Chapter Twenty: Then There Was You | The Centre Cannot Hold: KTH (m)
Chapter characters/pairings: Taehyung x f!reader | AU/Genre: non idol au, angst, smut (see warnings below) see series m.post for fic summary etc.
Rating/Chapter warnings: ⚠️🔞 M - Adults only! 🔞⚠️ SMUT (m/f unprotected sex, m>f oral sex), threat, intoxication, reader is a mild dom, some light bondage (nothing too spicy) yandere and dark themes
Word count: 9.1K
<<< Chapter Nineteen
The door shuts just in time: both men pause mid-motion, shocked into stillness, statues in their surprise. Namjoon grips the door handle tightly as it rattles with another dull thump then a shattering sound.
“So that’s both the lamp and the water I left beside his bed,” Namjoon sighs.
“You used glass?” Jihan quizzes, an eyebrow raised.
“Hey,” Namjoon complains as the cacophony of bangs continues from Taehyung’s room, “I didn’t see this coming… Have they broken up or something? The last three weeks he’s been a nightmare, staggering in blind drunk nearly every night…”
Jihan shrugs, “I don’t know,” he admits, “He won’t say anything and she won’t answer my calls. When I text her she claims she has shitty reception on whatever work trip she’s on. She said they’re fine though.”
“Well he can’t carry on like this,” Namjoon states, “Who would know what’s going on?”
Jihan bites his lip thinking carefully before he answers, “Park Jimin… or maybe Woo Jiho.”
The room beyond them falls silent.
“He’ll have passed out now,” Jihan says softly and Namjoon releases his grip on the door.
Namjoon fixes Jihan with a focused gaze, “Try them both - both Jimin and Jiho. This shit needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later.”
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Taehyung has not passed out. Instead, he lies on his bed, naked and listening.
As his friends creep away, he resolves to find other ways to cope: the drinking has to stop. That’s the end of the night’s clarity for Taehyung. He stares at the flat blackness of the ceiling until he finds depth there and then the void swallows him whole, as it always does, as it always has, even when he was only a small child. It’s always been there. He both hates and trusts it. In the chaos of his mind, it’s the only thing that brings relief, and sometimes Taehyung wants nothing more than to silence his thoughts.
Taehyung’s mind has sometimes been a dark place, sometimes a bright one, but always, no matter his mood, it races, always working, working, working, filled with thought and raw feeling. There was obsession; there was lust, a mad passionate consuming desire; there was need; there was a hole that needed filling; there was satisfaction. There were all these things and more and nothing was ever enough for him. But then there was you and his world was reshaped, reformed, rebuilt.
His existence didn’t explode, the sphere of his days did not tilt on its axis because you came into his life. Instead, you crept up on him like frost at the turning of the seasons. In feather-soft flurries you flittered through his days, he barely noticed until those insatiable fires in him were quelled beneath the pure white blanket you spread beneath his feet. Taehyung had charged through life before you, eyes fixed ahead; now he treads softly in the world you have made anew for him.
He still burns intensely, but it is a different hue: the scarlet inferno, the fiery, empty chasm of his heart is no more. Instead, a blue flame flickers and dances, small and serene, yet it’s looks deceive, it is known that the azure heart of the flame is the most intense. Taehyung knows that it is a lie that winter is cold and that blue is the colour of unhappiness: the final season of the year has always been his favourite. You are his winter, his fresh snow, his clear day, his warm, blue flame.
Once there was chaos, emptiness and pain but then there was you and then there was wholeness; peace, joy and love.
Now, without you, there’s nothing, and chaos has come again.
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“You’re not serious?” scoffs Ellie, throwing a disbelieving look at Jihan beside her, “Come off it Jiho - you had a whole campaign against Taehyung and now you say you don’t know anything?”
Jiho sighs, “I really don’t know anything, I was told something about Taehyung, I guessed what it might mean and I was wrong or whatever… that’s it.”
Jihan’s eyes narrow, “Ah, but how did you find out you were wrong?”
Jiho pauses before he mentions your name, punctuated with a heavy sigh, “…Yeah, she told me. She told me she knew everything and whatever I thought was wrong. She said she had a big trip and that she didn’t want me bothering Taehyung while she was gone.”
“So after the fight in the club, you’re just going to leave it?” Ellie says, with more disbelief.
“I’m not an asshole,” Jiho argues, nostrils flaring, “All I wanted was to look out for a friend, she knows the truth now, whatever that might be and that’s fine. As long as she’s safe and happy that’s all I care about. I trust her to do the right thing. I mean, I don’t like Kim Taehyung, but whatever man, she loves him so…”
Ellie moves to speak, but Jihan shoots her a look, “That’s cool,” he says gently, “When she gets back hopefully everything will be cool.”
As they leave, Ellie quizzes him about why he quietened her down, “Whatever is going on, Jiho doesn’t know about it and given his suspicions about Tae, I say we keep it that way,” Jihan explains.
Ellie nods grimly as they head towards your office to seek Park Jimin, who is avoiding everyone’s calls.
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Jimin is a creature of habit and so when he leaves work at the end of the day to head to his gym, he finds Jihan waiting for him in the changing rooms.
“You were busy when Ellie and I came to the office,” Jihan explains smoothly, “So I thought I’d try you here.”
“So desperate to see me,” Jimin laughs, his bravado not fully convincing, “I am popular nowadays.”
Jihan hums thoughtfully before he outlines the dilemma: You’ve disappeared on a “work trip” nobody knows anything about and in your now three-week absence, Taehyung is having a complete meltdown and won’t speak to anyone, withdrawing completely within himself.
“So, do you know what’s going on?” Jihan presses.
With a deep breath, Jimin turns from stowing his things in a locker and begins talking.
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“Well?” Ellie asks impatiently when Jihan joins her outside the gym, “Did he talk?”
“He explained about why the trip was so sudden and how it’s not suspicious, apparently,” Jihan recounts, “Then he claimed to know absolutely nothing about anything else.”
“Claimed?” asks Ellie, cocking an eyebrow.
Jihan laughs dryly, “Exactly. I don’t believe a word about this work trip and I think that slippery little fucker knows everything, but he’s not telling.”
Within the gym, Jimin sits on the changing room bench, drinking water and breathing heavily after his workout. He’s pretty certain Jihan didn’t believe a word he said but what can he do? After this, does it even matter? Whatever bonds he was reforging with Taehyung are broken now and his friendship with you lies in tatters.
He sighs as he remembers the last words you spoke to him before you left for your trip, “Just tell anyone who asks that it’s for work and don’t tell anyone about Taehyung. Make sure they keep their mouths shut.” He foolishly asked you if you could forgive him for not telling you about Yideum and you just sighed, turning your back on him and walking away.
