Next to you, Next to me

4. Coffee Shop AU + 60. Poorly Timed Confession 

Flowershop owner!Taeyong x Cafe owner!Reader

Warning(s): language

~~

“So what do you think?” You passed the cup over to Taeyong. 

A frown settled on his lips as he looked down at your creation, “You’re sure you’ve done this before?” He watched you skeptically. 

So latte art wasn’t your forte, that didn’t mean that he had to make it seem like you had just done a crime against humanity, “I swear, I have,” you leaned over the counter, pushing the cup a little closer to him, “I know it’s not the best looking, but I promise you that it is going to be the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had.”

He hummed, pushing his open laptop to the side to grab the cups with both hands and bring it to his face. There was something so nerve racking about watching the man take a deep breath of the hot drink before taking a large swallow. His face puckered slightly and he yanked the cup from his mouth. 

Had everyone been lying to you before?! 

Your mom swore that it was good, and though your brother didn’t drink coffee, he liked your tea and pastries. 

“I’m so sorry, you don’t have to drink it. I’ll work on it. Here give me the cup,” you reached across the bar to grab the cup that he pulled from your reach.

“NO!” he yelled, “No, it was just hot. I didn’t think about that before I took a big drink.” And you thought that you saw a faint smattering of red on his cheeks. He quickly took another drink, “I love it.” He smiled at you and you tried to believe it, but it was hard when you could see how hard he was trying to make everything seem okay.

“You don’t have to lie to me. Even if my coffee isn’t good, I plan on still opening the café. I put in too much time and money for this to fail.”

Taeyong frowned again, “I’m not lying to you. You’re going to be great. And hey, you’ve already got one customer.” He pointed to himself, “You know I’m right next door, that’s why I came over, because I’m nosy. I’ve seen you here the past few weeks and curiosity finally drew me over.” The smile on his face eased your nerves and you were starting to trust the truth behind his words.

“Right,” you looked across the road to where the small flower shop sat. Taeyong shuffled his feet and you remembered that he probably just stopped by to say hello, not sample your sub par coffee. “If you want I’ll get you a lid for your coffee and you can be on your way.” He was probably busy and didn’t want to be gone long.

“Oh- yeah,” he tucked his hands in the flower shop logoed apron he wore, “I’m sure you’re busy getting ready, didn’t mean to pull you from your work.”

“You didn’t,” you pressed the plastic lid on the cup. Taeyong grinned shyly at you as he made his way to the door, “Feel free to stop by anytime.”

He tipped his head at you, “I will, thank you for the coffee, it’s delicious.”

Yeah, maybe it wasn’t so bad.

~~

“Wait, wait, wait, you went to SSU too!” you grinned at the man across from you. Taeyong had become your first regular customer. Well, your only customer, considering that you weren’t open yet. Every morning since that one two weeks earlier he stopped by like clockwork.

7 am, he knocks on the door and you unlock it for him,

7:02 he hands over the menu you were working on and orders something new, 

7:05 he takes one sip of his drink gives you his first thoughts

7:06 you chat with him about whatever is on his mind as you go about setting up tasks you have to do for the day

7:15 he goes back across the street and you only catch peeks at him through the window until you leave or he closes 

 The same thing for almost two weeks. You couldn’t even be upset that the man was getting free coffee and pastries off of you. He was good, attractive, company that you grew closer and closer to inviting to dinner with every passing day. 

“Yeah, I got my degree in horticulture and botany. I wanted to stay close to home, but branch out some. I graduated about four years ago.” 

Delight and shock lit up your face, “No way, me too. I bet we passed each other on campus or maybe even had a class together.”

Taeyong watched you calmly, a somewhat knowing smile on his face, “We may have had a business class together once.” He shrugged. 

“It would be like fate,” you pushed the chocolate croissant he ordered with his tea over to him and took his dirty cup. 

He chuckled softly, “Yeah.”

“Speaking of fate,” you checked the notepad you had sitting next to a cash box on the counter. “I have finally set a date for the grand opening.” A small squeal left your lips and you jumped in place. “It’ll be next Friday!”

Taeyong blinked owlishly at you before a grin crossed his face, “That’s amazing! And so soon, but amazing! I’m so happy for you.” You thought that he was going to jump over the bar and hug you. You wouldn’t have been complaining, if he had. Instead he ripped the croissant in half and offered one part to you. “This calls for celebration!” You would have rather had dinner with him, but he was still here and happy for you, so you couldn’t complain. 

