u o o ɯ

he can hear the blush in taewoo’s voice more than he can actually see it on his cheeks. “ yeah … i was thinking now. ” he pauses, takes a sip of his drink. “ unless you don’t want to … ” then, when taewoo agrees again, gyumin beams. he himself has long since passed the stage where he gets embarrassed when other people hear his work. being the youngest in a group with twelve other boys with very distinct personalities and opinions will do that. 

the opening piano chords starts to play, and soon taewoo’s vocals start to fill the air. it sounds tinny through the speakers; no matter how good smartphone companies tend to make their speakers these days, nothing beats having the artist next to you, live in the flesh. he nods his head along to the music, his eyes widen in genuine surprise at the introduction of horns in the chorus, recognizes noah and sebin’s vocals, and then the song ends.

gyumin starts to clap slowly, a smile widening on his face, and as much as the gestures are full of mischief and teasing, they’re equally filled with pride and love for taewoo. “ it really has been a long road until now, huh ? ” he finally says, referencing the song’s lyrics. “ i hope that there will only be good things for kostion in the future. ”

Taewoo was sure that the longer he’s a member of the fully debuted group, Kostion, that he would feel less embarrassed about putting himself and his work out there. In order to get anywhere you of course need to experience rejection, he just hoped that the first time he heard it, it wasn’t coming from someone he was personally close to and that he looked up to. Gyumin not liking a song he had a hand in would hurt.

As hard as he tried, the leader couldn’t stop himself from glancing over at Gyumin every few seconds while the song quietly played from his phone, trying to gauge his reaction. He’d started off playing with the plastic gloves that had been brought for the chicken, but he couldn’t help himself. It’s likely their food would get cold soon.

Usually, he wasn’t much of a deep sleeper, functioning just fine on five or so hours at a time, which was handy in this case because he was too wound up to allow himself to relax. After finally falling asleep far too late, he found himself rising early, ready to explore and take on the day. There was never too much you could prepare, and as his group’s leader he felt it was his duty to do so. Texting his manager, he asked if he could be taken to the venue early to check it out, finding out where waiting rooms, practice spaces, and even stages were located.

What he hadn’t counted on was someone else having the same idea. Clearly, she was an idol ( being Korean too ), so she had to be someone else who had been travelling with them. “Hey there! Come here often?” The blue haired Kostion leader teased, approaching the woman with a bow. “Isn’t this so cool? I- uh. It’s my first time, can you tell?” @vlddahye​

though kiki knew his friend’s story, it always seemed to surprise him when he did tricks or reminded the other just how flexible he was. taewoo was one of a kind, an idol with skills that most, if not all other idols from the big three couldn’t match. he constantly left kiki amazed, unable to describe the feeling of watching his best friend do things he’d only seen on tv or on youtube. naturally, when the other had insisted that he could teach the trainee a few things on their shared day off, he’d jumped on the opportunity immediately.

now, standing in front of taewoo, he didn’t feel so confident. taewoo had been doing this for years before he’d even met kiki and hwas just… so much more than kiki could ever be. still, his enthusiasm was hard not to match, especially as he went on and on about what he could do.

standing there, kiki couldn’t help but stare at taewoo but nothing but fondness in his eyes as he spoke. “i don’t think you can teach me how to do a flip, but i’m sure it’d be just as exiting to watch you do one.” he laughed, shaking his head. he’d seen plenty of taewoo’s skill demonstrations before, but that didn’t stop him from feeling amazed every time he saw it again. “my hand-eye coordination is also really bad, but juggling does sound fun.”

When Taewoo had offered to bring Kiki into his world ( so to speak ) he was pleased when his best friend had agreed. He knew that this sort of thing wasn’t for everyone, others preferring to watch than to do, but at the very least they could have some fun. The Kostion leader always did when he was performing, whether it was for one, or one hundred people. Right now, to him, the one person that would be watching and participating with him, was the most important one he could ask for.