He pinches the bridge of his nose as he evaluates the whole mess. Is that what you’ve done with Taehyung? Have you walked away? If so, why are you still protecting him? Jimin is conflicted; the sensible part of him tells him to steer clear of the whole mess, but it’s another part of him that wins out, the same part that always does: compassion. He rises to his aching feet and heads to the showers, resolving that as soon as he’s washed and dressed that he’ll head to Taehyung to see what can be done.
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With the little Jimin gave you to go on, it’s taken you weeks to get to this place and this moment. You could laugh at the irony of having travelled miles knocking on doors, only to find yourself preparing to meet your quarry only one subway station from your own house. In the middle of the busy park, your leg bounces incessantly as nervous tension pulses through you.
You try to distract yourself with your phone, replying to your friends’ messages with the same trite meaningless phrases insisting that you’re fine, that their concerns are misplaced, that you are just really busy with work and of course the final lie, that you and Taehyung are fine and that he’s just going through something else that’s private and unrelated.
You feel particularly guilty abut spouting that last lie to Ellie, but right now, you feel that there’s no other choice. The truth is too burdensome, and you must shoulder it alone. So preoccupied are you by your phone and thoughts, that you don’t register the person who sits beside you until they say your name in a questioning tone.
You turn to look at the woman beside you, oddly relieved that, pretty as she is, she looks absolutely nothing like you. You nod, “Baek Yideum?”
She smiles, but it’s forced and too tight, “That’s me.”
“Thanks for agreeing to meet me and coming all this way,” you say, “I really do need to talk to you about what happened with Kim Taehyung: I have questions only you can answer and I think some answers you might need too,” you draw breath at the end, your rehearsed speech falling out of you in an anxious tumbling of words.
Yideum’s smile becomes tighter, “It was no effort. No offence, but I don’t want this conversation on my own doorstep,” she regards you, her eyes colder than you’d expected, “I don’t need any answers. I know exactly what you’re going to say.”
You stare at her, open mouthed, “How?”
“You’re going to tell me that he drugged me,” she sighs, with an airy, dismissive flutter of her hand and you note the wedding ring there, “I know.”
You can only stare, mouth agape for long moments before you find your voice, “How do you know?”
She smiles tiredly, “Because he didn’t do it very well.”
Over the course of the next few hours she goes into torturous detail about Taehyung and his childhood. His controlling father, the way he and his mother were medicated to deal with every issue from slight stress to helping them sleep at night: a chemical solution for every problem. She tells you how each time Taehyung would drug her that she’d be sleepy but not actually comatose, drifting between sleep and wakefulness. She is insistent that while she slept he did nothing but lay beside her, a shy hand occasionally resting on her hip, telling her how special she was to him and divulging all his turbulent thoughts and feelings about his complicated home life and difficult relationship with his parents, things he could never tell anyone, before he’d eventually fall asleep. It never bothered her, she thought it was sweet and a little sad. Taehyung was always a lonely boy, a sadness sitting on him that broke her heart. She admits it was only with time and experience that she realised he’d turned to chemical support to lure her into tiredness and by then it was only a distant memory.
“So what is it you want from me?” she asks, “Because I won’t admit this to another person and I certainly won’t report him.”
“Even if he’s done it to someone else?” You probe.
She stares into your eyes, evaluating you, “To you?” she asks, “Harmfully?”
“To me,” you say, lifting your chin defiantly, “Isn’t any drugging harmful?”
She clicks her tongue, appraising you as though you are naive, “Not if there’s no harm intended and not if that person is troubled and was raised that way. He was brought up believing that it was a solution - a fucked up one I warrant, but a solution nonetheless.”
You say nothing, your mind spinning as she continues to search your face, processing the emotions that cross it, “Don’t report him,” she asks, “It would be too cruel. If you love him, you know that’s not the right solution.”
“Who says I love him?” You ask, unsure of the answer yourself.
“If you didn’t you’d have gone to the police and would have let them find me,” she asserts astutely, “Anyway, it’s written all over your face. You’re here because you want a reason not to stop.”
“I can’t trust him,” you say without thinking, “I can’t keep loving him.”
She rolls her eyes at you, “You think you have a choice? Don’t be stupid.”
You only frown in response; you anxiously ran through this conversation from every angle you could think of before you arrived here today and not once did you think it would play out this way.
She takes a breath, standing up nod smoothing out the creases and wrinkles in her skirt, “If you go to the police I will deny everything. Does Taehyung know you’re here? I’m guessing he doesn’t.”
You shake your head, feeling small and diminished.
“He told you what happened, yes?” she asks, and you simply nod, “So, he’s been honest with you, and you sneak off without telling him. Maybe it’s him that can’t trust you.”
You look at her in betrayal, but it’s too late, she’s already walking away. For the first time, you now understand what it feels like for someone to turn their back on you and leave.
“Talk to him,” she calls back, without looking at you, “He doesn’t love easily and so if he loves you you’re very lucky indeed.”
Trembling with feelings you’re not yet able to name, you stand up and stride in the other direction, focusing only on following your feet while your brain and body processes the emotions flooding through you. You can never outrun your own mind though, and finally, when the elevator doors close behind you, your panic closes in on you, smothering you in its loveless embrace.
Hours later, past the white hot anxiety that had burned through you, your emotions settle into one coherent feeling: outrage. You are lucky, she said… Lucky? How can you be lucky to be in love with a man who sedated you into spending time with him? You pace your hotel room disgusted at the insinuation. You know you should just go home, but you can’t face it yet.
Fuck this, you think, the walls starting to close in, I need a drink. Tidying yourself up and trying to make yourself feel pretty, you head to the nearest bar.
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“You’re so fucking hot,” the words confuse you - you’re not hot, he is: his breath warm and sticky against your neck where he leans in. You blink slowly, your eyes heavy and swallow, your tongue feeling too thick in your mouth. You realise, with painful clarity like a slap across the face, how drunk you’ve gotten and wonder when one drink at this nameless dive bar became eight, or was it more?
Who is this letch? This grotesque, sweaty man pawing at you? His hand is on your shoulder, the other gripping the back of your barstool, you can feel his tense knuckles grazing your back, the tendons like wires. With the same immediacy as understanding how drunk you are, you now understand you’re not very safe. This man, this determined man, has something about him that puts you on edge: his grip is too tight, his smile too wide, his actions too deliberate. You castigate yourself for flirting back with him, at the time it had felt like a harmless action to take your mind off Taehyung, Yideum and the whole mess, not the lead up to whatever this man is now expecting.
Deliberately, as he pulls back, you giggle, covering your mouth and deliberately smudging your lipstick. You rarely wear it, you’re grateful you did tonight. Laughing, you examine your stained fingers and touch your chin where the stain ends, “I have to clean myself up,” you say lightly, grabbing your bag.
