Chapter Text
“ Johnny ,” Taeyong whines into the phone. “I’m serious, it’s been a week. Come over, I’ll even cook you dinner.”
Johnny shifts on his chair, a glance to the side letting him know Jaehyun has left his desk, either to get a coffee or to give him some privacy. He hums into the phone, unable to fight a little smile for no one to see. “Is that supposed to motivate me? Yongie, you know you can’t cook.”
Taeyong scoffs, almost offended. “What? I’ll have you know I made dinner for Doyoung last night and he said it was great.”
“Yes, but do I trust Doyoung’s opinion?” Johnny half-jokes, and before Taeyong can get huffy about it, pushes on. “Speaking of the devil, is he not over tonight?”
There’s a sigh, the younger’s tone deadpan. “I’m going to ignore that comment for your own sake. He’s a little swamped right now so he probably won’t be home until very late.”
Johnny’s eyes glance around the office almost on instinct, and they fall directly on the table placed the furthest from his. Doyoung is typing something mechanically, so fast Johnny doesn’t understand how he doesn’t get cramps, and sitting with his back so straight on his chair the older has to hold back a snicker — suits him right, for the stick up his ass.
(Nevermind that Johnny should probably follow his example, actually — his back has been hurting more often than not lately, and even if Taeyong doesn’t usually mind being begged for a massage, he has been starting to point out the knots’ culprit is most likely Johnny’s hunched over position eight to twelve hours a day.)
“Why can’t you come to my place?” Johnny nearly whines, stooping so low as to pout and know it’ll show through his voice. “The offer would be a lot more tempting if we could cuddle afterwards.”
There’s a beat of hesitance from Taeyong’s side of the line, and Johnny nearly winces at the grim feeling of regret on his chest. “I would love to, but… I don’t want Doyoung to come home to an empty apartment. It’s been a rough week.”
Johnny’s heart immediately feels that awful sting of rejection, but it’s quickly overwhelmed by guilt, knowing it’s never fair of him to put Taeyong in a position of having to choose.
He should never ask. Johnny takes what Taeyong gives him, and he’s happy trusting that it’s as much as Taeyong can give.
“That’s ok, you can always come over another day.” Johnny chuckles, trying to lighten the mood a bit. “I’ll be around at 8pm, is that ok?”
“That’s great, I’ll be waiting.” Taeyong says, and his voice softens. “I really miss you.”
Maybe Johnny is a little too tender-hearted for Taeyong, but he can’t feel embarassed by how his heart stutters on his chest. It’s been a while since they’ve gotten a chance to see each other, and it’d be a lie to say he hasn’t been craving the younger’s company and touch. “Who told you to take a vacation, huh?”
Taeyong laughs, and it’s such a heartwarming sound. “Funny you mention that, I remember someone telling me it was time, that I needed to relax and take some time to myself…”
“Well, whoever that was was a dumb dumb, because I really miss you too.” Johnny cheekily replies.
It’s not hard to imagine Taeyong smiling at his phone, red ears because he’s always been a little weak for Johnny’s characteristic sappiness.
“A few more hours, alright? Then I’ll kiss you and prove to you I can cook.”
“I can’t wait.”
It’s so much easier to work now that Johnny has something to look forward to after the end of the expedient. Jaehyun comes back with a coffee for both of them, and it takes one look at the older’s lovefool expression for him to roll his eyes and tell Johnny to send Taeyong his wishes for him to come back soon.
The clock just hit 7pm when Johnny pulls away from his desk and computer, a long sigh after a day of productivity. He gathers his stuff and starts bidding farewell to everyone who’s hanging back, always friendly with his co-workers.
Doyoung’s desk is just by the door, and Johnny is about to give him a polite nod of goodbye when he’s surprised by the younger’s voice calling to him. He turns around, really hoping this isn’t about any work related business when he’s about to take a break for a night.
