There With You: Part 8
Title: There With You - PART EIGHT
Pairing: AJ/Soohyun
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Just as things heat up between AJ and Soohyun, Ronan steals Soohyun for a mysterious mission.
A/N1: (this is irrelevant now but you'll understand later) PBR stands for Pabst Blue Ribbon and is like the cheapest beer you can get, neither of us has had it before but we’re assuming it’d taste kind of…off? At least to Soohyun. I don’t know. This is just a note for all of the minors out there reading. Woot woot hollaaaaaaa.
PS: REVENGE OF THE DONGSAENGS, UNITE!!!!!! I am the evil maknae and I am not afraid to use it ;P
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PART EIGHT
~*~*~*~*~
“Shopping!” Ronan cried, practically jogging down the stairs into the subway while Soohyun ran down after him. “We’re going shopping! Do you like shopping?”
“Yes!” Soohyun replied enthusiastically, though slightly out of breath. Ronan put more money on both their passes and guided him to the correct platform, where they waited a few minutes for the next train to come.
“I’m going to get you a gift,” Ronan told him. “A present.” An evil gleam glinted in his eye. “But it’s also a present for AJ. Because I’m going to make you sexy for him. Yeah?”
Soohyun was finding it a bit difficult to understand what Ronan was saying, with the running and the loud noises of the subway. But he did get that last bit. He blinked a few times and turned to stare confusedly at Ronan’s gleeful face. There was a glint there that he wasn’t quite sure he liked. “Sexy?”
“Yes. You. Sexy. For AJ,” Ronan said more slowly. He stuck out his tongue. “And don’t even pretend you don’t want that.”
Sexy… for AJ… Soohyun immediately looked away, covering his face with the inside of his arm. What in the world was Ronan saying? “F-For AJ? Sexy?” he stammered, glancing at Ronan with a slightly frightened expression.
“Yes.” Ronan put his hand on Soohyun’s shoulder, his face becoming solemn. “Sorry, I’m not doing this right. Plus I’m probably treading all over a million different cultural boundaries. But… Okay, AJ is my friend. AJ. Chingu,” Ronan said, pointing to himself and saying the one Korean word he had managed to learn. “And I want him to be happy. Happy. And you”-he pointed at Soohyun-“you make him happy. So… I figure…” Ronan’s smile went crooked again. “We should try to make him even happier, eh?” Ronan’s face went serious again. “Which is a good thing,” he said, giving Soohyun’s shoulder a quick pat. “It’s good. Good for AJ, and good for you, good for Soohyun. Because I want AJ to be happy, and I want Soohyun to happy. Yeah?”
Soohyun’s mind kind of phased out as he stared blankly at Ronan’s changing face. There was so much English… he just heard his name and AJ’s mixed around a lot. The word friend, which he was impressed Ronan knew. But other than that, he didn’t get much. So he just nodded and smiled.
“Ehhh, maybe you got some of that,” Ronan said, eying Soohyun. “Though probably not. But that’s okay!” He smiled at Soohyun, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and squeezing him close. “As long as I don’t make you look at me again like you think I’m going to eat you, we’ll be alright. And I’ll try not to embarrass you too much. Ah god, that’ll be quite a quest. The twelve labors of Hercules would be easier. And all this I’m just saying to myself, no worries.” He let Soohyun go and smiled at him some more.
Soohyun watched Ronan closely as he spoke, wondering if the other boy actually thought he understood him. But seeing Ronan smile down at him sympathetically, he figured that no, Ronan knew perfectly well that Soohyun didn’t understand a word he was saying. And that was fine. Because he was perfectly capable of talking to himself as well. In Korean. A language which Ronan wouldn’t understand. “You know, you sure do talk a lot. But you’re nice so it’s okay. I’m glad that you’re AJ’s friend and that we got to meet each other. Although I am a bit worried as to where you’re taking me…”
"And now you're going to start doing it back to me,” Ronan said. “Excellent. Exactly what I deserve. This’ll be fun. Okay!” he cried as the train pulled up. “Let’s go!”
When Ronan and Soohyun made it to their destination, Ronan took them straight to the back of the store. “Becca!” he exclaimed when they made it to the fitting rooms and the brown-haired girl was within sight. Ronan strode right up to her. “I’d like to call in a favor and use your employee discount,” he said.
“Uh, alright,” she said, her eyes flicking to Soohyun.
Ronan motioned to the other boy. “You remember Soohyun, yeah? AJ’s friend from the other day?”
“Ah, yes! Hello Soohyun,” she said, giving a little wave.
Soohyun waved back. "Hello... Becca?" He looked to Ronan for confirmation and smiled when the other boy nodded. If this is all Ronan had planned, then he shouldn't have worried at all.
“I stole him from AJ today,” Ronan explained to her. “Well, borrowed. And you’re going to help us pick something out.”
“But, Ronan, I would, but I’m supposed to be working back here, not the main floor,” she said.
“Trade with him then,” Ronan said, pointing at another employee behind her, who was silently stamping sale stickers onto price tags.
“But he’s useless,” Becca whispered, leaning closer to Ronan. “That’s why he’s back here doing that.”
“Whatever,” Ronan said. “Switch with him anyway.”
Becca stared at Ronan for a few seconds before blowing out a gust of air. “Fine!” she declared, turning around to go talk to her co-worker.
“Alright,” Ronan said, rubbing his palms together. He grinned at Soohyun. Becca came back towards them and led them into the main part of the store. “We’d like to try on leather jackets,” Ronan said. “Well, faux leather jackets, probably. I may be well-off and all, but… I’d like my parents to keep loving me. And…” He looked Soohyun up and down. “Some really nice tight jeans. Yep. That’ll do. Well, not too tight. Don’t want to cut off his circulation. He’ll be needing it.”
“Uhhh, okay…” Becca muttered, confused, though not as confused as Soohyun. She pulled two sleek jackets from the rack, a brown one and an ivory one, and offered them to Ronan.
“Nuh uh,” he said, pulling his hands back. “Let’s get some customer service in this place. You hold ‘em.”
Becca gave him a quick glare but continued to hold them up, one in each hand.
“What do you think, Soohyun?” Ronan asked, turning towards him. “Which do you like better?” He pointed to each one, saying, “That one? Or that one?”
Soohyun looked quickly between the jackets and Ronan, taking in both Ronan and Becca’s expectant stares before pointing to himself in confusion. “Me? Like?”
“Yes!” Ronan said. “For you.” He pointed at Soohyun.
“You are so cruel, Ronan,” Becca said. “This poor guy knows almost no English and you drag him away from his friend.”
“I have my reasons,” Ronan said to her. Then grabbed the white one from her hand and held it against Soohyun. “I’m thinking maybe this color. Yes? Like?”
Nodding slowly, Soohyun scrunched his forehead. “Yes, like. But why?”
“Because… I’m going to buy it for you. Give. To you. Gift. Present.” Ronan attempted to mime a giving motion in the air, sweeping his widely spread hands towards Soohyun. “From Ronan…” He did the motion again. “To Soohyun.”
Soohyun's eyes grew the size of saucers and he stepped back, waving his hands and shaking his head. "No, no. Can't. No. Bad. Bad, Ronan."
“Nope,” Ronan said. “Good Ronan. Very good Ronan. You’re getting it anyway, no matter what you say.”
“Wow,” Becca said, eyes wide. “That’s really sweet of you, though you’re definitely frightening the poor guy. Guess I’ll have to take back what I said about you being cruel.”
Ronan thrust the white jacket at her. “Go put that in a dressing room, employee!”
Becca gave him a look. She took a moment to pat Soohyun on the shoulder and say, “Sorry about him,” before walking away.
