i'm a sucker for you

Despite the playful words, it felt as though there were a shift in atmosphere, the heavier meaning behind Ace’s words fairly obvious - after all, the elder wasn’t like Jaeshin, he wore his heart on his sleeve and didn’t hide behind a cold exterior. Unable to hide the smile that crept onto his lips, Jaeshin looked down, fiddling with the sleeves of the shirt wrapped around his waist. “Oh,” he said, before scuffing his toe against the floor and keeping his head down, “maybe next time I’ll stay then,” he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. It was almost a promise, a hint that he wanted to see him again, that he didn’t like these chance encounters and that he wanted to properly know him - and if Ace really meant it when he implied that he wanted to spend time with him, then surely he was sick of these chance encounters too? Surely he wanted their next encounter to be planned? He watched him curiously, wondering if Ace’s mind was spinning as rapidly as his (it probably wasn’t). He scoffed and rolled his eyes, hiding his fond smile. He really never missed an opportunity. “Not gonna happen, but nice try,” he said. Although, with the way he was staring at him, just a little too close and a little too far all at once, Jaeshin had a feeling that he knew that when it came to the two of them it wasn’t a question of if but when. (And maybe he was warming up to the idea, didn’t feel that urge to completely withdraw and hide from the advances anymore, but Ace didn’t need to know that). At the mention of how long it would take, he nodded, checking his watch. Maybe he would have time to join Xavier (who was stealing his perfect day out with his family) after all, or he supposed he could stay and watch Ace work. “Do I leave it overnight and get it in the morning, or, like…. give you my number and come back when it’s done?” He asked curiously, unsure what to do. At the mention of the price he shrugged. “It’s okay, my boss has –” he was cut off by Ace crowding him up against the vehicle, and there it was again, the dusting of pink splattered across his cheeks as he subconsciously leaned back his own hands gripping the edge of the open hood, eyes wide at the action. He opened his mouth to hiss out a what the fuck are you doing, Lim Jaewon, but the other was speaking before he could even begin to get the sentence out. His jaw hung open at Ace’s boldness, to really suggest something like that, though at this point he knew he was foolish to be surprised. “You really never miss a chance, huh?” He said, raising an unimpressed eyebrow. He chuckled at the suggestion. “Please, Ace, I’m sure everyone here knows all about your sex life,” he said, rolling his eyes, before he decided that two could play at this flirting game, and instead reached up to hook his hands into the top of his overalls and tug him closer. “Husband is just unbelievable,” he said, tipping his head to the side coyly and smirking at him, leaning in close so their noses were almost brushing. “Boyfriend, maybe, they’d believe that. Or do you think they’d think I’m just –” he walked his fingers up his chest, the other hand moving to hook his thumb into his front pocket and tug him closer, practically in his lap as he leaned languidly against the hood of his open car, “–another unsuspecting customer who’s succumbed to your self-proclaimed charms?”

Once again, just a few words from the other with a flirty smile was enough to fluster Jaeshin, causing him to scrunch up his nose in embarrassment, folding his arms across his chest and rolling his eyes, looking away. “You’re a flirt,” he accused him, sticking his nose up in the air. While he enjoyed the easy back-and-forth, he knew nothing more would come of it - after all, they hadn’t even gone all the way, and he knew the other could have anybody he wanted, had witnessed him leaving the bar with someone new on his arm countless times, and all Jaeshin knew was that he didn’t want to be that person on his arm for one night. Maybe he was selfish, wanting to be on his arm for more than just one night, but it was best that they leave things as they were, to prevent either of them from getting hurt further - whether it was Ace hurting Jaeshin with his playboy lifestyle, or Jaeshin hurting Ace with his emotional constipation, it simply seemed as though there were too many factors against them. Still, with the elated look that washed over his face, he couldn’t stop the way his stomach flipped and an odd desire to keep that look on his face no matter what filled his very being, gulping quietly at the smirk dancing across his face. “…Yeah. I was. I told you I would be. I just - didn’t wait after your set,” he explained, pursing his lips before scratching the back of his neck and looking down, “didn’t, ah… think you’d –” He broke off again, scowling at the floor and taking a heavy interest in his shoes. “…didn’t think you’d notice. Or care,” he grumbled, clearly meaning so much more than the face value of his word. “I’m not the type, really. Britney kinda sneaks up on you.” You kinda snuck up on me. He couldn’t put his finger on it, couldn’t figure out why he kept coming back to Ace, why no matter what he did during the week he had found his mind wandering back to him until he’d ended up at that concert, mesmerised by his stage charisma and the way his fingers flew across the strings. And when he had sung? Sure, the song wasn’t exactly angelic, and it was clear he wasn’t taking it seriously, but he’d heard him harmonising in the other songs, had even heard a few of his solo lines, and knew that he was hiding a beautiful voice from him too - it seemed the older was full of surprises, that he really was an ace of all trades. The way his eyes had gleamed when he’d looked into the crowd made Jaeshin feel like all the air had been punched out of him, and now that he knew the other hadn’t actually seen him, hadn’t actually made eye contact, he was even more impressed with his ability to make the crowd think he had eyes for them and them only. Ace was a siren, easily drawing people in with a smirk and a song, but he found it difficult to complain when all he could think about was how badly he wanted to make those marks on his neck purple again. Dangerous, that’s what he was. With the kind of philanderous lifestyle he led, he knew the other would be up for it again - and he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. In fact, if he didnt have Chaewon, he thought he would probably lead a similar lifestyle, but with his daughter around he wanted to be there for her at all times, so didn’t get to do the whole partying and one-night-stands kind of thing. He could never regret having his daughter, because no matter what, she was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him and he knew that he loved her more than he knew he was capable of - but he felt like he’d missed out on a large part of just being young, having had his daughter with his high school sweetheart at only nineteen, and since then being committed to his two girls only. And there was that word again - commitment. He didn’t even know if that was what he wanted, or if he wanted to focus only on Chacha and not worry about dating, but as he observed Ace, tension still thick and molten between them, he had a sinking feeling that perhaps he was destined to always want what he couldn’t have - because Ace was stunning, a true masterpiece, practically an Adonis with his honeyed skin, easy charm and smiling eyes, and Jaeshin - well, he was a single dad, a grumpy twenty-two year old who had grown up too fast and cared only for his daughter (and now his puppy, too). Perhaps he should take a leaf out of Ace’s book, give into that spontaneous nature he’d repressed since his girlfriend had left. Rubbing his jaw, contemplating the other’s obvious invitation, Jaeshin decided that he was going to risk it, that this time when he dug himself his hole with his stupid bets, it was because he intended it. “Tell you what. You might be holding a royal flush, but you have to deal it before you can get your prize, right? Earn it,” he said snootily, folding his arms across his chest again and sticking his nose up haughtily in the air. He scrunched up his nose cutely again at the implication, pink dusting across his face in what seemed to be a permanent blush around Ace. “Car seats are made for one person,” he said sternly, eyes wide and lips twisted in a pout, despite the fact that he wanted to test it out now that Ace had mentioned it. He was almost thankful for brief reprieve as the mechanic finally got to work, bent over the hood of his car and inspecting the engine. The reprieve didn’t last long, however, with the way Ace was bent over drawing attention to the curve of his butt, the dip between his shoulders accenting his waist. Jaeshin flicked his eyes away in embarrassment, feeling bad for ogling him when he was simply doing his job, but when he looked away all he could think about was the feeling of him beneath his hands, in his lap, the heavy weight of him sitting on his lower back as his fingers moved carefully over his skin in a massage. He cleared his throat, flicking his gaze back to Ace when he spoke and nodded dumbly, not entirely sure how to form sentences when he was looking so effortlessly gorgeous like that - but also, because he knew nothing of mechanics and had no idea what any of that meant. “Uh - yeah - sure, I trust you,” he said easily, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. He was curious to see if he could see it too (and, if he just wanted an excuse to be near Ace, nobody had to know), so walked towards him and leaned over his body, peering over his shoulder into the engine too, arms still folded across his body and expression neutral as he looked inside the engine. His sunglasses fell forward with the motion, clinging desperately to his shirt with one arm, and he only realised how close he was hovering over Ace by the fact that instead of falling off his shirt and into his engine, his glasses thumped lightly against the other’s shoulder. Jaeshin turned his face slightly, nose practically brushing his cheek as their gazes met, his cheeks feeling hot at the close proximity. “Uh –” he started off, voice low and hushed, not wanting to draw too much attention to them and trying to appear unaffected so that Ace wouldn’t point it out, “–is that gonna take a long time to repair?”

