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Jooyeon likes to make bets. Silly, harmless little wagers between members – who does the dishes, who buys their lunch, stupid stuff like that. They're usually done with the whole group, just to make things fair and all.
Seungmin hates it.
He hates playing these ridiculous games for something that could be settled with a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, or guessing a number, or literally anything that didn't take as long as five rounds of Mario Kart. Now, just to be clear, he doesn't hate fun – he loves Mario Kart, actually, when there isn't a sink full of dishes growing mold in the kitchen– but what he does hate is how easily he gets roped into it, and how frustrated he is when he loses. Winning is like having a good high or perfecting a difficult song he's been practicing for weeks, while losing is like being slapped in the face or watching his precious synthesizer get smashed to pieces. It's high risk, high reward, and he just cannot stand it.
So why he keeps playing into it, he has no idea.
It's nice and quiet in the dorm now. With only Hyeongjun, Jooyeon and Seungmin there, there's some semblance of serenity, even if that was just because the noise-maker was passed out in his room. Hyeongjun was hanging out in the living room (the room that technically doubles as his and Jungsu's room) very quietly, per usual, leaving Seungmin with some well-deserved peace. He was curled up on the sofa, tucked under a cozy throw blanket and leaning comfortably against the arm. Scrolling through his phone was just entertaining enough to keep his mind occupied, but it honestly wasn't doing much for him. He relished slow days like this, he really did, but without the constant stress and non-stop work of a normal schedule, he just felt restless, like he needed to be doing something productive. He huffs at his phone and lets it fall from his hand with a little more aggression than was necessary– he needed to take it out on something – when he hears a door down the hallway open with a click. He looks up to meet Hyeongjun's gaze. Trouble was coming.
After some sluggish shuffling, Jooyeon appears in the doorway, running one hand through his shaggy, sleep-ruffled hair. "Hi," he mumbles as though he were still half asleep, and he sniffs as his glasses slide down his nose. Seungmin greets him quietly, while Hyeongjun simply offers him a small wave. Jooyeon blinks once, twice, then leaves without another word. They both watch the doorway for a few beats, and when he doesn't return, they look away. Seungmin releases a breath he didn't know he was holding. He knew peace was short-lived here, but at least now he could prepare for the incoming chaos instead of being thrown into it. Maybe some pain meds for the headache he knew was gonna come. That'd be a good idea.
Seungmin peels the blanket from his body and immediately shivers. He puts it in his spot, just to make sure it's secured, then walks to the kitchen, fighting the incoming chills and goosebumps. He's not surprised to see Jooyeon leaning against the counter, working vigorously to peel a mandarin. His brows are furrowed as he squints at the small orange fruit. It must not be cooperating the way he wants it too.
"Are you struggling?" Seungmin asks casually as he crosses the kitchen and opens the door to their medicine cabinet. As he's rummaging through the bottles, Jooyeon replies with an affirmative hum. "I don't like the white stuff, but it won't come off." Seungmin scoffs and retrieves the bottle of painkillers. "Eating it won't hurt you, y'know," he comments off-handedly, but once he turns around, Jooyeon's got this life-or-death type expression on his face, and he feels like if he doesn't intervene, there may not be a mandarin left for him to eat. He lets out a quiet sigh and sets the bottle down. "Here, let me have it."
Jooyeon blinks at Seungmin's open palm, then begrudgingly hands him the mutilated fruit. Seungmin's nails aren't any longer than Jooyeon's, but he finds he can actually peel the mandarin quite easily, and he manages to remove most of the white pith. When he hands it back to Jooyeon, his eyes are suddenly much brighter, like he's fully awake and just witnessed the second coming of Jesus.
"Seungmin, can you peel mandarins for me all the time?"
He has to physically stop himself from rolling his eyes. Granted, his request was a little cute, but he doesn't think he could do that without losing a fraction of his remaining sanity. "No," he replies bluntly, then turns back to his bottle of medicine and pops the lid open. He can practically see the pouty look on Jooyeon's face as he approaches him from behind and hooks his chin over his shoulder. "Whaaat?" He whines pitifully and wraps his arms around Seungmin's waist. He immediately appreciates the warmth against his chilled body, but he can't get rid of the prickling irritation under his skin; all affectionate irritation, of course, but irritation nonetheless.
"Why can't you?" Jooyeon continues, not letting go even as Seungmin stumbles across the room to get a cup, and hanging on as he goes to the sink to fill it up. "Because," Seungmin answers curtly before popping two pills in his mouth and swallowing them down with a grimace. One went down sideways, and now his throat feels weird. Fucking great . He takes another drink and pours the rest down the drain. The cup finds a spot next to the sink– it's no surprise that it's full of dishes, yet again, and no one has done them yet. "Someone outta take care of this." Jooyeon peels himself from Seungmin's back, and he almost misses his body heat. "Why don't you do them, then?" He asks, and a fresh wave of annoyance flows through him. " Because ," he stresses, "I do them all the time. I don't see you doing the dishes twice a week."
Seungmin catches Jooyeon taking apart his mandarin and tossing pieces in his mouth with a shrug. "I can't help that I'm good at games, dude. Maybe you should try harder to win." Seungmin does roll his eyes this time. He hates this stupid system of theirs; even if Jooyeon and the others claimed it was fair, it wasn't, and even though it was by a small margin, Seungmin lost the most frequently. He would kill to see Jooyeon come in dead last at his own game. He nearly laughs just thinking of it.
"Maybe you should take the initiative and be, I dunno, a responsible adult? Do you even know how to wash dishes?" His words come out harsh, but there's a teasing lilt to his voice that lets Jooyeon know he isn't really that serious. A little, yes, but surely not enough for them to actually argue. It seems to get across pretty well, because Jooyeon smiles and wipes juice from the corner of his mouth. "I have the luxury of being lucky, actually, so I've never had to learn. I'll leave the dishwashing to guys like you."
Seungmin scoffs and turns away. "Yeah, it's all luck. If we played something that required real skill, I'd kick your ass in two seconds flat." Jooyeon's finished his fruit by now, and he wipes his juice-covered fingers on his shirt. "Oh yeah?" He challenges, and Seungmin immediately recognizes that shit-eating, smug-as-hell look on his face. He cocks his eyebrow and crosses his arms, leaning confidently against the countertop. "Yeah," he hums, "I'd wipe the floor with you."
He's playing a dangerous game here– he knows, he really does, but Jooyeon always manages to light a competitive flame in him, especially when he gets so sure of himself, like Seungmin couldn't beat him if he tried. And he totally could, and would, if Jooyeon wanted to challenge him so badly. He straightens up and nods in the direction of the living room. "What do you think? A few rounds of Smash, and whoever loses does the dishes?" He internally smacks himself for not just participating in, but inciting a bet (and one for dishes, at that), one he knew he'd regret if he lost.
For some reason, Jooyeon doesn't look nearly as eager as he usually does. He's pushing his sticky fingers together and studying Seungmin like he's lost in thought. The silence hangs in the air for a few beats before he jerks his head up with a grin, his hair bouncing around his face. "That's not good enough." He says mischievously. Seungmin already feels nervous. "What's 'not good enough'?"
"The bet. It's not good enough. But I think I've got something better."
Jooyeon takes a step forward and points his finger at Seungmin's chest. Seungmin squares his shoulders and raises an eyebrow at him.
"The loser shouldn't have to do just the dishes. They should do anything the winner wants for a whole day ."
