Work Text
With November rains, also came back pains. Why? Because it was almost finals season and the entirety of the alumni were cramming hours and hours hovering over books, pulling all nighters and over all, fucking up their lower back muscles. So yeah, Johnny was quite happy about that analogy, thank you very much. What also came with those pains, was the fact that the library tables had some sort of divider in the middle, preventing anyone from stretching out their legs. And after almost five hours sitting down, Johnny was ready to sob.
So there he was, sitting on those old, what used to be red cushioned chairs, merely a palm apart from Taeil, who very generously let his place his legs over his small thighs. Johnny took advantage and layed as far as the limbs could go, letting his feet dangle from the other side of Taeil’s chair. No, the chairs weren’t fancy enough to have arm rests.
The other hadn’t really minded, even when Johnny had taken out his shoes. Their table was positioned on a corner, the wall connecting to the hallway leading to the bathrooms, upon Doyoung’s request. On top of said table, the boys had spreaded out all the necessary items required to survive a library cram: laptops, chargers, mobile phones, various stationery, highlighters, pens, notes and snacks that they had snook in. Needless to say, besides the technological gadgets, by the end of the session everyone left with something belonging to their friend.
Leaned his neck backwards, shutting his eyes closed tightly, trying his damn best to not let the increasing headache stop him from meeting his deadline. If he had to lose yet more eyesight to get his degree, he wouldn’t hesitate to do it. Taeil seemed to notice, though, like he always noticed everyone’s little details. It was almost fascinating how quickly he caught onto things, how easy it was to talk to him.
It was almost natural to be drawn to Taeil, even easier to be attracted to him. But even after four years, Johnny couldn’t read him. No matter how much he tried, the other never gave explanations, he didn’t have to. Leading them to this awkward tension which, both acknowledged a few months back, by the backpool of Taeil’s apartment building. And ended up becoming this weird thing between them, which was friends with benefits but in very rare occasions.
The public displays of affection never ceased, instead the boys seemed to just grow fonder of them and have almost no filter. Much to their friend’s dismay. And confusion. No one knew exactly what was going on, and frankly Johnny either, but he was a master of rolling with the punches, and if that’s what Taeil wanted out of their relationship, he was beyond happy to provide.
So there they were, Johnny crushing Taeil’s thighs and the latter coming to massage his feet, pushing the toes backwards to stretch the ankles. It was all good, of course it was, who doesn’t like to receive a massage from your best friend when you are stressed? But then, little devil with red hair, Moon Taeil decided it would be fun to change the course of the evening, by tickling Johnny’s feet. Earning the other a kick on his side and for the taller to almost fall as he tried to contain his giggles.
Taeil did it twice more, and when Johnny pouted and went to sit straight again, his legs were led to Taeil’s lap again. And truce was peacefully settled between them. Only for another war to start mere feet away from them.
A couple of thumping noises against the wall made Johnny and Taeil lock their gazes in confusion. The latter raising an eyebrow in a silent question. It would be alarming to say the least, maybe someone had fallen and was in danger. Or maybe not, because no other sound followed. Johnny made a mental note that if no one came out from there, he was going to to inside and investigate. Like the dumb white girl in every old horror movie.
As if he could read his thoughts, Taeil grabbed his wrist, forcing eye contact and shaking his head at the taller. He pointed at the two empty seats on their table: the one in front of Johnny where Yuta had been sitting for the past hours; and the one besides Taeil claimed by Doyoung since the lighting was better. It took a few seconds to click, Johnny looking at what he had been signaled at, before turning to Taeil, eyes wide and with an ‘ah’ dead silent in his mouth.
It started there. With giggles muffled by their hands, Johnny diving into Taeil’s neck so he wouldn’t even breathe out a sound. The other leaning onto his desk, clenching his fist for a second before leaning against the backrest of the chair once more. The entire weight of the taller following the motions as he was clinging onto him.
But that wasn’t all, to confirm the couple’s suspicions a sound, rather a voice, echoed through the hallway of the bathroom, before a door closed leaving nothing but silence. If anyone else had noticed no one seemed to come check it out. Johnny had a flashing thought that maybe everyone was already dead tired or had their headphones on. Or maybe Doyoung hadn’t moaned that loud after all.