Honestly, he should have seen it coming - should have known that if he was going to be flirty, of course Ace would flirt back, but with the way he came closer and tilted his head oh-so-attractively, Jaeshin pondered why he didn’t prepare himself for a typical flirty response. Stubborn as he was, though, he didn’t tend to back down from a challenge, and Ace was challenging, to say the least. Schooling his face into one of playful innocence, eyes wide and lips stuck out in a slight pout, he leaned forward as well and whisper-sang, “I’m not that innocent.” He pulled back with a smirk, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, looking down to hide his blush at his own boldness, feeling flustered. He really didn’t understand how Ace did this on a daily - even just flirting at the bar could get him flustered, but he pushed through for the sake of tips, and with his Uber passengers, sometimes he’d push through just for that five star rating. The soft cute only made his cheeks grow hotter, and he furrowed his brow and glared at him again for the comment, looking more like a discontented kitten than anything. He paused when Ace didn’t quite answer his question, merely made a light statement that didn’t say much but spoke volumes all at the same time. It told him that Ace had searched - whether it had been an active searching or an afterthought tacked on as he left the bar with someone on his arm, it was clear that Ace had been waiting for him, been hoping to see him around. For some reason, that made a warm feeling spread through the base of his stomach as he glanced at him curiously, trying to read his expression. It hit him then, that maybe Ace was much better at hiding his emotions than he thought - whilst the older definitely wore his heart on his sleeve, wasn’t afraid to let the whole world know what was on his mind, it struck him that perhaps he was deceptively open, that he used flirting and jokes to hide the occasional dark thought, however infrequent they may be. Jaeshin hadn’t been intending on telling Ace that he’d been there, hadn’t wanted to make a big deal of it because then it would feel too real, he’d have to acknowledge the fact that while he’d been hiding from Ace he couldn’t resist him, that he’d been seeking him out too. Yet, hearing the mild disappointment in his tone, quickly laughed off with a genuine smile, he felt the desire to correct him, to make it clear that he wasn’t that big of an asshole and hadn’t missed it even though he’d been avoiding him all week. “I –” he broke off, lips pursed, before glancing to the side again. “You sang Gimme More,” he muttered, a soft admission that he’d been there. He looked up and met his eyes. “I would never miss out on Britney, bitch,” he deadpanned. He cleared his throat and shoved both his hands into his pocket, shifting back and forth on his heels awkwardly, eyebrows furrowing in confusion as the elder reached for his sunglasses, his hair falling back onto his forehead at the motion, fluffed up and parted in the middle after being pushed back like that for so long. He wondered what was going through his mind, eyes trailing over his features and following the line of his nose as he settled his own glasses onto his stupidly handsome face, making Jaeshin wonder if he looked that effortlessly handsome when he wore those glasses too. Then, he was hooking them into his shirt, pulling him in just the slightest with the motion and Jaeshin’s eyes dropped to his neck, to the marks he himself had left - fading, but still prominent against honey skin, especially in the sunlight like this. It was like he’d been punched in the gut, suddenly reminded of that inexplicit attraction between them, that thrum of electricity when they got too close. It was like he was caught in Ace’s magnetic field once again, polar opposites being pulled together the closer they were, harder and harder to pull apart as the forces grew stronger and stronger. He licked his lips, eyes following the way they dipped beneath his shirt, hidden by the ensemble, and almost didn’t hear what he said, until the words registered. He wondered if Ace was referring to the way he had told him the same only a week ago in a completely different context. Raising an eyebrow and tipping his head to the side, strands of fluffy hair brushing his forehead, Jaeshin let his eyes drop to Ace’s lips before wandering back to his eyes. “Hmm… something tells me that you’ve got a royal flush,” he said, voice barely above a whisper, looking almost threatening in the intensity of his gaze as he considered him, really drinking in the way he looked like sin, covered in his marks, metal glinting in his eyebrow and  that goddamn bandana pushing his hair up and exposing his eyebrows nicely all at once. He caught his gaze as he patted his chest, staying still and simply staring, unsure whether or not to move because whilst his face was settled firmly in his infamous ‘constipated face’, his stomach was churning, deseperate to be closer and to keep those hands on his body. Wordlessly, he followed Ace to his car, leaning boredly against a pillar as he watched him do his mechanical thing and figure out what the noises were. “See what I mean? Rrrut-tuk-tuk!” He exclaimed, eyes wide. At his comment, however, a flood of memories crashed through his mind, remembering the way he’d looked that night in his car, the way he looked every night, if he was honest, and a hot flush crept up his neck. “Not that roomy,” he countered lamely, “enough space for one person per seat.” Even if he was dense, he knew Ace was hinting at something - and even though he didn’t know what it was, he wasn’t taking any chances. 

He tried his best to look annoyed, he really did, but there was no denying Ace’s charm and it was obvious from the previous week that he had difficulty resisting it. Lips pursed in an attempt to hide his amusement (and delight) at the other’s flirting, he tipped his head to the side, raising one eyebrow almost coyly. “Does your boss know you wanna hit me baby one more time?” He teased him, voice low and mockingly flirty - but there was no denying the slight coquettish tone to his voice, the slightest hint of actual flirting in his voice. When the other burst into laughter at his imitation of his car, his cheeks turned red and he spluttered unintelligibly. “Sh-shut up! My boss told me to describe the sounds my car was making so– so I did, okay?” He grumbled. He was thankful for he lighthearted tease, though, glad that they could return to a semblance of before - with him grumpy, annoyed by the advances, and Ace’s incredible persistence that wasn’t exactly unwelcome. He watched him carefully ater his apology, biting the inside of his cheek when it seemed Ace was unaffected by the turn of events, wondering why he even bohered apologising when it was clear that their night had been yet another notch on the other’s bedpost - but his words said otherwise, a certain tone to them that made it clear that despite the joke, his forgiveness was sincere. If he felt as though he had to forgive Jaeshin, then, even though the older did his best to hide it, he had in fact been hurt by Jaeshin’s actions, and he felt terrible. Meeting his eyes, he swallowed quietly before his teeth tugged nervously on his lower lip. “Were you… hoping I’d…” He trailed off awkwarldy, since he didn’t really have Ace’s number, so he couldn’t ask if he was hoping for his call. He shifted uncomfortably and swallowed agian before starting again. “Were - were you maybe hoping that I’d… come see you, maybe?” He asked, almost hopeful that the other would say yes, that he would confirm he’d been wanting to see Jaeshin all week as well - just some kind of sign to show that he’d been thinking about him since that night too. Jaeshin cleared his throat and looked away, in embarrassment, before he felt Ace tugging him forward. Eyes wide as as he let himself be pulled around by the shirt on his hips, Jaeshin could do simply nothing but gulp and watch his every moment. All too soon and all too fast the moment was over, the other sliding his hand into Jaehshin’s pocket to pull out his keys withthat infuriating smirk of his. His eyes followed the glint of the eyebrow piercing, the way the bandana began to slip down again and allowed more strands of hair into his eyes, but quickly cleared his throat. Two can play at that game. "You know,” he said, stepping closer and humming as he straightened the overalls, eyes following the movement of his hands, “before we even start, do I get any kind of dscount?” He asked, looking up at him through his lashes, giving him a sly smile, only one dimple showing as he cocked his head to the side innocently.