Soohyun continued to just stare, watching as Ronan handed Becca the jacket and feeling relief for just a moment before he realized that no, she was not taking the jacket away. If she was, she wouldn’t have looked at him like that. He turned to Ronan and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off.
“And now for the jeans!” Ronan cried, dashing towards the shelves against the wall and pulling Soohyun with him.
Becca returned and looked Soohyun over. “We should probably measure him,” she said. “Our store has special styles and sizing.”
“Of course, they all do, they’re all trying to be cool that way,” Ronan quipped.
Becca pulled a tape measure from her belt. “Okay Soohyun,” Ronan said. “Becca’s just going to measure you. Okay? She’s not touching you for any other reason.”
Becca rolled her eyes. “I think he can figure that part out,” she said. She unrolled part of the tape to show him, raising her eyebrows. Then she trailed it down the seam of his pants starting at his hip.
Soohyun kind of wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Why was Ronan doing this? And why was Becca measuring his leg? Sometimes the cordinoonas would do that... but he wasn't in Korea. Either way, it looked like he was getting new clothes. For what reason? Well, he had yet to figure that part out.
“Okay,” Becca said, standing back up. “Got it. Thanks.” She smiled at Soohyun before turning back to Ronan. “Skinny jeans, you said. What kind of wash?”
“All of them,” Ronan said. “Oooh, and black too.”
Becca gave Ronan another look before pulling the appropriate ones from the shelves.
A few minutes later Ronan was pushing Soohyun into a dressing room full of clothes, with a big stack of jeans on the bench and the white leather jacket hanging on the wall. “Try them on!” Ronan yelled through the door. “And come out and show us!”
Soohyun stared blankly at the space in front of him, a dressing room, by the looks of it. And there was a heap of clothes in the corner, presumably for him to try on. And there, hanging to the side, was the jacket he had tried to refuse. Really, what was Ronan planning? He shook his head and grabbed the first pair of jeans. This wasn’t for an MV. Why did he have to dress up like this? But if this is how Ronan wanted to spend the day, fine, Soohyun could play along.
“Ooooh,” Ronan said when Soohyun came back out wearing the jacket and the pair of gray jeans he had selected. He looked him over. “Yeah, don’t bother trying on any of the others, these are the ones. I mean, they make your butt look perfect. And they’re not a depressing gray. They’re…” Ronan bent over a little to lean in towards Soohyun’s leg to better examine the fabric. “Smoky. And there’s a little purple in there, even.”
“Thank you, fashion expert,” Becca said. “Now back up, you’re creeping him out.” She met Soohyun’s eyes as she put a hand on Ronan’s shoulder to push him up.
Ronan ignored her, smiling brightly at Soohyun. “Very nice. Very good,” he said. He moved closer to say, “AJ will like, yes?”
Before Soohyun could respond, someone behind them said in a snide voice, “Is that your boyfriend?”
Ronan whirled around, his brows furrowing as he found the other employee from before gazing at them with a look of distaste as he lazily refolded items. “No,” Ronan snapped, “Actually he’s my best friend’s boyfriend. Not that it’s any of your business. And so what if he were my boyfriend, eh?”
At the word ‘boyfriend,’ Soohyun’s head snapped up, staring at Ronan with questioning eyes. But it looked like Ronan was upset, eyes set in a glare, staring down another guy who appeared to work at the store. Soohyun didn’t know what was going on, but he knew it was bad to fight, and that’s certainly what seemed to be coming. He placed a hand on Ronan’s arm and tugged at him. “Ronan? Okay?”
“Ah god, and he doesn’t even speak English,” the guy said, laughing.
Ronan lunged at him, stopping a few inches away from his face. The guy stumbled backwards in fear.
“Ronan, please don’t get me fired,” Becca cried.
“I won’t. But I hope you get him fired,” Ronan growled, jabbing his finger at him. “This is New York City, man,” he said. “It’s polluted enough. We don’t need your racist, homophobic bullshit on top of it. You can take that back to wherever you came from. The bottom of the ocean, preferably. Jesus.” He pulled back from him, and the guy relaxed for a second. Ronan jolted towards him again, grinning evilly when the guy’s face contorted in fear for a second time. Then Ronan backed up for real, looking to Soohyun and squeezing the arm that was still hanging onto him. “It’s okay. I’m okay, Soohyun. Sorry.” He pushed him gently towards the dressing room. “Change back now, and we’ll leave. Leave. Okay?”
Soohyun clung onto Ronan's arm tighter, not wanting to leave after what he just saw. It looked like Ronan had been about to punch that guy... He looked to Becca for support but she merely smiled (a bit tiredly) and gestured for him to go back to the dressing room. Ronan seemed to be waiting for him to do that as well. With a sigh, he slowly released Ronan's arm and shuffled into the stall, shutting the door behind him and changing as quickly as possible. He wanted to get Ronan, and himself, out of this situation as soon as possible. And preferably back to AJ. He would know how to handle something like this. But AJ wasn't here, so he'd just have to take care of things himself. He stepped out of the changing room then paused, staring blankly at Ronan, who was now the only one in sight.
He smiled reassuringly and gestured over his shoulder. "Becca just went to the register so she could ring us up. Becca, over there, all good." He even added a thumbs up for effect. Then he reached forward and took the jeans and jacket from Soohyun's hands, wrapping his free arm around Soohyun's shoulders and leading them towards the front of the store.
“Well,” Becca said as she swiped Ronan’s card.
“Well,” Ronan repeated.
Soohyun’s eyes widened. A card being handed over… that he did understand. But it happened so fast he wasn’t able to stop it. He tugged on Ronan’s sleeve, saying, “No no no. No. No Ronan…”
“Soohyun.” Ronan turned to him, smiling, but it wasn’t his impish smile or his trying too hard smile, just a small, genuine one. “Gift. Present. From Ronan, to Soohyun, okay? For you. For you. Because I want to. For chingu. Soohyun is chingu.” He gave him a hug. “It’s the least I can do after scaring you like that.”
Soohyun thought he knew what Ronan meant, though that didn’t mean he understood it. Ronan said he was Soohyun’s friend, and he was, but why would Ronan do all this, even for a friend? It was too much. But protesting wasn’t going to work. Ronan was clearly an unstoppable force. So Soohyun just hugged him back, saying, “Thank you.” But he was so caught up that he forgot to say it in English and it came out, “Komawo.”
“Huh?” Ronan said.
“Come on, Ronan,” Becca said. “He’s saying thank you.”
“Yes,” Soohyun said as Ronan released him. “Thank you, Ronan.”
“You’re welcome, Soohyun,” Ronan said, messing Soohyun’s hair.
Becca scanned the price tags and put the jacket and the jeans in a bag. “I should apologize,” she said. “I knew that guy was a worthless douche… but I didn’t know he was that much of a worthless douche.”
“Eh, not your fault,” Ronan said, shrugging. “He was all bark and no bite anyway.”
“Unlike you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Hey, I wasn’t actually going to hurt him,” Ronan protested. “I’m a little more in control of myself than my hair suggests.”
“Mmmhmm. And also…” Becca trailed off, her eyes flicking to Soohyun, then back to Ronan, several times in a row. “Well… Now I understand why AJ never flirted back.”
“Yes, don't doubt your feminine wiles, Becca. It's only because all along there was only this guy on his mind.” Ronan gave Soohyun a pat on the back.
Soohyun stared back at Becca, confused. He’d picked up on AJ’s name but nothing else. He put on a smile.
“But don’t tell anybody, okay?” Ronan said. “‘Cause… I don’t even think he knows he’s AJ’s boyfriend yet.”
Becca laughed. “Okay.” She looked back at the register, lips curving sideways. “Do you want a gift receipt?”