“Thanks, Tae.” You said through a mouth full of bread and chocolate.

He raised his half in toast, “Just doing duties as a friend and neighbor.” 

And maybe something more? You had thought about it a lot over the past few weeks. He seemed to like you. There was nothing stopping both of you from just exploring whatever chemistry there was between you both. Still that little niggling of fear crept it’s way in and no one likes to be rejected. Plus, you are so busy with the store opening, it’s just not a good time to ask him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” You watched him open the door, letting in a cool breeze that smelled of clean air and fresh cut grass.

“Not if I see you first,” he took a bite of his croissant and strolled across the road, taking your heart with him.

~~

He wasn’t there. 

It was the day of your grand opening and he wasn’t there. 

T-1 minute until everyone around you watched as you cut the small ribbon that crossed in front of your café. Taeyong literally worked across the road, how could he not be there?

You needed to try to get rid of the hurt. If you didn’t, then no one was going to think you were very happy about opening the shop you had spent weeks working on. 

“You ready, darling,” a stout old lady who was a part of the city board stood next to you.

You gave her a grim smile, “Of course.”

“Oh dear, I know that there are a lot of emotions that come with this, but try to focus on the happy ones.” She shoved a pair of scissors in your hands that had to have been made for giants. “You’ll be busy enough with the new cafe, don’t worry about having too much time on your hands,” she laughed good naturedly.

“It’s not that, it’s-”

“Wait!”

Your head snapped up as the voice met your ears. A car door slammed and you saw Taeyong round his small pickup truck. In his hands was a large bouquet, along with a picnic basket. There was a grin on his face, but you could sense the urgency of his steps as he got shuffled up to you. 

“Shit,” his glasses were skewed on his face as he finally stood toe to toe with you. “So, I totally meant to be here before now.” He set down the basket and held the bouquet out to you. “These are for you. Um- congratulations on opening your shop and I’m so proud of you.” He patted around his pockets. “I have something to say to you. I wrote it down. Well, you see, I was wondering if- You know I have been wanting to do this for weeks, but was nervous and then this morning it hit me that I could ask you here.”

“Taeyong,” you stopped his rambling.” Thank you for the flowers. I appreciate them, but I don’t have enough hands to hold them and cut the ribbon.” 

“Right,” he grinned sheepishly, “I’m holding you up, sorry.”

You grinned back as the crowd started counting down, assuming you were finally ready to open shop. 

Hesitating a second after they said one, you threw another glance at Taeyong, “And I like you too. So yes, I will go on a date with you.”

The ribbon split in two just as his mouth did and you laughed as he wrapped you up, spinning you around in a circle. “Now?” He looked hopeful.

“How about after we close tonight?”

“But the wine will get warm.”

“Lucky for you, I know a nice new café that has the perfect industrial fridge for that.”

“I may have to check it out,” Taeyong linked a hand through yours. And you tugged him to follow the people that had started to trickle in. 

“I think you may just like it.”

“I think that it will be my favorite place to be”

“Oh really,” you raised an eyebrow at him. “Why is that?”

“Cause I’m next to you, standing next to me.”

Yeah, your heart was in good hands.

On one of yours and Taeyong’s dates Taeyong decides that it’s time to take things in your relationship to the next level. 

Part of the long term couples series. 

             Walking down the street you glance in the windows of shops that you passed by not paying a great deal of attention to what you were looking at. You were just killing time while you waited for Taeyong to meet you. He had the day off and the two of you made plans to spend the day together. As you pass by the many shops windows you let your mind wonder to Taeyong. Things had been going good between the two of you. When you had first found out that he was an idol you thought that it would change the dynamics of your relationship. Surprisingly though things between the two of you only got better.  

           After your movie date with Taeyong the feelings that the two of you shared for one another only grew. Taeyong quickly became the first person that you would message when you woke up and was the last person that you spoke to when you went to bed. Your worries about if the two of you would be able to manage his idol career and your demanding dance career became a distant memory. It was like you both had an unspoken agreement that you would prioritize your relationship and it was working for the two of you.

           You stop in front of one of the store windows and look at the display of jewelry. Your eyes scanning the rings, earrings, and necklaces. Normally you didn’t wear a lot of jewerly but that didn’t stop you from admiring the display. As your looking at the display you feel a pair of arms wrap around you and pull you back into a firm chest. A pair of lips touch your cheek, and you smile as you turn to face Taeyong.