“I –” he broke off, lips jutting out in a small pout. “Y-you can’t just –” he broke off again, clearly flustered, before letting out a frustrated sigh. “You’re on the job, be professional,” he hissed, glaring at him - although the flustered blush on his cheeks probably softened the look just slightly. He pursed his lips, folding his arms across his chest and looking to the side, looking every bit the sullen young adult that he was. It was unfair, he thought, unfair for Ace to just appear like that, always when he least expected him and always looking stupidly attractive. He was distracting him, with his hair touseled just right and that stupid eyebrow piercing that he kept glancing at, hating himself for feeling warm in the cheeks at the sight of it. He fidgeted awkwardly, sliding his phone into his back pocket and pursing his lips, before deciding that he was an adult and he could suck it up. “My car is making weird noises,” he explained, pointing to it. “It’s like - uhh – when I turn on the engine, it’s like, rrrrut-tuk-tuk,” he imitated the car, before feeling embarrassed and looking away, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. It felt almost as though he were running into an ex - or, well, what he assumed that was like, since that had never happened to him before - despite the fact that Ace was nothing of the sort. He was just a regular at his bar who he happened to have gotten off once and then avoided for the entire week and — alright, Jaeshin could see how he was the asshole in this situation, seeing that he was doing to Ace exactly what he’d been afraid of having done to him. He had spent the entire week sulking, thinking that he should keep his distance to avoid getting unnecessarily attached to Ace so that the carefree mechanic wouldn’t break his heart. Yet, here he was, a week after essentially ghosting him, realising that perhaps it was him who had been flippant, had acted like the fabled fuckboys his mother had warned him about when he was growing up - and he really didn’t want to disappoint his mother, so deciding it was time to suck it up and accept that he was in the wrong here, Jaeshin glanced at the floor and played with the sleeve of the plaid shirt tied around his hips. “…’m sorry for avoiding you all week,” he muttered.”

( &&. closed starter for @thctsace​ )

The weather was sunny and splendid, really, a perfect day to go on a long walk with his daughter and his new dog and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine, maybe take her for a tasty treat and get her strawberry cake while he enjoyed his own strawberry milkshake - like father like daughter. However, he couldn’t do any of that, and he pouted as he stared at the photo Xavier had sent him of Chacha hanging off his shoulders and his new puppy darting between his ankles as he enjoyed this perfect day with his family, and Jaeshin was - well, he was at the mechanic. His car had been making weird noises lately, and Uber had granted him a small amount of money to cover repairs, since he needed his car for his job. He had to get it checked out today, and had time off until it was repaired, and even as he drove it into the shop it was still clunking and spluttering. He was waiting by the register, one hand casually in his jeans pocket and sunglasses perched on top of his head, pushing his fringe off his forehead while he scrolled through different apps on his phone, waiting for the mechanic to appear from beneath another car to chat to him. He didn’t mind waiting, although he could do without the repeated hit me baby one more time blasting from the speakers next to the car. Still, even he couldn’t resist humming along, tapping his foot with the beat, thinking that if anything, this mechanic seemed to have character - and he had been highly recommended by his boss, so he figured he should give him a shot. When the music switched off, however, and none other than Ace slid out from beneath the car, Jaeshin’s jaw dropped in shock, having not seen the other since that night the previous week, having swapped his usual shifts at the bar so that he wouldn’t have to face him, and refusing to tell Isaac his new shifts so that the other couldn’t rat him out. He felt breathless as he eyed him, a little patch of grease on his nose, bandana pushing his fluffy hair out of the way, overalls a little loose and a little tight at the same time and - and an eyebrow piercing? His mouth felt dry as his eyes trailed over him, and he cleared his throat, quickly flicking his gaze back to his phone and trying to appear unbothered. “I thought you were in a band? I didn’t know you worked here.”

It was all too easy to let his thoughts overwhelm him, laying side-by-side like this. He wondered if Ace’s mind was racing as rapidly as his, if his thoughts were all zooming past too quick for him to even make sense of them. His words interrupted his thought process, though, and Jaeshin squinted at him suspiciously. “You know this probably isn’t going to happen again, right? You have to play those cards real well for this to happen again,” he informed him, though there was no bite to his words - in fact, his voice was hushed, almost regretful as he spoke. He glanced away, eyebrows furrowed and fidgeting uncomfortably. He doubted Ace would even care that much for a repeat - now that they’d dispelled some of the sexual energy between them, he figured the other would move on, find somebody new to bother, and the two of them would resume their flirty bartender/customer relationship, never seeing each other outside of the bar and, more importantly, never dealing with that strange tug in their hearts when they were near each other, as though there were a magnet between their bodies and the closer they got, the harder it was to resist the pull. When Ace pulled his hand from his, seemingly with no reluctance, Jaeshin folded his hands behind his head, looking out the window and not at Ace, not even noticing the way the other stared at him as he hovered over him. He rolled his eyes and glanced back up at him, trying not to be flustered from how their noses practicallly brushed in this position. “Wisely for what?” He asked obliviously, looking a little grumpy because even if he didn’t understand what Ace was implying, he could tell from the smug tone that it was probably something inappropriate. He stayed still beneath him, sensing the hesitance in Ace as he stared quite openly at his lips, but when he pulled away without doing anything, Jae wasn’t sure why he could feel a disappointed churning in theb ase of his stomach. Perhaps he had made the right choice in his decision not to let Ace touch him, because if he could already feel the coldness of the bed beside him when they hadn’t even really done anything, he didn’t want to know how icy the bed would feel if he’d let them go further, if they’d actually hooked up and he had a chance to let pleasure cloud his mind and confuse his physical attraction for something more. This was just sex, he told himself, just sex between two individuals that had been flirting for a long time, building up to this moment of release - and now that they’d had a taste, maybe they’d be content with never speaking of it again, let alone doing it again. Lying alone in bed so soon after he’d had Ace writhing in his sheets, painted in red dots and making the most beautul noises was - well - lonely, and since he had ten minutes to kill anyway, he got out of bed. Changing his boxers, since his current ones were sticky and uncomfortable, he chucked the soiled ones into his hamper and moved back to the living room to gather the clothes there, figuring this would calm him down and his erection would go away. His shirt was thrown haphazardly on the floor, since that was Ace’s doing, but Ace’s neatly folded shirt and his own hoodie were still on the table, and he gathered them all before bringing it back to his bedroom. Humming quietly to himself, he was methodical in the way he hung his hoodie back in his wardrobe and tossed his shirt into the hamper as well, before he placed Ace’s folded shirt onto his computer table and picked his pants up as well, also folding that and placing it in a neat pile on top of the shirt. Covering his mouth with a yawn, Jaeshin checked his sheets to see if they needed to be changed, but luckily they hadn’t been too messy and they were still clean, so he slid under the covers and snuggled in while waiting for Ace to join again. He realised then that he only had one pillow, and wondered if he should get up and pull out a second one, but then the other was sliding into his bed again, laying beside him - and really, it was unfair how attractive he was, with smooth, tanned skin covered in his marks, soft fluffy hair, an infuriating sparkle in his eyes, and oh god, the dimples. Jaeshin had the blankets pulled up to his nose and scowled at him, though it was probably lost in the way only his eyes peeked over the fabric. Reluctantly, he opened up his arms and consequently the blankets, wordlessly motioning for Ace to get into the little cocoon of warmth he’d made. He yawned and sleepily nuzzled his nose into the pillow. “It was only a kiss, how did it end up like this?” He sang vaguely, lifting his tired head with a small smile, eyes crinkling with it, beginning to feel dlierious from the lack of sleep and from the other’s proximity. He let out a hum and scowled again. “I only have one pillow, so you’ll have to share. And - I’m like an octopus at night,” he warned him again, already reaching for him and pulling him towards him.

