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If reincarnation were a real phenomenon, then Taehyun and Hueningkai probably would have met in every lifetime. If Taehyun had been a unicellular organism billions of years ago, it wouldn’t be surprising if Hueningkai existed next to him as a similar organism.
Though they first met when they were both four years old at a neighbour’s birthday party, it was hard to believe that there was a time when they didn’t know each other at all. Nobody ever really remembers their life before that age anyway.
Kai can only vaguely remember that birthday party where he met his best friend – the colourful balloons, messy streamers strewn across the walls, children around his age running and screaming everywhere. It had only been a few weeks since he and his family moved to Korea. A kind neighbour invited the child and his mother to her son’s birthday, suggesting that it could be a good opportunity to get to know the people in their neighbourhood.
Kai was never good at making friends, partly because they had moved twice – from America to China and finally here, in Korea. He had a shy personality and clung to his mother’s side, grabbing hold of her sweater with his tiny hand, watching her converse with the other adults, and peacefully eating the chocolate cake with his free hand.
Just then, another boy with the roundest and softest-looking bowl cut approaches him and sits next to him. “Hey, what’s your name? Are you a new friend?” The timid boy pauses his movement, his fork lifted a little below his mouth, and meets his eyes with those of his “friend”. Unable to speak, his mother does it for him, “Hello little one! This is Hueningkai. What’s your name?” “Taehyunie! Kang Taehyun. Everyone else is playing, doesn’t he want to play with us?” How kind of a small child to have taken notice of a lonely looking boy and attempted to befriend him.
“We’re new here, so he’s a little shy. Do you want to play with him, Taehyunie?” Taehyun nods excitedly, eyes beaming at Kai, whose face was still stuffed with chocolate, the frosting of the cake smothered on his mouth and rosy cheeks. Taehyun patiently waits for Kai to scarf down the last of his cake, and when he does, he holds his hand gently and leads him to a table where some other kids were playing with building blocks.
Kai remembers, this was the first time he felt seen by anyone; the first time he realised he wanted to be by another person’s side. He wasn’t going to let go of this newfound warmth he felt in his heart – the warmth of having someone, a friend.
The years went by like a blur. A couple of hundred sleepovers and tens of thousands of memories together, the pair were as inseparable as ever, often earning teases from their sisters. It wasn’t like either of them cared, though; they took pride in the fact that they knew each other in and out. And after spending so much time, so many days and nights, so many years together, they also developed a kind of telepathic communication — they could tell what the other was thinking from a simple raise of the eyebrow or squint of the eye. They knew what the other needed even when no words were spoken between them. One might’ve assumed they were sharing the same brain.
They had experienced their happiest moments together, along with the sad ones. Kai had been there the first time Taehyun fell from his bicycle; they were only ten. He was there to hold his hand and stay next to him while the doctors stitched up the cut on his knee caused by the sharp rocks on the road. Taehyun was there to comfort Kai when he had his first breakup with a middle school girlfriend — childish love, it wasn’t meant to last, but it still stung nonetheless. He had run directly to Taehyun’s house and barged into his room, a crying, broken-hearted mess.
He jumped right at the older boy, hugging him tight and planting his face to his chest. Taehyun simply watched Kai try to form his words, spilling out a string of broken sentences — “...Really loved her, Tyun”, “It hurts s’much”, “I’ll be sad forever” and a bunch of other words that couldn’t be deciphered. His eyes were swollen and wet with tears, snot running down from his nose as he continued sobbing loudly and violently. He wouldn’t show this side of himself to anyone else. This kind of intimacy and openness was only for them and them alone. Taehyun simply put his arms around the boy who was just a few months younger, acting like his hyung and trying his best to comfort him with simple, kind words. He didn’t mind that his shirt was beginning to get soggy from the tears and snot. They were glad to have each other.
Perhaps it was pure luck or fate that they managed to go to the same middle school and high school, but apart from the few minutes of classes they didn’t have together and the time they spent sleeping in their own houses, it was safe to say that the duo spent every waking hour together. Sure, they had other friends as well, but their bond wasn’t quite like any other so they would often choose to be next to each other instead. Again, it wasn’t like either of them minded.
“Hey Taehyunie, you remember when we saw that girl confessing to Soobin-hyung the other day?” Kai asked, mouth half-full with a bite of the sandwiches he brought for lunch.