           He’s wearing a black baseball cap that he has pulled low, making it so you can only see a few strands of his now bleach blonde hair. He’s wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a long black jacket.  You lean in and touch your lips to his. When you pull away Taeyong smiles broadly at you and gives your waist a squeeze.

           “Were you waiting long for me?” Taeyong questions as he rests his chin on your shoulder at looks at the displays in the window.

           “No, I’ve only been walking around for a few minutes,” you assure him, and you turn back towards the display as well.

           “See anything you like?” You shrug causing Taeyong’s head to bounce up and down with your shoulder.

           “I don’t wear a lot of jewelry, so I wasn’t really looking seriously at any of it,” Taeyong nods in understanding and starts to sway the two of you back and forth before he moves from behind you and grabs your hand to pull you into the store.

           “Taeyong!” you gasp as he pulls you into the store, “I told you I don’t wear jewelry.”

           Taeyong ignores you and continues to pull you into the sore with him and stops when he is next to one of the display cases. He pulls you back in front of him and once again wraps his arms around your waist and rest his chin on your shoulder. You look down at the display case to see rows and rows of rings in front of the two of you.

           “I know but would you wear a ring if we had matching ones?” It comes out a whisper like Taeyong is worried that if he says it to loudly it’ll scare you and you won’t answer him.

           Turning to Taeyong he’s already watching you with wide eyes and has a nervous smile on his face. When the two of you had planned to get together today the last thing that you thought the two of you would be doing was looking at rings for each of you to wear.

           “Depends,” A smirk crosses your face, “do I get a say in what the rings look like.”

           Before Taeyong gets a chance to answer the two of you are greeted by the salesclerk asking what the two of you are looking for today and jumps quickly into sales mode when Taeyong tells them that the two of you are looking at rings. They don’t waste anytime in bringing out a variety of rings for the two of you to look at. They start to ramble off facts about each of the rings and you start to feel a little overwhelmed with all the information that the sale clerk is throwing at you.

           Taeyong feeling your unease ask the clerk if they can give you some time alone to look over the rings and that he’ll let them know when they have made a decision.  When the clerk walks off you relax back into Taeyong and look down at rings in front of you. They were all beautiful rings you weren’t sure how the two of you were going to pick a pair.

           “Take your time and pick the pair that you like. I’ll like whatever you pick out.” Taeyong encourages as you look over the rings, picking up some to try on and skipping over others.

           “I want you to like them as well. It can’t just be my choice,” Turning to Taeyong you grab his hand and slide on one of the rings. “What do you think of this one?”

           Taeyong examines the ring then looks up at you. You’re waiting patiently for him to respond, when he doesn’t say anything, you let out a small laugh before sliding the ring off his finger and putting it back. You reach out for another ring one that is less flashy and is instead a simple black ring with a small silver strip on the edges of the ring.

           “What about this one?”

           “I like this one. What does the matching one look like?” Taeyong looks over at the rings spotting the one that goes with his. He picks up the ring that would go on your finger. It has a black band as well the only difference from his is the small diamond that lays in the band. Taeyong grabs your hand and slides the ring onto your finger.

           “Do you like it?” You study the ring before lacing your hand with Taeyong’s.

           “I love it. Does this mean that we’re official now?” You lean into Taeyong, resting your hands on his chest.

           “Absolutely, I don’t just buy anyone matching rings,” Taeyong smiles down at you before kissing the tip of your nose. He calls over the salesclerk to let them know that you’ll get the rings and to set up a time to come get the rings once they are size for the two of you.

           Leaving the shop, you lace your fingers with Taeyong and swing your hands back and forth. He laughs as he spins you around and then pulls you into him. “Are you happy with your ring?”

           “Yes, but just so you know I would be happy even without the rings. This is just an added bonus to today.” You tell him.

           “I know but I’ve been thinking about getting us rings for a while now. Actually, I’ve been thinking about it ever since our movie date and then when I came to find you today there you were standing in front of the jewelry store, and it just seemed like the right time to get them. To make things official.”

           “I think so too.” You smile up at him as the two of you make your way down the street. “Who would have thought that a night of dancing in a club would have led to buying rings.”

           “I knew. I knew from the moment I saw you dancing that it was going to lead to this.” Taeyong tells you with certainty causing you to look up at Taeyong with wide eyes. He looks down at you and gives you his adorably shy smile before looking away and focusing on making sure the two of you can walk down the street together without tripping.