          “  i  like  a  challenge,  ”  was  all  he  said  in  response  to  jaeshin’s  persistent  disbelief  in  the  possibility  (  and  potential  )  of  this  event  to  reoccur.  perhaps  it  was  true  that  ace  often  moved  on  from  one  person  to  another  —  at  least  that  was  the  case  with  impersonal  and  quick  one  night  stands  or  completely  no  strings  attached  types  of  arrangements  —  but  the  reason  it  was  different  with  jae  was  the  fact  that  they’d  managed  to  get  to  know  each  other  a  little  too  well.  while  it  didn’t  cover  the  knowledge  of  their  backstories  or  even  little  things  such  as  hobbies,  there  was  something  else,  something  more  CRUCIAL.  ace  knew  the  patterns  of  most  things  the  bartender  engaged  in,  he  recognized  some  of  them  as  little  quirks  such  as  cleaning  up  after  himself  immediately,  he  could  instantly  tell  that  the  aloof  exterior  jaeshin  had  set  up  for  himself  was  faux  because  he’d  already  seen  the  way  his  eyes  would  light  up  with  his  daughter  around,  he’d  already  heard  the  delicate  tones  in  his  voice  while  singing  to  his  kid.  they  weren’t  friends,  but  they  weren’t  strangers;  they’d  fallen  somewhere  in  the  middle,  but  at  the  same  time,  they  were  more  than  just  that.  their  relationship  was  a  little  complex  to  describe,  but  it  was  the  little  push  ace  needed  to  feel  obliged  to  stay  &  abandon  all  the  unwritten  rules  and  regulations  for  once.  there  was  no  harm  in  testing  the  waters,  eager  to  satisfy  his  curiosity  to  see  where  all  of  that  would  lead  —  he  just  hoped  that  he  wouldn’t  get  to  the  point  of  no  return.  in  case  the  mechanic  did  decide  to  shed  away  the  protective  layers  of  free-spirited  charisma  and  inability  to  take  things  seriously,  he  could  definitely  do  worse  than  jaeshin.  on  the  contrary,  the  younger  man  was  the  PERFECT  OPPOSITE  of  him:  underneath  the  grumpy  armor,  there  was  a  tender  side  that  ace  got  the  luxury  to  witness  tonight,  and  under  the  roseate  blush  of  fluster,  there  was  that  strong,  independent  man  who  still  knew  how  to  have  a  little  fun  and  dominate.  the  mechanic  did  always  stand  by  his  motto  to  live  his  life  with  as  little  regrets  as  possible;  even  the  unrequited  love  he’d  experienced  possessed  mostly  just  good  memories  of  having  been  blessed  to  spend  such  long  and  beautiful  years  with  someone  he  deeply  appreciated  and  cared  for.  maybe  he  was  more  optimistic  than  one  would’ve  anticipated,  but  he  genuinely  believed  that  the  following  heartbreaks  would  only  prove  that  there  was  love  or  passion  or  friendship  in  the  first  place,  all  the  beautiful  things  that  were  required  to  build  one’s  development.  ace  wouldn’t  have  gone  this  far  had  it  not  been  for  the  struggles  he’d  faced  in  his  childhood  days  —  thanks  to  the  temporary  heart-wrenching  feelings  of  being  lost,  confused,  broken  in  so  many  places  (  physically  and  mentally  ),  he  now  had  his  independence,  freedom,  free  will  to  fucking  TAKE  OVER  the  entire  world  if  he  wanted,  and  most  importantly,  happiness.  it  was  evident  in  the  little  things  he  did:  spontaneous  adventures,  booming  laughter  late  at  night  because  of  childish  pranks  on  his  friends,  learning  how  to  skate  with  teenagers,  and  being  passionate  in  his  music  and  love  for  everything.  of  course,  at  times,  his  ecstatic  self  would  burn  out  and  get  dim;  then,  his  ugly  temper  would  rear  its  head,  the  occasional  insecurity  and  fear  of  rejection  as  well  as  commitment  would  put  a  damper  on  his  lifestyle  too.  however,  ace  was  a  PHOENIX,  constanly  being  reborn  and  rising  from  his  ashes  just  to  dust  himself  off  and  move  forward.  life  never  ceased  to  be  —  no  one  was  going  to  wait  forever  for  him  to  pick  up  the  pieces  and  mourn  over  them  in  the  process.  it  was  a  lot  easier  to  have  a  more  positive  outlook  anyway.  a  lot  of  people,  however,  didn’t  quite  grasp  that,  often  believing  that  his  character  was  just  an  act  of  immaturity  just  because  he’d  chosen  to  try  and  live  a  little  instead  of  pausing  himself  in  time.  most  of  the  time,  it  didn’t  upset  him,  but  for  some  reason,  the  thought  of  jaeshin  possibly  deeming  him  as  an  irresponsible  and  overgrown  child  (  it  wasn’t  too  far  off,  but  that  wasn’t  the  only  thing  that  defined  him  ),  not  worthy  so  much  as  a  second  chance  ...  well,  that  thought  alone  kind  of  left  a  pungent  taste  in  his  mouth.  if  ace  paid  just  a  little  more  attention,  he’d  notice  how  much  more  vulnerable  he’d  gotten  around  him,  easing  himself  into  the  person  that  he’d,  of  course,  always  been  but  improved.  the  coming  and  passing  faces  were  always  just  that  —  going,  never  staying,  just  the  temporary  fun  he  needed  in  order  to  build  himself  up  more,  but  there  was  no  denying  the  fact  that  ace  couldn’t  quite  imagine  doing  that  his  entire  life.  the  delinquent  &  heartbreaker  title  he  so  proudly  wore  in  high  school  was  just  a  MERE  contribution  to  his  barely  scratched  surface,  parts  of  it  having  remained  with  him  even  until  now,  but  ace  was,  too,  gentle  and  understanding,  sympathetic  and  supportive,  sometimes  pessimistic  and  depressed.  after  all,  he  was  only  human.  so  was  jaeshin;  despite  the  occasional  wondering  whether  he  was  actually  one  and  not  an  angel,  he  was  cognizant  that  the  other  most  likely  had  a  story  buried  deep  within  him,  something  that  had  closed  him  in  to  be  caged  in  between  walls  of  emotional  isolation  and  distrust.  even  if  the  mechanic  didn’t  quite  know  what’d  happened  as  he  could  only  assume,  it  was  still  easy  to  tell  that  everything  he  did  was  for  the  sake  of  chacha  and  himself.  he  cared  and  looked  out  for  her  in  the  way  that  ace  could  never  relate  to  as  a  recipient,  but  he  had  brotherly  or  fatherly  (  whatever  you  want  to  call  them  )  tendencies  because  of  his  little  sister.  perhaps  seeing  him  at  the  grocery  store  with  the  child  strapped  to  his  chest  was  the  first  step  to  this  unexpected  discovery  of  a  possibly  new  exciting  yet  dangerous  territory  for  them  to  step  into.  whether  jaeshin  was  going  to  stick  around  or  not,  whether  ace  was,  he  would  never  regret  it  —  carpe  diem  and  all  that  jazz.  not  to  mention  that  it  was  difficult  to  resist  the  temptations  when  the  younger  man  looked  so  gentle  under  the  covers,  with  sleep  anchoring  down  his  lids,  and  it’d  taken  all  of  his  willpower  to  push  down  the  sudden  desire  to  just  peck  his  nose  or  something.  for  this  moment  alone,  the  mechanic  let  himself  to  actually  THINK  instead  of  acting  on  his  impulses,  and  if  his  assumptions  about  his  own  feelings  would  turn  out  to  be  correct,  it  was  best  to  leave  things  as  they  were  right  now  in  order  not  to  send  mixed  signals  to  the  other  or  himself.  obviously,  ace  was  imperfect;  on  top  of  being  obnoxious,  he  was  also  difficult  to  understand,  a  bit  confusing.  almost  like  a  puzzle  but  with  a  few  missing  pieces  and  perhaps  they  belonged  to  the  man  that  was  currently  lying  beside  him.  it  was  evidently  far  too  early  to  tell,  even  unnecessary,  and  all  ace  wanted  right  now  was  to  drift  off  to  sleep  and  loop  his  arms  around  the  other  without  feeling  apologetic  to  himself  about  it.  “  it  was  only  a  kiss,  it  was  only  a  kiss  —  ”  he  trailed  off,  as  his  beaming  smile  decreased  in  size  to  offer  his  expression  more  sincerity,  but  it  remained  bright  while  he  slithered  his  way  inside  the  blanket  with  jaeshin,  even  though  he  was  far  from  being  cold.  still,  it  was  nice  to  be  close  to  someone  like  this,  especially  having  been  deprived  of  such  contact  for  so  long.  his  eyes  fluttered  once,  then  twice,  as  the  lids  grew  heavier  with  each  second  due  to  the  warmth  blanketing  them  and  the  heat  radiating  off  of  jaeshin’s  skin.  ace  kept  his  hands  to  himself  for  the  time  being  because  he  knew  they’d  find  their  most  natural  way  to  the  other  man  during  his  sleep,  and  so,  he  simply  rested  his  head  against  jaeshin’s  shoulder,  his  entire  body  slightly  sprawled  out  across  the  bed.  then  he  hummed  for  the  last  time:  “  now  i’m  falling  asleep.  ”