“No,” Ronan said quickly. “No way is this coming back. It’s a gift. Gift.” Ronan smiled at Soohyun. After a moment his eyes widened suddenly. “Oh my gosh, I’m so stupid! I know what we’re missing!” he cried. “A hat! AJ loves hats!”
“Uhhh…” Becca mumbled, ending the transaction and putting the receipt in the bag.
“Thanks Becca!” Ronan cried, grabbing the bag and Soohyun’s arm.
“Goodbye!” Soohyun managed to say before he was dragged away.
“Goodbye!” Becca called after them. “And good luck,” she muttered to herself.
~*~
The heavy thudding of the bass surrounded Soohyun along with the darkness of the club, technicolor lights flashed overhead and sweaty people pressed against him from all sides. He clung tightly to Ronan’s arm as they made their way towards the back of the room, skirting to the sides to avoid the dance floor in the center. He could feel eyes on him as they walked and ducked his head, hiding his face in the shadow of the fedora Ronan had forced upon him, suddenly thankful for its presence. Why were they staring? He looked down to check his clothes but everything seemed to be perfectly in place. Doing a cursory swipe of his face, there wasn’t anything there either. So then they were just staring… at him? Had he been recognized? Here? In the middle of some random club in New York? He shook his head. He was probably just imaging things. They were probably staring at Ronan, not him.
But just to be safe, Soohyun pulled himself even closer to Ronan, hiding behind the taller boy and letting him part the crowd, trailing silently in his wake. If only he could turn invisible… He sighed and resolved to stay hidden for the rest of their time in the club. But as soon as they had made it to the bar, Ronan took a hold of Soohyun’s arm and spun him around, plopping him down onto a stool and smiling. Soohyun just stared back in shock, realizing he was sitting in full view of the dance floor.
Ronan chuckled and turned to the bartender, ordering two drinks and glancing at Soohyun from the corner of his eye. The kid definitely seemed to be nervous. But was it because of the club? Or the people? Or maybe even the alcohol? For all Ronan knew, it could be the horrendous pink and sequin dress the girl the next chair over was wearing. He shook his head, accepting the drinks with a smile and sliding his money across the counter. He nudged Soohyun’s shoulder, holding out one of the glasses. “Here, for you.”
Now used to Ronan’s 'gifts,' Soohyun merely accepted the offering, pulling it close to his face before taking a small sip. He immediately scrunched his nose. “Beer?”
Ronan laughed at Soohyun’s expression. He hadn’t known what to get the guy… so he had just chosen a classic, cheap PBR. Maybe that hadn’t been the best choice; Soohyun probably wasn’t used to American beer. Perhaps he should’ve gone for something more subtle. But now, he had more important things to take care of. Like messing with AJ. He had given him plenty of time… Yes, Ronan’s pocket was vibrating; that must be him now. Ronan took it out and grinned at the screen. It was. He answered, saying pleasantly, “Ah, AJ. I was wondering when you would call.”
“Ronan, it’s late. Where are you and Soohyun?”
“We’re at a club,” Ronan answered smugly.
“What?” AJ cried. “No, you didn’t…”
“Yes, I did.”
“Ronan!” AJ yelled. “Why would you do that? Why would you take him somewhere dark and loud, where he has no chance of understanding anything, and… Don’t you remember what happened before? How he just disappeared? Don’t lose sight of him for one instant, Ronan, because if something happens to him, I will end your life.”
“Relax, he’s right here next to me,” Ronan said. “He’s fine. If you give him long enough he might actually start having a good time. Everybody is checking him out. They might even snatch him away from me if you don’t hurry and get him. Maybe even the girl sitting next to us at the bar. Yep, she’s looking at him too. But you’re coming to get him soon, yeah?”
“Hell yes I am! Where are you?”
“The club I dragged you to once, that’s close by the school.”
“Okay. Be there soon. And Ronan. Do not-do not-let him out of your sight.”
“Let who out of my sight?” Ronan asked innocently. Though AJ couldn’t see, Ronan widened his eyes comically. “Oh, Soohyun? Yeah, where did he go, hmm…”
AJ practically screamed into the phone, “Ronan!”
Ronan cackled. “See you soon then!” he said cheerfully, hanging up the phone. Then he turned to Soohyun, who had been staring at him the whole time. “AJ will be here soon,” he told him.
Soohyun, who had previously been fidgeting in his seat, had stilled at the sound of AJ’s name, straining to hear anything Ronan was saying. But the loud music was making it impossible. All he got was Ronan’s smug smirk, eyes looking him up and down, and a couple of repetitions of his and AJ’s names. Finally, finally, Ronan ended the call and leaned forward, shouting over the music that AJ was coming. Well, he hadn’t said that precisely. But he had said ‘AJ’ and ‘here’ and had looked quite pleased with himself so that was all Soohyun could assume was happening. Not that he minded, in fact he couldn’t wait for AJ to get to the club. And he couldn’t wait for AJ to take him home.
Soohyun sat there, drinking a few more sips of the beer, though it didn’t get any better tasting. Then all of a sudden AJ was there, racing towards him and flinging his arms around him. He had to grip onto the counter to stop them both from toppling over, flexing his stomach to keep himself upright. He set down his drink and wrapped his arms around AJ in return. It was amazing how, even in such a strange place, AJ was all he needed to feel completely comfortable. He smiled and nuzzled into AJ’s shoulder, ignoring what was going on around him.
AJ glared at Ronan over Soohyun’s head. Ronan held up his hands. “Hey, I made sure to feed him in advance, so that there’d be something in his stomach.” He patted Soohyun’s shoulder. “He didn’t drink much anyway, so chill. I was going to make sure he didn’t get drunk,” he said, smirking at AJ and raising his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t want to ruin your night.” He winked and then grinned even more when AJ began to blush. “Now you two should go dance.” He pointed to the dance floor.
“What? No, we’re leaving right now,” AJ said, finally releasing Soohyun. “You’ve done enough damage already.”
“Come on.” Ronan slid off the stool, giving them both a push. “Just one song. You guys are dancers, right? You know you want to.”
AJ sighed, turning to Soohyun. “He wants us to dance,” he explained.
“Dance?” Soohyun repeated, looking to Ronan for confirmation and trying to get his voice through the overbearing pop tune pouring from the speakers. He gestured between the three of them. “Dance?”
AJ took Soohyun’s hands. “Just us,” he said.
Soohyun looked down at AJ's hands, then back up, biting on his lower lip. "Just... us?" He looked out at the crowd, pulsing and moving as if it were alive. What most of them were doing, Soohyun wouldn't consider dancing. It was... grinding. Was he supposed to do that with AJ? Two idols... two male idols... grinding at a club. It wouldn't look good if they were somehow discovered. He glanced back at AJ, trying to read from his face what he wanted to do.
Suddenly, a hand planted itself in the middle of his back, pushing him forward and into AJ’s chest, moving them both towards the dance floor. Then the pressure stopped, just as suddenly as it came, and AJ had to quickly grab Soohyun to keep him from falling backwards. He blushed in embarrassment as he clung to AJ’s chest, panting from the adrenaline rushing through his veins.
Ronan ignored the glare AJ was once again sending his way and smirked instead, holding out his hand. “Give me your jacket and get out there.” Seeing AJ wasn’t planning to comply, he sighed and shook his head. “Either go quietly or I’ll force you. Your choice.”
“Fine,” AJ grumbled, slipping off his coat and handing it over.
“You’ll thank me later,” Ronan said before he whisked himself back to the bar.