Doyoung looks tired, Johnny notices. His usually pristine black hair is sticking out a little, the result of running his fingers through it repeatedly, and the bags under his eyes don’t match with a man who always puts effort to appear at his very best image. The new update must be draining on him, and with Taeyong taking a vacation Johnny knows Doyoung has taken a lot of the brute workload of two people.
Johnny himself isn’t that busy lately, and he probably could offer to help, did he not know that Doyoung would both refuse and probably find a way to be offended about it.
“You’re going over to see Taeyong, aren’t you?” He asks, ever direct.
“Yeah.” Johnny replies, short.
Doyoung nods, not letting anything show in his expression, and pushes forward a small box. “Can you bring this for him? It’s cake.”
Johnny raises his eyebrows, but upon looking at the box, he can see the inscription of Taeyong’s favorite bakery, three streets down from their office. He takes the box, but can’t help but ask. “Can’t you give it to him when you get home?”
“I don’t know how much longer I’ll take and I don’t want the buttercream to melt.” Doyoung explains, rolling his eyes a little. It’s itches at Johnny, that even when he’s clearly asking for a favor the younger still finds a way to be an ass about it. “By the way, it’s for Taeyong — ”
Johnny huffs out an exhausted laugh, annoyed. “Don’t worry Doyoung, I’m not going to eat your cake.”
Doyoung shrugs, completely unaffected. “Alright. Thank you.”
It’s all he says before he goes back to his computer, clearly ending the conversation, and Johnny fights the urge to offer one last comment. He doesn’t want to ruin his good mood, and Doyoung is obviously not exactly at his best right now — there’s no fun in fighting like that.
He just takes the cake, waves one last goodbye to everyone and shoots a text to Taeyong to let him know he’s on his way.
It’s a rather simple arrangement, when it comes down to it.
It starts with Taeyong. All tiny and adorable, brown hair with blond highlights and face full of smiles as Mark introduces him to the rest of the office as the newest hire. The tip of his ears are red, presumably due to embarassment, but he still goes by each of the desks and talks to everyone, easygoing and eager to fit in. He’s beautiful , and Johnny is almost embarrassed at how he blanks out for a second when the younger beams at him for the first time.
Or maybe, it starts with Doyoung. Mildly joking jabs at each other by the coffee machine, and hours long arguments on the meeting rooms. Getting under each other’s skin and never seeing eye to eye for longer than a week, making the entire team walk in eggshells on cold wars fought across desks.
Perhaps, it starts with both of them, when Johnny watches Taeyong kiss Doyoung goodbye by his desk for the first time.
More likely, it starts with Taeyong straddling over his thigh when the office goes out for drinks, staring down at him with hooded eyes that leave no room for doubt. In front of Doyoung, who offers nothing more than an amused roll of eyes and a nod.
It doesn’t really matter at this point. All Johnny knows is that Taeyong is dating Doyoung, and that he’s seeing Taeyong. What they have doesn’t hold a label, but after seven months there’s more than just sex but perhaps less than something more.
It’s a tight line — they fuck, they cuddle, they go on dates, they love .
They’re not boyfriends though. That’s for Doyoung, though Johnny tries his best not to obsess over it too much.
Two days before Taeyong is set to go back to work, he makes due on his promise of coming over to Johnny’s place.
Like it often is with Taeyong, Johnny isn’t particularly expecting him — he just showered and started wondering if it’s worth it to cook dinner or if he should just order in when he hears the knocking on his door.
It puts a smile to his face, because the only person the doorman allows to go up without ringing him is Taeyong. He doesn’t really know if the younger planned it as a surprise or if he just forgot to text him (both equally likely possibilities), but he’s not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
“Fancy meeting you here.” He cheekily offers seeing the younger on his doorstep, drowning in his oversized sweatpants and hoodie, looking ready for a night in. It does things to Johnny’s heart, and it’s certainly a challenge not to pull him in immediately.
Taeyong beams, raising the bags on his hands. “Thought we deserved one last peaceful night before the hellish routine comes back.”
