modern romance (tao/sehun, nc-17, 5800w)
Title: Modern Romance
Author: hopeandmemory
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Sehun/Tao
Word Count: ~5800
Summary: Sehun thinks he’s experienced in relationships, being an advice columnist, but when he meets Tao, he realizes he actually knows way less than he thinks he does.
TWIST MAGAZINE
presents
ASK LOVERBOY
Dear Loverboy,
I just met this guy and he seemed really into me when we went on our date, but he didn't call me afterwards, and it's been a week. Was I misreading the signals, or should I be checking the obituaries?
Sincerely,
Dead or Disinterested?
Dear Dead or Disinterested?,
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but someone has to say it: the most likely reason he has for not calling you is that he was too much of a coward to say he didn't think you were right for each other. Instead, he's opted to drop off the face of the earth rather than be direct. Always be direct! Communication is the only thing that keeps us from going completely insane when it comes to matters of the heart.
But if you're really worried about him, it might not be a bad idea to shoot him a text. Plus, it's a good opportunity to shame him for his behavior, in the event he hasn't been hit by a car or whatever. If he has… well, this is still pretty solid advice.
xoxo,
Loverboy
❦
Sehun pushes back from his desk, rubbing his eyes. "That's the last one for this issue," he drawls, pressing the keyboard shortcut to print his column for the copy editor. "Formatted, spell-checked, and I left the copy with the HTML tags up for the online team."
Jung Soojung, Twist Magazine's features editor, pulls the hot pages off the printer tray as soon as they come out. She scans the submissions, laughing briefly at one of them. "Oh, I'm glad we went with this one," she says, tapping the top of the second page with one red-lacquered fingernail. "Everyone loves an awkward story about the clap."
"Unless you're the one telling it, I guess." Sehun slings his messenger bag over one shoulder. "Text me if you need anything, I'm heading out."
"Thanks, Sehun," Soojung says absently, not looking up from the copy. "See you in the morning."
Sehun spins around on one heel and heads for the office door, taking the stairs down from the third floor rather than waiting on the elevator. He waves at Minho, the night security guard, before letting himself out of the building, a glitzy high-rise with a fancy security office in the lobby and floor-to-ceiling glass windows surrounding the revolving doors. Twist's office takes up the majority of the third floor, but the entire building is filled with the headquarters of various publications, all under the umbrella of SM Media. Twist is the newest addition to the family; Sehun's had his column for a little over two years, since the magazine's inception.
He'd never imagined that after four years of working toward a degree in journalism he'd be writing an advice column for 20-somethings with disastrous love lives, but "Ask Loverboy" had really surpassed everyone's expectations, Sehun's most of all, by becoming one of the most popular features among Twist's readers. Plus, the notoriety offered him the added bonus of job security; Sehun's style is pretty distinctive, and readers would know if he'd been replaced. It's not necessarily a challenging position, and can even border on dull at times, but even on the days when he's ready to yell "WHO GIVES A SHIT" at the boring, predictable submissions in the special "Ask Loverboy" e-mail inbox, something unusual or fucking hilarious always turns up and makes it worth dragging himself in to work. And his hours are pretty flexible, so all in all, it's not a bad gig.
Sehun manages to flag down a cab after only a minute of waiting for one to drive by, something of a miracle at 9:30 on a Friday evening in downtown Seoul. Normally he'd just take the subway, but with the weekend crowds in the big transfer stations, it'll take him ages to get to the dive bar his friend Chanyeol bartends at in Sinsa; he'd rather eat the 15,000 won and take a taxi, especially since his apartment is on the other side of the river, anyway.
Obnoxious amounts of traffic aside, it's not a terrible ride to Bar 1977, which is themed around classic Western rock music, for some reason. It's right up Chanyeol's alley, though; Sehun suspects the theme is what's kept him from moving somewhere more upscale, where he could expect a higher wage. The bar frequently hosts open mic nights, which Chanyeol occasionally participates in on his nights off, having amassed a small group of very vocal fangirls who scream their faces off during his covers of Coldplay, Radiohead, the Beatles, and the occasional Korean indie group.
Chanyeol is behind the counter, though, when Sehun squeezes his way past a group of smokers standing near the door and claims a stool near the end of the bar.
"Hey," Chanyeol shouts over the loud guitar riff signaling the bridge of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird." "The usual?"
Sehun nods, and Chanyeol ducks below the bar to pull up a bottle of white wine, fetching a glass and filling it halfway before pushing it across the counter to Sehun. Sehun swirls the glass and gives it a sniff before taking a sip.
"Tough day at the office?" Chanyeol laughs, and Sehun makes a face that clearly says as if. "Anything funny come up for the next issue?"
"Only if you think a whopping case of syphilis is funny," Sehun drawls. "Been busy tonight?"
"Hasn't been too bad yet, but we've hired a new bar back so I have a little more free time than I'd normally have on a Friday," Chanyeol says, scanning the bar. "Ah, there he is."
He waves over Sehun's shoulder, and a tall kid with blue-black hair and a beaky nose comes up and leans against the bar on Sehun's left side. He's got bags under his eyes, so pronounced they look like bruises, a row of piercings in the cartilage of his right ear, and a skull dangling from his earlobe. He looks intimidating even in his uniform, a black t-shirt and tight black pants with a bottle-green half-apron tied around his waist.
"Sehun, this is Huang Zitao," Chanyeol says, tripping over the Chinese pronunciation. "We just call him Tao around here. Tao, this is my friend, Oh Sehun."
Tao's sleepy face breaks into a disarmingly sweet smile. "Ohhh, you're the writer," Tao says in halting Korean, and Sehun glances at Chanyeol with irritation, earning an eyeroll that says, no, I didn't reveal your secret identity, Loverboy.
"Yes," Sehun says, turning back to Tao and offering his hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Tao is strong; Sehun can see his biceps flex when he grips Sehun's hand to shake it firmly. "Nice to meet you, too," Tao says. "Chanyeol talks about you a lot. I feel like I already know you!"
"Does he now," Sehun says flatly, eyes flicking to Chanyeol, who is grinning wide enough that Sehun thinks he might be able to see every tooth in his mouth.
"He didn't tell me how cute you are, though," Tao adds, without a trace of shame, and looks up at Chanyeol. "Hyung, I've got some more tables to clean. Do you need another keg set up?"
"Nah, but can you get me another case of white wine out of the cooler?" Chanyeol smirks. "I have a feeling Sehun might finish off this last bottle."
Tao laughs and pushes away to go tidy up, and Sehun glares ineffectually at Chanyeol, who just smiles.
"He's cute, isn't he?" Chanyeol says fondly. "He's moonlighting while he finishes his masters, psychology or something. Funny kid, good worker. Stop making that face at me. You don't meet enough nice boys to look that grumpy at me."
"Stop trying to set me up and maybe I'll stop looking so grumpy," Sehun sulks, nursing his wine.
"Oh, don't pretend like you don't like the attention," Chanyeol scoffs. "You are so transparent, with your nose in the air, pretending that you don't care."
"Park Chanyeol the poet, ladies and gentlemen," Sehun snorts, swirling the wine in his glass. Tao is somewhere to his left, he notices, clearing a table of glasses and bottles and wiping up spills before hefting a bussing tray into the back of the bar. "And I don't know what you're talking about."
