calling: taeyong hyung <3
Jeno listened to the dial tone as the call connected, resting his head against the long train windows. The outside world was just flashes of light against the dark of the night, going by too fast to look like anything real. It was barely spring and it was still cold, and Jeno had caught the train alone.
Click!
"Jeno? Is everything okay?"
"Taeyong-hyung," Jeno blurted, startled by the sudden voice in his ear. "Uh, yeah, everything's fine! I just needed to ask you something."
Taeyong's breath hitched on the other end of the line. "I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask about this," he said hesitantly, "but I did tell you and the kids that I'm here to answer all of your questions, so..."
"You're actually the best person to ask, hyung," Jeno told him. "I feel like Jaehyun-hyung probably wouldn't have a clue."
There was a pause while Taeyong psyched himself up to begin The Talk. "Well," he said, his voice soft yet firm, with about a thousand layers of knowledge within it, "if you want to start having sex with Renjun, that's fine."
"Wait, what-?"
"Trust me, it's perfectly normal. But you do need to be aware of the protection you should use, and how to do it safely-"
"Hyung, I-"
"You don't have to be ashamed of being sexually active, Jeno. Especially now that you're technically an adult."
"But that's not even what I-"
"And if you are having sex with Renjun, make sure it's in a safe place and that both of you are comfortable, okay? It's really important-"
Jeno gave an impatient sigh, feeling his face flush at Taeyong's words. "Hyung!" he said loudly, "I'm not having sex with Renjun!"
It was like the entire train went quiet just to hear him say that. Several people turned to look at him, including a mother with three children and a group of girls who wouldn't stop giggling. Jeno slid further into his seat in embarrassment.
"Oh," Taeyong said, still doing his best to be helpful. "It's also okay to not be having sex, you know. It doesn't define your relationship. If you're not ready, it's okay to not want to-"
"I want to," Jeno said shortly. He pulled his hood up and tried to hide his face from the children who were still looking at him weirdly.
"You do?"
"Yes!" Jeno hissed. "Of course I want to... with Renjun, and... I don't know... we just haven't gotten round to it yet."
It was true. The long summer they'd spent together had been full of a lot of things, but not that. They'd gone to celebrate the Seoul Pride Parade with Jeno's mom, and they'd eaten a lot of ice cream, and spent many hours making out on Jeno's bed. That summer was everything they'd needed to patch up their relationship and get to know each other deeper. Renjun had said he wasn't ready. Or maybe that had been Jeno.
"Anyway," he said, putting summer break to the back of his mind, "that's not even what I'm calling you about."
"Oh. What is it, then?"
Jeno glanced in the direction of the other passengers, but thankfully they'd decided to ignore him again so he relaxed. "Do you know Renjun's exact dorm number?"
"Well, of course I-" Taeyong broke off, suddenly getting all excited. "Wait, Jeno, you're going to see him aren't you?"
Jeno's lips curled into a beaming smile, matching Taeyong's excitement with his own. "Don't tell anyone," he warned. "I want to surprise him."
"Aw... that's so romantic. I wish Jaehyun would move his ass and do something nice for me, for once."
"Yeah, good luck with that one, hyung," Jeno said, shaking his head.
"I'll keep dropping more hints that I want a surprise date. Oh, you needed Renjun's dorm number, right?"
"Yeah, please."
"I see what you're doing Lee Jeno, you sneaky little shit," Taeyong laughed. "Renjun's probably gonna cry. Hang on, I'll draw you a map of the campus and send it to you. It's dark outside."
Jeno grinned. Taeyong could see right through his plan. He just hoped Renjun would be just as pleased with the idea.
*
"Who's on the phone, babe?"
Taeyong ended the call and finished sketching a labelled map of the Busan Arts College campus for Jeno. He was so wrapped up in the task he barely heard Jaehyun approach.
Jaehyun snuck up on him from behind and snaked his arms around Taeyong's waist, pulling him in close. "The tteokbokki's done," he said, "and I've put out all the side dishes."
Taeyong jumped, but quickly relaxed and nestled into Jaehyun's embrace. "Good," he said absently. His tongue peeked out of the corner of his mouth in his concentration.
