Work Text:
Taeyong fumbles around on his bed, trying to stop the ringing.
"Hello?" Taeyong cringes at his own voice, heavy with sleep.
"Did I wake you up? Sorry, but do you know where the lint roller is? I'm about to leave," Taeyong can hear Donghyuck puttering around outside his door like he was hesitating to come in or not and just ended up calling him.
"No, you didn't. And yeah, it's on the shelf by the door. Where are you going?" Taeyong fights the urge to roll his eyes; Hyuck did in fact wake him up.
"You don't remember? Dream's having a stupid early schedule tomorrow. Some grandma's house in the country or something. Ah, I found it, thanks. See you tomorrow, sorry for waking you up!" and before Taeyong can tell him otherwise, Donghyuck hangs up.
When he hears the front door slam shut he tosses his phone aside and rubs his eyes. His head is still hazy with some remnants of sleep, but he gets up and heads into the kitchen. Doyoung promised him some food earlier and while eating is the last thing on his mind, he knows he should get something in him.
Sure enough, there's a container with a note saying 'This better be gone before I wake up >:(' on the top, and Taeyong smiles to himself. Just as he takes his first bite of rice, Taeyong sees the light dance across the crack between the floor and the door to Johnny's and Donghyuck's room.
Weird, Johnny's supposed to be with Mark doing... whatever they do these days.
Taeyong pushes the thought away the same time he nudges the door open. He's long since learned to choke down the pathetic sounds threatening to escape his mouth whenever he sees Johnny shirtless, but his pulse never seems to get the memo.
Johnny doesn't notice him yet, immersed in whatever English movie he's watching. Taeyong takes the time to trace the other's neck, following his collar bones, his toned arms, that one vein that likes to just pop up haunt Taeyong, the trail of hair that Johnny stopped bothering to shave since they stopped promotions, and Taeyong kicks himself before his eyes can run along further.
"Hey, have you eaten yet?" Taeyong allows himself to smile as he watches Johnny jump.
"Uh, yeah. Yongie, do you know how late it is?" Johnny asks and Taeyong can feel the heat start to creep up his neck, from the nickname or his embarrassment, he doesn't know.
"No, I passed out after getting home and showering, and I woke up a couple of minutes ago," Taeyong suddenly feels stupid for barging in with no reason, "Sorry, I'll leave."
"No, Taeyong, I don't mind you staying," and when Taeyong looks back he swears Johnny's skin is just a shade pink.
"Are you sure, you..." Taeyong motions to the TV, frozen on a blonde girl in a yellow plaid uniform.
Johnny shakes his head despite the lack of a real question and pats the space next to him.
Taeyong climbs onto the bed and for a split second, thinks about laying his head on Johhny's chest, but shoves that out of his mind as quickly as it came.
He puts his back against the headboard and brings his knees to his chest, feeling quite ungainly.
Johnny unpauses the movie, but Taeyong doesn't pay attention, instead looks around the room, at Donghyuck's gaming desk, a couple of empty cans of RedBull under said desk, two neat piles of laundry in the corner, 3 or 4 used candles littered around the room, their wardrobe, a couple of backpacks no doubt filled with camera equipment, and - a stack of Mark's and Johnny's polaroids.
Taeyong doesn't want to feel this way, doesn't want to be jealous of Mark. But he and Johnny are joined by the hip, and the way they talk to each other, look at each other, it's so much more, isn't it?
Taeyong sees movement in the corner of his eye, and before he can react, Johnny's arm is entending out and pulling Taeyong closer, Taeyong's face squished against Johnny's side.
He lets out a noise of surprise but doesn't move, just watches Johnny fiddle with the remote, turning on the Korean captions.
Taeyong's heart hammers in his chest and he can swear Johnny can hear it. Oh, he loves Johnny.
Oh, he loves Johnny.
Taeyong didn't know what his lovestruck moment was gonna look like, didn't think about it. Maybe a pretty proposal in a winter wonderland, or traveling with them and seeing all the unique quirks and secrets of the world, or performing with them in front of thousands, but it wasn't being on Johnny's bed in his pajamas on a Wednesday night, or Thursday morning for all he knew, watching him wordlessly care for him. Fuck, his heart can't do this to him. Johnny was a taken man, right? God, what was Mark going to do? What was he going to think of him?
"Hey, I can hear the gears in your head turning. Need to talk about something?" Johnny asks gently and Taeyong snaps back into reality.
"It's... I... Are, are you and Mark? A thing?" Taeyong doesn't know what he's saying, oh my God, what was he saying?
"A thing?" Johnny's eyebrows turn down, confusion written across his face.
"You know," Taeyong takes a deep breath, he doesn't even know, "an item, together, a couple?"
"Are you asking if Mark and I are dating?" Taeyong doesn't know what he expected but it wasn't Johnny looking shattered.
"Yeah, I mean, you two are inseparable, every minute of free time you two are together, and I just, I don't know, I thought you two may have been..." Taeyong hurries to explain himself but trails off at the end, picking at his nails and not daring look up at Johnny any longer.
The silence seems to suffocate Taeyong, making him want to claw at his chest and run away.
"Taeyong... I," Johnny starts after what seems like a millennium, "I don't know where you drew that conclusion from. It's actually kinda frustrating. Mark is like, my best friend, the little brother I never got to have. I wouldn't be together with him, couldn't be with him. Not when I've got eyes for someone else."
The last part sets a pile of bricks on Taeyong's chest.
"Oh, ok. Sorry."
He should go. It's late, and he just ruined any sort of pleasant atmosphere that could've existed. And Taeyong shouldn't be with Johnny like this if he has someone on his mind.
But when he tries to get up, Johnny takes his arms and plops him right back onto the bed.
"Where are you going?" Johnny laughs and Taeyong stares at him in disbelief.
How can anyone laugh in a situation like this?
"You-" Taeyong starts out, but Johnny puts his arm around Taeyong's shoulder again.
"-are watching a movie? Yeah, and you're gonna watch it with me, so scoot over, I'm about to fall off the edge," Taeyong doesn't move, mouth open in shock.
"But you- you said-"
"Said what?" Johnny looks at him with an eyebrow raised, almost daring him to go on.
"You said you liked someone? Shouldn't you be watching a movie with them like th- oh my god," Taeyong cuts himself off in realization and covers his mouth with his hand.
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
Johnny liked him.
"Oh my god, oh my god, holy, oh my," Taeyong can hear Johnny's amused laughter but it's all background noise because oh my god.
Taeyong tries to hide his face behind his fists, but Johnny grabs them and pulls them away.
Taeyong can see the older look over his face, and he instantly calms down, and does the same, taking in Johnny's strong eyebrows, his honey eyes usually full of mirth, but this time hold something Taeyong can't place his finger on. He follows his sharp cheekbones, Johnny's deep cupid's bow that Taeyong wants nothing more than to kiss, and if Taeyong looks hard enough, he can spot where Johnny's dimples come in.
"Hey," and oh, Johnny's voice is so much more delicate and softer.
"Hey," Taeyong dumbly replies, his mind finally finding words.
"What are you thinking?" Johnny asks for the second time that night, "I can see the steam coming out of your ears."
"Nothing," Taeyong answers and Johnny quirks his eyebrow, "That was a lot of 'oh my god's for nothing, hmm?"
Taeyong shrugs, causing Johnny to let out a small laugh.
They don't say anything, but Johnny smiles, and Taeyong melts into the bed.
"Can I kiss you?" Taeyong finds himself asking, and now he's sure Johnny can hear his heart when the other breaks out into an even bigger grin.
"I thought you'd never ask."