“Don’t be too long,” he states, his voice low and much more a warning than the seductive tone he may be aiming for and it chills your blood. He squeezes your shoulder, letting his hand fall away, deliberately grazing your breast: you force yourself not to react as he winks at you, “I’ll guard your drink.”
It takes all the effort you have not to run to the toilets. When you get there, you hole yourself up in the farthest cubicle and take out your phone.
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Taehyung wakes from his doze instantly, the song emitting from his phone instantly recognisable. He squints in the darkness for the glowing rectangle of light and scrambles to pick up, speaking without thought, “Baby?”
“Taehyung, I’ve done something stupid,” you say shakily, your voice trembling, then you tell him about the drinking and the bar and how afraid you are.
Taehyung wants to tell you to send him your location and he’ll be there, but no, he thinks… Will you even want that? You probably want Minho or Jihoon and can’t get hold of them. Maybe Namjoon is home? So instead he says, “Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”
Your next words kindle the dying embers of hope in his heart, “I’ll send you my location, would you please come get me?”
Taehyung smiles in joy and relief, already on his feet and heading to the door, “Leave the toilets,” he commands, “You’re not safe there, he might come looking. Head to the kitchens, or the back room, somewhere with staff, somewhere safe, and tell them I’m coming.”
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It doesn’t take Taehyung long to get there, and when he enters the bar, he spots the sleaze that had been hitting on you immediately. He measures the man up and wonders precisely how drunk you are, you are leagues above this toad. Following the nod from the bartender and your garbled text messages, he knows you’re in the kitchens and so heads immediately there, reading your directions.
He pushes on the swing door with more force than he intended, meaning you and the waitress you’ve been chatting to both look up. His eyes, wide with concern, meet yours hazy, tear-filled ones. Before he can blink, you’re off your feet and barrelling into his arms. He holds you tightly, your face pressed into his chest and kisses the top of your head, “You’re here,” you mumble, muffled by his hoodie pressed into your mouth.
“I’m here,” he confirms, “It’s ok.”
You just cry softly into him in response, “Shall I take you home?” he asks softly.
“Can’t face it,” you answer honestly, fishing your hotel key card out of your back pocket, “Please take me to my hotel.”
Taehyung does. He leads you out of the bar by the back door, thanking the waitress and drives you to the hotel. When he gets you there he hesitates until you ask him to take you to your room and again at the threshold. You knot your hands in his hoodie, “Please, please stay with me.”
“You’re safe here, baby,” Taehyung makes himself say, “I’m not sure I should.”
You look at him, dazed, confused but also vulnerable and you speak the truth as you feel it in this moment, “It’s so fucking stupid of me but I feel safe with you.”
He beams at you, the second clause deafening him to the first, “Then I’ll stay - whatever you want.”
You change in the bathroom as he strips to his boxers and a tee, obviously there’s only one bed and he smiles wryly at the trope before his heart sinks, of course there’ll be no romantic night for him, he feels stupid even hoping for it. With a heavy tread and heart, he trudges to the small sofa with the thin decorative blanket that lay atop the duvet bed, folding himself up, pretzel-like.
Taehyung doesn’t want you to be uncomfortable, so he faces the back of the sofa, away from you and the bed. He even pretends to be asleep when you emerge from the bathroom. You’re drunk still, your steps flat-footed as you try to move quietly to the bed; at the last moment, you divert and he can feel you standing over him, his heart begins to race. He can’t control the shudder as you run your index finger, your nail scratching him lightly, down his exposed spine.
“Taehyung,” you whisper softly, “Come to bed.”
He doesn’t move, “I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re drunk, in the morning you might regret waking up beside me.”
He hears you huff and then movement as you crouch beside him. This time it’s his gasp that he can’t contain as your soft lips trace the same line as your finger did, “Please,” you mumble into his skin before you pull back, he misses you immediately and it’s an ordeal for him not to flip over and pull you into his arms, “I know we’re not in a good place and I have a lot of thinking to do, but can’t we be friends for a moment?” you sound so forlorn that his heart aches with yours.
“I’m always your friend,” he promises, turning over to find your face closer than he expected. Your wide, teary eyes met his own gleaming ones and then your mouth is on his. He reacts instinctively, wrapping his arms about you and half-guides, half-drags you on top of him as your kisses deepen. Your tongue creeps into his mouth, shyly at first, then more demanding. He knows it’s a bad idea, but he has missed you and can’t hold himself back or bring himself to reject you when you two are so vulnerable.
His stiffening cock seems to act as an alarm bell to you, as you finally break away from him, seemingly shocked with yourself, “Taehyung, I- ” you falter.
“It’s not a good idea, I know,” he interrupts, saving you from your embarrassment, “Let’s just sleep, yeah?”
Helping you to your feet and surreptitiously adjusting his underwear, he follows you to bed. He lies on his back, arm outstretched and you immediately snuggle into the crook of his arm, one arm tucked between your bodies, the other on his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin through his tee. Gingerly and with more caution than he’s ever used with you, he places his hand on your shoulder and interweaves the fingers of his other with your hand that rests on his chest, relief flooding through him when you hum happily and burrow into him.
He won’t sleep easily in this position, but you will, and that’s all that matters to him. He kisses the top of your head as your breath becomes more shallow and deep; he’s glad you’re relaxing but he won’t. Despite your call and your kisses, Taehyung feels more certain than he did before that this may be the last time he gets to hold you: he won’t waste those precious moments sleeping.
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Only a few hours later, you awaken, thirsty and head pounding. Taehyung releases your fingers as you pull away, immediately asking if you’re ok.
“’m fine,” you mumble tiredly, heaving yourself up and dragging your body out of bed to retrieve water and painkillers, “Hangover is hitting,” you explain as he mumbles sympathy.
Bathroom visited, pills taken and a hefty glug of water later, you return to bed, padding more gracefully than you did hours earlier, “Have you even slept?” you ask as he yawns widely, he just shakes his head.
“Silly boy,” you reprimand fondly, laying on your side, back to him, knowing how he likes to sleep, “Spoon me,” you demand.
You can feel his hesitance but he complies, and you lay still until his breathing evens out and his pouted lips huff little, soft breaths against your neck. More sober now, your mind races on what to do next and you force yourself to acknowledge that whatever else may be true, that Taehyung may be some kind of predator, that he abused your trust, that he’s troubled, that he’s lied… that you are nonetheless happiest in his arms.
Knowing that all the realities will have to be reconciled into one, new truth, you put them to one side, wisely or not, choosing to enjoy the moment in his arms.
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When he wakes up in the morning, you’re already showered and are bedecked in a fluffy hotel robe. You perch at the end of the bed, seemingly waiting for something.
