Work Text:
⸻
Just like any other time, the city night fell.
Sticky music, the scent of perfume scattering as people brushed past, the continuous motion of wrists lifting glasses.
Nut sat leaning against the bar as he always did, one arm draped over the counter, wetting his lips with his drink.
He wasn’t trying to savor the taste.
It was just that—as William had once pointed out—if his hands were empty, he looked too conspicuous.
William was already trying to catch the bartender’s eye for his third refill, while Tui stood by with his arms crossed, swirling a glass that held nothing but ice, staring at Nut.
"The sound of your eyes rolling is getting loud," Tui said.
"If you're going to be like that, just text him and ask where he is."
His tone was slightly fed up, but clearly mixed with amusement.
"Ha, a man fallen into obsessive love," William chimed in with a similar tone.
"The tongue that used to roll so smoothly is frozen, and he chases after anyone who even has a similar crown of hair desperately. It’s just like—"
"Like a dog."
"A total dog."
William and Tui spat the words out simultaneously.
Nut—without even bothering to deny it—laughed roughly and put down his glass.
"That's a bit harsh," Nut said, offering a belated excuse.
"But well, I already admitted I’m the obsessive type."
Nut didn't even pretend otherwise anymore, glancing alternately between the entrance and his phone.
He tried to convince himself that the 'someone' he was looking for simply hadn't arrived yet, forcing the thought that he might be being avoided to the far back of his mind.
Where are you?
There was no reply to the text he sent over thirty minutes ago.
A strange, unfamiliar feeling weighed down on one side of his chest.
Instead of his glass, he picked up his phone to scroll through their past conversation.
It seemed fine until a few days ago, but since last night, something felt subtly off…
Feeling like his stomach was twisting, Nut finally decided to ask his two friends for help—which, of course, might not be a good idea, but he felt desperate enough.
"You guys have to help me."
Nut put on a grim expression and dragged William and Tui to the makeshift rest area outside the club.
"Did I do something wrong?" Nut shoved his phone in their faces, and William and Tui’s eyes lit up.
(Yesterday)
Hong: Lego insists we have to go to a rooftop today.
Nut: The short one among your friends?
Hong: Yeah, we’re having coffee and he says the weather is perfect rooftop mood.
Nut: Not bad. Shall we meet later?
Hong: Sure.
...
Nut: I’m here. Where are you?
Hong: On my way. What perfume are you wearing today?
Nut: The one you said was good the day before yesterday—spicy, woody one.
Hong: Hmm, yesterday’s was good too. Didn’t I tell you that?
Nut: Then I’ll wear that next time. I want to match your taste.
...
Hong: Nut, did you come with someone other than your friends today?
Nut: No? Oh, you’re here. I’ll go to you, stay there.
Hong: Oh, Okay.
...
Nut: You should've let me take you home. Get home safe, baby.
Nut: Text me when you arrive, please?
(Today)
Nut: Morning. Were you tired yesterday?
...
Nut: Hong, what are you doing? Did you have lunch? I ate with Tui.
...
Nut: Busy?
...
Hong: A little bit. Where are you going today?
Nut: Oh, going to **. William said he’ll be there first.
...
Nut: Are you coming? I’ve arrived.
Nut: I’m wearing the one you said you liked, baby. Come and smell it. See you soon.
...
Nut: Where are you?
William and Tui exchanged glances after reading the conversation.
An awkward look passed between them. Ah…
They both stood there with their arms crossed, choosing their words carefully.
"Did I REALLY do something wrong?"
Nut, growing impatient at their reaction, pressed for an answer.
"Since last night, he seems to be—avoiding me, and I don’t know why."
Tui, looking at William as if telling him to speak, finally let out a small sigh.
"Here—" He tapped a specific part of the screen.
"Here, Hong asked if you came with someone else, and you immediately said 'No'."
"Well," Nut answered, frowning slightly.
"Because I didn't."
"I think I know who Hong saw yesterday," William scoffed.
"You don't even remember the person who said hi and gave you champagne at the bar yesterday, do you?"
He’s turned into an idiot—patting the shoulder of an annoyed William, Tui continued.
"That person was touching your collar. And you were smiling. From Hong's perspective..."
Tui shrugged, feigning awkwardness.
"Oh, Shit…"
Nut covered his face with both hands, realization finally hitting him.