           “What else do you know?” You ask.

           “You’ll just have to wait and find out.” Taeyong teases and you just shake your head at your boyfriend and lean your head against him.

Taeyong comes to walk y/n home after work and with teh snow falling and him feeling romantic. Taeyong takes you on a romantic winter stroll that leads to dancing with the snowflakes falling around you.

Part of the long term couple series. Can be read as a stand alone. 

           Locking the door to the studio you pull on your gloves before turning to face the snow fall that greets you. Thankfully it was a warmer night for winter and there was no wind. Making the snowflakes that were falling more enjoyable. You look up at the sky watching the snowflakes gracefully make their way down to the ground. You always liked watching it snow it was something that you found calming. Stepping out from under the awning you tilt your head down to avoid getting snow in your face and start the short walk back to your place.

           As you’re walking you hear a ping from your phone. Pulling it out of your pocket you smile as you see it’s a message from Taeyong. Opening your phone, you stop walking as you read the message.

Taeyong: Turn around. I want to walk with my girlfriend in this romantic setting

Turning around you see Taeyong standing a few feet away from you in a black peacoat, with a scarf wrapped around him, and gloves on. His nose and ears are a little pink from the cold, and he smiles at you as you make your way towards him. You stop in front of him and tilt your head back causing a few snowflakes to fall on your face. Taeyong reaches out to wipe them away and leans down to kiss you on the tip of your nose.

           “Hi,” he whispers to you causing your stomach to flutter and heart to race. Only he could do that to you with one simple word.

           “Hi,” you whisper back. “I thought you had to work late tonight?”

           “We finished early, and I thought I’d walk you home.” Taeyong reaches out for your hand and then pulls you in close to him before he starts to walk in the direction of your place.

           “I’m glad you did. You get to now have this romantic moment with me as you pointed out earlier.” Taeyong nods in agreement. He glances down at you and smiles.

           “You look pretty with your cheeks and nose red and snowflakes in your hair and eyelashes.” You smile at the compliment.

           “Thanks, you look pretty good yourself.” You tell him back. You like walking with him like this. It’s comfortable and you are enjoying the chance to have a moment alone with your boyfriend. “Are you cold?”

           “No? Why do you ask?” Taeyong pulls you in closer to him thinking that maybe you are cold.

           “If you’re not cold I was wondering if you would be okay with making the walk a little longer?” You weren’t ready to give up this moment yet and wanted to make it last just a little longer.

           “I think I can handle that.” Taeyong smiles down at you and the two of you turn right instead of going left towards your place.

           The two of you wander the streets not really paying attention to where the two of you are walking. Soon you find yourself in the park. Surprisingly the Christmas lights are still on, and you can hear Christmas music playing through the speakers that are placed throughout the park. Taeyong starts to slow his steps until the two of you are at a standstill. You turn towards him and without a word Taeyong positions the two of you, so you are ready to dance. When you look up at him, he gives you a small nod and doesn’t move until you give him a returned nod letting him know that you are ready. Then he takes his first step, and you follow his lead.

           The two of you move about like you have been dancing with one another for years. There is a comfortableness that is there that usually only comes after dancing with the same person for years. You trust in Taeyong and his movements. You know that he won’t lead you astray. As Taeyong glides you around your eyes stay locked with his. You don’t bother to look anywhere else. As the song comes to an end and another one starts up Taeyong easily changes the speed at which the two of you are dancing to.

           He starts to slow the two of yours movement and you go from gliding to a much slower pace and instead of large movement they become smaller and more precise. Eventually he slows the two of you down until you are just swaying back and forth in one another’s arms. Taeyong pulls you in closer to him until you are flush against his front. You curl your arms around him and bunch the back of his jacket between your fists. You turn your head to the side to rest your head against his chest. Taeyong’s one hand stays to rest on your back while the other glides up into your hair. Taeyong hand strokes through your hair as the two of you stand there in one another’s arms, the snow falling down around you.

           “You really know how to make a moment romantic,” you whispered not wanting to have the moment ruined by any loudness.

           “You bring it out in me,” Taeyong whispers back. The two of you continue to stand there rocking back and forth slightly. Neither of you are ready to let the moment go just yet. Eventually the cold starts to seep into your body and a chill runs through you.

           “We should head back before the both of us get sick,” Taeyong pulls slightly away from you and readjust you to his side.