It was easy to see how Ace was getting closer and closer to the edge, and the way he was squirming and losing control was making Jaeshin’s own pants uncomfortably tight, feeling giddy on the knowledge that it was him making him feel that way. He was beautiful, he thought, the way his body writhed beneath him and the way the marks across his body blended in so perfectly to smooth, tanned skin. He didn’t mind as Ace’s hands travelled lower on his skin, warm hand against his ass as he let him pull him closer, weak to the pretty sounds and fluttering eyelashes that he was unravelling. It was like he was an instrument and Jaeshin knew all the right keys to press, all the right strings to strum to make a beautiful symphony, an orchestra of ecstasy and unexpected intimacy. He barely had time to process Ace’s hurried words before he was making music between their bodies, body squirming under his grip and his face twisting in pleasure. It brought some kind of pride to him, to see the way the flirty mechanic came undone beneath him, how he was lost in pleasure. It was surreal, almost, the feeling of sincerity, of knowing that despite all the things he’d said and done, this was real, this was something beyond the flirty tilt of the head and the innocent bat of the eyes that he could spare almost anyone - this, this was real, sincere, genuine. And, just as Jaeshin was entertaining the thought of maybe, maybe he would let Ace return the favour, maybe this could be done again, he had to go and open that mouth of his. He never failed to disappoint, that was for sure, and Jaeshin let out a soft, breathless chuckle at the obnoxious remark Ace managed to get out before he was completely lost in his own pleasure, in Jaeshin, but it was so incredibly expected and unexpected of him that he couldn’t even bring himself to be annoyed. He pumped him through it, careful as Ace’s hips slowly stopped moving, gentle with the sensitive body beneath him, his eyes trained on him as he watched for his reactions. When Ace’s breathing had begun to even out just a little bit, Jaeshin leaned down and pressed his lips to his sweetly, lingering for a few moments, just to stay in this bubble that they’d created. His hand slowed its movement before stopping entirely, shifting his weight onto his knees so that he could reach for the tissues on his bedside table to wipe his cum off his hand and carefully wipe Ace down as well. Jaeshin carefully tucked him back into his boxers and then flicked his eyes back to his, dark eyes meeting brown as he looked at him uncertainly, not sure where to go from here. He cleared his throat and moved to lay down beside him, fiddling with his fingers in his lap. “I can’t believe you,” he muttered, turning his face to eye him, “I - I do a nice thing and get you off, and you-  you say that,” he grumbled, though the laughter bubbling in his throat was obvious, the moonlight accenting the mirth in his eyes. Jaeshin shuffled closer. “Bathroom’s the door next to Chacha’s, if you wanna clean up,” he murmured, his fingers already reaching for his hand, nudging against his lightly, “and - and you can, um, borrow, uh, clean boxers, or whatever, if you wanted,” he added, looking away as his fingers hesistantly wriggled between his, not quite holding hands but still tangling their fingers.

Of course, Ace somehow managed to be obnoxious, even in a situation like this. He let out an exasperated sigh, but was unable to hide the amusement on his face as he regarded him. “Oh, you’re definitely an ace at persistence,” he told him, squeezing him just a little firmer to shut him up. He could tell the other was holding back his noises - probably for Chacha’s sake, or perhaps he was just embarrassed - but either way, yet again, Jaeshin was alarmed by how endeared he was by the small gesture. Still, even writhing in pleasure and biting back his sounds of ecstasy, he was able to still be mouthy, yet again, how could Jaeshin be annoyed by it when it was so inherently Ace? There was something unpredictable yet impossibly predictable when it came to Ace, always seeming to do to the unexpected yet doing exactly what Jaeshin had thought he would. Maybe he wasn’t as spontaneous as he thought. Maybe Jaeshin knew him better than he thought. Both thoughts sat uncomfortably in his stomach, but he didn’t dwell on it, distracted by heated, flushed skin beneath his fingertips and a heaving chest beneath his lips. He didn’t mind as Ace pulled him back for a deeper kiss, bruising his lips back just as more as he increased the pace of his hand, eager to tug him into release - and maybe, at least change his own underwear before crawling back into bed with him, his boner straining against his boxers and practically dripping at the erotic sight before him. He was simply observing him - and yeah, Jaeshin had pictured this before, had wondered if Ace was really as good as he always insisted he was, how he might feel pressed against his skin, how he might taste - and there it was again, that feeling of simultaneously being unpredictable and predictable, because it was clear from the way he held himself and talked about himself that Ace was hot and charismatic and it was obvious that he was skilled in the bedroom, but still, he wasn’t like the way he’d pictured; he was better. There was heat flashing between their bodies, pangs of arousal shooting down his spine, but again, Ace was full of surprises, and there was something sweet and painful in the way he kissed him, like he wanted him closer but he wanted to keep him at a distance. Maybe Ace was pulling him closer, trying to reel him in, but the harder Ace pulled him in, the harder Jaeshin pulled back, Maybe he was the reason for the distance between them. Maybe he should give in already. Lowering his lips to those tattoos across his chest again, he let out a soft moan of appreciation at his large hands kneading his muscle again, his fingertips stretching to dance around the sensitive skin beyond his cock, the skin of his balls, the skin of his lower stomach just above, the skin of his inner thighs. Simply exploring, soft and gentle, before returning to tug on his cock again. Feeling the way Ace needily rutted his hips up, Jaeshin kissed his way back to his lips, moaning softly into his kiss. He liked the way he kissed with a bruising passion, liked they way he’d be able to feel the press of his fingertips against his neck for days afterward. His words were unexpected, though, a sudden knife through the gut at the muffled words between licks and bites. Jaeshin felt as though the air had been punched out of him, felt his heart (and dick) betray him at the way it flipped (and twitched) at the words. Heat springing to his cheeks, Jaeshin nibbled on his lower lip, tugged his cock harder, twisting his hand to bring him closer to release. “Sh-shut up, man, you don’t mean that,” he muttered, moving his lips to Ace’s collarbones to kiss over the marks he’d already left, sucking hard on the bone. 