⸻
Lego: Write on my tombstone that I died waiting for you.
Hong: I’m almost there. I’m not late; you just arrived early.
Soothing the impatient Lego, Hong arrived at the rooftop.
It was more crowded than usual today.
Under the dark night sky, the lighting hung heavy, settling on the floor, and the bass dropping from the speakers thumped like an old pump beating against the ground.
Nut: Then I’ll wear that next time. I want to match your taste.
Playing sweet. Cute.
Hong, who was being dragged in by Lego who had run out unable to wait, checked Nut's text and let out a slight smirk.
"Ah! He's dating. So annoying."
Lego screamed, his face already flushed from the alcohol.
"Just a moment ago, you were making a fuss about how cute their flirting stage is," Est said, leaning back against the chair, tapping the table slowly.
"Shut up," Lego grumbled, shaking his glass, but his face was beaming with a smile.
Hong sat between them.
He took the glass and rolled it slightly in his hand.
The condensation forming under the glass felt cold as it seeped into his palm.
Then, subtly, he looked around, searching for a familiar face.
"Huh?" Est was the one who spotted him first.
He leaned in and whispered into Hong's ear.
"Over there, by the bar. Don't make big movements, just turn your head."
Where Hong looked, Nut was standing by the bar, looking indifferent and relaxed as if the space belonged to him.
White shirt with three buttons undone, sleeves rolled up, hair half-swept back.
Dressed a little looser than usual—he was smiling.
"Huh?" Hong raised an eyebrow and straightened his back.
A hand with dark nail polish was fingering Nut's shirt collar.
The champagne glass that must have been in that hand just a moment ago was now in Nut's hand, and their heads were getting closer—Nut tilted his head and leaned in to listen.
With that smile, that damn smile you acted like you would only show to me.
Nut, did you come with someone other than your friends today?
Hong clenched his jaw unknowingly and typed quickly.
Nut saying something to the other person with a smile in his eyes before checking his phone was all too visible.
Nut: No? Oh, you’re here. I’ll go to you, stay there.
Hong replied 'Okay', but pouted as he watched Nut stand up and gently hug the person.
What an ‘obsessive type’ indeed. He seems pretty generous.
Watching Nut with that soft face navigating through the crowd, Hong felt his insides boil.
I knew it, I do. I know that the subtle change in Nut’s expression when he looks at me is different from the smile or gaze he gives to strangers.
But Hong’s mood was already slipping.
"Fix your face," Est said quickly without moving his lips, waving his hand slightly at Nut.
Hong quickly emptied his glass, turned his head to ask for another one, and met Est's eyes briefly. "Not yet?"
"Not yet," Est shook his head slightly.
"You haven't even received a confession yet. Just hold it in for today."
Hong downed the refilled glass and asked for another one.
Only then could he manage a smile for Nut, who had finally pushed through the crowd to reach him.
⸻
Hong sucked on his iced coffee through a straw, his face visibly carrying the fatigue of tossing and turning all night.
In the quiet afternoon cafe, Lego was sprawled out on the sofa with a hangover, while Est sat with the glowing face of a victor who had completed a perfect skincare routine last night, continuing the debate on Hong's existential romance.
"I told you he looks like a player," Lego grumbled in a dying voice.
"And you also said that makes him sexier."
Est patted Lego’s hip.
"Whatever it is," Hong pressed his throbbing temples and took another sip of coffee.
Nut: You should've let me take you home. Get home safe, baby.
"He acts like a dog wagging its tail when he sees me, playing sweetly, and even calls me 'baby'."
Frowning deeply, Hong swallowed his irritation while showing his friends the texts Nut had sent since last night.
Nut: Text me when you arrive.
"Did you text him?" Est asked.
"No way," Hong scoffed.
Nut: Morning. Were you tired yesterday?
...
Nut: Hong, what are you doing? Did you have lunch? I ate with Tui.
...
Nut: Busy?
"He makes me so fucking tired," Hong grumbled.
"He doesn't give me a break."
"That's because you're just ignoring him," Lego said with a faint voice, but Hong ignored him, busy trying to erase the thoughts tangling his mind.
At our age, aren't relationships supposed to be defined by some tacit agreement? No, then why do laws exist? Damn it, so what exactly are we?
"I CAN HEAR YOU, Hong."