Choi Soobin was another childhood friend of theirs, just two years older, yet he didn’t seem to be much more mature than the two.
Taehyun wiped the crumbs off the other’s cheek with a napkin. “Yeah, what about it?” He wasn’t the type who enjoyed gossip much, but he would always listen intently to whatever his best friend had to say, whether it was hours on hours of Pokemon lore, the backstory of each of the plushies he owned or even the most stupidest theories he had about how dreams were actual events which were happening in a different timeline, how we were living in a multiverse and that each decision we make creates a new universe or something like that; he doesn’t remember the details much, it all didn’t really make sense anyways.
“Well, apparently, he rejected her. I have this theory, hear me out. I think he might have a crush on Beomgyu-hyung.” Taehyun shoots an unamused look at him and raises an eyebrow, “Well no shit, Sherlock. It’s painfully obvious”. Kai leans back on his chair dramatically. “What do you mean, dude? I thought I was smart, figuring it out before anyone else.” “Come on, man, all it takes is just a little observation. Do you see the way he looks at Gyu when he’s laughing? He turns beetroot red whenever he teases or joke-flirts with him, too. Talk about being obvious.”
The younger pouts his lips a little, taking another bite out of his sandwich. He continues, “Well, anyways, I think they would be cute together.” Taehyun nods, making a “mhm” sound as he chews his own lunch, homemade triangle kimbap.
There was a brief silence between the two, yet the classroom was noisy with chatter from the other people in the room.
Just as he took another bite of the kimbap, Kai asked, “Why haven’t you dated anyone?” The question was so sudden, it caused Taehyun to choke a bit on his food. Seeming a little more flustered than he should’ve been, he reaches for his water bottle while tapping at his chest as if it did anything to help with the bits of rice caught in his throat. The younger one persists, “I don’t get it. You’re popular, good at talking to people, athletic, and you’ve even been class president a few times too. And to top it all off, you’re handsome as fuc–” “Okay, bro, that’s enough.” Taehyun has recovered from his food mishap and stops Kai before he says anything more embarrassing.
They were always honest with each other, always keeping things a hundred per cent, but sometimes too much honesty wasn’t needed, Taehyun thought. Maybe Kai was seeing things, but he swore there was the faintest tint of pink colouring his friend’s ears.
“Some people just choose not to date. I’m simply one of them.”
“Pfft, as if.”
“It’s true. I don’t need a boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever. I already got you anyway.”
Hold on, rewind to the last sentence he just said. What does that even mean? Kai thought to himself, but decided not to question further. Taehyun probably just meant that he has his best friend to keep him company, so he doesn’t need anyone else. Yeah, that’s totally what it meant. He finishes his sandwich with one last bite.
The days pass by without any mention of dates or dating or boyfriends or girlfriends again. It was Friday now, which meant homework could be put off to be done on Saturday or Sunday. Hueningkai and Taehyun walked home together with their arms linked, a cute habit of the older which Kai found endearing. What? Bros can find their bros endearing too.
Taehyun decides to stay over at Kai’s house for the night. Another one of their typical sleepovers, which they’ve had multiple times before. After briefly greeting the sisters Lea and Bahiyyih, he heads over to Kai’s room. He’s memorised every part of the house as if it were his own.
Without bothering to knock, he opens the door and finds Kai wearing just his pyjama pants and no shirt. He had just finished taking a bath and was drying his hair with a towel.
If it were any other friend, they would’ve definitely gotten flustered at the sight and turned away. Though he didn’t have any abs or prominent muscles, Kai undoubtedly had a nice figure. He was tall and had broad shoulders. Taehyun recalls when he was once taller than the younger; just a few centimetres taller, but it was a significant number of centimetres, or so he says. Now the top of his head only reached Kai’s ear, and he couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous of his height. But he wouldn’t say that out loud though, the taller would only use it to tease him more than he already did.
Kai put on an oversized shirt and lay down on the bed next to where Taehyun sprawled out his arms, face down, his breath calm and slow. He could tell his friend was tired from the long day at school, having written 3 tests and helping clean the classroom after the last bell rang. He put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling.
“Hey, Taehyunie, remember what I said about Beomgyu-hyung liking Soobin-hyung?” He heard a soft “mmm”, prompting him to continue. “Well, Soobin-hyung told me they’re dating now. I guess he rejected that girl because he likes Gyu-hyung back. I wonder if they kissed or anything.”
