Expert Adversary. (m.t)
m.list | ao3 | minors dni! otherwise please like and reblog my works!!
requested by @peach-gummy: “Ok bestie, I know we joke about this a lot but I’m desperate lmao…Can I request an enemy to lovers coworker Taeil?! I love softness but the smut parts?…writer’s choice.”
wordcount― 15.6k
pairing― moon taeil x fem reader
description― Your promotion was stolen by a new hire and you’re doing everything in your power to hate him for it. After all, that promotion was rightfully yours. This task proves to be much more difficult than anticipated because the man is nothing but sweet, polite, and eager to help. His dopey ways make it far too easy for you to accept that, maybe, just maybe, you’d be okay if he kept the position.
Or the one where you do everything you can to hate the new lead of your team, but you end up in bed with him instead.
content― enemies to lovers, office romance, very soft top taeil, fluff, taeil is a big dopey man who is technically your boss now, you boss him around tho, co workers: taeyong, haechan, doyoung, drinking nights with the dudes, taeil just likes fitting in.
note― requested by my best friend in the whole universe, who I love with my whole heart and would still throw under the bus to eat mark’s ass. If she hadn’t requested it, it would have been fully dedicated to her either way. On that note, I had fun writing this one and naturally, I didn’t proofread.
tag list: @aedreamzy, @ahgastayzen, @subhyuck, @mrkis, @zealhaechan, @glitchyuck, @multihoe-net, @infnteen
smut tags under cut::
nsfw tags― making out, slight grinding, fingering, oral (m receiving),swallowing, deep penetration, tbh it’s mostly just very normal sex with your hot boss while your co-workers are passed out in the living room, there's some talk about gagging while giving head, and listening in on sex.
~
6 months. You waited 6 long, exhausting months for this day only to have it shattered right before your eyes. You put in the work, put in the hours, trained long and hard for this, but it’s been pulled right from your grasp from some…new hire? You should have listened to Taeyong when he told you that the company rarely promotes from within, stating that he got passed over before too. You thought you may be an exception, that maybe you could be the one to break the cycle and become a leader of your own team. The raise would have helped, and the workload would have increased but you were ready and so fucking willing to do it for this god-forsaken company. But no. “We just don’t think you’re qualified to move up yet.” They said, after weeks of training you to do the job. “We found a great opportunity with an up-and-coming employee and we couldn’t afford to pass him over.” They said, rubbing salt in the wound.
This is the worst Friday you think you’ve ever experienced in the world of corporate Hell. The drinks you’d planned with Taeyong and the other doofuses at the same level on your team, for celebration of course, were more needed now than ever. It was a night of bitching and whining over drinks bought for you from the group of coworkers, which by now you should be calling friends.
Haechan was the loudest, acting more upset than you when he found out the news. Taeyong gave you attitude, the whole ‘I told you so’ talk coming far too soon for you to point back with sass. Doyoung, of course, stayed pretty silent despite his stern look of disapproval. You were shocked to learn he was at the same level as you at work, considering he looks and acts as though he owns the place. And those are the closest friends you have in this shit hole of a company.
There are two other women tagging along solely because they care about you, and come to you when they’re having a hard time with the boss because you’re safe. You don’t run to HR at the mere mention of someone having a fat ass, nor do you mock or roll your eyes if a client brings tears to their eyes. You are their friend, of course, but it feels more like a protective friendship than the friendship you share with the guys. The women lean on you, but you can’t quite lean on them considering the years you’ve wasted with this company compared to their mere months of being here.
You appreciate the uproar of your lost promotion, talks of how they will riot on Monday, how they will spike the coffee with laxatives, how they will leave the bathroom without toilet paper. You laugh alongside the bright faces surrounding you, all equally as exhausted with the memo pads and spreadsheets. Despite the shattering of your confidence and the insecurity pouring back into you in terms of this job, at least you’ve made friends.
~
Come Monday morning, Haechan was the first to meet you in the parking lot, checking you over to make sure your fragile ego is as high as it can be. Today is the day you meet the new lead of your team, the fresh new hire who will likely have it out with you the moment you take a shortcut or don’t do something by the book. You’re nervous, but more than that, the weekend allowed your feelings to fester. You’re frustrated, angry, and appalled. You can be a better lead than this man, surely. You know the company inside and out.
You created some of the tasks and rules that you and your team have to go by. Who organized the job? You did. Who kept the team in high spirits? You did. And who got to take over the team? That motherfucker.
You are somehow more angry by the time Doyoung shows up, backpack thrown over his shoulder as always, and today you don’t even laugh at the way his professional attire is clashing with the raggedy college backpack he’s clearly used for years. Not to mention, the man insists on dressing like a damn CEO rather than following the business casual dress code. It’s so strange that he’s become part of this close-knit circle of people you call friends, considering how little he offers to the group outside of when he’s drunk. Still, you don’t make fun of his backpack, or his stupid cupcake keychain that he swears his mom forces him to keep for ‘good luck’.
As the three of you are walking in, Taeyong joins the triumphant walk to the third floor of what you would call failure. If there were a song playing as you and your group walk, it would be the tiny violin song that Mr.Krabs plays for Spongebob in the episode “Squilliam’s Return.” It’s a dropping feeling with each step to the third floor, knowing that soon, you’re going to be meeting a man who stole your place, a man who is likely smiling and happy to have a job you earned.
~
He wasn’t sitting on your desk as expected with a shiny golden crown, demanding that the team kneel before him. He didn’t even show up until late noon, which you assume was after he got done being given the run down by the boss in his office.
His face was bright, smiling as you would have expected. You couldn’t help but grimace as he was being led towards your cubicle. You glance behind him to see Haechan pop his head over his own cube, snarling at the new man who has no idea there’s already beef to be had with him.
“Y/n, this is Mr.Moon.”
You hold back a laugh, because really? On any other day you’d think the name was charming, cute, even, but not today. Moon man can go fuck himself.
“Taeil, actually. You can call me Taeil.” The man interrupts, leaning himself towards you with his hand outstretched. “I don’t really like the titles if I’m being honest.”
Your boss beams at the Moon man as if he were the greatest man alive. You’re unsure why, and to be honest, you’re sure Haechan is going to make jokes about how your boss probably got his ass eaten for him to give the promotion to this new guy.