As he rubs his eyes sleepily, you tell him breakfast is on the way and direct him to the shower. When he returns, clean and a little more alive, the food has already arrived and you sit with him on the tiny sofa, made even smaller by your fuzzy robes, eating croissants and fruit in a not-altogether-comfortable silence.
“I’m sorry that you had to come get me last night -” you begin.
“I’m glad you called,” he interrupts earnestly, choking a little as he swallows his food too quickly in his desire to reassure you.
Your instincts clearly get the better of you as you rush to him, concerned, water pushed into his hand before you rub his back gently. After a long drink and several shuddering breaths, he recovers himself. In an action-replay of the night before, you’re crouched beside him, looking at him in concern.
“I’m ok,” he smiles, his eyes watery, “Don’t worry.”
“I always worry about you,” you reply softly and you both take a moment to ponder all that those words could mean, looking into each other’s eyes in a mixture of hope, love and despair.
“I’m sorry,” he says weakly, looking away, feeling stupid the second that the words are out of his mouth; it’s by far too little.
His attention is drawn back to you by your small huff, unable to tell if it’s scoffing, exasperated or something else and yet again his eyes fill. You thumb his tears away, though his contented hum strangles in his raw throat as you move upwards, undoing his robe, and laying him bare as you, still wrapped tightly in yours, straddle his lap.
Shocked, Taehyung freezes, half-whispering, half-moaning your name, “Is this a good idea?”
You smile and he doesn’t recognise it at all; he’s never seen you so seductive, “No, it isn’t,” you purr and his cock twitches, “But I want it anyway.”
“Want what?” He teases, trying to sound innocent, an endeavour made even more difficult as you move closer and your bare thighs glide against his.
“You,” you say simply, ducking down to kiss his neck while his hands fist into your robe, his cock throbbing and twitching between you. Your kisses quickly become more fierce as you nip and suck the sensitive skin beneath his ear; he shudders pleasurably and soon his cock, hard and weeping, skims against you. It takes all his self control not to lift you, throw you on the bed and to sink inside you, but he knows you need this. You need to use him: he’ll let you.
Moments later, you pull back and smile, clambering off him. He watches as you tidy away the breakfast dishes, pushing the cart into the hall before you hang the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door. As the door closes, you call to him without looking, “Lie on the bed please, robe off.”
He moves swiftly, shrugging off the robe and stretching out on the bed, slightly nervous and suddenly shy of his nudity. His trepidation grows when reach for his discarded robe, loosing the fluffy belt from it’s loops and approaching him. His breath trembles as you straddle him, raising and eyebrow with outstretched hands. He can do nothing but comply, offering you his shaking hands as you gently, but tightly, bind them and affix them to the headboard.
“No touching,” you whisper in his ear, biting on his ear lobe as you slide back down his body, taking a seat on his thighs, “Are you ok with this?” you ask, the real you, beneath the sexy bravado, peeking through.
He smiles reassuringly, “You can do whatever you want to me,” he promises, “I love you, I’m yours.”
Your eyes fill and he wonders if the moment is passing and you’re changing your mind. He knows what this is, it’s not really sex, though he’ll give you everything he’s got… No, when he looks at you he knows this is goodbye.
“It’s ok,” he almost whispers. You smile back, bright and real, and he knows he’s reassured you as you regain your confidence.
You lean over him and kiss his cheek, so gently and lightly he might have dreamed it; he smiles because, whatever else is troubling you, whatever else you plan to do, you still feel tenderness towards him and that’s all his broken heart could hope for. Taehyung knows he’s lost you, all he can hope for now is some sweetness in the bitterness of parting from you.
Your featherlight kisses and caresses continue all over his body, your fingers tracing circles on his clavicle, chest, hipbones and stomach. After a while, he realises you’re deliberately teasing him as he gets more turned on; you seem to be deliberately avoiding any area that might excite him more.
“Please,” he pleads desperately; you only smile softly in response. You continue your torture now, but allow your trailing fingers to skim his nipples, his cock, his balls and he wonders if this is somehow worse, to be touched where he needs it most but so lightly and without purpose. It drives him mad, and you shift more of your weight onto his thighs from your knees to keep him in place as he gently bucks his hips up towards you, aching for your touch.
“Stop it,” you warn, your voice low, “This is my party…”
He gulps and nods compliantly. His cock aches and everything you do makes his cock impossibly harder, his balls tightening. He focuses his attention on thinking how hard he’s going to fuck you when you finally cede control to him.
He sucks in a deep breath as you change strategy: now you only concentrate on his sensitive areas, sucking and nibbling at his earlobe as you tease his nipples, your fingers firmer and rougher with him than before. He realises now as he gasps, that before you were silent, but no you moan into him as you lavish attention on him. After what feel an eternity of more torture, you slide down his body and begin to roll his balls, tugging gently as you kiss his soft, flat stomach that trembles beneath the pillowy touch of your lips.
You seem to take pity on him when his moans turn to whines, and finally untie your robe, discarding it. His eyes drink in your naked body, his gaze so fixed on you that it’s a surprise when you finally grasp his cock, rubbing his throbbing head, beaded with pre-cum, along your slit before you lower yourself enough for just the tip to enter you.
“Fuck…” Taehyung moans, fighting with everything he has not to jerk his hips and fill you up. Then you raise off him, and he stutters in agony, “No, no, please, don’t stop…”
Ever generous, ever the kind, beautiful love of his life, you repeat the motion, again and again giving him all the joy of entering you and all the agony of you pulling away. He loves it and hates it but cannot deny that he’s never been harder in his life.
He watches, eyes glued on where you and he join as you slowly sink further on to him, sinking an inch and rising, then sinking a little more… It’s still torturous but the bliss of being inside you overrides it; your tight warm walls barely yield to him and like this he gets to stretch you out again and again, the warmth of you even more delicious from the chill of the room. He can’t imagine fucking anyone who isn’t you… A sob rises in his chest at the thought but is halted when you sink onto him completely, his cock filling you his tight balls pressed against your ass.
“Please don’t move,” he begs when your hands splay across his chest, “I’ll come...”
“Take your time,” you smile, rubbing his hips and he hisses through his teeth and tries not to blow his load - you’re not even fucking clenching, he thinks, and still he’s struggling to hold on, God he loves you and and your perfect cunt.
Several deep breaths later, he controls himself, “I’m good…” he assures, “Take me.”
You grin and begin to ride him at a slow steady pace, nothing special, just gentle movements up and down on his cock, occasionally teasing him by only tae the first few inches, but then riding it to the base where you pause: each time has him biting his lip as he tries not to blow his load.
He grins when, after at least ten minutes of riding him, you start to lose control yourself, fucking him harder, and stopping him from coming by letting him almost slide out of you before you slam back down. “I’m so close,” he admits, as much as he wants to come, he wants you to have your fun.