“Yeah yeah,” AJ muttered. Then he took Soohyun’s hand again, moving them just a little bit farther away from Ronan’s line of sight. Hiding from his friend completely would mean getting tangled in the gyrating mass of bodies, and he didn’t plan on doing that. He leaned close to Soohyun’s ear to make sure he would hear him, saying, “We don’t have to dance like that.” He pulled back to point at the couple next to them, who were practically having sex with their clothes on. Then he leaned in again, adding, “I mean, unless you want to.” Then he looked at Soohyun, really looked at him, for the first time that night. He didn’t know where the white leather jacket and tight gray jeans Soohyun was wearing had come from, but they were nice. The jacket was sleek, accentuating Soohyun’s shoulders, and the jeans made his legs look like they went on forever. Soohyun’s eyes and the lips AJ had been missing were shadowed by the hat, so he tilted it up a little more to see him better, at the same time wrapping a hand around his waist. “You look good,” he said.
Soohyun tangled his fingers into the fabric of AJ’s shirt, feeling AJ’s stomach tense as he pushed himself closer, until his mouth could brush against AJ’s ear. “You look good too.” Even if AJ was just wearing his usual clothes, probably having run here from his dorm, it was still true. But they weren’t there to stare, they were supposed to be dancing. He eyed the couple AJ had seen and imagined that it was him and AJ instead, pressed so close that nothing could come in between them, moving to the beat of the music. For the first time in his life, Soohyun saw the allure to grinding. He blushed a bit, eyes going to the ground. “And, I-I want to,” he whispered, voice just above a low murmur.
“Yeah?” AJ whispered back. He imagined everyone else in the club disappearing and it being just the two of them. He imagined pushing Soohyun against the wall, their lips meeting with even more fervor than yesterday, pulling down the zipper of that sleek jacket and running his hands up under the shirt underneath… but none of that was dancing. He had to control himself, at least a little bit.
He tilted Soohyun’s head up. “Don’t be embarrassed, Soohyun,” he whispered into his ear. “This isn’t Korea. This is New York City. No one will know. Well, Ronan will, but he’s weird and doesn’t count. We can do whatever we want.” His hand slid from Soohyun’s waist to the curve of his back, pushing them closer together. “You can let go, Soohyun. Baby.”
A shiver flew up Soohyun’s spine, making his knees turn to jelly and his entire body fill with warmth. He slid one hand to AJ’s waist and lifted the other to AJ’s shoulder, leaning in slowly, until their lips just barely brushed. “AJ…” he whispered, squeezing his hands slightly. “I-nnnhg.” Soohyun pinched his eyes closed and bit his lip as AJ slid a leg between his thighs, using the hand on Soohyun’s back to keep him close. The music was pounding in his ears and he tried to focus on the beat as AJ moved, rubbing against him and making his head swim. He wrapped both of his arms around AJ’s shoulders and groaned softly against AJ’s lips. “A-AJ. I feel weird. Maybe we should st-mmmmn.”
AJ’s lips were warm, and tasted a bit like chocolate. It crossed his mind that AJ had been eating sweets without him but all sense of mental order left him as soon as AJ licked a path inside of his mouth. He groaned again, pushing himself closer, intoxicated by the feel of AJ moving against him. He felt his own thigh brush against something hard and then a slight jump from AJ, a low moan into his mouth. Right. He was supposed to be grinding too. Tightening his arms, he pressed into the crease of AJ’s legs. They were so close together now, practically the same person. He liked to imagine that, in a way, perhaps they were. He bit AJ’s lower lip and panted into his mouth. “So good, AJ. You feel so good.”
AJ’s leg jerked against him and Soohyun’s knees buckled, depending on the strength of AJ’s arms to keep him standing while he tried to catch his breath. But AJ’s lips never left his, continuing to suck and nibble and bite until Soohyun thought he was going to pass out. Because really, what was the point of air? Then he remembered, in a long gasping breath as AJ licked just beneath his ear, that air was very, very important. Without it, he couldn’t whisper AJ’s name. Or pull him back to his mouth and whisper it again against AJ’s lips. Without it, he couldn’t groan his happiness into AJ’s waiting arms.
He wondered if perhaps this was too much for such a public place, but AJ didn’t seem to mind. So he wasn’t going to worry about it either. Instead, he was going to focus on all of the sensations that were coursing through his body, inevitably ending up in the same place: the hardening bulge in his pants. There was no way AJ wasn’t feeling that, just like he knew what he was feeling against his own leg. At one time, it might’ve freaked him out. But now he was just excited. Because he had created that. AJ was hard for him. He smiled against AJ’s mouth as he heard the music change again. So this is what it felt like, to be wanted.
AJ didn’t know how he was going to make it out of the club without tearing both his and Soohyun’s clothes off. Actually, he didn’t think he was going to. He was panting, and so hard already-and Soohyun was too. “Soohyun, baby,” he whispered against Soohyun’s lips. Then he groaned as Soohyun moved against him again. “Maybe we should… leave,” he managed to say. “And… go back to the room.”
Soohyun nodded, leaning his forehead against AJ’s shoulder and trying to catch his breath, panting heavily into the warm skin there. AJ’s hands traveled up and down his back, whether to soothe or to feel, he didn’t care. All he knew is that he wanted more. And he couldn’t have it here.
Almost as if on cue, Ronan appeared beside them, conscientiously ignoring their debauched states and holding out both of their jackets. He didn’t even raise an eyebrow as AJ pressed his palm to the back of Soohyun’s head, holding the other boy against his shoulder so that he would be the only one to see that look on Soohyun’s face. No, Ronan behaved himself for once in his life. He could harass AJ about it later, but for now, he let them have their moment, backing away quickly after just a single wink. An Irish saint, that’s what he was. Heck, he could even be Cupid.
~*~
Once Ronan had left, the hand on Soohyun’s head lifted, moving around the front to tip down his hat, casting his face in shadow once more. It was so far down, he could hardly see, but when he went to adjust the rim AJ’s hand closed around his wrist and smooth lips were pressed against his ear. “Don’t worry about the hat and just hold onto my hand. I’ll get us out of here.” Soohyun shuddered softly at the warmth against his skin but managed to nod, still slightly dazed as AJ tugged on his arm and began weaving a path through the throngs of people and to the opening to the club. All Soohyun could see was a jungle of bouncing feet and swaying legs, spills and stains on the floor. He tried to make himself focus on the jean-clad legs and boots in front of him but found himself tripping a few too many times. Was this how it was going to be the rest of the night? Was he going to be this clumsy?
He sure hoped not. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass himself in front of AJ in that way. He wanted their first time to be special, memorable, and not just because he had managed to hit his head and pass out halfway through. He took a deep breath, tightening his hold on AJ’s hand. He could do this. They could do this. He had to remember that. He wasn’t alone. AJ was there for him, would help him, would protect him from anything, even himself. A small smile curved his lips and stayed even after they had finally burst through the door. It stayed as AJ turned to him and it stayed as Soohyun wrapped his arms around AJ’s shoulders, melting away only so he could murmur into AJ’s lips. “Jaeseop, take me home.”
AJ shivered, and it wasn’t from the cold. He kissed Soohyun, but only for a moment, because any second spent delaying Soohyun’s request was a second too long.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N2: I only haven't had it because I don't drink beer. I only drink cider... or vodka... *cackles at minors like the old lady she is* *runs away*
*runs back* Ah yes, yes, my co-author, because that is everyone's number one concern now that they've reached the end of this chapter. Yep. Definitely the first thing on their minds. *rolls eyes* hehe.
Next chapter... I think you know what happens. :D
A/N3: Well fine then, I'll just move it to a more appropriate place :P *outruns old lady with a walker* and know that retribution is still at hand >:3 mwahahahaha
Pairing: AJ/Soohyun
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Just as things heat up between AJ and Soohyun, Ronan steals Soohyun for a mysterious mission.
