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Taerae barely turns his head when his roommate enters his room, eyes still focused on the game on his computer (PUBG is, unfortunately, life). He feels him simply come up next to him and drop down a stack of papers, moving back to Taerae’s bed to watch him play until he dies.
Once he does, Taerae reaches for the stack. It’s their mail, and he sifts through envelopes and drops them on his mousepad. Bank, bank, library (his roommate Matthew’s overdue book), his cousin Gyuvin and Ricky’s wedding invitation, library (Taerae’s overdue book)...
Gyuvin and Ricky’s wedding invitation.
Right.
“I’m fucked,” Taerae grumbles.
“Woah, why the long face?” It’s then that Taerae remembers that Matthew, the aforementioned roommate, is seated on his bed. He turns to face the older, immediately scandalized by Matthew’s favourite black tank top on and the widest manspreading he’s been witness to.
This isn’t about that. Taerae sighs. He will say that the invitation is very well decorated, probably on Ricky’s behalf. “Wedding invitation. From my cousin. Fancy destination wedding with far too much money spent on it.”
Matthew’s eyebrows knit together. God, he’s so hot. “What’s the problem with that?”
“Plus one is included.” Taerae begins sliding the invitation back into the envelope. Maybe he should conveniently get sick. “And I lied and told Gyuvin I have a partner a while back. He’s totally going to notice if I show up alone.”
Taerae tosses the envelope onto the desk, standing up and pacing the room. He’s a T for a reason. “Okay, maybe I can just tell him we broke up? Or hire someone to come with me. Who doesn’t want to go to a luxury chalet? Or I could convince Gyuvin that my partner is sick. No, but he’ll definitely ask for pictures. Or—”
“Or,” Matthew interrupts, “I could come with you.”
Taerae freezes, looking at Matthew in disbelief. Matthew is a piece of eye candy, no doubt, enough to get Gyuvin off his back, but Matthew is really hot, really drool-worthy, and really straight. He cycles through every relationship that Matthew has ever mentioned and, yup, all girls. “Huh?”
Matthew shrugs. “Luxury chalet? Good food? Count me in.”
“You’d do that?”
“If you let me.” And then Matthew licks his lips, and Taerae doesn’t know if this is going to be a great idea or if he’s absolutely going to lose it after standing next to Matthew for more than five minutes.
But, of course, a deal is a deal. Taerae plays off the end of the conversation coolly, directing Matthew to his overdue book (the one about gay fencers, Taerae knows) before shooing him out of his room and screaming into his pillow.
He prays Matthew doesn’t question it, and he rots on his bed for a good hour before turning to his phone. Gyuvin has already sent him about fifty-five messages—fifty-six—on Taerae’s attendance at his wedding.
Taerae blankly stares at the fifty-seventh before he answers.
raerae ><
gyuvin
i’m coming to your wedding
obviously
gyuppy!
YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hyung
does this mean
i finally get to meet
your partner
raerae ><
yes actually
he’s agreed to come
gyuppy!
i’m so happy you’re dating hyung
i was starting to think you’d die alone
i was even worried i’d get married before you found someone
raerae ><
oh!
thanks gyuvin!
i LOVE to see how much faith you have in me
gyuppy!
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
well hyung
i always knew you’d find someone one day
you’re so amazing
i don’t see why you wouldn’t
raerae ><
aw that’s so sweet
thanks gyuvin
gyuppy!
ofc hyung!
you’re the coolest
oh the love of my life is calling me
i have to go
I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU HEHEHHE
Gyuvin and Ricky’s wedding is set for the middle of the summer, spanning a weekend in August. A week before the trip, Taerae goes over the details with Matthew, including their (pre-paid! Ricky really has too much money to burn) flights; extremely early in the morning on Friday to get to Los Angeles and late at night on Monday to get back home.
“Damn,” Matthew exclaims, clearly jogging through everything in his head once more. “How much money do they have?”
“Too much, clearly.” Taerae toys with the edges of the paper. “Ricky’s from, like, some chaebol family. I think he’s just into losers.”
Matthew hums. “So we only have to pretend to date for four days?” He sounds a little disappointed.
“Yeah, basically.”
Matthew leans back and crosses his (unsleeved) arms over his chest. Taerae gladly enjoys the view for as long as he can. “I guess I have to know some basic stuff about you if I want to make it believable.”
“You know everything you need to,” Taerae responds. “I don’t think Gyuvin is able to think of anything other than Ricky at this point.”
“Yes, but what about Ricky?” Matthew asked. “I feel like he’d ask a lot.”
“Maybe,” Taerae hums. “I don’t think he knows much about me, though, so you can make some things up.”
Matthew nods. He doesn’t seem to have any more questions, which Taerae’s thankful for. Staying in the same room as Matthew slowly depreciates his thoughts until the only thing in them is Seok Woohyun the things I’d do for you. He spends the week deciding on what to pack, and it’s while he’s shoving things into his suitcase last-minute that Gyuvin calls him.
“Hyung,” he cheers happily. “You never told me if your mystery boo is coming.”
He did. Taerae doesn’t blame Gyuvin for forgetting. He folds a pair of pants into his suitcase. “Yeah, he is.”
“Oh, really?” And, in typical Gyuvin fashion, he launches into a bunch of questions. The same ones he asked Taerae the first time. “What’s his name? How old is he? When did you get together exactly? Wh—”
Taerae thankfully gets saved when Matthew walks into his room. He turns to face him. “Hey, baby,” he says a little louder than necessary, just to interrupt Gyuvin and catch Matthew’s attention. “Come say hi to Gyuvin.”
“Sweetheart,” Matthew coos, immediately into character, wrapping an arm around Taerae. He has on his classic tank and sweats combo, but he also has glasses perched on his face. At least Taerae can ogle him openly.
Matthew squints at Gyuvin on Taerae’s phone, giving him a wave. “Yo,” he says. “Gyuvin, right? I’m Matthew.”
Gyuvin waves back at Matthew, leaning back and looking between him and Taerae. “You two look good together. Thank god you’re actually real. I was convinced that Taerae was dating his computer.”
“Sometimes I am too,” Matthew laughs. God, they’re going to have field days making fun of Taerae.
Taerae himself is still stuck on the “you look good together” bit, and he stares at himself in the little facetime square. Him and Matthew. God, why does Matthew have to be straight?
Matthew and Gyuvin continue a bit of small talk before Ricky calls Gyuvin from somewhere off-screen. Gyuvin snaps his head in the direction of his fiancé’s voice. “Sorry guys, the love of my life is calling.”
“All good. I have to finish packing anyway.” And then Matthew pulls Taerae closer and plants a kiss on his temple.
Taerae reddens immediately. His jaw also almost falls, but he catches himself. Gyuvin isn’t even looking at them! He stutters out a goodbye to Gyuvin, but he’s barely listening. By the time the call is over and Taerae turns back to Matthew, the latter is already halfway out the door.
“That was okay, right?” Matthew asks.
Taerae doesn’t know what to say. “Uh, yeah, I guess.”
Matthew disappears, and Taerae waits until he hears his door close across the hall before grabbing a pillow and screaming into it. Classic.
This weekend is going to be the worst weekend of Taerae’s life.
Of course, their flight takes off at 4am (which puts them in LA at 2, how excessive), which is how Taerae finds himself hand-in-hand with Matthew in the airport at 2am, Matthew claiming that it’s “for practice”. Taerae is honestly too tired to oppose, so he grabs Matthew’s hand and interlocks their fingers.
Matthew shifts next to Taerae on the moving sidewalk. “What if we got matching rings?”
“What?” Taerae feels his hand heat up in Matthew’s. Hopefully he doesn’t mind sweaty palms. It’s far too early in the morning and too late in time to do such a thing. “Why?”
“Well, when did you tell Gyuvin we were dating?”
Taerae takes a breath. “I told Gyuvin I was dating someone like… 8 months ago?”
“Okay, okay…” Matthew pauses to think, jutting out his lip a bit as he does. Taerae wants to kiss him, like, really badly. “So maybe we can pass on the rings. But we need a believable getting together story.”
“It can be the same as how we met,” Taerae offers. “Uni, later moved in together… but we just started dating at some point.”
