Work Text:
____
jongdae's fingers, long and nimble—yet peculiarly callused for someone boring such slender and rounded hands—curled softly over the sloped expanse of minseok's narrow shoulders. a familiar thrum of sharp energy, electricity, pulsated through minseok's skin to the base of his spine, eliciting a delicious jolt.
"ah, jongdae," he whispered, adjusting his sleek tie in the mirror adjacent to the hard lines of his body. jongdae's blunt nails dug into the expensive breadth of minseok's onyx black suit, almost imperceptibly, as minseok continued, "it's happening again."
jongdae's eyes, deep and dark—secretive yet susceptible to those whom he deemed worthy—found minseok's amidst the reflective surface. "i'm sorry."
minseok's almond shaped eyes, slim and feline, widened at the defeated tone that bore itself into jongdae's words. "no! you know that's not what i mean." he took a breath, his lungs filling with the scent of a rich and distinctive cologne, before he said, "you're not the only one. see, my hands are getting all cold now."
minseok's fingertips, wider than the elegancy of jongdae's, skimmed the back of jongdae's palm as though he were forcing music from an invisible piano. the paths that his fingers had traced left a remarkable red mark, chilling the skin to the point of frostbite. jongdae bit his lip at the sudden transition from warm to bitingly cold, though he stood his ground. minseok's breath left a thin sheen of mist before his face, startling in the cozy environment of the room the boys stood in.
neither had the audacity to address the monstrosity that had grown thick in the room—our powers, oh my god, they're showing—instead, jongdae simply uttered, "we should eat something before we leave."
***
minseok and jongdae were the only sons of two unbelievably influencial and successful businessmen. most of their frivolous endeavours were situated in seoul, though the prospect of travel and foreign countries had become almost mundane to the boys.
it seemed only natural for the minseok and jongdae to grow accustomed to inane luxuries and exclusive treatment, and one such case was taking place that night. an exquisite banquet, hosted by minseok's father, established in a hotel so ridiculously grand and golden that it brought an ache to jongdae's chest.
"hyung, this place is making me uncomfortable," jongdae whispered, his lush lips moving against the shell of minseok's ear. their shoulders were pressed together, minseok's skin still frigid, disturbingly so. jongdae was afraid his breath would come out in translucent puffs should he exhale beside minseok.
"i'm sorry. we've just got to say hello to everyone, dance with a couple of the girls that dad's set us up with, and then we're free to go. you know the drill."
"yes, i know the drill. that doesn't mean that i've got to like it." the exasperation in jongdae's voice was curiously unusual—he was never one to complain or peruse the negative aspect of an unfortunate situation. it raised a certain level of interest in minseok, for he was not used to this strange, impatient side of his closest friend.
"jongdae, i don't want to be here any more than you do," minseok's deeply bronzed hand—a distinctive, if not ironic, contrast to the white cold that seeped through his suit jacket and to his goose bumped skin—enclosed over jongdae's shoulder, guiding him towards a buffet table that stretched obnoxiously before them, "just follow my lead, and everything will be okay."
***
"yoonji. a pretty name for an even prettier girl," minseok very nearly cooed, eliciting a secluded gag from jongdae. though he tried not to show it, the persona that minseok took on at events such as these brought a sickening feeling to his stomach. it was just so unlike the person jongdae knew minseok to be, and it was incredibly disheartening.
the girl—yoonji—simply giggled in response, her pale cheeks darkening to match the plum of her lips, "thank you. you're not too bad yourself." her silken dress, as dark and rich as aged red wine, glittered with the light of a thousand pressed stones as she made her way to the center of the ball room, just past the tables, minseok by her side.
jongdae stood his ground, even as he noticed the eyes of several girls wander over his body in question, awaiting any movement of affirmation. he should dance, he should—but he couldn't.
his eyes skimmed over the blanch skin of yoonji's lithe forearms, the thick muscle of minseok's legs as they spun tastefully, with utmost grace, under amber light. his head whirled with a series of mixed emotions, too quick and bizarre for him to even begin to decipher. jongdae's entire being groaned with something heavy, a boulder against a thin stream.
it took jongdae forty more seconds to come to his senses. he turned his back, head throbbing and eyes bleary, and located the monstrous buffet table away from the bouts of swaying bodies.