A/N1: (this is irrelevant now but you'll understand later) PBR stands for Pabst Blue Ribbon and is like the cheapest beer you can get, neither of us has had it before but we’re assuming it’d taste kind of…off? At least to Soohyun. I don’t know. This is just a note for all of the minors out there reading. Woot woot hollaaaaaaa.
PS: REVENGE OF THE DONGSAENGS, UNITE!!!!!! I am the evil maknae and I am not afraid to use it ;P
~*~*~*~*~
PART EIGHT
~*~*~*~*~
“Shopping!” Ronan cried, practically jogging down the stairs into the subway while Soohyun ran down after him. “We’re going shopping! Do you like shopping?”
“Yes!” Soohyun replied enthusiastically, though slightly out of breath. Ronan put more money on both their passes and guided him to the correct platform, where they waited a few minutes for the next train to come.
“I’m going to get you a gift,” Ronan told him. “A present.” An evil gleam glinted in his eye. “But it’s also a present for AJ. Because I’m going to make you sexy for him. Yeah?”
Soohyun was finding it a bit difficult to understand what Ronan was saying, with the running and the loud noises of the subway. But he did get that last bit. He blinked a few times and turned to stare confusedly at Ronan’s gleeful face. There was a glint there that he wasn’t quite sure he liked. “Sexy?”
“Yes. You. Sexy. For AJ,” Ronan said more slowly. He stuck out his tongue. “And don’t even pretend you don’t want that.”
Sexy… for AJ… Soohyun immediately looked away, covering his face with the inside of his arm. What in the world was Ronan saying? “F-For AJ? Sexy?” he stammered, glancing at Ronan with a slightly frightened expression.
“Yes.” Ronan put his hand on Soohyun’s shoulder, his face becoming solemn. “Sorry, I’m not doing this right. Plus I’m probably treading all over a million different cultural boundaries. But… Okay, AJ is my friend. AJ. Chingu,” Ronan said, pointing to himself and saying the one Korean word he had managed to learn. “And I want him to be happy. Happy. And you”-he pointed at Soohyun-“you make him happy. So… I figure…” Ronan’s smile went crooked again. “We should try to make him even happier, eh?” Ronan’s face went serious again. “Which is a good thing,” he said, giving Soohyun’s shoulder a quick pat. “It’s good. Good for AJ, and good for you, good for Soohyun. Because I want AJ to be happy, and I want Soohyun to happy. Yeah?”
Soohyun’s mind kind of phased out as he stared blankly at Ronan’s changing face. There was so much English… he just heard his name and AJ’s mixed around a lot. The word friend, which he was impressed Ronan knew. But other than that, he didn’t get much. So he just nodded and smiled.
“Ehhh, maybe you got some of that,” Ronan said, eying Soohyun. “Though probably not. But that’s okay!” He smiled at Soohyun, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and squeezing him close. “As long as I don’t make you look at me again like you think I’m going to eat you, we’ll be alright. And I’ll try not to embarrass you too much. Ah god, that’ll be quite a quest. The twelve labors of Hercules would be easier. And all this I’m just saying to myself, no worries.” He let Soohyun go and smiled at him some more.
Soohyun watched Ronan closely as he spoke, wondering if the other boy actually thought he understood him. But seeing Ronan smile down at him sympathetically, he figured that no, Ronan knew perfectly well that Soohyun didn’t understand a word he was saying. And that was fine. Because he was perfectly capable of talking to himself as well. In Korean. A language which Ronan wouldn’t understand. “You know, you sure do talk a lot. But you’re nice so it’s okay. I’m glad that you’re AJ’s friend and that we got to meet each other. Although I am a bit worried as to where you’re taking me…”
"And now you're going to start doing it back to me,” Ronan said. “Excellent. Exactly what I deserve. This’ll be fun. Okay!” he cried as the train pulled up. “Let’s go!”
When Ronan and Soohyun made it to their destination, Ronan took them straight to the back of the store. “Becca!” he exclaimed when they made it to the fitting rooms and the brown-haired girl was within sight. Ronan strode right up to her. “I’d like to call in a favor and use your employee discount,” he said.
“Uh, alright,” she said, her eyes flicking to Soohyun.
Ronan motioned to the other boy. “You remember Soohyun, yeah? AJ’s friend from the other day?”
“Ah, yes! Hello Soohyun,” she said, giving a little wave.
Soohyun waved back. "Hello... Becca?" He looked to Ronan for confirmation and smiled when the other boy nodded. If this is all Ronan had planned, then he shouldn't have worried at all.
“I stole him from AJ today,” Ronan explained to her. “Well, borrowed. And you’re going to help us pick something out.”
“But, Ronan, I would, but I’m supposed to be working back here, not the main floor,” she said.
“Trade with him then,” Ronan said, pointing at another employee behind her, who was silently stamping sale stickers onto price tags.
“But he’s useless,” Becca whispered, leaning closer to Ronan. “That’s why he’s back here doing that.”
“Whatever,” Ronan said. “Switch with him anyway.”
Becca stared at Ronan for a few seconds before blowing out a gust of air. “Fine!” she declared, turning around to go talk to her co-worker.
“Alright,” Ronan said, rubbing his palms together. He grinned at Soohyun. Becca came back towards them and led them into the main part of the store. “We’d like to try on leather jackets,” Ronan said. “Well, faux leather jackets, probably. I may be well-off and all, but… I’d like my parents to keep loving me. And…” He looked Soohyun up and down. “Some really nice tight jeans. Yep. That’ll do. Well, not too tight. Don’t want to cut off his circulation. He’ll be needing it.”
“Uhhh, okay…” Becca muttered, confused, though not as confused as Soohyun. She pulled two sleek jackets from the rack, a brown one and an ivory one, and offered them to Ronan.
“Nuh uh,” he said, pulling his hands back. “Let’s get some customer service in this place. You hold ‘em.”
Becca gave him a quick glare but continued to hold them up, one in each hand.
“What do you think, Soohyun?” Ronan asked, turning towards him. “Which do you like better?” He pointed to each one, saying, “That one? Or that one?”
Soohyun looked quickly between the jackets and Ronan, taking in both Ronan and Becca’s expectant stares before pointing to himself in confusion. “Me? Like?”
“Yes!” Ronan said. “For you.” He pointed at Soohyun.
“You are so cruel, Ronan,” Becca said. “This poor guy knows almost no English and you drag him away from his friend.”
“I have my reasons,” Ronan said to her. Then grabbed the white one from her hand and held it against Soohyun. “I’m thinking maybe this color. Yes? Like?”
Nodding slowly, Soohyun scrunched his forehead. “Yes, like. But why?”
“Because… I’m going to buy it for you. Give. To you. Gift. Present.” Ronan attempted to mime a giving motion in the air, sweeping his widely spread hands towards Soohyun. “From Ronan…” He did the motion again. “To Soohyun.”
Soohyun's eyes grew the size of saucers and he stepped back, waving his hands and shaking his head. "No, no. Can't. No. Bad. Bad, Ronan."
“Nope,” Ronan said. “Good Ronan. Very good Ronan. You’re getting it anyway, no matter what you say.”
“Wow,” Becca said, eyes wide. “That’s really sweet of you, though you’re definitely frightening the poor guy. Guess I’ll have to take back what I said about you being cruel.”
Ronan thrust the white jacket at her. “Go put that in a dressing room, employee!”
Becca gave him a look. She took a moment to pat Soohyun on the shoulder and say, “Sorry about him,” before walking away.
