Chapter Text
Matthew has a theory.
Well, more so he saw a TikTok during his mindless midnight scroll that fed the theory into his noggin, and now his brain can’t help but remind him of that fact as he watches Jiwoong scarf down his order of extra spicy yupddeok.
It’s honestly humanizing seeing his usually standoffish-looking and statuesque hyung wipe his dribbling snot with his sleeve as he reaches again for the gallon of water to calm the hellfire torturing his taste buds. He can see the droplets of sweat forming at his hairline and the red flush spreading from his cheeks down his chest; even his lips look a little plump and red as Jiwoong pants and moans about how spicy it is. Does he look any less attractive in this state? Matthew thinks, unfortunately no—he still looks hot as hell, maybe as much as the yupddeok, and he can even feel an itch in his nose just from smelling how spicy that molten red sauce is.
So he can’t tolerate spice. Not even a little. But without fail, Jiwoong will order his favorite yupddeok spicy enough to cause stomach ulcers. The outcome is always the same: Jiwoong starts the meal with a few pieces, impatiently blowing on them before popping one in his mouth, slightly burning the roof of his mouth and panting out the hot steam from the freshly delivered yupddeok. If Hao were here he definitely would’ve scolded the eldest about eating too fast, but as always it falls on deaf ears. After the first bites, the spice starts to kick in. Then it’s a twenty-minute struggle between Jiwoong and the container of yupddeok—one that he loses badly every single time. He says he likes to challenge himself. He always saves his spicy food challenges for when they’re at home, because if he did this backstage before a performance or any event where he had makeup on, there’s no doubt he’d sweat it all off. In the end, he always has a half-eaten serving of yupddeok, the ratio of sauce to rice cakes painfully disproportionate. Matthew always hates leftovers, but he isn’t crazy enough to put himself through self-imposed torture. He’s Canadian, for God’s sake; his factory settings weren’t built to even come close to enjoying jalapeños on his pizza. Even right now he is quite enjoying his own serving of regular-ass jajangmyeon.
Still, it’s because Jiwoong enjoys it that he keeps ordering it over and over. Maybe that’s why Jiwoong admitted to enjoying suffering even in front of cameras and a whole team of staff. That little freak, Matthew thinks to himself, but now it’s laced with something a little different.
The theory goes like this: the capsaicin in spicy foods triggers the pain receptors that warn the brain that the body is experiencing pain, and so comes the tingling sensation. Now, people who like spicy food don’t mind the burn. In fact, most crave it. And that’s where it is comparable to enjoying BDSM: some BDSM plays into inflicting pain onto others, which is the whole appeal to someone who enjoys pain.
And maybe Matthew wants it to be real. It’s quite an interesting correlation for sure, and hey, it made sense to him in his own unprofessional and unqualified opinion.
Jiwoong finishes up, throwing away their takeout containers, then sits down beside Matthew on the cream couch with a new bottle of water in hand.
“Hyung.”
“Hmm?” The lid of the water bottle cracks loudly as Jiwoong twists it open.
“Why do you eat spicy food?”
Jiwoong gives a slightly confused glance at the question before answering,“Because I like the taste.” He lifts the bottle to take a sip.
“Hmmmm. Does it make you horny?”
Matthew’s question makes Jiwoong choke on his water.
“What—” He burst into a fit of coughs, Matthews instantly there to pat his back.
“Nah, never mind. Forget I asked.” He quickly adds after gauging the older’s reaction,
“Um, no. I don’t think you get to ask me that and then brush it off.” Jiwoong says when he's finally able to get a proper sentence out.
Matthew hesitates a bit before explaining. “Well, it’s just—I saw this TikTok—”
“A TikTok? Seriously?” Jiwoong stares at him deadpan.
“What—come on, I’ll show it to you.”
So he pulls out his phone to show Jiwoong the TikTok, with it's grating AI-generated voice and Subway Surfers gameplay in the background.
“Huh,” Jiwoong says once the video starts looping back.
“So, can you confirm—”
Jiwoong furrows his brows and rests his hand on his chin, as if he’s seriously contemplating it. “Hmm. I’m afraid I don’t have the data to confirm that hypothesis.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I haven’t done anything BDSM-related in the bedroom before, Matthew.”
