request fill 7 of 30 for ANON who requested: taekhyukvi, mob ♡
warnings: tiny bit graphic
On a damp evening in late October, in a rundown shoe store that was no longer in business, Taekwoon sat perplexed and uncomfortable in a beat-up recliner. It was yellow. It was ugly. He didn’t want to be there, not while Sanghyuk kept parading around a finger he’d cut off some guy who’d come up late on a payment to their boss. Wonsik was thoroughly entertained though. He kept laughing with his eyes squinted shut and color high on his hollow cheeks. He was cutest when he laughed, but tonight Taekwoon didn’t care enough to be charmed.
taekwoon/hakyeon | pg? pg13? | angst | insp by exo’s white noise
Among all the noise in the world
Your small laughter
That’s all I need to know
That you are doing well
on ao3
Taekwoon tugs the hood of his sweatshirt over his head as he makes his way down the street. People are scurrying back and forth, trying to avoid the sudden onset of rain that's slowly starting to soak through their clothes. There's a bus stop nearby, and he quickly heads toward it. He can't afford to get sick, but he doesn't have the money to spend on an umbrella either.
There isn't much of a crowd and he's easily able to find a seat on the bench under the awning. He sits and sticks his hands in his hoodie pockets, hunching his shoulders to keep warm. He really wishes he could've at least thought of bringing a coat or something; it doesn't seem like the rain is going to lighten up anytime soon. He sighs as he squints up at the clouds. The House isn't going to be happy with him if he's late.
Taekwoon stares down at the concrete beneath his feet. He never thought he'd end up working for The House. He regrets that it came to this, but he'll never regret making the decision. It would've been either him or Taekwoon, and there was no way he would've let Taekwoon sacrifice himself. He was too caring, too kind, too warm, too loving.
So Taekwoon made the choice for both of them.
He left.
It wasn't easy, but it had to be done.
Taekwoon had quietly turned in his resignation letter to work in the morning before returning to their apartment. He'd collected everything he bought with his own money and left any gifts and shared items behind. He threw out almost all of his personal belongings; he wouldn't have use for them working for The House. Taekwoon had put his key in an envelope and left it with the front desk along with a letter. He'd had his goodbyes written for days; he couldn't bring himself to say them in person.
It would have been crueler.
And so Taekwoon officially became property of The House.
They'd smirked when he walked through the front door, eyes cold and patronizing as he stood still under the gaze of the Head of The House.
He'd been shown to his sleeping quarters and was provided with the necessities. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. Taekwoon knew this. He was lucky he had been given the chance to offer himself up instead of having him taken, or worse, sacrificing himself.
The work he'd been given wasn't pleasant, but he did it anyway.
Bringing the bodies in and out of The House, disposing of the remains, and cleaning the Rooms were all things he'd expected. Entertaining the guests wasn't.
They'd dragged him into the basement one night, hands gripping him hard enough to bruise, and thrown him into the center of the room. The Head had been there, eyes speculative as he circled him. He nodded in approval and Taekwoon became the newest dog of The House.
He had been uncooperative in the beginning, letting his practice opponents beat him into the ground before the Head had laughed scathingly.
"You came here on your own, Taekwoon. Don't forget why you're here. Your friend doesn't have the body for this. Had he been here instead, he would be providing a different form of entertainment. You do, however. You chose to be here, to take his place. Don't play the martyr."
Taekwoon had felt his heart stop in fear at the thought of what could have happened if he was here instead and nodded.
"Don't forget Taekwoon. Now get up."
And so Taekwoon had been fighting every day since, leaving his opponents bruised and bloody with bones barely intact. The skin on his knuckles was always raw and tender, barely healed over, but he had kept his mouth shut. He'd made a lot of money in the ring but he knew he would never see any of it. He didn't want it anyway.
Taekwoon exhales through his nose as a bus rolls up, passengers unloading to make room for those waiting. He remains sitting since he doesn't have a pass on him, and leans back against the partition separating him from the rest of the street. He stares up at the clouds in the sky blankly, when he hears a small laugh. He knows that laugh. He'd know it anywhere.
It's him.
Taekwoon goes stiff, and tries to make himself as small as possible, wanting to avoid being noticed.
"I told you already, I'm not going speed dating, Jaehwan! I already did that once, and that was because I lost that bet."
Taekwoon curls in further on himself. Jaehwan was a friend once.
"Well, you really need to get out again! You can't let your last relationship prevent you from feeling again," he huffs.
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard this before," he answers. "But I just, can't, you know? We were together for a long time, Jaehwan-ah."
There's a scoffing noise and Taekwoon shuts his eyes. He knows what's coming.
"He left you! He packed his stuff, didn't call you or anything! He just up and disappeared, and all he left was a note!"
"I know! I already know it was a dick move! But I need time, at least. I really thought we were in love."
Taekwoon breathes in heavily, eyes still shut tight, and hears Jaehwan sigh.
"I know, hyung, but you can't keep doing this. You're better off than you were before. You've got your own flat now, you're head of the department, you make, what, six figures now?"
There's a laugh and Taekwoon feels his breath catch in his chest.
"Yes, I make more money than you, if that's what you wanted to know."
Jaehwan splutters and he laughs a little harder.
It's too much.
Taekwoon stands and tries to see where they are. He glances around quickly, eyes catching on vivid red hair and he freezes. He looks the same as before, eyes bright despite the bags under them. His smile is still as breathtaking as it was the first time Taekwoon saw it, and he can't move, can't breathe, can't think.
He needs to leave.
Taekwoon's breath stutters as he inhales before smoothing his bangs down to cover his face, tugging his hoodie further over his head.
It'll be fine.
He doesn't even look the same anymore, hair fried from bleaching it constantly with bruises and cuts covering his face.
He can get out of this, blend in with the crowd and make his way to The House.
He can still hear Jaehwan talking to him, but he keeps his eyes down.
This is fine. This is what Taekwoon wanted. This is how he can protect him.
There's the soft laughter again, and Taekwoon feels the tears streaming down his cheeks, stinging as they slide down the cuts, but he smiles to himself.
As long as he is okay, then all of this is worth it.
hakyeon/hyuk | pg13 | “you don't really wanna mess with me tonight”
fight fair or don’t bother fighting at all
thanks vixx prompt generator
also on ao3
sanghyuk ducks to avoid the fist coming at his left cheek before hitting the guy with a swift uppercut into his lower right ribs. he hears the sound of bones breaking and the guy shudders before bends over and starts coughing up blood.
he takes the opportunity to knee him in the chin, and he knows taekwoon’s taught him better than this, but he can’t help but remember the night hongbin and wonshik half dragged hakyeon in after a fight with this guy.
it was supposed to be a normal fight, well as normal as underground fights can be, but it wasn’t. the guy had hidden several razors in his bandages, all of which had been laced with some sort of black market chemical.
hakyeon had been fucked up for weeks.
they’d called jaehwan to help dig up any information on the guy, and they’d been able to track him down. he hadn’t been a regular fighter which made it easier, but the muddled paper trail from his account made it impossible to to figure out who had paid the guy off.
why they’d paid the guy wasn’t as much of a mystery.
at the time hakyeon had only recently started fighting but had quickly become undefeated, forcing people to leave empty handed, much to their disappointment and anger. wonshik had once asked why hakyeon decided to pick up fighting, especially since he didn’t have the typical build, but he had never answered. hongbin had been a bit more subtle about his questioning, but taekwoon and jaehwan had never tried to ask at all.
but seeing hakyeon so out of it and unable to function had flipped a switch in sanghyuk. he had been easy to anger after the incident, overly aggressive to everyone except hakyeon, and had argued with hongbin constantly about going after the guy. wonshik tried to talk him down, but it was only when taekwoon offered to train sanghyuk in exchange for a promise that he would never go after the guy alone. he’d agreed, but that had never been the plan anyway.
sanghyuk had spent days and days training while hakyeon went to stay with jaehwan in order to get proper medical attention, and he forced himself to act docile, obediently helping out the rest of his hyungs when they asked.
but he hadn’t told them about signing up for fights.
they’d gone up against each other in the ring, and the man had recognized him somehow, and had teasingly asked after hakyeon. sanghyuk had stupidly gotten riled up, and the man offered to fight him, no strings attached outside the ring.
and so here sanghyuk was, in the middle of some cliche dark alley, staring down at the guy who’d messed hakyeon up.
there’s nothing particularly outstanding about him, he isn’t that skilled at hand to hand, and sanghyuk carefully steps toward the guy as he coughs again. the guy looks up at him, wiping the blood off his mouth before smirking up at sanghyuk.