Johnny gasps, moving aside to let him in. “Are you saying seeing me everyday for 8 hours is hellish routine for you?”
The younger only rolls his eyes, closing the door behind him. “If it means having to see you and Doyoung at each other’s throats for half of our shift then yes.”
Taeyong has to get on his tiptoes to lean up and place a peck on his lips, and the sight makes Johnny smile more than the kiss itself, though that’s very much appreciated as well. He takes the opportunity to steal a kiss to his rose scar, a self-indulgence of his, before taking the bags from the younger’s hands and walking to the kitchen.
“Did you know we haven’t been in an argument once in two weeks?”
“Yeah, he told me.” Taeyong laughs. “I hope it doesn’t mean you’re both just saving up energy for when I’m back.”
“Jaehyun says it’s because you’re not there.” Johnny chuckles. “He thinks we fight as a way to get your attention, like lions or something.”
Taeyong seems to find that idea particularly funny as he cackles, placing himself on the island stool so he can keep talking as the older’s start taking the food out of containers. “Well, if that’s the case then I’m sorry to say it’s not working at all.”
“Right? It’d be a terrible strategy, you always ignore us.” Johnny playfully pouts.
They eat dinner across from each other, catching up on office gossip and how Taeyong’s visit to his parent’s place went. Johnny keeps stealing bits and pieces out of Taeyong’s plate while the younger pretends not to see it, and it’s simply nice — domestic, familiar. It’s certainly much better than how Johnny expected his night to go, leaning over to steal kisses and having light hearted fun instead of eating takeout by himself on his couch.
“Are you staying over?” Johnny asks once they finish, taking the plates to wash.
He feels the younger’s arms circle his waist, cheek pressed against his back. He doesn’t need to turn his head to see the small smile on his face, deceitfully innocent. “All night, baby.”
Johnny laughs at that, and the movement shakes Taeyong off, but not before he pinches the taller’s abs. The older hears his steps around the kitchen, tidying things up with familiarity before he speaks. “I was thinking maybe we could watch more The Office.”
They’ve been slowly going through all the season’s together, and by slowly Johnny means really slowly — they usually make it through two or three episodes before either one of them falls asleep or they get distracted by something else. “Are we still in the same episode?”
“I hope so .” Taeyong throws a dishcloth at him, and Johnny’s steals a glance back to see his suspicious face. “I haven’t watched any, have you ?”
“Of course not Yongie.” He chuckles, honest. “What’s the point without the commentary?”
Taeyong seems satisfied by that, and as Johnny is almost finishing up on the sink he goes off, presumably to set things up and get some blankets. Everything is already done by the time Johnny gets back to the living room, Taeyong sitting on one of the ends of his couch tucked under their favorite fuzzy blanket Johnny bought for exactly these occasions.
Their legs tangle together the moment Johnny gets on the other end of the couch, and Taeyong’s cold feet under his sweatpants makes the older wince. His glare thrown is promptly ignored by Taeyong, who only smiles sweetly before hitting play on the episode. Johnny is not one to enjoy cuddling unless it’s an aftersex thing, greatly appreciating his own space, but this is just the amount of comfortable intimacy he enjoys when having Taeyong over.
It’s a little noisy, like it always is when they try to watch anything together and can’t shut up for a minute, but Johnny certainly enjoys it. He and Taeyong can be peaceful when they want to, but considering how little chances they have to hang out these days, it’s like they miss getting to really talk like this, even if it isn’t about anything that matters. Johnny certainly missed Taeyong’s voice, as foolish as it sounds.
They make it through four episodes this time, and Johnny is certainly impressed. The fifth has barely just begun when he starts noticing some suspicious movement on Taeyong’s end of the couch, especifically his leg, which is no longer tucked under Johnny’s sweatpants but slowly making its way up his thigh.
Pretending not to feel it is a part of the game, and Johnny doesn’t offer any reaction despite how daring the touching of the feet becomes, especially on his sensitive inner thighs. When Taeyong loses his patience however, pressing it down on his bulge and rubbing it, Johnny can’t help but let out a clipped sigh.