"And that's your tell," Chanyeol says, filling a pilsner glass with beer and sliding it across the bar to a patron. "You try to act like you're totally unaffected, but I've known you way too long for that crap." He's wearing a good-natured smile with a teasing tilt to it. "I wonder what Loverboy would have to say about that."
"Keep him out of this," Sehun says, a little protective of his alter ego, mainly because if someone had written to Loverboy about the kind of behavior Sehun's exhibiting, he'd have torn the façade to pieces straight away.
"You know I'm right," Chanyeol says in a sing-song voice as Tao emerges through the swinging doors to the kitchen, hauling a case of wine. Chanyeol lifts the movable section of countertop so Tao can pass through and stash the box beneath the bar, slashing it open so Chanyeol won't need to track down a box cutter when he needs a fresh bottle.
Sehun's glass is running low. "More wine?" Tao asks, glancing up at Sehun and brushing off his apron.
Their eyes meet briefly, and Sehun nods. "Please."
Tao finds the correct bottle with ease and pours Sehun another half-glass, twisting the bottle at the end to keep it from dripping. He pulls a fresh napkin out of his apron pocket and sets it on the bar before placing the glass upon it with a gentle hand and a grin. "Don't lose it," he says cryptically, slipping out from behind the bar to clean more tables, and Sehun isn't sure what he means until he lifts the glass and catches sight of something scribbled on the napkin: HZT 010-5555-5293
"This," Sehun says in the most offended tone he can muster, "is sexual harassment."
"You," Chanyeol replies, topping off his glass to placate him, "are such a liar."
❦
Sehun stares at the napkin on his desk after the requisite three days have passed. He's not sure why he's waited this long; he always tells the people who write to him that it's a stupid, arbitrary amount of time, and if you like someone enough to want to see them again, you'd better call the next day. Be direct. It's practically his catchphrase. And yet he's sitting here, staring at phone number he's practically memorized, like some kind of anxious middle schooler with a dumb crush.
Except he totally doesn't have a crush on Huang Zitao.
He's cute, Sehun will allow him that. But you have to know someone a little bit to have a real crush on them, and one night at Bar 1977 with Tao flitting here and there doing his job was not enough time to get to know him. But Chanyeol isn't a half-bad judge of character-he's friends with Sehun, anyway-and Sehun hasn't dated anyone in a few years, not since Jongin dumped him to join the Met Ballet in New York.
Bastard, Sehun thinks, even though Jongin had given him the opportunity to come along. Since then, Sehun's had a string of unserious flings and one-night stands; loads of really good sex, but nothing beyond that.
He's thinking of Tao's sinewy forearms when his phone starts buzzing.
Unknown Caller
010-5555-5293
"You have got to be shitting me," Sehun mutters, sliding his thumb across the screen to answer the call. "Huang Zitao. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"So you memorized my phone number, then," Tao says, and Sehun's ears feel warm at the sly tone in which he replies. "Interesting."
"No, I'm just holding the napkin in my hand," Sehun stammers, but Tao just laughs.
"Well, at least I know it's not in the garbage outside the bar," he says, and Sehun knows he's been found out. "But I hadn't heard from you, so I got your number from Chanyeol just in case."
Traitor! Sehun shrieks internally, but merely deadpans, "What a pal."
"Isn't he?" Tao sounds like he's grinning. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner and drinks tonight. Do you like Italian? I know a place in Itaewon that's supposed to be good. And no," he adds, before Sehun can add a catty remark, "it's not Pizza Hut."
A bit shocked that he was beaten at his own game, Sehun nods, then realizes you have to actually speak to communicate to the person on the other end of the phone. "Yes," he says. "Italian sounds good. I will meet you at… which station?"
"Hangangjin," Tao supplies helpfully. "Seven o'clock?"
"Seven o'clock," Sehun agrees, and Tao hangs up. Sehun leans back in his swivel chair and wonders what, exactly, he is in for tonight.
❦
Sehun remembers now why he rarely goes on dates. Dating is hard. Small talk is exhausting; he can't think of anything to say besides "Wow, it's really hot out, isn't it?" He's starting to believe he's a complete fraud; his entire career is a sham. How on earth did he get the job of Ask Loverboy? It's been twenty minutes and he's already tanking this date, and he's not the only one who notices.
"You know," Tao says wryly, after their waitress uncorks a bottle of red wine for them and takes their entrée orders back to the kitchen staff, "for being Ask Loverboy and all, you're pretty unromantic."
"Keep your voice down," Sehun whispers, horrified. Chanyeol must die.
"I'm just saying," Tao continues, not lowering his volume in the least, "you don't seem to take your own advice that much."
"How do you know?" Sehun retorts in a more defensive tone than he'd like to admit.
"After Chanyeol told me what you do for a living, I looked up your column on Naver," Tao says with a little smile. "It's a little… ironic, isn't it?"
"Just a little." Sehun sighs and decides to give up the charade. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right," Tao says cheerfully, lifting his glass of wine. "Let's start over."
Sehun clinks the rims of their glasses together. "Cheers. All right. So. Chanyeol says you're a grad student?"
Tao beams, and Sehun feels like a dog that's just had its head patted; which is to say, pretty nice. "Yeah, working on my Ph.D, actually. Child psychology."
"So that's how you figured out I'm a sham," Sehun laughs. "Analyzing me, huh?"
"I wasn't aware that you think of yourself as a child." Tao smirks. "But yeah, that about sums it up."
Their food arrives, and they busy themselves with pizza and pasta, practically moaning about how delicious it is. Tao fills up Sehun's glass of wine when it gets too low, and Sehun's feeling a pleasant buzz that makes it easier to chat. They split a piece of tiramisú for dessert with matching after-dinner espressos, and leave the restaurant with their belts loosened a bit.
"So," Tao says as they stroll back to Hangangjin station, "would it be a bit too forward of me to ask for a second date at this point?"
The heady rush of alcohol and curiosity makes Sehun's chest feel warm. "I wasn't aware you ever worried about being too forward," he snorts.
"Politeness never hurts," Tao says lightly, ducking into an alley near the station with Sehun in tow. "I was thinking maybe Saturday afternoon, if you're free."
Sehun mentally checks his calendar and then remembers he never has any social engagements outside of bothering Chanyeol at work. "Saturday should be okay. What did you want to do?"
"It's a surprise," Tao says with a secretive smile, and Sehun isn't sure whether to be curious or worried. Maybe both. "Anyway, I think we're heading in opposite directions once we get down to the trains, so maybe we should say our goodbyes here?"
"O-okay," Sehun says, feeling more like a fraud every second this date goes on. Tao is so suave, and Sehun is so not.
Tao steps forward and slides one hand around Sehun's waist so he's palming the small of his back. Sehun can't seem to look away. "Is it all right if I kiss you?"
"I would be okay with that," Sehun says noncommittally, and Tao slides his other hand along the curve of Sehun's neck and draws him in until their lips touch, softly at first but gradually stronger as Sehun leans into the kiss and parts his lips.
Tao's tongue stays where it is, but they kiss open-mouthed for a few moments, Sehun backing into the wall and tangling his fingers in the back of Tao's hair while a rush of heat surges in his abdomen. Tao kisses away gently, Sehun's lips following shamelessly before he can stop himself. Tao smiles and runs his thumb across Sehun's lower lip, patting his cheek before withdrawing his other hand from Sehun's waist.
"See you Saturday," he says, and slips out of the alley.