Seungmin tries to fight his exasperated smile, but it climbs to his face as he turns his head and pushes Jooyeon's hand away. "What? Do you want me to boss you around all day?" Jooyeon laughs and gives him a shove to the shoulder. "Who said anything about you giving orders? I'm dead-set on winning, Seungmin. Do we have a deal?"
Jooyeon extends his hand. Seungmin feels an uncertain thrill rise in his chest. This could be fun.
As he puts his hand out to meet Jooyeon's, a sudden thought startles him out of the motion.
"Eugh, for the love of God, wash your hands first, please."
—
Seungmin lost.
It wasn't even by a little bit, either. From the moment they started, Jooyeon kicked his ass halfway to Sunday. It was extremely embarrassing.
The second the final round came to a close, Seungmin dropped the controller into his lap and threw himself back with a shout. His hands came to cover his eyes as Jooyeon cheered and hollered way too loud about his victory. Hyeongjun witnessed the whole thing and was egging Jooyeon on, over-hyping his victory just to spite Seungmin. This was supposed to be his game, his bet. His chance to shove in Jooyeon's face that he wasn't the only one who could win something. Now Jooyeon's ego would be through the roof, and it would be nobody's fault but his own.
"Fuck yeah! In your face , Oh Seungmin!" He shouts from beside him, clearly enjoying this way more than Seungmin himself. He hears Hyeongjun laughing, and when he finally peels his hands away from his eyes, he sees him staring at them with an amused expression. What the fuck are you looking at? Asshole . Seungmin keeps his harsh words to himself and turns to Jooyeon. He's practically jumping for joy, and if he wasn't so pissed, Seungmin would find the way his hair flew around his face hilarious.
He drags his hand over his mouth and sighs. "Okay, okay, I lost. Now sit your ass down." Though he looks a little upset at the idea of ending his celebration, Jooyeon obliges and sits back down. He brushes his wild hair out of his face and pulls a strand off of his tongue, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Alright," he begins as he turns to face Seungmin, pushing his glasses up and sitting cross-legged. "How do you wanna do this?"
Seungmin takes a breath. "Um, I dunno, really. Just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it– within reason, of course. You can't make me do anything gross." Jooyeon nods and bites his thumbnail absent-mindedly. "Okay. Yeah, that's fair. We need some kind of signal, though, if you need to opt out. Like a, uh… what is it…"
"A safeword?" Hyeongjun pipes up and Jooyeon turns to him with an excited snap. "Yes! A safeword! God, I couldn't remember the word for it, thank you."
Seungmin wrinkles his nose and looks between them. "Isn't that a little much? What are you planning on making me do?" Jooyeon shakes his head and waves his hand at him, dismissing his question entirely. "What would be a good word for you? Something easy to remember, obviously." Seungmin opens his mouth to reply, but nothing comes out; it's like every word in the dictionary has left his brain, leaving him speechless. "Um," he hums, eyes darting around the room in search of an answer. His gaze lands on one of Jungsu's hoodies and his mouth acts accordingly. "Purple."
He hears Hyeongjun snort beside him. "Purple? That works, I guess," Jooyeon comments with a snide smile. Seungmin sighs. He's exhausted already, and it's only been an hour and a half since Jooyeon woke up. "What? It's easy to remember, isn't it? So it works just fine." His words carry a bit of venom with them, just residual bitterness from his overwhelming loss. Thankfully, it doesn't affect Jooyeon much as he just shrugs and crosses his arms. "Sure it does. I didn't say otherwise, did I?"
Fuck. This is gonna be one hell of a day.
—
"Purple."
"Okay, that's not how that works and you know it."
Seungmin's disgusted. Appalled, really. The dishes were one thing, but this ? This is really pushing it.
I mean, really, who leaves their clothes laying around like this?
He stares in disdain at the pile of filthy laundry lying obnoxiously on top of the hamper, but not actually in it. He kicks at it like it could start moving on its own at any second– he figures there's enough bacteria on it to consider the entire thing a living organism. Jooyeon's leaning against the doorway with a disappointed expression. He clearly hadn't anticipated Seungmin using his safeword for this.
"Do I have to?" Seungmin complains with a forlorn look on his face. He knows the answer– he's not actually gonna back out here, because he's sure the consequence would be way worse– but God , is it dreadful. The dishes he understood, because at least that was partly his mess, but this is all Jooyeon, 100% his problem; except now it's his, too, thanks to this stupid bet. He inhales deeply and bends down to pick up a wrinkled black t-shirt. He moves it to the side and starts making a small pile, just so he can actually access the crumbled hamper.
By the time he reaches it, he's already tired. Jooyeon must be, too, because he's moved from the doorway to his bed, where he's now sat watching Seungmin work tirelessly to clean up his mess. Seungmin swears under his breath as he tosses the hamper around to get some air back in it and smooth out the crinkles in the fabric. It smells. He shoots Jooyeon a frustrated glare, and he responds with a toothy smile and a not-at-all-reassuring totally-annoying-on-purpose thumbs up. Seungmin tosses the first few items of clothing in the hamper with more force than necessary.
Hamper full, he lugs it out of Jooyeon and Gunil's bedroom and to the washing machine. Of course, there had to be something in there already, so he grits his teeth and moves whatever it is into the dryer. Just another pointless chore meant for someone else to do , he thinks to himself, and I'm stuck here doing all of them. Curse you, Lee Jooyeon, and your stupidly good luck.
Thankfully, putting the laundry in is as simple as tipping the basket upside-down. Seungmin throws in some detergent, fixes the settings, and starts the cycle wordlessly. He picks the hamper back up and puts it neatly back in place; the rest of the room isn't very pretty, but at least one corner has Seungmin's delicate touch.
"See? That wasn't so bad," Jooyeon coos, rising to his feet and standing in front of Seungmin. "You make a good dog." Seungmin scoffs. "Oh, I've been demoted to 'dog' now? You want me to crawl around on all-fours or something?" Jooyeon laughs and, frustration be damned, Seungmin chuckles too. "That'd be really funny," Jooyeon admits. "Don't tempt me."
"Fuck you, dude," Seungmin breathes with an amused smile.
His amusement is short-lived as a hand shoots out in front of him. Fingers curl around his jaw, holding his head in place with just enough pressure to not hurt him. It's like he forgets to breathe as his eyes desperately search Jooyeon's face, but his countenance gives nothing away.
"I didn't think dogs talked like that."
He speaks so casually, as if he doesn't have Seungmin literally in the palm of his hand. His jaw forcefully clenched, Seungmin can hardly open his mouth to reply, but he manages to grit out an angry, "What?" Jooyeon just squeezes harder in response and it makes Seungmin flinch. A flicker of alarm briefly crosses Jooyeon's face, and he slackens his grip for just a moment. "Do you remember your safeword?" He asks quietly, almost awkwardly, and Seungmin nods. "Say it."
"Purple," he mumbles, confused.
"Good. Remember it."
There's a few moments of silence where the only thing Seungmin can hear is his own labored breathing and the pounding of his heart in his ears. He swallows hard, and that must be what flips Jooyeon's switch from normal-bandmate-and-best-friend to Oh Seungmin's (alleged) owner for the day. He tightens his hold and Seungmin's brows furrow from the pressure. "Dogs don't talk, and they certainly don't swear," he scolds, and something in Seungmin cowers at his tone. It makes him feel small.
