Work Text:
Tap!
The noise is familiar, has become part of Sungho’s routine at this point. It doesn’t make him look forward to it any less, doesn’t change the way his heart begins to race and the heat that rises to his face especially now that he knows the person behind the paper planes.
“Don’t leave your last class so fast! I’ll come pick you up!
You look extra pretty today, by the way. Like a fairy.”
Sungho smiles, holding it close to his chest, right over his heart. So cute. Han Taesan is the cutest person he’s ever met, probably the cutest in the world. There’s a wide smile on Sungho’s lips, one that he can’t hold back, not when his phone buzzes with a text that makes him flush.
[Taesannie^^]: You’re in the science lab last period right?
[Sungho-hyung]: Yup ^^
[Sungho-hyung]: I’m excited!!!
[Taesannie^^]: I’m glad
[Taesannie^^]: :)))
They’d exchanged numbers after they first met but haven’t really messaged each other. It’s a little awkward, it can’t not be, but they’re trying. Both Sungho and Taesan too, who despite his edgy outer appearance is a soft, soft guy who dotes on every photo of Simba the cat Sungho sends him, always reacting and calling the cat cute. It’s how they communicate, Sungho sending pictures of his companion because he’s unsure of what else to say, and Taesan always responding within the hour, always shifting the conversation to asking Sungho about his day, what he’s eaten, if Jaehyun had annoyed him at all. Yet still, despite being able to message each other from their phones now, Taesan still folds his planes and sends them flying to him.
Sungho peeks out the window, viewing the field outside. There’s a soccer game going on, but right on the edge of the field, tucked away in a corner, is a tall boy on his phone. It’s most certainly Taesan, with his two-toned hair, the lower half blonde and upper half black. He’s handsome, even like this, unaware of the eyes on him. Sungho would be jealous of his looks, at how effortless he makes it seem, but more than anything, Sungho is in awe. In awe of Taesan and sort of in awe of himself for having a guy like Taesan smitten with him.
Wow Sungho, he thinks, cheering to himself internally. Great job!
[Sungho-hyung]: [blackcatonschoolfield.img]
[Sungho-hyung]:
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Taesan doesn’t respond to his message but he does look up, spotting the window where Sungho’s class is. He smiles, a small one, and waves before he too snaps a picture.
[Taesannie^^]: [cheesecatlookingoutwindow.img]
[Taesannie^^]: Cute ㅋㅋㅋ
It’s a date. They’re finally going on a date. It had been hard to find the right time since Sungho had club activities and Taesan apparently was in a band. Sungho remembers vividly flushing when Jaehyun first told him, imagining how Taesan would look on stage with his dyed hair and piercings for everyone to see. Maybe he’d play the guitar, large hands easily playing the chords. Or he could be the frontman too, the star of the show, the apple of everyone’s eyes as he sang. Would he be in a leather jacket too, or maybe a tank-top showing off his arms? But anyways. They were going on a date. A proper one and also their first ever.
Sungho needs to stop thinking. He sinks into his seat, trying to cover his pink face with their chemistry textbook. Sanghyeok, beside him, gives him a concerned look that gets waved off. Sungho is fine. He is! He just needs to focus on the material in front of him and not think about how he’s going on a date with Taesan later. Simple, right?
Apparently not. Sungho is vibrating with a weird energy, phone heavy in his pocket, up until the end of class. While everyone else packs up and leaves immediately, Sungho stays back, hesitantly putting his stuff away, slowly zipping up his bag. He’s scared, now that it’s so close. He’s looked forward to this so much but now he’s scared. Scared that it’ll go badly and his window will no longer be hit by a paper plane everyday. Sungho stares anxiously at his phone, re-reading their old messages, trying to calm himself down.
[Taesannie^^]: Oh I can’t do the 26th hyung
[Taesannie^^]: I have a performance with my band members
[Taesannie^^]: I’m really really really sorry :(
[Sungho-hyung]: Don’t worry about it ^^ Being in a band is so cool!!
[Taesannie^^]: You really think so?
[Taesannie^^]: Then I’ll be sure to perform for you one day :)
[Sungho-hyung]: I’ll look forward to it!!!!
[Sungho-hyung]: What about the 29th then? After school?
[Taesannie^^]: Works for me
[Taesannie^^}: The 29th then!!!
[Taesannie^^]: I can pick you up from class :)
[Sungho-hyung]: ㅋㅋㅋ
[Sungho-hyung]: I’ll be waiting!!!!
“Hey, you’re going on a date with Taesan now right?”
