↬ art studio.

@⁰⁴ taemin l. The phone call wasn't long, but Jongin's booming laugh echoed into the studio as he returned, a small grin present "Yea....yea, no problem......Nope, I can pick you up.. give me.... 20 minutes?.....ok. see you, bye" Shoving his phone back in his pocket, he made his way back to his lover who'd yet to move from where Jongin had placed him on the table. "Sorry love," A kiss went to the olders cheek, his arms went around his waist to lift him up, placing the shorter back on his feet. "I need to go, last minute meeting with the group." Jongin's tone was remorseful, but the sincerity didn't quite meet his eyes. Unlike when he'd first entered, his guard was no longer up, and he wasnt as careful of his tells. But he was eager to leave. Jongin collected his belongings, and with a final chaste kiss to his boyfriends lips, turned to exit the studio

@⁰⁴ jongin k. it should be comical how much of a different person taemin practically became when with jongin. to the normal public, he was standoffish, sassy and was regarded as icy. but with this man, the love of his life, all barriers, layers of defence and walls were stripped away, leaving him raw and vulnerable for one set of eyes only. sometimes, he scared himself with the intensity of love and affection he had for this man.

“i’ve missed you too—“ taemin breathed out, not minding having been relocated to atop a free table. as long as he was away from his precious project, they should be good. his head tipped back, fingers already finding their way instinctively to jongin’s shirt, breath already ragged. the implications of what they were possibly about to do, on /school/ property nonetheless, enthralled him in a way he hadn’t ever considered.

of course, it all came crashing down when there was a shrill ringtone resounding in the empty — save them — classroom. pulled out of his admittedly lust-filled stupor, taemin watched with thinly veiled annoyance as jongin... stepped out to take the call. not even the placating kiss to his lips succeeded in smoothing out the furrow to his brow.

why had jongin stepped away? in the first few years of their relationship, jongin had been secretive about few things, mostly related to his dysfunctional family. as years brought them closer than ever, however, there was not a single thing between them left unsaid. jongin knew all of taemin; taemin knew all of jongin. so in theory, there was nothing that would have garnered this step back.

was jongin... planning a surprise for him? that was the only logical explanation. for what, he couldn’t fathom, considering valentine’s had already passed, his birthday wasn’t until all the way in july, and neither was their anniversary anywhere close. could... could jongin be thinking of proposing to him?

as taemin stared at the door, where he had last seen his boyfriend step out, he couldn’t help but finally feel the tension out of his shoulders bleed. it had to be that. which was going to be hilarious when the other finally proposed to him, because... inside his art supply bag, in a nook that jongin wouldn’t dream of touching, sat a velvety red box. a box that was awaiting the right time.

deigning to keep his awareness of jongin’s plans to himself, taemin smirked to himself before he shook away the disappointment of having been interrupted. soon enough, they’d be graduating and no one could stop them then. he had to be patient.

@⁰⁴ taemin l. [kind of content warning? not really tho. ]

Admittedly, Jongin had no knowledge regarding anything in the realm of 'Art' that was something he'd always defaulted to Taemin. He happily followed along like a lost puppy whenever they visited renowned museums and galleries as his boyfriend prattled on facts about various painting and sculptures. It was the excitement that glistened in his lovers eyes that kept him interested, less so the thousand or so year old paintings that looked simply like scribbles to the business major.
As he listened to his boyfriend talk about his project, he could tell the older wasnt entirely satisfied with it, but there wasnt much he could offer in terms of help. But before he could open his mouth to say anything. He was unexpectedly knocked off balance, falling into a stool he didnt see behind him, with the familiar warmth of his lovers body on top of his. "Oh-" He exclaimed in shock, he wasnt exactly complaining rather than genuine surprise. Taemin was usually more hesitant when it came to public displays of affection, preferring to wait until the two were in the comfort of their apartment. Without breaking away from the plush soft lips, Jongin's arms wrapped around his lovers delicate waist with practiced ease. Before sliding down to grip the underside of his thigh, easily lifting him up and guiding the two of them over to the art table and setting his boyfriend atop said table. ", I've missed you" He growled lowly, breaking away, leaving small butterfly kisses down his lovers jaw and neck, ling on the sensitive skin above his collarbone.
All previous thoughts about the spring formal, and other people, gone. All the senior knew was the man before him. Reality came crashing back to Jongin in the form of the familiar incessant ringing of his phone. "," He groaned, pulling away, he knew who it was before having to check "I need to take this" With a last chaste kiss to his boyfriends lips. His phone was out of his pocket, he stepped slightly toward the door. Something, he didnt realize was unlike usual. Usually he never cared about answering phone calls infront of his boyfriend.
"Hello?" He spoke with practiced politeness, the other line was his group member from the project, "Nope, I'm not busy."