Taeyong is staring at him with a smug little grin, and Johnny lets his body relax into the couch before raising his eyebrows in question. The younger doesn’t say anything, only presses down firmer, and Johnny should maybe be embarassed by how quickly he’s hardening under the ministrations.
They’ve been doing this for quite some time, and Johnny knows Taeyong enough to not be surprised any longer when he’s like this — a little playful, eager for attention. He thrives under having Johnny watching him, melting for his touch, and it’s always a conscious decision on the older’s side if he’ll play into it or not.
Tonight, he wants to make him work for a little bit, so instead of saying anything, Johnny only opens his legs further and turns his head around to keep watching the show. Steve Carrel’s monologue is possibly the last thing currently going through his mind, body hyperaware of how Taeyong will curl his toes over the bulge or ground his heel into it, but he’s certainly experienced enough to pretend a little.
Taeyong only keeps it up enough to feel Johnny grow further along to being completely hard under his sweats and underwear, and then the older sees him pull back. He wants to look but doesn’t do so, instead hearing the shuffling until the blanket lifts a little and it becomes quite obvious what he’s going for.
Johnny feels Taeyong’s hands on each of his thighs, holding himself up just a little so that he can mouth at the bulge — the few first times lightly, and then with more intention, closing his mouth around the clothed dick. Not seeing it is the biggest torture, together with having to stay still and holding the urge to twitch or buck up, but Johnny can take advantage of Taeyong’s head under the blanket to let his own tilt back, breathing heavily and biting harshly on his bottom lip.
He feels a wet sensation on his navel, right on where his happy trail is, and realizes Taeyong is licking it. His tongue sneaks under the waistband a few times, though he seems in no rush to get it out of the way — he’s waiting, hoping for Johnny to break and do it himself, finally giving him the attention he deserves.
Of course Johnny wants nothing less than shoving the younger’s face into his crotch, feel him use his mouth properly, but if Taeyong is a tease then Johnny is stubborn. He doesn’t usually mind being the one to fold, but a part of him just wants this to last as long as possible, to hold him over till the next time they get a chance like this.
He can hear the breath of Taeyong’s sigh on his skin, and can’t fight the small satisfied grin at feeling him tug at the sweatpants. Johnny is not too mean about it, does lift his butt a little so that it comes off easier, but that’s about all the helping he does before going back to ignoring the guy under his covers.
Taeyong bites at his thigh, possibly as revenge, and Johnny laughs. It only seems to motivate the younger further, because he moves on to rubbing his entire face all over Johnny’s underwear clad dick, feeling it twitch under all the friction. It drives Johnny a little crazy, feeling him adore his cock like that, especially when he sniffs out his scent loudly and unashamedly.
Johnny finally breaks when Taeyong latches his mouth right where the tip of his dick is, and feeling the precum already staining the underwear, sucks at it. The feeling is too much for Johnny not to buck up into it, letting out a strained and surprised noise at the back of his throat. Once he’s already gone, it’s only a second until he’s throwing the cover back, finding Taeyong’s obscene eyes twinkling up at him.
“You dirty little thing.” He sighs, latching his hand to the soft strands of the man’s hair. “Couldn’t wait until we went to bed, huh?”
Taeyong lets his cheek lay directly over Johnny’s dick, the weight of his head giving just the right amount of pressure to keep stimulating it. “What’s the fun in that?”
Johnny groans, and tugs at Taeyong’s hair enough that his head lifts off of him. The startled moan he gets is gratifying enough, but he can’t focus on it as he sneaks a hand under his own boxers, and after one indulgent tug, pulls it over the waistband to stand straight right at Taeyong’s face.
He’s still holding the boy’s head hanging above it, and it’s equally amusing and hot that Taeyong playfully sticks his tongue out, trying to get a lick on it. “You’re going to suck me off properly now? No more playing around?”