“When’s our anniversary?” Matthew holds up his free hand as they step off the moving sidewalk. “No, wait, I had it already. September 21st.”
“That’s a really random day.”
“But it’ll sound special if we put enough thought into it.” Matthew shrugs. “Besides, the Earth, Wind & Fire song?”
Taerae never thought Matthew would put this much thought into fake dating, especially because Taerae has already planned to tell Gyuvin that he and Matthew broke it off amicably (to explain why they’re still roommates) a few weeks after they land back in Korea. Still, he appreciates the enthusiasm.
Taerae immediately passes out the moment they get on the plane (for a ten hour flight), hand still in Matthew’s grasp. Despite arguing for the window seat, he barely cast the clouds a look before lowering the shade down.
When Taerae wakes up a good few hours into the flight, he opens his eyes to see where they are on the plane’s flight path, but he jumps a bit when he sees Matthew’s face blocking the screen. He’s leaning over Taerae, eyes sparkling as he watches the clouds drift by.
“Um,” Taerae says.
Matthew startles at that, and Taerae freezes up as their eyes lock and a small grin stretches across Matthew’s face. “Sorry,” he murmurs, reaching to close the shade. “I’ve been looking out a lot.”
“You could’ve asked for the window seat,” Taerae mumbles as Matthew returns to his seat. He can feel the warmth on his cheeks. “I’m not using it.”
“Yeah, but you asked,” Matthew pouts. “And I have to give hyung what he wants.”
Taerae rolls his eyes lightly. Matthew has taken to occasionally calling him hyung as something like an inside joke between the two of them. Somehow, it makes Taerae giddy.
They land for their layover in Vancouver and Matthew immediately starts gushing over his hometown, boasting about how he wants to bring Taerae here. Taerae listens attentively, knowing he was the same when he found out Matthew was landing in Korea for the first time, and makes a mental note to visit for real with Matthew.
(He also just likes watching Matthew yap about things he’s passionate about like his Pokémon cards or gym routine.
(Something something buffed up like a jock geeked up like a nerd something something.))
Matthew only stops when they pass by some food. “Wait, I need something to eat so badly.” He points to a small store with a combination of endless packs of candy and cups of yogurt and granola. “Want some?”
“Sure.” Taerae follows behind Matthew in line, grabbing his selection of snacks to bring to the counter. The employee working looks tired and speaks fast, so fast it sounds like a blur to Taerae (he has not been brushing up on his English, making a point to ignore the Duolingo emails after Matthew decided he’d come for the wedding too), but Matthew immediately picks up and begins paying for their items. Taerae just listens to the way the words flow off of Matthew’s tongue, just a few conversational things he catches glimpses of, but it sounds really good.
Matthew ends up getting one of the yogurt and granola cups, of course, and Taerae has to admit that it looks pretty good. As they wait for their layover to end (only an hour, thankfully), Matthew notices where Taerae’s eyes are looking.
“Do you want a bite?” he asks.
Taerae slowly nods. “You don’t have to—”
Matthew scoops up some of the yogurt and granola and holds it to Taerae’s lips. Taerae flinches, immediately looking around, but they’re in the west. Nobody will bat more than an eye.
Slowly, Taerae wraps his lips around the spoon and crunches down on the granola, nodding at the taste.
“Good?” Matthew asks. Taerae nods again, trying to not blush. Matthew’s fed him countless times, and yet, Taerae always finds himself grinning from ear to ear each time behind a napkin.
Taerae spends the rest of the time they have in the airport smashing at buttons on Rhythm Hive and completely gawking when Matthew beats the level he’s been struggling with in one go. When Matthew reaches to grab something out of his backpack on the floor, his arms flex with effort as he does. Through tired eyes, Taerae watches attentively. How much staring will he be able to get away with before Matthew starts questioning him?
Their plane begins boarding, and Taerae forces Matthew into the window seat this time after admiring the strength in his arms to easily lift both of their carry-ons up to stow away (and even helping a few others, what a thoughtful man). When the plane begins moving, Matthew grips Taerae’s hand tightly, catching him off guard.
“Woah,” Taerae says, looking down at their hands.
Matthew looks down as well. “Sorry,” he says. “I just… get really nervous on takeoff. I held your hand the first time too, but I guess you didn’t notice since we’ve been holding hands all day.”
They have. Taerae thinks it’s cute as Matthew squeezes his hand, and he turns his face away to avoid blushing. Matthew’s grip loosens once the plane is cruising in the air, heading straight for LA.
It seems as though their places flip. While Matthew passes out quickly, the softest of snores leaving his lips with every breath (looks like he only snores like a giant when they’re alone), Taerae is left with his thoughts and the little moving plane on screen for the trip. How believable will they even be? He hopes they don’t have to give more than a kiss on the cheek on occasion—as badly as he wants Matthew, he’d hate to make him feel uncomfortable.
Speaking of which, will Matthew even be able to pass before he gets clocked? Taerae doesn’t want to admit it, but Matthew has so many straight hobbies that it’s not even laughable. Taerae will just have to make sure he really passes as bi, at the least.
Taerae makes sure to wake up Matthew once the plane is back down, giving them the countless plane laps around the airport to wake back up.
They step out of the airport forty minutes later, and Matthew takes a deep breath. “The LA air,” he sighs wistfully. Taerae just laughs lightly and looks around. Based on the palm trees, there’s a very different climate in comparison to Seoul, and he knows he’s packed a bit heavy.
Ricky has apparently decided to get them an escort and chauffeur to the chalet he’s rented, which just screams money. They locate the vehicle soon enough and pile in, and if Matthew grabs Taerae’s hand again as they slide into the backseat, he doesn’t question it.
The chalet is on the outskirts of Santa Monica, out far enough that Taerae catches a beautiful view of the stars, unobstructed by buildings or pollution. It stands tall and large out in the open, a beautifully paved driveway turning off the dingy side road they have to drive on. The warm brown of the chalet stands out slightly against the greenery around it, but they compliment each other perfectly. Even the outside lights, turned on so Matthew and Taerae can find their way, are the perfect addition to the area.
“Damn,” Matthew exclaims. “This is nice.”
“How much money do they have to blow?” Taerae mutters, picking up his phone to dial Gyuvin. As the chauffeur leaves them standing on the driveway with their luggage, he puts the phone on speaker.
“Huh?” Gyuvin grumbles over the phone, clearly just waking up from his slumber.
“We’re here,” Taerae says simply.
“Why so early?”
“Ask your fiancé.”
Shuffling on Gyuvin’s end, then he sighs heavily. “I’ll come open the door.”
Gyuvin greets them at the door with a lopsided grin and bunny pajamas, a clearly half-awake Ricky behind him. “Taerae!” he cheers, casting a spare glance at Matthew—Ricky’s eyes completely widen when he sees that Taerae isn’t alone.
Taerae steps inside the house, ignoring the glances. It’s only after he and Matthew wheel their luggage inside and kick off their shoes that he sighs and stands between the soon-to-be-wed couple and Matthew.
“Matthew,” Taerae says slowly, “this is Gyuvin, my cousin—you’ve seen him before—and his fiancé, Ricky. Gyuvin and Ricky,” and here comes the hard part, “this is Matthew, my boyfriend.”
Gyuvin immediately pulls Matthew into a hug. Matthew grunts slightly as he hits Gyuvin’s chest, and Gyuvin squeezes him slightly before letting go. Ricky just gives him a nod.
“Wow.” Gyuvin looks Matthew over. “You’re literally Taerae hyung’s ideal type.”
Taerae reddens. “Well, I wouldn’t go as far as to say—”
“Am I?” Matthew asks with an amused chuckle.
That’s it. Taerae’s crawling into a ditch and passing away. They can use his coffin as the altar.
“Yeah, totally,” Gyuvin nods enthusiastically. “No, he’s always said that he likes guys with muscle. And light hair. And—what, you’re a foreigner, right?”
Matthew nods. “I’m from Canada, yeah.”