@⁰⁴ jongin k. now that he had been relieved of his tension, taemin didn't think to pay careful attention to the lines of jongin's shoulders and the slight unease in his eyes. no, taemin was quite content to simply bask in the affection and show of thought jongin was showering him in. "yeah, that sounds like a good plan," the elder replied in a satisfied sigh, easily molding into the man's hold and against his lips.

when they parted, only to be asked about his project, the art student couldn't help but let out a soft puff of air, brushing a hand through his grown out locks. "it's just my art project slash assignment thing for one of my courses. it's supposed to be paris; i'm getting inspiration from when we went," he replied, giving the colourful canvas before he darted his eyes around the studio. there was not a single person. it was only for this fact that he allowed himself to act on his desires.

without much warning, taemin gently shoved jongin onto a neighbouring stool before straddling his lap so he could claim those plush lips into a slow, molten kiss. they hadn't gotten the chance to simply /feel/ each other close like this in a while. it felt good to finally leave all inhibitions and just allow his emotions – his affection for this man – to bubble to the surface.

@⁰⁴ taemin l. Jongin let out a breath he didnt know he was holding, "I know, I just.. didn't want you to be disappointed" He worded carefully, "It'll be a long night, but I'll take you out to dinner on the weekend?" Jongin offered, with a kiss to the older's soft lips, "Anywhere you wanna go" With the subject changed, Jongin relaxed, he was in the clear. At least for now. He would have to be careful not to show up in any photos on the day of, but that would be a problem for later.
"What are you working on?" He peaked over his talented boyfriend's shoulder to the canvas on the easel

@⁰⁴ jongin k. in another universe, he would have felt relieved to hear that nothing was broken. but in this one, taemin was an over-thinker. if there was nothing broken, then what was the problem...? with jongin having pulled away, taemin felt a cold shiver travel down his spine. he was normally not very perceptive about things; jongin was the only exception.

his answer came soon, accompanied with a tender hand to his cheek. quietly, the senior student listened to his boyfriend explain why he couldn’t make it for the spring formal.

almost as if he had been holding his breath, a loud exhale. it was just the damn spring formal.

“christ, jongin,” taemin breathed out heavily, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “here you had me thinking you ran over someone or something—“ not giving the younger a chance to respond, taemin continued with a small smile, “you know i take no enjoyment in going to the spring formal. sure, it’s our tradition now, but i’m quite alright sitting it out. we’ll just celebrate, just the two of us, after you’re done with your project, okay?”

@⁰⁴ taemin l. "Busted" Jongin mutters under his breath, "You know me too well," There was no point in lying about /that/ part, it was impossible. Taemin knew him, probably better than he knew himself. "I haven't broken anything this time" He pouts, pulling away "...not that I know of at least" Admittedly, he seemed to have a bad habit of undersetimating the fragility of things, many of said things being Taemin's precious art supplies.
The senior took a deep breath, his hand coming up to caress his lovers cheek tenderly. Without giving himself a chance to chicken out, "I have a major group presenation due the day after the spring formal," He explained, that part wasnt a lie, "It's meant to be worth 50% of our final grade," neither was that, "My group dont want to leave things to chance, so they've asked if we could get together the night before to make sure everything is perfect." This was the lie, they'd finished the project this morning, and were almost guaranteed a near-perfect score, "I havent promised them anything, I know we always go together. But I dont want to let them down" Jongin's eyes were soft with concern. He hoped the guilt that was settling at the pit of his stomach didnt reflect in his expression.