The resolution made Johnny and Taeil burst into a fit of silent giggles again. This time Taeil almost fell face first against the table, catching himself on his hands and resting his forehead there. Johnny’s face went back to his position against Taeil’s neck, blowing raspberries against the skin every time a chuckle would get too strong inside his mouth. That people seemed to hear, not the lustful, low pitched airy sound coming from the bathroom.
It caught Ten’s attention. Sitting it the far left from Johnny, in front of Doyoung’s vacant seat. He had been working on his portafolio for hours now, born perfectionist, he couldn’t seem to deem any of his projects good enough. Ten’s philosophy learned from the one and only master of painting Bob Ross, to call his mistakes happy accidents, was taking a toll on him: not being able to decide which drawing or design to rebuke, which one worthy of closure.
It brought his boyfriend mad, since it only built more pressure on the petite boy. And they had been discussing in hushed voices for a while a couple of hours back, when Taeyong had his head resting on Ten’s shoulder, giving his opinion as his senior but also as someone who appreciated Ten’s art greatly.
Taeyong had been sick lately, just barely getting over a cold, and decided that swimming in the leftover germs in his shared flat wasn’t going to help him. So there he was, well currently sleeping peacefully still perched on Ten’s side, his cheek caressed by his boyfriend’s hand. A book for his dissertation peacefully open in front of him.
Looking up from his computer, twirling his very expensive stylus dangerously on his hands, Ten’s eyes jumped left and right at the view of the two laughing their heads off. Now more calm, Johnny was taking deep breaths, leaving Taeil to answer Ten’s silent question: made with a very slow shrug to not wake Taeyong up, face scrunched up with his eyebrows furrowing and eyes squinting, chin pointing at their general direction.
Taeil coughed once against his sleeve, clearing his throat even though he didn’t answer out loud. Like he did to explain Johnny, Ten also found out about the situation with a mere finger pointing at the two empty seats. However, the fist punching his open hand to simulate the sound, was an extra that Johnny very much appreciated. Kicking his feet in glee, he had to physically hold himself back from clapping.
The youngest’s expression totally swifted, eyebrows raised at Taeil’s assumption. As he was lifting his free arm, and his not so free hand to ask something about the other, the movement made Taeyong shift in his sleep. Prompting to the light brown haired boy to join the conversation eventually. First, he had to be showered with affection by his boyfriend. First a hand on his forehead to check for the remains of fever, then some very quiet conversation, and finally catching up.
It was a process, so Taeil and Johnny left them to their devices for a few moments. Enough for Johnny to write just a couple of sentences. Nothing groundbreaking. Wait, he was double checking the references, wasn’t he? Looking up from his computer again, adjusting his glasses, he was met with Taeil working in his dissertation as well, highlighting on his notebook and then typing it. The two love birds doing love bird things, and as recurrent as it had been for the past month, the realisation that final year was happening hit.
Taeyong already set his eyes in a very young corporation that had drooled over him, being able to write, produce, design and model, there was nothing the company wouldn’t do for him. Which put him in a comfortable spot, that added that his relationship of two years just went up the next step, by finding a rather lousy apartment with Ten on April. Johnny wouldn’t be surprised if by New Year they were proud parents of a dog or a cat, and were thinking of redecorating the space during the break. You can’t have two creative souls in a place that looked like a white canvas for so long.
Speaking of inseparables, Doyoung and Yuta, the troublemakers doing wonders for their sexual life in a confined public space. It was hilarious. Not because the situation of catching your friends redhanded was nothing but the norm, but it was how the two of them started as so called “enemies”. Ever since Doyoung became his class representative in the student council of their degree, the two only argued. Even if Yuta was part of Johnny, Taeil and Taeyong’s group, Ten brought Doyoung and Kun (currently at home since he couldn’t focus in the library) and the fights were daily. Hourly almost. They didn’t seem to find a middle ground. Until pride day. Oh my god pride day of Doyoung’s freshman year had been life changing, for all of us. Truly a star-crossed love story resolution right there.
Johnny doesn’t remember much other than Taeil’s glitter adorning his cheeks, still too shy to dive in and kiss him senseless, he remembers Kun clinging to him like a koala and grinding in a sandwich consisting on Johnny, Kun and Ten. It had been a blast, as seen. The drinks were good, the rainbow flag was all around Johnny ended up shirtless and with Taeyong’s deep red lipstick all over him, and some other random colors he was unsure to whom they belonged. And Doyoung and Yuta had sex for the first time. With each other. Romantic as fuck.
