Chapter Text
⛱️
Ten was no stranger to beautiful beaches. The first year after college he and Johnny had set off on their own ‘endless summer’, chasing the warm weather and waves all around the world; one long, sun-drenched dream. There were no waves to surf here but he couldn’t deny the appeal of the deep blue water, the plush loungers under umbrellas and daybeds beneath canopies set up on the hotel’s stretch of private beach. Doyoung could be annoying, but he certainly had taste.
Doyoung and Taeyong were already camped out at their cabana when Ten and Johnny arrived at the beach, Taeyong smiling and waving them over. He was wearing a snorkel and accompanying mask with a huge smear of zinc across his nose, looking more than a little childlike. Ten had to laugh at his friend’s lack of embarrassment. He always admired that about Taeyong.
“What are you wearing?” Ten laughed when he noticed what Doyoung was wearing. He had on not only a long sleeve UV shirt, but was wearing what appeared to be matching full-length leggings under his swim suit and a huge, floppy hat along with an oversized pair of sunglasses. His face shone with a cast of heavy duty mineral sunscreen. Ten and Johnny shared a look. They were wearing their typical beach gear; swim trunks with loose tank tops and backwards hats. Appropriate. Normal. Chill.
Doyoung rolled up the brim of his hat. “Sorry if I care about skin cancer. Babe, come here, let me get your back.” He grabbed Taeyong’s wrist to pull him closer.
“Have you guys been in the water yet?” Johnny held his hand over his eyes. It was bright enough to warrant squinting even with sunglasses.
Taeyong shook his head while Doyoung lathered up his back. “Not yet, but I’m looking forward to it. The guy renting the snorkel equipment told me the sea-life here is surprisingly active!”
“Gotta let this sit for 15 minutes first, Yongie,” said Doyoung.
“Anyone wanna come with me to check out the beach bar?” asked Taeyong.
Ten was only half listening, too busy checking out a group of handsome older men setting up nearby. One of them noticed him watching and Ten flashed a flirty smile. The man winked. Maybe he and Johnny should reevaluate the terms of their bet…
“I’ll go!” Johnny nudged Ten’s hip. “You want anything?”
“I’ll do an Aperol Spritz,” he said. Might as well lean into the Italian holiday vibes.
“Aperol Spritz, got it. How about you, Doie?"
Doyoung sighed. “That sounds great, actually. I’ll take one too.”
“Two Aperol Spritzes, comin’ up!” Johnny and Taeyong headed off towards the base of the cliff lining the beach where a small shack housing the bar was set up.
“Wow.” Ten took off his shirt and stretched his arms out before laying back on the daybed inside of his and Johnny’s cabana. “I think that’s the first time you’ve ever admitted I had a good idea."
“It’s hardly a novel one, drinking an Aperol Spritz on an Italian beach.” Ten could practically see the eye roll through Doyoung’s sunglasses. “Ah, that’s more like it.” Doyoung ignored him as he dug through a huge beach bag, the kind that was definitely marketed as a ‘beach bag’, which he’d almost certainly bought specifically for this trip. “Jesus, Mary Poppins, is there anything left in your room?”
“There’s nothing wrong with being prepared.” He pulled out what he’d been looking for, a book titled Baby Making For Everybody: Family Building and Fertility for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents along with a highlighter and book of Post-It notes.
Ten scoffed. “Some light beach reading?”
“I wouldn’t expect you to understand.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Doyoung popped the lid of the highlighter and held it in between his teeth while he highlighted a passage before marking it with a Post-It note. He put the lid back on and closed the book. “Nothing, forget it.”
“No, come on. You can tell me, I promise I won’t be offended.”
“I just meant that it’s not like you’re at this stage of life. That’s all.”
Ten wasn’t offended. He was completely content with his lifestyle. He was always someone who did exactly what he wanted. This was no exception. And yet, the need to dress Doyoung down just because rested right on the tip of his tongue. The bet , he remembered. He swallowed it back. “I”m happy for the two of you, honestly. I hope that whatever you decide, it goes smoothly. I know how much you both want this.”
Doyoung coughed, caught off guard. “Uh… thank you?”
“Whoa, weird vibe!” Johnny appeared, somehow balancing all four glasses in his hands. Taeyong was trailing behind him, snorkel gear still on and pushing back his hair in a million different directions. Johnny set the glasses down on a small table and passed them out. “Last time we leave these two alone, eh?” he said to Taeyong.