“Casual, I like it.” Your boss speaks out to him. “Well, I’ll leave the introductions to you then. Remember to come to my office before we leave for the day.” And then he’s off, doing whatever bosses do.
Taeil stands there awkwardly, staring at you with his hand still awkwardly outstretched.
“What?” You say to him, cocking a brow and turning back to your spreadsheets.
“You didn’t introduce yourself?” He says it like a question, in a voice more polite than you could have imagined coming from a man who is making bank, at your place of employment.
“Did he not just greet me by name?” You question as you swivel back around towards the man, bitterness coming out in tone and body language.
“I—uh—” He laughs at himself, glancing away for a moment. “Listen, I’m really nervous and didn’t quite catch your name.” He says in a slight whisper, the professionalism in his posture disappearing for a moment.
“Mr.Moon—” You go to say.
“Taeil.” He corrects you quickly.
“Taeil, I’m Y/n, and I would really like to get back to this very important project.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” He says, backing away with his hands up. “I didn’t mean to slow you down.” He continues, almost as if he’s rambling. “I’ll be over in my—uh..” He stumbles a bit, clearly very nervous for his first day.
“In your office, got it.” You finish for him, turning back to your computer and allowing him to fuck off to an office that was just ripped from your hopes and dreams.
~
“Okay but, he’s kind of nice though.” Taeyong tip-toes around the point as he sips his drink. A full week of dealing with Taeil proved to be difficult for you, mostly because he has become so well-liked so fucking fast. Everyone seems to love him, everyone but you.
“That’s just because he’s trying to impress everyone. I give him another week before he starts letting the power go to his head.” You retort, slamming down your own drink and glaring at your sharp-jawed friend.
“Y/n, what power?” He questions you seriously this time, a little fed up with the way you’re making this situation much more unbearable for yourself than Taeil is. “He’s our boss, technically, but he’s still low level. . . “
You look up at Taeyong with a bit of hurt in your eyes. As if you hadn’t fought for this promotion like it were the final point in a mission. As if your confidence with this company hasn’t been shot down time and time again, you wonder if your college degree was the right one to go for. Taeyong notices this change in your face, quickly back peddling his words.
“I mean, I know it’s a big deal to you, Y/n, honestly, I get it.” He tries to save the situation, not wanting there to be even more tension at work. “You deserved the job, and it is a big deal. It really is, but I think you’re giving this company too much power over you.”
His save wasn’t a save at all. It was more scolding. You call over for another drink and stare at the table as if you’re just a child who refuses to eat her veggies.
“You don’t have to like him, but don’t make yourself miserable.” Taeyong continues, going from sipping his drink to gulping it. “He’s way nicer than you think he is, he didn’t even write me up for being on youtube…” He trails off, trying to save face for himself, but doing it for Taeil instead.
“I wouldn’t have written you up either.” You continue to argue, lowering your voice when the waitress comes over to get your new drink order, and when she’s off to get your drink, you continue. “It isn’t fair. I would have done so well.”
“I know.” Taeyong sighs out. “But you’ve been so mean to him, like I genuinely think he almost cried the other day when he left your cubical.”
You widen your eyes a bit, trying to remember out of the countless snarky comments you’ve said to him, which could have been the one that would make him cry.
“What? Really?” You smile a bit. “Maybe it was when I told him to stop bothering me?” You start down the list of things you’ve said. “Or maybe when he asked if I needed anything from the break room, and I told him that the only thing I needed was for him to leave me the hell alone?”
Taeyong cringes, not realizing he was so close to such a cold person all over a promotion in a company none of you intended to stay at forever.
“Oh! I bet it was when he complimented my hair and I told him ‘Wish I could say the same for you.’”
“Um—” Taeyong cuts in now. “You do realize how petty you sound right now, right?”
You pull back a bit, noticing quickly that you were finding joy in breaking Taeil’s confidence.
“It’s a new job for him, and you’re being a blatant asshole like that?” He questions, but he doesn’t stop. “How would you feel if you got that promotion, and someone treated you like this?” And now Taeyong decides to get technical. “I’d suggest you tone it down because HR could find out and get you for creating a hostile work environment.”
“I am not making it hostile!” You argue, ignoring the waitress as she hands you your drink. “He made it hostile by taking the fucking job!”
“Now you just sound like a baby.” Taeyong insults, leaning back with his arms crossed. “It’s not like the boss told him he stole the position.”
For the first time, you think about it. You think about how Taeyong is kind of hyping this guy despite the disapproval of the situation, you really did deserve the promotion and you can tell he believes that. You think even harder about how you saw Haechan and Taeil laughing together in the break room as they grabbed their morning coffee on Wednesday. Haechan, your sharpest shooter, giggling like a high-school girl with the man that is the direct cause of your inner turmoil.
“Okay.” You breathe out, swirling your glass and taking a hefty sip. “I’ll play nice. But—the moment he steps on my toes, it’s over.”
“Great, I’ll call him now!” Taeyong claps his hands, needing the greenlight from you in some way, shape, or form.
“Call him?!” You set your drink down and lean forward in panic. “Why?!”
“Haechan is on his way too, stop worrying.” Taeyong waves you off, texting Taeil to ask if he wants to get drinks.
“Why do you even have his number?” You continue to pry, trying to swipe his phone out of his hand to avoid the very idea of Taeil sitting at the table you’ve titled a safe place.
“The guys and I had drinks with him on Wednesday, he invited us.” Taeyong smiles, pressing send on the message and looking at you innocently. “He said he didn’t invite you because you seemed too busy.”
For some reason, you’re offended the offer wasn’t extended to you. It was unprofessional of him to not at least ask if you wanted to come. Then again, you aren’t really being the most professional either.
“Anyway, he’s on his way too.” Taeyong smiles harder when he sees the immediate text reply from Taeil, like he’s won some sort of game as he watches you writhe in the booth across from him. “He’s funny when he drinks, you’ll see.” He assures you this time, reaching over to grab your hand.
“Like hell I will.” You try to block any possibility that you could be friends with this man. You almost want to pull yourself up out of this booth and leave, but unfortunately, you’re a little drunk, and you drove here. Throwing your face in your hands, you do your best not to hate Taeyong in this moment.
“You said you’d play nice.” He clicks his tongue, crossing his arms again. “Besides, it’s not like it’s a date. Haechan and I will be here too.”
It’s a fair point, honestly. You can talk with them while ignoring Taeil the whole time if you wanted to, right?