"Dogs bark. Do you think you can bark for me, Seungmin?"
Seungmin's gaze hardens and levels with Jooyeon's. This was a game– he could tell, now– and he wasn't gonna play by Lee Jooyeon's dumb rules.
"Fuck you."
He hardly gets the words out before his mouth is being forced open and Jooyeon's thumb is pressed firmly against his tongue. Seungmin flinches yet again, tries to jerk his head back, but he's held so firmly all he can do is take it; technically, he could grab Jooyeon's arm and pull him away, he's definitely strong enough to, but he doesn't. He feels almost nervous at the thought of doing so.
He can't really swallow anymore, so his saliva pools in his mouth uncomfortably. Despite that, his tongue still feels so dry from where Jooyeon's touching it. He doesn't move his finger, just keeps it pushed down, like it's some sort of punishment. In a way, it is, because now Seungmin feels like he might drool, and that would be very embarrassing. His stomach flutters anxiously. Just what is going on here, exactly?
"Did you not hear me? I told you to bark. You can't even do that?" Jooyeon scolds him again and Seungmin squeezes his eyes shut. This is… a lot. And he's not even sure what "this" is. Some sort of twisted role-play? Maybe his next chore would be to scrub the floors with a toothbrush or something cruel like that. Purple , he repeats in his head. If it gets too much, I have a way out. Purple. Besides, he wouldn't hurt me or anything. I trust him with my life. Purple.
Seungmin goes to make a snarky retort, but he realizes that that might not be the smartest idea, so he lets the words die in his throat. He just glares defiantly at Jooyeon. He wants to fight back. It's fun, in a strange, sick way.
"Seungmin. Speak ."
He wants to play? Fine. He'll play.
Seungmin presses his teeth into Jooyeon's thumb. Not hard enough to injure him, of course, but he'd probably leave a few indents. A physical warning of what he's dealing with.
Through his clenched teeth, Seungmin responds.
" Woof ."
—
Seungmin was honestly expecting the hours following the incident in Jooyeon's room to be filled with nothing but awkward tension and weird commands, but to his surprise, things progressed pretty normally.
When Jooyeon pulled his thumb from Seungmin's teeth, he had done nothing but wipe the residual spit on Seungmin's cheek and give him praise. " Good boy ," he had said with a smile, all cocky and happy while Seungmin felt like a confused idiot. The praise did make his heart flutter, but other than that, he wasn't sure how he felt about anything that had just happened. As Jooyeon left the room, he just stood there and wiped the saliva off of his face with a disgusted grunt. His thoughts had halted while Jooyeon toyed with him, but they were returning, and it seemed that with each passing second, another question popped into his mind.
Now, as he stands sweeping the kitchen floor, he can't do anything but think about what happened. The almost threatening pressure on his tongue, the casual tone Jooyeon spoke in, the playful shine in his eyes, the expression he wore that refused to give away his true intentions. He finds that it all just adds onto the list of things about Lee Jooyeon that irritate the hell out of him. At least he wasn't pestering him now– he had the decency to stay quiet while he watched Seungmin from the kitchen table. He was sipping a strange concoction of orange juice and blue syrup (Seungmin didn't dare question him about it, because he knew if he did, he'd be forced to try it) and scrolling through his phone mindlessly. It was a little unnerving, him being completely silent, but it gave Seungmin time to unpack his emotions and really dig into them.
For starters, he wasn't actually upset with Jooyeon for messing with him or calling him a dog or whatever. It was kinda fun, purposefully rebelling against his orders. He liked trying to rile him up and get under his skin; it was like payback, in a way, for making him touch his filthy laundry.
Despite that, he still wasn't entirely sure why Jooyeon wanted to play like this. He'd never done it before, that's for sure. He's touchy, yeah, and knows how to push everyone's buttons, but never to the extent of shoving his thumb in someone's mouth and telling them to bark. Seungmin thinks he'd remember something like that.
He's pulled out of his thoughts by movement at the kitchen table. He keeps his eyes focused on the ground, and his eyebrows furrow as he struggles to sweep a piece of paper into his pile of trash. He hears Jooyeon's glass clink as it's placed in the now-empty sink, and his socked feet quickly appear in his peripheral.
"Seungmin," he drawls, wrapping his arms around his waist. Seungmin clicks his tongue and slaps at his hands. "Let me go, I'm doing something." Jooyeon holds him tighter, because of course he does, and Seungmin bites his tongue before he says something he'll regret. "Aren't you almost done? I'm hungry," Jooyeon complains as he pushes his forehead against Seungmin's shoulder. The frame of his glasses digs into his muscle, and it hurts a little, but the mental image of Jooyeon clinging to him like a baby is enough compensation to ignore it. "Grab me the dustpan and I'll be done quicker." Jooyeon begrudgingly releases him and fetches the dustpan without a word. Who's the dog now , Seungmin muses happily.
"Here, you hold it, I'll sweep it in." Jooyeon hands Seungmin the dustpan and he finds himself crouched on the floor to hold it steady. It's no surprise that Jooyeon misses the pan entirely and scatters dirt across the floor. When Seungmin looks up to tell him off, he sees that same smug look he's had all day. That stupid shit-eating grin makes Seungmin's skin prick with annoyance. He lets out an exaggerated sigh and repositions the dustpan so Jooyeon can sweep up the mess he made and try again. He shouldn't be surprised when he misses again , but he can't help the frustrated noise that escapes him. "Okay, what the fuck is your deal?" He snaps up at him.
"Nothing. I just like seeing you down there."
Jooyeon winks and Seungmin feels heat rush to his face. The tips of his ears are burning, he can feel it.
"Shut up and get on with it," he grumbles as he reaches forward and slaps Jooyeon on the leg. Leave it to him to make some stupid innuendo while Seungmin's busting his ass trying to clean. Thankfully, Jooyeon decides to stop messing around and actually sweeps properly. They finish up quickly, with Seungmin tossing the dust and garbage in the bin and Jooyeon putting the broom and dustpan back in their rightful places. Seungmin's far from done, though, because Jooyeon always has something else for him to do.
"You…" he hums as he leans forward against the counter, "should make me some ramen. And Hyeongjun, too." Seungmin opens his mouth to complain, but he's interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. There's a muffled call of "I'm back!" from the other room.
"And Jungsu."
Seungmin glares at him so harshly he feels like he might get a headache. "You're such a prick."
"So? What are you gonna do about it?"
Seungmin jerks his head away and bites back a sharp retort. He'll get his two cents in later, preferably somewhere more private, just in case Jooyeon decides Seungmin's forgot the feeling of his thumb against his tongue. For now, he'll do what he says. He extends an open hand and does his best to ignore Jooyeon's obnoxious giggling. As packets of ramen are deposited in his palm, he feels the pressure of an incoming headache thrum behind his eyes.
—
Seungmin finds the domesticity of cooking for his dormmates a lot more pleasant than he thought he would.
He actually managed to get Jooyeon to go wait in the other room, leaving him alone to contemplate as he stares into a pot of boiling water. It's almost therapeutic, watching the water slowly heat and bubble as he lets his thoughts wander aimlessly. He forces all images of Jooyeon out of his mind– he could deal with those later– and instead focuses on the task at hand. His brain could finally relax, even as his body moved systematically through the motions of boiling the noodles and frying a few eggs to go on top. He finishes with only a small grease burn on his finger and several beads of sweat on the back of his neck. Looking down at the four neatly-plated bowls, Seungmin feels a rush of satisfaction. It's fine work , he concludes as he grabs a bowl in each hand and sits them on the cluttered kitchen table. "It's done!" He calls behind his shoulder. His next job would be cleaning off this absurdly messy table.