***
"god, that was fucking awful." minseok grumbled, his light voice weighty and wholly unlike itself. he settled beside jongdae in his stately bedroom, the couch groaning slightly under the pressure of his weight. "yoonji is, quite possibly, the most boring person i've ever met."
"really?" jongdae said, "you looked as though you were having the time of your life." his words tasted rather bitter in his mouth, as though his tongue had been charred to a black dust. he felt minseok shift beside him, could faintly decipher his features as he flinched at jongdae's angry contention.
"what's wrong with you?"
jongdae's long fingers curled into themselves, tightening to fists at either side of his torso. he refused to look at minseok. "nothing. everything's good. fine. peachy. couldn't be better."
"jongdae. look at me." minseok's expression took on an authoritative tone as his fingers, now strangely warm, settled at the base of jongdae's keen jaw. minseok tugged jongdae forward until they faced each other, until minseok could see the inscrutability swimming deep in the midst of jongdae's eyes. "we just danced, okay? nothing happened."
and jongdae finally heard himself, how childish and immature he had been. he did not own minseok, nor did he have the right to command him or the actions that followed. his eyes traced a path to the floor, away from the frown that graced minseok's soft face. "i'm sorry. i had no right."
"hey," minseok said, his voice much gentler, so silken that jongdae felt it tread smoothly over his skin and ribcage, "don't worry about it."
jongdae's timid eyes found themselves back on minseok's face, on his large, slanted eyes and lightly curved cheeks, skin beautifully unblemished. he was so, so close, close enough to catch the faint scent of fruit on minseok's lips.
"you smell like strawberries," jongdae uttered, completely off topic—almost trancelike—as he admired the pleasantry of minseok. had he always been this pretty?
"oh. yeah, i had that strawberry shortcake for dessert, and dude, it was so—"
"probably taste like them, too," jongdae interrupted. he seemed to not realize the sheer enormity what he had said, the multiple boundaries that he had managed to shatter with such simple, straightforward phrases.
minseok's eyes widened and his thin lips parted, though he did not dare say a single word. instead, he looked at jongdae for a moment longer, truly looked at him, before he finally managed, "do you want to verify that claim?"
the dazed look on jongdae's face—from his hooded eyes to his slack lips—sharpened considerably as minseok's statement sunk through his skin. before he could think, could possibly process what had happened in the past three minutes, minseok leaned forward and grazed his lips over jongdae's.
one kiss, barely a whisper of one, and jongdae began to bloom.
his body gravitated towards minseok's, as though tethered to an invisible rope. his arms, still confined in his lavish suit, wrapped strongly around minseok's neck, his legs splayed on either side of his waist. his lips stung, numb with the cold of minseok's skin. jongdae stared at him, at the stunned expression he bore, and said, "do it. kiss me again."
"are you sure?" minseok's fine hands slid up jongdae's stout back to tangle in his dark hair. his lips were on fire, raw from the electricity humming, so very alive, on jongdae.
"yes." jongdae paused as his tongue ran over chapped lips, eyes aflame with an unfamiliar hunger, "please, hyung."
and minseok did just that. his fingers moved from jongdae's hair to his ears, cheekbones, open mouth. he kissed him, the taste of sweet, sweet strawberry still thick on his tongue, kissed him so hard that jongdae saw colored spots behind the molten expanse of his eyelids. the nerves underneath his lips and hands were ablaze with a red-hot fire, combatting the icy presence threatening to overtake him, and his heart felt as though it would stutter to a stop under his crushed ribs.
"you're beautiful, hyung. beautiful. so damn pretty," jongdae whispered against minseok's lips, slick and deep rose, "how can someone be so stunning?"
minseok felt tears blossom at the corners of his eyes. he drew jongdae ever nearer, close enough that their chests pressed flush against one another, until their convulsing hearts calmed and beat as a single entity. he did not reply in words but through his body, allowed his skin and hands to convey the words that echoed in the back of his mind.
i love you, jongdae. i do.