           “Alright,” you sigh wishing that the moment could last longer but understanding why the two of you need to head back. Your cold and staying out here just to prolong the moment will only lead to you or both of you getting sick.

           Before you two leave Taeyong brushes some hair off of your hair and smiles down at you. He leans in towards you and presses his lips to yours. You lean into Taeyong your eyes closing as his lips touch yours. The kiss doesn’t last long but it has quickly become one of your favorites. Because it was with Taeyong the man who wanted to walk  you home after work, who took you walking because it was romantic, and then danced with you in the snow.

Taeyong is taking Y/n out on a date. He has it all planned out and isn’t giving anything away even if Y/n pouts the whole way to their date. 

Part of the long term couples series

Looking out the passenger window you watch as the city buildings turn into trees. When Taeyong had come to pick you up for your date you expected him to tell you where the two of you were going but instead all he had done was usher you into the car and started to drive out of the city. When you ask Taeyong where he is taking you, he looks over at you with a boyish glint in his eyes and tells you that it’s a surprise.

           Glancing over at Taeyong you take in his relaxed posture as he drives with one hand on the steering wheel. The other resting comfortably on the middle console. Music is playing softly into the car and Taeyong will bob his head along to the beat every once in a while. He notice’s you are staring at him and turns to give you a boyish smile. It is so different from the sexy smile that he gave you all those weeks ago at the club. You almost can’t believe the duality that he has. To be able to go from drop dead sexy to adorable boy whose cheeks you want to squeeze boggles your mind.

           “Has anyone ever told you how adorable you are?” You ask him causing Taeyong to laugh and face back towards the road to avoid your gaze.

           “I might have heard that before,” Taeyong admits, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re adorable.”

           “Not since I was little,” you tell him as you reach your hand out for his and entwine your fingers together. Taeyong glances down at your hands then over at you. You smile down at your hands before looking out the window. You had been afraid that things would be weird between the two of you after he told you about him being an idol. But so far things had been going okay.

           Even though things seemed to be fine between the two of you, you did have your concerns.  Taeyong was an idol, and he was becoming a popular idol at that. And from the little bit of research that you had done you knew that it was frowned upon for idols to be in relationships. Knowing that it had you concerned about what this meant for yours and Taeyong relationship. Lost in thought you had even realized that you started to tighten your grip on Taeyong’s hand.

           “Y/n you, okay?” Taeyong looks over at you and you loosen your tight grip on his hand.

           “Sorry I just got a little lost in thought. How much further until we’re at our destination?” Trying to change the subject you bring it back to your date. You want to enjoy today instead of thinking about all the what if’s that are surrounding your relationship. You’re not ready to face them all quiet yet.

           “It’s okay I know that we have a lot to talk about and we will but for today let’s just enjoy one another,” Taeyong tells you and you sigh in relief that on this subject you and he are on the same page, “and we’ll be there in about five minutes.”

           Taeyong let’s go of your hand to turn the wheel and as he continues to drive the two of you, you notice that you are heading into an open field and soon the car is pulling up to a large projector that is set up in the middle of the field. Backing the car up so the back end is facing the screen Taeyong parks the car turning towards Taeyong waits for your response.

           “Did you bring me out here to murder me?”

           “No!” Taeyong laughs “I brought you out here to watch a movie. Out here we don’t have to worry about anyone noticing me and having to wear a disguise. Out here we can just be you and me.”

           “I like it. Now, please tell me you brought snacks.” Taeyong scoffs at you as he opens the car door and makes his way around towards your door. He opens the door and holds his hand out to you, placing your hand in his he pulls you out of the car and towards the back of the car.

           Opening the back door you see a small cooler, a bag full of snacks, and pillows and blanket all piled in the backseat. Taeyong hands you the cooler and food and gets to work on laying down the seat and setting up the pillows and blankets. He then grabs the cooler and food from you placing them back into the car. Grabbing your hand once again he pulls you into the car with him and the two of you settle into the pillows and blankets.

           “I can’t believe that you planned all of this for our date.” Never have you had someone put in this much effort in a date. If you didn’t know better, you would think that Taeyong isn’t real.

           “I wanted to impress you, now, let’s settle in and watch this movie,” Taeyong hands you a drink and some of the snacks as the movie starts to play.