Silence filled the room. A few seconds later, Kai spoke again, “You haven’t kissed anyone before, right?”
He sensed Taehyun was taken aback, the ruffling noise of the sheets giving it away. His chest still facing the mattress, Taehyun turned his head so that he was face-to-face with Kai, and oh, their faces were much closer than Kai thought. He felt a shiver down his neck to his spine. Just the faintest shiver, though.
“Why does it matter? You asked me something similar a few days ago too, Hueningie.”
His voice came out a little whiny, probably because of the sleepiness beginning to dawn on him. It was 11 pm. If he wasn’t so tense for some reason right now, Hueningie would’ve played it off as a tease or a joke; something along the lines of “Just admit you got no game.” But all he could do was gulp and choke out a weak “Just curious, y’know.” Why was he acting kind of awkward right now?
Taehyun got up after a while, only to fix his slightly uncomfortable position to get into a better sleeping position. He patted the space next to him, to which Kai obediently lay. This was nice, Kai thought. Lying next to your best friend and sleeping together, cuddling and breathing each other’s shampoo in. He could smell the vanilla and some floral scent, which he assumed was Taehyun’s body wash. He smelled so, so good, and before his thoughts could go any further, he was beginning to drift into dreamland himself.
But just before he does, Taehyun spoke softly, “Don’t wanna kiss anyone yet. Saving it for someone good. G’night, Ningning.”
The sunlight streaming in through the blinds woke Hueningkai from his deep sleep. He rubbed his eyes and was about to stretch his arms, but found that he couldn’t move them. Looking down, he saw Taehyun curled up in his arms with his shirt riding up a little, exposing his abs. He had been working out for a while, even urging his best friend to join him in the gym. However, Kai could only manage to do half the workouts that Taehyun did. The toned muscles on his friend’s arms were truly a sight to behold, and they contrasted with his delicate and pretty face.
Fuck, their faces were super close once again. Normally, it wouldn’t stir anything in him, but lately he’s been feeling this weird twist in his stomach, heat rising to his face whenever his best friend got too close, looked at him in his eyes a little too long. Why was he feeling this way?
As his thoughts start getting all jumbled up, Taehyun twitches and grunts in his sleep but quickly falls back into a silent and rhythmic breathing. Kai admired his friend, how his thick lashes sat right above his soft cheeks, the beautiful slope of his nose, the faded acne scars that spread across his face, and finally, his eyes dropped to the plump and pouted lips of his dear best friend.
Kiss him.
Snapping out of his kind-of-gay-but-not-really-gay hypnosis, he jolts backwards, and it causes Taehyun to wake up. He needs to find a way to put an end to his increasingly weird thoughts now.
Taehyun stretches out his arms and legs and makes a small sound, just like a cat, Kai thought. “Morning Kai-yah, slept well?” he asks as he rubs his hands on his face. Feeling his normal playful self coming back to him, Kai lowers his face down to the other’s chest. “Yep, I did! But Hueningie wants more cuddles!” His shameless aegyo earns a small chuckle from Taehyun, who was all too familiar with his tactics of asking for things to guarantee he gets what he wants, so they simply lay there for a few minutes more, hugging each other under the warm sheets in silence.
Nothing in the world could’ve felt better than this, Kai thought to himself.
It was afternoon now, and the pair had moved to Taehyun’s house to work on their math assignment for the weekend. Kai wasn’t necessarily a bad student. He wasn’t dumb or failing any classes, but he would often struggle in the mathematics department. Taehyun, on the other hand, was a star student. He excelled in all subjects, always in the top ten in his class, and even represented the school a few times in competitions and quizzes.
“Look, the determinant isn’t a zero here, so the adjoint of this matrix exists. You remember the formula, right? Apply this one here and calculate it. Are you even listening right now, dude?” They were on the floor, sitting opposite each other across the coffee table. Kai had been in a daze for most of the day, despite trying his best to concentrate on the explanations made by his friend. Instead, all he could focus on was the movement of Taehyun’s lips, soft and glistening with the saliva from when he occasionally licked his lips between words.
“Can’t we take a break for a bit? I’m feeling dizzy from seeing so many numbers and shit I don’t understand.” A weak excuse to hide the not-so-bro thoughts he was having about his best bro. There was no point in trying to push Kai into solving more questions when his mind was somewhere else, so Taehyun simply sighed and leaned back into the edge of his bed behind him and closed his eyes.