There was something almost adorable in the slight impatience Ace held - though he’d been quiet for most of it, head tilted back and clearly succumbing to the feeling of Jaeshin’s lips on his skin, he was more vocal when it came to the teasing. Looking at him with a playful smile as he loosened his grip and circled just his fingers on the tip, thumb digging lightly into the slit but not really giving anything but these light, teasing touches. “Impatient, impatient,” he tutted, letting out a short tsk sound. “If you want this to happen again, you’ll have to play your cards right, he hummed in response, curling his fingers arond the head of his dick and jerking only the tip. Once again, there was that unusual feeling of fondness fluttering in the base of his stomach as he eyed the older beneath him, gaze dark as he observed every expression that passed over his face, every shift in his face and every glint in his eyes. Ace really was beautiful, he thought, licking his way into his mouth, his thumb pressing down hard against the tip as his long fingers wrapped around his shaft again and jerked him properly. It was almost unfair - the way he was so effortlessly handsome, oozing charisma and dark promises of a good time, impossible to resist. That was the problem, really; he was irresistible, and the push and pull that they’d had over months had never been an if Jaeshin would give-in, but rather when. Because, if he was honest with himself, he’d been attracted to Ace the moment he walked into the pub - but he’d thought nothing of it, was attracted to a lot of beautiful men and women as they walked through those doors and batted their eyelashes for discounts (which Jaeshin didn’t give, but he found batting his eyelashes just right back at them would get him tips). As Ace had become a regular presence in the club (in his life) he’d found that cheeky grin pressing in the corners of his consciousness now and again, just a small quirk of his lips as  he imagine how Ace would respond to that, what Ace would do if he was faced in that situation. He wasn’t an idiot, knew that the other was insanely attractive, but he was alarming himself with just how badly he wanted to please him just for the sake of pleasing him, of taking care of him. Flexing just slightly underneath Ace’s warm palm, Jaehin’s hand increased its movement and he ducked his head, nipping lightly once more as he explored Ace’s chest. His lips were almost gentle as he sucked along the gentle slopes and lines he found there, his lips attaching to his nipple and roling his tongue against him. Kissing gently across to the other side, Jaeshin let out a small growl. “C’mon, babe, you can do it,” he muttered, sucking hard before moving back to kiss him deeply, his free hand moving to roughly thumb at the slight mess he’d made, feeling his own erection straining against his boxers. He let his hips dip just slightly, most of his body weight resting against his anyway, pressing his hips to the inside of Ace’s thigh as though to say this is what you do to me.

“A ‘demon’ isn’t far from the truth,” he muttered. He nodded with a roll of his eyes, wrinkling his nose at him. “If you tried to sleep naked in my bed I’d make you sleep on the couch,” he threatened, before giving him a mockingly flirty smile, batting his eyelashes exaggeratedly. “What a gentleman.” Yet, hovering over Ace in his bed, lips attached to his collarbone and fingers dallying in the drawstring of his loose trackpants, he felt as though his actions definitely countered his words, but as he left marks along the smooth, tanned skin, his tongue soothing over them to take the sting out of the pull of skin between his lips, the gentle nip of his teeth, he found he didn’t really care. He could see the fading marks littered on his neck, his collarbones, his chest, knowing they were from other people - and whether it was from one other person or several other people, Jaeshin had an odd desire to cover them all with their own marks, to give Ace something to look at in the mirror and remember this, remember him. He wanted him to remember that even though he could easily have anybody - easily has anybody - it’s the grumpy, distant bartender that left these marks, made him feel that way, and - well - left him wanting more. Jaeshin placed his lips over all the fading marks, carefully sucking his own over them, one hand moving to squeeze his waist while the other arm pressed into the mattress beside his head to keep his balance. Jaeshin hummed softly, glancing back at him through his lashes, dark fringe falling into his eyes as he continued to press kisses along his body, drinking in the aroused smile Ace gave him, his fingertips tracing the slope of the V his hips formed. “I got you into this mess, didn’t I?” He joked, long fingers sliding into the waist band of his boxers, not touching anything just yet but teasing him, rubbing his fingers along the curve of his hip beneath his boxers. He raised an eyebrow at his words, lips moving back to meet his in a soft kiss, before peppering his kisses back to his jaw. “Not this time,” he hummed back nonchalantly, almost a silent promise that this could happen again, even if he didn’t see it happening again. Not with hickeys that weren’t his littered over his body, with the way his very aura exuded confidence and promiscuity, everything Jaeshin wasn’t. And perhaps he was a little bit selfish, wanting to leave Ace something to remember him by - because, if Ace’s lips tasted like summer, like late night walks on the beach and wind cutting through your hair as you raced down the street at 100 kilometres an hour, all the windows down and laughter lost to the wind, then surely this time with him was a summer dream, fleeting and perfect but worst of all, short and sweet and never again. Ace was everything he craved and everything he didn’t need - he was adventure and fun but Jaeshin was responsible and safe, and even though he wanted so badly to give into this impulse, to indulge himself and live in the moment like the older seemed to do, he had to be safe, had to live life wearing a helmet and knee pads wherever he went, whereas Ace could slap on a leather jacket and say good enough. He kissed along his neck, finding one last fading hickey that he hadn’t covered before, and as he moved his lips over the mark, fingertips tracing the inside of his thigh and the backs of his knuckles barely brushing against the hot erection in Ace’s boxers, he had a sinking feeling that he, himself, was like those fading hickeys on his skin - sharp and pleasurable in the moment but long forgotten and easily replaced. He couldn’t bring himself to be upset over it, though; Ace was a canvas, and everything he did only added to the artwork; the marks on his skin, the faint sheen of sweat on his body, the way his chest heaved when he got worked up… and art had to be displayed, couldn’t be kept selfishly away in a small house, gathering dust and only for the owner to admire. Jaeshin left an almost painful bruise against the side of his neck, almost against his throat, blunt teeth digging lightly, carefully into the skin as he sucked hard before kissing back to his lips. Pulling back just enough so that their lips were still brushing, Jaeshin met Ace’s eyes as though asking for permission. His fingers moved, wrapping around Ace’s cock, and he gave it a firm squeeze without breaking eye contact, before his eyelashes fluttered shut and he connected their lips again, his skilled hand moving up and down as he deepened the kiss. 

At the bold statement, Jaeshin’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and he let out splutters of embarrassment, his cheeks burning red. “Sh-share the bed?” He repeated, looking slightly alarmed and slightly intrigued all at once. Pursing his lips and reaching up to scratch the back of his neck shyly, Jaeshin peered up at Ace through his eyelashes, almost coy with the way his cheek twitched with the effort of not smiling. “I guess we have no other option,” he sighed, attempting to look crestfallen (and failing), “so we’ll have to do that. Aish.” He tipped his head to the side, hair falling prettily into his eyes with the motion. “But I don’t think you’ll enjoy it. I sleep in boxers and I’m the cuddling type,” he said, eyes wide, wriggling his fingers spookily as though he were telling a horror story. “Bet the couch is looking pretty appealing now, huh?” Jaeshin scoffed at Ace insisting he would be Sleeping Beauty, rolling his eyes. “Alright, princess,” he said, pulling Ace’s arms around his neck and shoulders and moving his hands beneath his ass, “I guess you’re spending the night then. C’mon,” he said, standing and lifting him quite easily with him, arms flexing as he carried him, hands secured beneath his butt and helping him keep his legs wrapped around his hips - and sure, he could still feel the press of Ace’s erection firm against the divots of his abs, and whilst he still found that insanely hot, he was oddly endeared by it, oddly endeared by the unexpected turn of events and the fact that the other’s attraction to him was so obvious through the way he spoke to him, the way he looked at him, the way he felt pressed against him. Jaeshin’s expression softened and he pressed a gentle kiss to his lips before carrying him to his bedroom, gently lowering him onto the mattress and hovering over him for a moment, dipping his head and trailing soft kisses down his jawline and neck, lips simply brushing against the smooth skin. He ran his hand down the other’s chest, fingertips grazing the toned muscle, and supported his weight with the other. He raised an eyebrow in question. “I might not be ready for you to touch me, but…” He trailed off, hooking his fingers into his waistband and pursing his lips thoughtfully. “…I guess we could do something to help sort out your problem.”