In response, you sink fully onto him, “Hold it,” you demand, before you stop riding him and grind against him, back and forth and with gentle circular motions in between. It’s the best he’s ever felt.
“Need to come,” he whines, “Please, let me…”
“Come for me,” you allow, not stopping your grind. He explodes within you as you clench around his cock, the thickest ropes of cum he’s ever released spurting inside you. The bliss and relief is earth-shattering, but strangely it doesn’t stop… usually it’s a few seconds of pure euphoria, but as you grind against him, those moments seem to spread out, his orgasm pulled along with the undulation of your hips.
He groans your name, louder and more needily than ever before, his hips stuttering as sweat beads his brow and upper lip as his orgasm itself becomes too much to handle. He can’t even speak, you’ve fucked him stupid.
You’re gentle though, you take in his pained expression, “Had enough?” you ask gently, and he nods meekly as you gently slide off him, careful not to hurt his incredibly sensitive softening cock, rolling off the bed and departing to the bathroom with your robe to clean yourself up while he swallows deep mouthfuls of air.
⍟ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⍟
Long minutes later, feeling clean again after the load Taehyung pumped into you, you cool your flushed face and smile at yourself, feeling proud of yourself for fucking him senseless. It’s then that you’re pulled from your thoughts by a gentle tap at the bathroom door, instinctively pulling your robe tighter around you, you call, “Yes?”
“Can I come in?” Taehyung asks meekly, and you can’t help but smile, wondering how long it took him to free himself from your bindings.
“Go ahead,” you say, washing your hands as a distraction from your racing heart. He enters the room and stands behind you, moving your hair and the neck of the robe so he can kiss your neck gently, his eyes meeting yours in the mirror.
“That was something else,” he blushes as you colour in response, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” you laugh, both of you strangely uncomfortable.
Your eyes meet again, “I want to make you come,” Taehyung states plainly as you gape a little in shock, “May I?”
You make a strange gurgling noise that makes him cock an eyebrow at you, and so you have to mutely nod, he grins then his grip on your waist turning you to face him before lifting you onto the counter and sinking to his knees.
He looks up at you with wide eyes before kissing your ankle, trailing soft kisses all the way up your leg to the top of your thighs, making you shudder and tremble for him. When he reaches the very top, he suddenly bites down harshly, causing you to cry out, and he sucks a massive hickie into the soft flesh, your core throbs, desire running through your body and wetness seeping through your folds. Smirking against your skin, he places a delicate kiss before he pulls you forward, his nose grazing your throbbing clit.
With broad strokes of his flattened tongue, he licks all around your folds, working his way inwards, deliberately teasing you as you did him. He licks all round, until he reaches our perineum and presses his tongue against you firstly, causing you to moan, surprising you when his firm, stretched tongue pushes into your vagina as he tongue fucks you.
You cry out his name as you grip the edge of the counter, begging for mercy. He complies, licking a broad stripe up your vagina and circling your neglected clit with his tongue. His cock is hard again and he’s too horny to torture you for long so soon he sucks your clit into his mouth, first flicking hip tongue rapidly and then nibbling. Then he begins to suck harshly as he penetrates you with two fingers. He curls his long digits as he fucks you, aiming for that sweet, spongy spot that makes you scream, pounding into you as you cry out, his lips almost numb from the onslaught he’s subjecting you too.
You chant his name in a mantra as your orgasm consumes you, bucking against his face then withdrawing in sensitivity as you come down from your high. Taehyung simply grins up at your dazed, blissed-out expression, licking his lips lasciviously. though, even in your heady state, you can see his hard cock through the folds of his gown.
You know time is running out and in your desperation you seek to turn moments into minutes and minutes into hours so you can hold on to him that little bit longer.
“Taehyung,” you say softly, “I need you inside me.”
He’s swiftly on his feet, undoing and shrugging off his robe before he unties yours. You wrap your arms around his shoulders as he grips the underside of your thighs, carrying your naked body back to the bed.
⍟ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⍟
Your arms can barely keep a grip of his shoulders as you seek to anchor yourself, getting lost in Taehyung and the pleasure of him pounding into you.
You’re past been being able to speak: you can only pant and moan and mewl variations of his name as he groans into you, similarly fuck-drunk and incoherent in his lust. He’s everywhere: his mouth sucking at your throat, one hand kneading your breast roughly, the other pressing your thigh into your body as his cock grazes your cervix, his strokes brutal and deep.
You cling to him, and realise you’re not anchoring yourself, you’re only being borne further from shore: you want to be lost in Taehyung, you want to be joined with him like this, always.
Again, he takes you over the edge and your spasming walls choke his cock, causing him to burble a strangled moan as he fucks you all the harder for it, your whole body shaking as he thrusts into you with all the he force he can muster.
You hands roam the delicate curves of his back, feeling the powerful muscles flexing there before your hand knots in his hair, bucking your hips up into him as best you can, clenching your walls around him as you come down from your high.
“Coming,” he finally grunts in warning.
“Fill me,” you beg. He does, thrusting deep, your bodies seemingly glued together, tight balls pressed to your ass as his hot cum spills into you. He moans, deep, low and throaty as you scream for him, coming again, your climax tearing through you.
Finally, spent and exhausted, you relax your tight hold on each other, Taehyung slipping out of you with a wince, and pulling you into his sweaty embrace as he you both pant weakly. He smooths your sweaty hair from your face, kissing your forehead as you both regain your senses.
Minutes later you shower together in tired, sated silence before you trudge to the comfort of the bed, climbing beneath the cum-stained duvet to fall heavily into each other’s arms.
You watch him as he sleeps. He may be done in, but his sleep is not entirely peaceful, his brow knotted and mouth twisting as he dreams uncomfortably.
You kiss his eyelids and stroke his soft locks, whispering soothing words of comfort in the hope it will reach his subconscious mind. Is this what he did with you? You wonder, and for the first time the thought doesn’t sicken you as you begin to try to understand how you really feel about him.
Your mind has sometimes been a troubled place, sometimes a light one, but always, no matter your mood, it races, always working, working, working, filled with thought and raw feeling: there was fear; there was panic; there was a loud critical voice always berating you and making you second guess yourself; there was a yearning for love but a terror of what it might mean; there was loneliness. There were all these things but there was also friendship, laughter, kindness and patience but nothing was ever enough to calm the furious beating of your terrified rabbit heart. But then there was him and your world was reshaped, reformed, rebuilt.
Your existence didn’t explode, the sphere of your days did not tilt on its axis because he came into your life. Instead, with wily tenacity, he crept up on you like the turning of the seasons. The burning heart of Taehyung surely and determinedly melted the icy box in which you contained your heart. It trembled within, like a little bird, but he could see its need through those glass-like walls and so he warmed his way in. Before Taehyung, you experienced life at a distance, keeping everything, even joy, at arm’s length; now your fragile heart, exposed in all its vulnerability, has learnt what it is to be consumed again.