“stupid kid. i thought you might be better than loverboy but i guess not. maybe you’re just not strong enough.”
sanghyuk elbows the guy in the face, but he only chokes around a laugh caught in his throat before grinning at him.
“like i said. stupid kid. don’t you know what the first rule of fighting is? never let your guard down.”
the guy chuckles right as sanghyuk feels the impact of a metal bat sweep him off his feet. there’s a sharp pain as the bat connects with his ribs and his eyes flutter open in shock as he stares up at his assailant who’s poised to swing the bat back down and into his face. he vaguely wonders if this is really how he goes, when a pair of arms wrap around the guys throat, swiftly snapping his neck and letting him fall to the ground. the person stands there, dark hair tucked into a beanie with large sunglasses and dust mask covering their face, looking down impassively at the body. sanghyuk makes a noise somewhere between surprise and fear, because what the fuck just happened, but the figure merely walks toward the other guy.
he’s trying to push himself up and away, but sanghyuk really did a number on him earlier, and he’s shouting expletives as the other person gets closer. the man struggles as he tries to pull a small caliber gun out of his jacket, freeing it from its confines and aiming at the figure.
“don’t come any closer you fucker, or i’ll pull the trigger. i’ll kill you and make sure no one ever find your body or this kid’s either if you even try to take another step closer.”
his aim is a little shaky, but the person stops, as if contemplating what to do, before swiftly gripping the gun and twisting it out of the guys grip. sanghyuk gapes at them, mouth falling open further in shock as the gun is dismantled completely. the person squats in front of the man, pulling his dusk mask down and sunglasses off.
“you already tried that once with me. had to take a hiatus thanks to whatever your blades were laced with. but im sure you know why those guys who hired you wanted me dead.”
sanghyuk blinks rapidly, trying to understand why hakyeon is somehow here, in this alley, and is able to kill a man and destroy a gun, and is threatening a man with such a bright smile on his face.
the man gurgles, and hakyeon’s grin only gets sharper.
“you don’t really wanna mess with me tonight, right?”
the man sucks in a deep breath, but hakyeon strikes him across the face with the body of the gun, knocking him out.
sanghyuk stares at his hyung as he hoists the man up and toward the back of the alley where a half filled dumpster sits. hakyeon dumps him on top before dragging the other body toward it as well, and takes a match out of one of his pockets. he quickly lights it and drops it in before closing the lid.
hakyeon dusts his hands off on his pants before giving sanghyuk a small smile. he helps him up, draping one of his arms around his shoulders, and sanghyuk feels a warm palm grip his waist.
“c’mon hyukkie. we should probably get home. but don’t tell any of the others about what happened.”
leo/hongbin, bffs neo and rabin in this part | pg | college au | drabble
the aftermath of the valentine’s delivery error aka part 2
hakyeon sits in front of him, legs swinging gently as he smirks down at taekwoon. taekwoon avoids his eyes and continues staring down at his phone, pointedly Not Looking at the disgustingly pink box sitting on the desk next to hakyeon.
"so," the brunet starts. "you accepted someone's chocolates this year!"
taekwoon slumps further in his chair and taps on his phone screen a little harder than usual. there's no point in answering a non-question. besides, the cute cat with the baseball uniform just left him some more gold fish. maybe he’ll buy the tiramisu cube for the cats to play with.
"taekwoonie," hakyeon whines, hand coming down to cover the screen.
taekwoon sighs deeply through his nose before exiting out of the app completely and stares at the other.
"why'd you accept the chocolates this year? is there something you're not telling me? we're supposed to be lifelongs!"
hakyeon crosses his arms and pouts as if that's going to get taekwoon to open up and spill all his deep dark secrets.
right.
taekwoon narrows his eyes at the offensively pink object in question.
"some guy came into the class i TA for and dropped this on the desk."
hakyeon's eyebrows fly up into his bangs and his pout disappears completely. "just some guy? are you sure?"
taekwoon can feel his face getting warm and he resolutely stares at his knees, fingers playing with a loose string poking out from one of the rips across the thigh of his dark wash jeans.
it's a very interesting string.
hakyeon continues to stare at him, gaze heavy and questioning as he waits patiently for taekwoon to finish pretending he's enraptured by the pants he's worn a million times before, and straightens when taekwoon shifts awkwardly in his seat.
"hongbin," he mumbles.
hakyeon's mouth drops open slightly, lips forming a shocked O, and taekwoon wishes he had kept his mouth shut and hid the chocolates before hakyeon could see them.
(not that it would've mattered since taemin had forwarded wonshik's text to jonghyun, who sent it to yeri, who sent it to hakyeon, who later manhandled taekwoon into their apartment before hassling him about the box.)
"are you telling me this is the same hongbin from high school? as in lee hongbin? the underclassman you thought was cute? the guy whose girlfriend left him because she caught you staring and thought you were interested in her?"
taekwoon tilts his head back and stares up at the ceiling forlornly.
"oh taekwoon," hakyeon sighs.
________
wonshik shovels his noodles into his mouth with gusto as hongbin watches him with an expression somewhere between horror and admiration.
it's just the two of them for lunch today since chansik has a lab class for the next three hours and taemin and jongin are off somewhere doing dance things.
hongbin doesn't want to know what they get up to in their free time.
he waits for him to swallow the food before pulling it away from him completely. wonshik frowns but sets his chopsticks down anyway, and furrows his eyebrows when hongbin glares in response.
"is there a reason you're being pissy today, bin-ah? or did you just want some of my food? you could've just asked, ya know," he mumbles through the half chewed food in his mouth.
hongbin ignores the mild disgust threatening to show on his face and puts his hands palms down on the table.
"is there a reason why most of the student body seems to know that I apparently gave jung taekwoon valentines chocolate?"
wonshik stops chewing for a second, face going blank before he smirks at him. "shouldn't I be asking if there's a reason why you gave valentines chocolates to jung taekwoon?"
hongbin's ears go a little red despite the grimace he gives his friend.
"okay, look, it's a misunderstanding! i was supposed to deliver them to hakyeon and-"
"hakyeon? cha hakyeon? you like hakyeon?"
"no! i was trying to deliver them for sanghyuk! he was roped into some prank by jaehwan, something about you ruining something-"
"so that's why he asked to use my bathroom!"
"and he asked me to give his gift to hakyeon since he couldn't do it himself, except apparently the guy i gave it to wasn't hakyeon, and now almost the entire student body keeps giggling and leering at me, because somehow everyone knows who jung taekwoon is, and yet no one had the decency to tell me that hakyeon isn't the TA for that class anymore!"
hongbin's hands are gripping the edge of the table as he catches his breath from his rant. wonshik pats his arm sympathetically, but hongbin narrows his eyes at him, and the older boy realizes why he's being confronted. he really needs to tell taemin to stop forwarding his messages.
"uh, well, i thought you were giving him chocolates because you liked him or something? he was pretty popular when we were in high school," wonshik offers, hand rubbing at the back of his ear. hongbin's face goes blank and wonshik focuses his gaze on his noodles, not liking the look in hongbin's eyes.