It was the beginning of summer. The ceiling fan was whirring above them, giving them slight relief from the heat.
Hueningkai feels an itch in his throat, and he fears that if he doesn’t ask this question, he may never find the courage to ask another time. “Y’know, um, Taehyun,” he spoke hesitantly. “So, like, I never really asked properly but, uh, you’re bisexual or something, right?”
Taehyun opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head, looking at the boy sitting at the other side of the table, his head held low due to his nervousness. Softly, he answers, “Gay, actually. Why’d you ask?” Though he answered calmly, he was also avoiding eye contact and picking at the threads of the carpet underneath him. “Okay, whatever. The thing is, you like boys. Was there something that happened that made you realise it? Like a moment of clarity, something like that?” “I don’t think so. I guess I just kind of knew my whole life. Had a crush too.” The older boy quickly throws his hand up to cover his mouth, like he wasn’t supposed to mention that last part to anyone, ever.
Indeed, he shouldn’t have mentioned it, because now Kai looked at him with gleaming eyes. If he had a tail, it would be wagging side to side right now. “Kang Taehyun, you’ve had a crush before and you never thought to tell me? Your best bro?” He gets up and moves to Taehyun’s side, sitting right next to him, shoulders touching and leaning close, just a little bit so he doesn’t miss a single word his friend would speak about the story of his cute little crush. One hand resting on his knees, which he lifted to his chest, the other still picking at the carpet, Taehyun speaks shyly, “Have. Present tense. And, well, I mean, it’s nothing. Just a small crush. Not that big of a deal, so don’t try to pry me open about it.” A blush crept up from his neck to his face, and his eyes darted around the room, looking everywhere except in the other’s eyes. Kai had never seen Taehyun look this flustered and fidgety; honestly, it was kind of cute.
“So, who is it? Wait, I’m gonna guess. Is it someone I know as well?” Taehyun, still embarrassed, doesn’t protest this sudden interrogation.
“Yeah” was all he quietly replied.
“Hmm, is it Beomgyu or Soobin-hyung?”
“What? No man, they’re dating now.”
“So you’re saying if they weren’t dating–”
“No, Kai Kamal Huening. Gross.”
“What about that guy, Yeonjun-hyung? He graduated last year.”
“He’s cool, but not him either.”
Kai continues his guessing game, earning a few “ew”s and “gross”s from Taehyun, but so far, he has said no to every boy he mentioned. They were quickly running out of names.
“Okay, either you’re lying about having a crush, or I already mentioned his name, but you said no anyway.” Taehyun now lifted his head and turned, his face just a few centimetres from Kai’s face once again. Perhaps it was because of the proximity or the summer heat making them sweat a little, clothes sticking to their skin slightly uncomfortably. Taehyun opens his mouth, about to say something, but he closes it again and gulps. His eyes wandered to the other boy’s lips for just a split second, but it was long enough for Kai to notice. Once again, he didn’t say anything about it. “I’ll tell you about it when I’m ready, ‘kay? I think our break has lasted long enough. We still have more work to do.”
It was easy to blame the hot weather for the way the atmosphere felt stuffy. Kai was no idiot — both to his friend’s hesitance and to the increasingly “unusual” thoughts he had. He only wanted to clear up some confusion about his sexuality; he didn’t think they’d tangent towards Kang Taehyun’s love life. Now he needed to clear up something else.
“Sounds like you’re the one he has a crush on,” says Soobin bluntly. It was Monday again, and Taehyun had to help the teachers sort some test papers, so now Kai was having lunch with Soobin and his new boyfriend, Choi Beomgyu. “I’m not surprised though, I assumed you guys were already dating before Soobinie-hyung told me,” Beomgyu follows. “I guess it wouldn’t be too far-fetched, but he’s my best friend. Besides, I don’t even like boys.”
Kai wasn’t sure whether he liked boys or not. He’d only had crushes on a few girls and had one girlfriend in the past. He never thought about boys in the romantic sense, nor did he ever find them physically attractive. Sure, he appreciated a conventionally good-looking guy once in a while, but he didn’t necessarily feel attracted.
“Maybe you don’t like boys, just a boy.” Beomgyu hums in agreement with what his boyfriend just said.