It’s Sanghyeok. Sungho turns, making eye contact with his friend. Sanghyeok is actually more Jaehyun and Donghyun’s friend than his, but they get along well. “Ah, did Jaehyun tell you?”
“Nope. Taesan did.” Sanghyeok smiles, a mysterious little curve of his lips. “Don’t be scared. He’s been looking forward to this for a long time. I don’t think anything you do could ruin it.”
Sungho is turning red. He looks away, flushing even brighter when he hears Sanghyeok’s chuckle and shout of “Good luck!” . He tucks away his water bottle, making sure the lid is properly closed before he straightens out his uniform, smoothing out any wrinkles in his blazer.
It’s time to be brave. You can do this, Sungho-yah! Go on a date!
He opens the door. The first thing he sees is Taesan, up close and breathtaking. He’s leaning on the wall, the tie on his uniform loose and shirt unbuttoned, a disinterested look on his face that lasts for all of two second up until he catches sight of Sungho and his expression turns from bored to delighted.
Woah, his smile is so pretty.
“Ah, but yours is even prettier.” Taesan is flushed, ears bright red, but he’s still determined to make Sungho’s heart flutter. His hands are large, so much bigger than Sungho’s, as he raises one of Sungho’s hands up to his lips. Sungho’s hand is warm this time, yet the gentle kiss Taesan places on his knuckles lingers all the same. “Shall we go?”
“We shall,” Sungho giggles, letting himself be lead out of the building. His heart is thudding in his chest, threatening to break out of its confines. It’s comforting, though, because Sungho glances to his left and there’s Taesan who behind his cool facade seems to be just as nervous as he is.
Silence hangs in the air. It’s comfortable but Sungho still itches with the desire to break it, to talk and learn everything about Taesan there is to know. The earrings he’s wearing today are mismatched, a ring with a cross on his right ear and a jewel with a chain hanging from it on his left. He also has various helix piercings with small rings or studs in them.
Wow. So cool. Did they hurt? Sungho has so much he wants to ask. Will it be weird if he asks to touch them?
“You’re wondering about my piercings, right?” Taesan turns, catches Sungho in the act of staring. Sungho quickly looks away, fidgeting at the knowledge he’s been caught. When he turns back to look at Taesan, the tips of his ears are red too, making the silver and gold ornaments on them stand out even more. He’s just as affected from catching Sungho staring as Sungho is at being caught. “What do you want to know?”
Sungho, in the top of his class at school, knows logic. He knows what questions he should ask first, knows how to work his way up. But it seems that all his common sense was thrown out the window when he finally walked out of his last period class, replaced by the sheer desire to just know and learn everything about Taesan. “Can I touch them?” he asks quietly, hooked on the way the sunlight reflects off the metal hanging off Taesan’s ears.
“Of course.” Taesan grins, pleasured with an embarrassed tint, and bends down just enough for Sungho to comfortably reach out. It’s strange, the feeling of metal gliding underneath Sungho’s fingertips as he traces Taesan’s ear from the helix to the lobe. He gently plays with the chain earring, worrying a little when it gets tangled with Taesan’s other piercings, but Taesan reassures him it’s fine and untangles it. “Do you like them?”
“I do.” Sungho nods, grinning at how Taesan looks away at the compliment. He’s red. It’s cute. “They’re cool.” And hot, but he doesn’t tell Taesan that just yet. Too soon. “Where are we headed?”
“I was thinking the mall.” Taesan scratches the back of his head looking unsure. So darn cute. There are so many sides to Han Taesan that Sungho is only just beginning to see. “I know it’s a little basic, but the music store I wanted to take you too is closed for renovations right now. Is it okay if we go? We can always do something else.”
Han Taesan habit identified! He begins to ramble when he’s unsure. Cute! “We can go, don’t worry,” Sungho responds after mentally logging his observations. He begins to walk towards the mall, Taesan falling into step beside him. “I’m curious about this music store though.”
“It has some really cool things,” Taesan shares. “I bought my first LP from there back when I was in elementary school and kept coming back.”
Sungho can imagine a little Taesan wandering through the store, half the size of the shelves, standing on his tip-toes to reach for the album he wants. Too cute. “What bands do you like?”
“Do you like rock, hyung?” Taesan counters. There’s nervousness in his voice when he asks, like he’s scared of Sungho’s answer.
“I don’t really listen to it,” Sungho admits. He much prefers smoother, brighter songs with more vocal and electric music elements. But if Taesan likes rock, he’s open to it. “But if you have any recommendations I’d be happy to listen to them!”