Sehun slumps against the wall and glances down at the boner that's starting to push against the front of his jeans; not good for a crowded subway. He slinks back into the street to hail a cab and tries not to think of Tao's warm hands on his body.
❦
"So where are we going?" Sehun squirms against the leather upholstery in Tao's car as they speed west on the expressway bordering the Han River. The guy drives a fucking Maserati, even if it is an older model he received after his dad decided to upgrade; he had it shipped over to Korea when he moved. Sehun's jaw practically hit the pavement when he saw it parked outside his apartment building.
"I told you it's a secret," Tao says, pulling off the expressway toward the World Cup Stadium parks. He smiles behind his sunglasses. "You don't like surprises?"
"Not really," Sehun says. "What's at the World Cup Stadium? There can't be a concert, I haven't heard anything about-"
Tao interrupts him with a loud sigh as he pulls into the parking lot and scans the rows of cars for a free parking space. "You're like a kid, I swear. I'm taking you park golfing, all right?"
"You golf?" Sehun asks, eyebrows creeping toward his hairline.
"Park golfing, yeah," Tao says, turning into an empty parking spot. "It's a little easier and the games are shorter. Have you ever played?"
Sehun shakes his head. "I'm not what you'd call athletic."
"So is that how you got into writing, instead of playing sports in school?" Tao climbs out of the car and sets the alarm after Sehun gets out.
"Kind of, I guess?" Sehun shrugs as they walk toward the entrance of Noeul Park. "My parents wanted me to get into some clubs on top of my studying, so I joined the newspaper. Mostly because it didn't involve contact sports or public speaking. And I guess people liked it? People think I'm kind of funny, I guess. Not funny like 'ha ha' but funny like…" Sehun flaps his arms helplessly. "I don't know. Anyway, I wrote for the newspaper in university, too, and that's how I got my current job. Soojung-she's our features editor-we went to college together, and she told me about the job when it opened up."
"That's lucky," Tao says, stepping up to the admission booth and paying for their club rentals and admittance to the park. He passes Sehun his putter and they walk together to the first hole. "Did you always want to be an advice columnist, or…?"
"Not exactly," Sehun laughs. "I like writing for features, because there's always something new and unusual in our section, but I guess there's other writing jobs that would be more fulfilling to me. Working as a travel writer, maybe? Or a restaurant reviewer? It's like… I like being Loverboy, but I don't think I want to do it forever."
"Especially since you're not the guru you claim to be," Tao teases, and Sehun makes a face and digs an elbow into his ribs. Tao merely laughs and slings his free arm over Sehun's shoulders, pulling him in a little more closely.
"I'm going to warn you," Sehun says as they approach the first green, "my depth perception is not that great."
"Well, I'll go first, and then I'll help you set up your shot, all right?" Tao grins and bends down to set up his ball on the tee, giving Sehun a prime view of his muscular backside in those tight white slacks. The sight makes Sehun's fingers itch. Tao lines up his shot and chips the ball toward the hole several yards away; it doesn't make it in, but it's damn close. He looks pleased with himself. "All right, your turn."
Sehun crouches to put his own ball on the tee, then straightens, holding the club rigidly in his hands.
"Loosen your grip a little," Tao coaches him, coming up from behind him to wrap his hands around Sehun's on the club, adjusting the position of his hands. "Make sure your thumbs are- yeah, like that." He moves his hands to Sehun's hips and nudges at the back of his thigh with a knee in a way that makes Sehun's stomach drop. Tao's hips are flush with Sehun's ass, and it's all he can do not to push back against them. "Keep your feet hip width apart." His hands move back to cover Sehun's. "Now swing back gently with the club, because you don't have to hit it that far, and then bring it forward and follow through."
Sehun follows his instructions, but Tao is distractingly close and Sehun's arm spasms when Tao's hands return to his hips. The ball lands off course.
"You weren't kidding about being unathletic," Tao comments, laughing as he props his chin on Sehun's shoulder.
"You are distracting me," Sehun whispers loudly, closing his eyes. He thinks about moving away, but Tao's grip on his waist tightens.
"Really," he says in a tone that makes Sehun feel he's about to be eaten alive.
"Nope. Just kidding," Sehun says, too quickly to be believable, and wriggles out of Tao's reach.
💕
"I win," Tao crows triumphantly. Sehun pretends to beat him with his putter, but Tao wrestles it away from him until they're both laughing. "I want ice cream. I'll even buy some for you, too. Consolation prize, you know?"
Sehun settles for punching him in the shoulder, now that he's no longer in possession of his club.
They find a cart selling frozen treats near the park entrance, and they lick dripping Bravo cones as they turn in their clubs and golf balls. It's a little bit of a walk to the parking lot, and it's so hot that they're nearly done with their ice cream before they reach the car. Sehun makes sure to brush his fingers off before getting into Tao's car, not wanting to smudge the upholstery with an errant streak of sticky vanilla ice cream.
"This was fun," he says, shifting in the seat before he buckles his seatbelt so he can look at Tao.
Tao smiles, grin growing wider when he catches sight of Sehun's face. "You've got a bit of-"
Tao's hand cups his face to draw him forward, and then Tao's kissing just above his upper lip, tongue swiping across a smear of ice cream Sehun had missed. Sehun tilts his head so their mouths slot together properly and slides a hand up Tao's chest. His mouth is warm and cold, the tip of his tongue still frosty from the ice cream they'd just finished.
Sehun sucks on it to warm it up and drapes his other arm around Tao's neck while Tao's hand kneads the top of his thigh. Sehun moans into his mouth and drops the hand on Tao's chest so he can guide Tao's hand further up his leg to feel the blood rushing into his cock.
Tao responds with a throaty laugh as he pulls away from the kiss and withdraws his hand from Sehun's crotch. "Not in the car," he says with a meaningful look, and Sehun feels like his entire body is flushing.
Tao drops him off at his apartment with another heated kiss and plans for a date the following weekend. Sehun barely makes it inside before he unzips himself and sinks into the couch, pushing up his t-shirt and pulling at his dick until his chest is splattered with white.
❦
Their third date the next Friday has Sehun feeling jittery all through dinner, even after he's had a couple glasses of wine. Between last week's almost-hanky panky and the casually flirty texts he and Tao had exchanged during the week, Sehun is ready to pop. In any other situation Sehun would be fine with making a booty call, but with Tao... there's something simultaneously frustrating and exhilarating about the anticipation. The worst of it, though, is that he doesn't know where he stands. Sehun knows he's hot; he's had many a one night stand moan it in his ear while buried balls-deep in his ass. So he's perplexed by Tao's... reluctance? Puritanical leanings? Polite disinterest? Whereas Sehun feels he's made it pretty clear he wants to be on that like white on rice.
It's driving Sehun insane, which is why, on the way up to Tao's apartment for after-dinner coffee, he blurts out, unthinking, "I can't believe you haven't even tried to fuck me yet."
Tao turns around slowly in the stairwell, and Sehun tries to become one with the wall. It doesn't work. Tao looks at him curiously. "Is that a dealbreaker?"
"N-no," Sehun stammers. "It's just- I'm not used to it."
"What? Being wined and dined and treated nicely?" Tao leans against the door to his apartment, expression neutral.
"Yeah," Sehun says lamely, toying with the hem of his shirt.
"Do you want to have sex with me?" Tao asks, and Sehun's stomach flip-flops. He doesn't look up until Tao grabs his hand. "What are you always saying about communication, Sehun?"