Taeyong can’t nod like this, but instead he lets out a smile that could honestly mean either thing. Johnny doesn’t really care for it though, not with how sensitive he’s feeling at every huff of Taeyong’s breath on his skin, so he softens up his hold and lets go.
The younger man properly leans up on his ewbow now, and to Johnny’s relief, doesn’t waste too much time before getting his mouth latching on the tip. He playfully sucks and lets it go a few times, watching it bob and hit his face, or smearing the precum all over his lips and cheek in the most obscene of sights, but once Johnny sends him a warning glare, Taeyong finally goes down fully on him.
Johnny’s low moan is drawn out and needy, and he struggles with the desire to keep watching versus how the strain on his neck makes him feel like leaning back and simply enjoying the feeling. He still chooses the previous, if only because Taeyong’s blowjobs are always quite a sight — the younger likes it wet, dirty and a little on the rougher side.
He was once surprised at how someone as sweet as Taeyong had no peeves in getting himself disgusting in bed, but it only serves to further fuel the heat on his lower stomach now.
Taeyong doesn’t try to take him all the way, Johnny’s dick daunting enough that they rarely get to deep throat unless the younger is truly stubborn about it, but just having the velvety feel on his mouth covering him and his tongue licking at all the sensitive places around his head is more than enough to get Johnny quite far along. Taeyong can probably feel how he’s twitching inside of him, so he pulls away and instead starts licking at the length of it, and while leaning on one elbow starts jerking him off quick and rough.
Johnny comes with a groan that doesn’t fully make it out of his mouth, and watching the white spurts of cum covering Taeyong’s cheek, lips and tongue is enough of a sight that he knows it’ll spur him on for quite a few weeks.
Taeyong cleans it off around his lips with his tongue, and scoups up the rest into his mouth with the same hand he was holding Johnny’s dick a second ago. Johnny only watches how Taeyong seems plenty satisfied eating it, not as much to put on a show but because he genuinely likes it, and lets out a sigh at last.
“You came quite a lot.” Taeyong finally comments, and it’s just a statement, but paired with his little grin… he can’t wait another second before pulling him up roughly into a kiss.
It feels good when the younger melts into it, giving up all his previous control for Johnny’s tongue to fully explore his mouth. Kissing Taeyong is always something else, noisy and hot but still tenderly passionate, like both can’t help trying to take as much of each other as they possibly can.
Johnny sneaks a hand down to cup Taeyong’s ass, feeling the way his erection is digging into his thigh. The younger whines into his mouth, and Johnny smiles. “Bed?”
“Please.”
Johnny loves what he does.
Back when he was an undergrad trying to somehow make it through a gruelling and prestigious computer engineering major, he certainly didn’t expect to be working on a dating app of all places once he graduated. However, meeting Mark Lee at a frat party and proceeding to somehow give it any attention to his “haha what if we developed an app” text two weeks later has brought him on an unexpected but surprisingly fulfilling journey the last few years.
So yeah, he likes what he gets to do. Mobile engineering is the perfect combination of getting to pour himself into coding, but also developing problem solving and quick thinking skills at the same time. Johnny is good at what he does, and he’s proud to know his position on the team is more than essential.
What he doesn’t often like, is the part where he needs to work closely with other teams.
Well, that’s not fair — one specific team, and one specific person from that team. Kim Doyoung from design has been a thorn on his side since the very first week of working together, back when this wasn’t even properly a thing — just a bunch of guys working out of Mark’s dorm and trying to make some spare cash — and it doesn’t appear that it’ll get better any time soon.
First of all, they’re very different people. While Johnny is the carefree, figure things out as I go, working diligently but on my own terms type, Doyoung’s more so the has his shit together, planning six steps ahead, my way or the highway style. Both are valid and get the results necessary, which in the end is what matters, but trying to mix them doesn't usually make for the best consequences.
Second, by coincidence or not, they usually have pretty opposite views when it comes to the app itself. It can be a good thing sometimes, as their discussions have lead to a lot of improvement for the product, but even the two of them can admit it gets a little out of hand sometimes.