@⁰⁴ jongin k. grateful for the caffeine boost, and although the flowers were an oddity he couldn't say he despised them, taemin rolled his eyes with a soft snort. "kiss ," he quipped softly, not without a chuckle. usually jongin liked to pamper him with gifts when he was in need of something. it didn't happen often, considering the man had all the money in the world and they had a very communicative relationship. there were times like when jongin (unintentionally) ruined his art or (accidentally) broke his favourite china set that the younger saw the need to make it up to taemin with gifts. at first, he had presumed it to be shallow. however, over the years, he had softened. it was just his boyfriend's way of showing his affection.

"it's okay, i've been busy too," he snuggled closer into the stronger man's arms with a content sight. after the gruelling day of self-deprecating thoughts and hours spent in front of his canvas, it was a heaven-sent blessing to be wrapped around in a blanket of warmth and security. despite being comfortable in jongin's arms like this, however, taemin was not one to beat around the bush. "not that i'm not glad you're here, but i suppose you should tell me what set of my pencils you've broken this time before i get home, nini," taemin said with a wry smile, taking a sip of the delightful coffee.

@⁰⁴ taemin l. A smirk appeared on the youngers face "A warning would've ruined the surprise," He retorted innocently, presenting the gifts he'd brought for his lover "We've both been so busy this past month, and I finally had a moment of freetime, I thought I'd bring you something" He placed the items on the table, making sure it was well out away from Taemin's work -he'd learn long ago that spilt coffee and art /do not/ mix- before pulling his boyfriend into his arms. "Sorry I've been so busy lately," He mutters softly. Moments like this had been rare for the two lately, and he had certainly missed it. It almost made him wonder if his true motive for his sudden appearance at the studio was worth it; worth the rift it might cause if he got caught. worth deceiving the one who'd given him nothing but unconditional love or if he might be better off playing the part of the good boyfriend as he had done for the past several years.

@⁰⁴ jongin k. being an art student was not as easy as taemin would have initially figured it would be. while yes, he didn’t have as many assignments as some of his friends and his boyfriend, there was still a decent amount of work he had to accomplish. the hardest task were the graded projects, really. for someone like him who was overly critical about every little detail, it was difficult finishing the projects on time. hence the late nights.

on such a night, he had been cooped up in the art studio almost all day, attempting to finish the landscape of paris, his chosen portrayal for the project. he had texted jongin, letting him know of his predicament, but had not received a response. it had stung him a little, but he figured his boyfriend was similarly buried under work.

so to have a familiar voice caressing the shell of his ear out of nowhere, taemin almost had a heart attack.

jerking suddenly, taemin yanked out his earbuds and swivelled around in his stool, glaring at the annoyingly handsome man before him. “a little warning would save me a couple of years,” the older of the couple grumbled. despite his initial shock and stinging words, there was a softened curve of his lips that couldn’t be mistaken for anything but affection. “what are you doing here, jongin?” taemin queried idly, taking the opportunity to slide off the stool and just stretch his limbs a little.

upon noticing the items accompanying the younger, taemin couldn’t help but smirk slightly. how adorable. “i don’t suppose those are for me, hm?”

@⁰⁴ taemin l. It was midterm season, Jongin had been drowning in reports and projects nonstop for nearly the entire month. Despite living together, he'd hardly seen Taemin for longer then a couple minutes between classes, or at night when the two of them were to exhausted to say more than a couple words. Whether this was by design by the younger or not was, debatable. Nevertheless, he still felt bad for the neglect on his part and finally had a moment of free time. Armed with a coffee, the exact way taem always liked, and a bouquet of his favourite flowers, the senior approached the small studio where his lover was hard at work.
"Hey Babe," He snuck up behind the artist hard at work. Placing a kiss on his porcelain cheek

@⁰² yoonah c. (sh) “always.” seen was a little upturn of the corner of his lips before he broke out into a wide grin, arms resting around the sophomore’s waist a loose hug. there’s always something about yoonah that drew the younger boy to like her the very first time they met. whether it was her pleasant personality, her out-going persona or simply the twinkle in her eyes whenever she mentioned the things she loved in life. Jaemin had always found that very endearing about the other. so when he spots a frown marring her pretty face like her heart had broke instead of the piece in front of her was the boy determined turn that frown into a tiny smile and he wasn’t going to leave until he did that, that’s what best friends were for right?

