seek & destroy

as his feet are placed back onto the floor, jinam stands before taegyeom & beams; the glow of his moon-like cheeks accentuated by the romantic lighting of his home. ❝ maybe it’s just me, but i feel like bridal style would be appropriate… if you actually wanna carry me around, that is… ❞ he lilts, & one of his hands rises up to cradle his boyfriend’s face as his other palm is clutched onto. using his gentleness alone, jinam alters the mood between them, & once it settles, he tiptoes up to stamp a kiss onto tae’s lips. he lets it linger for a few seconds before pulling back, his eyes locked on his beloved’s. ❝ you being here means a lot to me, & i hope that, somehow, this house can feel like a home to you, too. nothing will make me happier… ❞

disengaging but not completely, he turns toward the direction of his living room — its decor rather modern, clean, with pops of vivid color all throughout. his grandmother used to say that splashes of variegated hues throughout the house make for a happier home, & over time, he’s come to agree with her. weaving his fingers with taegyeom’s, jinam grins at the difference in the sizes of their hands, then he pulls him further into the common area. ❝ i have so many memories in this room. my grandma never had a television set in here; she preferred to read, or garden, or meal prep as opposed to being a ❛ couch potato. ❜ her words, not mine. ❞ he laughs, having a momentary flashback to himself as a child. he’s covered head-to-toe in paint stains, lying in the center of the floor, his latest masterpiece spread out in front of him. smiling wistfully, he sighs, then gestures towards the nearby kitchen.

He exists on a strange spectrum, a pendulum upon which he swings back and forth between a viciously, deathly seriousness, and a general apathy for all. But home, and family, ground him. They mean something to him, quite literally more than he knows how to express to Jinam, and it gives him a rare glimpse into guilt, that he's uncertain of how he can express that he appreciates this, being let in.

He's still trying to piece the words together when Jinam turns away from him; words aren't his strong suit, and on the occasion he really takes the time to think them through he often finds himself weighing them in his mind almost endlessly. There's something terrifying about giving little pieces of himself away to others—he wants to hoard them all like a dragon—but Jinam has collected more than Taegyeom thinks he realizes.

Tae gives Jinam's hand a little squeeze as he listens to him speak of his grandmother, getting a little closer to him, speaking softly.

so much so that jinam splurged on fresh, in-season organic fruits for the occasion — preparing a beautiful spread of shine muscat grapes that are delectably plump, freshly quartered yuja, as well as delicious hallabong mandarins sourced from jeju island. though, those are meant to be enjoyed after dinner — here’s just excited at how aesthetically pleasant he made them look on their extra large serving tray in the kitchen. for now, he’s removing his shoes in the foyer after bringing taegyeom inside, but before he’s able to step into his slippers, he feels strong, frigid hands searching for warmth beneath his sweater, & at the sudden chill, he whimpers; voice high-pitched & startled. ❝ you’re so mean… ❞ he whines, leaning into the embrace after he adjusts to it; allowing his frame to be claimed by his boyfriend in this possessive manner — his face nuzzling into the strength of his chest. ❝ mmm… you feel good, though, so i guess i can forgive you… ❞ jinam teases, trying to take a pace back to do as told, but taegyeom isn’t making it easy, which is probably the point.

He decides to relent, this one time, genuinely eager to have a look around, to be let into this part of Jinam's being, but he has to give his boyfriend a parting squeeze first—he plants a kiss on one side of his cheek, where it meets his temple, and squeezes the nip of Jinam's waist in a hug, leaning back to lift his feet off the ground.

"Bridal style or like a baby?" he asks, actually considering for a second that he should carry Jinam around the house, he waddles forward with a penguin's gait for a few feet before he sets Jinam down to let him go, although he does find one of his pretty little hands to grasp onto, lest he wander too far. He's immediately filled with a desire to tug him back against his chest, or to sling him over his shoulder like he's a bag full of gifts he's burgling—he finds that it's terribly difficult to keep his hands off of Jinam, whose softness seems to demand handling—but he does manage to resist the siren's call for the time being.

however, his thoughts stop in their tracks as his opposite leans into him — the addictive heat of his body blanketing robby in a desire that’s potent. it’s in this moment that it hits him. taegyeom communicates better physically, & in his opinion, it’s undeniably fuckin’ sexy. he’s so thrilled by the taller man’s presence that chills glissade down his spine, but he tries not to obviously show just how bewitched he’s become. his pupils dilate with a wanton need, & his heart’s pace quickens like he’s a rabbit in the presence of a ravenous wolf. it’s everything he wanted out of this.