You still know fear, anxiety and panic; those things will never, can never, leave you, but since Taehyung they have changed, their grip has not been so tight nor have you felt quite so alone. Taehyung has taken your heart and wrapped himself around it, building a bower for the two of you filled with hope and life. He is your spring, your fresh start, your new day, your sun-filled clear sky.
Once there was terror and a world clouded by your desperate need to protect yourself but then was Taehyung and then then there was wholeness; peace, joy and love.
Now, facing life without him, what is left?
⍟ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⍟
It took an age for you to settle to sleep, but eventually you did, burrowing into his hold and smiling as, even in sleep, he wraps himself, sloth-like, around you. Sleep finds you then and pulls you into its depths, soothing your conflicted mind and repairing your aching body.
When you wake, hours later, the sun is low in the sky. You stagger from the bed in search of water, smiling in the orange glow of light at the sound of gentle birdsong in the last warmth of the day. Filling your glass at the bathroom sink, you wonder where to begin with Taehyung. You don’t know where you’re going next, but you’re certain that the path ahead is together.
Taking a deep breath through your nose, you return to the bedroom and realise for the first time that the bed is empty.
He’s gone.
Your heart races suddenly, but you know the bed was still warm - maybe he just nipped out or food or something? Then your name slaps you across your face: a folded note on hotel stationery on the narrow desk. You snatch it up with trembling fingers, stumbling backwards to sit on the edge of the bed as you begin to read:
“Thank you for being with me one final time. You are the love of my life. I love you so fucking much - I love you TOO fucking much to put you through having to break up with me. I know we can’t be together, I know I’ve lost you. I deserve that, but you don’t deserve the pain of having to do it. Thank you for loving me - being loved by you was the only real joy I’ve ever known. Thank you for everything you’ve given me, I wish I had been worthy of it. I love you and always will.”
Your silent tears turn to wailing sobs as you reach “Goodbye, Your Taehyung,” and again the room closes in on you.
You dress quickly and in silence. There is no bar needed now, no sleaze to flirt with, the only thought in your mind for some reason you cannot explain is the pull of that birdsong and the orange light at the close of the day: you have to reach it.
Panic doesn’t come now, only numbness and shock as you move, zombie-like, through the hotel and out into the street, wandering to the park where only yesterday or a thousand years ago, you met Yideum. As your feet meet the soft grass, you kick off your shoes, digging your toes into the soft earth and walk purposefully to the river beyond. It’s there that the birdsong is loudest, in the trees that line the curving waters. Your pace quickens as you hurry there, you don’t know what answers you expect or what relief you might find, you simply follow the urge driven by the emptiness inside you.
Ivy-strewn and crumbling, a low wall edges the deep river below. It may present a glassy surface, reflecting the branches above and the orange glowing sun, but beneath the waters swirl dangerously in frigid depths. Undeterred, you clamber on to the wall, dangling your legs onto the bank below, then you freeze, leaning forward. From the other bank a crane cocks its head at you, evaluating the interloper on its territory, its thin legs picking a careful path through the shallows.
You ease yourself backwards, slowly sitting up not to startle the bird when suddenly, and bizarrely, your shoes fly past you into the river below; the startled crane has only time for a scornful glance before it beats its wings and takes to the air just as your breath is knocked out of you. Arms close tightly around you in a suffocating grip, while you’re pulled back against a strong, firm chest containing a wildly beating heart.
“What the fuck are you doing?” shrieks Taehyung, manhandling you backwards and off the wall before he releases you, leaving the two of you staring at each other in shock.
Catching your breath, you turn the question on him, “What the fuck are you doing?” you accuse, “You walk out on me, then throw my shoes at me, then yank me about? What’s going on?” There’s no anger in you, just utter confusion as you take in his red, puffy eyes and tear-thickened voice.
He shakes his head, “No, no - that’s not what happened. I was sitting over there,” he gestures vaguely to a bench not far from where you kicked your shoes off, “Then you come in and kick your shoes off - moving like a zombie heading for the river ready to chuck yourself in!”
You frown, “Chuck myself in? What?”
“I saw you!” he cries, slightly dementedly, “You were leaning forward, planning it!”
You laugh then, a genuine laugh from deep in your belly, almost folding in half, “No, you silly sod,” you wheeze, “There was a crane, and I didn’t want to startle it… I wasn’t going to drown myself, you fool!”
“Oh…” he says, diminished and made small.
“Why’d you throw my shoes in the river?” You ask, still giggling as you look in the water to see that thankfully they’ve caught in the roots of a tree.
“To distract you,” he says from behind you, his tone sheepish and embarrassed, “So I could grab you in time.”
You face him, still smiling and even though your face is tear streaked and tired, you’ve never been more beautiful to him, “Taehyung,” you say, interrupting his reverie, “I’d like my shoes back.”
Pressing his lips together he nods and accepts his punishment. You retake your seat on the wall as he carefully climbs over and retrieves your shoes with the aid of a large stick that you pass him, your mouth twitching in amusement. When your soaked shoes have been placed beside you with a flood of apologies, he takes a seat beside you and you sit together in silence.
Eventually, blinking from the bright glare of the sinking sun, you speak, “Taehyung?” you ask softly.
“Yes?” he replies with the same tender trepidation, turning to face you.
“Can I ask something else of you?” you almost mumble, your hands nervously knotting together, nails catching in your skin as you avoid his eyes.
He places one large hand over yours to soothe you, but you don’t look up, yet neither do you flinch away and his heart is gladdened, “Anything,” he confirms. What wouldn’t he give you? His heart will always be yours even if you don’t want it.
You mutter something incoherently, tears running down your face; with his other hand he cups your chin and guides your face towards his, “Say that again ba-,” he catches himself, stubbing out the word he no longer has any right to call you.
Your lip trembles, but you manage to look him in the eye, “Please don’t leave me.”
He smiles in relief, “I’ll stay as long as you need me to, don’t worry,” he promises.
You sigh and cringe simultaneously, elaborating, “No, I mean, don’t break up with me.”
He frowns now, confused, “You were breaking up with me?” He utters, wondering what you mean… Do you need to be the one to do it? He breathes deeply, “I understand, I get it. You need closure, you need to be the one to do it. I’m sorry, I was trying to spare you it - but I get it. You do what you have to do.”
You roll your eyes now, almost amused, “That’s not what I’m saying,” you groan, “What I need is you. I’m asking you to be with me so we can work this out together.”
You thought that you had seen the full panoply of Taehyung smiles until this moment. The grin he offers you now is one of eye-disappearing heart-shaped pure joy and relief, “Really?” he asks.