Thinking about doing a flip, Taewoo hummed out to consider the easiest way to actually teach a flip. “Can you do a bend back? Like, this-” Cutting himself off, without hesitation he threw the top half of his body back, his core controlling him so he didn’t slam against the ground and catching himself with his hands. To some, he didn’t look very strong with how slim his frame could look ( blame the height ), but with years of training he actually had a lot of body control. Pushing off with his hands, he used his stomach muscles to bring himself back up so he was standing again. “That would probably be the best place to start. And even if you can’t I can help you! I’m here to support you and uh, catch you if you fall.” Even at the mention of falling, he was still smiling. 

“If you don’t want to do that, we can juggle. Juggling is fun, too!”

though there wasn’t much to tease the kostion leader on that actually got to him, it was almost easy to point to the trainee soloist that often occupied their couch. the whole thing had only grown funnier to noah when both of them had showed up to the dorm with matching blue hair, but he didn’t comment on that now, especially since taewoo held their precious meal between his hands. he knew there would plenty of other good opportunities to tease the leader about his best friend other than this one.

rolling his eyes with a smile at taewoo, he put the finishing touches on their couch house before deciding that it was to his liking. “don’t say that, or i’ll make you watch the sopranos and i don’t even like the sopranos.” he’d only ever seen one episode before because someone kept asking him if his life had been like the show and he had hated it, but the thought of trying to convince anyone that that was actually real was funny to him. grabbing the chicken, he crawled into the fort and made himself comfortable before calling out for the leader. “hurry up, ahjussi.” even if the other couldn’t see him, no doubt he could hear the grin on noah’s face.

With the call that came from the younger member inside the fort, the leader had half a mind to cause the roof built from sheets to collapse on his head. The only problem with that was the fact he’d already taken the chicken inside with him, so the fort would collapse on their meal, as well as the younger member who dared to refer to Taewoo as an old man. Sometimes, he was able to get away with things seeing as Korean was a second language he wasn’t confident with yet. But, the blue haired leader had become somewhat of an expert when it came to knowing if he was being teased, or if Noah genuinely didn’t know.

“Just because I can’t see you doesn’t mean I don’t know you’re smiling! Cheeky,” the leader called out, pulling up his sweat pants so that when he crawled inside and sat down his butt crack wouldn’t be exposed. One of the downsides to being a taller person living in a smaller person’s country. Settling with an oof, he folded his socked feet beneath him, bones cracking in a way that would cause concern to a stranger, and not asking before taking the box from the younger’s lap and placing it in his own. Opening it quickly he fished out plastic gloves for the two of them. The leader would be surprised if the rustling of the plastic didn’t cause other members to stir. “So what are we watching?”

when it came to taewoo, kisoek could go on for hours and hours if he was given the time but, for now, his short words would have to be enough because, if he kept going, he knew exactly what this would turn into. so he held his tongue and sipped at his champagne in silence, eyes glued to his best friend for his reaction. one it was obvious that the other didn’t hate the drink in his hand, kiki couldn’t help but properly relax and smile at the other, proud of himself for having gotten something his friend liked and silently thanking the sales lady that had helped him for the same reason.

sitting in silence for a minute, something about taewoo’s words just… overwhelmed kiki. he couldn’t explain it even if he tried, something in the pit of his stomach bubbling and suddenly popping all at once, leaving the soloist simply feeling. staring down at his glass, he swirled the amber liquid around for a few turns as he chewed on his bottom lip before returning his attention his attention to kostion’s leader. after a moment of hesitation, instead of replying, he leaned forward and kissed the other, with probably more feeling than he was supposed to show.

The action from Kiki was normal for them, having kissed a bunch of times. A lot of times. So many times over the course of their friendship. Taewoo liked to kiss, it was one of the main and most prominent ways he showed affection towards people he cared about. It was only recently that it was starting to feel different, at least with Kiseok. Almost as if he felt guilty for stealing kisses from his friend, his stomach feeling heavy but as if it was filled to the brim with bubbles at the same time. As quickly as the trainee kissed him, that same feeling returned.