Now that surprises him. Not that he thought Jiwoong looked like someone with BDSM experience, but Jiwoong is older than Matthew and he’d kind of assumed Jiwoong would’ve been more explorative.
“Aw man. Who else likes spicy food and is into BDSM?”
“Are you gonna go down a list?”
“I mean, there must be someone.”
Matthew stews in silence as he tries to come up with names for this theory. Though this would definitely be an HR violation if he went around asking people.
“Or,” he feels a large hand caress his upper thigh. “We do a little bit of hands-on experimentation.”
“Huh?”
He gets whiplash from how his head whips to meet Jiwoong’s face, Matthew tries to find a hint of a joke in his expression and comes up empty handed. Jiwoong continues, “You’ve got a willing participant that fulfills one of the variables, which is liking spicy food.”
Jiwoong gets up and his eyes can’t help but follow as the other settles and straddles his lap, trapping him on the couch.
“So all we have to do is engage in BDSM, right?”
“Uhhh—” The suggestion flusters him a bit. “I didn’t think you’d be this eager.”
Jiwoong’s expression visibly falters. “Maybe I’m a little curious too.”
“About the theory?”
“About trying BDSM.” Jiwoong looks sheepish as he says it.
“I have friends that tell me their experiences with it, and when done right, it sounds like a good time.”
The hands that were resting on his shoulders start smoothing across the plane of Matthew’s chest almost absentmindedly; it drives him a little insane in a good way. Jiwoong just can’t help but let his hand wander. The warmth from his hands sends tingles all the way from where it moves across his chest to the rest of his body. Especially his head which is currently occupied with not-so-innocent thoughts about how good Jiwoong looks in his lap. His hyung always looks so good, but right now, with the remaining flush from the spice combined with the expectant look he shoots him. The breaking point is when Matthew sees the older man’s eyes dart to his lips, and when Jiwoong’s pink tongue peeks out to wet his own.
Matthew gives into his urges and clumsily plants a peck on the corner of Jiwoong’s mouth, his spur-of-the-moment action misdirecting his aim. Without even a second passing, Jiwoong’s hands find the sides of Matthew’s face and give him a real kiss. Matthew can feel himself melt through the kiss as he grips the sides of Jiwoong’s thighs, using his strength to pull him closer, leaning together into the couch.
Jiwoong uses his whole body when he kisses; their chests press together as Jiwoong arches into the kiss. He thumbs at his jawline where his hands rest and his thighs squeeze around Matthew’s hips. Their mouths are moving with matched fervour when Jiwoong nips at his bottom lip. Matthew can’t stifle the moan he lets out. This lets the older’s velvety tongue slip past, both now moaning as they make contact. The kiss gets harder, hungrier as their mouths collide with more need. Jiwoong only breaks the kiss to breathe, then he dives back in. The couch creaks and the world around them shrinks, and for a few breathless minutes, they lose themselves in the heat of it.
When they finally separate, they’re both gasping and flushed, Jiwoong rests his forehead against Matthew’s. He lets out a low laugh. “You started that.”
“You did, too,” Matthew says, voice rough. He swipes a thumb across the other’s plush lips, a little stunned by how good that felt.
They sit with their steadying breaths. Matthew looks at Jiwoong, fingers drumming nervously at the hem of his shirt. “So—should we do it now?”
Jiwoong’s mouth quirks. “Now who’s the eager one?” He sits back onto Matthew’s knees. “I think we should do a bit more research first, so we’re both comfortable and know what we want. Then we’ll make up a plan. Sound good?”
“Sounds good to me,” Matthew says quickly, frankly he’s relieved because he hasn’t got the slightest clue on what engaging in BDSM entails. He shoots Jiwoong a playful grin. “Can we seal it with a kiss?”
Jiwoong rolls his eyes affectionately. “So greedy.”
He leans in and kisses Matthew, slow this time. When he pulls away, there’s a telltale sound of their lips parting, and Jiwoong brushes his nose against Matthew’s. “We’ll read up,” he murmurs. “And then talk. No pressure, okay?”
“Okay hyung.”