“What we have, Taehyung,” you begin, “…I don’t want lose it because you majorly fucked up in the past. There’s a lot to do, there are things I’ll need you to do, but I want to do find our way through it.”
He softens, “I will do anything for you,” he promises, clutching on to your hands with both of his, “I love you.”
You kiss him gently, soothing his aching heart and racing pulse. In turn, he kisses you back, your own heart calming, the chill in your veins melting away, “I love you too.”
⍟ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⊛ ⍟
Weeks later, Minho, Jihan and Jimin sit on the far wall of Minho’s roof terrace drinking; Aera and Ellie are building up the fire pit; Jessi is setting up the grill whilst Hyejin prevents Namjoon from ‘helping’; downstairs Jihoon and Jiho are putting the finishing touches to their so-called ‘legendary’ barbecue skills, marinating meat, tofu and prepping veggies.
Minho gestures towards the seating area with a tilt of his beer, where you lean into Taehyung, his arm slung around your shoulders, his mouth pressing kisses into your hair as the two of you mumble together in your own little world, “Everything seems to be ok between those two now,” he smiles, “Though it was a bit weird for a time there,” he finishes with a pointed and searching look at Jimin.
Jimin holds his hands up, “I admit I caused some chaos for a while there, but it was necessary and it’s all worked out.”
“Has it?” Minho presses, “Because I heard he’s in therapy now and the three of you went sloping off to see his mother and all sorts of strangeness - I’m just looking out for her.”
Jihan, to whom Taehyung has confessed everything, nods, “Look, Minho, Taehyung fucked up in the past ok? He didn’t do any of the things Jiho thought he’d done, but he did some seriously shitty stuff. The people who need to know, know now and he’s working on himself. He loves her, he’s no threat to her - trust me.”
“Trust us,” Jimin reinforces, “We’re with him, every step of the way and we are keeping an eye on him too.”
Minho doesn’t like not knowing, but he accepts there’s probably a reason for it. His gaze lingers on the two of you, your outlines picked out in gold from the setting sun. He has to admit that whatever has happened between you has tipped the scales of your relationship: Taehyung is no longer the dominating force he once was… to Minho things seem more balanced somehow. There seems to be a solid fulcrum between you finally: a centre that holds you both steady. He smiles as watches Taehyung interlace his fingers with yours, the two of you settling together in harmony. Minho might not know everything, but he knows what love is and what peace is and how elusive both can be… as you and Taehyung try to secretly share a giggly kiss, he knows you two have found it with each other.
<<< Back to masterlist
A/N: This chapter ends the story and my time writing on Tumblr for the foreseeable future - I hope one day I have more writing to share. Thanks for reading - I’d appreciate you sharing your thoughts if you’d be so kind.
Finally, a big thanks to anyone who has read and supported my writing. I really appreciate everything you’ve said and done.
Love you all,
Ffion 💛
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Fic: I know I love you
Tags: Gong Shangjue x Gong Yuanzhi, High School AU, Cousin Incest, Singer Gong Yuanzhi, Pining, Talent Show, Age Difference, Businessman Gong Shangjue, gonna add the underage tag just coz of the age difference
A/N: This is the song that got me back into Kpop. As a Gen 2 fan, I never thought I would ever get back into it once I left that group of friends who loved it as much as I did. But there I was, diving headfirst into Gen 4 Kpop and thus far, it's been great.
This is all to say that it's okay to be a fan of something. There's no age limit to be a fan and as long as you're not hurting anyone with your passion and enthusiasm, you're good :) If you needed to hear this today, there's always a place in fannish spaces for us older fans. No matter what other people might say x
If Gong Yuanzhi were to say that he didn't feel an ounce of nervousness, that would be a lie.
Sneaking a peek at the auditorium's crowd, he hears a loud cheer - definitely led by his cousin Ziyu, the absolute simp - when Yun Weishan's voice starts going into the chorus of that earworm of a song by Esther Yu. Next to him, he can feel Jin Fan pushing at his shoulder so that he can steal a glimpse of his other cousin Zishang who had partnered up with Yun Weishan.
He's surrounded by simps, he swears.
Turning back to where Jin Fu, Jin Fan's fraternal twin, is twirling his drums and this quiet dude they only know as Ah Yue is testing out the keyboards, Yuanzhi meets the latter's eyes and nods.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be," Yuanzhi huffs, fiddling with his guitar for the umpteenth time. Ah Yue takes pity on him and claps him on the shoulder. He doesn't even ask him the question he knows he wants to ask.
It's fine, Yuanzhi tries to reason. It's fine if he doesn't come tonight.
Logically, he knows that Shangjue gege is probably busy if not on another plane to another city to negotiate another deal to fatten up the family's coffers. More than that, he knows that Shangjue would have about a million things better to do on a Friday night than to attend some high school talent show just because half of the family's younger cousins are part of it.
Still, hope springs eternal. Even if reality is proving otherwise.
From where they stand at the curtained eaves of the stage, they can hear Yun Weishan and Zishang jie's voices bleeding into the final notes of their performance. It's show time.
"Deep breaths, yeah?" Ah Yue says, bumping fists with Yuanzhi as they step onto the stage to the applause of the audience.
They take their place as the emcees of the night announce their names and their class number. Breathing in deeply, Yuanzhi squints out at shadowed faces of the crowd, trying to quell the rapid-fire beating of his heart.
Positions himself at the microphone, he takes a deep breath, fingers pressing down on the opening chord.
I know I love you
Yuanzhi pours his heart into that opening growl. Behind him, he hears the guys start up on their instruments just like they'd spent hours and hours practising. Part of him wants to turn around, grin with glee at how cool this all is, but he holds on to what he needs to do.
In this world of zero, I know you're my one and only
Try as he may, he cannot help his mind from turning to his gege. The lyrics of the song speak to a truth that his soul knows -- has known for a while now.
My life before you was a mess
Yuanzhi blinks and he can pick out Ziyu cheering him on in the shadows with a borderline maniacal grin. A warm sort of glow settles in his chest. This silly cousin of his...
He can’t help the grin of his own as he sinks his voice into the words. Adrenaline pumps through his veins when he hears Ah Yue’s voice harmonise with his own.
Now I can't stop thinking 'bout you, When I'm sinking alone
The beat kicks up. The drums start to pound through his chest and Yuanzhi closes his eyes as the guys all start singing together.
I know it's real, I can feel it
Yuanzhi feels free in the words of the song. Fingers strumming along as he tastes the way the crowd begins to cheer.
When he opens his eyes again, there he is. Standing in the back of the auditorium, haloed by the exit sign, but he’s here. In the shadows.
Yuanzhi can hardly believe it.
No.
He can’t bring himself to believe it.