Soohyun continued to just stare, watching as Ronan handed Becca the jacket and feeling relief for just a moment before he realized that no, she was not taking the jacket away. If she was, she wouldn’t have looked at him like that. He turned to Ronan and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off.
“And now for the jeans!” Ronan cried, dashing towards the shelves against the wall and pulling Soohyun with him.
Becca returned and looked Soohyun over. “We should probably measure him,” she said. “Our store has special styles and sizing.”
“Of course, they all do, they’re all trying to be cool that way,” Ronan quipped.
Becca pulled a tape measure from her belt. “Okay Soohyun,” Ronan said. “Becca’s just going to measure you. Okay? She’s not touching you for any other reason.”
Becca rolled her eyes. “I think he can figure that part out,” she said. She unrolled part of the tape to show him, raising her eyebrows. Then she trailed it down the seam of his pants starting at his hip.
Soohyun kind of wanted to crawl into a hole and hide. Why was Ronan doing this? And why was Becca measuring his leg? Sometimes the cordinoonas would do that... but he wasn't in Korea. Either way, it looked like he was getting new clothes. For what reason? Well, he had yet to figure that part out.
“Okay,” Becca said, standing back up. “Got it. Thanks.” She smiled at Soohyun before turning back to Ronan. “Skinny jeans, you said. What kind of wash?”
“All of them,” Ronan said. “Oooh, and black too.”
Becca gave Ronan another look before pulling the appropriate ones from the shelves.
A few minutes later Ronan was pushing Soohyun into a dressing room full of clothes, with a big stack of jeans on the bench and the white leather jacket hanging on the wall. “Try them on!” Ronan yelled through the door. “And come out and show us!”
Soohyun stared blankly at the space in front of him, a dressing room, by the looks of it. And there was a heap of clothes in the corner, presumably for him to try on. And there, hanging to the side, was the jacket he had tried to refuse. Really, what was Ronan planning? He shook his head and grabbed the first pair of jeans. This wasn’t for an MV. Why did he have to dress up like this? But if this is how Ronan wanted to spend the day, fine, Soohyun could play along.
“Ooooh,” Ronan said when Soohyun came back out wearing the jacket and the pair of gray jeans he had selected. He looked him over. “Yeah, don’t bother trying on any of the others, these are the ones. I mean, they make your butt look perfect. And they’re not a depressing gray. They’re…” Ronan bent over a little to lean in towards Soohyun’s leg to better examine the fabric. “Smoky. And there’s a little purple in there, even.”
“Thank you, fashion expert,” Becca said. “Now back up, you’re creeping him out.” She met Soohyun’s eyes as she put a hand on Ronan’s shoulder to push him up.
Ronan ignored her, smiling brightly at Soohyun. “Very nice. Very good,” he said. He moved closer to say, “AJ will like, yes?”
Before Soohyun could respond, someone behind them said in a snide voice, “Is that your boyfriend?”
Ronan whirled around, his brows furrowing as he found the other employee from before gazing at them with a look of distaste as he lazily refolded items. “No,” Ronan snapped, “Actually he’s my best friend’s boyfriend. Not that it’s any of your business. And so what if he were my boyfriend, eh?”
At the word ‘boyfriend,’ Soohyun’s head snapped up, staring at Ronan with questioning eyes. But it looked like Ronan was upset, eyes set in a glare, staring down another guy who appeared to work at the store. Soohyun didn’t know what was going on, but he knew it was bad to fight, and that’s certainly what seemed to be coming. He placed a hand on Ronan’s arm and tugged at him. “Ronan? Okay?”
“Ah god, and he doesn’t even speak English,” the guy said, laughing.
Ronan lunged at him, stopping a few inches away from his face. The guy stumbled backwards in fear.
“Ronan, please don’t get me fired,” Becca cried.
“I won’t. But I hope you get him fired,” Ronan growled, jabbing his finger at him. “This is New York City, man,” he said. “It’s polluted enough. We don’t need your racist, homophobic bullshit on top of it. You can take that back to wherever you came from. The bottom of the ocean, preferably. Jesus.” He pulled back from him, and the guy relaxed for a second. Ronan jolted towards him again, grinning evilly when the guy’s face contorted in fear for a second time. Then Ronan backed up for real, looking to Soohyun and squeezing the arm that was still hanging onto him. “It’s okay. I’m okay, Soohyun. Sorry.” He pushed him gently towards the dressing room. “Change back now, and we’ll leave. Leave. Okay?”
Soohyun clung onto Ronan's arm tighter, not wanting to leave after what he just saw. It looked like Ronan had been about to punch that guy... He looked to Becca for support but she merely smiled (a bit tiredly) and gestured for him to go back to the dressing room. Ronan seemed to be waiting for him to do that as well. With a sigh, he slowly released Ronan's arm and shuffled into the stall, shutting the door behind him and changing as quickly as possible. He wanted to get Ronan, and himself, out of this situation as soon as possible. And preferably back to AJ. He would know how to handle something like this. But AJ wasn't here, so he'd just have to take care of things himself. He stepped out of the changing room then paused, staring blankly at Ronan, who was now the only one in sight.
He smiled reassuringly and gestured over his shoulder. "Becca just went to the register so she could ring us up. Becca, over there, all good." He even added a thumbs up for effect. Then he reached forward and took the jeans and jacket from Soohyun's hands, wrapping his free arm around Soohyun's shoulders and leading them towards the front of the store.
“Well,” Becca said as she swiped Ronan’s card.
“Well,” Ronan repeated.
Soohyun’s eyes widened. A card being handed over… that he did understand. But it happened so fast he wasn’t able to stop it. He tugged on Ronan’s sleeve, saying, “No no no. No. No Ronan…”
“Soohyun.” Ronan turned to him, smiling, but it wasn’t his impish smile or his trying too hard smile, just a small, genuine one. “Gift. Present. From Ronan, to Soohyun, okay? For you. For you. Because I want to. For chingu. Soohyun is chingu.” He gave him a hug. “It’s the least I can do after scaring you like that.”
Soohyun thought he knew what Ronan meant, though that didn’t mean he understood it. Ronan said he was Soohyun’s friend, and he was, but why would Ronan do all this, even for a friend? It was too much. But protesting wasn’t going to work. Ronan was clearly an unstoppable force. So Soohyun just hugged him back, saying, “Thank you.” But he was so caught up that he forgot to say it in English and it came out, “Komawo.”
“Huh?” Ronan said.
“Come on, Ronan,” Becca said. “He’s saying thank you.”
“Yes,” Soohyun said as Ronan released him. “Thank you, Ronan.”
“You’re welcome, Soohyun,” Ronan said, messing Soohyun’s hair.
Becca scanned the price tags and put the jacket and the jeans in a bag. “I should apologize,” she said. “I knew that guy was a worthless douche… but I didn’t know he was that much of a worthless douche.”
“Eh, not your fault,” Ronan said, shrugging. “He was all bark and no bite anyway.”
“Unlike you?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Hey, I wasn’t actually going to hurt him,” Ronan protested. “I’m a little more in control of myself than my hair suggests.”
“Mmmhmm. And also…” Becca trailed off, her eyes flicking to Soohyun, then back to Ronan, several times in a row. “Well… Now I understand why AJ never flirted back.”
“Yes, don't doubt your feminine wiles, Becca. It's only because all along there was only this guy on his mind.” Ronan gave Soohyun a pat on the back.
Soohyun stared back at Becca, confused. He’d picked up on AJ’s name but nothing else. He put on a smile.
“But don’t tell anybody, okay?” Ronan said. “‘Cause… I don’t even think he knows he’s AJ’s boyfriend yet.”
Becca laughed. “Okay.” She looked back at the register, lips curving sideways. “Do you want a gift receipt?”