“Doie, look what I found!” Taeyong was cupping something in his hands. Doyoung stiffened as Taeyong sat on the daybed. “Look!” He opened his hands to reveal a small hermit and giggled as it crawled around on his palm.
“That’s cool,” he said unconvincingly, recoiling from the sight of the creature. Ten and Johnny laughed at his distress. “Why don’t you let it free?”
Taeyong donned a pair of puppy-dog eyes. Ten had seen this many times before. Doyoung was a goner.
“I just wanted to show you first.” Taeyong pouted.
“It’s very cool, Yongie,” Doyoung said with a newfound sincerity in his voice. He put Taeyong’s other hand back over the crab. “But I think you should take it home.”
“Only if you come with me.”
Doyoung smiled. “Deal.”
Ten watched as they headed towards the edge of the water and took a long sip of his drink. It complemented the setting perfectly. He closed his eyes and hummed in satisfaction, then jumped when Johnny surprised him with a kiss. “Hey, not here. I can’t let them think we’re getting soft in our old age.”
“Old?” Johnny covered his chest with his hand. “Speak for yourself.”
“Speaking of, what do you think of those guys over there?” He pointed with his chin towards the group of men who were making no effort to pretend they weren’t watching them.
“Mm, not my type, but if you wanna go for it, you should.”
Ten laughed and took another drink of the refreshing co*cktail. He looked at Doyoung’s book and back over at Johnny. “I love you.”
“Eww, who’s being soft now?” Ten whacked him on the arm and Johnny retaliated with a smack on Ten’s upper thigh. “Me too.” He winked.
🧖♂️
Doyoung was anticipatorily relaxed, dressed in his most comfortable clothes as he took the elevator down to the hotel spa, walking with a lightness in his step. He’d wanted to squeeze in a nap before the massage and Taeyong wanted to keep playing in the water, so they agreed to meet there.
He took a deep breath. It was unusually nice of Ten to insist on handling the massage appointments. He said it sounded like a great idea and that he and Johnny should do the same. Maybe Ten was finally growing up. Maybe Doyoung had judged him too harshly.
When he reached the spa’s reception area, he wasn’t surprised to have arrived before Taeyong. He figured he might as well check them in.
“Hello, I have an appointment for a couple’s massage for me and my husband at 4:00? Under either Kim Doyoung or Lee Taeyong, I’m not sure which name he used.”
The receptionist smiled and clicked around on her computer. “Ah, yes, here you are. If you’d like, you can go ahead and get comfortable while you wait for your husband.”
That sounded great, actually. Doyoung could’ve kept sleeping in the air conditioned heaven of his room. He could always keep sleeping, perpetually behind on sleep thanks to the demands of his job.
He was led into a large, mostly empty room aside from a single large massage table and a greenhouse’s worth of potted plants around the perimeter. There was a sliding glass door that offered views of the beach and a sound machine that replicated the crash of the waves outside. A lavender scent wafted from an electric diffuser and Doyoung smiled. This was what vacations were for.
The receptionist informed him he was free to leave his undergarments on or undress completely, it was up to him. He was to get under the towel on the massage table and wait for Taeyong, then the masseuse would be in shortly after. Sounded perfect.
They’d gotten a couples massage before, on their honeymoon. In that instance, they were each on single-width tables side by side, with a different masseuse attending to each of them. Doyoung had heard of this variety, where they were actually lying next to each other under a single towel and thought it sounded almost a little too erotic. He prayed his body wouldn’t betray him. He wasn’t sure he could cope with the embarrassment.
Doyoung decided to fully embrace this experience and go fully nude. Ordinarily he’d keep his underwear on but he knew Taeyong would be naked too and the idea thrilled him. Plus, it’s not like the masseuse wasn’t used to this. And f*ck it! He was on vacation for god’s sake!
He slid off his boxer briefs and folded them neatly beneath his pile of clothes on a chair in the corner. He grabbed a warm cloth to drape over his eyes for extra relaxation and laid on the table, the soft weight of the large towel instantly soothing him. He inhaled and nearly fell asleep.
The door creaked and Doyoung could only murmur in acknowledgment in his his half-awake state. He felt a corner of the towel pull back and smiled in anticipation of the warmth of Taeyong’s skin against his own.