Gyuvin hums, understanding. “Taerae thinks it’s really sexy when people can speak other la—”
“Wow, aren’t you two acquainted!” Taerae grabs Matthew’s arm and tugs him backwards. He doesn’t need Matthew to clock him any more than he probably has. “Darling,” he grits out, “we should probably go upstairs and unpack our things.”
“Right.” Matthew lets Taerae drag him upstairs, waiting until they’re out of earshot before he says anything. “So, you have a type?”
“Who doesn’t?” Taerae mutters, still red. “Please ignore Gyuvin and everything he says.”
Matthew laughs loudly, dragging his suitcase behind him. Taerae walks towards their room, opening the door.
The room is beautiful. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite side of the room, a comfortable looking couch tucked into the corner, and a TV mounted on the chimney of a fireplace. It stares down at the bed, draped in a countless number of bedsheets despite it being summer.
The bed.
“Oh.” Taerae stares at their room. “We have one bed.”
“I see that.” Matthew barely flinches, though, already collapsing onto the closer side of the bed. Taerae has no choice but to follow behind him and take his own side. “Damn, what’s the thread count on these sheets?”
“Probably a disgustingly high number.”
Matthew spends a good amount of time debating whether to get up or not. “I think I’m just sleeping in airport clothes. Sorry.”
“No, I get it.” Taerae’s already nodding off himself. “Night, Matthew.”
“Good night,” Matthew mumbles, and Taerae closes his eyes.
Taerae wakes up groggy, as always, but that immediately changes when he feels warmth pressed against his back.
He nearly jumps out of his skin when he realizes Matthew is bear-hugging him. He takes a few breaths, stopping himself from committing self-destruct with Matthew attached to him.
He should’ve seen this coming a mile away. How many times had he snuck into Matthew’s room to find him with a pillow or stuffy wrapped tightly in his arms? It’s only natural that Taerae has become the next victim.
Taerae makes the executive decision to not move. He feels Matthew snuggle further into his nape, probably startled by all of Taerae’s moving before he froze. His grip tightens around Taerae, and he sighs into Taerae’s shoulder.
At this point, Taerae doesn’t know if he’s avoiding moving because he doesn’t want to disturb Matthew, because he physically can’t, or because his strength kink is kicking in.
“Oh, fuck me in the ass,” Taerae grumbles. At this point, he probably wouldn’t mind if Matthew did.
“Hm?” Matthew groans sleepily, clearly not awake. His light breaths are no longer on the back of Taerae’s neck, but it instead comes to the side of Taerae’s neck as Matthew presses a wet kiss there.
What?
Before Taerae can question if Matthew is lucid, Matthew shifts. “Taerae,” he whispers sleepily. “Good morning.”
“Why did you kiss me?” Taerae asks quickly before he can back out of it.
Matthew hums. “Practice.”
Taerae melts at that, suddenly wanting nothing more than to drink up this fleeting moment, but they have things to do. He closes his eyes and breathes in, trying to note everything he’s noticed. The sunlight streaming into the room, the feeling of Matthew’s breath on his neck, the ghost of his lips, the feeling of his touch.
Taerae opens his eyes. “Okay, we need to get ready.”
“Must we?” Matthew sighs, but Taerae’s already prying himself from his arms, albeit regretfully. He stands up and peeks into the mini-fridge in their room, he finds a small pack of Milkis that he knows Gyuvin planted there.
Whatever, he won’t turn down free drinks.
As he works to free the can from the rest, Matthew finally sits up. His bedhead is adorable. “What do we have that’s so important?”
“Wedding rehearsal,” Taerae answers, placing the can on the counter. He did read Ricky’s long-ass itinerary. “And I definitely want to see what it looks like.”
Matthew makes some sort of sound of understanding. “What time does it start?”
“12.” Taerae pops open the can with one hand.
Matthew doesn’t respond for a while. “That was kinda sexy.”
“Huh?” Taerae’s sure he can’t hear right.
Matthew shakes his head, waving a hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it,” he says.
Taerae would really, truly love to go out of his mind and self-destruct over this, but he and Matthew share a room. Besides, they need to get ready, because the wedding rehearsal starts at 12 sharp and Taerae is still in his pyjamas at 11:02.
He and Matthew each get ready and head downstairs, Matthew insisting that they must hold hands. They get in a quick breakfast buffet of eggs, bacon, hash browns, cereals, and pretty much anything you’d see at a hotel (god, seriously, how much did this wedding cost) before heading off to the venue, just a few minutes drive away from the chalet.
The beach.
Taerae looks around at the wedding decorations in awe, his smiling immediately falling when he sees Gyuvin wearing the camo shorts that he’s pretty sure both he and Ricky have told him to toss.
Still, the decorations are nice. Rows of white chairs with pink and blue ribbons decorating the sides, and the altar at the front is a beautiful white arch, dotted with pink and blue accents. The ocean behind it has soft waves, close enough to be a part of the scenery but far enough to not risk the decorations.
“Isn’t it nice?” Gyuvin gushes. “Ricky designed all of it to match the sunset.”
“Of course he did,” Taerae mutters. “It’s really nice, though. I would’ve never thought you’d have a beach wedding.”
“Ricky convinced me,” Gyuvin coos, and of course he did.
Ricky glides in the space between the two of them gracefully, linking his arm with Gyuvin’s. “I had to make it perfect,” he explains. “Especially because my parents are letting me have such a small, unannounced wedding.”
Right, Ricky is rich and technically famous. Taerae settles into one of the chairs and sits politely. The wedding rehearsal isn’t exactly necessary (there’s no wedding party to look out for), but Ricky is a stickler for details.
Matthew slides into the seat beside him. “You’re an aisle person?”
“Not on planes,” Taerae answers. “But most of the time.”
Matthew laughs, albeit exaggerated, slapping his knee. “You’re so funny,” he gushes. Taerae gives him back a polite smile, trying not to cough when Matthew claps him on the back. Dear lord. His straightness is unmatched.
Taerae turns his attention back to the altar, where Gyuvin stands admiring Ricky walk down the aisle. Even if Ricky is in a pair of jeans and a white shirt that is definitely from Gyuvin’s closet, Gyuvin looks at him with so much love in his eyes that it’s almost overflowing.
The officiant—Jiwoong, Taerae thinks his name is—talks the couple through each stage of their wedding. Taerae half listens, though his mind easily wanders elsewhere when he feels Matthew’s hand on his thigh.
God. It’s like anytime Matthew touches Taerae, that part of his body starts burning. Whatever it is, it makes it impossible to focus on anything else.
“Taerae.”
“Hm?” Taerae turns towards Matthew.
“…and then…” Taerae catches the tail end of what Jiwoong’s saying. “This is the part where you’ll kiss.”
Matthew leans towards Taerae.
“Ah!” Taerae jumps away as playfully as he can, doing his best to laugh off what just happened, because what?
Matthew clearly seems to think it’s equally funny, giggling along with Taerae in their seats. Gyuvin and Ricky cast them a brief look, Gyuvin grinning and Ricky simply rolling his eyes with fake annoyance before turning back to their wedding practice. Taerae tries to not think too deeply about Matthew’s fake-out kiss, watching the rehearsal ceremony peacefully until it’s over.
As it ends, the guests all go their separate ways (apparently, Ricky’s booked multiple chalets, because he can). Taerae decides to go on a walk alongside the beach, gathering his thoughts.
This was not a good idea. Taerae was right—going on a wedding weekend getaway with Matthew by his side as his fake boyfriend has only made him truly have to lock in on not kissing Matthew—which is infinitely harder when Matthew is also trying to kiss him. It’s a game of chase where he can’t get caught, lest he absolutely forget about everything they do being fake.
Right. Fake. Matthew is Taerae’s fake boyfriend for two more days. After this, it’s it. Taerae can get through two days. He walks towards a clump of deckchairs on the shoreline beside a small cabana, which Gyuvin had pointed out to him as where the reception would be held. Curious, he walks over.
Taerae finds Ricky settled into one of the chairs, seated elegantly and sipping on a bright cocktail. He doesn’t say anything, but Ricky still looks at him from over his sunglasses.
“You and Matthew are awfully romantic,” he says, swirling around his glass before taking a sip.
“You think?” Taerae asks unconsciously, biting his tongue only after the fact. Ricky sees this (he sees everything), crooking an eyebrow at Taerae.