“What about Doyoung? Is he coming?”
Taeyong laughs and turns his phone to you. “He left me on read, but he would probably come if you asked him to.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” You tilt your head, wondering if Doyoung does have a little bit of slut in him or something.
“He likes hanging out with you, I think it’s because he likes to argue.” Taeyong shuts down the idea that maybe Doyoung wants to hit it. You go back to mulling over the idea of Taeil being in this booth soon instead of worrying about it.
“I don’t need two people to be mad at tonight.”
“Fair enough, so I guess that means you’re not mad at me?” He asks, calling the waitress over again for a drink. She’s probably getting annoyed in all honesty.
“No.” You say in a huff, dropping your head to the table for a moment before looking back up at him. “You’d better be right about him though because I’m not about to have to deal with him for every single drink night.”
~
Haechan. Will. Not. Shut. Up. Specifically asking Taeil all sorts of questions with a slur in his voice. Where was he from? Did he like video games? What’s his favorite movie? Does he like to read? All of it, you could care less about it despite learning all sorts of interesting things. Moon man. The moon man who stole your job, his favorite cereal is cheerios? Just boring fucking cheerios? What a loser.
Despite all of this, and despite Taeyong watching you like a hawk, the night continues and it becomes…less stressful you could say. It’s probably the drinks, but maybe Taeil is a little funny. Specifically, in the way he scrunches his nose every time Haechan tries to pry into his intimate life. It’s funny in the way he denies Haechan when you don’t. That man knows practically everything about you, and just the idea that he has all of this shit on you, all of these things he could drunkenly tell the man in front of him, it makes you feel vulnerable. Almost like you want Taeil to share some of his own dirt.
You notice your new boss’s ears become redder and redder, and his smile becomes brighter and brighter. Only just now are you genuinely looking at him, after a full week of avoiding eye contact and not wanting to pick apart his appearance—he’s actually quite good-looking.
His hair is kind of messy, which you do remember that he keeps it perfectly styled at work. You only know this from the amount of times you’ve made faces and given him the finger at the back of his head.
You kind of hate to admit it, but this man doesn’t look like your boss. He doesn’t look like the type to enjoy this kind of work, but there he is, looking so happy that his new team is inviting him to drinks. And here you are, bitch-face central, sulking without even noticing it when he meets your eye.
He doesn’t keep eye contact for long, all he does is smile a little bit wider for you before looking back to deny Haechan another attempt at getting dirt on him. It has to be the drinks. Honestly. You stare down at your empty glass and curse the idea that Taeil is so fucking likable, and deserves all of the hype Taeyong had given to him.
As the hours pass, so do countless drinks. You had counted. Taeil only had three drinks and you can see that he must not do this too often. He’s slurring over such a small amount, laughing with Haechan and nudging Taeyong in his side each time he laughs a little louder. His eyes are so round and open like everything is brand new to him and nothing could put a damper on his day. Not even you.
In your own drunken haze, you realize that this is the first time in an entire week that you’ve felt relief from not getting that promotion. Yes, you wanted it. But you would be lying if you said you were worried about how different it may be, how difficult it may be, and how many different ways you could fail. That wasn’t going to stop you though. You were more worried that if you didn’t get it, someone who didn’t care about this team would. That they would come in and walk all over everyone, that they would belittle and mock you for not being good enough.
That never happened though, and instead, Taeil is sitting here having a hell of a time in your space as if you’d never said all of those mean things to him. He came to this job nervous, and that alone should have told you that he didn’t have the ego to treat you badly.
“Hey—” You hear Taeyong whisper as he gently nudges your foot. “You’re staring.” He mouths out to you with a smirk, glancing between you and Taeil as if it were going to become new and juicy drama for Monday morning.
“I am not.” You mouth back, seething the last word as you nudge him back with a little more force than you intended.
That little nudge caused Taeyong to jolt up, hitting his knee on the table in an awkwardly loud bang. This brings the attention of the two others at the table to Taeyong, and as he smirks, their eyes go to you.
“So, Taeil.” Taeyong brushes it off, as if to save you from the situation. “Are you single?” He asks politely, nudging you again under the table to make sure you were listening.
“Me?” Taeil slurs a bit, pointing to himself. “You’re asking me if I’m single?” He laughs like it’s some sort of joke, and in a way, you hope it is. Because what the fuck is Taeyong doing right now?
The way Taeil responds almost makes it seem like it’s laughable to even have to ask. With a face like that, with a personality like that, everyone should just assume he’s found the love of his life and married her at the ripe age of nineteen or something.
“I am asking, yes.” Taeyong confirms, and Haechan jumps in with his own question. “You got any dogs?”
All three of you look at Haechan with question, and he’s just sitting there with a drunken haze over his eyes like that question was obviously supposed to be the follow-up of whatever Taeyong was asking.
“Okay first of all—” Taeil chuckles out, glancing at you for some reason. Mostly to feel a little more comfortable over the fact that you’re in the same space and you haven’t insulted him yet. He’s sure it’s coming. “And most importantly, yes, I have two dogs.”
Haechan is happy, because he loves dogs. You’re a little happy too because that’s kind of cute. But also, is he single? You’re a little more interested now than you thought you would be.
“And yes, I am single.”
Taeyong claps his hands much like he did when you said you’d play nice. “Perfect!”
“Perfe—what?” Taeil looks over at him in disbelief, because why is it such a good thing that he’s single?
“Oh!” Taeyong panics a little, backtracking on his prying and trying to explain himself. “I mean like, y/n is also single and—”
“No.” You say loud enough for all three of the men to hear, but not loud enough to cause a scene.
“I think Taeyong needs to go to the bathroom.” You add, shoving Haechan to move, but he doesn’t budge. Instead, you end up having to crawl over him to get out of the booth. You’re a little clumsy when you do it, stumbling to your feet and staring at Taeyong as if to brush off the embarrassing maneuver you just had to perform.
“I don’t have to go to the bathro—”
“I think you do.” You almost demand this time and he’s throwing his hands up and ushering for Taeil to move so he can slide out of the booth himself.
For a brief moment, before Taeyong had stood himself up, you noted Taeil standing next to you. He wasn’t looking at you and focusing on the ground probably to keep his stomach in check from standing up so fast, or maybe it was because Taeyong was being a stupid asshole. Regardless, he isn’t super tall which only adds to the fact that this man is unbearably endearing in this drunken moment. Three drinks to get him like this? Even if he didn’t give up any dirt to Haechan, you think this is dirt enough.
