Work Text:
‘Hyung, look, Daengi is being cute again.’
Taemin leans back in his chair, chopsticks forgotten on his dining table as he calls out to the little ball of fluff relaxing on his couch, almost blending in with the white fabric. He told Jonghyun he picked it out during his military service so there’d be more space for the two of them, on the nights when Jonghyun was exhausted from spending all day in the studio and Taemin just wanted to have somewhere comfortable to watch his nature documentaries after getting home from work. Taemin’s cats might only be the tiny relatives of the big cats that prowled across Taemin’s TV, but they seem to take up just as much space, stretching out across the couch like they own the place. Jonghyun doesn’t mind, if it means he has an excuse to curl up with Taemin in the corner while the cats get the rest to themselves.
Jonghyun takes the opportunity to steal some of Taemin’s banchan while he’s not looking, too busy pulling out his phone and pressing record as he calls the snowy cat over, big smile breaking across his face when Daeng pads towards him, tiny little meows as he stretches his head towards Taemin’s open palm. ‘Oooh, so cute,’ he coos, and Jonghyun can hear the cat’s purrs from all the way over on the other side of the table.
‘Yah, Taemin-ah, your jigae will go cold.’ Taemin just smiles, nose scrunching up, and it’s so cute that Jonghyun could do something crazy, like lean over the table and kiss it. Instead, he settles with watching as Taemin gives Daeng one last scratch before turning back to the table, dutifully loading his spoon up with rice and soup and kimchi before magically fitting it all in his mouth, making those little happy noises that Jonghyun loves so much.
‘This is really good, hyung,’ Taemin says through a mouthful of food, hiding his mouth behind his hand and instantly going back for more.
‘It’s my mom’s recipe,’ Jonghyun provides, smiling as Taemin continues eating, cheeks so full and cute, platinum blonde hair falling in his eyes as he leans forward over his bowl. ‘She’s delighted that I’m finally getting the hang of it after thirty years.’
Taemin smiles up at him, twinkle in his eyes that means Jonghyun’s about to get teased. ‘That makes you sound so old, hyung’
‘Yah, you were thirty-one until a few days ago.’ Taemin was practically jumping for joy when the government officially changed to the international system, and suddenly he was twenty-nine again.
‘And now I’m not,’ Taemin says simply, grinning at Jonghyun. ‘I didn’t feel thirty, anyways.’
Jonghyun is tempted to act offended, to tell him hey, thirty isn’t ancient, but he knows Taemin well enough to know that’s not what he meant. This industry places so much importance on age, and he’s been an idol since he was a kid. He never had the chance to grow up.
Taemin sets down his chopsticks as he picks up his phone again. ‘That reminds me, I haven’t been on Bubble since then. I’m going to send that video of Daengi~’
Jonghyun will never quite understand how Taemin has the energy to use that app so much, but the fans love it, and Taemin seems to enjoy it too. Jonghyun still prefers to use things like Twitter. The money exchange aspect has always made him feel strange.
As soon as Taemin taps send and puts his phone down, Jonghyun’s phone vibrates on the table. Taemin giggles. ‘I forgot you’re subscribed to it too.’
Despite everything, Jonghyun’s face heats slightly, a hint of embarrassment threatening to show. ‘How else am I supposed to know what you’re up to? It’s not like you text me.’ It’s dumb, and stupid, but so are a lot of the things Jonghyun does. Especially when it comes to Taemin.
‘We’re always together, hyung.’ He’s right, and Jonghyun is really dumb. ‘And besides,’ he says, in that forced lighthearted tone that means he’s about to say something that’ll set Jonghyun on fire. ‘I send you lots of stuff that they don’t get to see.’
Jonghyun won’t let him get off that easily, even though Taemin’s words had exactly the effect he planned, heat ripping through his body. ‘What, like grocery lists?’
Taemin just gives Jonghyun a look that says hyunggg, that’s not what I meant. Jonghyun knows, but he looks at Taemin for a second longer, letting him squirm under the implication of his own words until Jonghyun finally gives in. ‘Ohh, right, nudes. How could I forget?’
‘I’ll stop sending them then, clearly you don’t even think about them,’ Taemin pouts, a highway to Jonghyun’s heart, even though they’re both joking. Jonghyun caves.
‘I’ll show you how much I care, later, if you want.’ Taemin’s cheeks turn pink, even though he tries to hide it, even though he knows there’s nothing he can hide from Jonghyun.
‘I’d like that,’ he mumbles into his food, hiding from Jonghyun’s gaze, and while there still might be so many things Jonghyun doesn’t like about himself, so many things he wishes he could do better, one thing he will always love is his ability to turn Taemin into a shy mess with only a few words.
‘You have to eat up first,’ Jonghyun reminds him, giving in and reaching over the table to rub Taemin’s temple, pushing his hair out of his face, beautiful brown eyes following him as he leans back. Jonghyun has to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing as Taemin dives into his dinner with renewed vigour, big mouthfuls bulging out of his cheek like a chipmunk, soft pink lips wrapping around his spoon. Careful, he thinks to himself.