"so you knew who he was?"
"well," wonshik says, carefully reaching for his food, pulling it towards himself when hongbin makes no move to stop him.
"i thought you of all people would remember who was sorta the reason why your girlfriend dumped you."
hongbin makes a face and bring his hands off the table to rub at his temples.
"I can't believe this. now everyone thinks I'm trying to court him or something. do you know how many people have come up to me today?" he asks.
wonshik is back to slurping up his noodles, offering an unhelpful grunt in reply, and hongbin squeezes his eyes shut as he groans in frustration.
"I've had, like, half of them giving me pitiful looks and the other half wishing me good luck. what is that supposed to mean? besides, I've never even talked to the guy!"
he drops his head on the table, forehead making a small thunk as the impact rattles the bowl of noodles slightly.
wonshik picks at the last of his noodles and hums in response.
"would you wanna talk to him?"
hongbin peers up at him.
"why would you ask that?"
wonshik looks at him consideringly, letting out a small burp, and propping his chin on his hands.
"well, you could at least explain the situation? or just get some closure about your ex? or maybe try to befriend the guy?"
hongbin stares at him unblinkingly and wonshik shrugs awkwardly.
"what? it's not like he's horrible. plus, he’s pretty good looking. who knows, you might actually end up liking the guy."
hongbin rolls his eyes.
"he's not my type, thanks. i've told you before, I want someone kind and cute. not someone who looks like they could tear you a new one.”
wonshik snorts at him, hand coming up to muffle the noise.
Why is 'Mistaken' so damned cute. This has so much potential for a full length fic. I- Oh my god. The twist at the end though. I'm- No words. I love it so much you have no idea.
thank you for reading! it seems to be something people would like to see more of so i might add to it!
softtaek. tumblr. com/post/130777163827/mistaken IF YOU DO NOT CONTINUE THIS I'LL SUE YOU!!!
while im glad you enjoyed the writing, this is something i do in my free time as a hobby, and although i greatly appreciate positive feedback, please remember that i also have other responsibilities to attend to irl ^^
leo/hongbin, implied n/hyuk | pg | college au | drabble
a valentine’s delivery error
_______
"you want me to what?" hongbin asks for the third time.
"i just want you to put this on the TAs desk okay? i'd do it myself but i promised jaehwan i'd help him prank wonshik for spilling coffee on his art project, and now i can't even give hakyeon this chocolate."
hongbin stares at sanghyuk before looking down at the cutely wrapped package in his hands. it's very...pink, and while it's not his style, it's bright and stands out from the rest of the chocolates he's seen being given out today. he hopes sanghyuk got his facts right and that this hakyeon guy appreciates it.
"fine," he conceeds. "but I'm only leaving this on his desk. i shouldn't have to deliver your valentine's chocolates anyway, so don't expect anything else from me."
sanghyuk throws his arms around hongbin and hugs him, half picking him up and spinning him around. hongbin struggles to breathe with his face pressed into sanghyuk's chest and coughs when the younger boy lets him go. "please don't ever do that again." the taller boy smiles sheepishly as he scratches the back of his head.
_______
wonshik usually zones out in his music composition classes, mostly since it's stuff he already knows, but when he sees hongbin awkwardly step through the door and look around anxiously, he pulls out his headphones.
he's tempted to call out to him, but then he notices the bright pink box covered in hearts in his hand, and his jaw hangs open, voice caught in his throat. hongbin doesn't seem to notice him anyway, eyes focused on the desk pushed into the corner of the room where the TA usually sits.
where the TA is sitting now, actually.
there's a collective hush that falls over the mostly occupied classroom as hongbin straightens his posture and briskly walks toward their TA. he plops the box on his desk, prompting the TA to look up from where he was scrawling notes across someone's composition project, and his eyes widen considerably as he sees the box and then flickering up to look at hongbin, who is already turning away and leaving. wonshik has a hand over his own mouth in shock, and he's tempted to laugh at hongbin's face as he stiffly exits the room, but he's drawn to the bright red blush on the TA's face. he's holding the package lightly in his hands, fingers trembling as he carefully unwraps it, and turns even more red as he sees what's inside. the sound of a camera shutter goes off and startles the guy, head whipping up to see the entire class staring at him in varying degrees of shock and amusement. he locks eyes with whoever is taking a picture of him and he slides out of his seat to rip the phone out of the girl's hands, and glaring at her as he deletes the photo before giving a warning glance to everyone else. wonshik pulls out his phone as the professor finally enters the silent classroom, and taps out a quick message to taemin and jongin.
>lee hongbin just gave jung taekwoon chocolate??
_______
hongbin throws his bag onto his bed and flops down across his comforter. it was a little awkward having to give sanghyuk's crush chocolate for him, but it wasn't that bad. the guy was pretty handsome, a lot more handsome than he was expecting at least, and hongbin sighs into his arm. he's a little jealous of sanghyuk for catching the eye of a guy with such broad shoulders, and he vaguely wonders if his roomate can set him up on a blind date or something. luckily he didn't have to talk to him, and hongbin thanks his stars the guy didn't ask about the chocolate at all.
he dozes off in the middle of his thoughts, and wakes up as his roommate jumps on him, yelling something about betrayal and keeping secrets.
"lee hongbin! I can't believe you didn't tell me about the chocolates! I could've helped you!"
hongbin blearily stares at chansik, who's still smacking his arm.
"why would i tell you about sanghyuk's chocolates?"
chansik cuts himself off as he furrows his eyebrows in confusion.
"not sanghyuk's chocolates, your chocolates. you know, the ones you gave to the returning music comp TA?"
he sits up, chansik's face sliding into his stomach briefly before hongbin abruptly tugs him up by his sweater. "what do you mean returning TA? i thought there was only one?"
chansik narrows his eyes as he shakes his head slowly. "no...cha hakyeon was covering for his friend who was in the international transfer program last year on a soccer scholarship. he came back yesterday, i think? jinyoung hyung was talking about him last night."
hongbin drops him and chansik makes a slight whimper as his head collides with the other's knee. "okay, so i take this as you don't like the TA?"
hongbin rolls off the bed and lays on the floor as chansik peers down at him.
"i thought i was giving hakyeon chocolates." chansik frowns disapprovingly. "why would you give hakyeon chocolates? i thought sanghyuk liked him. what kind of friend are you, going after someone else's crush?"
hongbin groans and reaches up to pull at chansik's fringe. "it's not like that! sanghyuk asked me to deliver them. he was busy helping jaehwan set up some prank for wonshik. that's why he asked me. and now I don't even know who the hell i gave chocolates to!"
"jung taekwoon," chansik responds. "you gave chocolates to jung taekwoon."
hongbin looks at him blankly as the other blinks at him, lips pressed into a line to hide his smirk.
“you know, jung taekwoon, unofficially voted as ‘Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome’ by the female student body at our former high school?” chansik elaborates. his face is expectant, but hongbin just stares at him.
“and why am i supposed to know this?”
chansik laughs openly at the look of confusion on hongbin’s face before patting his shoulder comfortingly.
