whatever you want anyways”
“Thank you for being the only smart one here”
“I'm literally the only one here”
-
Ricky told Taerae to get ready cause he was gonna take them for a lil shopping. He wanted to see if Taerae was a fashion terrorist and maybe the latter could help his hyung out.
Ricky wore an all-black outfit with hints of silver jewellery. Taerae wore a yellow shirt with fluffy red pants not realising he looked like Winnie the Pooh and the dots started connecting a little too early in Ricky’s head.
“Wait. The manager isn’t here so we can’t go and it’s not like we can just Uber” Taerae realising that at the very last minute made the younger laugh. “What’s so funny!” his face turning red.
Ricky whips out his iconic driver's license which the members thought was a myth on Twitter, leaving Taerae wide-eyed.
“Hyung. Let's go shopping now, you can be passenger princesses” the latter teased while Taerae just hit him on the shoulder.
-
Ricky played some Weeknd in the car as Taerae read a prayer. Taerae tried to help with the directions telling Ricky how he knows better than Google Maps but maybe that’s why they got lost for an hour.
But Taerae blames it on Google Maps anyways earning more teases from the younger.
-
“And we are finally here,” Ricky said parking the car earning a side eye from the older.
“Wouldn’t have happened if you just listened to me for once” Taerae protested while Ricky dragged him inside the mall before anyone thought they were a bickering couple.
-
“Actually, I’m hungry. Let's eat first” Ricky said as his stomach growled. They went to this famous pretzel shop around the corner which seemed like only Ricky knew.
“I’ve never tried pretzels before actually” Taerae dropped random facts about himself while Ricky listened.
“No way. I eat way too much junk food honestly” Ricky said with a chuckle. “Next time I’ll share them with you,” he said leaving Taerae blushing again.
“Ever dipped your French fries in milkshake?” the younger questioned.
“What the hell is that combination, god you really are American” Taerae teased but next thing you know Ricky plops one in his mouth and Taerae is a new man.
“You should rather eat more than stare at my face… unless you want this date to be longer” Ricky teases as the older almost spits his drink out.
-
“I know a place” and it’s all designer, giving Taerae a mini heart attack.
“Don’t worry about it Hyung.”
“Absolutely not Shen Quanrui, no way in hell will you be paying for my clothes” the older demanded.
“Wow, how’d you know my actual name” Ricky tried to divert the topic.
“Picked it up from the number of times Hao hyung scolds you and don’t try to change the subject!” Taerae points his finger at the younger one only to be called cute.
“Okay okay. Let's go to H&M then” Ricky says swaying his way in the other direction to only be pulled by the latter.
“Who said we can’t shop there? Stop assuming everyone is broke omgg” Taerae said pouting and pulling Ricky into the store.
“Just looking out for everyone’s wallet” the younger shrugged while Taerae mumbled something about him being the one who should be taking care of his wallet.
-
“Wait cause why is so cuteee!” Taerae showed off the banana hat he found from god knows where, “this is a literal fashion statement.”
“Hyung.”
“Yes..?” Taerae knew already what was gonna happen.
“How about I style you?”
“Only if I get to style you!”
“Over my dead body.”
“Then consider the deal over.”
“Fine.”
-
They went their separate ways into different shops all across the mall to find an outfit for each other.
Ricky thought the older needed some muted darker colours in his spectrum because McDonald’s combo wasn’t doing it anymore.
The younger shopped, determined to upgrade from whatever Taerae had going on to literally anything better.
You name it- Cartier jewellery, Chanel jackets, Levi’s jeans, Burberry blazers and H&M shirts. He was going all out and didn’t even receive his first paycheck.
Taerae on the other hand was having a bit too much fun. He made sure to buy the cutest items available on the market just for the younger.
From the Jojo Siwa bows to hello kitty bracelets, he packed a variety. He was gonna make sure to rub that ‘cold unfazed’ demeanour right off Ricky’s smug face and turn him into the lovelicky he knows.
-
After all that shopping they decide to meet up at the fountain in the middle of the mall. Hard not to notice but too bad Taerae forgot his glasses cause what the fuck.
“HYUNG ITS LITERALLY IN THE CENTER HOW CAN YOU MISS IT” Ricky screamed over the phone, panicking due to losing the older.
“CALM DOWN CHILD DON'T MAKE ME CRY NOW” Taerae said while on the brink of a second mental breakdown.
“IM CALLING THE POLICE!”