And as you practically drag Taeyong to the women’s restroom, for the first time in your career, he looks a little scared of you.
“What the fuck are you doing?” You ask, checking the bathroom to make sure no one is inside.
“Hooking you up?” He laughs. “Obviously you’re into him.”
You turn and glare at him.
“Taeyong. I am just being nice like I said I would be.”
“Be nice? You’re staring a hole through him.” He laughs. “I saw you looking him up and down right before you dragged me into this bathroom, come on.”
“Not only do I not want to do anything past work with Taeil, but it’s literally against the policy!”
Taeyong tilts his head. “Oh yeah.”
“Yeah!” You repeat his words to him for a moment.
“Okay, so that was a bad idea. I’ll fix it.” He tries to apologize in the only way he knows how to, meddling even more. Convincing even more, being a charming asshole that always makes you second guess your own thoughts. “Let’s go back to your house and drink?” He laughs, stumbling a little as he tries to turn away. “It’s Haechan’s turn to pay for the uber anyway.”
You look at him in disbelief of that sudden subject change, and then you feel relief. If you go back to your house to continue drinking, Taeil won’t be invited. You guys can act as if the night is coming to an end, and instead of going your separate ways, only Taeil goes his separate way, right?
“Okay. We can go back to my house, but Taeyong—I swear to god.”
“I know, I know! I’m sorry!” He mutters as he leans forward for his all too famous drunken Taeyong hugs, and then he whispers quite loudly. “I’m just saying though.”
~
So, Taeyong is a fucking liar. After explicitly telling him that the only way the party will continue at your house is if Taeil isn’t invited. Well, guess who he fucking invited?
“He looked so sad!” Taeyong whispers to you in his defense as you drag him to your room in anger. The entire uber ride was awkward as hell as you immediately sobered up beside Taeil, who was laughing at memes on his phone and completely unaware of the fact that you hated this.
“You can’t just invite people to my house!” You’re actually, genuinely upset with him over this. He should have been happy enough that you agreed to let him come the first time, but now it’s just annoying.
“You’re seriously having a bad time?” Taeyong looks at you with disappointment. “I’m sorry about the whole asking if he’s single thing. He thought it was a joke! Just have fun, jesus.”
As much as Taeyong does not have a place to tell you what to do in your own home, what’s done is done, and sending your boss home, drunk, in an uber would do nothing but show him how much you dislike him. You’d rather not be that much more obvious about it. And so, with the alcohol in your kitchen surely to be gone by tomorrow, you mentally buckle yourself in for the night that never should have taken place.
~
Taeil is adorable. Fucking soft, gentle, maybe even delicate. Never would you have admitted this before, but now, as you sit across from him on your living room floor, you cannot fucking help it. Maybe Taeyong was right. Maybe you were staring because despite how much you thought you hated this man, you kind of think he’s a fucking pleasure to be around.
Three in the morning is the perfect time to realize that you were being a bitch. So, there, right in the middle of the 5th drinking game of the night, you pull your eyes away from Taeil for just a moment to look at Taeyong. Of course, his own hooded eyes are looking back at you as if he already knows. He knew he was right, he just needed you to spend a few hours with Taeil to see it yourself. You nod at Taeyong, who continues the game.
“Taeil.” You say his name, wincing at how loud your voice came out. “Come to the kitchen with me to get more drinks?” You ask politely, more quiet this time. He almost instantly stands to his feet to follow you.
The voices from the living room get quieter, almost muffled by either the walls between you now or maybe it’s the ringing in your ears. It feels a little bit intimate being in the kitchen alone with Taeil. He’s the first to break the silence, which you’re thankful for because you almost immediately forgot what you were trying to do in the first place upon being alone with him.
“You’re really drunk.” He laughs out to you as you both struggle to make your way to the fridge. “You’re a lot nicer when you drink too.”
“You’re a lot cuter when I drink.” You say out without thought, slapping your hand over your mouth the moment you processed the words.
“Oh?” Taeil beams, grabbing a bottle from your hand and taking a step back to lean against your counter as if he belonged there. “Only when you drink?”
You look to the floor, avoiding eye contact again.
“I think you’re pretty when I drink too.” He tries to ease the tension that seems to have taken over your body, setting the bottle down beside him. “I never would have imagined drinking with you of all people though.”
“Okay, okay.” You try to shush him when you go to rush out of the room, face feeling warm and stomach bubbling with the large amount of alcohol you’ve already had.
“Hey, wait—” Hey calls out softly, the slur in his voice so obvious that you genuinely hope he doesn’t remember he’s at your house right now. “Y/n, come here.” He says again, pushing himself off of the counter and doing his best to stand up straight.
You stop in your tracks for a moment to turn and look at him. You’re seeing two of everything but him, and it’s a little hard to focus, it’s a little hard to understand what’s happening, all of it is a little hard. You find yourself stepping back towards him.
“Hm? They’re waiting.” You say, pointing your head towards the room where loud laughter can be heard.
“I just needed to say something, I guess—” Taeil says, scratching the back of his neck. “I’ve been meaning to say it but I’m always too nervous around you.”
That grabs your attention as you go to the side of him and lean yourself now against the counter.
“Well, now is the best time to say it, we can hope we don’t remember any of this tomorrow, right?”
Taeil laughs a small laugh and nods, leaning back again and looking to your ceiling.
“I didn’t know you applied for this position, and when I found out what the company did, I tried to quit.” He admits, glancing around the room. “Taeyong told me not to, and that you’d be okay after some time.”
You stiffen up, freezing in your place and wondering why the fuck Taeyong didn’t let him quit, but then you realize that Taeil kind of. . . is the perfect person for the job. The entire first week, not a single mishap had taken place. Not a single typo in an email, not a single deadline that wasn’t met. He slid into that job much easier than you’d expected for someone who didn’t know a thing about the functions of the company. You hate to say it, but—maybe he deserved this position. Maybe he wasn’t the one who fucked you over.
“I—” You pause. “I was really upset about it.”
“I realized why you didn’t want to talk with me almost immediately after I found out.” He laughs a little. “I think I would have done the same thing if some new, fresh-faced shithead showed up to do my job.”