He turns around to grab the other two bowls and immediately bumps into Jooyeon. " Christ ," he gasps out as they collide. He hadn't even heard him enter; why was he standing so close to him, anyway? Weirdo , he thinks frustratedly. "Why do you feel the need to hover over me?" Jooyeon steps to the side to let Seungmin pass and shrugs. "I dunno. I was gonna say something, but you seemed pretty absorbed in what you were doing, so I didn't." Seungmin just hums in acknowledgement and grabs the remaining two bowls. He has to admit, he was feeling pretty zoned out. Following all these orders was making him tired, and he felt like he'd hardly used his brain at all today. I guess I didn't really have to , he muses, with Jooyeon giving me directions all day. He's doing all the thinking for me. He scoffs quietly to himself. Jooyeon? Thinking? Give me a break.
Jooyeon exclaims quietly as Seungmin sets the remaining bowls on the table. "That looks really good," he breathes with a soft smile. "You did really well. Good boy, Seungmin."
Ah.
Seungmin's breath catches in his throat. He nearly snaps his neck looking over his shoulder to make sure no one else had walked in. That was a dangerous phrase, one that reminded him of the oh-so-puzzling incident in Jooyeon's room just hours ago. He has to forcefully calm his expression, but the pink dusting his cheeks and ears can't be willed away so easily. Jooyeon must notice (or it was his intention all along, flustering Seungmin just how he knew it would), because he grins and rests his head in his hand. "Yeah, you did great, seriously. I can't wait to try it."
Idiot idiot idiot. Stupid idiot.
"Aren't you gonna sit down? Hyeongjun and Jungsu are coming."
Seungmin clears his throat and straightens his posture. "Yeah," he utters, doing his best to appear unbothered, and pulls out the chair across from Jooyeon. The bastard doesn't stop smiling at him, even as he stuffs his mouth full of food. Seungmin hesitantly starts to eat, too, putting aside his unease for a moment. As expected, his ramen is fucking delicious, and he decides to focus on the overwhelming pride bubbling inside him rather than the strangely tense atmosphere that hangs heavy in the kitchen.
Hyeongjun and Jungsu conveniently join them just when the silence begins to turn awkward. Hyeongjun steps behind Jooyeon to sit next to him, while Jungsu takes his place next to Seungmin. "Ooh, look at you," the blonde hums approvingly. "It's got an egg on top and everything. You didn't have to do all this." For the first time today, Seungmin's heart sings; he doesn't bother controlling the smug, very-clearly-pleased smile that rises to his face.
"Actually, he did have to do it. Y'know, with the bet and all."
Jooyeon's unnecessary comment completely ruins the mood. His expression falls, and if looks could kill, Jooyeon would be nothing but a lifeless pile of flesh and bones. Hyeongjun catches his eye and has the audacity to laugh with the food Seungmin made for him still in his mouth. He finishes his bite with an entertained gleam in his eye. "He's not working you too hard, is he?"
He sighs. "No," he admits, though he wishes he could express just how frustratingly bizarre his entire afternoon has been. "I've just cleaned and stuff, really."
"I made him bark earlier."
Seungmin's eyes widen and he shoots Jooyeon a pointed stare. His foot collides with his shin and Jooyeon recoils with a small cry. After he's dealt with, Seungmin's eyes find Hyeongjun's, and then possibly even worse, Jungsu's. Hyeongjun has the same look that he gets when he's watching something funny on his phone– this is like a sitcom to him, a sick, twisted sitcom– but Jungsu seems more puzzled than anything. He looks like he wants to ask a question or ten, but he doesn't, and Seungmin internally thanks him for keeping his nose out of it. He isn't sure how he'd even explain it all without Jooyeon making it exponentially worse, like he seems to love doing now.
He nearly jumps out of his skin when he feels Jooyeon's foot ghost across his ankle. Both his feet come up on either side of his leg and lock behind it, caging his leg in place. Seungmin scowls and uses his free foot to push and kick at Jooyeon's legs, but he doesn't budge. Why does he feel the need to play with him like this? What purpose does clinging onto his leg like this serve, other than being extremely annoying? Seungmin stifles a sigh and lets his foot fall back to the ground. He feels utterly defeated, and it's only been a few hours since Jooyeon first sunk his claws into him. He won't last much longer at this rate; he's going to snap, and Jooyeon's bound to get the brunt of it.
Jungsu finishes up first. He practically licked the bowl clean– there isn't a speck of food left when he stands and takes his dishes to the sink. He thanks Seungmin again with a completely unnecessary kiss to the cheek and wanders back to the living room. Hyeongjun gets up shortly after, also thanking Seungmin for the meal and promising to cook him something tasty later. He appreciates the sentiment, but he finds he's satisfied enough just by them eating what he cooked. It makes him feel warm and wanted. He doesn't bother trying to hide the giddy expression that rises to his face and makes him smile as he finishes the last few bites in his bowl.
When he tries to get up to put his dish away, Jooyeon's feet hold his leg tighter. Even as Seungmin jerks his leg away forcefully, he's relentless with his grip, and it makes Seungmin groan as he flops back into his chair. "You get up when I tell you to," Jooyeon murmurs before taking another bite of ramen into his mouth. Seungmin clenches his jaw and crosses his arms over his chest. He feels weary. He just wants to go lie down in bed and take a nap or something, not sit here and watch every painstakingly slow bite Jooyeon takes. He's purposely taking his time, Seungmin knows he is, but God does he want to shout at him to just hurry the fuck up.
He thinks he's finally being released when he feels the hold on his leg loosen just a bit. He goes to stand, but just as quick as it loosened, the grip tightens again, and he all but falls back into place. Jooyeon's not looking at him, but he's smiling, and a fresh wave of irritation washes over him. "You're the fucking worst ," he hisses through gritted teeth. Jooyeon just shrugs. "You know what I told you. Now stop moving." Seungmin's eyes roll back in his head as he turns his face to the ceiling. He'll just have to be patient and wait until his merciless owner sets him free.
He has to hold back a curse when he feels Jooyeon's foot travel up his leg. He's really fucking ticklish, and Jooyeon knows that very well, everyone does. They also know not to tickle him because he isn't afraid to get violent– and he would get violent, if it weren't for his current situation. He presses his teeth into his tongue and focuses instead on the mental image of him giving Jooyeon what he deserves, be that a (loving) punch to the gut or a hard loss at Mario Kart. What he wouldn't do to be able to order him around just like he's doing to him now, make him do his laundry, make him cook his food. He even ponders what it would be like to force Jooyeon's mouth open and make him bark, just like he'd done to him. His heart rate quickens. Okay, enough of that.
Jooyeon's toe grazes a particularly sensitive spot and Seungmin's whole body jolts. His eyebrows furrow as his teeth sink into his tongue a bit harder than he'd intended them too. He raises his head and places two fingers against his tongue to check for blood. They come back without a drop of red, thankfully, and he wipes his wet digits on his shirt. When he lifts his gaze again, Jooyeon's got his head resting in his hand, appearing far too casual for the intense look in his eye. His line of sight follows Seungmin's hand as it finishes rubbing against his shirt and rests in his lap. "Did you bite your tongue?" He asks. Seungmin feels his foot move higher up his leg, now resting at his knee.