"What is that for?" Jaehyun asked, watching over his shoulder as Taeyong finished sketching and sent a picture of the drawing to Jeno.
Taeyong managed to shove his phone in his back pocket and wriggle around in Jaehyun's arms so that he was facing him instead. "You can't breathe a word of this to anyone," he said, looping his arms around his boyfriend's neck, "but I'm helping Jeno surprise Renjun."
"Surprise him?" Jaehyun repeated, slightly amused at how serious Taeyong was being. "How?"
"He's going all the way to Busan without telling him," Taeyong explained in a hushed tone, "so I have a feeling he may try and climb in through the window."
"Wow," Jaehyun marvelled. "Like, that's stupid, but kind of impressive."
Taeyong scoffed. "Yeah, well at least he's doing something to show that he cares."
Jaehyun paused. He tried to read the look in Taeyong's eyes, thinking over his words several times. "Are you saying I don't show enough affection?" he asked, immediately going to correct that by pressing a collection of light kisses to Taeyong's neck.
"Stop," Taeyong complained, fighting off a fit of giggles at the way Jaehyun's kisses tickled his neck.
"I can give you a lot more affection, if you'd like," Jaehyun offered teasingly. He moved his hands from where they held Taeyong's waist to tickle him in the ribs instead, which caused him to shriek in surprise.
"Okay, okay, I take it back!" Taeyong blurted between bursts of laughter and the heavy kisses Jaehyun teased him with. "Jaehyun..."
Jaehyun pulled away and smirked, just as there was a knock on their apartment door. "I'll show you how much I care later, babe," he promised, lips close to Taeyong's ear. "Just wait until after dinner."
"You're the worst," Taeyong laughed, hitting Jaehyun's chest and untangling himself from his grip. "Come on, that'll be Daehwi."
He rushed out into the hallway with his boyfriend in tow, eager to open the front door and welcome their guest. When the door was unlocked, Lee Daehwi was standing on the other side with a polite smile and a box of chocolates in his hands.
"Daehwi!" Taeyong gushed, ushering the younger boy into their home. "Come in, let me take your coat."
Daehwi handed the chocolates to Jaehyun and shrugged off his jacket, putting his school shoes neatly by the shoe rack Taeyong had set up by the front door. "Thanks for inviting me, hyung," he said, while Taeyong hung up his coat. "I thought this would be, like... I don't know... like a family thing. To celebrate you guys moving in."
"No, no, we'd love to have you over more," Taeyong assured him with a nod. "But you're right, it's a special celebration. That's why you're here."
Daehwi smiled at that, and he reached out to give Taeyong a sudden hug. Taeyong glanced over at Jaehyun questioningly, but all Jaehyun could do was shrug.
"Well, it's nice to be here," Daehwi said as he stepped back from Taeyong's embrace, finally beginning to relax.
Taeyong gave him a quick once-over, noting Daehwi's school uniform and messy hair. "Goodness," he said, leading the way into the rest of the apartment, "you haven't come straight from school, have you? It's late."
"No, I've been at a study class," Daehwi answered. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the hallway mirror as they passed, and tried to fix his hair a little. "I don't want to fall further behind."
"Ah, Jaemin did one of those for a bit last year," Jaehyun remarked, following the other two into the apartment's tiny living room. "But it got pretty expensive, so he quit..."
Speaking of his younger brother, when they entered the living room Jaemin was sprawled across the main sofa, absorbed in a biochem textbook from his recommended reading list. The sight of him made the other three stop short. A stifling atmosphere filled the small room - the kind that made you want to hold your breath.
"Gosh, I'd forgotten he was here, it was so quiet," Taeyong mumbled to himself.
"Hey, Mini Jae," Jaehyun said, all upbeat and doing his best to lift the mood, "you ready to eat?"
"Huh?" Jaemin closed the heavy textbook, keeping the page with his finger, and stared at them all blankly. "Oh," he added, clearing his throat. "Uh... yeah. Sorry. Hi, Daehwi."
Daehwi raised a hand in a half-hearted wave.