Jaemin moves aside to inspect the shattered piece, a little grimace appearing on his face, damn was she gonna have to redo the piece seeing how it was barely salvageable. “well. i mean.. i don’t think you can… uh.. save it, babe?” he concludes, turning to face her, his hand already reaching out to wrap his arm around her small frame“ Don’t think you should be pushing yourself so hard, though.. i mean, you could always complete it tomorrow or the day after? “ though, Jaemin knew very well despite his words, he was positive the other wouldn’t simply let it go. damn her passion for the arts sometimes. if only Jaemin could, he would have whisked her away right now.

“there’s no need for thank yous between us?” he questions without a need for a reply. “we’re always here for you. you know that right, we’re just a call or a text away. you’re not getting rid of me that easy.” Jaemin bumps the other’s shoulder lightly.

@⁰⁴ joohyuk n. Typically, jaemin would have left when he’s being told too. He wasn’t one to pry into someone else’s business since he didn’t like people prying into his. But there was something in the other’s sad voice that made Jaemin’s heart clench just the slightest. He didn’t know what drawn him to the crying male in the first place. if there was anything, Jaemin was a coward when it came to foreign noise, what more in an art studio — painting staring at you left and right. “I.. could..? if you really want me too.” He’s voice is unsure, not wanting to step over the boundries nor agitate the other further.

“or I could stay.” Jaemin continues after, settling comfortable beside the other as he reaches up to take the extra cup of now diluted cup of ice coffee, he just hopes the upperclass doesn’t mind. “you know.. it’s okay to cry. I do that sometimes. it’s not embarrassing. Just because you’re a dude, doesn’t mean it’s not okay. I would like to think we’re all humans and we need some sort of relieve from whatever that hurts us.” He says reassures, nudging the edge of the cup against the other’s knee. “if you don’t mind water down coffee, i’ve got some to offer. “ Jaemin flashes a wide grin at the other.

@⁰⁴ zhan x. Ah, he constantly had to remind himself how great it was to have friends like Zhan. He must've done something great in his past life to deserve them. Eyes still scanning his contact list, nothing seemed to peak his interest until his friend spoke up again. "Jajangmyeon sounds so good right now." Jisung's body flailed at the thought of being able to finally eat something different than what he's had for the past few weeks. "I'm paying since you paid last time, but you have to order it." His eyes lilted over to his friend again.

@⁰¹ jaemin n. one, two, three, yoonah counted in her head, brows furrowed in concentration at the clay in her hands. It was the second of her last sculpting attempts for the day, the masterpiece she had slaved on since the beginning of the semester was close to complete. Alas, she was a perfectionist. And there was no way she would leave her work to mediocrity.

As a child of famed parents -unfortunately so- it had always been drilled in her mind; to achieve greatness, one must become great themselves. She’d always strived to do so too until it’d gotten too much and she ha- the force of her thumb on the thin layer of clay was too harsh, too tight and as usual, like when pressured, the clay broke into tiny pieces of no unwanted scraps. Yoonah’s heart broke further into a billion pieces, just like the pile of clay litter that laid on the floor in a haphazard mess. Biting back a curse of a groan, she began taking her gloves off, quite a desperate attempt for some time off. And calm did come, in the form of her best friend.

To her, Jaemin had always had a particular joie de vivre that never failed to make her smile. And when he came bearing offerings such as her favorite boba drinks?