You kind of laugh with him this time, feeling a little bit weightless in this drunken state, almost hoping you do remember this conversation now. “I just think that maybe we can start over? Even if you didn’t get the job—” He pauses to scrunch his nose, like he did so many times towards Haechan.
“I honestly don’t think I can do it without your help.” He admits, and it’s kind of like music to your ears. Being needed as an employee after slaving away for that company. Being needed and not belittled by the man that was given your promotion.
How could you be mad at him now? Honestly.
“I’m sorry I’ve been so mean.” You admit, looking at the unopen bottle of alcohol. “I really do hope we can move on from this and just. . . be normal at work.”
Taeil finally looks at you, his smile just as bright as before.
“Normal, huh?” He laughs, mocking your word choice a little. “I don’t know how normal I can be with someone who is so. . .” he gestures towards you. “working a few feet away from me.”
You look at him and know now that it’s the alcohol talking. You aren’t sure if that’s an insult or something else, so you press him with a defensive look.
“Someone who is so what? What are you trying to say?” You ask in a tone a bit more serious, and you can practically see the anxiety pour into him.
“No! no, i mean like–” His eyes closed tightly and he sighs. “I just mean like, you’re really pretty. I’m trying to flirt when I shouldn’t, I’m sorry.” He admits, and it looks like he wants to hit himself.
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, Mr. Moon, that I can promise you.”
And then you’re pushing yourself from the counter and walking out of the room, mostly to hide your face because surely he would see the smile that’s plastered itself there. You head straight back to the living room floor where the two, very wasted idiots, are arguing over a rule that you’d settled for them weeks ago. Thankfully, it looks like they don’t notice how wired you are from realizing the fact that your boss is hitting on you despite the amount of insults you’d thrown at him this past week. You feel a little weak.
~
The following Monday was interesting. The anger you felt towards Taeil turning into something that felt a little more heavy and awkward than you anticipated. You remembered everything the two of you talked about, and you also remembered him fumbling with his phone at five in the morning to get a ride home. For some reason, you were sad that he didn’t crash on the couch like the other two assholes mooching your alcohol.
Taeyong was quick to pry, but Haechan was even quicker. Poor Doyoung, feeling entirely left out and cursing himself for missing the night of drinking. The last thing he expected was to come into work to find you sipping your coffee and quietly speaking with Taeil in your cubical.
For you it felt. . . like constant flirting? As if this wasn’t against policy, and as if Taeil was really walking the line in the corporate world that could easily get him written up. It’s flattering though, that he will find any excuse to come by your desk. He will ask you questions, suggest ideas, ask for feedback, and even bring you a snack or two that he “didn’t feel like eating anymore”.
It was a little bit weird though, finding pleasure in all of this. Wanting to know more about Taeil, wanting to invite him again to the next drinking night, and most of all, learning that he is willing to do just about anything you ask of him. Whether it be to finish a stack of paperwork, or to deal with an angry client for you. He is all too eager to oblige and yeah, you’re taking advantage of it. Only because he seems to genuinely enjoy it though.
In his mind, he thinks he would prefer to see you smile at him rather than insult him and make disappointed faces. He knows it’s not professional to go out with your team and get absolutely plastered, especially considering he only ever really drinks at work events or special occasions. Even then it’s about two drinks and he’s done. But this team? You guys don’t treat him like your boss, you treat him like a friend, a part of the team. Sure, you come to him for the final say in things, you go to him for feedback—but he needs that from all of you as well. Even though he mostly just goes to you for it.
You had told him that flattery wouldn’t get him anywhere, but it seemed to have gotten him far enough already. You’re lighting up when he rounds the corner, your work is being done in a way that makes him want to dote on and on about how you deserved to get this job. It looms over him though, the fact that he was given the position over you, and he understands why there was tension before.
But now? He kind of just—really likes you. He does think you’re pretty, and he thinks you’re funny too. Despite Taeyong’s little joke at the bar, he also wonders if you actually are single. Because if you are, maybe in the future he could ask you for drinks one on one? Maybe you’d accept, and maybe the two of you would have a great time.
But, of course, that’s against policy, and do you want to know what Taeil thinks of that policy? He thinks the CEOS can shove it right up their asses. As if he would respect them past being their employee after this little situation they caused. Selfish, money hungry, they probably hired him because he would accept less money than it would cost to promote you. That makes him frustrated and angry, and because of that, out of spite, he would be more than happy to break some rules with you.
~
“You? You’re the one suggesting it?” Haehcan laughs as he looks over at Taeyong. “Can you believe this shit?”
Taeyong shakes his head, but smiles.
“Well, if she’s suggesting it, we might as well go.” He laughs. “Doyoung, you gonna come this time?”
Doyoung instantly nods his head in agreement, opening his phone to probably put a note of ‘get drunk’ on his calendar.
“Okay so, my house, right after we clock out?” You confirm, standing from the break room table and going to the door. “I’ll go let him know now if we are all in agreement.”
With three nods, you’re off to Taeil’s office for what felt like the 40th time that day, but his smile is just as bright as it always is when you walk in.
“Mr.Moon, you are required after work for drinks and shenanigans at my place.”
He’s a little shocked, realizing that you and your little group of friends must do this quite often. “Go home and bring pajamas or something, they always crash at my place.” You add, looking him up and down. “You don’t have to, if that’s like, against the rules or something. But the offer is there.”
Taeil is a little more shocked now, realizing he was just invited to the adult version of a sleepover at your place, instantly his cheeks feel a little warm at the invite. He’s a little excited, feeling as though he’s fitting in here better than he ever could imagine, and the fact that you are inviting him to your house to drink with your friends. He feels like he’s won. He repeats the situation in his head a few times, already knowing that he will not pass up this opportunity.
“So—?” You stand there with a cocked brow, waiting for him to answer but he just sits there.
“Oh! Yeah, sorry. I’ll be there.” He says frantically, waving you off in a way that he probably thinks he looks cool, calm, maybe even collected.
With that, you nod a small victory of getting to see another glimpse of Taeil outside of work, and it makes you laugh a little that he didn’t even correct you on the use of his “professional name”.
~
It felt like the longest four hours of your life waiting to clock out, wondering if Taeil really would show up with some stupid pair of pajamas to put on so he can crash on your kitchen floor. Thankfully, he wouldn’t feel weird because it’s exactly what the other three guys are going to do as well.