"Yeah, I–" Seungmin's reply is cut off by a yelp as something brushes against his inner thigh. His hands immediately reach down and wrap around Jooyeon's ankle. His thighs are extremely ticklish, almost as much as his chest and sides. His gaze is furious when he levels with Jooyeon, but it's offset by the embarrassed blush dusting his cheeks. Jooyeon's grin rivals the one he wore when he won Smash hours ago; he gets such a kick out of this, the sadistic prick. Neither of them speak, but Seungmin keeps his grip tight on Jooyeon's ankle as they have their stare-down.
After a few quiet beats, Seungmin releases him and leaves his spot at the table, taking his bowl with him. He pointedly doesn't offer to take Jooyeon's– he doesn't deserve the courtesy. With his back turned, he can't see him, but he can hear his chair scoot across the floor and the pad of his feet as he steps up behind him. He reaches around him to put his dishes in the sink, just barely grazing his shoulder with his hair. It gives Seungmin goosebumps on the side of his neck.
It seems that now, everytime Jooyeon gets in close proximity to him, his brain goes on full alert while simultaneously turning to mush. He isn't even doing anything, just breathing the same air as him, and it has Seungmin's mind whirling. He isn't sure what to expect from him after the events of the day and it makes him nervous. Not bad nervous , he realizes. Like reaching the top of a rollercoaster .
He's antsy, despite his drowsiness, so he turns on the faucet and picks up a dirty bowl to scrub. He's all too aware of the sound of Jooyeon opening the freezer and the crinkling of plastic wrappers. He really tries to narrow his focus, but as soon as he thinks he's got it, a sudden conspicuous noise from behind him pulls him out of it completely. He's frustrated, and he has been all day, but he just doesn't know what to do about it. Fighting Jooyeon isn't going nearly as well as he had hoped, so he's stuck in this endless cycle of peculiar intimacy and murderous intent. It's not that he minds Jooyeon touching him– he doesn't, really– it's just that his intentions are so vague . That, or Seungmin's purposefully avoiding the truth in his painfully deliberate actions. He'll think about that later.
He anticipates the arm around his shoulder before it lands there. He doesn't flinch this time, but he does grimace at an obnoxiously loud " pop " right next to his ear. Seungmin jerks his shoulder, jostling Jooyeon. "Get that out of my face," he grumbles. He doesn't have to look to know he's got a melon bar between his lips.
"Do you want some?" Jooyeon asks, disregarding what Seungmin said entirely. Seungmin shakes his head and sets a now-clean bowl on the drying rack next to the sink. "It's yummy."
"I know it's yummy, but I don't want any right now. I just want to get this done and go take a nap or something."
"... It's really yummy."
Seungmin closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Jooyeon's never this annoying, and honestly, never this clingy, either. He understands the reasoning for it today (his grand plan to make Oh Seungmin's life a living hell for twenty-four hours), but that hardly makes it any more bearable. He loves him, and he truly, honest-to-God would lay his life down for him, but he's not sure how to handle this situation in the slightest.
Jooyeon's hand sneaks around his collarbone and rests firmly against the base of his neck. "Do you wanna try?" His voice has lowered to no more than a whisper against the shell of Seungmin's ear, and the hot air against his skin makes him shiver. He swallows hard and uses every bit of composure he has left to keep his face still and unbothered. "What, are you gonna shove that in my mouth, too?" He asks nonchalantly as he picks up a pair of chopsticks.
The hand around his neck tightens just a smidge, and he can hear Jooyeon's breath hitch. Interesting .
"I can, if you want me to."
Seungmin suddenly feels very warm. This feels different, even from before. There's more tension now, and they're both aware that this isn't quite a game anymore. They're walking a thin line, one that, once crossed, will be hard to go back over. He can already imagine just how awkward it would be, how much it would affect their personal and professional lives, if they dared to take this any further. He gulps and sets his clean chopsticks down. His hand is still wet, but he brings it up to Jooyeon's arm and clings onto it. "I don't want you to." He speaks firmly, still refusing to lift his eyes from the running water of the faucet; he fears that, if he does, he'll be unable to keep calm and collected.
Jooyeon stills and loosens his hold just a little. He's faltering , Seungmin realizes with a start. He's unsure . "Your word?" He murmurs, and Seungmin relaxes a little. He'd actually forgotten about it until now. "Purple," he responds quietly, and Jooyeon nods. "Good. Are you using it?"
Seungmin wavers as heat rises to his face. "No." The grip on his throat tightens. He seems happy about that , he thinks mirthfully. The hand slowly climbs up his neck until it rests just below his jaw. The movement naturally tilts his head back, so he has no choice but to lift his gaze to the wall instead of the sink. His one distraction is gone, and now all he can focus on is the warm breath against his ear and the feeling of Jooyeon's heart beating against his shoulder. His own chest is pounding from exhilaration, and he wouldn't be surprised if Jooyeon could feel it, too.
"C'mon," he breathes. "I thought you were supposed to do anything I asked. That was what we agreed on, wasn't it?"
Seungmin hesitantly nods as best he can with his movement restricted by Jooyeon's hold on him. His face scrunches when he feels fingers dig into his jaw and force his mouth open with a weird sense of deja vú. Something cold hits his tongue and he immediately understands what's going on.
This dumbass wants me to try his popsicle.
In typical noncompliant fashion, Seungmin jerks his head to the side and squeezes the arm around his shoulder. He's not the type to give in easily, and Jooyeon definitely knows that by now. He responds by clenching his jaw between his fingers harder and pulling his open mouth back to the popsicle. Before it can even reach his tongue, Seungmin forces his mouth shut. The popsicle presses against his lips and he instinctively sticks his tongue out to clean up the mess it's made. Jooyeon uses this opportunity to finally push the popsicle fully into his mouth. Seungmin chokes in surprise as it hits his sensitive back teeth. "See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Jooyeon exhales, and Seungmin can hear the smile in his voice. He wrinkles his nose and tries one final time to wiggle away, but it's pointless. He sighs harshly through his nose and glares in Jooyeon's direction.
The popsicle is rapidly melting in his mouth and is becoming quite the problem. He's been trying not to swallow– it's kind of hard to, with a hand against your neck– but the liquid pooling in his throat is threatening to make him drool, or even worse, choke. He takes a deep breath and swallows hard.
He should've expected Jooyeon to take advantage of his action, but he can't help the startled noise that rises from him as Jooyeon forces another inch of the popsicle into his mouth. It's nearly at the back of his throat now, and the proximity to his gag reflex is making his heart pound. He can't keep his eyes open anymore; they flutter shut as his grip on Jooyeon's arm tightens.
"That's it, that's a good boy," he coos, and the breath that comes out of Seungmin is a lot whinier than he wanted it to be. It makes him blush and fidget, and something warm ignites in his stomach. He hears Jooyeon gulp next to his ear. "You like this way more than I thought you would. Should've made you my dog a long time ago. Isn't that right, puppy?"
Oh my god, holy fuck.
Seungmin feels like he's dying. His chest hurts from the intensity of his heartbeat, his legs are trembling and he feels like he can't breathe. This is so much. It's so foreign , too, being treated like this (and by Lee Jooyeon , of all people). He shamefully thinks he could get used to it.
"Hey, I–"
Seungmin's eyes fly open at the new voice.