"Haven't we established that I am a sham?" Sehun jokes, but Tao jerks him forward so there's only inches separating them.
"Answer the question, Sehun."
"Be direct," he says, "like a goddamn adult."
"So…"
Sehun lets out a trembling sigh and forces himself to look up at Tao. God, having sex with strangers is so much easier than this. "I really want to have sex with you. Like, desperately so."
Tao reaches behind himself to tap his code into the keypad, and twists the door handle once it's unlocked. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Speak for yourself," Sehun snorts, and surges forward to kiss him.
Tao's hands fall to Sehun's hips, holding him steady so the force of his lust doesn't knock them both onto the floor in the foyer. He walks them backwards carefully in the darkness, fumbling for a lightswitch while Sehun licks into his mouth and rubs up against him like a cat in heat. Sehun's eyes flick open briefly when the hallway light turns on, but he closes them again and slides one hands into Tao's back pocket and the other into his hair as Tao guides him into his bedroom, the door slamming behind them.
"Clothes off," Tao directs him, and Sehun unlatches his mouth from Tao's neck to undo the buttons on his own dress shirt, dropping it from his shoulders and yanking off the undershirt he's wearing beneath it. He helps Tao push off his blazer, moaning when Tao drops his hands to Sehun's belt and starts to unbuckle it, the fastenings of his dark-wash jeans following shortly. He steps out of his loafers and pushes down his jeans and underwear while Tao wriggles out of his own pants until he's left in nothing but the leather cord necklace around his throat.
They look each other over for a moment; Sehun's entire body feels hot under the scrutiny, but seeing Tao in all his naked glory-six-pack abs; thick, muscular thighs; just the right amount of chest hair-makes Sehun want to drop to his knees and thank God for Huang Zitao.
He settles for dropping to his knees and bringing the head of Tao's cock to his lips, the moan of surprise and contentment it elicits sending a rush of heat through his abdomen. Tao pushes the hair back from Sehun's forehead and curls his fingers at the crown of Sehun's head while Sehun trails his tongue up the underside of Tao's dick and leaves open-mouthed kisses on his way back down the shaft before taking it fully in his mouth. He bobs his head up and down along the length, feeling his own precome start to trickle down from the head at the choked sounds Tao's making.
"Sehun," he gasps, and laughs breathlessly when Sehun looks up at him with a mouthful of cock, lips pursed around the head like it's a rather large lollipop. "Come here."
Sehun releases the dick from his mouth with one last lick to the tip and clambers into Tao's lap, falling back onto to the bed with him when Tao leans back against the comforter. Tao kisses him languidly while kneading his fingertips into Sehun's fleshy asscheeks, grinding up into him until Sehun's whimpering into his mouth. Tao suddenly rolls them over, pressing Sehun into the mattress and fisting his cock with one hand while the other reaches over to procure lube and a condom from the drawer of his nightstand. Sehun rolls onto his stomach, ass on display for Tao.
"God, you want it bad," Tao laughs, spreading Sehun's cheeks with his thumbs. One hand moves away and Sehun hears the click of a cap and clenches up when the cool lube trickles down his crack. Tao spreads it around with two fingers and Sehun groans loudly into the pillow, toes curling. "Fuck, that's hot."
"I can take two to start, I fingered myself in the shower today," Sehun babbles, remembering how he'd braced himself against the wall and gotten three fingers in before he'd shot his load against the stall door. His wrist still hurts from the awkward angle.
Tao strangles a moan and begins to probe his rim with his index and middle fingers, working his way in to the first knuckle. "Were you thinking about me while you were doing it?" he asks, swiveling his fingertips around to stretch Sehun out a bit.
Sehun pushes back against the fingers in his ass. "Yes," he moans, rubbing his face against the pillowcase. "Fuck, I wanted you in me so bad."
Tao sinks his fingers in to the last knuckle, the pads of his fingertips stroking his insides until they nudge up against his prostate and Sehun lets out a sharp cry. Tao starts to work his ring finger in at that point, his other hand palm resting on the small of Sehun's back. "You all right?" Tao's third finger disappears into Sehun's ass, and Sehun feels so much fuller than he did with his own hand.
"Yeah," Sehun breathes, "yeah, that feels so-" Tao presses his fingers into that spot again, and Sehun keens. "Oh, please fuck me, please god I want your cock in me now-"
Tao's fingers are gone, suddenly, but then they tighten on either side of his hips to roll him onto his back once more. When Sehun's eyes focus, Tao's holding out the condom. "Put it on me."
Sehun tears the the foil with shaky hands and pinches the tip before rolling it down the length of Tao's dick. Tao grabs his left ankle and hoists his leg over one shoulder so he can scoot in closer, his hand trailing from Sehun's knee, up his thigh, and across his abdomen, eliciting a shudder of ticklishness. Tao leans in, stretching out Sehun's thigh and nosing at his cheek while he lines himself up with his free hand. "You ready?"
Sehun tilts his head to kiss Tao, sucking on his lower lip. "Mm-hmm."
Tao enters him all at once, Sehun's back arching in a silent moan. Even with the stretching, it's a tight fit, but not uncomfortable-just hot and full and right. Tao rotates his hips experimentally, pulls back, and then thrusts back in, working up a slow, steady pace. Sehun hitches his other ankle up along Tao's back to get his hips at a better angle, feeling the muscles shift under his heel.
"You feel really good," Tao hums into Sehun's neck, increasing his pace as Sehun loops an arm around Tao's bicep, giving him enough leverage to meet Tao's thrusts.
"I'm so glad Chanyeol gave you my number," Sehun moans breathlessly, thumbing one of Tao's nipples with his free hand. It's so good, but he wants more. "Let me ride you?"
Tao pulls out of him with a grunt and rolls over to the other side of the bed, and Sehun climbs on top of him, Tao steadying him with a firm grip on his hips while Sehun finds Tao's cock and eases it back in. He uses his knees to propel himself up and down on Tao's dick, and once he's got a rhythm going, Tao begins to thrust up into him.
"I wanna see you touch yourself," Tao groans, fingertips digging into Sehun's bony hips.
Sehun bites his lip and wraps a hand around the base of his cock, jerking it in time with Tao's thrusts. As his release nears, he speeds up, practically bouncing on Tao's dick while his hand flies over his own, until he's clenching tightly around Tao and spilling all over his fist and Tao's abs. Two thrusts later, Tao follows him with a rough shout, yanking Sehun down to grind up into his ass as he rides out the rest of his orgasm.
Sehun lies down bonelessly on Tao's chest, sliding up just enough to let Tao's cock slip out of his ass. Tao drapes an arm across Sehun's waist and presses his cheek to Sehun's forehead. "That was nice," he murmurs.
"Yeah." Sehun smiles to himself. They're cuddling. Sehun never gets to cuddle. "Yeah, it was."
"Still feeling like a fraud?" Tao laughs, dragging his clean hand through Sehun's hair.
"Honestly," Sehun says, "I feel a little more qualified for the job, but I think I need a little more practice." He turns his head, resting his chin on his hands over Tao's sternum. "Wanna find out what I imagined you were doing to me in the shower today?"
Tao grins and sits up, squeezing Sehun's ass in a cheeky fashion. "I would love nothing more."
❦
author's note: title from the song of the same name by yeah yeah yeahs. originally written for the bottomsehun exchange. god, i love writing taohun.