“Yes, I do,” he answers slowly. “Should I not?”
Ricky has read him like one of his yaoi webtoons. Taerae sighs. “Well, you should,” he starts, attempting to save it. “Matthew and I are in love with each other. I’d be surprised if you didn’t see us as romantic. You know, ‘cause we are.”
He knows immediately that he’s just dug straight down, which is the number one do not do in Minecraft and, clearly, in real life. At his grimace, Ricky lets out a heavy exhale, placing down his cocktail. “What is it?”
“We’re not dating.”
“Well, you made that much obvious with the way you’ve been talking to me.”
“Okay, way to rub it in.”
Ricky swirls around his drink again in the silence, the ice clinking against the glass.
“Are you sure though?”
“What?”
“Okay, I get it, you aren’t.” Ricky smacks his lips together. “Matthew had me fooled.”
Taerae’s eyebrows furrow together, and he turns to Ricky, who peacefully drinks from his straw. “Huh?”
“He looks at you like he’s in love with you or something.”
Huh. Taerae thinks on that for a moment, tongue poking through his cheek. Has he? He must be so focused on making sure this weekend goes well. “He’s really dedicated to the bit.”
Taerae thinks he hears Ricky snort the bit under his breath, but it’s gone so fast that he can’t be sure. Ricky clears his throat and drops the bomb.
“Do you like him, Taerae?”
Taerae wants to pretend to think. He wants to be able to sit on the fence for a moment, but his mouth always moves before he can think. “Yes.”
“I thought so.” Ricky has some sort of smug smile on his face, all too knowing, and Taerae decides to leave him at that.
He returns to his room in the chalet slowly, drinking up the sunlight as he goes. A light breeze blows as well, and he enjoys every moment of it, losing track of time until he’s back at the chalet.
It’s really a nice building. He takes a moment to drink up the sunlight when he reaches his room, staring at the view outside of the window before promptly turning around and finding his laptop.
He’s just booted up League when Matthew walks into their room, and Taerae can tell without looking up that he’s just been out for a run. The idea of a sweaty Matthew immediately scrolls through his mind, and he totally bombs the game before he can recover.
He throws his head back and sighs, tongue poking through his cheek. He hears Matthew’s breath hitch, and finally makes the decision to turn his head. “Matthew-yah.”
Matthew’s wiping a towel across his forehead, ridding himself of some of the sweat. Taerae wants to lick the droplets off him. “Did I interrupt your game?”
“No, I just…” Taerae hums. “…Lost.”
“Lost.” Matthew sits down next to Taerae on the bed. “Do you always… do that when you lose?”
“Do what?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Taerae just closes his laptop. “Are you excited for the wedding?”
“Of course.” Matthew lays down on the bed, and Taerae doesn’t have the heart to tell him to get off and shower before he does. “Who doesn’t love to see love?”
Taerae nods, agreeing. He looks out of the window. “Ricky chose a really nice area, huh? Look at the view.”
Matthew turns his gaze away, and Taerae takes it as a moment to look at Matthew. A sparkle in his eye, there whenever he looks outside, Taerae finds, as beautiful to look at as always.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asks softly.
Matthew turns towards Taerae again, scratching the back of his neck. “Do you want to… I don’t know, watch the sunset together… or something?”
Taerae smiles at that. “I’d love to.”
Matthew just continues staring at Taerae for a moment before shutting his eyes tightly. “I’ll go shower now.”
He disappears out of the room, leaving Taerae to pull his knees to his chest and giggle about that interaction. Call him a hopeless romantic, but he’s always dreamed of watching the sunset with someone. That someone getting to be Matthew is such a plus.
Once Matthew returns from the bathroom, he drags Taerae out of the lodge and back to the beach, a bright look in his eyes as he crashes down in the sand.
Taerae chooses a slightly classier spot in a deckchair, sighing as he settles in. The sunset view is beautiful (as expected by Ricky’s choice of location), and it serves as an alluring visual to breathe in the sea breeze with.
Curious, Taerae turns towards Matthew, only to find that the older is also looking at him. He takes a moment. “This is nice.”
“Yeah,” Matthew sighs. “Yeah, really. We don’t sit around and do nothing very often.”
Taerae looks back out at the sunset, then at Matthew again, adoring the way that the sunlight decorates the older’s features. The sky is a beautiful mixture of pinks, purples, and oranges, faded up into the beginnings of the stars forming.
Taerae wants to stay here forever.
Taerae wakes up surprisingly energized on the day of the wedding, nearly jumping out of bed before remembering that Matthew is attached to his backside again. He’s taken to switching timezones a lot better than he expected to.
“What time is the wedding at?” Matthew whispers into Taerae’s ear the moment Taerae moves, and Taerae flinches at his voice. Matthew’s been awake before him, just voluntarily holding onto Taerae while he slept.
“How long have you been awake?” Taerae asks.
Matthew lets out a long breath, the air tickling Taerae’s skin once again. “‘Bout half an hour.”
That long? Taerae asks in his head. He wonders what Matthew’s been thinking about all this time. “The wedding is pretty late,” Taerae says, finally answering Matthew’s question. “It starts at 8, ‘cause they wanted to get the sunset in their pictures. Which means the reception is fully at night.”
“Ooh, fun.” Matthew gets a mischievous glint in his eye. “Then… want to go swimming?”
As much as Taerae hates water, he thinks about shirtless Matthew. “Sure,” he answers, trying to not seem as rushed as he probably is.
After waking themselves up a bit more and going downstairs for yet another filling breakfast, Taerae and Matthew are making their way to the beach, choosing to walk there today.
“It’s so nice outside,” Matthew observes, clearly enjoying the weather. He’s a few steps ahead of Taerae, so he spins around in his flip-flops and walks backwards “Maybe I should’ve gone for another run this morning.”
“Why didn’t you?” Taerae asks, adjusting the strap of his beach bag on his shoulder.
“I wanted to spend time with you,” Matthew answers, turning back around. Thank goodness he does, because Taerae immediately starts blushing like crazy.
They arrive at the beach soon enough, Matthew immediately running into the water while Taerae organizes their belongings. He’s just about to settle into a deckchair and stare at Matthew through the sunglasses at the bottom of his bag when Matthew is suddenly behind him, making Taerae jump.
“Sorry,” Matthew half apologizes, but he runs a hand through his wet hair and that is so disrespectful that Taerae doesn’t plan on forgiving him. “Why aren’t you getting into the water?”
Taerae really, really makes sure to not even cast a glance at Matthew’s torso, forcing himself to leave it in his periphery. “I’m… I’m not the strongest in the water.”
“Well.” In an instant, Matthew has Taerae in his arms bridal style and is running towards the water. Taerae screams, mind overloaded by the fact that (a) he’s heading straight for water, (b) Matthew is carrying him so effortlessly, and (c) he has a hand on Matthew’s firm chest that he subtly squeezes to feign fear. If Matthew thinks it’s weird, he doesn’t question it, dead set on dumping Taerae into the water.
Taerae screams again when he hits the water, hearing Matthew laughing even from underwater. He rights himself quickly and stands to find himself just over waist deep in the water, which means that—yes, Matthew’s chest.
Taerae shivers in his shirt, which clings to his skin immediately. Matthew’s eyes might falter somewhat, but they just might, because Taerae is too slow to catch small things like that.
“Can’t believe you don’t like swimming,” Matthew gawks, moving towards Taerae and sandwiching him into a hug from behind. “Why’d you even come with me?”
Because I want to spend time with you, Taerae wants to answer, but he fears it’ll sound much gayer coming from him than it did from Matthew—which it barely was.
“Why not?” he decides to say, yelping when Matthew jumps backwards and sends them both into the water. The moment they resurface, Taerae moves as far away as possible, making sure to make a point of splashing Matthew. Which, of course, means that Matthew immediately splashes back, and they’re fighting each other off with playful screams and giggles within seconds.
Matthew looks off at the beach for a moment, distracted, letting Taerae get in a heavy splash of water. Before Taerae can see what he’s looking at, however, Matthew turns back to him with a grin.