Like, for example, right now.
“I’m telling you Doyoung, this is not going to work.” Johnny sighs, trying to keep his voice measured. “It’ll slow down the app considerably to the point where the new feature won’t even make sense anymore.”
“And I’m telling you it won’t if you just do it right, and if it does then that’s a risk worth taking if it means having something that will put us ahead by months.”
Johnny feels the red rise of annoyance at having his competence questioned, but tells himself not to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Doyoung knows exactly what buttons to push in order to drive him up the walls, and for better or worse, the same can be said the other way around.
“What is the point of being ahead if it sacrifices quality? I thought you were the one always spilling about pushing to be our best.”
He watches as Doyoung rolls his eyes across from him, pulling on the sleeve of his shirt as a nervous habit Johnny has noticed a long time ago. He looks perfectly put together, well dressed and with his hair framing his face like he just left a hairstylist, and Johnny will always find that amusing when the rest of the team comes to work on t-shirts and jeans at best .
Before he gets a chance to reply, probably a snarky comment on how Johnny’s incapable of reaching his standards of best, Mark interrupts them. “Alright guys, that’s enough. I feel like we’re going in circles by now, and I honestly need to go to lunch. I heard you both and I understand what each of you meant so I’ll talk to some people, including the Marketing team, and I’ll get back to you.”
It’s always a little unsatisfying when Mark ends their arguments before they reach their designed conclusion, usually with either of them walking off, but Johnny figures it might be for the best since he’s already behind on his work from being pulled into this stupid meeting in the first place. He’ll probably end up having to skip his lunch altogether, unless he wants to stay behind until 10 in the evening.
He’s out before either Mark or Doyoung, a thank you smile to the previous and nothing but one last annoyed glance towards the latter, and then he’s marching off back to his table. Johnny thinks there might be waves of frustration rolling off of him at the moment, because when Jaehyun removes his headphones to take a glance at him, there’s a sympathetic wince. “Bad, huh?”
Johnny doesn’t look away from his computer, and he’s checking his emails with frankly too rough of hits on the keyboard. “The same as always, he just can’t accept things not going his way.”
Jaehyun hums, agreeing (or maybe just appeasing), and it pushes Johnny to go on with his rant. “It’s like he has absolutely no trust in my opinion as an engineer at all, like he thinks I’m just holding up space here or something? Or maybe he thinks he could do better? It’s just frustrating to have your professional opinion questioned like that.”
“Well, technically you’re questioning his profession opinion too — ”
Johnny is about to interrupt Jaehyun when someone else does it instead, a hand softly placed at the older’s shoulder. Johnny looks up to find Taeyong standing to his side, an apologetic smile. “Sorry for interrupting, me and Doie are going out for lunch. Do you want me to bring you something back? Or are you still going later?”
He glances a look at the glass door to the office, where Doyoung is waiting while scrolling on his phone, and it only makes Johnny further annoyed that he has to stay back and work while he gets a lunch date with Taeyong. “I still have work to do, you can bring me something if it’s not a bother.”
Taeyong can always feel when Johnny is a little on edge, and while he usually makes a point not to get in between the arguments of the two, he still lets his hand rub down on the older’s arm in a discreet gesture of comfort. He looks a little concerned, but doesn’t push. “It’s not at all, I’ll bring you something nice in 40 minutes or so.”
The older nods, a little better after the small squeeze Taeyong gives him, and he sort of wishes he could get a peck goodbye now, just to lift his spirits. Not everyone in the office knows of their arrangement though, and there’s no point in making themselves the topic of gossip and distraction.
Getting fully immersed back in work is easy when Johnny puts on his headphones and Mac Miller fills his ears, shutting out the rest of the office. The burning annoyance simmers away a little, and it’s almost visible in the way his shoulder’s relax and tension starts leaving the lines of his expression. Yes, Doyoung can be infuriating but it’s hardly worth it to dwell on it when there’ll likely be something else for him to roll his eyes at tomorrow.