Following that logic, Kai begins to think to himself, checking the boxes of what he thinks are the conditions to have a crush on someone. Did he think Taehyun was attractive? Kind of; he had a nice figure and a pretty face too. Did he like holding hands and other kinds of physical affection with him? Of course he does; it was their thing. Did he find him cute? He did, especially when he makes those purring noises just like a cat when he’s excited about something.
As he continues to try to think of more “conditions”, Soobin calls out for his attention. “Have you ever wanted to kiss him?”
Kai pauses for a moment.
“Have you ever thought about him kissing someone else? Just picture it; does it make your heart drop?” Beomgyu chimes in.
First, he recalls the moment he heard a voice in his head telling him to kiss his sleeping best friend. He lifts a finger to his lips, imagining how it would feel to kiss Taehyun. A blush slowly appears on his cheeks.
Second, he thinks of those same plump lips kissing a boy, someone who wasn’t Kai. He feels his chest tighten, and he grits his teeth at the mere thought of someone else kissing his friend, holding hands and walking home with him. He thinks about Taehyun pushing him away and replacing him with some other guy and spending all his moments with him instead, and the uncomfortable feeling in his heart only begins to grow.
Shit, he really did have a crush on his best friend. The realisation dawned on him slowly, then all at once. How was he supposed to look at him the same way after making such a huge discovery? What was he supposed to do with these newfound feelings? There was no way things would be the same even if he kept it to himself.
Sensing the shift in Kai’s attitude, Soobin taps his hand on the table, bringing his attention to him once more. “It’s not like you have to figure it all out at once, y’know. If you’re feeling brave enough, I’m sure the two of you could talk it out like big kids. You’ve been besties since forever; your bond is stronger than anyone else’s.” He ruffles the younger boy’s head and chuckles. “And if anything bad were to happen, your two homosexual hyungs are always here to help you out.” He wraps an arm around Beomgyu and rubs his shoulder, the two giving encouraging smiles to their friend. They continue with their lunch, and the rest of the day passes by as usual.
Hueningkai was once again at Taehyun’s house. They had agreed to watch a movie that came out recently, which was thankfully uploaded on a pirating site. Kai planned to use this opportunity to express the feelings which he had come to realise and “talk it out like big kids”, although he wasn’t sure exactly how to bring it up. He hadn’t thought it out too well.
“Should I turn the lights off?” Taehyun came into the room with two soda cans and a packet of chips. Kai was sitting upright on his bed, waiting for his friend to climb onto the bed next to him, laptop in hand and ready to start the movie. “Yeah. Could we turn on the AC too? I think I’ll literally melt into a puddle under this blanket.” Once he turns on the air conditioner, Taehyun places the remote on the bedside desk and lifts one of the cold drinks to his friend’s cheek, earning a hiss from him. He pushes Kai to make space for himself and fixes the blanket so that they are covered from chest to toes, and he tangles their legs together, slightly rubbing his feet on the other’s calves playfully.
This was dangerous, Kai began to feel his heart pick up its pace. If this kept on going, his dear friend would begin to notice how unusual he was acting. Still, he tried to keep his composure, willing away all the thoughts that were blaring in his head like sirens. Thank goodness the lights were off, otherwise the tint of pink colouring his ears wouldn’t have gone unnoticed.
“You can start the movie now, dude. Or are you waiting for our drinks to get warm?”
Kai clears his throat, “Oh, uh, sorry.” Was his voice always this shaky?
As the movie plays, he begins to relax and somewhat returns to his normal self. Taehyun had positioned himself slightly lower than Kai, his head resting on the younger’s shoulder and wrapping an arm around his. This moment of ease didn’t last long, however, because fifty minutes into the movie came an intense and heartfelt makeout session between the two main characters. Why do movies even put such scenes, and in great detail too? All it does is make the audience uncomfortable.
Taehyun shifts a little, clearly fazed by the heavy mouth-to-mouth action that was currently displayed on the laptop screen. Kai knows that if he were to look down at his friend right this moment, he’d have to face his true feelings about him, and there would be no turning back from it. So he looks down, because he’s an idiot, and also because he doesn’t want to keep Taehyun in the dark any longer, literally.
The only source of light coming from the screen on his lap, Kai could faintly make out the expression on his friend’s face. Taehyun’s lips were slightly parted, cheeks coloured with the smallest tint of red; he couldn’t tell if it was due to the two people making out, or because they were cuddling so warmly, almost every inch of their bodies pressed together.