Author: hopeandmemory
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Sehun/Tao
Word Count: ~5800
Summary: Sehun thinks he’s experienced in relationships, being an advice columnist, but when he meets Tao, he realizes he actually knows way less than he thinks he does.
TWIST MAGAZINE
presents
ASK LOVERBOY
Dear Loverboy,
I just met this guy and he seemed really into me when we went on our date, but he didn't call me afterwards, and it's been a week. Was I misreading the signals, or should I be checking the obituaries?
Sincerely,
Dead or Disinterested?
Dear Dead or Disinterested?,
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but someone has to say it: the most likely reason he has for not calling you is that he was too much of a coward to say he didn't think you were right for each other. Instead, he's opted to drop off the face of the earth rather than be direct. Always be direct! Communication is the only thing that keeps us from going completely insane when it comes to matters of the heart.
But if you're really worried about him, it might not be a bad idea to shoot him a text. Plus, it's a good opportunity to shame him for his behavior, in the event he hasn't been hit by a car or whatever. If he has… well, this is still pretty solid advice.
xoxo,
Loverboy
❦
Sehun pushes back from his desk, rubbing his eyes. "That's the last one for this issue," he drawls, pressing the keyboard shortcut to print his column for the copy editor. "Formatted, spell-checked, and I left the copy with the HTML tags up for the online team."
Jung Soojung, Twist Magazine's features editor, pulls the hot pages off the printer tray as soon as they come out. She scans the submissions, laughing briefly at one of them. "Oh, I'm glad we went with this one," she says, tapping the top of the second page with one red-lacquered fingernail. "Everyone loves an awkward story about the clap."
"Unless you're the one telling it, I guess." Sehun slings his messenger bag over one shoulder. "Text me if you need anything, I'm heading out."
"Thanks, Sehun," Soojung says absently, not looking up from the copy. "See you in the morning."
Sehun spins around on one heel and heads for the office door, taking the stairs down from the third floor rather than waiting on the elevator. He waves at Minho, the night security guard, before letting himself out of the building, a glitzy high-rise with a fancy security office in the lobby and floor-to-ceiling glass windows surrounding the revolving doors. Twist's office takes up the majority of the third floor, but the entire building is filled with the headquarters of various publications, all under the umbrella of SM Media. Twist is the newest addition to the family; Sehun's had his column for a little over two years, since the magazine's inception.
He'd never imagined that after four years of working toward a degree in journalism he'd be writing an advice column for 20-somethings with disastrous love lives, but "Ask Loverboy" had really surpassed everyone's expectations, Sehun's most of all, by becoming one of the most popular features among Twist's readers. Plus, the notoriety offered him the added bonus of job security; Sehun's style is pretty distinctive, and readers would know if he'd been replaced. It's not necessarily a challenging position, and can even border on dull at times, but even on the days when he's ready to yell "WHO GIVES A SHIT" at the boring, predictable submissions in the special "Ask Loverboy" e-mail inbox, something unusual or fucking hilarious always turns up and makes it worth dragging himself in to work. And his hours are pretty flexible, so all in all, it's not a bad gig.
Sehun manages to flag down a cab after only a minute of waiting for one to drive by, something of a miracle at 9:30 on a Friday evening in downtown Seoul. Normally he'd just take the subway, but with the weekend crowds in the big transfer stations, it'll take him ages to get to the dive bar his friend Chanyeol bartends at in Sinsa; he'd rather eat the 15,000 won and take a taxi, especially since his apartment is on the other side of the river, anyway.
Obnoxious amounts of traffic aside, it's not a terrible ride to Bar 1977, which is themed around classic Western rock music, for some reason. It's right up Chanyeol's alley, though; Sehun suspects the theme is what's kept him from moving somewhere more upscale, where he could expect a higher wage. The bar frequently hosts open mic nights, which Chanyeol occasionally participates in on his nights off, having amassed a small group of very vocal fangirls who scream their faces off during his covers of Coldplay, Radiohead, the Beatles, and the occasional Korean indie group.
Chanyeol is behind the counter, though, when Sehun squeezes his way past a group of smokers standing near the door and claims a stool near the end of the bar.
"Hey," Chanyeol shouts over the loud guitar riff signaling the bridge of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird." "The usual?"
Sehun nods, and Chanyeol ducks below the bar to pull up a bottle of white wine, fetching a glass and filling it halfway before pushing it across the counter to Sehun. Sehun swirls the glass and gives it a sniff before taking a sip.
"Tough day at the office?" Chanyeol laughs, and Sehun makes a face that clearly says as if. "Anything funny come up for the next issue?"
"Only if you think a whopping case of syphilis is funny," Sehun drawls. "Been busy tonight?"
"Hasn't been too bad yet, but we've hired a new bar back so I have a little more free time than I'd normally have on a Friday," Chanyeol says, scanning the bar. "Ah, there he is."
He waves over Sehun's shoulder, and a tall kid with blue-black hair and a beaky nose comes up and leans against the bar on Sehun's left side. He's got bags under his eyes, so pronounced they look like bruises, a row of piercings in the cartilage of his right ear, and a skull dangling from his earlobe. He looks intimidating even in his uniform, a black t-shirt and tight black pants with a bottle-green half-apron tied around his waist.
"Sehun, this is Huang Zitao," Chanyeol says, tripping over the Chinese pronunciation. "We just call him Tao around here. Tao, this is my friend, Oh Sehun."
Tao's sleepy face breaks into a disarmingly sweet smile. "Ohhh, you're the writer," Tao says in halting Korean, and Sehun glances at Chanyeol with irritation, earning an eyeroll that says, no, I didn't reveal your secret identity, Loverboy.
"Yes," Sehun says, turning back to Tao and offering his hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Tao is strong; Sehun can see his biceps flex when he grips Sehun's hand to shake it firmly. "Nice to meet you, too," Tao says. "Chanyeol talks about you a lot. I feel like I already know you!"
"Does he now," Sehun says flatly, eyes flicking to Chanyeol, who is grinning wide enough that Sehun thinks he might be able to see every tooth in his mouth.
"He didn't tell me how cute you are, though," Tao adds, without a trace of shame, and looks up at Chanyeol. "Hyung, I've got some more tables to clean. Do you need another keg set up?"
"Nah, but can you get me another case of white wine out of the cooler?" Chanyeol smirks. "I have a feeling Sehun might finish off this last bottle."
Tao laughs and pushes away to go tidy up, and Sehun glares ineffectually at Chanyeol, who just smiles.
"He's cute, isn't he?" Chanyeol says fondly. "He's moonlighting while he finishes his masters, psychology or something. Funny kid, good worker. Stop making that face at me. You don't meet enough nice boys to look that grumpy at me."
"Stop trying to set me up and maybe I'll stop looking so grumpy," Sehun sulks, nursing his wine.
"Oh, don't pretend like you don't like the attention," Chanyeol scoffs. "You are so transparent, with your nose in the air, pretending that you don't care."
"Park Chanyeol the poet, ladies and gentlemen," Sehun snorts, swirling the wine in his glass. Tao is somewhere to his left, he notices, clearing a table of glasses and bottles and wiping up spills before hefting a bussing tray into the back of the bar. "And I don't know what you're talking about."
