Chapter Text
The stage lights of &TEAM burned like falling stars. Backstage, everything smelled of hairspray, sweat, expensive cologne, and nerves sharpened into knives. And in the middle of it all stood Taki, blinking at the mirror while a stylist fixed the silver chain around his throat. “You’re staring again.” Taki froze. Behind him, leaning lazily against the doorway with his arms folded, was Nicholas. Or Wang Yixiang when he was serious. When his voice dropped lower. When his eyes turned dangerous. Tonight, they looked dangerous. Taki swallowed. “I’m not.” Nicholas tilted his head, amused. “You always lie badly.”
The stylist left at the exact wrong moment. Silence spread through the dressing room like smoke. Taki hated that Nicholas affected him this much. Hated the heat curling under his skin whenever the older boy looked at him too long. Hated how Nicholas always seemed calm while Taki felt like a lit match dropped into gasoline. Especially lately. Especially after the rumors started. Dispatch photos.
Late-night schedules. Fans whispering that Nicholas looked at Taki differently. Clips online slowed down frame by frame like courtroom evidence. And maybe they weren’t wrong. Because three nights ago, after rehearsal, Nicholas had cornered him in the practice room and whispered against his ear: “You should stop looking at me like that if you don’t want problems.” Taki had made the mistake of answering. “Maybe I do.” That sentence had been haunting both of them ever since. Now Nicholas pushed himself off the doorway and walked closer. Slow. Predatory. Beautiful in a way that felt unfair to ordinary people. “You nervous for tonight?” he asked. “No.” “Another lie.” Taki scoffed, trying to move around him. Nicholas blocked him instantly with one arm against the vanity table.
Too close. Way too close. Taki could hear the music from the arena outside vibrating through the walls. Thousands of fans screaming their names. The bass sounded like a second heartbeat. Nicholas lowered his voice. “You’ve been avoiding me.” “You’ve been teasing me.” “That’s because watching you lose composure is fun.” Taki glared at him, cheeks burning. Nicholas smiled faintly. That smile was lethal. Not bright or playful. Worse. Controlled. Like he knew exactly what he was doing. And he absolutely did. “Taki,” he murmured, eyes dropping briefly to his lips, “if you keep reacting like this, someone’s going to notice.” “Maybe they already have.” For a split second, something changed in Nicholas’s expression. Not fear. Excitement.
The kind before a storm breaks open over the ocean. Then footsteps echoed down the hallway. Both of them moved apart instantly. The members burst into the room laughing loudly, chaos arriving like confetti. K immediately pointed between them suspiciously. “Why does it feel like I interrupted a murder or a kiss?” Taki nearly choked. Nicholas, curse him, looked perfectly calm.
“Maybe both,” he said. The room exploded with noise. “HYUNG!” Maki yelled dramatically. Taki wanted the floor to swallow him whole. Nicholas only glanced at him once before walking away toward wardrobe. But that glance lingered. Promise-filled. Dangerous. And Taki suddenly realized something terrifying. Nicholas wasn’t trying to avoid the tension between them anymore. He was feeding it. ✦ The concert ended in fire. Not literal fire. Though the pyrotechnics came close.
The crowd screamed so loudly the stage trembled beneath their feet. Sweat soaked through silk shirts. Cameras flashed endlessly. Every smile had to look effortless even while exhaustion clawed at their bones. But throughout the entire encore, Nicholas kept touching Taki. A hand at his waist. Fingers brushing his wrist. Leaning close enough to whisper comments that made Taki lose track of choreography for half a second. “You’re distracted tonight.” “You’re doing this on purpose.” “Maybe.” That low laugh nearly killed him. Fans definitely noticed.
By the time they returned to the hotel after midnight, “NichoTaki” was already trending. Taki buried his face into a pillow the second he entered his room. Unfortunately, fate hated him. A knock sounded at the door. He already knew. Opening it was a mistake. Nicholas stood there wearing black sweatpants and damp hair from a shower, looking unfairly handsome under the hallway lights. “I need to talk to you.” “No, you don’t.” “Yes, I do.” Before Taki could argue, Nicholas stepped inside and shut the door quietly behind him. Click. The sound sent electricity through the room. Taki crossed his arms defensively. “If this is about teasing me again, leave.” Nicholas stared at him for a long moment.
Then he walked closer. “No teasing tonight.” His voice had changed again. Lower. Rougher. Real. Taki’s pulse stumbled. “Then what?” Nicholas exhaled slowly, like patience was finally snapping thread by thread. “You drive me insane.” The confession hit harder than any shout. Taki blinked. Nicholas laughed once under his breath. “See? That face. You always make that face when you’re shocked.” “You’re serious?” “I haven’t been able to think properly around you for months.” The room suddenly felt too small. Too warm. Too full of things neither of them had been brave enough to say. Taki’s voice came out quieter than intended. “Then why act like it’s a game?” “Because if I didn’t joke about it…” Nicholas stepped closer again. “I’d probably do something reckless.” Taki’s breath caught. “How reckless?” Nicholas looked at him like a match meeting gasoline.
Then he reached up slowly and tucked a strand of hair behind Taki’s ear with unbearable gentleness. “Very.” The tension finally snapped. Taki kissed him first. Messy. Impulsive. A collision more than a plan. Nicholas immediately pulled him closer, one hand gripping his waist firmly as the kiss deepened into something dizzying and dangerous. Months of stolen glances erupted all at once. Taki’s fingers tangled in Nicholas’s shirt while Nicholas kissed him like he’d been starving quietly for too long. When they finally pulled apart, both breathing hard, Nicholas rested his forehead against Taki’s. “There goes my self-control,” he muttered. Taki laughed shakily. “You had self-control?” “Barely.”
Outside the hotel window, Seoul glittered beneath the night sky like spilled diamonds. Inside the room, hidden from cameras and rumors and impossible expectations, two idols stood tangled together at the edge of something thrilling and terrifying all at once. And neither of them wanted to step back anymore.