Which led them to be very grossly in love in front of their single friends, and ultimately become the relationship advisors of the group. Doyoung would sit on Yuta’s lap and tell Ten to just go for it, Yuta giving his insight as to why Taeyong was so shy. They were a good duo. But they could be nasty, as portrayed by his choice on love making places. The couple also took Johnny and Taeil’s fooling around as a competition, making mornings every awkward for all of them, and prompting them to just schedule their sleep overs. It was fun however, and a little creepy, how Taeil and Johnny became part of what turned out to be the couple’s main kinks.
Johnny was shaken out of his little memorabilia bubble when Taeil’s phone buzzed on the table. The red haired scrambling to find it and unlock it, gesturing Johnny to come peep at the screen, which he did. Scooting closer as much as his position granted, Johnny leaned in to find Ten’s name on the screen. When looking up, he found Taeyong in his later position, head against Ten’s collarbone, eyes piercing the gadget in front of them.
ten: okay so, what the fuck?
taeil: yeah it’s not that strange really
ten: what do you mean
taeil: the seem to really dig people listening to their intercourses
Taeyong faked gagged in silence earning himself a soft slap by Ten. Apparently, kink shaming was not well received at the other end of the table. Totally the oposite situation for Johnny’s part, since him and Taeil spent nights mocking the other’s tastes.
ten: but how long have they been there
taeil: i mean i noticed yuta leaving first for about half an hour?
ten: you mean people haven’t used the restroom in these last 30 mins? -ty
At the last nickname both Johnny and Taeil found Taeyong sitting in a crouch like position, still leaning against Ten, but with a foreign phone in his hands. When their eyes meet, he nodded at Taeil’s phone with a pout. Yeah, Taeyong was quite the adorable fella.
taeil: not the point in case here taeyong, but nice observation
ten: thats an awfully long time for a quickie
taeil: what makes you think they are doing a quickie
taeil: yuta deadass grabbed his entire backpack
The three remaining boys looked over Yuta’s seat, finding it empty except for his jacket slung on the backrest, and a few of his belongings on top of the desk. His phone nowhere to be found. Johnny furrowed his eyebrows, curious as to how the other figured out that detail and he didn’t. Once more, that was Taeil’s showcasing his ability to notice stuff. Even the most trivial. So Johnny shrugged it of, scooting closer to Taeil, almost sitting on his lap.
You know what, the taller thought before moving to sit on one of Taeil’s thighs, the other letting out a little hiss against Johnny’s arm, but doing no effort to push him away. Johnny had a small counter in his head, out of practice and thanks to the amount of try and error, he figured out just for how long he could sit there before Taeil’s muscles ached. It wasn’t measured in minutes, but rather songs, three to be exact. So Johnny’s playlist started in his head, as Taeil secured him in place with an arm around his waist.
ten: are you implying that yuta and doyoung prepared it? like they discussed it one day?
taeil: you don’t cohabit with them, ten -johnny
taeil: you don’t know the crazy shit they are up to -johnny
Johnny had also snatched Taeil’s phone, typing in front of the owner, who rubbed his cheek against Johnny’s upper arm.
ten: can relate -ty
Taeyong shielded himself from Ten’s incoming punishment for letting their best friends know about how they were frisky in bed. But instead Ten’s lips started pecking all over Taeyong’s temple and the crown of his head. They fell into that small place so easily, one could see, rather feel the air shift as if the couple had shut down from anyone else for a second. It was endearing, if Johnny had to be honest, and he could only sigh and wish Taeil would ever even let him enter his world so they could shut everyone out together as well.
taeil: dont worry tae, we all saw the red marks on your neck. not really hickeys were they?
ten: you are the one to talk, hey ask johnny if he still walks side to side
taeil: oh trust me i do, just not right now because the thought of a bed makes me sleepy, and i don’t need that in the middle of my dissertation -johnny
ten: i can smell the lies from here johnathan
ten: also when are you two going to just date. nobody is buying the whole fuckbuddies thing not when you give each other such heart eyes
The last message went unnoticed as two figures emerged out of the bathroom door. Looking at each other Doyoung and Yuta were holding hands as they walked the few steps separating them from their friend group. A friend group who had turned their head so fast towards their direction, they almost collectively snapped their necks in that motion. Their expressions ranged from expectation, dumbfounded, pure laughter and a cheshire grin.
Yuta rolled his eyes at the scene, sighing and turning to a Doyoung who had at least the shame to blush and look away.