Est diverted Hong's attention with a soft voice.
"If you just ask him first—" Lego asked, shooting up, then clutched his head again and curled up.
"No— absolutely not! I'm against it!"
Looking pitifully at Lego's suffering—whether it was frustration over Hong's love life or despair over the hangover—Est ordered a glass of ice water for Lego to chug.
Then, like a judge delivering the final verdict, he calmly declared to Hong:
"Just decide where to meet today. I'll make him really kneel and drool like a dog for you."
Hong: A little bit. Where are you going today?
Nut: Oh, going to **. William said he’ll be there first.
While Lego was passionately confessing his love to Est, saying he was so cool and they should get married, Hong grimly sent the text.
Nut’s reply arrived in less than 10 seconds. The three exchanged glances.
Their smiles deepened.
See you, Nut the poor boy.
⸻
"Oh, Shit..."
Nut covered his face with both hands as if realizing it only then.
"You guys are enjoying this way too much, and I'm screwed. Right?"
Amidst his friends who had finally dropped the serious act and were giggling, Nut felt like crying.
"Totally screwed," William answered cheerfully.
"You should've wagged your tail only for your owner."
"I never wagged my tail anywhere else—"
Nut groaned, squatting down and bowing his head.
"It's meaningless if it's not Hong... He's so pretty, I don't even see anyone else. I don't even remember the person who talked to me last night."
Nut's voice, clutching his head, trembled pitifully.
"That's true," Tui nodded in agreement.
"Whenever you see Hong, you go straight to him and even abandon us."
"Right, you bad guy," William chimed in.
"If it really doesn't work, get on your knees and beg—can I film that?"
"What should I do? Should I call him?"
Nut mumbled, ignoring his friends' voices.
"What if he doesn't answer? He must be really mad, right? Will he forgive me if I kneel and beg?"
"... Does that dog have an owner?"
At that moment, a cool voice cut through the three of them.
"Ho—Hong?" Nut reflexively shot up and turned his head.
Standing there, leaning crookedly against the wall at the entrance of the rest area with his arms crossed—was Hong.
Est and Lego stood beside him like bodyguards, staring at the three of them with faces full of ridicule.
Nut gulped.
A Hong he had never seen before—different from any version until now—was standing there.
Short grey hair, a mesh crop top, thin chains wrapped around his flat stomach and slender waist.
The glitter on his cheekbones under his eyes shone like jewels, and his plump lips looked like a symbol of sin.
It was dizzying.
"He's completely gone, isn't he?"
Lego whispered without moving his lips, and Est smiled with satisfaction.
Hong approached Nut like a Queen.
The eyeliner and red shadow on his eyes made him look even more lethal.
Nut stared at Hong, his mouth slightly open unknowingly.
Feeling like he wanted to kneel before Hong, he took a half-step closer.
"I've been watching for about 3 minutes," Hong raised his hand and fondled Nut's shirt collar.
"You were talking about something interesting."
Nut trembled slightly at the sensation of Hong's fingers touching him over the shirt.
"Are you sure you never wagged your tail anywhere else?"
Hong leaned in, bringing his lips close to Nut's ear, and whispered.
"N—no, I didn't," Gulp. Swallowing dryly like an innocent country girl, Nut nodded obediently.
"It's a misunderstanding, really. We just met by chance—I definitely didn't come with him. I swear, honestly, I didn't even remember until a moment ago. Still, I'm sorry. I won't let you misunderstand ever again."
Nut's words became faster and more desperate.
Hong twisted his lips into a satisfied smile.
"I know," he answered obediently, closing the distance a little more.
The scent, which Nut had deliberately worn, transferred to Hong.
"Besides that, you keep calling me 'baby'—am I your baby?"
Hong asked, dusting off Nut's shirt collar again—the exact spot where the stranger's hand had touched last night.
"I can't?" Nut carefully grabbed Hong's wrist.
"Let me call you baby, please?" Nut whined.
"Actually, I want to hear you call me baby," Nut pulled the wrist he was holding, draping it over his shoulder to wrap around his neck.
Then, wrapping his arms around Hong's waist, Nut whispered low into his ear.
"If that's not allowed, then just let me be your dog. Take me home and be my owner, please."
Hong finally burst into laughter. "Do you like me that much?"
At those words, Nut let out a long sigh and buried his face in the crook of Hong’s neck.