“he’s the senior that your first girlfriend ditched you for.”
n/leo, implied ken/hongbin, mild leo/wonshik, leo/hyuk | r | coffee shop/mafia au gone wrong (mentions of sex and violence)
a job gone right; a love gone wrong
hakyeon flops onto his bed, limbs splaying across the sheets, and falls asleep without bothering to change out of his blood spattered shirt.
he keeps a low profile most days. hakyeon usually gets up around four thirty to get the shop ready for the early morning customers- prepping the pastries in the display case, grinding the first few pounds of coffee beans- and around 6 is when the first of his staff comes in to man the counter. two of his employees decided to study abroad this year, which had meant hakyeon had to hunt for new hires. a few college kids had stopped by to check the place out, but only one of them had a flexible enough schedule to work morning shifts. his name was hongbin, and he was a few years younger than hakyeon himself. he was planning on going for a major in the performing arts, so he could be an actor one day, and his dream was to meet park hyoshin at least once in his life. although hongbin tended to be a little awkward when customers tried to engage him in conversation, he already had two years worth of previous experience as a barista, and was much better at creating beautifully executed designs on lattes than compared to hakyeon. (plus the customers always seemed to appreciate a pretty face.)
his newest hire was his also his youngest hire. he was still in high school, and the fullness of his cheeks contrasted greatly with his gangly arms and long legs. sanghyuk was shy at first, but picked things up easily, and soon crafted all sorts of hot and cold drinks with a certain confidence that made hakyeon feel like a proud parent. he had passed by the shop, in the middle of job hunting, when he had seen the ad posted in the front window. hakyeon had been unsure of whether a high school kid could handle the job, but when he offered to help out with the later shifts hongbin was unable to cover, hakyeon had decided to give the kid a chance.
he hasn’t had a reason to regret it yet.
the coffee shop had been a gift of sorts. his father had deemed him old enough to start dealing with the family affairs, and had set him up with this relatively small shop in one of the higher end districts. officially, it was a business endeavor. a way of keeping their noses clean.
unofficially, it’s a front.
the Cha’s are a family that has been underground more so than most of the other clans, who tend to be more prominent in the city and constantly are under scrutiny. as far as hakyeon knows, the family’s invested in everything from drugs, to guns, to organ transplants. if it’s on the black market, it’s on the ledger.
regardless, hakyeon likes to spend as much time running his shop as he can. he likes feeling like he’s just a regular guy, serving coffee to passersby and loyal customers. particularly a certain male with broad shoulders.
he comes in from time to time, sometimes in the mornings, but more often at night. hakyeon remembers the first time the guy came in, black coat soaked from the rain, hair half falling in his face as he pushed open the door, and hakyeon felt his throat go dry when the man looked up, eyes scanning the patrons before their eyes met. the man had approached the counter silently, face blank and gaze unwavering, and hakyeon was half tempted to duck behind the pastry display case, but the man had already broken eye contact to look at the menu board. his voice was quiet and soft as he ordered a medium latte, and despite the lack of customers at the hour, hakyeon had let his curiosity get the better of him and had asked for his name.
“taekwoon.”
_____
taekwoon comes into the coffee shop near his apartment whenever he has a job to do. the first time, he had stumbled upon it by chance, trying to escape the pouring rain as he was leaving the site of his most recently completed contract. it had been a little messy, and taekwoon had been forced to raid a nearby apartment for a change of clothes. he knew one of his contacts had scouted out a possible safe zone, but he had never gotten the exact coordinates.
seeing the Cha family’s son standing near the behind the counter was the last thing he had expected to see.
he had left after finishing his latte, not wanting to attract to much attention to himself by leaving while it was still raining. the coffee was decent and the place was in a good location, but more importantly, taekwoon had accidentally stumbled upon one of the Cha family’s fronts, which just so happened to be manned by one of their sons. in his line of work, he had just hit the jackpot.
he’d called it in a few hours after he’d finally left. his boss had been surprised but pleased that taekwoon had even bothered to call it in, and had asked him to pick a second to shadow the place. and so they’d sent in one of their specialists to interview for a position as a barista. it was someone taekwoon knew would be able to do the job. they were closer than people thought they were from having spent years training together, and even more nights in between the sheets. taekwoon had been worried at first, but the other had reassured him it would be fine. he’d been hired without any problems, and taekwoon had taken to checking up on him from time to time while he busied himself with drinking his latte. it was almost a perfect set up.
and then his contact came by.
wonshik had looked nervous and on edge when he’d knocked on taekwoon’s door. taekwoon had been sleeping at the time since it was only 10 and he’d finished a late night job earlier. he had stepped through the doorway, gripping taekwoon’s hand in his and squeezing it. taekwoon had sighed and knocked his head against wonshik’s shoulder, as the other handed him a slip of paper. “they want you to court him,” wonshik whispered. “who?”
“hakyeon.”
_____
it was a morning much like any other when hakyeon opened up the shop, except for taekwoon lingering outside of the entrance, looking awkward in a dark red sweater, bouquet of flowers in hand.
hakyeon had approached him slowly, trying to commit the image of the soft spoken man with the intimidating stature holding flowers.
“can i help you?”
the man had shuffled his feet awkwardly before offering the flowers to hakyeon. “these are for you.” hakyeon had been frozen in shock as he accepted the gift, flushed with embarrassment and barely hidden pleasure. they had stood in uncomfortable silence before hakyeon pulled out his keys to unlock the door.
“would you like to come in?”
_____
taekwoon was lucky hakyeon was so taken with him.
it was easier than he thought it would be at least. taekwoon himself had never truly tried to woo anyone before, especially after he entered this line of business. his partner wasn’t completely thrilled with the change in plans either, but he understood that remaining undercover while taekwoon gained hakyeon’s trust was their best bet.
they couldn’t afford to let their personal affairs distract them from their job.
_____
hakyeon is thrilled.
he thought his infatuation with taekwoon was destined to be some onesided thing, but ever since that day with the flowers, hakyeon has been on cloud nine. taekwoon still doesn’t talk much, but hakyeon likes having someone to listen to him when he complains about his day. it makes him feel special. not special in the way his family is, but in a normal way. they even go on dates; taekwoon picks him up after work sometimes and treats him to dinner, or they’ll go see a film or just walk around the shopping districts, looking at the discounts and new items. hakyeon smiles at the way taekwoon’s eyes light up at the samples being handed out by the food stalls, and they way his lips curve up at the corners as he watches kids clinging to their parents.
hakyeon’s heart feels full.
but there’s something off about taekwoon sometimes. something hakyeon doesn’t want to think about. there’s something forced in his smiles sometimes, and his shoulders always look so tense, like something is weighing down on him. hakyeon wants taekwoon to trust him the same way he does.
the first night they spend together is cold, but taekwoon’s fingers feel like fire on hakyeon’s skin. taekwoon has him pressed firmly against the mattress, fingers digging into his hips, and hakyeon moans into the curve of taekwoon’s neck, relishing in the scent of his sweat as he pulls himself flush against the other.
later, hakyeon loosely intertwines their fingers as he lies spent on the sheets.
“i love you.”
_____
jaehwan is worried.
he really shouldn’t have gotten himself involved with all of this illegal underground nonsense, but when he realized the guy hongbin was working for happened to be related to the head of an illicit ruling family, he had little choice. it isn’t like he can pretend he didn’t hack into the financial records of the entire Cha family. especially since they’re knocking on his door.
right now.
he does some fast talking and after a lot of manhandling and a few ludicrous offers, jaehwan finds himself employed by the Cha family to monitor hakyeon. in return, they offer to make sure nothing happens to hongbin.
and so jaehwan becomes an illegal babysitter for a hyung who has no idea that his safety is very potentially compromised.
he sighs as he looks at all of the information running down his computer screen. he wishes hongbin had gotten a different job, but of course he had to somehow stick his nose into something dangerous. he sips at bottle of banana milk that hongbin had received from hakyeon, and almost chokes when he reads the notification from one of his hacked feeds that pops up. he double checks it and triple checks it before cross referencing his information with a few of his sources, and screaming with his mouth closed before he calls his handler.
someone’s going after hakyeon.
_____
taekwoon shoves a piece of gum into his mouth and chews it violently. according to wonshik, someone’s been through the system files the past few days. which means he could potentially be compromised. which means every day, every hour, every minute, every second he spent with hakyeon could potentially be a waste.
this also means they have to take him out.
this is something taekwoon is familiar with.
he doesn’t like to think about what his job entails, but he is glad that by the end of this, he wont have to worry about betraying someone’s trust like this ever again. he knows hakyeon is just another job on his list, but he can’t help but feel the guilt eating away at his conscience. he calls his partner and asks him to have a latte ready for him by the time they’re supposed to take him out.