“Actually…,” Taesan trails off, grabbing something from his pocket. Sungho watches as he takes out a pair of wired earpods, the wires a little tangled. Taesan tries to untangle them, giggling nervously when he only makes the knot worse. Sungho reaches out, jolting a little when their fingers brush together. The two of them look at each other surprised, Taesan’s eyes widened with his fingers tanglesd in the wires of his earpods, Sungho reaching out, hand half on top of Taesan’s larger one.
“Oh! Sorry!” The two of them say at the same time, jumping away. They look at each other and Sungho can’t help but find the way they said the same thing funny. He giggles, hiding his face with his hand, and Taesan joins in too. His laugh is high-pitched, unique, a melody in Sungho’s ears.
“Do you want me to try and untangle them?” Sungho asks after they’ve both calmed down.
Taesan nods, still a little shy. “Yeah. Sure.” He deposits the earphones into Sungho’s hands, doesn’t flinch as the skin contact this time.
Sungho manages to untangle it within a few minutes, delicately working his way through the knots and tangles so he doesn’t accidentally break Taesan’s earpods. When it’s all done, he holds it out to the taller victoriously, does his own little victory dance before stopping as he realizes that it’s Taesan he’s doing this in front of.
“Sorry,” Sungho yelps, hiding his face.
“No, no, don’t apologize.” Taesan’s voice is amused. “It was very cute, hyung.”
Taesan hands Sungho the left earpod before putting the right one in his own ear and plugging in the wire to his phone. Music begins to play as they keep walking, new sounds Sungho’s never heard before. He really hadn’t listened to rock before, but Taesan’s playlist is full of it. And it’s good. Varied, in a way Sungho thought rock couldn't be, sometimes emotional and other times intense, always free-spirited and strong.
“You’re like a music connoisseur,” Sungho decides, patting Taesan on the back. “I’d let you control the playlist on a road trip. And drive, too.”
Taesan smiles at that, a really small one, like a cat trying to conceal it’s own satisfaction with himself.
Cute, Sungho thinks, watching, trying to remember the exact way Taesan’s lips curve up at the compliment. I can’t drive though. Can he?
They get to the mall like that, Sungho listening to Taesan’s playlist and spouting praise at every song he likes, letting Taesan talk about the fine details of it like tempo and, all things Sungho doesn’t understand. He listens eagerly anyways because it’s something that Taesan likes and it’s only right for him to pay attention.
“Do you want to look around or get food first?” Taesan asks as they walk in. It’s a school night so it’s not that busy, only a few other couples or parents with children wandering around
Hold on. Other couples?
Sungho turns bright red at his own thoughts, staring as a girl walks with her boyfriend, neither of them touching but their relationship clear with the way they’re looking at each other. Sungho glances to his left and Taesan is right there, glancing back at him, their hands brushing with every step they take. The air conditioning in this mall must be broken, Sungho decides when he feels his hands begin to get sweaty. “Do you want to get ice cream?”
“Sure.” Taesan agrees easily, the two of them getting on the elevator. Sungho gets on before Taesan and he looks back, smiling when the two of them make eye contact. “Do you like sweet things?”
“I don’t mind them.” Sungho thinks of the sweets he snacks on during class, the lollipops he has in his mouth while studying. “I have a friend who really likes them and I think he’s influenced me a bit.” He of the purple candy that had come with a paper airplane one day, of the burst of sweetness on his tongue balanced out by the hint of a tart, citrus taste. He remembers the pretty, pretty words too that had him giggling like a fool inside his head, turning his face red from the base of his cheeks to the tips of his ears.
Taesan pays. Sungho tries to, he really does, but when the employee hands Taesan the two cones, Taesan hands them right over to Sungho who takes them. And then he realizes they have to pay and he’s already lost because he can’t even take out his wallet while holding the ice cream.
“You’re evil,” Sungho pouts, licking his vanilla cone. “I’m older. I should pay.”
“But I wanted to pay for you,” Taesan pouts back and really. What is Sungho supposed to say against that? He can’t do anything but huff and look away, gently nudging Taesan with his shoulder to show that he’s upset. Sungho should’ve been a good hyung and payed! “Oh, hyung.”
“Hm?” Sungho looks up and Taesan’s finger is front of his face, reaching out towards his nose.
“You got a little here.” Taesan wipes it off, tries to at least, and Sungho flushes at the action, at the way Taesan licks it off his finger, seemingly oblivious to the effect it has on the older. He realizes a moment after what he’s just done because this is the brightest red Sungho’s ever seen on him, Taesan stuttering his name and unneeded apologies, looking at Sungho and then his own hands in surprise.