"And that's your tell," Chanyeol says, filling a pilsner glass with beer and sliding it across the bar to a patron. "You try to act like you're totally unaffected, but I've known you way too long for that crap." He's wearing a good-natured smile with a teasing tilt to it. "I wonder what Loverboy would have to say about that."
"Keep him out of this," Sehun says, a little protective of his alter ego, mainly because if someone had written to Loverboy about the kind of behavior Sehun's exhibiting, he'd have torn the façade to pieces straight away.
"You know I'm right," Chanyeol says in a sing-song voice as Tao emerges through the swinging doors to the kitchen, hauling a case of wine. Chanyeol lifts the movable section of countertop so Tao can pass through and stash the box beneath the bar, slashing it open so Chanyeol won't need to track down a box cutter when he needs a fresh bottle.
Sehun's glass is running low. "More wine?" Tao asks, glancing up at Sehun and brushing off his apron.
Their eyes meet briefly, and Sehun nods. "Please."
Tao finds the correct bottle with ease and pours Sehun another half-glass, twisting the bottle at the end to keep it from dripping. He pulls a fresh napkin out of his apron pocket and sets it on the bar before placing the glass upon it with a gentle hand and a grin. "Don't lose it," he says cryptically, slipping out from behind the bar to clean more tables, and Sehun isn't sure what he means until he lifts the glass and catches sight of something scribbled on the napkin: HZT 010-5555-5293
"This," Sehun says in the most offended tone he can muster, "is sexual harassment."
"You," Chanyeol replies, topping off his glass to placate him, "are such a liar."
❦
Sehun stares at the napkin on his desk after the requisite three days have passed. He's not sure why he's waited this long; he always tells the people who write to him that it's a stupid, arbitrary amount of time, and if you like someone enough to want to see them again, you'd better call the next day. Be direct. It's practically his catchphrase. And yet he's sitting here, staring at phone number he's practically memorized, like some kind of anxious middle schooler with a dumb crush.
Except he totally doesn't have a crush on Huang Zitao.
He's cute, Sehun will allow him that. But you have to know someone a little bit to have a real crush on them, and one night at Bar 1977 with Tao flitting here and there doing his job was not enough time to get to know him. But Chanyeol isn't a half-bad judge of character-he's friends with Sehun, anyway-and Sehun hasn't dated anyone in a few years, not since Jongin dumped him to join the Met Ballet in New York.
Bastard, Sehun thinks, even though Jongin had given him the opportunity to come along. Since then, Sehun's had a string of unserious flings and one-night stands; loads of really good sex, but nothing beyond that.
He's thinking of Tao's sinewy forearms when his phone starts buzzing.
Unknown Caller
010-5555-5293
"You have got to be shitting me," Sehun mutters, sliding his thumb across the screen to answer the call. "Huang Zitao. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"So you memorized my phone number, then," Tao says, and Sehun's ears feel warm at the sly tone in which he replies. "Interesting."
"No, I'm just holding the napkin in my hand," Sehun stammers, but Tao just laughs.
"Well, at least I know it's not in the garbage outside the bar," he says, and Sehun knows he's been found out. "But I hadn't heard from you, so I got your number from Chanyeol just in case."
Traitor! Sehun shrieks internally, but merely deadpans, "What a pal."
"Isn't he?" Tao sounds like he's grinning. "Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner and drinks tonight. Do you like Italian? I know a place in Itaewon that's supposed to be good. And no," he adds, before Sehun can add a catty remark, "it's not Pizza Hut."
A bit shocked that he was beaten at his own game, Sehun nods, then realizes you have to actually speak to communicate to the person on the other end of the phone. "Yes," he says. "Italian sounds good. I will meet you at… which station?"
"Hangangjin," Tao supplies helpfully. "Seven o'clock?"
"Seven o'clock," Sehun agrees, and Tao hangs up. Sehun leans back in his swivel chair and wonders what, exactly, he is in for tonight.
❦
Sehun remembers now why he rarely goes on dates. Dating is hard. Small talk is exhausting; he can't think of anything to say besides "Wow, it's really hot out, isn't it?" He's starting to believe he's a complete fraud; his entire career is a sham. How on earth did he get the job of Ask Loverboy? It's been twenty minutes and he's already tanking this date, and he's not the only one who notices.
"You know," Tao says wryly, after their waitress uncorks a bottle of red wine for them and takes their entrée orders back to the kitchen staff, "for being Ask Loverboy and all, you're pretty unromantic."
"Keep your voice down," Sehun whispers, horrified. Chanyeol must die.
"I'm just saying," Tao continues, not lowering his volume in the least, "you don't seem to take your own advice that much."
"How do you know?" Sehun retorts in a more defensive tone than he'd like to admit.
"After Chanyeol told me what you do for a living, I looked up your column on Naver," Tao says with a little smile. "It's a little… ironic, isn't it?"
"Just a little." Sehun sighs and decides to give up the charade. "I'm sorry."
"It's all right," Tao says cheerfully, lifting his glass of wine. "Let's start over."
Sehun clinks the rims of their glasses together. "Cheers. All right. So. Chanyeol says you're a grad student?"
Tao beams, and Sehun feels like a dog that's just had its head patted; which is to say, pretty nice. "Yeah, working on my Ph.D, actually. Child psychology."
"So that's how you figured out I'm a sham," Sehun laughs. "Analyzing me, huh?"
"I wasn't aware that you think of yourself as a child." Tao smirks. "But yeah, that about sums it up."
Their food arrives, and they busy themselves with pizza and pasta, practically moaning about how delicious it is. Tao fills up Sehun's glass of wine when it gets too low, and Sehun's feeling a pleasant buzz that makes it easier to chat. They split a piece of tiramisú for dessert with matching after-dinner espressos, and leave the restaurant with their belts loosened a bit.
"So," Tao says as they stroll back to Hangangjin station, "would it be a bit too forward of me to ask for a second date at this point?"
The heady rush of alcohol and curiosity makes Sehun's chest feel warm. "I wasn't aware you ever worried about being too forward," he snorts.
"Politeness never hurts," Tao says lightly, ducking into an alley near the station with Sehun in tow. "I was thinking maybe Saturday afternoon, if you're free."
Sehun mentally checks his calendar and then remembers he never has any social engagements outside of bothering Chanyeol at work. "Saturday should be okay. What did you want to do?"
"It's a surprise," Tao says with a secretive smile, and Sehun isn't sure whether to be curious or worried. Maybe both. "Anyway, I think we're heading in opposite directions once we get down to the trains, so maybe we should say our goodbyes here?"
"O-okay," Sehun says, feeling more like a fraud every second this date goes on. Tao is so suave, and Sehun is so not.
Tao steps forward and slides one hand around Sehun's waist so he's palming the small of his back. Sehun can't seem to look away. "Is it all right if I kiss you?"
"I would be okay with that," Sehun says noncommittally, and Tao slides his other hand along the curve of Sehun's neck and draws him in until their lips touch, softly at first but gradually stronger as Sehun leans into the kiss and parts his lips.
Tao's tongue stays where it is, but they kiss open-mouthed for a few moments, Sehun backing into the wall and tangling his fingers in the back of Tao's hair while a rush of heat surges in his abdomen. Tao kisses away gently, Sehun's lips following shamelessly before he can stop himself. Tao smiles and runs his thumb across Sehun's lower lip, patting his cheek before withdrawing his other hand from Sehun's waist.
"See you Saturday," he says, and slips out of the alley.