not wanting to disrupt the trajectory they’re on, robby licks over his lips, & instead of using many words to describe what he has in mind, he takes a note from taegyeom & keeps things brief. ❝ you’re so fuckin’ hot…❞ he murmurs, near breathless, as he reaches his hands up to grab onto his senior’s shirt, tugging onto its soft fabric so they can finally crash into each other. due to their difference in height, robby needs to tiptoe slightly in order for his kiss to land at the right angle, but as longingly as ever, he introduces their mouths ;;the deep-rooted passion that exists within him heavily conveyed within milliseconds of their first embrace.

There was something in the wicked certainty Robby spoke with that made Tae's skin glow with hot needle pricks, to hear the want in Robby's voice, and his very being thrums with a surreal sort of excitement when their lips finally meet.

Taegyeom's lips are the slightest bit dry, and Robby's freshly licked-over and there's the briefest moment where the delicate skin there fuses, sticking them together with a gentle sting.

fucking around is great & all, but both of them are in the company for a reason. while he’s pretty confident in his ability to act a fool in secret, there’ll always be that risk of getting caught, & later receiving punishments for not adhering to the rules. since the two of them are set to compete in the upcoming show that’ll form a boy group, they have more to lose by doing this, but robby is trying his damnedest to ignore that — at least for the next few hours. with stress levels being so high, he feels like the two of them deserve a chance to unwind, disconnect from it all, & indulge in each other.

so, when one of the doors swings open & he’s met with the visual of his conquest, an impish grin tugs at one corner of his mouth ;; feline eyes donning a signature glint of mischief, which is very much like him. standing from his seated position, he turns to meet taegyeom face-to-face ;; already finding his greeting attractive, leaning into it.

❝ hey, yourself… ❞ robby begins, licking over his lips. ❝ nothing’s upyet, but i’m hopin’ that, now that you’re here, we’ll get up to somethin’…❞ he teases, unashamed, not creating any amount of distance between them yet. he wants to be close. that’s the whole point of this meet-up, & he won’t settle for anything less. all he can hope is that taegyeom is feeling the same way. if he’s not, robby will be highly disappointed.

He isn't a clairvoyant; the only future he's ever seen is the one in his dreams.

So it’s safe to say that he appreciates that Robby’s first move is to swiftly obliterate any remnant ambiguity. He’s a little baffled by exactly how direct Robby is being, but he’d be lying if he said he didn’t love it. Although Taegyeom finds himself the slightest bit flustered—Robby is keeping awfully close—Tae can smell him, and he can feel the heat his body radiates, and when he backs away a bit it takes a lot of nerve to not follow that warmth. He was hoping for this, of course, but now that Robby is in front of him, and the urge to kiss him is something he’s got to resist live, he’s so much more conscious of how dangerous this is. Not that that’s a deterrent if any kind for Taegyeom; he wants what he wants. If anything, he feels a very real pull into danger—he wants to run a finger along Robby’s sharp edge, and he’s not sure he’ll take it well if he doesn’t end up drawing blood.

arriving at a stairwell he frequents, he takes a seat on the steps ;; leaning his back on the wall behind him. it’s bright enough, somewhat hidden from cameras, & he’s come to find it doesn’t have a lot of foot traffic —especially at this time of night— so he feels it’s the perfect starting point. that, or who knows ? maybe they’ll end up chilling here for awhile ? he’d be open to that, too ;; simply getting the opportunity to sit near taegyeom & gaze into his eyes for awhile before he gets some sleep. it all depends on how the chemicals react when they see each other in person ;; what their vibe is.

without delaying things further, robby pulls out his phone from his pocket & fires off one last text message —hoping that it’s frank simplicity isn’t seen as a bad thing.

He stops in front of his mirror for a second, to mess his still-damp hair about so it's a little less bed-ready in its appearance, and he swaps out the loose fit of his pyjama bottoms for a pair of cuffed joggers. He doesn't reckon that Robby is expecting him to show up looking dapper for their little stairwell rendezvous, but he'd like to look like he wasn't just about to crawl into bed.