I'm a loser in this game
For the longest time, Yuanzhi had trusted in the emotions that tells him he loves Shangjue gege like a brother. Fond and protective in a familial way, respect and admiration all wrapped into how Shangjue gege is so capable and strong.
There was always a thread of gratefulness, too, when Yuanzhi thinks about his emotions. Grateful that Shangjue took him in and practically helped to raise him.
If there was anyone who deserved his love, it’d be Shangjue gege.
All or nothing, I want all of you
But emotions change.
And recently, Yuanzhi’s heart hurts whenever he thinks about how Shangjue is being expected to marry and have kids.
Even more so when he thinks of gege having someone to love and hold in that way. In the deepest darkness of the night hours, Yuanzhi can admit into the shadows that he wants to be the person that Gege holds and loves. Especially if it’s in that way.
I'm full of problems, love sick
Yuanzhi keeps his eyes fixed on the shadowed halo on the fringes of the room.
Everything else fades away and he bleeds his heart and soul into the words. Meaning every syllable, every beat, every lilt and crescendo.
In some distant part of his senses, he can hear his band mates carry their own parts as they harmonise together. Yuanzhi doesn’t linger on them.
He keeps his eyes on his prize.
Say you love me, to the end of the world
Logically, Yuanzhi knows it’s wrong.
If he ever verbalised the exact emotions he feels about Shangjue, chances are he’d be excommunicated from the family. He can imagine the looks of disgust and contempt; can see it in his nightmares.
He knows Shangjue gege can tell something is wrong, but how does one even begin to tell the object of your affections that you love them in the romantic way that begs to burn down any bridge that could cultivate it back into familiar familial feelings?
Loss of his gege is unacceptable. The only thing left for Yuanzhi is to sing it.
All or nothing, I give all of you
The auditorium shakes with the force of the audience’s cheers. Ah Yue, Jin Fan, and Jin Fu all clamour around him to wrap him up in a hug before they take a bow to the standing ovation they receive.
Yuanzhi turns back to the spot in the shadow and has to kill the bud of disappointment that starts to flower. He doesn’t have a right to feel that way, no.
So, he accepts the applause with a smile, bows politely and jogs backstage where Zishang jie is squealing and pulling him into a rib cracking hug before she jumps right into Jin Fan’s arms.
“Are you alright?” Ah Yue asks, a hand on his wrist. Outside, the next group takes their place in the spotlight. Yuanzhi nods, moving quickly to where they’d stash their bags and cases.
He feels sick.
What was he doing thinking that Shangjue ge was even here tonight? More than that, what the hell was he even dreaming about that Gege would even understand that this song is dedicated to him?
He stuffs his guitar back into its case, snapping it shut and gathering his bag.
“I’ll see you guys on Monday ok?”
“Hey, where are you going?” Jin Fu frowns. “They haven’t announced the winners!”
Yuanzhi can only shake his head and plaster on a weak grin. “I…”
“He’s coming home with me.”
Yuanzhi thinks his soul jumped right out of him and into the underworld. Literal chills start breaking out down his spine when Shangjue gege steps confidently forward and wordlessly takes his school bag. Sliding their palms together, he tangles their fingers, guiding him away and out of the backstage area.
“Gege, what are you—“
“My Didi gave me a ticket to his school’s talent show. Did you think I was going to miss it?”
Yuanzhi wisely keeps his mouth shut.
Shangjue scoffs, weaving them through a sea of performers and their assortment of props and costumes. In no time, Yuanzhi is breathing in a lungful of cool, crisp night air, but gege doesn’t stop and he stumbles a little to keep up.
“Gege—“
“Get in the car,” Shangjue says, letting go of him to move to the driver’s side. When Yuanzhi doesn’t immediately follow, he turns, sighing. Coming back to Yuanzhi, he cups him by the cheek.
Running his thumb over his cheekbone, Gege purses his lips. “We need to have a conversation and I’d rather we do it in the car.”
Yuanzhi numbly tips his head, looking down on the asphalt of the school parking lot while Shangjue manoeuvres the guitar case off him and into the back of his Jaguar, and then shuffles him into the front passenger seat, buckling him in with a smooth practiced motion.
Panic and trepidation sits thick on his tongue.
“Where do you want to start?” Shangjue says over the hum of the car’s engine as he takes them out of the parking lot and into the main road.
“I don’t even know where to do that,” Yuanzhi admits. He starts to fidget with his fingers, stilling with a start when Shangjue gege takes his hand into his own again. Deftly switching lanes, Yuanzhi watched the streetlights wash over the dark interior of the car in measured intervals.
“You’re my Didi,” Gege says. “I’m your Gege. It’s as simple as that.”
The words twist something sour in his chest. It’s the undeniable truth and one he can’t even run away from no matter how hard he tries to.
“Yeah.” Yuanzhi mumbles. Squeezing Gege’s hand he makes to pull away, only for Shangjue to hold on tightly.
Shangjue’s eyes are focused on the road. Cool and calm as he safely merges the car into the evening traffic.
“Yuanzhi, once again you’re hearing and not listening.”
Not a little offended, Yuanzhi tries to pry his hand out of Shangjue’s only to fail miserably when his gege huffs.
“I know you love me.”
Yuanzhi blinks owlishly, brain shorting out at the soft smile that Shangjue gege sports when he inches the car forward.
“Did you think I wasn’t listening?”
“I didn’t know what to think,” Yuanzhi manages. Shangjue’s hand squeezes his thrice.
A gentle quiet settles in the hush of the car. It’s not unpleasant, more so when Shangjue carefully lifts their hands to his lips. The gesture sends a thrill down Yuanzhi’s spine, especially when he lets go only to change gears, then sliding their hands back together again.
“I was going to wait until you’re a little older to broach the topic. I didn’t…” Shangjue trails off, throat bobbing. “I didn’t want it to seems like I was pressuring you into anything…”
Yuanzhi feels his cheeks warm.
“You wouldn’t have—“
“But I would have.” Shangjue cuts with certainty. “You wouldn’t have been anything but willing and that’s what makes it dangerous.”
Carefully, with an infinite tenderness Yuanzhi was sure he could never pour into another person, Yuanzhi whispers, “And yet I would have loved you.”
Shangjue turns to him. “I won’t apologise for making you wait.”
“How long?”
Shangjue blinks, confusion colouring his brow. “How long?”
“How long do I have to wait?” Yuanzhi elaborates. “How long until you will be comfortable with… this?”
The laughter that bubbles up in the car makes him smile. His heart settles in the sound of it, then picks up again at the way Shangjue looks at him syrup soft with an intensity that Yuanzhi now has a name for.
“Get into your top choice for university and then we will talk.”
Yuanzhi smiles. “Do you promise, Ge?”
“All or nothing, Didi.” Shangjue replies easily, running his thumb over the back of Yuanzhi’s hand.
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