“There’s no one on the beach,” he says, and Taerae doesn’t know what he means until Matthew’s grabbing him by the back of his neck and pulling him in to kiss him, and Taerae barely manages to curl out of the way, the kiss landing on his cheek instead of neck.
“Ya, Seok Matthew!” he yells, writhing out of Matthew’s grasp and darting down into the water. He can’t kiss Matthew. That’s his only rule.
Matthew’s still giggling from the surface, standing peacefully, so Taerae makes a point to swim (or walk, really) to Matthew’s legs and yank on one, pulling him under. Matthew yells at being dunked, clearly aiming to attack Taerae the same way.
By the time Taerae gets tired of swimming, practically dragging himself to the surface, even Matthew is panting under the sun. They pack up their bags and begin the trek back to the lodge.
Matthew immediately calls dibs on the shower the moment they get back to their room, which gives Taerae a moment to doomscroll for his life. Before he can, though, he sees a few messages from Gyuvin that have come in.
gyuppy!
[ 7 photos sent ]
[ 3 videos sent ]
you guys are so cute omg
invite me to YOUR wedding
raerae ><
WHAT.
Taerae opens the attachments in a hurry, eyes widening when he sees what they are. Photos of him and Matthew in the water, smiles wide and happy. When did Gyuvin even drop in on the beach?
The first video plays as he swipes to it, and he recognizes the moment immediately. The exact moment when Matthew said there was no one on the beach, clearly looking straight into Gyuvin’s camera. What a liar.
Taerae watches himself on-screen dart away from Matthew, and his yell is even heard from far away. He hears a giggle close to the camera, Gyuvin’s own, along with a soft sigh, like he enjoys watching the two interact like this.
He doesn’t get to the next video before Gyuvin texts him again.
gyuppy!
i’m sorry for sneaking these but i love this
you guys look so in love it almost hurts me
i get it
raerae ><
ricky said the same thing
gyuppy!
and he’s right!
my little smart cookie
god i love him
i can’t believe we’re getting married today
raerae ><
i’m still so excited for you gyub
With that message, he turns back to the videos. The second is nothing different, them splashing water at each other and jeering. The third, however, is from the cabana, showing Matthew with Taerae in his arms running to throw him into the water. Gyuvin lets out another giggle, cooing as he zooms in on them.
“The second cutest couple ever,” Gyuvin says to the camera as Matthew hugs Taerae. “I can’t believe you’ve been hiding this from me, hyung.”
The video ends. Taerae takes another look through the photos, and, yeah, Taerae looks a little too in love with Matthew. Matthew might too, but that glint has to be practiced.
“You can use the shower now.”
Taerae had been so busy zooming into the photos of him and Matthew that he didn’t even notice that the latter had re-entered the room, eyes damn near bulging out of his head when he’s hit in the face by shirtless Matthew for the second time in one day, this one with a mere towel around his neck and waist.
Taerae averts his eyes instantly, feeling his cheeks heat up. “I’ll go shower then,” he mutters, turning away to fetch his towel from somewhere.
He returns from his shower quickly, having thrown on a random pair of shorts he’s found and a random shirt. He’ll be changing and getting ready for the wedding later anyways, so the rest of the day can be spent lazing around and hopefully sitting down on his laptop.
When he returns to his room, brushing his towel through his hair, Matthew looks up from his phone, his fingers hovering frozen over the screen. He looks down at Taerae’s legs for a moment, then his eyes drag back up. “You done?” he asks.
Taerae hums. He drops down onto the bed, huffing. “I can’t wait for the ceremony.”
“Neither can I.” Matthew hovers over Taerae, and something about the way he looks down at him makes Taerae’s heart nearly beat out of his chest. He pays it no mind (or at least tries to), closing his eyes and taking a breath.
He feels the bed shift as Matthew moves away, seeming to stand up. Taerae opens his eyes and sits up, finding Matthew stretching in the corner of the room. “We should go swimming again sometime.”
“Yeah.” Matthew turns around. “We should, really. I had a lot of fun with you.”
With you. Taerae feels giddy. “So did I.”
Taerae knocks on the door to Gyuvin and Ricky’s suite, knowing that Gyuvin’s the only one in there. Ricky had gone off to one of the other chalets to get ready for the wedding on his own. “It’s Taerae,” he says into the door.
“Come in,” Gyuvin calls from the other side.
Taerae pushes the door open. He’s already gotten dressed, in his suit, and his jaw drops when he sees Gyuvin’s too. “Wow,” he exhales, closing the door behind him.
“Is it okay?” Gyuvin asks, eyes sparkling, and even if it wasn’t, Taerae wouldn’t be able to bring himself to say it.
Taerae steps closer, brushing off the shoulders of Gyuvin suit. “It’s perfect,” he smiles. “Even more if that’s possible.”
He spins Gyuvin around to the mirror that he’s facing away from, watching Gyuvin straighten up.
“You think so?” he asks. “I just want everything to go smoothly.”
“Of course you do.” Taerae points at the boutonniere in Gyuvin’s pocket. “Roses?”
“Ricky’s choice,” Gyuvin gushes. “Blue for admiration, purple for wonder, pink for appreciation and sweetness, and white for eternity.”
“That’s beautiful.” Taerae smiles. He doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Gyuvin and Ricky ever. “Are you almost leaving?”
“Almost.” Gyuvin looks like he’s about to cry. He takes Taerae’s hand. “Taerae-hyung, seriously, thank you so much for being here. I-I’m nervous beyond belief, but you’re still here, and—seriously, hyung, thank you for just… seeing me.”
“It’s the least I can do, Gyuvin.”
“God…” Gyuvin shoves Taerae into his chest and squeezes him tightly. Taerae yelps, but he lets Gyuvin choke him a bit, hugging him back the best he can. “Hyung. Really, you’re the best.”
Gyuvin only lets go when he feels his phone vibrate. “I have to go now,” he says, beaming at Taerae. “Thanks hyung!”
He dashes out of the room quickly, leaving Taerae standing in the room alone. He laughs lightly, turning back around to look at himself in the mirror.
Just as he’s straightening out his tie, the door behind him opens. Matthew pokes his head in, entering the room fully once he sees Taerae.
“Gyuvin said I’d find you here,” he says, wrapping an arm around Taerae. Their suits match each other (a combination of being on a time crunch and also selling the relationship bit), and Taerae thinks about the whole you look good together that is months old at this point. “We should start getting ready to leave.”
“I must’ve lost track of time.” Taerae shakes his head, tearing his eyes away from the mirror. Matthew looks really good in a suit. “Let’s go.”
“Right.”
Ricky has, once again, arranged chauffeurs to bring the guests down to the beach. The car ride is smooth and quick, as expected, and Matthew grabs Taerae’s hand the moment they get out of the car.
“Are you excited?” Matthew asks, squeezing Taerae’s hand as they walk down the boardwalk towards the wedding area.
“Of course,” Taerae replies. “Gyuvin’s practically my little brother. I love that kid to death. I’m so happy for him.”
“So am I, and I met him two days ago.” Matthew slides into a seat one away from the aisle. Taerae sits down next to him, admiring the scenery again. Even though he’s seen this wedding setup before, the sky above with the sun almost waiting for the ceremony to start before it settles into the horizon. There’s a soft breeze blowing as always; not a harsh one, but subtle enough to be perfect.
The day looks absolutely perfect.
As the seats fill up, Taerae and Matthew make small talk with the couple seated beside them, Hanbin and Hao, who are apparently the two that introduced Gyuvin and Ricky to each other in the first place. Once the seats are all filled, Jiwoong approaches the altar and the ceremony begins.
Gyuvin walks down the decorated aisle with a slight stiffness in his steps, nerves, but he has a proud, dopey grin on his face nonetheless. Taerae can’t help but fondly smile at the way Gyuvin shifts on his feet at the altar, clearly anticipating what’s to come.
And then Ricky walks down the aisle, bouquet full and white suit pressed to perfection, with a smile so wide it could rival the shine of the sun.
Gyuvin fights through tears during his vows, though they begin flowing the moment Ricky opens his mouth. The moment the last syllable leaves Ricky’s mouth, Gyuvin’s sandwiching him into a hug.