Honestly, if the bosses found out about these drinking nights and sleepovers, surely you’d be labeled the company whore and you’d all be heavily reprimanded for it, but you don’t really care at this point. It’s not like you don’t invite the girls too, it just so happens that they have other things they want to do on Friday nights, and you don’t blame them for it.
Doyoung shows up first, already in his loungewear with a case of beer and a bottle of whiskey. He’s a keeper for sure, the only one who ever actually brings the good alcohol out of politeness. Taeyong shows up second, throwing his bag down on your kitchen floor and immediately going to your bathroom because he ‘didn’t shower at home because he was ready to get fuuuuucked up’. And then, of course, Haechan. As per usual, shows up also in his pajamas with a shower bag, a pillow, and four different airplane bottles of alcohol.
Eventually, Taeil shows up. Taeyong is freshly showered, sitting at your kitchen table and writing down orders for takeout. Doyoung is lounging next to him, shocked to see Taeil walk through the door. He feels a little weird, being seen in his pajamas by his boss, and only just now realizes that he agreed to get utterly wasted with him as well. He instantly fixes his posture to greet Taeil. And of course, Haechan is in the shower, screaming out his order from the wide-open bathroom door because he has no shame.
“Taeil, what do you want to eat from generic restaurant?” You ask, noting that he’s still in his work attire. You wonder for a moment if he plans to sleep over with the others, but the question is answered the moment you see him plop down a bag onto your floor.
Ahh, he’s all in. Nice.
The night continues in a flurry of lighthearted and slightly awkward small talk. Straight through dinner, and onto the first drinking game. Taeyong asks Taeil if he’s going to slip into something more comfortable, which was purposely suggestive. Taeil acted a little nervous about it, rubbing his hands on his slacks and laughing at himself. “I guess I probably should, shouldn’t I?”
Off he went, changing into, surprisingly for some reason, a t-shirt and lounge pants. His hair moistened slightly at the front from where he must have thrown some water on his face while he was in the bathroom. You think he looks good like this, he looks comfortable, he looks like your friend and not your boss.
Now, as the four of you are all jammied up with random alcohol bottles surrounding you, the game starts, and the drinks begin to flow.
Only a mere hour in and you can tell the vibe of the room is what you always hoped it would be. Happy. The room was lively with the playlist being controlled by none other than Taeyong. Haechan is being his normal, tipsy self in this moment, and only just now is Doyoung relaxing around Taeil.
It’s kind of soft in the way this man makes everyone love him. It’s just as scary as it is soft though, as you look at him more and more with each drink of your failed attempt with the game at hand.
Kings was a bore, the game dragging on, but the drunker you got, the more fun the night became. Leaning against your friends in a way that shows you’re feeling on top of the world. You’re shameless when you glance at Taeil, even more shameless when he’s already looking at you, and you end up making all sorts of flirty facial expressions back at him.
Once that game ends and Haechan steals control of the playlist, never have I ever becomes a game of realization, Taeil somehow finding himself next to you the moment Taeyong free’d up his seat as he rushes to the bathroom.
He felt warm next to you, his laugh a little louder now that he isn’t across from you, and it vibrates throughout your body much like the music does. From his silent, soft chuckles at Haechan’s digs at Doyoung, to the guttural laughs at the genuinely funny things that happen. You find yourself drawn in more and more to him, with his soft shirt drooping against his collar bone, and his socked feet kicking out from time to time when he starts to laugh again.
You wonder if the whole reason this night feels like this is because of Taeil. Even Doyoung has gotten comfortable to the point to get a little spicy with the game, and once Taeyong is back and makes a point to stare at his seat on the floor that had been stolen by the thief of the group, all he does is smile.
“What’s the question?” He pipes up as he plops down next to Haechan this time.
“Never have I ever gagged when giving head.” Doyoung laughs, avoiding his drink like the plague because he has definitely never gagged, in fact, he’s probably the best at giving head.
Every single person aside from him drinks though, and for some reason, you’re a little shocked that Taeil has been intimate with another person. Maybe it makes you a little insecure, brain trailing off to thoughts of him going down on you and the horror of the possibility of him gagging.
“Mr. Moon!” Haechan laughs with a shout. “Really? You gagged?”
Taeil doesn’t even look at you, he simply laughs, covering his mouth with his hand to try and block the loudness of it. “Well, yeah. It was the first time I did it!”
“That’s fair. I gagged the first time too,” Taeyong offers, “you kinda get used to the taste, don’t you?”
A circle of nods, and Doyoung, drunk and proud still not sipping from his cup. “I always liked the taste.” He states as if he were king of the castle.
“Good for you—” You laugh. “but that question wasn’t fair and you know it. I obviously have gagged while doing it.” You shorten your laugh to a seethe, glaring at Doyoung.
“Okay whatever, my turn!” Haechan pipes up, side-eying you. “Never have I ever fantasied about a co-worker.”
Clearly, against the rules of the game, Haechan is actually the first to drink. “I actually have, but the question still stands.”
There’s a bit of awkward silence before Taeyong takes a drink, and then Doyoung. There’s no shame in it, right? You take a drink, having been guilty of this very thing just moments before. And now the three of you look to Taeil, and his eyes are glancing at all of you before he shrugs and takes a drink.
“Who?” Doyoung asks, with his newfound persona of not being a stiff stick in the mud.
Taeil goes a little red in the cheeks, glancing at you without really realizing it before trying to stutter out an answer.
“Oh—” Taeyong interrupts him. “I see what’s happening here.” He points between the two of you.
“It’s not like that!” Taeil panics, throwing his hands up and avoiding eye contact with you.
“You’re blushing though.” Haechan pries, smiling over at his boss.
“Only because it’s an intimate question!” Taeil defends again, finally glancing over to you.
“Well, I’ve fantasized about y/n. I don’t see the big deal.” Haechan continues. “She rejected me though and now look at us, two peas in a pod.” He throws himself towards you, trying to grasp you into a hug, and Taeil watches as you fight him off with a laugh.
You kind of go warm at the reminder though, remembering the time Haechan told you about the dream he had, asking if you’d be down for a casual hook-up. You considered it, you really did. Unfortunately, you were kind of in the middle of training and focusing on other things, so the answer was a no and it never really came up again, nor did it cause any awkwardness.
“Wait—” Taeil looks at Haechan, and then over to you.