“Uh oh.”
That wasn’t Taeyong’s voice.
Doyoung pulled off the cloth and squinted while his vision struggled to adjust to the brightness of the room.
“What the hell?”
“Sorry, I must have mixed up the appointment times.”
The door opened again and a kind looking middle aged woman entered the room. “Ah, scusi, I’ll give you and your husband a moment.”
Doyoung pulled the towel tighter around his body.
Ten was looking at him with a curious smile. “It’s okay, signora, I won’t be long.” He couldn’t possibly be suggesting…
Oh, but he was. Ten was challenging him. Doyoung was never one to back down from a fight, especially when Ten was involved.
“That’s right,” said Doyoung. “He’ll only be a minute.”
So much for his 90 minutes of prime relaxation. The hour and a half was anything but, his muscles tenser than ever as Ten alternated between being mere inches away and actually pressing up against him. Doyoung was afraid he might pass out from a lack of oxygen, god forbid he allowed himself to breathe.
Ten, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be bothered at all, yawning and moaning when the masseuse worked on him with her sturdy, experienced hands, as if to drive home the point that he was just so chill about the whole thing. Doyoung’s hands were balled into fits at his side the entire time, only unfurling when the masseuse attended to them, clicking her tongue at how tight his muscles were.
“You must deal with a lot of stress in your life,” she said.
Doyoung’s hands reshaped into fists. “You have no idea.”
🎤
This was it, the bliss Doyoung’s been seeking the whole trip. They’d spent a lazy day on the beach, ordering seafood pasta and co*cktails direct to the cabana; Doyoung laughing while he watched Taeyong get roped into building sandcastles by a group of precocious children who didn’t even speak any English. The sight warmed his heart. He was still unsure how they were going to build their own family but he knew that regardless, Taeyong was going to be an excellent father. He couldn’t wait.
Johnny and Ten had gone off on the yacht of one of the men Ten spent the previous day flirting with and Doyoung welcomed the quiet, a day with just him and his favorite person.
After the beach, he and Taeyong showered off while filling the huge jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, taking their time fooling around and washing each other before changing for the evening.
He ever stayed relaxed when Johnny and Ten joined them for dinner at a top-rated restaurant in town, any jokes at his expense rolling right off his loose shoulders. He squeezed Taeyong’s hand under the table. Who care about their juvenile nonsense anyway? Doyoung had an envious career and was married to the man of his dreams. That’s all that mattered.
Doyoung held Taeyong’s hand as they walked back to the hotel, ignoring Ten and Johnny’s judgmental looks as he swung his and Taeyong’s arms up and down. The narrow streets were bursting with an array of tourists, everyone tan and happy, sunscreen mixing with perfume, more hands gripping on to gelato filled cones than he could count.
“Doie, look!” Taeyong came to a stop in front of a lively bar. It was styled in the fashion of an Irish pub, though Doyoung doubted its authenticity. As far as he could tell, it only meant that the business appealed to English speakers. “There’s karaoke tonight!”
f*ck. He did love karaoke, and he was just drunk enough to consider that above all else.
“Well! We gotta go in!” He pulled Taeyong into the bar, too excited to notice if Johnny and Ten were following.
He and Taeyong had an unspoken agreement in settings like this: let Taeyong handle the ordering. He had an affable charisma that parted crowds and caught the attention of any and all bartenders, regardless of age or sexuality. It was magic to behold and, Doyoung had to admit, made him more than a little bit smug that he was the one Taeyong chose.
“Here you go.” Taeyong handed him a bottle of local beer and clinked his bottle against Doyoung’s. Doyoung grinned and wrapped his arm around Taeyong’s waist, rubbing his lower back. What should he sing?
“Didn’t think this sort of place was your scene.” Ten appeared next to them and Doyoung spotted Johnny ordering at the bar.
Doyoung rolled his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Seems a little too fun, is all,” said Ten.
Nope. Doyoung wasn’t indulging him. “What do you think, babe?” he asked Taeyong.
“Should we see if they have a song list?” Taeyong stood on his toes and looked over the crowd.
Instead of answering, Doyoung pat him on the ass as an affirmation. He took Taeyong’s beer while he snaked through the throngs of chattering tourists towards the small stage at the back of the bar, leaning in close to talk to the MC.