“No,” Ronan said quickly. “No way is this coming back. It’s a gift. Gift.” Ronan smiled at Soohyun. After a moment his eyes widened suddenly. “Oh my gosh, I’m so stupid! I know what we’re missing!” he cried. “A hat! AJ loves hats!”
“Uhhh…” Becca mumbled, ending the transaction and putting the receipt in the bag.
“Thanks Becca!” Ronan cried, grabbing the bag and Soohyun’s arm.
“Goodbye!” Soohyun managed to say before he was dragged away.
“Goodbye!” Becca called after them. “And good luck,” she muttered to herself.
~*~
The heavy thudding of the bass surrounded Soohyun along with the darkness of the club, technicolor lights flashed overhead and sweaty people pressed against him from all sides. He clung tightly to Ronan’s arm as they made their way towards the back of the room, skirting to the sides to avoid the dance floor in the center. He could feel eyes on him as they walked and ducked his head, hiding his face in the shadow of the fedora Ronan had forced upon him, suddenly thankful for its presence. Why were they staring? He looked down to check his clothes but everything seemed to be perfectly in place. Doing a cursory swipe of his face, there wasn’t anything there either. So then they were just staring… at him? Had he been recognized? Here? In the middle of some random club in New York? He shook his head. He was probably just imaging things. They were probably staring at Ronan, not him.
But just to be safe, Soohyun pulled himself even closer to Ronan, hiding behind the taller boy and letting him part the crowd, trailing silently in his wake. If only he could turn invisible… He sighed and resolved to stay hidden for the rest of their time in the club. But as soon as they had made it to the bar, Ronan took a hold of Soohyun’s arm and spun him around, plopping him down onto a stool and smiling. Soohyun just stared back in shock, realizing he was sitting in full view of the dance floor.
Ronan chuckled and turned to the bartender, ordering two drinks and glancing at Soohyun from the corner of his eye. The kid definitely seemed to be nervous. But was it because of the club? Or the people? Or maybe even the alcohol? For all Ronan knew, it could be the horrendous pink and sequin dress the girl the next chair over was wearing. He shook his head, accepting the drinks with a smile and sliding his money across the counter. He nudged Soohyun’s shoulder, holding out one of the glasses. “Here, for you.”
Now used to Ronan’s 'gifts,' Soohyun merely accepted the offering, pulling it close to his face before taking a small sip. He immediately scrunched his nose. “Beer?”
Ronan laughed at Soohyun’s expression. He hadn’t known what to get the guy… so he had just chosen a classic, cheap PBR. Maybe that hadn’t been the best choice; Soohyun probably wasn’t used to American beer. Perhaps he should’ve gone for something more subtle. But now, he had more important things to take care of. Like messing with AJ. He had given him plenty of time… Yes, Ronan’s pocket was vibrating; that must be him now. Ronan took it out and grinned at the screen. It was. He answered, saying pleasantly, “Ah, AJ. I was wondering when you would call.”
“Ronan, it’s late. Where are you and Soohyun?”
“We’re at a club,” Ronan answered smugly.
“What?” AJ cried. “No, you didn’t…”
“Yes, I did.”
“Ronan!” AJ yelled. “Why would you do that? Why would you take him somewhere dark and loud, where he has no chance of understanding anything, and… Don’t you remember what happened before? How he just disappeared? Don’t lose sight of him for one instant, Ronan, because if something happens to him, I will end your life.”
“Relax, he’s right here next to me,” Ronan said. “He’s fine. If you give him long enough he might actually start having a good time. Everybody is checking him out. They might even snatch him away from me if you don’t hurry and get him. Maybe even the girl sitting next to us at the bar. Yep, she’s looking at him too. But you’re coming to get him soon, yeah?”
“Hell yes I am! Where are you?”
“The club I dragged you to once, that’s close by the school.”
“Okay. Be there soon. And Ronan. Do not-do not-let him out of your sight.”
“Let who out of my sight?” Ronan asked innocently. Though AJ couldn’t see, Ronan widened his eyes comically. “Oh, Soohyun? Yeah, where did he go, hmm…”
AJ practically screamed into the phone, “Ronan!”
Ronan cackled. “See you soon then!” he said cheerfully, hanging up the phone. Then he turned to Soohyun, who had been staring at him the whole time. “AJ will be here soon,” he told him.
Soohyun, who had previously been fidgeting in his seat, had stilled at the sound of AJ’s name, straining to hear anything Ronan was saying. But the loud music was making it impossible. All he got was Ronan’s smug smirk, eyes looking him up and down, and a couple of repetitions of his and AJ’s names. Finally, finally, Ronan ended the call and leaned forward, shouting over the music that AJ was coming. Well, he hadn’t said that precisely. But he had said ‘AJ’ and ‘here’ and had looked quite pleased with himself so that was all Soohyun could assume was happening. Not that he minded, in fact he couldn’t wait for AJ to get to the club. And he couldn’t wait for AJ to take him home.
Soohyun sat there, drinking a few more sips of the beer, though it didn’t get any better tasting. Then all of a sudden AJ was there, racing towards him and flinging his arms around him. He had to grip onto the counter to stop them both from toppling over, flexing his stomach to keep himself upright. He set down his drink and wrapped his arms around AJ in return. It was amazing how, even in such a strange place, AJ was all he needed to feel completely comfortable. He smiled and nuzzled into AJ’s shoulder, ignoring what was going on around him.
AJ glared at Ronan over Soohyun’s head. Ronan held up his hands. “Hey, I made sure to feed him in advance, so that there’d be something in his stomach.” He patted Soohyun’s shoulder. “He didn’t drink much anyway, so chill. I was going to make sure he didn’t get drunk,” he said, smirking at AJ and raising his eyebrows. “Wouldn’t want to ruin your night.” He winked and then grinned even more when AJ began to blush. “Now you two should go dance.” He pointed to the dance floor.
“What? No, we’re leaving right now,” AJ said, finally releasing Soohyun. “You’ve done enough damage already.”
“Come on.” Ronan slid off the stool, giving them both a push. “Just one song. You guys are dancers, right? You know you want to.”
AJ sighed, turning to Soohyun. “He wants us to dance,” he explained.
“Dance?” Soohyun repeated, looking to Ronan for confirmation and trying to get his voice through the overbearing pop tune pouring from the speakers. He gestured between the three of them. “Dance?”
AJ took Soohyun’s hands. “Just us,” he said.
Soohyun looked down at AJ's hands, then back up, biting on his lower lip. "Just... us?" He looked out at the crowd, pulsing and moving as if it were alive. What most of them were doing, Soohyun wouldn't consider dancing. It was... grinding. Was he supposed to do that with AJ? Two idols... two male idols... grinding at a club. It wouldn't look good if they were somehow discovered. He glanced back at AJ, trying to read from his face what he wanted to do.
Suddenly, a hand planted itself in the middle of his back, pushing him forward and into AJ’s chest, moving them both towards the dance floor. Then the pressure stopped, just as suddenly as it came, and AJ had to quickly grab Soohyun to keep him from falling backwards. He blushed in embarrassment as he clung to AJ’s chest, panting from the adrenaline rushing through his veins.
Ronan ignored the glare AJ was once again sending his way and smirked instead, holding out his hand. “Give me your jacket and get out there.” Seeing AJ wasn’t planning to comply, he sighed and shook his head. “Either go quietly or I’ll force you. Your choice.”
“Fine,” AJ grumbled, slipping off his coat and handing it over.
“You’ll thank me later,” Ronan said before he whisked himself back to the bar.