Yoonah’s mouth curved into a grin, perhaps for the first time that day itself as she picked herself from the little wooden bench, practically skipping to where he stood. “Did i ever tell you that i love you?” she exclaimed, watching him place the cups on the table before she raised her arms, abruptly pulling him into a bone crushing hug. Her laughter rang, reverberating against the walls of the art studio like twinkling bells of joy; by Hera’s saggy , she loved her friends so much! Giving him one last squeeze, she let go, reaching over to pick up her taro drink. “You both are right and absolute angels. I can’t go out without finishing this stupid thing and i’m so close to scraping the entire thing off even!” she whined, a pouty yet girlish pout on her face; it wasn’t often anyone saw this face of hers, given how cool headed and juxtaposingly fiery she seemed. "thank you for coming though.. i appreciate it."

@⁰⁴ joohyuk n. With two cups of their favourite coffee beverage in his hand, Jaemin peeked his head through the door, expecting to find his best friend in the art studio. “Yoon bab—?” He pauses and it stuns him for a moment to see the room empty, lights off, not a single soul in sight. It was a hit or miss when it came to yoonah’s schedule, more often a hit seeing how she spent most of time in the art room, her love for arts was pretty amazing. So it didn’t occur much to him that the other might not be in. It wasn’t surprising per say, they all had various classes to attend, he should have called before coming over. But what surprised him was despite the empty room, he could hear soft sobbing noises from within. Typically, Jaemin would have walked away rather spooked out, but there he was, clutching his ice americano tightly in his hands, mildly amazed he hasn’t dropped them yet as he walked towards the noise.

What he doesn’t expect to see is a mop of hair, face tucked between his knees, sobbing coming from within. Oh no, did this this person lose his way? surely he isn’t a freshman like him. Jaemin is well acquainted with most of the freshman from his year and even those in the levels above him, but he has never seen this person, not that he has seen his face yet. But Jaemin doesn’t hesitate in approaching to help him after knowing he’s not a particularly ghosty. He sets the coffee on the table top before bending down, tapping the other on his shoulders. “hey there, you okay buddy?”

@⁰² yoonah c. It wasn’t unusual for Jaemin to be standing at the lobby of their school’s art faculty, not when his best friend practically resided at this place, he doesn’t quite remember the last time they’ve spent time away from the school save for their usual bubble tea shop a stone’s throw away from their campus or Yoonah’s apartment for sleepovers. It’s only been a couple of years of knowing the girl, but Jaemin has never met someone more serious when it came to her and her passion for the arts, which was why, the first year knew the moment the sophomore had sent a panic text in their school chatroom before going offline, that something was a little iffy. Knowing her, she would have been burying her head into her work.

So there he was, peaking his head through the door to make sure his best friend was around, his lips on the straw of his own bubble tea and in another hand, two cups of bubble tea in it’s cupholder— Taro milk tea and brown sugar milk tea specifically. “Earth to my baby.” He calls out, already stepping foot into the studio. “Na delivery at your service. That would be one hug and one smoochie for your bestie.” Jaemin jokes as he settles the two cups on the table, along with a bag with two kinder bars. “Figured you might end up not appearing for our bubble tea date.” there’s already snort leaving him as he sips on his own beverage. “sooyoungs’s right, there’s nothing that would come between you and art.”

@⁰³ jisung h. Zhan grinned back at his friend "Dude, of course I would. anything to help out" He nodded agreeably. But was distracted again by his stomach grumbling "But first food..." He pulled up a chair to sit next to Jisung "Hmm..i feel like we get pizza all the time." He pulls out his own phone to go through the numbers he's stored "Jajangmyeon?" He suggested. The chinese place nearby, although not authentic to back home, made absolutely phenominal jajangmyeon

@⁰⁴ zhan x. He let out a half hum of agreement and half still of dissatisfaction. Though, his friend was nowhere near wrong; any time his work needed to be looked over was time that he panicked more than necessary. Part of him was sure this would all turn out fine and that he was just undermining his own skills, yet he couldn't help the other part that was afraid he had been over exaggerating his skills this whole time. Shaking his head in an attempt to briefly get rid of his negative thoughts, focusing on the rest of what his friend was saying. "Yeah, we both need a break."