A pair of very drunk 20-something men were butchering Run DMC’s “It’s Tricky”, struggling to stand up straight as they swayed and slurred their words. Doyoung shook his head and took a sip of his drink. Pathetic.
Johnny placed a beer in Ten’s hand. “Wow, they’re killing it.” He nodded at the stage.
Doyoung responded with a non-committal “Mm.” He was lost in his mental playlist of go-to karaoke songs. He had a hell of a voice and he knew it—there were few settings that brought out his competitive nature this much.
“Okay, so here’s the deal.” Taeyong returned to Doyoung’s side with a handful of paper slips. “They just use Youtube, so pretty much any song goes.” He produced a pen from his back pocket. “Write the song and artist on the paper and maybe include a backup if you think it’s too obscure.” He passed out the slips of paper and Doyoung noticed Taeyong handed him at least three. He knew him so well.
“Let me see that.” Johnny wiggled his fingers towards the pen, laughing as he wrote down his request. He passed the pen to Ten next, who also wrote something down without thinking. Johnny took both of their slips and dropped them in the bucket sitting on the MC’s podium.
“Figured it out yet?” Taeyong asked while Doyoung tapped the pen against his chin.
Hmm. Doyoung didn’t want to bring down the party atmosphere. Celine was off the table. Adele too. Maybe Gaga? Ariana?
“Ooh, I’ve got it.” Taeyong took the pen from him while Doyoung was still lost in thought. Maybe it’d be best to wait until after Ten’s song. Yes, that was the right call.
“Alright, next up we have Johnny! Everybody give it up for Johnny!” announced the MC, who was inexplicably British.
Doyoung smiled. Johnny was great at karaoke, always the one to hype up the crowd and give the most fun performance of the night.
“Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me, I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed,” Johnny sang, enthusiastically starting off Smash Mouth’s “All-Star.” By the end of the song, any previously disinterested patrons were totally locked in, cheering and singing along to the chorus.
“Okay! Let’s hear it again for Johnny!” The MC pat Johnny on the arm as he passed him the second mic. “Nice one, mate! Next up is Ten! Let’s see if his performance is also a ten!” Doyoung scoffed. Oh brother.
Ten took the mic with a confident grin and Doyoung tensed. Ten was, unfortunately, an incredible performer. He would kill. He always did.
“I feel the rush, addicted to your touch. ” The backing vocals began to play. Bold choice. Doyoung had to admire it.
Of course, Ten knew the full choreography, performing it while keeping hold of the mic the entire time, the whole bar jumping and dancing along with him. Getting a non gay bar that into a Troye Sivan track? f*ck. Doyoung had to murder.
He was still thinking as Taeyong was called up to the stage, the twinkling piano intro to “Welcome to the Black Parade” eliciting a wave of cheers. Doyoung had to smile, Taeyong knew how to work a crowd. He was too absorbed in Taeyong’s performance to consider his own, still holding blank paper by the time Taeyong was off the stage, several people clapping him on the arm to say, “Great job!” along the way.
Everyone was staring at him. Doyoung had to make a decision. He scribbled quickly and placed his paper in the bucket.
“Well?” asked Ten when Doyoung rejoined the group.
Doyoung shrugged. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
His hesitation meant they had to sit through several less than stellar performances. In the middle of an older man desecrating “Tiny Dancer”, Doyoung excused himself to the restroom. His song selection was ballsy under the best of circ*mstances and he’d been drinking all day and shouting over loud music for the past hour. He turned on the tap and gargled several times then stared at himself in the mirror while running through some quick vocal warmups. Someone knocked on the door.
“Sorry, just a second!” He did one last series of lip trills and opened the door to find Ten. Of course.
Ten crossed his arms. “Were you doing… vocal warmups? In a bar bathroom?” He was laughing so hard he could barely get the words out.
Doyoung tried to push past him but Ten held his ground. He was surprisingly strong.
“Okay, very funny, let me through.”
Ten only held him there, pinned, smirking all along. “You’re so—”
“Prepared? Responsible? Brilliant?” Doyoung didn’t know what the hell he was saying. His mind was fuzzy from the liquor and he was getting real sick of this guy.
“Brilliant?” Ten snorted and dropped his arm.
“Yes.” Doyoung smoothed down his shirt. “I am.”