Sehun slumps against the wall and glances down at the boner that's starting to push against the front of his jeans; not good for a crowded subway. He slinks back into the street to hail a cab and tries not to think of Tao's warm hands on his body.
❦
"So where are we going?" Sehun squirms against the leather upholstery in Tao's car as they speed west on the expressway bordering the Han River. The guy drives a fucking Maserati, even if it is an older model he received after his dad decided to upgrade; he had it shipped over to Korea when he moved. Sehun's jaw practically hit the pavement when he saw it parked outside his apartment building.
"I told you it's a secret," Tao says, pulling off the expressway toward the World Cup Stadium parks. He smiles behind his sunglasses. "You don't like surprises?"
"Not really," Sehun says. "What's at the World Cup Stadium? There can't be a concert, I haven't heard anything about-"
Tao interrupts him with a loud sigh as he pulls into the parking lot and scans the rows of cars for a free parking space. "You're like a kid, I swear. I'm taking you park golfing, all right?"
"You golf?" Sehun asks, eyebrows creeping toward his hairline.
"Park golfing, yeah," Tao says, turning into an empty parking spot. "It's a little easier and the games are shorter. Have you ever played?"
Sehun shakes his head. "I'm not what you'd call athletic."
"So is that how you got into writing, instead of playing sports in school?" Tao climbs out of the car and sets the alarm after Sehun gets out.
"Kind of, I guess?" Sehun shrugs as they walk toward the entrance of Noeul Park. "My parents wanted me to get into some clubs on top of my studying, so I joined the newspaper. Mostly because it didn't involve contact sports or public speaking. And I guess people liked it? People think I'm kind of funny, I guess. Not funny like 'ha ha' but funny like…" Sehun flaps his arms helplessly. "I don't know. Anyway, I wrote for the newspaper in university, too, and that's how I got my current job. Soojung-she's our features editor-we went to college together, and she told me about the job when it opened up."
"That's lucky," Tao says, stepping up to the admission booth and paying for their club rentals and admittance to the park. He passes Sehun his putter and they walk together to the first hole. "Did you always want to be an advice columnist, or…?"
"Not exactly," Sehun laughs. "I like writing for features, because there's always something new and unusual in our section, but I guess there's other writing jobs that would be more fulfilling to me. Working as a travel writer, maybe? Or a restaurant reviewer? It's like… I like being Loverboy, but I don't think I want to do it forever."
"Especially since you're not the guru you claim to be," Tao teases, and Sehun makes a face and digs an elbow into his ribs. Tao merely laughs and slings his free arm over Sehun's shoulders, pulling him in a little more closely.
"I'm going to warn you," Sehun says as they approach the first green, "my depth perception is not that great."
"Well, I'll go first, and then I'll help you set up your shot, all right?" Tao grins and bends down to set up his ball on the tee, giving Sehun a prime view of his muscular backside in those tight white slacks. The sight makes Sehun's fingers itch. Tao lines up his shot and chips the ball toward the hole several yards away; it doesn't make it in, but it's damn close. He looks pleased with himself. "All right, your turn."
Sehun crouches to put his own ball on the tee, then straightens, holding the club rigidly in his hands.
"Loosen your grip a little," Tao coaches him, coming up from behind him to wrap his hands around Sehun's on the club, adjusting the position of his hands. "Make sure your thumbs are- yeah, like that." He moves his hands to Sehun's hips and nudges at the back of his thigh with a knee in a way that makes Sehun's stomach drop. Tao's hips are flush with Sehun's ass, and it's all he can do not to push back against them. "Keep your feet hip width apart." His hands move back to cover Sehun's. "Now swing back gently with the club, because you don't have to hit it that far, and then bring it forward and follow through."
Sehun follows his instructions, but Tao is distractingly close and Sehun's arm spasms when Tao's hands return to his hips. The ball lands off course.
"You weren't kidding about being unathletic," Tao comments, laughing as he props his chin on Sehun's shoulder.
"You are distracting me," Sehun whispers loudly, closing his eyes. He thinks about moving away, but Tao's grip on his waist tightens.
"Really," he says in a tone that makes Sehun feel he's about to be eaten alive.
"Nope. Just kidding," Sehun says, too quickly to be believable, and wriggles out of Tao's reach.
💕
"I win," Tao crows triumphantly. Sehun pretends to beat him with his putter, but Tao wrestles it away from him until they're both laughing. "I want ice cream. I'll even buy some for you, too. Consolation prize, you know?"
Sehun settles for punching him in the shoulder, now that he's no longer in possession of his club.
They find a cart selling frozen treats near the park entrance, and they lick dripping Bravo cones as they turn in their clubs and golf balls. It's a little bit of a walk to the parking lot, and it's so hot that they're nearly done with their ice cream before they reach the car. Sehun makes sure to brush his fingers off before getting into Tao's car, not wanting to smudge the upholstery with an errant streak of sticky vanilla ice cream.
"This was fun," he says, shifting in the seat before he buckles his seatbelt so he can look at Tao.
Tao smiles, grin growing wider when he catches sight of Sehun's face. "You've got a bit of-"
Tao's hand cups his face to draw him forward, and then Tao's kissing just above his upper lip, tongue swiping across a smear of ice cream Sehun had missed. Sehun tilts his head so their mouths slot together properly and slides a hand up Tao's chest. His mouth is warm and cold, the tip of his tongue still frosty from the ice cream they'd just finished.
Sehun sucks on it to warm it up and drapes his other arm around Tao's neck while Tao's hand kneads the top of his thigh. Sehun moans into his mouth and drops the hand on Tao's chest so he can guide Tao's hand further up his leg to feel the blood rushing into his cock.
Tao responds with a throaty laugh as he pulls away from the kiss and withdraws his hand from Sehun's crotch. "Not in the car," he says with a meaningful look, and Sehun feels like his entire body is flushing.
Tao drops him off at his apartment with another heated kiss and plans for a date the following weekend. Sehun barely makes it inside before he unzips himself and sinks into the couch, pushing up his t-shirt and pulling at his dick until his chest is splattered with white.
❦
Their third date the next Friday has Sehun feeling jittery all through dinner, even after he's had a couple glasses of wine. Between last week's almost-hanky panky and the casually flirty texts he and Tao had exchanged during the week, Sehun is ready to pop. In any other situation Sehun would be fine with making a booty call, but with Tao... there's something simultaneously frustrating and exhilarating about the anticipation. The worst of it, though, is that he doesn't know where he stands. Sehun knows he's hot; he's had many a one night stand moan it in his ear while buried balls-deep in his ass. So he's perplexed by Tao's... reluctance? Puritanical leanings? Polite disinterest? Whereas Sehun feels he's made it pretty clear he wants to be on that like white on rice.
It's driving Sehun insane, which is why, on the way up to Tao's apartment for after-dinner coffee, he blurts out, unthinking, "I can't believe you haven't even tried to fuck me yet."
Tao turns around slowly in the stairwell, and Sehun tries to become one with the wall. It doesn't work. Tao looks at him curiously. "Is that a dealbreaker?"
"N-no," Sehun stammers. "It's just- I'm not used to it."
"What? Being wined and dined and treated nicely?" Tao leans against the door to his apartment, expression neutral.
"Yeah," Sehun says lamely, toying with the hem of his shirt.
"Do you want to have sex with me?" Tao asks, and Sehun's stomach flip-flops. He doesn't look up until Tao grabs his hand. "What are you always saying about communication, Sehun?"