The sun is setting. As the colours of the sky match those of the wedding, the sun kisses the still water on the horizon, and Gyuvin kisses Ricky. Taerae swoons at the moment, knowing that it has become the exact perfect vision that the couple had always wanted.
As they sign their papers, a few of the newlywed’s friends give their speeches, and the ceremony begins to wrap up. A few anecdotes in each, hearty laughs, and plenty of emotional hugs later, the wedding moves over to the cabana, where sets of tables have been set up on the boardwalk. Meals are given out by the dutiful staff that have been working to make this wedding as flawless as possible.
“Wow,” Matthew mutters at the first bite of his food. “This food is great.”
Taerae nods. “They pulled out all the stops on this. I hope it’s everything they ever wanted.”
Matthew hums thoughtfully. “Where do you think you’d have your wedding?”
“I… I haven’t thought about that before,” Taerae replies. It’s a sudden question, but not completely out of the ordinary. “Maybe… something outside would be nice. But, like, more nature-y?”
“That’s bold coming from a chronically online person.”
“Oh, hush.” Taerae gives Matthew a playful shove. “I’m not getting married anytime soon.”
As the meals get finished up and the attention turns over to the DJ, Ricky makes a very important announcement.
“I’m going to throw the bouquet,” he yells (which isn’t very loud), which gets people clamouring out of their seats. Taerae stays put until Hanbin and Hao (who they’ve been sitting with) prompt him out of his seat.
“Why don’t you go?” Taerae asks, reluctantly standing up.
Hao rolls his eyes and holds up his left hand, showing the ring on it. “We’re finished. You go.”
Taerae sighs, but he joins the clump of people waiting to catch Ricky’s bouquet. He’s not positioned very well, caught between two freakishly tall (likely average height) people, disappearing in the crowd. He hears the enthusiastic countdown, and, for the bit, holds up his hands slightly.
And, in some sick and twisted fate of events, Taerae catches the bouquet.
It lands perfectly in his arms, and he watches as the group of guests part like the Red Sea and reveal the knowing smile on Ricky’s face when he sees just whose arms the bouquet has plopped into.
Gyuvin’s already running towards him. Countless people he doesn’t know are congratulating him. Matthew’s arm wraps around him and presses a kiss to his cheek, but Taerae stands, dazed.
Who the hell is he supposed to marry?
“Oh my god,” Gyuvin gushes, crashing into Taerae’s side. “This is basically my wildest dream come true.”
“Congratulations on your marriage, Taerae,” Ricky says, knowingly looking at Matthew. “Maybe things are changing for you.”
Taerae blinks hard. “Congratulations on your marriage. I appreciate the… enthusiasm.”
Gyuvin wraps his arm around Ricky, grinning from ear to ear. He looks at Matthew. “So…?”
“I think we should get married, Taerae-yah.” Matthew pokes Taerae’s cheek. “What do you think?”
Taerae just glances at Matthew. “Let’s… discuss.”
“Ah, well.” Ricky gestures to the cabana. “Drinks are over there, if you want anything.”
And Ricky walks away, Gyuvin on his tail, leaving Taerae still holding his bouquet and Matthew still holding him.
“Do you want anything to drink?” Matthew asks.
“Wine,” Taerae answers. “Any. I’m going to sit down.”
Taerae does turn back to his table and sit down. Hao and Hanbin are gone, likely at the cabana getting drinks, so Taerae places the bouquet on the table. Matthew kissing his cheek so sweetly made his heart try to beat out of his chest. Ricky’s words only remind him that all of this—even that kiss—was fake. Everything was fake.
“Got it!” The placement of a wine glass in front of him has Taerae jumping, eyes looking up at Matthew. “Are you going to dance?”
“I don’t know if I’m up to it,” Taerae responds. He needs a moment. “If you want to go, you can. I’ll join you if I feel like it.”
Matthew nods, looking away for a moment. His eyes widen. “Woah, look at Ricky’s dress.”
Taerae whips his head around, seeing Ricky giggling with one of Gyuvin’s friends in a pale pink cocktail dress. Taerae searches for Gyuvin, finding him in the middle of conversation with another patron, but his eyes are nowhere near focused on the person. Of course.
“It’s nice,” Taerae acknowledges. “I’d time how long it takes for Gyuvin to speak to him, but it’ll probably be less than a minute.”
Matthew laughs, patting Taerae’s shoulder. “If you need anything, call for me,” he says. “Bye.”
He kisses Taerae’s cheek again, completely unexpected, and disappears into the buzz on the beach again.
Taerae nearly slams his head on the table, but he only makes a heavy sigh and reaches for his wine for the first time of many.
He sips on his drink every so often, observing the buzz all around him. There’s a lot of movement beneath the smiling stars, the area illuminated by the soft LED lights from the cabana, the sparkle of the fairy lights hidden in the decorations, and the moon. The soft crashing of the waves on the shore provide even more tranquil to the scene, a combination of celebration, excitement, and pure enjoyment.
Matthew slides into a seat next to Taerae, an empty glass in his hands. “You should come dance,” he begs, tugging on Taerae’s arm. Taerae has always thought that tipsy Matthew is cute, and this time is no different.
Taerae hums, looking around. “Sure, why not,” he decides, taking another sip of his wine. He’s lightly buzzed now, not enough to be drunk, but enough to give him a bit of energy.
He lets Matthew pull him up and under the fairy lights, where some lovely Silk Sonic is playing. Matthew lip syncs slightly to Leave The Door Open, spinning Taerae around as he does.
Taerae would be lying if he says this moment doesn’t feel personal and intimate, Matthew staring at him as though there’s nothing else in the world to even look at. Even the touch of their hands together is shocking, even more so when Matthew pulls him close and rests his hands on Taerae’s hips.
Matthew looks at Taerae like he’s in love with him.
And, maybe for one night, Taerae can pretend he is. He looks into Matthew’s eyes the same way and lifts his arms to place them on Matthew’s shoulders, letting himself imagine what he always has. Him and Matthew, together, a concept he only dreams of.
Matthew grins. “You look really good.”
“Right now?” Taerae asks.
“You always look nice.”
Taerae doesn’t expect that one. He sputters, subconsciously wondering what girl Matthew had used that line on before. He really admires that Matthew’s still saying cheesy things to him like this even when they’re more isolated, just in case someone hears them over.
He really hates how it makes him feel, though.
“You too,” Taerae decides to respond.
Matthew smiles wider, if that’s even possible. They don’t say anything for a while after that, just swaying with each other, and Taerae melts into the moment until Matthew’s hands are on his cheeks.
“W—” Taerae starts, but the words don’t even get to fall from his lips, instead caged by Matthew lips pressed against his own.
What?
Taerae freezes up. Matthew’s lips are soft when they’re pressed against his, as though it was meant to happen. And he really wants to enjoy it, really wants to drink in this kiss, but why is Matthew kissing him?
God. He probably knows. He probably knows that Taerae has a crush on him and wants to play with his feelings a bit. He wants to see how Taerae will react.
That’s got to be it. As much as Taerae wants to stand here and enjoy this kiss, he’s not going to let Matthew do that.
When he feels the prod of Matthew’s tongue against his lips, Taerae plants his hands on Matthew’s chest and pushes him as hard as he can.
Taerae looks down, unable to meet Matthew’s eyes. He needs to get his words across. “What are you doing?”
“I thought—”
“I don’t know what you thought, but it’s wrong.” Taerae turns around and walks towards their table, somehow knowing that Matthew is still on his heels. “You can’t just kiss me like that.”
“Why not?” Matthew asks. “Besides, do you know how bad this looks if someone finds—”
“I don’t care!” Taerae nearly yells, gathering his things. He almost leaves the bouquet behind, but grabs it. His voice is barely concealed by the music. “I don’t care if everyone thinks we’re dating or not. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Taerae spins on his heel and begins walking off the beach, taking rushed steps. When he finally casts one fleeting glance at Matthew, he looks completely heartbroken.
Whatever. Taerae walks as fast as his legs can carry him. The walk back to the chalet isn’t far—only twenty minutes. He’s sure he can just crash on the couch or something.