A soft giggle fell from his lips - that ticklish spot again - at the gentle squeeze at his sides, a small, sleepy smile spreading over his lips as he stared up at him, fluffy fringe falling into his eyes. “I offered,” he pointed out, before his brows furrowed and he tipped his head to the side, “are you saying you want to take the mattress in my daughter’s room?” He asked, utterly perplexed by the statement. “Because, trust me, I’d be much more comfortable with you in my bed. I’d literally rather share my bed with you than let you use that mattress,” he grimaced, just a slip of that grumpy, cold Jaeshin that Ace was more familiar with trickling onto his face. He hummed softly, an absentminded habit that he never really paid much mind to, whether it was quietly under the louder music at the bar or even hours earlier when he’d been grocery shopping, and fiddled with the band of Ace’s trackpants, before spreading his palms out over his thighs and resting them there lightly, a slight pout on his face. “I don’t drool,” he grumbled, “– I mean, maybe a little, but that’s natural, okay? It’s probably you who wouldn’t want me to see your drooling face,” he countered back childishly. He almost felt silly for offering the bed to Ace, thinking this was his way of kindly rejecting his offer and saying it wasn’t necessary to use his bed. One cheek puffed out, his tongue pushing it out as he looked down sulkily. “If you don’t wanna stay over, you just have to say it, like, I get it,” he grumbled, drumming his fingers against his thighs and looking away with his brows kntted together, “it was just an offer, man,” he added with a huff. His earlier thoughts had been right, he decided,  sullen as he reflected that he made the right choice if Ace didn’t even want to stay over after a simple make out session.

As soon as disappointment coloured the other’s face, Jaeshin felt a sharp pang cut through his gut, a sense of regretful guilt churning inside, because while he was the one to put an end to it, it wasn’t because he didn’t want more. But the moment passed as quickly as it came, with a hushed laugh and an easy joke - and just like that, things felt normal again, like it could be any Thursday night at the bar with Ace hanging over the counter and following his every movement, with Jaeshin pretending he was unbothered but really he was sauntering a little more than usual, rolling up his sleeve more than necessary to impress the other, albeit subconsciously. “Always leave them wanting more, right?” He breathed back, his voice wispy and almost lost to the silence of the room. Somewhere along all the late nights and the excessive flirting, the other had managed to leave his mark on Jae without either of them even noticing - or maybe Ace had noticed, had noticed the way his eyes would linger on him just a little longer to see if he enjoyed the drink, had noticed the way he would always turn back to him to keep chatting even when making drinks for someone else, had noticed the way that after every rejection, after every denial of any kind of relationship beyond customer and server, he had countered it by offering him a drive home, opening his home to him, having him on his lap in the early hours of the morning. Earlier he’d thought that Ace was a puzzle, something he had to solve, but he was beginning to think that maybe he was the puzzle that he couldn’t solve, and that he needed Ace’s help to solve it. He followed his gaze down to their laps, a soft tint on his cheeks at how visibly worked up they both were, and his mouth felt dry - he figured he’d just have to suck it up and deal with it, especially since choosing to stop there was his decision. He raised an eyebrow at the question, wondering why he suddenly felt so cold at the thought of Ace leaving, especially at this hour. He definitely was in no state to drive him home at this point, and he knew that the other wasn’t exactly rolling in money to just take an Uber willy nilly. “Well…” He began, but then Ace’s lips were on his again and he couldn’t quite remember what he was trying to say. He indulged him in the gentle lip lock for a few moments, arms slinked loosely around his hips, for once not feeling ticklish as he felt Ace’s hands pressing gently into his sides. When he pulled away, noses still brushing and lips practically touching, he blinked at him before letting out a soft hum. “…you can stay. If you want. I - uh –” he swallowed and pulled back slightly, teeth tugging on his lower lip almost anxiously. “I have a spare mattress in Chacha’s room that I use when she has nightmares. You can take my bed. If you want.”

There were so many things happening at once - between Ace’s teeth tugging on his lips and his warm body rolling against his and the firm butt beneath his palms, Jaeshin wasn’t sure what to focus on. His thoughts were clouded, only a repeated mantra of Ace, Ace, Ace, echoing through every crevice of his mind, invading every corner, filling his brain to the brim of what Ace looked like, sounded like, felt like. He let out a vague sound of protest as the other shifted back slightly in his lap, already missing the sensation of his hard cock against his, but he found he couldn’t protest when lips found his collarbones and danced across his bare skin. His head tilted back to lay on the back of the couch, eyes screwed shut in pleasure as he enjoyed the experienced kisses along his skin. Jaeshin moved his hand to tangle in Ace’s fluffy hair, tugging on it lightly as he nipped at the particularly sensitive spot in the divot just between his collarbones. A soft groan fell from his lips when Ace’s hand crept up his thigh, finally touching him where he wanted - and everything was too much and not enough at the same time, hushed pants falling from his lips as his hips rutted into the sensation, his back arching under the other’s tongue as it mapped out each line of his chest. He could feel the way Ace’s body was straining, pulled taut with his effort to stay comfortably on the couch, so he squeezed his ass with one palm again to help support his weight, the other arm looping easily around his waist to help hold him up. Meeting his gaze, chest heaving as he attempted to calm down, Jaeshin found himself trying to figure out what was going on in the other’s head, what he was waiting for. He swallowed heavily as he caught his breath, Adam’s apple bobbing and lips pink and wet from all the kissing, his hair ruffled and gaze dark, only the yellow light from the other room washing over his complexion now. Staring at Ace, though, he couldn’t stop the admiration that was licking on the inside of his belly, eyes drinking in everything from his tanned complexion to the soft lines of his abdomen, his eyes bright and curious, filled with a kind of sincerity that Jaeshin wasn’t sure he’d ever seen there before - and maybe he’d always looked that sincere and Jae had simply been too busy rolling his eyes to notice, but there was something about the glimmer in his eye, a softness in his smile that made it clear he just wanted to please. Yet, even as red-hot desire licked up his spine, the momentary lapse from action gave his mind a chance to clear so that he could actually think beyond the rose-coloured blooms of Ace, Ace, Ace clouding his mind. What was he doing? He didn’t do this, didn’t do the one-night-stand thing or a once-off fling, certainly not with his daughter asleep in the next room. However much he wanted this - craved this - he had to put his selfish desires aside, because he knew that if he gave in once, he would give in over and over again. And when Ace got bored, having won the chase and uncovered all the mysteries about him, how could Jaeshin possibly explain to Chacha that her self-proclaimed bodyguard wasn’t going to be around anymore? There were too many factors to consider - and sure, he could just get a blowjob, ask Ace to jerk him off right then and there - and God knew he wanted to do the same - but he’d be gone by the morning and Jae would be left with that incomplete feeling, that subtle sting of rejection and abandonment. Forcing a small smile, and trying to calm his racing heart, Jae reached forward to cup his cheek gently, not wanting to hurt his feelings - because he appreciated the offer, he really did, and the way it felt like he was in that glass bauble with him again, where only the two of them existed, yet could easily be shattered, broken apart… He wanted this, desire clear in his gaze as he regretfully whispered, “I only said winner gets a kiss, right?” Jaeshin’s lips pressed together and he looked away, swallowing heavily, before he met his eyes again. “It’s late,” he said softly, subconsciously tugging him closer with a hand on his hip and the other carefully holding his face, pulling it forward to rest their foreheads together. “We should sleep.”

