The night had gone on longer than Jongin expected. But then again, wasn't that the reason he'd gone in the first place? They'd left the venue after an unfortunate confrontation with Youngjae, but stopped at a late night diner before he drove her home. Reluctant for the night to end, and against his better judgment, he'd chosen to stay 'for a bit'.
Conversation flowed easily, it always did with Dahyun, fueled by their similar upbringings, mutual understanding of the growing pains that came with familial status. Stories were exchanged of the endless galas and business meetings they were forced to attend too young, black cards given to them by the time they were in middle school that felt more like consolation prizes for absentee parents, the new watches/shoes/cars that followed any missed events or recitals. Together they laughed through the sadness that was their childhood. Dahyun was a connection Jongin didn't know he had been longing for. Because although Taemin always listened, he could never fully understand the deafening loneliness of his own voice as it echoed through the grand halls of the Kim mansion, signifying another Christmas spent alone with for the mountains of presents under the tree. Or walking out of the examination halls, watching his peers greeted by the warm embrace of their parents while he greeted his driver before climbing into his back of his darkly tinted black bentley. Alone.
Jongin had the foresight to prepare a fresh set of clothes at one of his other apartments, he'd figured coming home smelling like sweaty bodies and booze might be a dead giveaway on the night. That's where he went first when he finally left her apartment. The drive was silent save for the low purring of the porsche's engine. For the first time since he hatched this plan, he let his mind wander through the evening. Skimming through each event, guilt settled in the pit of his stomach, layered thickly by remorse. There was an incessant nagging at the back of his mind, that he was missing something important, a missed detail. Pushing the thought away, he showered quickly, changing into the sweats and hoodie he'd prepared, his usual study attire, porsche switched for an audi rs5, his usual daily driver, for the short drive home.
5am; the first rays of sunlight were shining through the living room window of Jongin and Taemin's penthouse by the time he got home. It didn't take long for him to spot Taemin tucked in peacefully on the couch, a lowlight emitted from the TV playing the ending credits of a movie he didn't recognize. The sun reflected his lover's perfectly sculpted features. Toeing off his shoes, he picked him bridal style tucking him into bed, with a gentle kiss to his forehead before exiting the room again to shut off the TV and straighten up the living room.
Jongin's phone chimed as he was climbing back into bed causing him to look over to Taem in panic, hoping it hadnt woken him up:
【message from: kimda】
- thanks for tonight (:
With a small chuckled, he replied
【message to: kimda】
- anytime
- i had fun
Before rolling over, with an arm draped over his Boyfriends waist, drifting off into a dreamless sleep
it was becoming a recurring occurrence lately, what with how jongin had become increasingly busy. taemin himself had been piled up with projects but had a far less workload compared to his boyfriend who was in throes of the financial world. normally, the apartment would be brimming with their laughter, playful banter, the gentle smacking of lips, their resonant voices of pleasure.
now, the lack of sound, like he was in vacuum, clung to his skin.
for a while, taemin worked on his art portfolio that was due in a couple weeks, just before school let out. before... they graduated. it was difficult to think of – their graduation. their relationship had a few rough patches during school, what with adjusting to having to dedicate some of their time to studies and making new friends. well, the latter was mostly on jongin's end. the man was a social butterfly no one could cage in. despite these hurdles, they had persisted. because their love for each other outshone any darkness attempting to drown them out.
which was why, come graduating, taemin was going to take the next step.
delicate fingers dug through the black hole that was his art supplies box to procure his most treasured possession: a strong, simple band of gold, tucked safely in a red velvet box.
the glimmering ring had probably cost him his net worth. one of the reasons taemin had been particularly busier this year was because the man had taken upon a part-time job at a second-hand bookstore. a place where jongin wouldn't be caught dead entering. making time for his shifts in between classes, generally at the times when he knew his lover was busy with work, taemin had arduously accrued enough cash to purchase a simple engagement ring. anything pricier would have required him to work more hours than what would remain unsuspecting to jongin.
there was one problem now, however. jongin had become a bit more secretive over the days. taemin hadn't caught it initially, given it was unfathomable to think there was something jongin needed to hide from him. the encounter in the art studio a week ago debunked his assumption. suddenly, there was something his boyfriend couldn't reveal to him. with how the younger lately had been skirting any plans to tie the knot... surely, that meant only one thing: jongin was planning a surprise proposal. that was the only conceivable explanation.
when that happened, taemin mused with a hint of a smile, it would be quite hilarious. would they both go down on their knee at the same time? he would like to think so – and then vehemently deny any claims that he was a 'romantic'.
with a sigh, the young man tucked the box back into the corners of his supply box and shoved it all the way to the back of his side of their closet. unfolding his long legs, from where they had been uncomfortably pressed against the floor while he knelt, taemin wandered over to their bed and retrieved jongin's hoodie. taemin assumed the younger had worn this earlier in the day and had come back for a quick freshen up before heading for his group project. it was unfortunate he hadn't been home yet to greet jongin. still, he was grateful for the thoughtful gesture.
failing to bite back a smile, taemin picked up the soft fabric and buried his face in it. it smelled like home.
quick movements had the hoodie sliding onto his frame while his legs carried him over to the corner of their apartment that was taemin's 'studio'. the french, floor-to-ceiling windows provided him ample sunlight during the day; during the night, it gave him easy access to stare out the windows at the glimmering city sprawled beneath.
what taemin was working on now was actually a secret project. one that he only busted out when he was sure jongin was returning for a while. once seated on his stool, his gaze flitted over to the canvas that was almost complete.
there, staring back at him, was kim jongin.
it had been a random school night, perhaps a year or so ago. they had decided impromptu to have a fancy dinner, one involving wine and lovely steak. all home-cooked, by the two of them. it was while they were lounging on the couch, sipping their wine, that taemin had glanced over at his boyfriend... only to find him staring at him, dark, smouldering eyes peeking over the rim of his half-empty wine glass. for some reason, that simple gaze had engraved itself into taemin's memory. now, that same molten but inviting gaze was imploring his very soul from the canvas, over the same half-finished wine glass.
despite the obvious lust that had been simmering in his lover's dark orbs, taemin was particularly fond of this memory of jongin because it reminded him that this gorgeous, wonderful, smart, imperfect but perfect man loved /him/. wanted /him/. him, taemin, who was a nobody. taemin, who had grown up thinking he would always be alone, incapable of gaining anyone's attention. it was a reminder that no matter what life threw at them, no matter what mountains they had to climb – their love for each other was the only thing constant in this world.
taemin was jongin's, now and forever. jongin was taemin's, now and forever.
... conveniently, taemin chose to delete all the recent memories of jongin smiling down at his phone when they were together. he chose to file away all instances of jongin playfully bantering with someone on the phone in the 'hallucinations' box. he burned all events of witnessing jongin snap mildly flirtatious pictures and never receiving said pictures. they didn't matter, not with their strong foundations. they didn't matter, because they had each other.