Taerae drags his feet as he walks. It’s dark now, completely, but the moon is full. He’s always liked full moons, but it feels like its mocking him now. A beautiful night outside, wasted.
Once Taerae finally makes it to the chalet, he crashes face-down onto the bed. He doesn’t bother to close the door, sighing heavily.
Matthew kissed him. God, how are things going to be after this? Between actually flying back to the rest of their roommate life, Taerae’s going to have to accept that maybe he was just here for Matthew to toy around with his feelings.
He’s debating whether he needs to move out or not when the bed next to him sinks. Taerae doesn’t move, assuming it’s Gyuvin or Ricky, but he jumps when he hears whose voice it is.
“I’m sorry,” Matthew says. “Really, Taerae. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Oh. Taerae slowly turns his head, looking up at Matthew. He looks genuinely hurt, eyes flitting between Taerae and the suit jacket he’s taken off. “What?”
“I shouldn’t have just… assumed.”
Taerae pulls himself up to sitting, looking at Matthew with concern. “Assumed what?”
“I…” Matthew sighs. “God, I’ve liked you for months. And this has been so hard for me… having to pretend. I thought that with all the flirting and everything…” Matthew looks at Taerae. “I thought you knew.”
What?
“You…” Taerae feels like he’s dreaming. “You like me?”
“Yeah.” Matthew scratches the back of his neck. “That’s why I kissed you. I thought that you—y’know, maybe you liked me back. But clearly—”
“I thought you were straight,” Taerae admits.
It’s Matthew’s turn to be shocked. “You thought what?”
Taerae nods. He’s not very proud of that now, and it even sounds foolish coming out of his mouth. “I’ve liked you for months. But I always just thought you were straight. You know, every relationship you mentioned had a girlfriend.”
“Well… okay, yeah, I get that,” Matthew responds. “But, for the record, I’m bi with a preference for women, but I’ve liked guys before. Is that why you pulled away?”
“…Yeah.” Taerae answers. He feels horrible. “I just… didn’t want to get led on. Especially after… this entire weekend.”
“Well…” Matthew places his hand on Taerae’s. “I’m not leading you on. I like you, Kim Taerae. I’d love to be your boyfriend.”
“I like you, Seok Matthew. And I’d like the same.” Taerae looks at their hands on the bed, then back up at Matthew. There’s only one thing he wants to ask right now. “Can we try that again?”
“That…” A smile slowly spreads on Matthew’s face. “Yeah, we can.”
He cups Taerae’s face, just as he did the first time, and kisses Taerae nice and slowly. Taerae lets himself let go this time, lets himself do what he wants and kiss Matthew back. He chases after Matthew’s lips, barely letting them part to breathe, pulling himself on top of Matthew to get as close as he can. Matthew lets him, his hands moving to card his fingers through Taerae’s hair, and he tugs slightly.
Taerae moans.
He immediately wants to crawl into a hole and die, especially at Matthew’s amused look. His lips are already red, and he looks out of breath—Taerae wants him so fucking badly.
“Huh.” Matthew pulls on Taerae’s hair again, the latter whimpering despite his best efforts. “You like that, don’t you?”
Taerae can’t deny the feeling pooling in his stomach. He wants to just sit here and tell Matthew everything he wants to do with him, but that can wait. Now, Matthew is mouthing at Taerae’s neck, sucking lightly at each press of his lips.
“You know,” Matthew starts, “Gyuvin said I was your type.”
“He’s right,” Taerae confesses. “I was… I was thinking about you when I told him.”
“You know what my type is?” Matthew presses his lips to the side of Taerae’s neck, the same spot he kissed the previous morning. “Cute boys with dimples.”
He grabs Taerae’s hips, where he was specifically trying to not make contact, and pulls him down, pressing their crotches together. Taerae throws his head back and lets out what is probably the loudest moan to ever happen ever, period. He doesn’t want to look Matthew in the eyes, but the older is guiding their lips back together.
Matthew breaks the kiss for just a moment. “Can I please—?” His fingertips dance along the waist of Taerae’s too-tight pants, fingers dipping past the waistband.
“Yes, fuck, just—” Taerae grabs Matthew’s face and kisses him again, unable to keep his hands to himself anymore. As Matthew’s fingers skirt over his dick, making him whimper, his hands roam freely underneath Matthew’s shirt.
There are a lot of layers between them. Far too many.
Taerae gets through a good three buttons of Matthew’s shirt without looking before he gives up, switching to his own suit. He makes quick work of sliding off his dress jacket and unbuttoning his shirt, sighing as the layers are finally off him.
“Eager,” Matthew chuckles, forcing off Taerae’s pants with the word. He reaches for Taerae’s cock, but the latter whines, tugging at his clothes. “Off,” he mutters.
Matthew complies with Taerae’s request, finishing the job of getting his shirt off. Once he does. he manhandles Taerae around so he’s at the edge of the bed, making it seem so easy that it makes Taerae want to blush. He does anyways, especially as Matthew begins to leave a trail of kisses and hickies up his inner thighs.
“Matthew,” Taerae whispers, voice shaking. He tries his best to close his thighs, but Matthew presses them open again.
“Wow, Taerae-yah.” Matthew presses a little kiss to the side of Taerae’s cock, enough to make him want to scream, before turning his attention back to sucking hickies into Taerae’s thighs. “I never thought you’d be this desperate.”
Taerae covers his mouth with his hand. As far as he knows, the reception should still be going on, but he can’t take chances. When Matthew shifts his body again and presses a kiss to his rim, however, he wails.
Taerae hides his face in his hands fully, humiliated beyond belief, but Matthew only pauses for a moment before his small actions resume.
Taerae takes a shaky breath. “Matthew,” he exhales, voice quivering. “That—”
“Feels good, doesn’t it?” A kiss to the tip of Taerae’s dick, and then his tongue pushing past his rim.
Taerae finally lets himself moan, a hand reaching to grab Matthew’s hair and his head thrown back. His other hand holds him up, shakily, and he wants to look at Matthew but doesn’t know if he can.
“Woohyun,” Taerae cries, flopping out onto the bed as his arm gives out from under him. No longer able to see what Matthew does, he doesn’t at all expect the hand on his dick, gasping as his hips buck into Matthew’s hand.
It’s so much. Matthew’s hands on Taerae, finally, after months of just imagining what his touch would feel like, is so much for Taerae. Finally getting that feeling, chasing release because of Matthew… Taerae feels so overwhelmed.
He whines when Matthew draws away from him completely. When Taerae does see Matthew again, he’s looking down at him fondly, a sheepish grin on his face as though he hadn’t just eaten him out.
“Rae,” Matthew whispers, tucking a hair out of Taerae’s face. “You’re so pretty, god.”
“Says you.” Taerae reaches to wrap his arms around Matthew, looking down between them. “Take off your pants already.”
Matthew does, and Taerae takes one look at his cock and knows that, as much as he’d like to suck Matthew off, he’s not going to be able to wait anymore before getting him inside him.
Before Matthew can say anything more, Taerae slides off the bed to his suitcase, splayed open on the floor, and pulls out the smallest bottle of lube that he could find before packing. He takes one look at Matthew’s face—surprised, shocked—and shakes his head. “Don’t say anything.”
Matthew doesn’t. He just pulls Taerae back onto the bed. “Can I finger you?”
“Romantic,” Taerae deadpans.
“I am one.” Matthew takes the bottle from Taerae, pushing the younger’s thighs apart and inserting himself between them. “Hell, we’re in missionary.”
Spreading lube onto his fingers, Matthew eases his first finger into Taerae slowly, his eyes completely trained on Taerae’s face. It almost makes Taerae nervous, being under Mtthew’s gaze.
“Don’t look at me,” he mutters, covering his face.
Matthew pushes his second finger into Taerae as his other hand unblocks his face. “But I want to,” he pouts, scissoring Taerae open. “You’re so cute.”
Taerae cranes away from Matthew, his body feeling overly sensitive. He still claws at Matthew’s back nonetheless, whining when he adds a third finger.
“See?” Matthew lowers his head to Taerae’s chest and kisses his nipple. Taerae yelps. “I can’t believe I get to see you like this.”