“sure, hyung.”
_____
it’s late when the last customer finally leaves and hakyeon starts to lock the front door. he let sanghyuk leave early since it was a weekday, and he feels more tired than usual today. but surprisingly, hongbin is rushing to the door as hakyeon is about to turn the key. he opens the door for him and hongbin pants as he leans forward with his hands on his knees.
“sorry hyung. i think i left my house keys here.”
hakyeon snorts but lets him in. he starts wiping down the tables and turns to see taekwoon standing outside. his expression is blank, but his body looks relaxed as he slouches outside the door, staring off into the distance. hakyeon smiles to himself when the wind blows taekwoon’s hair out of his eyes, but he freezes when he sees how focused the other looks.
he knows that look.
hakyeon grips the rag in his hand a little tighter, but heads toward the door to let taekwoon in anyway. it hurts that he thought it could be something real. but he won’t show how effected he is.
this isn’t going to be easy.
_____
hongbin is terrified.
he has been since the day jung taekwoon first walked through the door to the coffee shop. he thought that would be the end of him, that he would be dragged into some alley when he left from work, beaten or mutilated and left to bleed. but he’s still alive.
which is good.
but he also knows this is all kind of his fault.
at least what’s supposed to happen to hakyeon is.
his father is...well, temperamental and extremely competitive. especially when it comes to dominating the business field. unfortunately, this also includes the black market.
his mother was all for him persuing higher level education and becoming a Face in the media or whatever, but his father always argued that it was imperative that hongbin learn the ins and outs of the underground world.
so hongbin had ran away to live with his hacker friend who had gladly built a new identity for hongbin to use. jaehwan didn’t ask him for a reason, but he only asked that he let him know if the trouble ever got serious. which it didn’t.
until taekwoon.
hongbin knows almost every single person his father has ever hired to take someone out. he made sure to memorize faces, names, aliases-- anything that could keep him from being killed or dragged back to his father. so when he saw those familiar sharp eyes and wide shoulders step into the cafe, he thought he had been done for. but the guy hadn’t even looked at him twice.
hongbin had been on edge a bit since the man rarely seemed to appear when he had his shift, but he had casually mentioned him to hakyeon, who had turned red and stuttered something about the handsome stranger with the cute cheeks. hongbin had been horrified to realize his boss was in love with one of his father’s assassins.
but he knew taekwoon was there for a reason. so he talked to jaehwan about his job and a few people he worked with, hoping the other would at least pull up a few background checks on them.
he had felt like a fool when he realized hakyeon was that hakyeon.
cha hakyeon. aka one of his father’s business rival’s sons.
but he had come to genuinely like the guy, and he was not about to let him get taken out, or worse taken in, by taekwoon.
and so, he was hiding out in the storage room near the pantry that everyone seemed to forget existed. his hands were shaking as he loaded the gun he held, but he wasn’t going to let his father kill hakyeon.
so he stood with one ear pressed to the door and waited.
_____
taekwoon had known the moment he stepped through the door, everything would fall apart.
he had seen the way hakyeon held onto the cleaning rag, fingers trembling as he adjusted his stance. taekwoon exhaled deeply and sat at one of the nearby tables, watching as hakyeon slowly made his way behind the counter where they kept the dishes. taekwoon crossed his legs and cleared his throat slightly.
“you know why i’m here.”
hakyeon’s lips pursed when taekwoon spoke. it wasn’t a question, but it wasn’t quite a statement either.
“you’re here to kill me.”
taekwoon rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous tick of his, and hakyeon took the opportunity to slide a knife under the cleaning rag. taekwoon sighed and slowly rose from his seat.
“how do you want to do this?”
hakyeon snorted at the question. “surely you don’t expect me to go down without a fight.”
taekwoon shrugged slightly before gripping the edge of the table and flipping it upwards as hakyeon flung the knife under the cleaning rag, aiming for his chest. it thuded against the wood of the table before crashing to the ground as the two lunged at each other.
_____
hongbin had slipped out of the storage closet when he first heard something fall and quickly made his way toward the front of the shop. he chanced a quick glance from where he was crouched behind some boxes, and watched as taekwoon and hakyeon practically danced around each other, arms cutting through the air as they struggled to get an advantage over the other. taekwoon had grabbed a knife that had been embedded in a table and hakyeon had rolled away as he slashed it down to where the other had been lying before.
they continued to come at each other, movements blurring as they swung and twisted their arms, matching each other in both speed and strength.
“stop.”
hongbin stepped out from his hiding place, gun in hand and poised to shoot. hakyeon had been about to swing at taekwoon with a partially broken table, while the other was gripping the leg that had broken off, nails sticking out of one side. they had minimal external injuries- hakyeon’s eye was beginning to swell, and taekwoon’s mouth was bleeding- but the room was in utter chaos. they stared at hongbin; first at the gun in his hand, and then at the look on his face. hakyeon’s eyes widened in confusion and his gaze flickered to taekwoon, whose eyes had narrowed in recognition.
“lee hongbin. you look different.”
hongbin felt his stomach twist in fear at the way taekwoon said his name. calm and quiet, but dangerous none the less.
“why are you here, taekwoon-ssi?”
“orders. you should ask your father.”
hakyeon’s eyes had widened considerably and he slammed down the table in his hands. “what the fuck?”
taekwoon scoffed.
“the son of the Cha family hired the only Lee heir. and no one knew. not even the son himself.”
hongbin’s arms shook a little but he maintained his stance.
“killing him won’t change anything. i still won’t go back to my father.”
taekwoon smirked a bit at him.
“i’m not here to bring you back or kill you, hongbin-ssi.”
hongbin frowned and almost jumped when he heard a cough behind him.
“that would be my job actually.”
_____
hakyeon felt like if he opened his eyes any wider they would probably roll out.
here he was, in the middle of his shop, which was now a mess, holding part of a broken table in one hand, and taekwoon across from him holding a table leg.
and he was trying to kill him.
and to top it off, his family’s rival’s heir was apparently one of his baristas.
who had run away from home because of his father.
whom his supposed boyfriend worked for.
as a hitman.
and his other barista-
_____
“sorry hyung! i got caught up in traffic and then i saw hongbin hyungnim hide in the storage closet so i’d figure you might need a little help.”
sanghyuk smiled brightly at taekwoon as he pressed the barrel of his own gun against the back of hongbin’s head.
hakyeon seemed to be more effected by sanghyuk’s appearance than the betrayal from taekwoon and hongbin’s big reveal.
he stood gaping at the youngest, who merely blinked at him, smile never faltering.
“sanghyuk-ah?”
hakyeon’s legs looked ready to give out, but sanghyuk had already moved on to analyzing taekwoon.
“hyung, how’s your mouth? how bad is it?”
taekwoon shook his head slightly.
sanghyuk’s eyes narrowed and he glared at hakyeon.
“you’re lucky i’m here for hongbin hyungnim and not you. but let me tell you something,” he said. “if he doesn’t kill you, i definitely will.”
hakyeon’s mouth dropped open and he was unable to tear his eyes away from sanghyuk.
“why would you do this?”
sanghyuk smiled coldly at him, eyes hard and angry.
“because i don’t like it when people touch things that aren’t theirs.”
taekwoon blushed slightly as he moved to pluck hongbin’s gun out of his hand, table leg having been abandoned long ago, and checked to see if it was loaded.
“how do you wanna do this, hyung?”
taekwoon tilted his head as he looked between hongbin and hakyeon.
“three options. you pick.”
sanghyuk looks at him consideringly.