           For the first part of the movie the two of you sit in comfortable silence watching the movie and eating your snacks and drinks. Once the snacks are gone and your drinks are empty you lean over into Taeyong and adjust the blanket, so it is covering the two of you. Resting your head on Taeyong shoulder you feel him move so he can wrap his arm around you.

           “Are you enjoying the movie?” Taeyong whispers like he’s actually in a movie theater.

           I am,” you whisper back and the two of you return to the movie.

           As you both continue to watch the movie you notice Taeyong’s other hand starts to move across his lap towards yours. Focusing your attention more on his hand then the movie you watch as he continues to slowly move his hand closer to yours. His pinkie then brushes against your hand, and you return the touch. Giving Taeyong the go ahead that he was waiting for to lace his fingers with yours.

           You snuggle in closer to Taeyong. Enjoying the way that he rests his head on top of yours and his fingers playing with yours. If anyone were to ask you how the movie ended you wouldn’t be able to tell them. What you could tell them is how Taeyong had kiss the top of your head four times. How he seemed to like to twist your thumb ring and rub his thumb over your hand.  You were completely distracted by it all that you were unaware of when the movie ended.

           “Did you enjoy the movie?” Taeyong asks you causing you to jump a little.

           “I’ve enjoyed the whole evening.” Looking up at Taeyong you see his bright smile and you return it before glancing back down at your hands. Taeyong follows your eyes and gives your hand a squeeze.

           “I like your hand in mine. It’s like your hand was made for mine.” Taeyong says before he let’s out a bashful squeal and shakes his legs, like he’s embarrassed that he had just made that statement out loud. You laugh sitting up to look at Taeyong. You refuse to let go of his hand though.

           “Taeyong!” You laugh trying to get his attention as he continues to squirm along side of you. “Taeyong stop.”

           “I’m sorry that was extremely cheesy of me to say. It just popped out of my mouth,” Taeyong apologizes, and you find it adorable how he can’t make eye contact with you.

           “Hey,” you give his hand a tug and he finally look at you, “it was a little cheesy to say but I liked it. I like you.”

           “Good because I’m probably going to say more things like that.” Taeyong tells you.

           “I’m looking forward to it. Do we have time for another movie? I’m not ready for our date to be over just yet.”

           “We can watch as many as you want.” Taeyong assures you as the two of you settle back into the pillows to watch another movie. This time neither of you wait before you grab one another’s hands. You once again lean your head onto Taeyong shoulder, and he rest his head atop of yours.

doiefy:

dotae’s entire relationship is a high school enemies to lovers bl anime, i’m just saying

i had to do it to ‘em

pretty boy // lee taeyong // kim doyoung

fluff, high school au, lee taeyong x kim doyoung
wc: 1180
cw: language

Taeyong hates avoiding people. 

Mostly because he’s bad at it, not because there’s any guilt involved with deceiving people for his own convenience. There’s a whole multitude of people he wishes he could wipe off the face of the earth, or more realistically, avoid on a daily basis—namely his neighbour’s twelve-year-old emo son, the annoying bitch at Starbucks who always misspells his name, and Mrs. Kwak, who took five marks off of his last exam for ‘bad penmanship.’ And there’s one other person who occasionally makes the list, but he’s a special case; we’ll get to that in a second. 

Taeyong’s bad at, well, being bad. That’s not to say he’s a stickler for rules, and god forbid he turns into a teacher’s pet when there are already so many around him. Frankly, he doesn’t care about the rules. And he’s been in the dean’s office enough times to know exactly how many warts she has on her face (5, as of recently). Taeyong’s one, very critical issue with being a rule-breaker is his lack of typical bad boy charisma. Hell, with a pretty face and large brown eyes that can make any girl swoon, he can’t just walk into class with his tie undone and expect to get away with it. It’s rather concerning: just how many people he’s tricked into thinking he’s the student body president, when he hasn’t spoken a single word to any of them.

It extends to beyond just school—which brings us back, full circle, to the certain somebody he’s been avoiding like the plague. 

About a half hour after the final bell, he’s on his way home, just about to safely pass the music room. Avoiding him is comparable to sneaking around a boss in a video game, or walking behind a random NPC so you don’t waste three full minutes in a meaningless cutscene. He knows he’s bad at it: all skittish and nervous, like a horse ready to bolt at the first sign of danger. He keeps his head down and darts past the few students left in the hallway, simply praying the person in question is already in the music room, not waiting around to cut him off. 