Kai became aware of the heat spreading from his face down his neck. It was all too much for him. Talking about his feelings was harder than he thought, so he runs away from it again.
He pauses the film and tries to get his words out, “Should we, uh, skip this part?” Before he could say anything more, Taehyun props himself up on one elbow, closes his eyes, and plants the softest kiss on Hueningkai’s cheek. It didn’t last long; it ended as soon as it came, yet the feeling of his best friend’s lips, the same lips which he had been longing for all this time, lingered as it left a wet spot on his cheek.
His eyes grew wide. It takes him a couple of seconds to process what just happened. Did his best friend – his childhood friend, his lifetime friend, just kiss him? He slowly lifts his fingers to where the kiss was imprinted on his skin. His brain was going a mile a minute, his heartbeat racing and doing cartwheels, eyes shaking in disbelief.
Seeing his reaction, Taehyun abruptly gets up from the bed. “I’m sorry. I, uh, I don’t know what came over me to do that. I’m so sorry, Kai. I’m just gonna go to the bathroom real quick.” Kai quickly grabs him by the wrist and pulls him back onto the bed. “Wait! Don’t go yet. I didn’t… I didn’t hate the kiss.” A brief pause. The whole room went silent, except for the quiet buzzing of the conditioner.
“You didn’t?” Kai’s grip was still firm on his wrist.
“No, I didn’t. There’s something I want to talk about, so can you please sit down and listen?” He uncurls his fingers from Taehyun’s hand, giving him the choice to either walk away or to sit and hear what his friend wanted to say. Hesitantly, he sits back down.
Kai takes this as the green light to explain everything he’d been thinking about. His heart was still racing, but he couldn’t wait for another time to talk things through. Who knows if things could go back to the way they were after this?
“You remember when I asked how you knew you liked boys? Well, I’m sorry for bugging you about it, I know it’s something personal. But I didn’t ask for no reason. You see, um, lately I’ve been having… thoughts. Like, if I were really just into girls. Not that I’ve been into a lot of people, but I wondered if it was just limited to girls, you know what I mean?” Taehyun gives a slow nod. He listened carefully.
Jesus Christ, this was way harder than Kai thought it would be. He continued as calmly as he could manage, “And recently – actually, I’m not sure if it’s just recently. But I’ve realised that I like someone, and that someone’s a boy. Is that weird? Is it weird that I like a boy for the first time in my life?”
“No! It’s not weird at all. There’s a first for everything, Kai. I’m really happy you told me about it.” Taehyun spoke slowly, but his mind was now reevaluating what he did just seconds ago. Here his friend was, having a sexuality crisis, telling him about his crush, and he literally just kissed him. Could that be considered harassment, he wondered. He didn’t even ask Kai if he wanted to be kissed. They were only best friends; he should’ve known his place.
Maybe it was the telepathy working; Kai understood exactly what was going on in Taehyun’s brain. So he decides to come clean. The room was still dark. The laptop was illuminating both their faces now, just enough so that they could see each other’s expressions. He reaches his hands out and places them on Taehyun’s. The air was cool, yet his hands were clammy and sweaty.
Here it goes.
“Kang Taehyun. You’re the boy I like.”
He waits for a reaction. His friend’s eyes were now shaking, but still looking into Kai’s.
“I know we’ve been best buds since forever. I’m always happy to have you by my side. You’ve seen my face covered in snot, you’ve seen me drool all over my desk at school. I was there when you had your first bicycle accident, the first time you won a competition; hell, I was there when you had food poisoning for the first time in your life and puked all over the toilet seat. Point is, I’m glad I got someone like you to be there for me through the ups and downs. I’m your best friend, and you’re my best friend too. Am I being too selfish if I wanted something more? I don’t want you to be cuddling anyone other than me. I don’t want you to hold hands with anybody if it isn’t me. I don’t want you to be someone’s boyfriend if that someone isn’t me. I like you, Kang Taehyun. So, please like me back.”
Taehyun lifts one hand off Kai’s.
“Hueningie.”
“Yeah?”
“Could you shut up for once and kiss me?”
His hand rests on Kai’s cheek, where he had pecked before. And Kai couldn’t say no to such an offer, so he obeys. He leaned in and closed his eyes, pressing the most delicate kiss on Taehyun’s lips, and everything felt so right at that moment.
They stay that way for a few seconds, and Kai pulls away.