His concentration is interrupted by a bag being dropped right in front of him, missing his keyboard by very little and having him nearly jump back on his chair. He sees the bag of his favorite japanese place and it provides some relief, knowing at least he’ll eat something yummy to make him feel better about a shitty afternoon.
He’s about to turn and thank Taeyong when he realizes the one standing beside him is obviously not the small man, which he should’ve realized by the way the food got handed off — Instead, Doyoung is the one looking down at him, a little bored but with a glint in his eyes that Johnny has come to know a little too well over the years.
“Jaehyun had to run to a meeting and told me to give you this.” He says, glancing at the food. “It’s your favorite, we had to wait in line 15 minutes to get it.”
Johnny nods, curt. “Thanks. Anything else?”
Doyoung hesitates for a second, before pulling the chair on Jaehyun’s desk (currently empty) to sit down. “I’ve been thinking — ”
“You can do that?”
“—and I think I have an idea to make the feature more efficient.” He ignores it, pushing on.
There’s a petty part of Johnny that wants to snap that he doesn’t need Doyoung’s help, but at the end of the day he’s not prideful enough to ignore something that may benefit everyone. Doyoung has an Computer Engineering minor as well, and while it often means he thinks it’s ok to butt his nose into other people’s business, it can sometimes bring some clarity into problems all the team has been beating their heads against.
“Go on.” Johnny offers then, and for the next fifteen or so minutes hears out Doyoung’s entire idea, the younger getting pen and paper and drawing it out for him to see. Johnny follows along while eating his lunch, and he needs to very begrudgingly admit that it might work.
Once Doyoung finishes he looks at Johnny, eyes round and hopeful, like in a way he’s looking for some sort of approval. The older sighs, nodding, and sees a slightly relieved but ultimately reserved smile make way to the designer’s face — he figures that it’s understandable that Doyoung would be nervous to make a fool of himself in front of Johnny of all people.
“I’ll bring this to the rest of the guys tomorrow and we’ll see, but I think it has potential.” He adds, taking Doyoung’s rough diagram drawn on the back of one of Jaehyun’s printed out reports. “Maybe you’ll get to push your update after all.”
Doyoung gets up, but he’s still smiling in a sort of satisfaction. “I tend to get what I want, Suh.”
Johnny snorts out a laugh. “Go on then, Christian Grey.”
The younger’s skin is so fair, especially under the office’s fluorescent lights, that Johnny can see the exact moment his ears and neck get red — despite the innocence in which the older added such a comment.
It still makes his stomach turn in satisfaction, watching the way Doyoung scoffs with a roll of his eyes and is leaving less than a second later.
“I’m just finishing up, sorry.” Taeyong smiles from the doorstep, still shoeless and with his hair wet and sticking out in all sorts of directions. “Come in, I won’t take too long.”
Johnny sighs fondly, stealing a peck and stepping inside anyway. Like the hopeless romantic he is, these dates are something he’s always looking forward to — the chance of going out for once after they spend so much of their time at each other’s place, getting to hold hands in public and do silly, fun things together. He treasures each of these opportunities, and to say he’s looking forward to tonight is an understatement.
The apartament Taeyong shares with Doyoung always seems impeccably clean and organized whenever Johnny comes over, and the minimalist decor seems to match the couple rather well — nothing like the mess of overdecorating and clutter everywhere at his own place. His eyes look around the open space looking for something, but he’s still startled at finding it in the living room.
Seeing Doyoung home isn’t itself much of a surprise, especially when Taeyong and Johnny are going out, but what gets Johnny to do a double take is that the designer is perched on the couch, holding a glass of wine and most prominently, wearing nothing but a red and silky bathrobe.