“I told him no, don’t worry.” You say as a joke, realizing very quickly that it seemed to genuinely calm him down, despite already being told by Haechan that you rejected him.
“So, who is it then?” You continue, looking at him.
“Maybe ask again after a couple more drinks.” He quickly responds, as if to brush it all off.
Part of you wonders if it’s one of the girls on your team. The one who always watches when Taeil is at your cubicle, the one who is always bringing him coffee.
“Alright, jot that down,” Taeyong says, moving forward. “Never have I ever listened in on sex with my parents.”
Taeyong doesn’t drink, but Haechan sure as fuck does, and so does Doyoung.
You and Taeil are safe from that question though, finding the very idea of listening to that—um—gross.
“Easy enough. Taeil, go.” Taeyong urges as all eyes fall to Teail.
“Ah—well.” Taeil stretches out his arms and shakes his bottle, here goes nothing he guesses. The alcohol is making this far easier than he’s comfortable with, kind of wishing he had just told you about his deep thoughts involving you from the question few moments before. He played it off as if he wasn’t drunk enough, but he definitely is. It was too intimate though, it was for you to know, not for the rest of the guys playing this game. The word ‘fantasize’ obviously points to a sexual situation, and that’s not something he really wants to just admit like that in front of your friends if it involves you.
He takes a deep breath, opting to be a little bit scandalous, but more so that he can try and admit his feelings in some way, shape, or form while he’s got the confidence to do it. “Never have I ever considered cutting myself off from drinking in the middle of a game so that I can be sober when I try to kiss a woman in her own house.”
The room is silent for a short moment as everyone tries to process his words. Taeil slowly lifts the bottle to his lips and takes a small sip.
“Oh.” Doyoung breathes, looking between the two of you.
You’re just staring at Taeil, watching him take the smallest of sips before setting his bottle down and looking at you. “Your turn.”
“Never have I ever wanted someone to be sober during a drinking game.” You say, and surprisingly, everyone drinks.
~
You’re still tipsy, opting to take drinks of water rather than alcohol during these games that become more and more boring by the second. Taeil seems to have been quick to sober up, checking in on you every few minutes to see if you need a snack, more water, more—something.
The only thing you want right now is to see what the hell he meant by that, and where the hell he got the confidence to announce it so suddenly in front of everyone.
Thankfully, the guys seemed to have forgotten as they continued their drinking. Taeyong is plastered, refusing to speak in anything but a British accent as he asks his questions, Doyoung is equally as wasted as he gets more and more lively with each sip that is over his usual limit. Haechan is still controlling the music, having gone from r&b to some loud-ass techno-pop song that he keeps restarting.
Though you’re tipsy, you can tell you’ve come down a lot. Enough, rather. You could definitely do whatever you’d need to do right now in this state.
“Taeil.” You whisper out to him, too quiet for the other goons to hear you. “I’m sober enough.”
He looks at you and smiles softly with a shake of his head. “Drink more water.” He urges, handing you the glass.
“Come get some more with me then.” You retort, standing to your feet without stumbling once. You could definitely pass a sobriety test right now.
Taeyong looks at you and watches the way Taeil stands to his feet and follows after you into the kitchen. He nudges Haechan, who then nudges Doyoung, and the three of them watch you two walk off to be alone.
“Did you really mean that?” You ask as soon as you’re out of earshot. “Or was it the alcohol talking?”
Taeil gets a bit shy now, scratching at his hair and going for your fridge to fill your cup with more water. He feels kind of dumb for being that bold during a drinking game, worrying now that he’s hit a point of no return and things will be awkward. He just makes it worse though, because you’re looking up at him like you…want him to admit to meaning every word that he said.
“I’ve been thinking about it since the last time I was here.” He admits, grabbing the water container and setting it on the counter. “But I’ve only been invited when you’re drinking—”
“You can kiss me if I’m drunk. I consent.” You say frantically, looking at him.
He’s shocked by that. The ease of your voice in how to admit that you would have accepted a kiss from him. Even with the rocky start, he thinks he may have grown on you much like how you’ve grown on him. It was quick, but he knows not to ignore a pull in his heart when he feels a connection with someone, especially if it’s romantic. You didn’t even think twice when you said that to him, and he’s in awe at the confidence you must have inside of you to be so blatantly interested like this when he struggles himself to flirt without stuttering.
“I mean, I could, but I’d like it a lot if you were able to tell me that while you’re actually sober.” He laughs, trying to calm the nerves from the presumed admittance to being just as interested in him as he is with you.
“I’m sober.” You say back, motioning towards yourself.
“Yeah?” He asks, finally taking a step closer.
It feels intimate at this moment, watching the way he studies your face to see if you’re lying. “So, I can kiss you then? Right now?”
You forget to nod, still looking up at him.
“Even if I’m your boss? Even though they gave me the position you worked so hard for?” He asks again, and this time you do nod. All hateful or frustrated emotions towards him drain at the way his eyes glisten in your shitty kitchen lighting, and the way he’s still softly smiling as he looks at you through what you can only assume is nervousness.
“Well?” You question, standing in front of him with still a bit too much space to close if he were to kiss you. “How many times are you going to have me confirm it for you?”
“Until I feel like I can.” He sighs out, having choked himself up in this moment and unable to take another step forward. “Because I do want to, i’m just–”
“Nervous?” You laugh, looking around your kitchen.
“Yeah–” He pauses, backing himself up in order to lean against the counter, in the same spot he had done the previous night he had drinks here. “I must look stupid right now, trying to sober you up to do something I probably can’t even bring myself to do.”
You stay silent, realizing that you’ve definitely sobered up and you’re a little sad that he hasn’t stepped up and just done it already, but you have permission right? You could easily close the distance for him and initiate and kiss, right? Would he kiss back? You find yourself wondering how it would feel to kiss him. Likewise, you find yourself laughing internally a bit at the fact that your own boss cannot make a decision without your approval.
Hyping yourself up a bit, your eyes land on him. You take him in for a moment and try to memorize what Taeil looks like the moment before you take the leap. To memorize him because you want to see how he will change after. Not that you’re expecting some life-altering kiss or anything, you just want to see if he becomes relaxed, comfortable, maybe even clingy?