“Again,” Taehyun pleads, eyes glossy and fluttering. Fuck, if it wasn’t obvious before, then it was now that Kai had a soft spot for his best friend.
So he kisses him again, and again, and again, with more intensity this time around. Kai tilts his head to the left, allowing for a deeper kiss. He’s not exactly sure what he’s doing; he’s never kissed anyone this way. He simply follows what feels right to him, and what he thinks would make Taehyun feel best. He experiments, swiping his tongue at the other’s bottom lip, and Taehyun parts his mouth a little. Their teeth knock together, and they break away from each other to giggle, and to catch their breath.
This time, Taehyun leans in, closing the distance between their mouths once more. He has no idea what he’s doing either, but he’s trying his best. His hand moves from Kai’s cheek to wrap it around the back of his neck, the other on his chest. He can feel how fast his friend’s heartbeat is now. He shoves his tongue into Kai’s mouth. It was rather sloppy and wet, the feeling of their tongues on each other and bodies pressed together getting them too high to care about how messy it was. Kai’s own hands, which lay at his sides now moved to touch Taehyun’s waist and back, drawing out soft, quick gasps from the older. He leans back onto the bed, not pulling away from the kiss even for a moment. Taehyun props himself up with his elbows, and he couldn’t care less about how it was a slightly uncomfortable position. Everything felt too good. He lets out a weak whimper as he feels a hand slide up his back under his shirt, another hand pressing their hips closely together. “Do that again,” he huffs into Kai’s mouth, who complies with his orders.
The atmosphere begins to feel hot and sticky, the air conditioning no longer giving enough relief to cool the heat of their bodies. Kai feels his abdomen begin to tingle, like butterflies in his stomach. His heart was going haywire now, and his mouth was busy trying to keep up with the other’s pace. Taehyun was reacting to Kai’s every touch, gasping and jerking whenever he pressed at his sensitive spots, gliding his fingers, drawing circles on his body.
Suddenly, Taehyun feels something pressing against his thigh. Kai was beginning to get hard. It was unmistakable, the thin fabric of their pyjama pants doing a terrible job of concealing his growing boner. He pulls away and looks at Kai, who looked absolutely wrecked. His lips were red and swollen from the intensity of their makeout, and Taehyun had to take a mental screenshot and save this beautiful view into his brain.
“Huening-ah, you feel so good.” Kai was still catching his breath. All he could do was nod.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m, uh, enjoying all this, but,” he lifts himself and sits next to Kai, who was still sprawled out on the bed. “I don’t think I’m ready to… do anything more than this right now, at least not tonight, if that’s okay with you.” His eyes glanced down at the younger’s crotch, signalling him the situation going on there. Kai gets up on his elbows and slowly sits up too, running his hands through his hair and patting his head as if to prevent it from exploding.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about it. I just… got a bit too excited, I guess.” Having a semi hard-on from just a makeout? This was probably on the list of top five most embarrassing moments in Hueningkai’s life. Who could blame him though? Seventeen was the age of raging hormones and awkward situations.
Taehyun now feels a bit bad, having to stop their fun so abruptly. Kai reassures him, “Seriously dude, don’t worry about it, okay? It’s good to have boundaries. I wouldn’t want to do anything you’re not okay with doing.”
Taehyun laughs to himself, “‘Dude’? We just made out tongue and everything, and now you’re calling me ‘dude’.” They look at each other, still somewhat unkempt and flushed, and burst out laughing at how ridiculous it all was. “What? I just really like my bro, is that so wrong?” Kai teases, throwing a light punch at his friend’s shoulder.
Should he even call him friend anymore? Who cares, they’ll decide on the specifics later. Right now, all he cared about was how much he loved Kang Taehyun, how blind he was not to have noticed it before.
“It’s getting pretty late now. Why don’t you just stay the night, Kai?” Taehyun's eyes beam at him.
Kai was weak. He didn’t have the heart to say no, as if he even wanted to. “Okay.”
They lay back down on the bed, laptop and soda cans safely placed on the table. The soft blanket once again covering them from feet to chest, Kai pulls Taehyun in an embrace tighter than ever before, breathing in the smell of shampoo in his hair again, like he had done one morning a few days ago. This time, he wasn’t planning to let go anytime soon.
“When are we gonna finish where we left off? Tomorrow?” Kai asks.
“The movie or the makeout?” answers Taehyun.
“How about both?”
“Both?”
“Both.”