And even if he sees him, maybe he won’t recognize him immediately… right? It’s the middle of winter, so he’s got a beanie covering his hair and a scarf wrapped around his neck. It all fogs up his glasses when he breathes, but it’s probably for the better. One more thing to obstruct his face from view. 

“Lee Taeyong.”

Well,fuck. 

He stops dead in his tracks, knowing full well: he’s been caught. 

There’s no sneaking around the final boss—the final boss being Kim Doyoung. President of the music council, resident master of ceremonies, teacher’s pet extraordinaire, and above all, the bane of Taeyong’s love life. The bane, or maybe the saviour, it’s really a matter of perspective. If Doyoung wasn’t so insufferable and dead set on making Taeyong’s life hell (affectionately, he hopes), he would’ve been Taeyong’s first proper love interest after his two-month fling with Nakamoto Yuta in sophomore year. 

Doyoung’s pretty, Taeyong cannot deny it. He’s just a little taller than Taeyong, all long-limbed but still elegant, with jet hair and deep brown eyes. There’s something soft and innocent about his appearance—his hair’s always neatly combed and he’s always in a proper, pristine uniform—but Taeyong knows he hides rebellion beneath his usual appearance. Venture out into the woods after school, and you’ll find him with a select group of students, doing god-knows-what (though it usually ends with a bong and a verylate night). Doyoung likes to follow the rules at school, but will be the first to break them the moment he’s off school property. 

“Hi,” Taeyong mumbles, unconsciously shuffling backwards when Doyoung approaches. 

“Hi,” Doyoung drawls mockingly, visibly pleased by his catch; a week-long game of cat and mouse, hide and seek, and he finally has Taeyong where he wants him. “It’s been awhile since I last saw you, Yongie. Where have you been? Were you sick?”

“No,” Taeyong grunts. “Actually, I’m gonna miss my bus if I don’t get going, so maybe we can catch up a little later?”

Doyoung seems unimpressed by the choice of lie. There were definitely much better choices Taeyong could’ve gone for. Homework, midterms, his mom berating him all the time… he could’ve said his cat got chlamydia and died, and Doyoung would’ve at least fake-simpered over it for a moment before continuing with his torment. “The 189 bus doesn’t leave until five, Yongie. That’s in an hour.” 

“Well, you’ve got band,” Taeyong says, nodding at the instrument case dangling from Doyoung’s hands. “I think you’re gonna be late.”

Doyoung hesitates, as if seriously considering it. After all, he hasn’t missed a single practice—as the principal flutist of the school orchestra and president of the music council, he can’t afford to. Taeyong doesn’t doubt the conductor relies on his expertiseandexperienceto lead practices, because even the subject teachers turn to his insufferable ass for help sometimes; he hopes mentioning it is enough to get Doyoung off of his case. Just for a day. One day, so he can figure out what the hell he’s going to do from here. 

But to his dismay, Doyoung promptly drops his flute case in Taeyong’s hands and tilts his head curiously. “Hm.”

Taeyong fumbles with the instrument, and Doyoung glares at him. “That little hunk of metal is worth two grand and my entire college scholarship. Don’t drop it, pretty boy.”

Pretty boy. Taeyong hates it, but he still reacts viscerally.

“You know what I think?” Doyoung asks, taking a slight step forward so Taeyong can practically smell the cologne lingering on his uniform jacket. Something simple, but expensive, Taeyong thinks, and catches himself leaning toward the smell. God, he really is down horrendous for this boy. 

Doyoung grins. “I think you’ve been avoiding me, pretty boy.”

“I don’t avoid people,” Taeyong says with a shake of his head. “I’m bad at it.”

“Evidently,” Doyoung agrees, then reaches up to pull the hat off of Taeyong’s head. “So maybe you should stop doing it, hm? Stop taking your lunch outside and come sit with me. Stop running off right after class.” A breathless laugh. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

Taeyong lets out a quiet exhale, once again fogging up the circular lenses of his glasses. Before he can even register what’s happening, Doyoung’s pulling them off of him, leaning in close to get a better look at him. He’s mere inches away, and Taeyong doesn’t know if he wants to slap him or kiss him. Probably the latter, but he doesn’t have the time or balls for that. Dammit, he’s not a coward, he should just do it, put a stop to the endless games and take charge—but by the time that thought crosses his mind, Doyoung’s already taken his instrument back and gone on his way. 

“See you around, pretty boy.”

Taeyong puts his glasses and hat back on, walking away in utter shame.