He tried to pretend otherwise, but the confession he couldn't hold back finally spilled from his lips.
“Who says they’ll be a dog for someone they don’t like? I’m completely into you. Don’t throw me away.”
And then, Nut left kisses as if begging endlessly.
"Okay, good boy."
Hong quietly stroked Nut's hair, then held his cheeks and lifted his head to meet his eyes.
"Then don't ever smile like that at anyone else in front of me again."
Hong's eyes narrowed.
"I won't. If you hate it, absolutely not."
Nut nodded and brought his lips close to Hong's.
“... Can I?” At the distance just before their lips met, Nut whispered.
“If you kiss me now,” Hong answered in a low, locked voice. ”We really become something.”
Nut inhaled, and finally, their lips met.
This... is what I've been missing all this time.
Nut thought as he devoured Hong's lips, which were softer and hotter than he could have ever imagined.
Even the sounds leaking from between Hong's lips were so sweet that he wanted to chew and swallow every bit of them if he could.
You stupid bastard,
Nut’s arm, which had been wrapped around Hong’s waist, now slipped under the mesh crop top, rubbing against the smooth skin—thumbing over his chest—while his other hand grasped Hong’s neck, pulling him in to press their bodies tightly together.
I'm never letting go.
Nut thought as he licked the inside of Hong's mouth, as if determined to memorize every contour.
Hong was—even as his mouth was blocked and he gasped for wet breaths—losing his mind in a different sense, as every word Nut had spat out earlier floated endlessly in his head.
'Take me home and be my owner, please.'
'Who says they’ll be a dog for someone they don’t like?'
'I’m completely into you. Don’t throw me away.'
The desperate confession and obsession contained in Nut’s low voice replaying in his mind—and that teary, unwavering gaze that seemed to cling to him even when he closed his eyes.
A chilling shiver of pleasure—born from everything in his head and this dirty, wet kiss—ran from his spine to the tips of his ears, no, pierced through to the top of his head.
Hong, melted into a boneless state, clung to Nut, accepting the deep kiss.
He felt physiological tears streaming from his unfocused eyes, but he couldn't control anything.
Just from a kiss—his body trembled from the greatest pleasure he had ever felt in his life. All strength had left his body long ago;
Nut’s solid thigh, wedged between his legs, was the only thing holding him up.
"Too late now," Nut gasped, barely pulling his lips away after wrapping his entire body around Hong.
"... You can't throw me away now."
"What owner... throws away... their dog?"
Hong replied, his voice cracked and breathless.
"You're... mine. I'm keeping you."
Hong buried his face in Nut's neck, wrapping his arms tightly around him, and mumbled barely audibly against Nut's ear.
At those words, Nut hugged Hong tight enough to crush him, burying his face in Hong's neck and bursting into a laughter that sounded like a sob.
"Yeah. Yours. My Master."
They laughed even as they were tangled in a mess, gasping for breath, covered in tears and sweat.
Night turning into day, and night again—a time that would continue forward.
It was laughter filled with anticipation and anxiety, flutter and excitement.
⸻
"Hey, this is kind of scary." William grabbed Tui and slowly backed away.
"It's not scary for me... but I feel dangerously like I've awakened to a new taste." Tui answered, his ears turning bright red.
At Tui's words, William quickly stepped two paces away from him with a guarded expression. "Not about you, idiot." Tui looked suddenly exhausted.
Lego had tears in his eyes. “Right now I’m—” he stomped his feet while covering his mouth. "So happy! It's so exciting! What do I do?" Leaning his head on Est's arm standing beside him, Lego chattered endlessly.
"Party! Wanna go party? Let's take Nut's friends too! I'll take care of him, Est, you bring that big-eyed one!" Watching Lego dash toward Tui like an arrow, Est gracefully swept his hair back and shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
⸻
That night—
In the hours after the music faded and the lights dimmed, when everything sank into deep silence.
Nut lay in bed, quietly watching Hong’s face as he slept, his body pressed clingingly against Nut’s side in exhaustion.
The red shadow and heavy eyeliner had vanished.
He left small, feather-light kisses on the bruised lips and the corners of his eyes, which were still swollen and damp with tears.
"Woof."
Brushing the hair off Hong’s forehead, he caught himself smiling like a total fool.
He didn't care.