“Our next singer is Doyoung! Let’s have a round of applause for Doyoung!”
He gave Taeyong a deep kiss before running up to the stage.
“Bring the beat in!” The crowd cheered at the familiarity of the Beyoncé track and Doyoung knew they expected him to muddle along through the vocal acrobatics and multiple key changes. What they didn’t expect was for him to hit every single note, in the original key, perfectly.
He brought the house down.
🍷
If Ten was being honest, he was less than thrilled about the winery visit. He was more than accustomed to some of the best wine the world had to offer and it’s not like it was his beverage of choice in the first place. Taeyong and Doyoung were looking forward to it though, and who was he to deny his friends the experience? A private minibus picked them up at the hotel and the drive was a little under an hour away, up and through the mountains. Ten shut his eyes and tried to sleep on the way. After karaoke, he and Johnny had ended up staying out all night with some backpackers they met. It was a stark reminder that he very much was not 22 anymore. Drinking in general was probably a bad idea tonight. Johnny seemed to be in just as bad a way, leaning his forehead against the cool glass of the window.
In the row ahead, Taeyong and Doyoung were chattering happily and Ten wondered if maybe they had the right idea, being boring. At the very least, it was easier on the body.
The winery was located on the side of a mountain with stunning, panoramic views of the valley below and in the opposite direction, the faintest bit of deep blue, the sea barely visible if you squinted. The sun was still shining bright in the sky but they’d made the reservation to coincide with sunset, it wouldn’t be long now.
A guide met them at the entrance to take them on a private tour of the property. Ten and Johnny lingered behind the animated guide, periodically groaning when they locked eyes, commiserating over their shared misery. Taeyong and Doyoung were next to the guide, holding hands as they asked a million questions about the history of the winery and the surrounding area. Ten just wanted to sit down. Or maybe lay down. Actually, wait, he wanted to drink. He needed a healthy dose of hair of the dog if he wasn’t going to sleep.
His phone chimed and he let out a happy, “Ahh!” when he saw the message.
“Dude, look!” he waved Johnny over to look at the phone. Their cat sitter had sent a dozen photos of their cats. Ten zoomed in on one of the pictures and smiled at their adorable faces. His chest ached. This was the one part of travel he hated.
Johnny put his arm around his shoulders. “We’ve got to bring them with us next time.”
Ten sighed. “It’s so complicated with international travel.”
“We’ll figure it out.” Johnny gave him a squeeze.
Just as Ten was about to request going back to the minibus to sleep, they were mercifully led to the beautiful, half indoor-half outdoor dining area and sat at a circular table on the outdoor terrace just beside the chest high glass paneling separating them from the edge. He tried not to look down. He didn’t want to worsen his vertigo.
The guide sat with them, an elegant woman in her early 40s, to provide more detailed explanations of each wine and the suggested pairings. He tuned her out, focusing solely on drinking enough to fend off his hangover with more alcohol.
They were served a course of hour d’oeuvres with each new wine but Ten didn’t have it in him to nibble at anything aside from the bread from the basket in the center of the table. Simple carbs were all he could stomach right now.
There was a small bucket, a spittoon, beside each of their place settings in case anyone wanted to merely taste the wine. Ten always thought it was a ridiculous option in the first place. Who would ever—
Of course. His stomach churned while Doyoung swirled a sip of a full-bodied red around his mouth and actually spit it into the spittoon. Ten was speechless. He needed to keep drinking.
Doyoung noticed him watching and stared back, as if daring Ten to say something. He wasn’t up for it. He tore off another chunk of bread and shoved it into his mouth. His chances of winning the bet were slimmer than ever.
📚
“I think I’m going to need a vacation from this vacation!” Doyoung shouted to Taeyong from the bed.
Taeyong popped his head out of the bathroom, still brushing his teeth. “What do you mean?”
Doyoung set his book in his lap. He wasn’t getting any reading done anyway, skimming over the words over and over but comprehending none of them. “Can you believe how rude Ten was earlier?”
He heard the tap turn on and off, Taeyong coming out a few moments later after shutting off the light in the bathroom. He crawled into bed next to Doyoung. “He was hungover.” He shrugged. “It happens. I thought he was pretty polite, all things considered.”
“He should have stayed back if that was the case.”
Taeyong took the book and set it on his nightstand before climbing into Doyoung’s lap. Doyoung’s hands automatically found their way to Taeyong’s hips.