It’s a bit of a trek, but it’s one Taegyeom makes quite happily, with a bounce to his step and a smirk on his lips. He finds himself chuckling quietly to himself every few minutes, for what reason he’s unsure; there’s nothing funny, exactly, he’s just rather giddy about this. It’s the sense of adventure, sure, but it’s also the fact that he’s got a bit of a thing for the boy he’s meeting up with. He isn't sure of what tonight holds, and it's not like he's expecting to have a bite of Robby's cherry tonight or anything like that, but he finds the boy terribly cute, and he'd be lying if he were to say he wasn't thrilled by the fact that it was apparently mutual. Robby, with his head of fluorescent red hair, is a welcome sight, even bathed in the rather clinical light of the stairwell, and Taegyeom is drawn to him as though he’s magnetized, in such a way that he forgets entirely about the concept of personal space, coming in close to greet him, reaching a hand out to fist bump him before tugging him in to touch their shoulders together.

𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 /  𝟎𝟗:𝟑𝟕 𝐏𝐌 ✓ a pro, huh ? 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 /  𝟎𝟗:𝟑𝟕 𝐏𝐌 ✓ can’t wait to witness that for myself… 😜 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 /  𝟎𝟗:𝟑𝟕 𝐏𝐌 ✓ does the ❛ pro ❜ have a place we can hide for tn ?

not wanting to seem lame, robby knows he needs to provide some options himself. he’s gotta prove that he’s not all talk, and that he’s actually a brilliant mastermind.

Or at least for mischief—perhaps his brand of juvenile delinquency was too juvenile to even qualify as true and proper delinquency. How much danger was there really in sneaking out and loitering somewhere? In his most adventurous, daredevil moments he'd maybe gone as far as to nick a knick-knack from a retail shop. Sure, he'd damaged public property a few times, but those had all been genuine accidents; people just didn't know how to take a joke, or a bit of good fun.

But something about Robby's suggestions, which Taegyeom has to wait literal ages for—so long that he's about to double text him when he finally deigns to respond—make Taegyeom wonder if he's interested in trouble, at all.

21:39 🆂🅴🅽🆃→ what are we gonna do in the janitor's closet? 😏 21:39 🆂🅴🅽🆃→ sounds kinda sus haha 😂😂 21:39 🆂🅴🅽🆃→ let's just meet up somewhere lol

fuck yeah.

taking a moment to think of the best way to respond, robby nibbles delicately on his tongue ;; his mind hard at work. that alone tells him that he cares about this interaction ;; that he cares about taegyeom’s opinion of him. deciding to continue leaning into the subtly flirtatious vibe he’s curating, he begins typing.

𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 /  𝟎𝟗:𝟑𝟏 𝐏𝐌 ✓ glad ur glad. 😉 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 /  𝟎𝟗:𝟑𝟏 𝐏𝐌 ✓ i’m good. thinkin of getting into some trouble. 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 /  𝟎𝟗:𝟑𝟐 𝐏𝐌 ✓ thought it’d be cool if u wanted to join me… 😈

He thinks for a second, trying to measure in his mind which appeals to him more: Jamie's friendship or this potential thing with Robby.

He doesn't seem why he should have to chose, so he decides he won't.

There will be cake in Taegyeom's possession, and he will eat it. Although he's kind of afraid he just might starve; it's been a few minutes and Robby has yet to respond.

21:32 🆂🅴🅽🆃→ Trouble, huh? 😂 21:32 🆂🅴🅽🆃→ Your kinda talking to a pro haha 21:33 🆂🅴🅽🆃→ So what're we doin 😂😂

𝐕𝐈𝐁𝐄𝐒,  spontaneous outings & flirty texts. 𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒,  son taegyeom;;  closed starter. 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐎𝐔𝐒,  not applicable, n / a.

this isn’t the first time this has happened, but it’s definitely the most intense time that it’s happened. robby can’t help but feel as though he’s playing into some sort of trope, or that he’s involved in an overdramatic tv series made for young adults from america, & while he hates that for himself, it’s not like he can help it either. beauty is in the eye of the beholder, & the instant that he beheld taegyeom’s outer shell, he knew that he was screwed. why did he — a friend of his older brother’s — have to tick off all the right boxes ? why did he have to almost perfectly fall into the supposed ❝ type ❞ that robby always goes for ? it’s maddening to him, & all he can do is roll his eyes at himself the entire time he considers making more personal contact. he’s got his hands on taegyeom’s phone number, his phone is sitting in the palms of his hands, & he’s trying to figure out the best way to kickstart a conversation.