"Haven't we established that I am a sham?" Sehun jokes, but Tao jerks him forward so there's only inches separating them.
"Answer the question, Sehun."
"Be direct," he says, "like a goddamn adult."
"So…"
Sehun lets out a trembling sigh and forces himself to look up at Tao. God, having sex with strangers is so much easier than this. "I really want to have sex with you. Like, desperately so."
Tao reaches behind himself to tap his code into the keypad, and twists the door handle once it's unlocked. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Speak for yourself," Sehun snorts, and surges forward to kiss him.
Tao's hands fall to Sehun's hips, holding him steady so the force of his lust doesn't knock them both onto the floor in the foyer. He walks them backwards carefully in the darkness, fumbling for a lightswitch while Sehun licks into his mouth and rubs up against him like a cat in heat. Sehun's eyes flick open briefly when the hallway light turns on, but he closes them again and slides one hands into Tao's back pocket and the other into his hair as Tao guides him into his bedroom, the door slamming behind them.
"Clothes off," Tao directs him, and Sehun unlatches his mouth from Tao's neck to undo the buttons on his own dress shirt, dropping it from his shoulders and yanking off the undershirt he's wearing beneath it. He helps Tao push off his blazer, moaning when Tao drops his hands to Sehun's belt and starts to unbuckle it, the fastenings of his dark-wash jeans following shortly. He steps out of his loafers and pushes down his jeans and underwear while Tao wriggles out of his own pants until he's left in nothing but the leather cord necklace around his throat.
They look each other over for a moment; Sehun's entire body feels hot under the scrutiny, but seeing Tao in all his naked glory-six-pack abs; thick, muscular thighs; just the right amount of chest hair-makes Sehun want to drop to his knees and thank God for Huang Zitao.
He settles for dropping to his knees and bringing the head of Tao's cock to his lips, the moan of surprise and contentment it elicits sending a rush of heat through his abdomen. Tao pushes the hair back from Sehun's forehead and curls his fingers at the crown of Sehun's head while Sehun trails his tongue up the underside of Tao's dick and leaves open-mouthed kisses on his way back down the shaft before taking it fully in his mouth. He bobs his head up and down along the length, feeling his own precome start to trickle down from the head at the choked sounds Tao's making.
"Sehun," he gasps, and laughs breathlessly when Sehun looks up at him with a mouthful of cock, lips pursed around the head like it's a rather large lollipop. "Come here."
Sehun releases the dick from his mouth with one last lick to the tip and clambers into Tao's lap, falling back onto to the bed with him when Tao leans back against the comforter. Tao kisses him languidly while kneading his fingertips into Sehun's fleshy asscheeks, grinding up into him until Sehun's whimpering into his mouth. Tao suddenly rolls them over, pressing Sehun into the mattress and fisting his cock with one hand while the other reaches over to procure lube and a condom from the drawer of his nightstand. Sehun rolls onto his stomach, ass on display for Tao.
"God, you want it bad," Tao laughs, spreading Sehun's cheeks with his thumbs. One hand moves away and Sehun hears the click of a cap and clenches up when the cool lube trickles down his crack. Tao spreads it around with two fingers and Sehun groans loudly into the pillow, toes curling. "Fuck, that's hot."
"I can take two to start, I fingered myself in the shower today," Sehun babbles, remembering how he'd braced himself against the wall and gotten three fingers in before he'd shot his load against the stall door. His wrist still hurts from the awkward angle.
Tao strangles a moan and begins to probe his rim with his index and middle fingers, working his way in to the first knuckle. "Were you thinking about me while you were doing it?" he asks, swiveling his fingertips around to stretch Sehun out a bit.
Sehun pushes back against the fingers in his ass. "Yes," he moans, rubbing his face against the pillowcase. "Fuck, I wanted you in me so bad."
Tao sinks his fingers in to the last knuckle, the pads of his fingertips stroking his insides until they nudge up against his prostate and Sehun lets out a sharp cry. Tao starts to work his ring finger in at that point, his other hand palm resting on the small of Sehun's back. "You all right?" Tao's third finger disappears into Sehun's ass, and Sehun feels so much fuller than he did with his own hand.
"Yeah," Sehun breathes, "yeah, that feels so-" Tao presses his fingers into that spot again, and Sehun keens. "Oh, please fuck me, please god I want your cock in me now-"
Tao's fingers are gone, suddenly, but then they tighten on either side of his hips to roll him onto his back once more. When Sehun's eyes focus, Tao's holding out the condom. "Put it on me."
Sehun tears the the foil with shaky hands and pinches the tip before rolling it down the length of Tao's dick. Tao grabs his left ankle and hoists his leg over one shoulder so he can scoot in closer, his hand trailing from Sehun's knee, up his thigh, and across his abdomen, eliciting a shudder of ticklishness. Tao leans in, stretching out Sehun's thigh and nosing at his cheek while he lines himself up with his free hand. "You ready?"
Sehun tilts his head to kiss Tao, sucking on his lower lip. "Mm-hmm."
Tao enters him all at once, Sehun's back arching in a silent moan. Even with the stretching, it's a tight fit, but not uncomfortable-just hot and full and right. Tao rotates his hips experimentally, pulls back, and then thrusts back in, working up a slow, steady pace. Sehun hitches his other ankle up along Tao's back to get his hips at a better angle, feeling the muscles shift under his heel.
"You feel really good," Tao hums into Sehun's neck, increasing his pace as Sehun loops an arm around Tao's bicep, giving him enough leverage to meet Tao's thrusts.
"I'm so glad Chanyeol gave you my number," Sehun moans breathlessly, thumbing one of Tao's nipples with his free hand. It's so good, but he wants more. "Let me ride you?"
Tao pulls out of him with a grunt and rolls over to the other side of the bed, and Sehun climbs on top of him, Tao steadying him with a firm grip on his hips while Sehun finds Tao's cock and eases it back in. He uses his knees to propel himself up and down on Tao's dick, and once he's got a rhythm going, Tao begins to thrust up into him.
"I wanna see you touch yourself," Tao groans, fingertips digging into Sehun's bony hips.
Sehun bites his lip and wraps a hand around the base of his cock, jerking it in time with Tao's thrusts. As his release nears, he speeds up, practically bouncing on Tao's dick while his hand flies over his own, until he's clenching tightly around Tao and spilling all over his fist and Tao's abs. Two thrusts later, Tao follows him with a rough shout, yanking Sehun down to grind up into his ass as he rides out the rest of his orgasm.
Sehun lies down bonelessly on Tao's chest, sliding up just enough to let Tao's cock slip out of his ass. Tao drapes an arm across Sehun's waist and presses his cheek to Sehun's forehead. "That was nice," he murmurs.
"Yeah." Sehun smiles to himself. They're cuddling. Sehun never gets to cuddle. "Yeah, it was."
"Still feeling like a fraud?" Tao laughs, dragging his clean hand through Sehun's hair.
"Honestly," Sehun says, "I feel a little more qualified for the job, but I think I need a little more practice." He turns his head, resting his chin on his hands over Tao's sternum. "Wanna find out what I imagined you were doing to me in the shower today?"
Tao grins and sits up, squeezing Sehun's ass in a cheeky fashion. "I would love nothing more."
❦
author's note: title from the song of the same name by yeah yeah yeahs. originally written for the bottomsehun exchange. god, i love writing taohun.