“well, the whole rival sons double murder thing would work normally, but seeing as how neither of them realized it until recently, that’s out of the question. we could just kill hakyeon hyung and bring in hongbin hyungnim, but that means we’d have to continue the contract. third is good enough to explain the mess already, and we’d just have to destroy a few more things.”
taekwoon nods approvingly as hongbin stares blankly at hakyeon who's starting to look sick. sanghyuk knocks hongbin out with the butt of the gun and hands a few zip ties to taekwoon who walks toward hakyeon.
hakyeon watches as sanghyuk ties hongbin up, arms first and then legs, humming something they had played earlier over the shop’s stereo.
hakyeon looks up at taekwoon who stares at him contemplatively.
“thank you for treating me so kindly.”
hakyeon wants to scream at him, to lash out at him, to hurt him.
but he lets taekwoon tie his arms and hands together, and he kneels down to look hakyeon in the eye as he places the barrel of the hongbin’s gun under his chin, right where his jaw and throat meet.
unrequited love is particularly painful for ravi & hakyeon accidentally creates a misunderstanding
wonshik’s stomach flutters as he catches a glimpse of hongbin from across the room. it quickly turns into a sinking feeling when he sees who hongbin’s talking to. it’s hakyeon, with an arm linked with jaehwan’s, both of them probably gossiping. if both hakyeon and jaehwan are here, then of course taekwoon’s around here somewhere. which means if he’s unlucky, he’ll be stuck with hongbin mooning over his broad shoulders and waxing poetic over his soft voice.
he wishes he didn’t care as much as he does.
it’s not that he hates taekwoon or whatever, they used to be really close once, but he can’t stand seeing the boy he’s in love with being constantly ignored and blown off for god knows what reasons. lately, every time hongbin tries to initiate a conversation with taekwoon, the older boy will tense up and respond in short, clipped sentences. it pisses wonshik off. he knows taekwoon isn’t normally like this, unless he’s uncomfortable, but wonshik doesn’t see why hongbin of all people would make taekwoon uncomfortable. he slowly makes his way toward hongbin, picking up two cups of something that might be punch mixed with devil’s piss, and mulls over his thoughts. he doesn’t get why taekwoon is being like this.
hakyeon waves him over to their group, hands flapping enthusiastically, spilling a bit of jaehwan’s drink as he bumps into him a bit. “yah, i was wondering where you were! taekwoonie’s already escaped somewhere, and i’m not about to let you do the same.” hongbin’s smile is a little strained at the mention of taekwoon, but his eyes light up never the less. wonshik hates himself a little for wishing taekwoon didn’t exist sometimes. maybe then hongbin would look at him with those eyes.
he swallows hard around the liquor in his throat and says nothing.
he loses track of how many drinks he’s managed to down in the short amount of time he’s been here, but hongbin looks even more tipsy than he feels. jaehwan’s dragged one of his new friends to their group, some girl heeyeon or hani or something. he can’t remember right now. he’s not the only one who doesn’t know her (he can tell by the way kyungsoo awkwardly smiles when she speaks) but she must be funny because both hongbin and hakyeon are laughing at something she said. wonshik spots sanghyuk scanning the crowd anxiously before meeting his eyes. the younger boy immediately shoves through the guests, half panting as he greets wonshik. “hyung! i thought i’d never find you guys in this mess,” he laughs. sanghyuk smiles brightly at hongbin and hakyeon, but his face dims slightly when his eyes land on jaehwan and his friend. he looks questioningly at hongbin but it’s a mildly drunk hakyeon who answers the unspoken question. “sanghyukkie! this is jaehwan’s date, hani. isn’t she cute?” sanghyuk smiles politely and bows slightly in greeting. his movements are stiff.
it reminds wonshik of taekwoon for some reason.
hongbin moves as if to throw an arm around sanghyuk, but the younger boy avoids him, causing him to half fall into wonshik’s shoulder. sanghyuk ducks his head slightly as he starts to excuse himself from the group. “i’m gonna find taekwoon hyung. i’ll see you guys around.” he turns without a second glance back and somehow blends into the crowd. hongbin grumbles something into wonshik’s shoulder, but he’s too distracted by kyungsoo smacking hakyeon’s arm harshly. “ow, shit, what? what?” he glares at hakyeon. “are you stupid? i can’t believe you let him leave like that.” hakyeon furrows his eyebrows together. “it’s not my fault he has a crush. besides, he ruined my date last time with that one guy.” kyungsoo rubs his temples. “hakyeon. this is han sanghyuk, we’re talking about. he’s either gonna confess in the worst way possible or take whatever he can get, in whatever way possible! you know how he is!” hakyeon blinks at kyungsoo, eyes wide, mouth dropping open. “shit! where did he go?” wonshik holds hongbin who’s slipping down his shoulder, as the other leans forward to point in a random direction. “taekwoon-ah,” he mumbles. “hyuk said he was gonna find taekwoon.” hakyeon half crushes the plastic cup he’s holding. “no, no, no! this is bad. we need to find them. i can’t let those two be by themselves!” kyungsoo rolls his eyes and huffs irritatedly. “you shouldn’t have said that then!” he stalks off to find ryeowook again, leaving hakyeon to groan and pull at his own hair.
jaehwan and hongbin stare at hakyeon in various degrees of fascination and confusion. “why does this matter?” hongbin huffs out. hakyeon swivels his head to stare at hongbin, whose face is now half buried in the front of wonshik’s shirt (not that he’s complaining). “his crush! we can’t let him do this! i need to stop him! before they’re both intoxicated and do something they’ll regret!” jaehwan flops his head onto hakyeon’s shoulder. “hani went to go say hi to a few of her friends. what are you talking about now?” hakyeon throws his arms up exasperatedly. “his crush!” jaehwan squints at him. “who’s crush? we already know about wonshik.” hakyeon sighs as wonshik kicks at jaehwan. “not wonshik, sanghyuk. and taekwoon! both of them! this is horrible,” he cries. “my lifelong and my son, suffering needlessly.” jaehwan freezes. “wait, you’re telling me hyuk and taekwoon have a crush on-” hakyeon slaps a hand over his mouth. “no one’s supposed to know! they’re supposed to be ice princes! i need to find them!”
hakyeon starts weakly shoving past the people around them and shouting out for taekwoon and sanghyuk. jaehwan stares at his feet, unseeing and stiff, while wonshik’s mouth gapes at the spot hakyeon just vacated. hongbin grips the edge of wonshik’s shirt and looks up at him. “i wanna find hyung too. wonshik-ah, let’s find hyung.” the taller boy sighs sadly down at him. taekwoon’s in demand tonight. “come on, wonshik-ah. i’ll even give you a kiss,” he pleads. wonshik sighs again but lets hongbin drag him toward the kitchen. if he’s lucky maybe they won’t find taekwoon.
he’s unlucky.
hongbin had always been notorious for his tipsy kisses, which were nice but not completely appreciated by wonshik, who felt like he was talking advantage of him. but hongbin was persistent, and wonshik found himself half heartedly trying to fend off hongbin’s senseless advances. he’d been trying to talk some sense into him, when he finally realized they weren’t alone. he saw taekwoon’s broad and intimidating figure rise from behind the cans near the other side of the kitchen, and wonshik frowned when hongbin happily called out to the male, leaving wonshik all but forgotten. taekwoon had tensed uncomfortably as usual, and wonshik found himself getting irritated again. the older boy looked like he’d rather be anywhere but in the kitchen, eyes flickering from the ground to wonshik, briefly glancing at hongbin before looking at wonshik again. the silence was almost smothering, and wonshik barely caught taekwoon’s dismissing himself before practically running out the other door. hongbin had pitifully reached out toward him, face falling as he got now reply. wonshik hated taekwoon at times like this. he hates how easily he makes hongbin happy, and even worse, how easily he makes him sad. just like now.
hongbin stares blankly at the door taekwoon had left through before sinking to his knees on the ground. “is there something wrong with me? why does it always seem like he can’t stand to be around me? did i do something wrong?” wonshik feels his chest ache at the unshed tears swimming around in hongbin’s eyes. he wishes taekwoon would just stop doing this.
wonshik squats in front of hongbin and carefully holds his face in his hands. hongbin stares at him blankly, and wonshik wishes he could protect hongbin from ever feeling this way again.