Automatically Taewoo’s lips forced themselves into a welcoming smile against the other’s mouth, free hand not holding onto the glass of champagne reaching around the back of his friend’s neck, resting gently against the soft skin. Pulling away the Kostion member’s eyelids felt heavy, almost like they were sleepy as he looked at his friend. “You taste like champagne,” he spoke with a giggle, licking over his own lips which understandably, also tasted like champagne.

no tw’s i don’t think :)

though the eight of them would certainly be a little squished if they all tried to fit in the fort at once, noah didn’t doubt that this is where the group would end up spending most of their evening tonight. sebin would most likely be the last one in and the first one out, but he was sure that, as a team, they could probably bully him into staying with them at least a little bit. if anything, a few of them would probably end up falling asleep in their makeshift fort but for now, the construction was only for taewoo and noah, a moment for the two of them to be alone.

“fine — you’re my best blue haired person. there’s at least two of those in here, usually.” he grinned at the other, alluding to the trainee who seemed to be at their dorm just as much as any kostion member. listening to the instructions he was given, he followed tae’s words until the fort was mostly done, happy with their progress. the knock on the door made noah jump slightly, looking at the door before looking at taewoo with a shy smile. “can you get it? i’ll put pillows inside?” he asked softly, having never liked interacting with strangers in most situations.

.

Before Taewoo could even try and argue that there were no other blue haired members of Kostion, and that his friend doesn’t count, he was being asked to get the door. He understood, knowing that while Noah was capable with the Korean language, there were still words and phrases he was uncertain about, which could worry him when speaking with strangers. With a bow and a thank you to the man who had delivered their chicken, it didn’t take long before he was rushing back to the couch house, socks sliding beneath him on the hard floor.

As he returned, he poked his head inside where Noah had continued working on the fort, seeing how far he’d come with the task in the few short moment it had taken the leader to collect their chicken. “Ah, hurry up will you?” He teased the younger member, putting the chicken down near the entrance so he could run and collect his laptop. “Think if something to watch when I come back, okay!”

“ of course i watched it ! ” he exclaims. he smiles. if not for his years-long friendship with taewoo, he would have watched the performance for noah as well. “ and it’s so good. so cool. i’m sure that you already have a lot of fans. kostion is such a cool name, ” he enthuses.

“ wow, for your first album ? then that’s a sign that they already have faith in you guys. ” he knows that a lot of companies wait until the first few releases are past before entrusting rookies with writing their own songs. gyumin pulls out his phone. “ which song is it ? can we give it a listen now ? ”

Listening to his friend, Taewoo was hopeful that he was correct, that KMG did have faith in them as a group. Following Particle and half.life, he knew he had some large shoes to fill. Being the leader, he was sure he felt it a little more than the other members. Regardless of that fact, they were still amazing support to him. Everyday he woke up in the same dorm as them he felt very lucky.

Usually, he wasn’t much of a deep sleeper, functioning just fine on five or so hours at a time, which was handy in this case because he was too wound up to allow himself to relax. After finally falling asleep far too late, he found himself rising early, pleased as he scrolled through the information on the hotel’s website to find that they would already be serving breakfast down stairs in the hall. The leader knew there would be a busy day ahead, so it would be beneficial to eat well.

Taewoo had only been there for a few minutes when someone else joined him in the reserved space, knowing he must be an idol because, well, he was Korean. That and this particular area was held for them only. “Good morning!” He greeted the stranger, tone far too cheery for almost anyone at this time as he loaded his plate up with eggs. “I’m Taewoo, Kostion’s leader. Did you sleep well?” @vldjasper​

though he did his best to hide his feelings for the kostion leader, sometimes kiki wondered if he was too obvious, if his actions gave him away — taewoo was such a loving person, the soloist could only ever bask in the comfort of having the other near him. with a smile, he let taewoo move away and poured the champagne into the cups he was holding carefully, placing the bottle down on the table once they were filled enough.