He honestly wishes he'd just kept them shut, because as soon as he can see again, his gaze lands on Hyeongjun, standing in the doorway wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Jooyeon quickly pulls the popsicle out of Seungmin's mouth and steps back, his hands leaving him swiftly, like he'd just burnt himself. Spit and juice collect on Seungmin's lips and he leans over the sink as he wipes it away with the back of his hand. His ears are burning and his mind is racing. The whole " scene" from before has completely shattered. He's so fucking embarrassed , letting himself get carried away like that. And in the kitchen, of all places! Of course someone would walk in while Jooyeon's got two and a half inches of a melon bar shoved down his throat. He barely registers Jooyeon and Hyeongjun's conversation from behind him, but he can tell Jooyeon's just as flustered as he is. His voice is quiet and unstable, and he's fumbling his words.
He only raises his head once he hears a set of footsteps retreat back into the living room. He meets Jooyeon's gaze and they both share a humiliated look. "I'm–" Seungmin pauses to swallow and take another breath. "I'm going to go take a nap." Jooyeon dips his head and steps back. "Y-Yeah, sure," he stutters, and Seungmin shuffles past him without another word.
He doesn't waste any time thinking about what just happened; the moment his head hits his pillow, he's already dozing off. His lingering feelings will be left for Awake Seungmin, and he hopes he'll have more sense than he does now.
—
Awake Seungmin is somehow worse.
He rises sweaty and disoriented and more tired than before. Above him, Jungsu lets him know that "food", whatever that entails, is here if he's hungry. He is, so he nods and stretches his arms above his head. He fumbles for his phone and squints as the light blinds him. The clock reads 8:26 and he curses under his breath. He didn't mean to sleep that long at all, though he guesses both his mind and body needed the break.
And then, a whopping two minutes after he wakes up, he remembers why he needed that break in the first place.
It hits him like a tidal wave, the mix of emotions he'd left unresolved before he knocked out; the force of it nearly leaves him winded. It's only made worse when he hears him talking to Jungsu in the hallway, his voice just as scratchy as Seungmin's sure his is now. He holds his hand to his throat without thinking, and he's suddenly reminded of his hands on his throat, how he held him and controlled him like a puppet on a string, or more fittingly, a dog on a leash. That's what he was, wasn't he? Jooyeon's dog on leash so short it choked him if he so much as thought about fighting back. He swallows. He isn't sure how he's going to face him, not after memories of Hyeongjun's stunned expression resurface. It'd be better to let this game of ours die , he thinks resentfully, than risk a repeat of earlier . He sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed. God , he's dizzy. He needs to eat.
Seungmin vaguely registers Jiseok's absence from their shared room as he leaves. He hopes he isn't overworking himself tonight– they have off days for a reason. Yeah, like borderline-fucking one of your bandmates in the kitchen.
Before he can reprimand himself for the thought, the front door clicks open, and Jiseok pokes his head in. "Hi," he calls as he toes his shoes off. Seungmin pauses in the hallway and waves. "Welcome back."
"Is Jiseok home?" Jooyeon shouts from behind him and he flinches. "It's a good thing we bought a lot. Hurry up and eat before it gets cold." He hears two smacks against the wall telling them to get going and then silence. Sweet, sweet silence . He breathes a sigh of relief. That nap did nothing to ease his weary bones.
Jiseok gives him a questioning look, but doesn't say anything as he slides past him. Seungmin takes a moment to compose himself before following him into the kitchen.
There are piles of takeout boxes on the table (that is clean now, for some reason, even though Seungmin forgot to do that), and the smell has his stomach growling angrily. He clutches his midsection and shuffles further into the room. It seems to be a pretty wide variety, a feast of sorts to celebrate their big day off, and Seungmin smiles to himself. He looks up and sees the rest of them wearing a similarly eager expression. "Gunil probably won't be back for a bit," Jiseok comments as he pilfers through the selection. "We should set aside some stuff for him." Hyeongjun hums in agreement and grabs a plastic container from the cabinet. He opens the boxes of food and begins picking out a little bit of everything, making sure to add extra of Gunil's favorites.
It's not like it's an unusual occurrence, or something other than basic manners, but it stirs up something so fond in Seungmin. He really does love them. He loves them so much, he can't let whatever he and Jooyeon have going on ruin this. It wouldn't be fair to them.
He knows it'd be disastrous, but his skin is prickling with the urge to walk to Jooyeon's side and stay there. He wants to share moment after breathless moment with him just for the hell of it. He wants to play and tease and be teased. Jooyeon forcefully pulled this side of him to the surface, and it's going to be hard to push it down again. He selfishly wants to take and take and take without caring about the consequences, but he can't, and it makes his chest hurt.
He's angry. Angry at Hyeongjun for walking in on them, angry at Jooyeon for getting him into this mess, but mostly angry at himself for going along with it. He could've stopped it at any time. He's stronger than Jooyeon– pushing him away would've been easy. He had a safeword , for fuck's sake. He could've told Jooyeon he was uncomfortable, could've laid out every single reason why he needed to keep his hands to himself and stop this silly game, but he didn't. The blame falls on him and his horny lizard brain.
Seungmin digs his fingernails into his palm. He's getting in his own head over this. He's demonizing the situation far more than he needs to; it happened, and quite frankly he enjoyed it, but that doesn't make him a bad person or anything. He spares a glance at Jooyeon, who's currently hovering over Hyeongjun and waiting very impatiently for him to finish Gunil's plate, and smiles. Both he and Jooyeon are such huge idiots.
Hyeongjun forcefully nudges Jooyeon out of his bubble, complaining that he's way too close. Jooyeon laughs and stumbles back and to the side. He finds himself next to Seungmin, and Seungmin's breath catches when they brush hands. He can feel Jooyeon tense at the contact. He comes to the realization that this must be weighing heavy on him, too, if not more so, and he feels silly for thinking otherwise. Jooyeon's smart– he understands what he's done and what could come of it. He's probably feeling guilty and regretful and pissed off; it doesn't show on his face, of course, but Seungmin can't imagine him feeling any different. He clenches his jaw. He doesn't like imagining it.
Seungmin inhales.
Fuck it.
His hand finds Jooyeon's again, but instead of ghosting over his skin, he takes hold of him and squeezes softly. Jooyeon flinches and he can tell he's looking at him, but he can't meet his gaze. His heart is thumping in his ears and he thinks if he looks at Jooyeon right now he'll go deaf, so he keeps his eyes down. He sees Jooyeon relax in his peripheral and his voice seems much brighter as he slips back into conversation.
This is how it should be , Seungmin decides as Hyeongjun finally steps back and everyone crowds around the boxes. If we can just keep it like this, it'll be okay. We'll figure it out.
—
Dinner goes very well, to his relief. It seems that all they needed to do was hold hands to restore the balance in their dynamic and keep things from getting too awkward.
Well, except for with Hyeongjun, but that's to be expected. They laugh and talk and carry on like normal, but Seungmin pointedly avoids eye contact, and it looks like Hyeongjun's doing the same, too. He knows how to keep his mouth shut and his nose out of other people's business, so Seungmin doesn't think he'll rat on him or anything (until it inevitably does become his business, whenever that may be).
Once everyone's finished up, Seungmin stands and takes their dishes without being asked. Jiseok leans back in his chair and crosses his legs obnoxiously, like he's some rich holier-than-thou prick and Seungmin's his poor, unfortunate butler. "What's gotten into you today, huh?" He asks snidely. Seungmin can see both Hyeongjun and Jooyeon freeze, so he's thankful that Jungsu takes over. "He lost a bet so he's doing chores."
… Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but he'll take it.
Seungmin shrugs and whisks the dishes to the sink. "Pretty much," he huffs as he pushes the sleeves of his hoodie past his elbows. He barely gets the water running before he's interrupted.
"Actually," Jooyeon calls, "you don't have to do that right now. I want you to come work on something in my room."
The air suddenly seems a lot warmer. He hears Jiseok whisper-yell "Why is he calling the shots?" and Hyeongjun shush him out of embarrassment as he switches the faucet back off. Breathe , he reminds himself. You were gonna keep it together, weren't you? Don't lose it in front of them.
He thinks he does a pretty good job at hiding his anticipation as he turns around and shoves his hands in his pocket. "Yeah, sure."
Jooyeon grins and rises from the table. "Perfect. Hey, Jiseok, since you're not doing anything–"
"How do you know?"
" –why don't you take care of those dishes?"
Before Jiseok can get a word in, Jooyeon winks and clicks his tongue and practically sprints out of the room and down the hallway. Seungmin follows with a little less enthusiasm, but he can't help but grin and cock his eyebrow at Jiseok's unfortunate situation. Sucks, doesn't it? He muses happily. He won't be the only one elbow-deep in filthy plates today.
As he turns the corner, he hears Jooyeon's door shut and footsteps thud around his room. Something falls, something hits the wall, and then it's quiet. He's apprehensive now, and for good reason, because nothing Jooyeon does is ever good, and today has been a prime example of that. Hesitantly, he places one foot in front of the other until he's in front of Jooyeon's door. He gives it a soft knock, and almost immediately he's given a muffled, "Come in."
When he opens the door, Jooyeon's sitting on the edge of the bottom bunk and leaning back on his hands with the most shit-eating grin Seungmin's ever seen in his life. He scoffs as he shuts the door behind him. "Well, don't you look happy," he teases dryly, though a smile is tugging at the corners of his lips. "I am." Jooyeon responds simply and crosses one leg over the other. "Why? It's been such a good day, y'know." Seungmin folds his arms over his chest and nods sarcastically. "Oh, has it now? I don't recall you bending over backwards to do some idiot's bidding all day."
Jooyeon raises a brow. "You wanna bend over for me, Seungminnie?"
Seungmin chokes on his spit and waves his hand frantically. " God , no! Fuck, can you not be vulgar for, like, two seconds at least? " Jooyeon throws his head back and laughs a big laugh; he must love when Seungmin's at the butt of his joke, because he seems to be enjoying this way too much. He tosses his hair back into place as he straightens up and pats the spot next to him. "Come sit down." Seungmin drags his feet for dramatic effect and flops next to Jooyeon.
Neither of them speak for a moment, and the air quickly turns heavy. Seungmin stares nervously at his feet; what is he supposed to say? How is he supposed to act? How does Jooyeon want him to act? He feels the tiniest graze of Jooyeon's finger against his thigh. He's testing the waters, assessing the situation– he's being respectful of Seungmin's boundaries, and while he expects nothing less of him, it still makes him feel warm and soft. Physically forcing himself to relax, he sticks his pinky out and loops it around Jooyeon's.
Jooyeon takes a deep breath.
"I… want to talk. If you want to."
Seungmin nods and hums in agreement, but doesn't say anything else. He'll let Jooyeon go first.
"Okay. Um." He fumbles for words and eventually lands on, "Are you okay?" It's vague, but Seungmin understands. "Yes," he replies. "Are you?"
"Well, I'm way more okay now knowing that you are," Jooyeon confesses, and they both laugh a little. The atmosphere lightens just a tad.
It's Seungmin's turn to speak first. "What are we gonna do, moving forward?"
Silence.
"We need to set some boundaries regardless," Seungmin continues when Jooyeon doesn't reply. He nods and studies his fingernails. "I didn't make you uncomfortable at all, did I?"
"No! God , no, you were– you were fine. And if you weren't fine, I would've told you. You know that."
"I should've probably talked about this with you beforehand, but when I saw the opportunity I just couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Seungmin's voice is a soft breath. "I had my word. I knew what was happening. Well, not at first, but I kind of figured it out, sudden as it was."
Jooyeon snorts. "Yeah. I don't know why I decided today was the day I was gonna make my move on you."
Something about the way he phrased that has Seungmin cocking his head and furrowing his brows. "You say that like you'd been thinking about this for a while."
The hold on his pinky tightens. "Well," Jooyeon begins, flustered. "It's not like I thought about it often or anything. It was just… a passing idea. One that horny young adults get when they live in a dorm full of smoking hot men." Seungmin punches his shoulder. "Don't talk about 'smoking hot men' when I'm sitting right next to you, dickhead." Jooyeon cracks a smile. "Why? Are you being a jealous dog?"
Seungmin shakes his head with a laugh. "I can't stand you," he murmurs affectionately. Jooyeon's pinky slips out of his and is replaced by his fingers interlocking with Seungmin's. He slowly maneuvers his body so he's sitting behind him, both his legs resting on either side of him. He leans his forehead against Seungmin's shoulder; his thumb rubs comforting circles into his hand. Seungmin lets him move however he wants.
"How are we gonna do this?" He mumbles into the fabric of Seungmin's hood. "Because I know we're supposed to be talking and stuff but all I wanna do right now is touch you."
Seungmin shivers despite the heat coursing through his veins. He wants nothing more than to be touched right now. Squeezing Jooyeon's hand, he tilts his head back and shifts restlessly on the bed. "Yeah?" he breathes, the slightest teasing lilt in his voice. "Can't keep your hands to yourself for five minutes. Gonna have to handcuff you when you're around me."
Fingers dig into his waist– the desired reaction. "Don't play cocky with me, puppy. You're mine– I own you. That means I can touch you whenever I want."
Seungmin's stomach does flips at that. He full-body shudders and uses his free hand to grip his thigh. He's not really Jooyeon's, and he probably never will be, but the mere thought of being owned gives him butterflies like he's never had before. Jooyeon gives him butterflies like he's never had before. "Fuck," he whispers under his breath. "I'm– I'm not yours."
The hold on his abdomen tightens. "Really?" Jooyeon questions, and when he doesn't get an answer, he leans forward and ghosts his lips against the shell of Seungmin's ear. "Guess I just need to make you mine, then." Before he can catch himself, Seungmin whispers a quiet, pathetic "please", and that's all the confirmation Jooyeon needs. He slides his hand underneath the hem of Seungmin's hoodie; he moves slowly, like he's trying to memorize every inch of his body with just his fingertips alone. He quickly figures out what parts of Seungmin are the most sensitive, and every once in a while he'll drag his knuckles down his ribs and Seungmin will jerk away and make a startled noise, and then he'll pull away and do it again.
Normally, touch like that makes Seungmin ticklish and angry, but when put in a different light, it's actually quite erotic. It makes his body twitch and little gasps leave his parted lips. On one particularly ticklish touch, Seungmin digs his nails into the flesh of Jooyeon's hand. He goes to apologize, but his words get stuck when he feels Jooyeon stop breathing and suck his bottom lip between his teeth. It takes everything in him not to laugh and do it again, just to see how he'd respond. Instead, he grazes over the cresent-shaped indents, appreciating them and the reaction they solicited. He archives this new information for later.