Taeyong watched them both with narrowed eyes. It was strange to see them so distant, like they were strangers, or old acquaintances meeting after a long time. He remembered them being so close over the holidays. Daehwi used to come over and they would watch movies together, or play video games.
"Oh," Taeyong said suddenly, snapping his fingers, "I should check on the food. Can you help me, Jaehyun?"
Jaehyun glanced at him, and then nodded in understanding. The two of them quickly left the room, leaving Jaemin and Daehwi in a stagnant silence.
Jaemin sat up properly on the sofa, noting his page number before putting the textbook down beside him. "So," he said on a shallow inhale, "you made it."
"Yeah," Daehwi answered. He moved to sit on the far end of the sofa, leaving a rather large space between them. "You said Taeyong-hyung asked me to come. So I came."
"You didn't have to."
Daehwi frowned. Jaemin was barely even looking at him. They were supposed to be official - in a relationship - but it didn't really feel like it anymore. Daehwi didn't know what to feel. It was like Jaemin had just shut everybody out. "Actually," he said, "I came because I thought maybe you wanted me here. And I wanted to see you... for once."
Jaemin stared ahead at the blank screen of the little TV his brother had bought on sale for the apartment. "I'm sorry that I'm busy," he muttered.
It didn't feel like much of an apology.
"I know you're busy, Jaem," Daehwi said, reaching out to grab his hand and hold it. "I'm busy too. School's insane this year. But it feels like you won't even talk to me."
"We're talking now."
Daehwi let out a frustrated sigh and let go of Jaemin's hand. "Don't be like that."
"Like what?" Jaemin stood up and exhaled deeply. "I'm just tired, okay? Let's go and eat."
So the conversation ended and dinner ensued, and things moved along smoothly like Daehwi wasn't frustrated with Jaemin's lack of communication, and Jaemin wasn't struggling with an entire Disney Princess sized collection of trust issues. Taeyong told everyone about the project he was working on for his graphic design company, and the webtoon he was currently reading, and all the funny things that happened when he and Jaehyun moved into the apartment.
Dinner really seemed to drag.
"I should... get going," said Daehwi some time later, once he'd tried at least two of the cupcakes Taeyong had baked for dessert. "The food was lovely, hyung. Thank you."
"I can give you a lift home, if you want," Taeyong offered quickly.
"Oh... it's okay, the bus-"
"It's dark outside," Taeyong insisted, getting up to put his plate in the sink. "Come on, I'll drive you."
He gave Jaehyun a meaningful look towards Jaemin on his way out. Of course, Taeyong wasn't about to let Daehwi get the bus home at this time of night. However, at the same time, he was hoping that maybe Jaehyun could get a word in with Jaemin and they could talk.
There was the sound of the front door closing, and then silence.
"Hey," Jaehyun, unsure of where to begin.
Jaemin stood up and took his dishes to the kitchen, his expression rather dim. "I don't wanna talk about it, hyung," he said, in a way that intended to end the whole discussion.
"Come on," Jaehyun reasoned, following his younger brother out into the hallway, "you never act like this. Talk to me."
"I just..." Jaemin let out a huff and started putting his shoes on. "It's nothing. Don't bother."
"Jaemin."
"I'm fine," Jaemin told him. He didn't sound fine.
"Did you guys have a fight?"
"No."
Jaehyun crossed his arms and leant against the wall next to the coat rack. "Then what the hell happened?" he asked. "You've been acting weird about Daehwi for weeks now. Is everything okay?"
Jaemin pulled his shoelace tight and stood up. He could almost match his older brother in height now, and the confrontation left a strange tension in the air. "It's none of your business," he snapped. "So stop prying into my life."
"Jaem-"
"I'm going back to my dorm," Jaemin said, grabbing his coat. "Bye, hyung."
And even Jaehyun couldn't stop him from taking off into the night. In all the commotion, nobody had noticed that Jaemin had left his biochem textbook behind, sitting lifeless on the sofa.
_______________
itsss monday !!
damn what do yall think
of the jaehwi drama ??
leave me a comment
and tell me your thoughts
on this book so far!
wishing you all a happy week <3