“I think we should spend less time talking about Ten,” Taeyong whispered as he leaned towards Doyoung’s mouth.
Doyoung smiled through the kiss. “You’re right. You’re always right.”
“Can I get that in writing?”
“I’ll have my lawyer draw something up.” Doyoung took off his glasses and set them on his own nightstand, then flipped them both over, pinning Taeyong’s wrists above his head, deepening the kiss with his tongue.
Taeyong was right. Doyoung was devoting too much energy to all of this. Whatever happens, happens. He undressed Taeyong slowly, savoring each and every moment.
🛏️
“Get over here, you gotta hear this!” Johnny pressed his ear against the door between their and Taeyong and Doyoung’s rooms.
“And be treated to the sounds of PG-13 vanilla sex? My nausea finally went away, no thanks, I’m good.” Ten was lying on the bed with a pillow over his face, feeling moderately revived after a long, cold shower.
The weight of the mattress shifted and Ten removed the pillow to see Johnny on his knees, leaning his elbows on the bed. “ Worse .” He raised his eyebrows.
Ten groaned and hit him with the pillow. “Why’d you do this to me? You know I have to see for myself now.” Johnny snapped the waistband of Ten’s underwear. “Asshole,” he said, but Johnny only smiled.
As he got up, Ten braced himself for another case of the spins, but was relieved to see his dizziness had dissipated. With heavy feet he padded over to the door, pressing his ear against the wood. “Oh my god.”
“Right?”
“Are they really…”
“Giggling? Like teenage girls? Yeah.”
“I think they’re having a pillow fight. Wait, oh my god.”
“What?” Johnny leaned back against the bed with his legs spread out in front of him, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants and a baseball hat. Ten may be fighting a hangover, but he wasn’t blind. Johnny looked good.
Ten cleared his throat. “Oh Yongie, I love you so much.” He adopted a syrupy, barely exaggerated impression of Doyoung’s voice. “You’re my best friend. Ugh, I think I’m gonna be sick.” Ten covered his mouth.
“Hey, aren’t I your best friend?” Johnny co*cked his head to the side.
“You are, but we have what’s known as ‘decorum.”
Johnny crawled over on his hands and knees, grabbing Ten’s wrist and pulling them both down to the floor. “How loud do you think they’re being for us to hear?”
“You mean, how loud do we have to be?”
“Exactly.” Johnny cupped Ten’s rapidly hardening co*ck through his underwear.
Ten wiggled his eyebrows. “Let’s find out—maybe they’d find it aspirational.”
🛍️
Doyoung groaned at the knock on the door. Taeyong and Johnny had gone into town to do some shopping and Doyoung had hung the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign outside just in case, even though housekeeping had already been by. He wanted to sleep .
He winced when he got up to open the door. Maybe the sign had fallen off. “We’re all good here, thank yo—” There was no one in the hall. Strange. He stuck his head out further and looked down each direction. Maybe someone had the wrong floor. He double checked the position of the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign and locked and dead-bolted the door. No more interruptions. He’d be up in plenty of time before Taeyong got back anyway.
A knock again. Was someone pranking him? A bored kid dragged along to a decidedly adult destination? He checked the hall again. Nothing.
More knocking.
What the f*ck? Doyoung waited for a moment and realized the sound wasn’t coming from outside, but from the door in the center of the room. The door that connected to the adjoining suite.
Ten was leaning against the doorframe of his own suite. “Took you long enough.”
“Can I help you with something?” Doyoung was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was only wearing a pair of boxer briefs. He hadn’t had enough energy to change into his pajamas. He covered his crotch with his hand. Ten’s eyes followed.
“Nothing I haven’t seen before.” He pushed past Doyoung into his room.
“I’d really like to take a nap before dinner. Can we talk later?”
Ten sat on the bed and crossed his legs. “Great sense of hospitality you’ve got there.”
“I never invited you in.
“You see? That’s what I’m talking about.”
“You know what — Can I speak frankly?”
Ten leaned back on his palms, making himself even more at home on Doyoung’s bed. “I’ve never known you to bite your tongue.”
“Oh, you have no idea!” Doyoung threw his hands up in the air. “You can’t even fathom all the thoughts I have about you that I keep to myself.”
“By all means, feel free to drop the niceties.”