Wiping his sweaty palms against the fabric of his shirt, his ears perked up at the mention of his friend helping him out by wearing what he made. His features instantly lit up like a Christmas tree, turning completely in his chair to face his rather reserved friend. "Really? You would?" The interruption of his own hungry mind at the mention of food halted anything further. "Yeah, I'm hungry too. Should we do pizza like last time? I'm kinda sick of it, though." Jisung grabbed his phone and started looking through his contacts, humming at the thought of what they could get.

@⁰² jongho c. Did Chenle want to be here, in the class or doing this project? No. But he wasn't going to make his partner's life hell because of his own stupid mistakes. With light steps, he moved over to the upperclassman and flopped down on the stool next to him, nearly falling over with the force under him. "Woah-" he mumbled as he stabilized himself, a short laugh falling from his lips as he looked at male. "Sorry- Uh- I'm Chenle." he greeted, holding out his hand for a formal greeting.

@⁰³ jisung h. “Come on man, you get stressed for every eval.” Zhan couldnt help but chuckle at his friend. To Zhan, even though he couldn’t understand what Jisung was saying when he talked about his work, it was clear it was something he was passionate about. “But you do fine everytime. I feel like i’m seeing the code swimming in front of me whenever i close my eyes.. is it time for a break?”

Zhan shut his laptop, placing it on the table infront of him before walking over to Jisungs work station “Um.. i obviously cant be much help.. but if you want? and it helps to see it on an actual..human. I dont mind trying it on?” Zhan offers, his voice getting quieter towards the end. He wasnt even sure if the project was completed enough for that. “Or not. I mean if it’ll help. But first, I’m kind of hungry.. should we order some food?”

@⁰⁴ zhan x. Jisung heaved out another heavy sigh, followed by him grumbling a response to his friend's first response. Other than the fact that he enjoyed his friend's company, he was a great person to have around when you needed encouragement. They had always been like that, bouncing positive energy and words of motivation whenever things got too hard on them mentally. "You're right," Jisung finally spoke a coherent sentence, using the hand that covered his eyes to continue its way through his locks. "I think I'm just on edge because we have a new department professor."

The only reason he was even doing this was because every student under the fashion department needed to do a reevaluation of their strengths and weaknesses. Sportswear was definitely still his weakness, there was no denying that. "Thanks," he flashed a half smile at Zhan, pushing his materials further away from his sight on the table. "I think I need a break, though. How are things coming on your end?"

@⁰³ jisung h. It wasn’t unusual for Zhan to spend the majority of his time at home. The boy enjoyed solitude, often finding it difficult to communicate with unfamiliar people. One exception to this is Jisung Han, whom by some miracle managed to break through his shell at some point during their shared time as classmates and teammates. Now, added to the few places Zhan frequents is Jisung’s studio. There was a soothing feeling that came from the boys working in silence that was comforting. And for the introverted Zhan, this was more than enough human interaction.

“Arent you the one that always says ‘Art doesnt need to make sense?’” Zhan responds, looking up from his own work. He’d learned long ago that he had absolutely no idea what fashion was, and resorted to trusting anything Jisung told him about the subject, but he wanted to support his friend, which is what prompted him to add.“Honestly, it looks great to me”

@⁰⁴ zhan x. This art studio was his home away from home, where he could let his emotions and thoughts roam freely within its walls. He knew every crevasse and every creak as if it were the back of his hand, being much more than sure he slept more in the capacious room than he did he own bed back at the dorm. It wasn't as common as he originally assumed to have people working in here with him, so naturally he had adopted this room as his own, janitors going as far as giving him one of the spare keys incase he needed late night access; but really (of course he didn't /OWN/ the room... officially) anyone was welcome inside.

One of those people being his classmate, teammate and most importantly, friend, Zhan Xiao. Zhan was far more quieter than anyone would imagine and it came as a surprise that the two were even friends. It surprised him, himself. Yet, at the same time, it didn't surprise him much nor for long; Jisung was naturally a social butterfly. It only made sense that they became friends eventually.

"I don't think this looks right," Jisung sighed to his friend, eyes glued to the pattern he had just stitched together on the table in front of him. "This looks nothing like something somebody would buy for sportswear." His hands came up to his face and covered his eyes, hoping to shield them from the ceiling light that now felt like the burning of radiation.