“Yeah yeah,” AJ muttered. Then he took Soohyun’s hand again, moving them just a little bit farther away from Ronan’s line of sight. Hiding from his friend completely would mean getting tangled in the gyrating mass of bodies, and he didn’t plan on doing that. He leaned close to Soohyun’s ear to make sure he would hear him, saying, “We don’t have to dance like that.” He pulled back to point at the couple next to them, who were practically having sex with their clothes on. Then he leaned in again, adding, “I mean, unless you want to.” Then he looked at Soohyun, really looked at him, for the first time that night. He didn’t know where the white leather jacket and tight gray jeans Soohyun was wearing had come from, but they were nice. The jacket was sleek, accentuating Soohyun’s shoulders, and the jeans made his legs look like they went on forever. Soohyun’s eyes and the lips AJ had been missing were shadowed by the hat, so he tilted it up a little more to see him better, at the same time wrapping a hand around his waist. “You look good,” he said.
Soohyun tangled his fingers into the fabric of AJ’s shirt, feeling AJ’s stomach tense as he pushed himself closer, until his mouth could brush against AJ’s ear. “You look good too.” Even if AJ was just wearing his usual clothes, probably having run here from his dorm, it was still true. But they weren’t there to stare, they were supposed to be dancing. He eyed the couple AJ had seen and imagined that it was him and AJ instead, pressed so close that nothing could come in between them, moving to the beat of the music. For the first time in his life, Soohyun saw the allure to grinding. He blushed a bit, eyes going to the ground. “And, I-I want to,” he whispered, voice just above a low murmur.
“Yeah?” AJ whispered back. He imagined everyone else in the club disappearing and it being just the two of them. He imagined pushing Soohyun against the wall, their lips meeting with even more fervor than yesterday, pulling down the zipper of that sleek jacket and running his hands up under the shirt underneath… but none of that was dancing. He had to control himself, at least a little bit.
He tilted Soohyun’s head up. “Don’t be embarrassed, Soohyun,” he whispered into his ear. “This isn’t Korea. This is New York City. No one will know. Well, Ronan will, but he’s weird and doesn’t count. We can do whatever we want.” His hand slid from Soohyun’s waist to the curve of his back, pushing them closer together. “You can let go, Soohyun. Baby.”
A shiver flew up Soohyun’s spine, making his knees turn to jelly and his entire body fill with warmth. He slid one hand to AJ’s waist and lifted the other to AJ’s shoulder, leaning in slowly, until their lips just barely brushed. “AJ…” he whispered, squeezing his hands slightly. “I-nnnhg.” Soohyun pinched his eyes closed and bit his lip as AJ slid a leg between his thighs, using the hand on Soohyun’s back to keep him close. The music was pounding in his ears and he tried to focus on the beat as AJ moved, rubbing against him and making his head swim. He wrapped both of his arms around AJ’s shoulders and groaned softly against AJ’s lips. “A-AJ. I feel weird. Maybe we should st-mmmmn.”
AJ’s lips were warm, and tasted a bit like chocolate. It crossed his mind that AJ had been eating sweets without him but all sense of mental order left him as soon as AJ licked a path inside of his mouth. He groaned again, pushing himself closer, intoxicated by the feel of AJ moving against him. He felt his own thigh brush against something hard and then a slight jump from AJ, a low moan into his mouth. Right. He was supposed to be grinding too. Tightening his arms, he pressed into the crease of AJ’s legs. They were so close together now, practically the same person. He liked to imagine that, in a way, perhaps they were. He bit AJ’s lower lip and panted into his mouth. “So good, AJ. You feel so good.”
AJ’s leg jerked against him and Soohyun’s knees buckled, depending on the strength of AJ’s arms to keep him standing while he tried to catch his breath. But AJ’s lips never left his, continuing to suck and nibble and bite until Soohyun thought he was going to pass out. Because really, what was the point of air? Then he remembered, in a long gasping breath as AJ licked just beneath his ear, that air was very, very important. Without it, he couldn’t whisper AJ’s name. Or pull him back to his mouth and whisper it again against AJ’s lips. Without it, he couldn’t groan his happiness into AJ’s waiting arms.
He wondered if perhaps this was too much for such a public place, but AJ didn’t seem to mind. So he wasn’t going to worry about it either. Instead, he was going to focus on all of the sensations that were coursing through his body, inevitably ending up in the same place: the hardening bulge in his pants. There was no way AJ wasn’t feeling that, just like he knew what he was feeling against his own leg. At one time, it might’ve freaked him out. But now he was just excited. Because he had created that. AJ was hard for him. He smiled against AJ’s mouth as he heard the music change again. So this is what it felt like, to be wanted.
AJ didn’t know how he was going to make it out of the club without tearing both his and Soohyun’s clothes off. Actually, he didn’t think he was going to. He was panting, and so hard already-and Soohyun was too. “Soohyun, baby,” he whispered against Soohyun’s lips. Then he groaned as Soohyun moved against him again. “Maybe we should… leave,” he managed to say. “And… go back to the room.”
Soohyun nodded, leaning his forehead against AJ’s shoulder and trying to catch his breath, panting heavily into the warm skin there. AJ’s hands traveled up and down his back, whether to soothe or to feel, he didn’t care. All he knew is that he wanted more. And he couldn’t have it here.
Almost as if on cue, Ronan appeared beside them, conscientiously ignoring their debauched states and holding out both of their jackets. He didn’t even raise an eyebrow as AJ pressed his palm to the back of Soohyun’s head, holding the other boy against his shoulder so that he would be the only one to see that look on Soohyun’s face. No, Ronan behaved himself for once in his life. He could harass AJ about it later, but for now, he let them have their moment, backing away quickly after just a single wink. An Irish saint, that’s what he was. Heck, he could even be Cupid.
~*~
Once Ronan had left, the hand on Soohyun’s head lifted, moving around the front to tip down his hat, casting his face in shadow once more. It was so far down, he could hardly see, but when he went to adjust the rim AJ’s hand closed around his wrist and smooth lips were pressed against his ear. “Don’t worry about the hat and just hold onto my hand. I’ll get us out of here.” Soohyun shuddered softly at the warmth against his skin but managed to nod, still slightly dazed as AJ tugged on his arm and began weaving a path through the throngs of people and to the opening to the club. All Soohyun could see was a jungle of bouncing feet and swaying legs, spills and stains on the floor. He tried to make himself focus on the jean-clad legs and boots in front of him but found himself tripping a few too many times. Was this how it was going to be the rest of the night? Was he going to be this clumsy?
He sure hoped not. The last thing he wanted was to embarrass himself in front of AJ in that way. He wanted their first time to be special, memorable, and not just because he had managed to hit his head and pass out halfway through. He took a deep breath, tightening his hold on AJ’s hand. He could do this. They could do this. He had to remember that. He wasn’t alone. AJ was there for him, would help him, would protect him from anything, even himself. A small smile curved his lips and stayed even after they had finally burst through the door. It stayed as AJ turned to him and it stayed as Soohyun wrapped his arms around AJ’s shoulders, melting away only so he could murmur into AJ’s lips. “Jaeseop, take me home.”
AJ shivered, and it wasn’t from the cold. He kissed Soohyun, but only for a moment, because any second spent delaying Soohyun’s request was a second too long.
~*~*~*~*~
A/N2: I only haven't had it because I don't drink beer. I only drink cider... or vodka... *cackles at minors like the old lady she is* *runs away*
*runs back* Ah yes, yes, my co-author, because that is everyone's number one concern now that they've reached the end of this chapter. Yep. Definitely the first thing on their minds. *rolls eyes* hehe.
Next chapter... I think you know what happens. :D
A/N3: Well fine then, I'll just move it to a more appropriate place :P *outruns old lady with a walker* and know that retribution is still at hand >:3 mwahahahaha