“Fine. I will! I want to know what the f*ck your problem with me is.”
There it was again. That intolerable smirk. “I don’t have a problem with you. Really.”
“I’m not stupid, Ten. I know you hate me.”
“I think I could make a stronger argument for that, actually.”
“I don’t hate you, I just want you to leave me alone! Every single time we’re in the same place all you do is poke, poke, poke.” Doyoung jabbed at the air with his fingers. “I can’t say or do anything without you making some sort of snide comment. It’s exhausting and I’m sick of it!”
“You need to relax.”
“No, I really don’t! I need you to shut the f*ck up and get the hell out of my room, which, I never invited you into in the first place!”
Ten only stared at him, wearing that same sh*t-eating grin. It was maddening.
“No.”
“No?’ What do you mean ‘no?”
“No.”
“Okay, that’s it. You. Are. Leaving.” Doyoung tried to grab Ten’s wrist but tripped over the bed frame, stumbling forward and landing right on top of Ten. “Jesu—”
Before Doyoung could get the word out, Ten cut him off with a kiss. Doyoung’s eyes widened and his face went white. His lips had been parted from speech and Ten managed to slip his tongue into Doyoung’s unwitting mouth. He pushed himself up and away from Ten. “What the f*ck?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it.”
Doyoung was dumbfounded. He hadn’t ever thought about that, not once, no matter how objectively attractive he could admit Ten was or how he carried himself with the sort of self assuredness some people might find sexy. Uh uh. No way. What Doyoung found attractive was mutual respect and admiration. Trust. Affection. Not this infuriating animosity.
“Shut up.” This time Doyoung initiated a kiss, surprised by his own aggression as he smashed their faces together, his teeth catching on Ten’s bottom lip. He was taller, but Ten was surprisingly strong, managing to flip them over so that Doyoung was on his back. Ten sat back on his shins. Grinning. Like always.
Ten bent down so that he was only inches from Doyoung’s face. “I told you I don’t hate you.”
“Shut up!” Doyoung’s body acted independently of his brain, locking Ten in another kiss with even greater intensity. He bucked his hips against Ten’s, desperate for something he never thought he’d want. He scrambled to pull off Ten’s tank top, his tattoos reminding him of Taeyong, and was hit with the realization that in terms of physical type, they weren’t all that different.
But unlike Taeyong, Ten seemed intent on taking charge of the situation, of being the one to call all the shots and Doyoung, strangely, was happy to let it happen. To simply lie back and let someone else take control. It’s not like he and Taeyong had never played around with positions before, but even in those instances, Doyoung was always in command, and now here he was, waving a white flag and letting Ten do whatever the f*ck he wanted.
Ten grabbed his co*ck through the fabric of his underwear and Doyoung gasped. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone other than Taeyong had touched him there. He ran his hands over Ten’s soft skin, still warm and tan from his day in the sun and finished undressing him. Ten raised an eyebrow. This was really happening. Doyoung undressed himself and Ten’s mouth was on his co*ck before he had any chance to feel sheepish about it. Oh god. Oh f*ck. He really knew what he was doing. Just as Doyoung thought he might come, Ten turned him over onto his stomach and Doyoung knew what he was asking for. He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, arching his back in preparation, lust obscuring any shame he might’ve felt.
The mattress shifted and Doyoung turned back to see Ten standing near the edge of the bed. Ten grabbed Doyoung by the hips and pulled him closer. For the second time that afternoon, Doyoung gasped. Ten entered Doyoung without lube, without a condom, and without warning—Doyoung hated himself for how hot he found that. Ten f*cked with a sort of practiced precision that proved not only his experience, but specifically his experience with many, many partners. Doyoung couldn’t conceive of understanding how to make someone he’d never slept with before feel so good but goddamn, Ten was a pro. He didn’t touch him and smacked Doyoung’s hand away when he instinctively reached for his own co*ck. Oh no, Ten was confident enough in his ability to make Doyoung come untouched the first (and only) time they slept together.
🍽️
“Hey, what’s with you?”
Ten let his eyes unfocus as he stated at his reflection in the mirror over the double sinks. It was the last night of the trip before they left for the airport in the morning and they were having dinner at the hotel’s restaurant to keep things low-key. “I won the bet,” he mumbled.
“Ha! No way. How’d that happen?”