“i know i don’t need to, but i’ll still do it.” he knew taewoo would act like he liked the drink even if he didn’t but kiki liked to think he knew him well enough to be able to tell if he was faking it or not — and if he was, he’d run out and get something better, just to see the blue haired man smile. taking one of the glasses from taewoo, he gently clinked the glasses together. “to you. words can’t express how proud of you i am. you’re amazing, taewoo.” he spoke proudly, letting his feelings slip into his words for just a second. in this moment, he was glad they were alone, as he knew how obvious it would be just by looking at him that he thought the stars in the sky shined just for the newly debuted idol.

.

While Taewoo could act like Kiki leaving him and going to purchase another drink if he didn’t like the first one was an overreaction of sorts, he knew he would do the same for his friend if the roles were reversed. As much as he protested himself, he knew in that situation he wouldn’t be taking no for an answer, too stubborn in nature with how much he wanted to do the best for someone he cared about. Tilting the head of his glass just so, he clinked his drink against Kiseok’s, unable to hold in the smile he felt when the other started toasting him.

Usually, the Kostion leader was a chatter box. He could talk about anything with anyone, but the kind words from someone he felt so strongly for were enough to render him speechless for a moment. It was all he could do to look down at his glass, gaze fixated on the bubbles rising to the surface of his drink before he finally took a sip. His face scrunched from the new taste, but it wasn’t bad, going in for a second sip to show his friend that his reaction wasn’t a negative one. “Thank you... I really, really appreciate it. I appreciate you. Truly.”

Is it bad I don’t really know any clothing brands? I’ve never really thought to look into them. If someone wants to give me a brand deal, you know where to find me!! I have no ties to anyone so I can be super loyal.

I didn’t know this before visiting Jeju Island, but I really love the beach! It was so much fun, being in the sun and the water, and getting to play in the sand. I want to do that every summer.

for how much the leader took care of him and all the other kostion members, noah felt like it was the right thing to do — paying for their meal was just a small favor he could return for everything the other had done for him. still, he pouted when taewoo flicked his ear, making a show of trying to swat his hand away. “no! i pay! it’s too late now, anyway.” laughter filled the room as noah launched himself in the direction of the other, hanging off of him happily as they walked out of the room. seeing the pile of blankets he knew belonged to the members only brightened his smile, letting go of taewoo to poke at sebin’s, as though it would come to life.

following taewoo’s instructions, he moved to the other end of the couch, pushing it as instructed. making a pillow fort in the middle of their living room just to eat in might be a waste of time, but noah was glad that the leader gave into his silly ideas once in a while, allowing the group to still have fun like they did before they debuted. “yah! you should be happy! i only pay for you, no one else. cause you’re my best leader~” he sing songed, blowing a kiss towards taewoo as he giggled and picked up a blanket, unsure of where to place things.

.

Once the couches had been turned so their backs were to each other, Taewoo looked at them with hands on his hips, pleased with the height the fort was going to get. No doubt when the other members saw what they’d done, they would likely want to join, so there had to be plenty of room. At least in the meantime before that happened, the two of them who had actually done the work would be able to spread their legs out and have some space. They would need it if they were going to eat chicken, and maybe watch a movie on a laptop.

“I’m your only leader that isn’t fair,” Taewoo replied with a laugh, swinging one of the blankets over the top to begin to create a makeshift roof. “Can you please tuck that in between the couch cushions at the back?” Continuing with their construction, the leader instructed where Noah should put things, how he should anchor them, and the best way to keep it sturdy so it ( hopefully ) doesn’t collapse while they’re inside. Like a good leader would. “Now, we just throw the pillows in and move them around until they’re comfy.” Pleased with their work, as Tae was about to throw the first pillow in, there was a knock at the door. “Ah! Chicken!!”

“Hmmm. I’m not really sure! I think the item of clothing I wear the most is my overalls? I’ve had them for as long as I can remember and they’re super comfortable. Besides, they go with everything. Well, I think they do anyway.”