“Stop sweet talking— uh…” Taerae stops talking after Matthew curls his fingers to his prostate. “I can’t—”
Matthew hums sweetly, his fingers slowly massaging Taerae’s prostate. Taerae does his best to cover his face again, using one hand, but Matthew just moves it out of the way to press a kiss to his lips.
“Ma—I’m ready, just— fuck—”
Matthew chooses then to finally pull his fingers out, but he gets off the bed. Taerae can feel himself pouting, hoping that Matthew doesn’t hear it in his voice. “Where are you going?”
“Wallet.” Matthew points to the bags across the room. “I need a condom.”
“And you’re surprised I thought you were straight.” As much as Taerae likes to be bold, he can’t just keep staring between Matthew’s legs anymore. Naturally, he opens his own, more than they were before. “You know I’m clean, so just…”
Matthew gulps. Gottem.
Within five seconds, Matthew is already on top of Taerae again, one hand holding him up with his other spreading lube on his dick. He forces Taerae’s legs up, folding him in half. “I didn’t take you for this type.”
“What do y— ah, fuck!”
Taerae nearly screams when Matthew starts fucking into him, trying to close his legs around him but failing. Matthew leaves down and attacks Taerae’s neck once again, his hips fucking into Taerae still.
Taerae whines. He can’t remember when the last time he had gotten fucked was, but he knows that it has been far too long. He doesn’t even want to think about a previous encounter, not when Matthew is fucking the life out of him.
Just at that though, Matthew hits Taerae’s prostate.
“Ah, Woohyun, you— I—mm!” Taerae squeezes his eyes shut, his hands flying back to Matthew’s hair and back, nails digging into his soft skin.
“Taerae,” Matthew mumbles sweetly, voice muffled in the crook of Taerae’s neck but clear at the same time. His hips buck harder, making Taerae cry out again. “Fuck, you sound so good.”
“Mm, I’m…” Taerae shudders at Matthew’s breath on his neck. “When you say things like that…”
“Hm?” Matthew pulls away, sitting back up, and Taerae takes a good look at him. Lips stained, hair beginning to stick to his forehead, and a dark look in his eyes that darkens as his eyes rake over Taerae’s body. No doubt he’s covered in hickies.
“Shit,” Matthew swears, in English, pulling one of Taerae’s legs over his shoulder. He peppers kisses on the younger’s calf. “I wish I could just…”
He bites lightly into Taerae’s leg, and Taerae yelps, the surprise enough to arch his back off the bed and give Matthew a new angle to work with. He practically pants as Matthew doesn’t stop, doesn’t let him, lips floating all over Taerae and his dick buried into Taerae and moving fast, rhythmically. Taerae wonders if he gets this endless stamina from his gym trips.
The final straw is when Matthew dashes his thumb over the tip of Taerae’s cock. Taerae himself doesn’t even realize he’s going to come until he already has, sobbing loudly through his orgasm. Unknowingly, he clenches around Matthew, and the latter’s hips stutter for a split second.
Matthew curses something under his breath and pushes Taerae’s leg back down, leaving more room for him to chase his own orgasm. Taerae cries, overstimulated, but lies there and takes it regardless.
“Inside,” he chants, repeating it like a mantra, but he just thinks about what it would be like if Matthew came on his face, and that alone brings him to clenching again.
Matthew groans lowly. “Yeah,” he whispers, pining Taerae’s hips down with his hands.
When Matthew fucks Taerae, his previous rhythm forgotten and his thrusts turning erratic, Taerae can only repeat Matthew’s name like a broken record until Matthew’s face scrunches up and he collapses over Taerae. Taerae can feel Matthew inside him, even some of him dripping out, but he’s all there.
They don’t move. Taerae doesn’t know how long he spends staring at the roof and thinking. Matthew likes him. Matthew likes him back, and they just had raw sex. He’s lying in a bed with Matthew, hickies all over his body and cum dripping out of him, and he is perfectly content.
Matthew starts moving, pulling out of Taerae, and Taerae whines at both the loss of the warmth of Matthew’s body on top of him, but also the feeling of Matthew dripping out of him and onto the bed. They still have to have somewhere to sleep tonight, and this bed isn’t looking like the most appealing place.
Noticing that Matthew has stopped moving, Taerae looks up at him, wiping his forehead. The look on Matthew’s face is somewhere between fond and amused, but it’s all from tracing Taerae’s features.
“You look so hot when you’re coming.”
“What the fuck, Matthew.” Taerae grabs the pillow his head isn’t laying on and throws it at Matthew.
Matthew laughs, darting down to dodge the pillow and landing a peck on Taerae’s lips. “We should go shower,” he proposes, “and figure out what we’re going to do with this bed.”
Taerae hums. “If you carry me there.”
“Yes, your highness,” Matthew deadpans, but he scoops Taerae up, one arm behind his back and the other hooked under his legs, and directs him through the door to the bathroom.
It takes a lot for Taerae to drag himself out of their half-stripped bed in the morning, but Matthew even lets go of him to prompt him out, and it works.
The T-shirt (Matthew’s) and flannel pants (Taerae’s) combo that Taerae has always used serves to be ineffective for breakfast, Matthew’s shirt huge on him and leaving his entire neck and collarbone area on display. Matthew finds it entertaining, especially when Gyuvin takes one look at Taerae and nearly spits out his eggs. “God, didn’t you have a fun night?”
“You’re one to talk,” Taerae shoots back, wincing as he sits down. “There are hickies all over Ricky’s legs.”
“Okay, well, we just got married, and Ricky likes to pretend he doesn’t have legs most of the time.” Gyuvin points at Taerae and Matthew with his fork. “Besides, we weren’t so eager that we left the reception to have sex.”
Now that Gyuvin’s said it and the words are in the air, Taerae finally finds it in him to blush. “You didn’t leave the reception immediately,” he points out. “I bet you spent the entire time undressing Ricky with your eyes.”
“It was a really nice dress!” Gyuvin sputters. “God, Matthew, why does it look like you mauled him?”
Matthew laughs, pressing a long kiss to Taerae’s cheek. “It’s not my fault he’s so cute. And sensitive. And—”
“I didn’t think you two could get worse,” Ricky sighs quietly, now joining the table. His voice is quiet as usual, but hoarse, and Taerae doesn’t even need to think twice about what caused it. “It’s like you changed overnight.”
The words don’t carry much to Gyuvin and maybe even Matthew, but Taerae knows exactly what it means. He sighs happily, nodding. “You could say that.”
Gyuvin perks up. “Are they getting married? Taerae, you guys have to get married. Please get married. I need that wedding more than you do, trust.”
“Gyuvin, I’m sorry to break it to you, but we’re not getting married,” Taerae interrupts, putting a stop to that conversation. He wouldn’t mind, but… “Not all of us have been together since middle school.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Gyuvin argues. “You aren’t getting married yet.”
“I like his attitude,” Matthew nods, taking a bite of his pancake. “Damn, these are good. Not as good as mine though, right darling?”
Of course Matthew’s immediately calling him pet names in public. Taerae sighs. “Yours are alright,” he answers. “Particularly when you don’t burn them.”
“That was one time!” Matthew argues. He looks at Gyuvin and Ricky across the table. “Guys, I swear, he’s a liar. You haven’t even had a taste of my pancakes.”
As the three of them delve into a conversation surrounding themed kitchen utensils and fluffy pancakes, Taerae looks down at Gyuvin and Ricky’s hands, namely the matching rings settled on their fourth fingers. Maybe he does want that someday. And maybe it is with the guy showing off photos of his Calcifer spatula.
Content, he takes another bite out of his pancake.
(“I’d tease you, but that would be hypocritical,” Ricky tells Taerae later in the day. “At least your whole confession went well.”
“Right,” Taerae answers. “That reminds me—what brought you to that reception dress?”
“Actually—you remember Hao, right? It was his idea first. Now that I think about it…” Ricky looks at Taerae, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Hold on. I have an idea. You’ll have a fun first night back in Seoul.”
Taerae lets Ricky whisk him away. If Matthew notices Taerae scratching at his hip or the black strap that mysteriously appears on Taerae’s shoulder every time his crewneck shifts, he doesn’t say a word.)