Hot and spicy. And cute too.
Sungho grabs a napkin and wipes off his nose and the rest of his face. “You’re smooth, Han Taesan.”
“Ah! I didn’t mean to!” Taesan protests, voice coming out high-pitched and a little strangled. “I promise! You just looked really cute with ice cream on your nose.” He covers his mouth right after, eyes wide. Like he hasn’t called Sungho pretty and beautiful and any other synonym in his paper planes, like he doesn’t call him cute or adorable over text when Jaehyun sends him pictures of Sungho hunched over during the third year break times. No matter how many times, though, the effect on Sungho never weakens. It’s only gotten stronger, actually.
He’s really handsome even if he’s embarrassed. And cute too, like a cat. I think if I open my mouth I’m going to call him hot too and will have to have a hole open beneath me.
Sungho gets it. He smiles brightly, even if he probably looks like a cherry after being called cute, knees weak, ice cream already melting in his hands because he’s too busy watching Taesan blush and stutter.
They do regular first date stuff. Like walk around, wander through stores and point out anything cute or that the other person might like. There’s a stuffed toy, a black cat, and Sungho forces Taesan to pose with it so he can take a picture, making it his new contact picture for the younger. Taesan pretends to hate it, looking aloof, but he likes it because he’s smiling. They go shopping for clothes too. Taesan takes Sungho to a store with an…interesting aesthetic. It’s so far away from what Sungho usually wears he feels a little out of place here, with his brown hair styled out of his eyes. He follows Taesan, not wanting to get lost, taking in the ripped jeans, the heeled bootes, and the band shirts.
Do those tops have rips on the sides? Sungho stops to take a glance at the cutout, flushing when he imagines himself wearing it. He wouldn’t survive at all, would be far too self-conscious and embarrassed to go anywhere. Taesan though. Sungho takes a glance at the shirt and then one at Taesan, who’s inspecting some leather belts with chains attached to them. The shirt and then Taesan. Shirt and Taesan. Taesan in the shirt.
Huh. What?
“See something you like?”
Sungho yelps when he hears Taesan’s voice right in front of him, jumps back a little with the shirt still in his hands. “You scared me,” he whines, clutching his chest.
“Sorry, sorry,” Taesan drawls, not looking all that sorry. He takes a look at the shirt in Sungho’s hands, tilts his head a little, brows furrowing. “Do you like that one? Want to try it on?”
“This?” Sungho raises his arms up. “Ah, not really. I was just looking at it,” he trails off, too embarrassed to admit what he’d actually been thinking. Is that going too far for a first date?
Taesan doesn’t seem to think so. “You wanted me to try this one, didn’t you?” He grins, a devilish smile on his lips as he uncurls Sungho’s fingers from around the fabric, takes it into his own hands. The warmth of skin lingers. Sungho wonders if it had ever gone away in the first place. “Come. Let’s go to the changing rooms.”
Sungho follows, wondering what he’s just gotten himself into. He waits on the bench as Taesan closes the door, nervously tapping his foot. Nervous for what, he doesn’t know.
“Sungho-hyung? Are you ready?”
Sungho wheezes a little when Taesan walks out the door.
Shit. He looks so good.
Taesan’s wearing the top. It’s a tight little thing, leaving little to the imagination. It’s sleeveless, leaving Taesan’s arms out on full display, and the fabric clings to his torso, revealing the lines of his chest, the muscles there. The cutouts are on the side, a little slit under his left arm, a diagonal cut that starts from his rib cage and ends at his hip on the right side. It’s revealing, far from anything Sungho would wear, but Taesam looks like a dream in it, his Oreo hair and piercings adding to the effect.
Hot. He’s so hot.
Sungho licks his lips, suddenly realizes just how dry his throat has gotten. He’s not sure if he can ever look at Taesan normally again. Really, who let such a handsome guy have a crush on him? Did they even care about his mental health?
Taesan buys the top, looking a little too happy with himself at the checkout area. Sungho once again tries to pay and is once again stopped, except this time Taesan just catches his wrist and holds it, effectively stopping Sungho from doing anything while he swipes his card. The cashier smiles at the two of them and Sungho sort of wants a hole to swallow him right then and there.
On the brightside. Taesan is back to wearing his school uniform so no more heart attacks for Sungho. Theoretically, at least.
The store they go to next is another clothing one, except this is the one Sungho visits often. He easily picks out the pieces he wants to try, hides them from Taesan’s sight when the younger boy tries to see, leaves him waiting on the bench as he changes. Taesan sighs sadly, wrapping his arms around Sungho’s bag as the older disappears into the changing room.