After a few more moments of their senseless touching, Jooyeon pulls away and tucks his nose into the crook of Seungmin's neck. "I wanna try something," he murmurs vaguely. Seungmin nods and takes a shuddering breath.
"I'm going to touch you– scratch you, actually– and when it hurts, I want you to say your safeword. Can you do that?" Seungmin's brows furrow, but he nods. He sighs when he feels Jooyeon's cold fingers on his skin again, and his head tilts back from the pleasing sensation. He's so gentle, a stark contrast to how pushy and aggressive he was before; Seungmin doesn't mind it at all. It's sweet and intimate and affectionate.
The harsh drag of nails against his ribs startles him out of his blissful daze. He flinches away and grips Jooyeon's hand in his own. " Ah – P-purple, purple," he cries out, and just as quick as the pain was there, it vanishes, and Jooyeon's hand leaves his side completely. Seungmin breathes. That's what this is about , he thinks tenderly. His hold on Jooyeon loosens, and after taking a couple seconds to catch his breath, he nods. Jooyeon's hand comes to rest on his side again, this time moving more towards his stomach. The light, barely-there touch is less overwhelming than it was on his sides, and he can relax into Jooyeon's body fully without jolting one way or the other. Jooyeon's breathing becomes steadier from behind him, if the way his heaving chest softens is any indication. He nuzzles into Seungmin's neck and places a tiny peck against it.
"Good?" He asks, and Seungmin nods. "Good," he whispers with a faint smile. He feels like he could melt into him for hours, doing nothing but this until they dozed off. He would dream of him, too, and then wake up in his arms and wonder if he was still dreaming. Another kiss is placed against his neck and he tries to scoot closer to him, give him more access to his neck and his body and whatever else he wanted. His enthusiasm damns him, though, because he headbutts Jooyeon right in the temple. He recoils with a grunt and wraps his arm around Seungmin's stomach to steady him. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry–!" He exclaims, but it's taking every ounce of self-restraint not to laugh in his face right now. With the tension broken, it's hard to keep a straight face– Jooyeon caves and giggles into Seungmin's hair. "It's okay, pup, don't worry," he reassures, his voice dripping with honey. Seungmin reaches behind him and cards his fingers through Jooyeon's locks. He's grinning so big, and it would feel inappropriate for the situation if Jooyeon wasn't still laughing against his neck.
"I'll be more careful," he promises, and Jooyeon embraces him harder. "I know. Silly dog."
Since they first started this game hours ago, being called "dog" or any variation of it made Seungmin feel playfully defensive and honestly, pretty turned on. But now, as Jooyeon holds his waist and kisses his neck and rubs his thumb over his hand, he feels differently. He's still really fucking horny, yeah, but not like he was earlier. He feels sentimental, almost, and he surprises himself by thinking that if Jooyeon decided he didn't wanna do anything sexual anymore and he just wanted to snuggle, he'd let him in a heartbeat, boner be damned. He sighs quietly and cranes his head back to rest it against Jooyeon's shoulder.
"Why don't you look at me when we're close like this?" He slurs, a content, half-lidded expression on his face. Jooyeon's gaze predictably falls on the door. "I looked at you the first time."
"The first time."
A beat of silence passes. Jooyeon inhales deeply.
"Because," he begins meekly, "I'm scared if I look at you I'll want to kiss you. I'm not even looking at you and I still want to kiss you. It's weird."
"... Is it just because we're messing around like this?"
"I don't know. It might be. But I don't think I'd mind kissing you if we weren't."
"You're a kisser."
Jooyeon cracks a smile. " Obviously . It's funny, sometimes, but other times I just like doing it." Seungmin hums and finds himself looking at Jooyeon's mouth. The way his lips move with each word is captivatingly pretty.
"I don't mind trying. Kissing you, I mean."
He feels him tense against him. "You don't have to," Jooyeon quickly spits out. "I don't wanna make things weird or anything."
"Jooyeon. You've pretty much put your hands everywhere but my dick and you're worried about making things weird ?"
Seungmin's hand reaches behind him and grips the hair at the base of Jooyeon's neck. He watches with fascination as his face contorts and his mouth parts just a bit. "Look at me," he coaxes. Hesitantly, Jooyeon blinks and his eyes flit to Seungmin. They hold eye contact for a few seconds, and then Jooyeon looks down, very clearly at Seungmin's lips. The corners of his mouth raise slightly.
"Kiss me."
It's not gentle by any means, the way Jooyeon leans forward and captures Seungmin's lips with his own. Almost immediately his tongue is forced in Seungmin's mouth, and the sensation makes him whimper. It's wet and messy and surprisingly loud; the slick sound of their spit mixing is all Seungmin can hear over his own heartbeat and it makes him squirm. He's never been kissed like this– not that he can remember, anyway– and it has him pulling Jooyeon's hair harder and guiding his hand to his midsection. Jooyeon lets out a whine of his own and uses both hands to hold Seungmin's hips.
They only pull away once they're gasping for air. "Puppy likes kisses too, doesn't he?" Jooyeon pants with a grin. Seungmin nods. He can't pull his eyes away from the saliva coating Jooyeon's pretty lips, leaving them shiny and tempting. "Yeah," he pants. "More."
He closes his eyes and leans in again, only to be stopped by a finger against his mouth. His eyes open and he glares at the complacent look on Jooyeon's face. Where was this confidence five minutes ago? Where's that shy idiot who was scared to kiss me?
"Such an eager thing," he purrs, and Seungmin has half the mind not to bite him. He places a small kiss against his fingertip. "I'm not," he murmurs. " You're the one who wanted to kiss me so bad." Jooyeon cocks his head to the side like he's contemplating something. Seungmin absent-mindedly thinks that the way his hair falls around his shoulders and frames his face is stupidly hot.
"How about this?" He speaks up after a second or two. "I'm gonna jerk you off–"
Seungmin swallows.
"–and if you can keep from cumming before I tell you to, I'll kiss you for as long as you want. Is that alright with you?"
Seungmin's mouth feels so dry. He swallows again. "Yes. Yes, fuck, okay."
The finger leaves his lips, and he relaxes.
It doesn't last very long.
Before he can process it, Jooyeon's hand pulls back and lands sharply on his cheek. Seungmin's brain feels fried as he recoils from the stinging hit. It's like a switch has been pulled to make his mind empty and mushy– all of a sudden, he can't think.
"Safeword?" Jooyeon whispers in his ear. Seungmin panics when it doesn't come to him right away, but he manages to find it at the forefront of his spacey thoughts. "P-Purple." A small, reassuring kiss is pressed against the shell of his ear in response.
"I've already told you, dogs don't talk, do they? They don't swear , either, especially not at their owners. What am I gonna do with such a disobedient mutt like you, hm?"
Seungmin blinks dumbly. "I'm sorry, I–"
Another slap.
"Did you not hear what I just said? Dogs . Don't . Talk . Can you not follow one simple instruction? "
Seungmin exhales sharply through his nose as he tries to control his expression– his eyes are squeezed shut and his bottom lip has found its way between his teeth. After a few beats, he raises his head and meets Jooyeon's gaze. He cocks his eyebrow, waiting for a response. Seungmin doesn't say anything else. He shamefully averts his eyes and catches Jooyeon smiling out of the corner of his eye. "There you go, pup, just stay nice and quiet for me. I knew you'd like being slapped around 'till you did as you're told."