“there’s nothing wrong with you, hongbin-ah. you could never do anything wrong. you’re everything anyone could hope for. anyone would be lucky to be with you.”
hongbin closes his eyes and sniffles as wonshik cups the back of his neck, letting the other hide his face in his shoulder. he rubs his back reassuringly and lets hongbin smother his tears in his shirt. hongbin’s breath is hot and harsh on his neck, but wonshik doesn’t dare move. he’ll be hongbin’s support for as long as he needs him. quietly holding him up, even if he never returns his affections. just being by his side is enough. this is fine.
hongbin hiccups as he whispers into wonshik’s shirt.
“why couldn’t i have fallen in love with you?”
(wonshik pretends not to hear him, even as he blinks his own tears away, hiding them from hongbin.)
leo is part of a classic drama plot & hyuk has a painful long term crush
taekwoon’s stomach clenches uncomfortably when he catches a glimpse of hongbin across the room. if hongbin’s here then wonshik must be coming. which means he’s in for a night of stony silences and cold glares.
he shouldn’t have come.
but its jaehwan’s party and he feels obligated to at least hang around for a few hours. or at least until hakyeon gets distracted long enough so he can slip away. speaking of hakyeon...
“jung taekwoon, if you aren’t going to take part in idle chatter at least drink something,” he says, shoving a plastic cup of something into his hands. taekwoon sniffs at it before deciding it doesn’t actually matter whats in it as long as it gives him an excuse not to talk to anyone. he swallows most of it in one gulp. its nasty. but hakyeon smiles at him approvingly before throwing one arm around his shoulder and pulling him closer to the group of people he’s schmoozing with. taekwoon recognizes a couple of them from his stint in the theatre department, and a few from the music program both he and jaehwan are part of. the others must be jaehwan’s art friends. hakyeon continues his conversation with ryeowook and taekwoon nods silently to kyungsoo who smiles slightly before smothering a grimace as he sips at his own drink. jaehwan eventually finds his way to their little circle crowing about how happy he is to have his portfolio finally submitted and approved for the gallery at the schools silent auction.the noise level gets significantly louder when he and hakyeon are together, and taekwoon takes the opportunity to find something a little less foul to drink. he pushes through the throngs of people lingering about (how many people were invited anyway), before he finally makes it to the kitchen. its only occupants are a few large trash cans filled with plastic cups, so he shamelessly starts rummaging through the cabinets. theres got to be at least some vodka around here.
he’s busy digging through the cabinet full of liquor behind one of the trash cans when he hears someone walking into the kitchen. or two someones. taekwoon ignores them at first, they probably don’t even know he’s here with the trash hiding him from view, and continues peering at the various bottles inside. the couple is talking, more of a quiet argument, but taekwoon doesn’t care enough to listen to what they’re saying. they start making out sometime between their talk, and he makes a face before going back to sorting through the liquor. taekwoon knows jaehwan must have a bottle of at least tequila around here since hakyeon bought some special edition set for his birthday earlier this year. it isn’t until the couple stops making out and starts raising their voices when it becomes too hard to ignore and taekwoon can no longer pretend he cant hear them over the sounds of the clinking glass bottles. he peeks over the top of the trash cans and-
oh. oh no.
taekwoon ducks his head back down immediately. he needs to leave right now as fast as he can. the last thing he wants is to be stuck behind a few trash cans in an enclosed area with both wonshik and hongbin. he grabs the largest bottle he can (some sort of fruity soju at least hakyeon will like) and a smaller bottle of some expensive name brand whisky. he makes sure to make as little noise as possible as he tries to shuffle towards the door opposite the two but unfortunately-
“hyung?”
taekwoon stiffens at the sound of hongbin’s voice and slowly turns to face them. hongbin looks partly surprised, partly embarrassed, but mostly happy to see him. he glances at wonshik, who’s wearing one of his specially cut tank tops with one of his urban street brand hats carefully placed on his wildly styled hair, arms crossed in a way that accentuates his biceps, face mildly flushed and lips turned down in a way that emphasizes his annoyance. taekwoon wants nothing more than to leave.
there are many reasons he would not want to be stuck in a room with these two, but the biggest reason is what hakyeon calls the Triangle. sanghyuk had laughed for a good hour or so at the name before hakyeon threatened to tell jaehwan about his crush on him. taekwoon had been mortified that sanghyuk and hakyeon were the only people he could talk to about this, but he was left with no real options. taekwoon had feigned ignorance, but hakyeon was far too observant for his own good. it led to a long and painful discussion about Friendship and Feelings, and eventually sanghyuk had interrupted hakyeon’s spiel about eternal bonds to cut to the chase.
“hyung, you’re in love with him, he’s in love with hongbin, and hongbin’s in love with you.”
and so taekwoon had somehow found himself in the middle of some uncreative plot for a drama. except he wasn’t getting paid handsomely for his troubles, and the guy he likes probably hates him or something.
great.
back in real time, hongbin is still smiling at him while wonshik’s frown continues to grow. taekwoon tries very hard not to stare at wonshik’s very nice arms, but he cant look him in the face either. not when those usually bright eyes only stare at him with resentment and anger. taekwoon bites at his lower lip and shuffles his feet slightly before stepping toward the door. “uh, bye,” he mutters, trying to move as fast as possible without actually breaking out into a sprint. he hears hongbin call out to him again, but he pretends he cant hear him over the music thats no longer muffled by the door when taekwoon yanks it open. he clenches the bottles in his hands as he weaves his way back to hakyeon, who’s laughing at something one of jaehwan’s friends said. but its too loud here now, and all taekwoon wants now is quiet. he climbs up the stairs and doesn’t bother trying his luck with any of the bedrooms that have a high chance of being occupied by someone. he pulls on the door to one of jaehwan’s coat closets and almost screams when he sees someone already sitting in it. but its sanghyuk. taekwoon opens his mouth to ask why he’s in here and not down in the living room, but sanghyuk notices the bottles, eyes widening. “oh good. come in and shut the door.” taekwoon purses his lips, a little unsure of himself before seeing the redness rimming sanghyuk’s eyes and decides fuck it, and pulls the door shut as he climbs in.
the coat closet is roomy enough for them to sit comfortably with their legs partially tangled together, but its also very dark and taekwoon cant see a thing. he doesn’t even need to say anything before sanghyuk is pulling something out from somewhere, and snapping it. it starts glowing and taekwoon realizes its a glowstick. “i remembered hakyeon and jaehwan stole a bunch during that summer festival and shoved them in here somewhere. figured we would need some light if we wanna crack open those bottles.” taekwoon nods in understanding before deciding to start with the soju first. he hands it to sanghyuk who looks like he needs a drink more than he does. he gulps down as much as he can, wiping the back of his mouth before he speaks again. “so, do you wanna go first, or should i?”
taekwoon swallows his own mouthful of soju before he mumbles, “was looking for better alcohol when wonshik and hongbin walked in. they started making out and arguing. they caught me trying to leave.” sanghyuk lets out a low whistle as he reaches out to pat taekwoon, awkwardly patting his calf. “damn. thats rough. but i think i’ve got you beat.” taekwoon doesn’t have to say anything before sanghyuk sighs out. “jaehwan invited a date to this thing. his project partner who’s part of either the music program or dance department. or both, i don’t know. but she’s extremely pretty.” taekwoon chokes slightly on the whiskey he just opened. “she? he brought a girl?” sanghyuk nods sadly before dropping his head back against the wall. “yeah. looks like he’s back to girls again.” taekwoon reaches out, hand brishing against the side of sanghyuks arm. “i’m so sorry. you can have the whiskey if you want.” sanghyuk smiles a bit before taking the offered bottle. “thanks hyung. this is why you’re my favorite.” taekwoon snorts but pets his hair affectionately.