Sungho comes out wearing a pair of light-wash jeans and a loose crop-top that ends right above his belly button. It’s like Taesan’s caught in a trance, watching with wide eyes that soak everything in as Sungho waves at him, his shirt lifting up to reveal even more of the smooth lines of his stomach.
“Are you buying that?” Taesan’s voice is weak.
Sungho does a little twirl to show off the entire outfit. “Do you think I should?”
“Yes. Absolutely. Please.” Taesan looks a little embarrassed at his answer, but he’s still nodding.
The two of them wander around for a little while more before they decide it’s time to leave. Taesan insists on walking Sungho home, ignoring the older’s protests up until Sungho gives in and sighs, shaking his head and smiling.
“Can we listen to music again?” Sungho asks. “I liked your playlist.”
Taesan nods, smiling prettily at the compliment. “Sure.” He reaches into his pocket, taking out his earphones, and offers them to Sungho. He then takes the bag Sungho is holding in his hand, the bag with the clothes he’d bought, so Sungho has both hands free to untangle the earpods again. It only takes a minute this time, before Sungho is plugging it into Taesan’s phone. He plugs the right earpod into his ear, handing Taesan the left, and clicks on the ‘shuffle play’ icon.
No sound comes out. Sungho frowns, checking, but the earphones are connected to the phone’s audio and they’re not muted either. “Taesan-ah,” Sungho calls out, “is your audio working?”
“Ah. About that.” Taesan bashfully scratches the back of his head with the hand he isn’t holding their shopping bags with. “Only the left one’s audio works.”
Sungho nods and then remembers something. “So while we were walking here, you actually weren’t listening to anything?”
“No,” Taesan admits, nervous. “I just wanted you to listen. I don’t care if I can’t as long as you can.”
“But you told me about all the songs in so much detail.” Sungho thinks. “Wow, you must really listen to them a lot if you can remember.”
“It’s a collection of my favorite songs over the years.” Taesan takes out the earpod, reaching over to put it in Sungho’s ear. “It means a lot to me that you like them. I don’t need to listen to them right now if you’re enjoying them. Seeing you listening to it is enough.”
What a sweet-talker. He must be a music genius too.
Sungho flushes, letting Taesan play the music, lets Taesan explain the songs and their lyrics to him as the two of them begin the trek to Sungho’s house. Sungho asks and Taesan explains, seemingly having everything memorized by heart. Even without listening, he seems just as lost in the music as Sungho is.
“This is my stop.” Taesan takes Sungho all the way to the doorstep before he reluctantly steps away, handing Sungho his shopping bag. He lingers though, not quite wanting to leave. Sungho doesn’t want him to either, leaving the two of them in a sort of stalemate, left staring at each other as the sky begins to grow dark and the cool night breeze sets in.
Taesan inhales sharply. “Hyung,” he asks, so quiet that Sungho has to lean in to listen. “Can we do this again?”
“As many times as you want, Dongmin-ah,” Sungho responds, caught in a trance under the gaze of Taesan’s eyes, glittering in the dark.
There’s a moment where time stops. The wind fails to make Sungho shiver, the sound of birds chirping ceases, it’s just Sungho and Taesan and the sound of their breathing. Taesan breaks it.
“I had fun today,” he murmurs, before he’s dipping down, placing a soft kiss on Sungho’s cheeks, right on the corner of his lips. He grins, red and flushed, as he backs away.
What a tease.
Sungho breaks out of his trance and drags him back down, doing the very same, letting his lips linger on the smooth skin for a long second before lets Taesan go. “I had fun too,” he says, smiling at the way Taesan looks at him surprised, in awe, like he’s the one painting the stars onto the sky. “Text me when you get home, okay?”
“I will, hyung. Promise.”
[Taesannie^^]: Home :]
[Taesannie^^]: [selfie.img]
It’s a picture of him wearing the shirt he’d bought today. Sungho saves it and responds before he groans and flings his phone onto his bed, hiding his red face in his hands. Just when his heart rate was starting to slow down too!
[Sungho-hyung]: EVIL!!!!
[Sungho-hyung]: I’m letting Jaehyun come to my class tomorrow
[Taesannie^^]: Wait what.
[Taesannie^^]: I’m sorry
[Taesannie^^]: please don’t talk to him
[Taesannie^^]: DONT LET HIM PINCH YOUR CHEEKS PLEASE DONT
[Taesannie^^]: :[
[Taesannie^^]: …hyung?