“NO WAIT, THEY’LL ARREST ME!”
“…WHAT?!!?”
-
Ricky goes to build-a-bear in hopes of seeing Taerae only to be met with a blonde-haired teddy bear.
“Sorry,” Taerae says with the ugly puppy eyes Gyuvin does to him except this time the puppy eyes worked. Good thing Taerae is cute.
“Fine, next time I’m putting a tracker on you” Ricky grabs Taeraes hand in one and the bear in the other. They head out.
Why is everyone so red.
-
It’s been 10 minutes and 19 seconds since they’ve been holding hands and yes Taerae is counting. Seems like they lost their way but at least it’s together this time.
“Well shit” Ricky sighed, “we need adult supervision next time”
“But I’m an adu-” Taerae wanted to say but got cut off.
“Barely a functioning one, idk how you and Matthew hyung are older than me tbh” Ricky shrugs it off only to be met with the 100th slap of the day.
“Wanna get food?” Taerae suggested.
“Only to be lost for the 50th time? No thanks. It’s better if we cook something up later” Ricky said in hopes of having a small homemade dinner date.
“Only to burn the dorms down? No ThAnK yOu” taerae teased.
Why are they still holding hands?
-
They head over to the parking lot calling it a day. Taerae had the great idea of ‘dressing up my friend’ type of Vlive which Ricky carelessly agreed to having no idea what would come for him. ~ hello kitty ~
“For some reason, I don’t wanna go home” the younger blurted.
“Oh. Why not..?” Taerae seemed a bit taken aback by his proposal.
“I don’t know why I feel this way but there is a sort of ache in my heart. I just had so much fun in such a long time and now it’s coming to an end and it just reminds me of this harsh world is gonna be and how I can never catch a fucking break which makes me feel like I’m being selfish which makes me feel like shit and I just-“ Taerae holds his hand.
“I’ll kiss you if that makes you shut up”
“You could’ve said that from the very beginning,” the younger pulls him closer.
There were small specks of tears in the corner of the blonde's eyes, Taerae wiped them off with his thumbs and continued to caress his cheeks. Ricky let out a small chuckle due to how cute the older looked up close in the warm red headlight before he kissed him.
“ Playing - Dark Red by Steve Lacy
Only you my girl,
Only you babe.
Only you darling,
Only you. ”
-
Ricky missed his home. He wanted to go back to ShangHai. He was incredibly homesick since the very beginning when he became a trainee but it got worse after Boys Planet ended.
All this new agenda of being in a new ‘home’ felt too rushed and forced which made him bottle up his emotions and bring a new kind of meaning to the word home.
Thanks to Taerae, he seems a lot calmer now.
-
The headlights aren’t even on yet they are bright as a tomato. They quietly drove back home listening to songs which just made them wanna make out even more.
Ricky parks the car and carries the 50 bags they bought together while Taerae holds the lil bear.
“Today was fun, we should kiss more” Ricky spoke the truth.
“YOU CANT JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD WHEN WE ARE THIS CLOSE TO THE DORMSSS!!!” Taerae fumbled.
“What kiss and why are you screaming” Jiwoong opened the door before they rang the bell. “God you guys are loud and stop trying to kill him,” he said while peeling Taerae off of Ricky.
“GET YOUR FOOD BEFORE IT RUNS OUT” Hao screamed across the living room.
The two lovebirds got ready and sat at the dinner table with the rest of the members.
-
“Is that a hickey” Yujin pointed towards Taerae who tried to look clueless.
“I didn’t kiss him on the neck tho-“
“SHUT UPPPP”
“YALL DID WHATTT” Gyuvin added more fuel to the fire.
“How do you know what’s a hic-“ Gunwook asked the important question to the maknae.
“I’m a child, not a dumbass” Yujin clapped back only to be hit on the head by Jiwoong.
“Who knew Taerae had rizz” Matthew joked around while man in love gave the meanest glare.
“Says the guy who is in a love triangle” Taerae ate.
“YOU DID NOT-“
“EVERYONE CALM DOWN” Hao shouted, silencing everyone.
“We haven’t even started fighting yet damn” Matthew released his chokehold off Taerae.
“Can we just have dinner like a normal family for once?” Hao said while Hanbin looked at him with the biggest smile plastered all over his face.
“Can’t be normal if Gyuvin is here” Ricky said high-fiving Gunwook.
“No ice cream for dessert” Jiwoong said, sending everyone back to eating food in unison.
Home seems bear-able now.