they lose track of time sitting around in the dark, but the alcohol eventually gets the better of them. sanghyuk has a lower tolerance, but taekwoons the one who gets extra clingy when hes out of it. it isn’t the first time they’ve drowned their sorrows in alcohol together, but it is the first time they’ve done it in such a small space. its hot and stuffy, and eventually sanghyuk brings up the idea of going to one of the rooms. they stumble into the hallway, blinking blearily at the lights before peeking into each room. they eventually find the master bathroom to be 100% empty, and tumble into the slightly bigger room. taekwoon pulls out some towels from the linen closet, while sanghyuk places some of the fluffier coats and a large blanket on the edge of the bath. they scrutinize the tub carefully before sanghyuk breaks the silence. “do you think its big enough?” taekwoon nods as he picks up some of the towels and starts arranging them in the tub. “yeah, its pretty big. its bigger than mine anyway.” sanghyuk makes a noise of agreement before clambering in and fixing the towels and coats into a makeshift nest. “well let me know if its uncomfortable.” taekwoon yawns before slipping off his shoes and socks and leaving them by the door. “hyung, put something on the door so no one comes in.” taekwoon grunts before slipping his shirt off and hanging it on the door handle outside. he switches the light off and carefully makes his way toward the tub, skin breaking out in goose bumps as he clambers in after sanghyuk. “its cold,” he mumbles, clinging to the younger boy. taekwoon throws an arm around him as sanghyuk tugs the blanket over his shoulders. “go to sleep hyung. maybe things will be better tomorrow.” taekwoon smiles into sanghyuks shoulder, lips brushing against his skin. “yeah, maybe.”
slight leo/ken | pg13 | au (some violence, mentions of death)
leo dies and dies again.
the first time taekwoon dies is at his parent’s anniversary party.
they’re hosting a large gala in the comfort of their quaint home, aka the largest mansion built in the neighborhood, and hired the trendy new caterer that had become the housewives latest gossip topic. they’re seated in the main dining hall at the largest table in the manor. taekwoon sits quietly as the servers bring out the dishes for the first course. its some sort of bisque, something foreign and hard for him to pronounce, but he takes the spoon in his hand and begins to eat.
he’s too young to fully register what’s happening other than the fact that his food tastes wrong and he really wants to spit it out, but his parents raised him better than that so he swallows it slowly and takes another spoonful. he waits until his parents are completely absorbed with their conversations before excusing himself to the restroom. his vision is starting to go hazy, but he ignores it and makes his way into the side hall, sliding his hand along the wall as he walks down the corridor.
(he doesn’t notice one of the servers slip away from the staff, nor the soft footsteps that trail after him as he heads toward the toilet.)
taekwoon feels his steps getting heavier and heavier, his own breathing too loud for his own ears and he drops to his knees, hands scrambling for purchase on the wall before falling face first onto the ground. he coughs, blood splattering onto the carpet, and he struggles to breathe through the foam starting to fill his mouth. he’s shaking hard, body uncooperative, muscles twitching without prompting. hot tears stream out from the corners of his eyes, and he tries to blink them away, but he can’t move, he can’t feel, he can’t breathe. he just wants it to stop, he just wants it to end, he doesn’t want to feel this anymore.
his body seizes up one last time before he lays still on the plush carpeting of the jung manor.
by the time anyone has realized taekwoon’s absence, it is too late.
(no one notices a man slip away with a child’s body in his arms, too lax to be sleeping. no one remembers the extra staff member, too busy to pay attention. no one sees taekwoon, tucked into the backseat of the man’s car, eyes blank and wide as they stare up at the sky, unfocused and unseeing.)
he doesn’t stay dead.
he wakes up on a table with his arm hooked into an IV in a room with nothing in it except for a pile of folded clothes on a chair near the only door in the room. he gets up slowly, movements jerky and stiff from lack of use before scooting toward the edge of the table, toes touching the ground. he flinches at the coldness of the floor before carefully pushing himself up into a standing position. he uses the IV stand for leverage as he makes his way toward the clothes.
it’s slow going at first. his body feels wrong, legs and arms too long, but he drags himself across the room anyway. he slides the needle out of his arm before he pulls the dressing gown over his head. he tugs a dark hoodie over his head and slips on a pair of pants. they’re a little tight around his thighs and end above his ankles, but he figures its better than running around without anything to cover his ass.
he removes the needle from the IV and slips it into the seam of his hoodie pocket. he glances around the room once more before dismantling part of the IV stand and slipping it up his sleeve. taekwoon has no idea where he is or how he got here, but he’s not about to take any chances.
the door opens without any problems, and he slips through the opening quietly, bare feet making almost no sound as he enters the hallway. the walls are made of what seems to be cement, cold and grey with a few cracks running across them. theres a thumping sound, almost too quiet, and he places his palm on the wall, flinching when he feels the wall move underneath it. the thumping is steady and even. heartbeat, he thinks. taekwoon looks at his hand suspiciously, before touching the wall again. the beating is faint but there, and it becomes stronger when he moves further down the hall. he drags his hand along the side of the wall, getting closer and closer to the source of the thumping, before it stops completely at the edge of the doorframe. taekwoon carefully puts his hand around the handle and turns it when he meets no resistance. there’s a slight creaking sound as he pushes the door open and peers inside. it’s dark except for the skylight placed directly in the center of the ceiling and he squints trying to see the room more clearly. there’s a chair placed directly underneath the skylight with chains piled in the middle. taekwoon steps inside the room, eyes wildly flickering back and forth before stopping on something in the corner.
“hello?” he calls out. there’s a slight movement before the thing unfolds itself from its position in the corner. taekwoon hesitantly steps forward as he sees a pair of legs extricate themselves from what now seems to be a pile of blankets. there’s an annoyed groan as the person twists in the mass in an attempt to free their arms. “um,” taekwoon starts. “do you need help?” the person stops wiggling around and sits up abruptly.
“who are you?” they ask.
taekwoon narrows his eyes. “i could ask you the same.”
the person pauses for a second before slipping into a crouch and standing. the blankets hang around their shoulders, eventually slipping down and freeing the persons arms. they’re shorter than taekwoon, not by much though, and the shape of their silhouette appears to be masculine. they tilt their head before coming closer to him, stopping a few feet from him and looking between him and the chair. “well,” they sigh. “as long as you’re not here to wrap me back up in those and stick me in that chair, i’ll tell you whatever you want.” taekwoon furrows his eyebrows and frowns. “they kept you in that?” the guy nods as he runs his fingers through his hair, trying to fix it. “yeah. apparently i talked too much so they chose to make me scream instead. and not in a good way,” he grins. taekwoon’s eyes widen in horror but the other waves a hand in dismissal. “don’t worry about it. they haven’t been back for a few days since the start of winter. i’m assuming they’ve got someone new.” taekwoon looks at him inquiringly. the guy scoffs. “well, it can’t just be me and you in here right?” taekwoon presses his lips together. “i wouldn’t know. i just woke up.” the guy whips his head to look at him. “you woke up? just now?” taekwoon nods. “i was hooked into an IV. then i put on the clothes that were sitting near the door. and now i’m here.” the guy stares at him for a few seconds before whistling. “you got lucky, huh?” taekwoon shrugs. the guy sticks out his hand suddenly. “by the way, i’m jaehwan,” he says. taekwoon shakes it.