“The door.”
“And he actually let you in? And you guys actually…?”
“Mhmm.” Ten splashed some cold water on his face and joined Johnny in the living room area.
Johnny draped his arms over the back of the couch and crossed his legs. “Who did what?”
Ten scoffed. “Don’t insult me.”
“It was just a question. I was only asking since Taeyong is—”
“The bottom?”
“I wouldn’t have put it that way necessarily…” Johnny leaned forward on his thighs. “Are you okay? Where’s all the gloating? The smugness? Could you tell I gave up, is that why the win feels less satisfying? I just couldn’t do it, they’re such a unit. I’m impressed, really, I am.” Come to think of it, Johnny didn’t seem to be making any moves but then again, had Ten?
“Or… Do you actually feel guilty?”
Ten slid open the door to their terrace. Some fresh air was sorely needed. “I don’t know.”
“You have to know that Doyoung would never, ever do anything to jeopardize things with Taeyong. I think you and I both know they aren’t as closed as they seem. They’re just…”
“Like that?”
Johnny got up and squeezed his ass. “Exactly.”
They stood watching the water, the day’s most enduring beachgoers packing up their belongings, a house remix of an old bossa nova song playing from the pool bar on the ground floor.
“So, I have to ask, how was it?” The memory hit Ten with force. He readjusted his footing and scrunched up his face, winching. “Jesus, that bad?”
“Not bad, per se…”
“Weird?”
“So weird.”
Johnny pat him on the back. “Well, I guess we finally know where you draw the line, sexually.”
“Everyone has their boundaries.” Ten snorted. Dungeons, leather clubs, shibari… He’d tried it all and enjoyed it all. Who would’ve thought that one Kim Doyoung is where he left feeling zero desire to ever try that again.
At dinner, he couldn’t stop fidgeting with his fingers under the table, too bashful to look at Taeyong, let alone Doyoung, who was bizarrely nonplussed. Maybe he wanted to pretend it never happened. That was the most logical explanation.
In fact, everyone seemed more at ease than ever. Ten pushed around the mushrooms on his plate of chicken marsala, too out of it to appreciate the cooking.
“Ten, what’s wrong, are you all right?” Taeyong looked genuinely concerned. Oh god, he doesn’t know. This was a mistake. What was Ten thinking ?
“IsleptwithDoyoungandImsosorryitsallmyfaultpleasedontholditagainsthim,” he said all in one breath.
Everyone turned to stare at him. Silence. He f*cked up. He really f*cked up.
“Oh, I know that.” Taeyong returned to cutting up his veal parmesan. “I was only wondering if you might still be feeling the effects of your hangover from yesterday. It seemed like a nasty one.”
“What?”
“You should see your face!” Doyoung laughed.
“I don’t understand…”
Taeyong shrugged. “He tells me everything.”
“I tell him everything,” echoed Doyoung.
Ten wrinkled his brow. “Wait, so you’re not mad at me?”
Taeyong and Doyoung looked at each other and burst out laughing. “We know about your little ‘games.” Doyoung gestured between Ten and Johnny with his fork. “The two of you aren’t exactly tight-lipped when it comes to your sexual escapades and well, when you were being even slightly less condescending than usual, we worked it out. You ‘accidentally’ mixing up the couples massage times was just extra confirmation. At first, I was going to ignore it because, I don’t think I need to explain myself. But then Taeyong convinced me to go along with it, because he knew it would mess with you.”
“I did.” Taeyong nodded proudly.
Ten was slack-jawed. “I—” He was a bumbling, drooling idiot.
“And god was it worth it for that.” Doyoung pointed at him with his knife.
Johnny shook his head. “So I’m guessing this wasn’t a first time thing for you two?”
Doyoung sat up straighter. “We’re not as ‘boring’ as you think we are, we just have the decency to keep things to ourselves.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ten so speechless.” Johnny jabbed his side with his elbow. “Whatever it was you set out to accomplish, I think it’s safe to say, mission accomplished.”
Ten was still struggling to find his words, to string a sentence together.
“Everyone, I think we should toast.” Doyoung raised his wine glass and the others followed suit, Ten dumbly grasping the stem of the expensive crystal. “To a wonderful trip with wonderful trips. And to…” He looked right at Ten. “Letting whatever happens, happen. Even the best laid plans go awry.”