It was hard to decide what was better - Ace’s hands on his body, or his hands on Ace’s. He enjoyed exploring the expanse of smooth skin beneath his palms but there was no denying that the feeling of calloused hands tracing his body was intoxicating, especially when those hands belonged to a surpsingly cute boy who fit so well in his lap. He was aware of the erection pressing against his inner thigh, but it only made his chest feel warm, a weird sense of pride rippling through him at the knowledge that he’d done that. He felt dizzy with the thought that he’d elicited such a reaction out of the confident flirt in his lap, and between warm bodies and fuzzy thoughs, his own pants tightened as he gripped his waist tighter. His eyes were dark and trained on Ace as he let the other tug him around by the hair, clearly enjoying the slight pain and the way he was controlled just by the roots of his hair. He could see a cacophony of emotions swimming on the older’s face, but he was too tired and confused to really attempt to decipher it. If he took the time to read even one emotion on Ace’s face, he was worried he would grow attached - even now, this time with him, he knew he would regret it in time to come but he ignored that responsible voice in his head for the time being, chose to live in the moment. It was like Ace was an orchestra, where every single part of him blended together to create something beautiful, but Jaeshin was sitting near the violins, too focused on one, small, beautiful section to appreciate it all. Well, that had to change. He raised an eyebrow as he was granted permission to leave marks, a smug smile sliding over his face as he leaned forward again and began to kiss and suck gently at the soft skin. He could feel Ace’s hand creeping up his thigh, close to where his pants were steadily growing less comfortable but not close enough, the thin fabric of his sweatpants doing litte to his the sensation. A part of him wanted to encouraage Ace further, to boldly grab his hand and pull it right where he wanted, but a larger part of him was still cautious and knew he didn’t want anything beyond making out, so he ignored that urge for now and instead settled his hands on his hips, squeezing and kneading the flesh lightly as he kissed a line of kisses down his neck. One hand traced along the curve of his waist, roaming the soft skin while the other familiarised itself with his body. The teasing on his thigh was driving him insane, but he focused his frustration on the smooth skin beneath his lips, sucking in small, purple marks along the collarbone, against his neck - anywhere, really. As fingers grew bolder on his thigh, he grew more and more impatient, and with a soft huff, Jaeshin moved his hands to cover Ace’s ass - he’d noticed the other doing the same to him, and certainly wasn’t complaining - feeling the soft flesh beneath his palms and squeezing lightly, hesistantly. He was suddenly aware of the tightness of his pants, of the press of Ace’s hips against his and the other’s hard cock pressing into his thigh. When he found no protest, Jaeshin kneaded the flesh lightly, pulling the other forward into his lap so that their cocks were aligned, and gently pressed his fingertips against his ass, encouraging him to roll their hips together. His lips parted in a breathy gasp at the sensation, noting that their trackpants really did nothing to conceal the warm press of Ace’s body against his, and swallowing heavily, he looked up from the masterpiece he’d left against tanned skin and met Ace’s eyes. His gaze was impossibly dark as he rested his forehead against his, beginning to feel sweat bead at his hairline as he carefully rutted his hips up into the sensation, finally meeting the steady rolls of Ace’s hips for the first time, soft pants leaving his lips before he tilted his head slightly and let the sound be caught by the other’s mouth, his eyes fluttering shut in pleasure at the sensations coursing through his body. And there was that voice again, that real buzzkill telling him that no matter how attractive Ace was, no matter how much he was enjoying the drag of his hips on his, this wasn’t worth it in the long run - and he knew this, knew that someone was free-spirited as Ace was the kind of person that could break his heart, but how could he possibly say no when he was tangled together with him? 

Feeling the way Ace shifted in his lap, Jaeshin’s jaw clenched and his grip around his waist tightened, fingers dancing along his skin as he moved above him, not quite bold enough to encourage the movement but digging his fingers in just enough to show his appreciation for it. Despite the fact that he liked to be in control, especially in this kind of situation, he liked the push and pull with Ace, the way it felt like he had control but only because Ace let him. Perhaps it was because he was older, more experienced, or maybe it was because of the easy charimsa the other had, the way he knew how to get what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to get it. Still, Jaeshin enjoyed this, enjoyed being the one in charge of the pace of their kisses - and sometimes he’d get carried away, feeling urgency prickling down his spine as he deepened the kiss and pulled Ace tightly against his chest, encouraging him to rock down in his lap - but sometimes he’d slow down, kissing him languidly with his hands spreading wide against the small of the mechanic’s back, pressing his chest into his as he lazily explored his mouth. And then, Ace would do something - a flick of the tongue, a fleeting smirk into their kiss - and that urgency would prickle down his spine again, pressing him harder against him, encouraging every centimetre of their body be pressed together. He hummed softly into the kiss as he felt Ace’s hands beginning to explore his body, eyes fluttering shut as he felt lips against that sensitive spot - and whether it was a coincidence that Ace happened to keep hitting that spot, or if the other had already started to figure out how his body worked, it didn’t really matter to him as he let out a soft, pleased gasp at the sensation. A blush immediately sprang to his cheeks, licking down his neck at the suggestion, his fingers subconsciously tightening around his waist as their lips met each other’s once again. He contemplated his words for a moment, before deciding fuck it, since he was already shirtless and he thought it was only fair that Ace was too. Breaking the kiss proved difficult though, since his lips kept chasing Ace’s every time he attempted to pulll back but after a few attempts he managed to lean back against the couch, hands sliding down the curve of Ace’s hips and squeezing his thighs lightly, eyes dark as he looked him over, from his messy hair, to the way the golden light flushed over his cheekbones, to his strong thighs balanced in his lap, a real treat for his eyes. Large hands smoothing over his thighs, Jae took his time as he dragged his palms over the muscle, thumbs brushing along his inner thigh with just the slightest amount of pressure before his gaze followed the path of his wandering hands drifting over his hips and slipping under the hem of his shirt. His fingertips were gentle as they glided over his skin, his shirt bunching over his wrists as he carefully pulled it up. His eyes were drinking in every inch of soft, tanned skin as it was exposed - and sure, Ace didn’t have rippling muscles like he did, but his skin was soft and smooth to the touch and if Jaeshin drooled a little bit - well, no one had to know. He gulped heavily as he spotted ink curling up his sides and scattered across his chest, eyes darkening even further as he tugged the shirt up and over Ace’s head, eyes unshamedly roaming his exposed body while his hands deftly folded up the shirt. He leaned forward to place it on the coffee table behind him, but used this opportunity to gently place his lips on his tattoos, pressing small, soft kisses along the ink, his hands settling on his lean waist and tugging him closer. “You didn’t tell me you were this pretty,” he muttered against his skin, before pulling back just enough to appraise the sight of him, sprawled in his lap and out there simply for him to take. He licked his lips and visibly gulped, before reaching with one hand to trace the barely-there lines of his abdomen, fingertips smoothing over soft skin as he simply admired him for a moment. The shadows that the dim lighting cast across his body made him appear almost ethereal, light dimpling over his collarbones and pecs, and the longer Jaeshin spent staring at him the stronger his desire grew, and with a small growl, his hands settled on Ace’s hips and jolted him forward, crashing their lips together almost bruisingly as his hands squeezed his hips and encouraged him to rock backwards and forwards in his lap, feeling dizzy from the shared body warmth (and maybe the lack of oxygen too). Needing to breathe, Jaeshin pulled back from the kiss, but he couldn’t resist the smooth skin in front of him and immediately trailed kisses down Ace’s jaw, reaching up with one hand to tilt his head back with two fingers under his chin, and carefully kissed down the column of his throat, sucking lightly before sliding his hand into the other’s hair to gently cup his neck as he dotted kisses along his collarbone. “Hmm….” He hummed against his skin, teeth pressing lightly against the juncture where his neck and shoulder met, “…can I leave marks?”