His hesitation must be quite apparent, because Doyoung’s lips tilt to a close lipped grin before he takes another sip of his glass. The back of Johnny’s neck burns a little, and he thinks it has a lot of to do with how the unexpected sight has tilted his axis a little bit — he doesn’t quite know what to act, and yet still needs to pretend to be unaffected in a desperate protection of his own pride.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” Taeyong says as he’s already walking back into the hallway to the bedroom. “Please don’t kill each other meanwhile.”
Johnny moves as slowly as he can before sitting on the couch directly in front of Doyoung’s, and then wonders what sort of small talk he could possibly make with his co-worker slash sort of rival in this situation. A few minutes pass in silence, Doyoung watching him in what appears to be completely unbothered peace, and Johnny is almost at the point of following Taeyong to the bedroom when the younger finally speaks.
“So, where are you two going?” Doyoung asks casually. Johnny has no option but to look at him now, and he finally notices the way the younger’s cheeks are a little flushed, likely due to the alcohol. He looks good like this, relaxed in a way Johnny’s not used to seeing. The older almost misses his eyes unconsciously running through the wide expanse of legs slipping out of the bathrobe (perched dangerously high on Doyoung’s thighs), but stops himself from letting it linger.
Johnny shrugs. “Get some street foods, drink a little. We’re not sure yet.”
Doyoung makes a noise, surprised but maybe not genuinely so. “No planning ahead?”
“As surprising as it might be to you, not everything needs those.” Johnny smirks a little.
He’s almost relieved at the course of this conversation, their banter a lot more comfortable to him than whatever was simmering in the air a moment ago, but instead of talking back, Doyoung just hums, and sips his drink again. The way he’s looking at Johnny right now is borderline predatory, like he’s cornering a prey to be eaten with nothing but his presence . It kicks Johnny’s fight or flight instinct, and right now he’s leaning a lot towards the latter, rubbing his hands through his jeans and counting the minutes until Taeyong is back.
He doesn’t know where this came from, but maybe the wine has something to do with it; Johnny can’t tell if he hopes for that or not.
There’s a sigh of relief he can’t stop when Taeyong steps back into the room, and it’s so loud that Doyoung reacts with a snicker into his drink. Johnny is up on his feet in a second, surprising Taeyong who looks at him weirdly, and then at his boyfriend on the couch. Understanding falls over his expression, followed by a small grin and a scoff towards the latter.
“We’re leaving, Doyoung.” He says, though his tone indicates he’s saying something else. “Don’t wait up for me.”
Doyoung nods slowly, and his movements are so lazy that Johnny has a feeling he’ll probably fall asleep a lot earlier than the time he plans to drop Taeyong home. “Have fun, the two of you.”
Johnny only feels the tension fully leave his body once they’re out of the apartament and stepping into the elevator, and Taeyong is looking at him with that self-satisfied grin that makes Johnny want to either pinch or kiss him — he’s still deciding.
“Shut up.”
Taeyong laughs now, head thrown back. “I didn’t say anything.”
Johnny rolls his eyes, but pulls the younger closer anyway, arms at his waist. “You’re thinking too loud, and I don’t like it.”
The younger only shrugs now, a little coy, and Johnny sighs. He can finally notice how pretty Taeyong looks, all dressed up for their date, and so he leans forward for a chaste peck. “You look amazing, by the way.”
Taeyong smiles, leaning up for another. “I was wondering when you’d finally remember the pretty boy that is in front of you.”
Even if Johnny rolls his eyes, he can still feel his face heat up under the cheeky comment. It appears that the younger is having quite a bit of fun with the situation if the giggling is anything to go by, and the taller can understand — seeing Johnny become flustered like that is not a common occurrence, so he should let Taeyong have his fill.
“Are we done now?” He asks once they’re on the ground floor. “Ready for our date?”
Taeyong kisses at the back of his hand, and even though he's still smiling cheekily, there’s no further mention of the situation into the evening. There’s little space in Johnny’s mind for anything else that doesn’t include how much he adores one Lee Taeyong, who buys him street food and laughs at how his dumb jokes, and the engineer can’t help but think in a little relief, that’s the way it’s supposed to be .