‘You too, hyung.’ Taemin points his chopsticks in Jonghyun’s direction. ‘Otherwise I’ll have to finish yours, and I’m supposed to be on a diet.’
That word that Jonghyun hates. He makes a mental note to make sure Taemin eats breakfast tomorrow, even though he insists on only one meal a day.
Taemin picks up his phone, and when Jonghyun peers over to see his screen he’s scrolling through replies on Bubble, filled with hearts and pleading eyes and countless ‘I love you’s, but still not as many as Taemin deserves. Taemin’s eyes widen as he scrolls, and his brow begins to furrow. ‘What is it?’
‘Everyone’s mentioning you,’ Taemin says, confused, reading out loud: “Jonghyun oppa is there?”
At any other time those words from Taemin’s mouth would be doing unfair things to Jonghyun, but presently his heart is skipping a beat. ‘How do they know that?’
Taemin scrolls back up to the video he sent. ‘I think they must have heard your voice in the video,’ he says, pressing play and turning the volume up as Jonghyun tries to stay calm.
Taemin’s high-pitched voice he uses for the cats, Daeng’s purrs up close to the phone’s mic, Jonghyun holding his breath as he watches. Then, ‘yah, Taemin-ah—’ before the video ends. That’s all. His heart can stop thumping in his throat now.
‘Huh, I forgot I left that part in,’ Taemin says, dealing with this a lot better than Jonghyun is. He puts down his chopsticks again to type a message. ‘I guess I have to tell them now, or they’ll keep asking me.’
‘What are you going to say? ‘I’m having dinner with my boyfriend?” Jonghyun immediately regrets it, he’s overreacting, but Taemin just smiles.
‘Something like that,’ he says, and before Jonghyun has time to react he’s pointing his camera in Jonghyun’s direction. ‘Smile, hyung.’
Jonghyun barely has time to cover his face, chopsticks still in hand. ‘Hey, I didn’t have any schedules today.’ He looks like shit, in other words.
Taemin just rolls his eyes. ‘You could not shower for a week and still look great,’ he says, even as Jonghyun wrinkles his nose. ‘Besides, the fans will go crazy just knowing you’re with me.’
Taemin hits send, and this time Jonghyun’s phone is already in his hand by the time it vibrates, tapping on the notification only to be met with a picture of himself, city lights behind him, faded old hoodie and messy brown hair and a smile hidden behind a dumb peace sign, chopsticks pointing out of his hand. His heart malfunctions when he reads the caption, falling and flying. Having a dinner date with Jonghyunnie hyung~
‘A dinner date?’ he asks, incredulous, as Taemin smiles at him shyly.
‘Kibum hyung calls it a date whenever he has food with one of the others.’
‘But they’re not actually dating, Taeminnie.’
‘The fans don’t know any better,’ Taemin says simply, and Jonghyun can’t argue with that, so he shuts his mouth.
‘Next thing you’re gonna be telling them I cooked for you, too.’ Taemin’s eyes light up at his words, and Jonghyun instantly realises that he’s fucked up, but he doesn’t manage to grab Taemin’s phone in time. Taemin just grins at him, leaning out of Jonghyun’s reach, cheeks full of rice, as he hastily taps out another message. Jonghyun goes for his own phone instead, pulls up the Lysn app, and feels a brief tinge of guilt when he realises his last message was five days ago.
Whatever Taeminnie is saying right now, it’s a lie.
He hits send and puts his phone back down, fighting the smile that’s creeping onto his face.
‘What did you write?’ Taemin asks when he sees Jonghyun’s grin.
Jonghyun shrugs. ‘Should have subscribed,’ he says. Taemin does his best scowl, but it only makes him look a hundred times cuter.
‘Fine,’ he says sulkily, before returning to his food. After a few minutes, Jonghyun checks the replies, smiling at the chaos they’ve caused.
wow, you two really are eating together ㅋㅋ crazy
jonghyunnie oppa, make sure taeminnie eats well!!
Always.
who to believe, you or taeminnie? ㅎㅎ it’s hard~
did you really cook for him… kim jonghyun, you’re really husband material
Jonghyun chokes a little at that last one, looks over at Taemin across from him, finishing the food Jonghyun made, broth tinging his lips red, the comfy pyjamas he’s wearing, bare face, so, so beautiful.
That last message stays in Jonghyun’s mind as they finish dinner, as Jonghyun does the washing up while Taemin plays with the cats on the living room floor, still determined to teach them both to kiss him. It stays as they stand under the shower together, and he sees it in Taemin’s content smile as Jonghyun washes his hair, and it’s still there when they finally make it to bed, and Jonghyun keeps his promise to show Taemin just how much he cares. About him. About them.
It’s still there after Taemin has fallen asleep, warm and soft at Jonghyun’s side.
One day, he promises himself.