it shouldn’t be that difficult, but he tends to overanalyze every situation until he’s explored all of the possibilities. that way, he can choose the approach that seems less lethal to his self-esteem. that, & well, he is trying to impress someone here… & despite usually being good at that, this is a trickier situation. if he flops & makes a huge fool of himself, he can’t exactly dodge taegyeom ;; at least not easily. they’re trainees under the same company, so they’re bound to still see each other.

that’s not the worst that could happen, though. if he somehow fucks this up, jamie will likely find out about it, & that would embarrass robby more than he’d care to admit. however, after ruminating over the still unsent message for an embarrassingly long time, he decides to trust his instincts & remove all the thoughts from his head. that seems to have worked for him in the past, & all he can hope is that he hasn’t lost his charm. he hasn’t tried to pursue someone in awhile now ;; he’s out of practice.

𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 /  𝟎𝟗:𝟐𝟓 𝐏𝐌 ✓ hey—it’s robby. we met the other night. 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 /  𝟎𝟗:𝟐𝟓 𝐏𝐌 ✓ remember me ? i was the cute dude with red hair. 🤪 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓 /  𝟎𝟗:𝟐𝟓 𝐏𝐌 ✓ been thinking about you since then, thought i’d say hey.

Because Robby had been on Taegyeom’s mind a lot since they’d met, not constantly, like he wasn’t a weirdo, but in the form of visiting daydreams—little memories that would flicker across his internal field of vision like butterflies and inspire a flush of his cheeks.

He was cute, simply put. On the shorter side, with pretty eyes that shimmered with a mischievous quality that made something in Taegyeom’s belly twist inwards with the pleasant, mild anxiety of attraction.

And he likes to think they’d hit it off well.

Of course, it’s not always easy for Tae to tell when someone’s actually got the hots for him—he just kind of assumes that most people will—but he could swear that there’d been a palpable crackle of electricity hanging in the air between the two of them.

So he’s thrilled when Robby texts him.

So thrilled that he reads Robby’s messages multiple times over before he clicks his phone’s screen off, dropping it onto his chest so he can take a moment to bask in the happiness he feels.

He’s so fucking pleased—he isn’t sure it even feels real.

It takes him a few minutes to reply after he’s seen it, between taking the time to be smug about how badly Robby must want him and formulating his response.

HYDRA RECORDING STUDIO — [ JAN. '23 ] Jamie and SON TAEGYEOM take part in the Vocal Workshop …

If there's one thing Jamie prides himself on, it's his voice. He knows that while he lacks a lot in other areas, notably those requiring organisational skills, and time management, he exceeds when it comes to singing. So, when he's given the position of assistant for the vocal workshop he's thrilled to say the least. It feels like people are finally recognising his abilities, and giving his opportunities to further prove himself. It's a tad daunting, if he's being honest, being given responsibilities, and there's a little voice of doubt at the back of his mind, telling him he can't do it because he's too much of a mess.

Jamie ignores that voice as best he can, and instead focuses on Taegyeom, who he's going through some lyrics with before he gets his turn in the recording booth to see what recording is really like. "At this part you should smile a lot, because you'll be able to hear it in your voice, but no one will be able to see the stupid faces you make, so it'll be super good!" He explains, making a pencil mark under a specific line on the sheet of lyrics they're poring over. "This is exciting, isn't it. Y'know... I hope we debut together. I think our voices go well together, and us, plus a couple other boys are like... the top vocals among the boy trainees."

Taegyeom's certain that no other trainee who'd known him for more than a day would be nearly as complimentary as Jamie is. They certainly wouldn't be hoping to debut with him. It stings, sometimes, but Tae can't let himself care too much about what his fellow trainees thought of him, especially since that sting would grow into something more akin to anger if he let it; really they should all be praying to debut with him. Maybe then they'd have half a chance of being successful, even if only by association.

"You can just say you and I..." Taegyeom says with a smirk, playfully elbowing Jamie in his side.

And he leans even closer, the tip of his nose against the top of Jamie's ear, to ensure that nobody overhears them.