You close the distance for him, and he looks as if he’s still in thought like he may still want to say something but can’t bring himself to say it. He attempts to back himself up a bit more against the counter but there was nowhere else for him to go. Instead, he leans his upper body back, watching as you lean more and more towards him. It’s like he’s forcing you to chase without realizing it, and it takes him a few moments. You can tell. You can see him wet his lips with his tongue, and you watch as his eyes go from wide open to lazily hooded.
“Still nervous?” You ask as a joke, but he takes it far too seriously with the nod he throws back at you.
He grips the edge of the counter in preparation, feeling the sweet, soft, feeling of your alcoholic breath hit him against his chin. His eyes close and he just waits for it, still incredibly nervous but so entirely on fire for such a small intimate moment with you.
You close the distance, plush lips sitting against his only for a moment as if to test the waters. You ignore the sound of the water in the cup being knocked over as one of his hands immediately shoots to your cheek. He notices though and pulls back with a very fast ‘im sorry- i’m so sor–’, but you lean forward again, chasing wherever his lips had gone to say those words to you.
Cleaning up the water was the last thing on your mind, Taeil was the first. His nervousness didn’t stifle nearly as much as you’d like for it to during this small act, and he still hasn’t even tried to lift his hand back up to your face. So you decide that you’re just going to have to guide him, show him that it’s okay to kiss you in whatever way he pleases, because you’re definitely going to do the same.
He’s gripping the counter again, focusing on where his lips meet yours, and then he feels the wetness of your tongue attempting to deepen the kiss. That, for some reason, floored him. He’s kissed before, he’s made out, he’s done countless things with women, but never have they been the one pinning him against a counter to do it. Your softness matched his own, but your willingness to take the control had him feeling as though he could melt into a puddle, much like the water still dripping onto your floor.
He finally accepts it. Accepts that this is what you both want, and he parts his lips. Only now does he have the confidence to take control from you, like he is giving you a chance to enjoy it. As if showing you that he isn’t so bad at kissing after all, at least when he isn’t being a nervous wreck about it.
Taeil puts a bit of force behind his kiss, leaning into you more than the counter now. His lips are chasing, pulling you back in with ease during this silent moment. His hands now unlocked from the counter-tops and reaching back to your cheeks, tilting your head so that he can angle his lips and dart his tongue across yours in a moment that slightly heats up his gut. He’s feeling a little bubbly on the inside, in the way you slip your fingers through his hair and kiss him back eagerly, and he wants nothing more than what you’re doing in this moment.
He doesn’t need more of you, he doesn’t need your clothes to be off or for your legs to be around him. Feeling you at all, your lips against his as you scratch against his hair, tilting your head just to slot your lips in different ways–that’s enough for him.
And then it’s over, and maybe he does actually want a little more. The cool air hitting the wetness against his lips from the way you pull back to look at him makes him shiver a bit despite the warmth he has all over his body.
You look different to him right now. You don’t look as if you ever disliked him, and you’re studying his face in a way that he can tell you’re looking for his approval. You’re silently urging him for a green light and hoping that this was really okay to do. Despite the policies and the red flags of having feelings for your own boss, he images you have a lot of thoughts in your head now when he wishes the only thought was of kissing him again.
He leans forward, trying to re-capture your lips against his own but fails when you pull back.
“Taeil, the guys are going to start wondering why it’s taking so long–” You go to say, wanting nothing more than to kiss him again and damn the men in your living room to a closet for the night to sleep.
“I think they’re aware.” He laughs, leaning back and trying not to calculate the distance between your bodies now. “I think they’re more aware than we were.” He sighs this time, comfortable in this space and shifting his feet.
The water from the spill seeping into his socks was a crawling feeling, and he tries not to make a face, he really does. He pulls his foot back and pretends it’s not soaking wet, still looking at you as if there were more to say in this conversation.
“I think–” You go to say, fully aware that he just put his foot directly into the puddle of water. “I think I should clean this up.”
For some reason, the way he kissed you has you feeling nervous now. The switch in mood hits you in a way that scares you. Do you want him to have bad thoughts about you? Of course, but only specific bad thoughts. You don’t want him to think you’re easy. Or someone who would hit it and quit it. You hang out with a group of men for Christ's sake, is he going to assume you’ve done this with others in the office outside of him? What if he thinks you’re attempting to fuck your way to the top?
All of these thoughts swirl in your head when you turn to grab a hand towel, and they swirl a little slower when you squat down beside him and begin to wipe up the mess. For a moment you glance at his body, noticing the bulge in his lounge pants that he probably hadn’t even noticed himself yet.
You take a deep breath, prying your eyes from his middle and forcing them back down to the puddle you’d somehow missed completely. You were wiping up a dry floor while staring at his. . .
Anyway, you finally get the water seeped into the towel and almost can’t bare to look up at him, but you do anyway, feeling a little shameful of what’s going through your brain right now.
He’s already looking down at you, forgetting himself that he probably should have helped you wipe that up, but he was kind of watching the way your eyes literally devoured him for a solid three seconds and it drove him into a mind state of staying absolutely frozen as he tries to either further the situation or run for the hills.
“Do you, um–” He tries to say, but his voice cracks in an embarrassing way that has him shifting legs and leaning a little more stiffly. “want to maybe…keep going?”
You’re still at hip level to him, squatted in the floor when he asks you and you wonder if maybe, his initiation of this could clear you of any bad thoughts. You hadn’t initiated the kiss until he expressed to wanting it. The only thing you’ve done was invite him to a night out to unwind. If he asks to keep going, it would mean you weren’t trying to use him for promotions or like you’re the type to throw yourself at any cock that comes through the door, right?
You stand to your feet, looking at him.
“Do you want to?” You ask, looking at him and trying to ignore the fact that his bulge is still there, very much visible in those pants.
He nods and looks around the room. “But the guys–”
“Don’t worry about them.” You assure him, stepping towards him. “I do want to keep going, I just–” You look down at his obviously wet sock, but you don’t laugh. “I don’t want you to think this kind of thing is normal for me.”
He nods again, like anything you say to him would be agreeable regardless. Then it dawns on him. “Oh-” His realization shows plainly on his face. “God no. I didn’t think that for even a second.”
You smile at him and honestly, it’s like his heart is beaming at that. He can see the relief on your face, and he hopes it never goes away.
“That never even crossed my mind–” He continues, droning on and spilling his thoughts as they come to him. “I just haven’t really had a crush like this in a long time and it’s really hard to act like I’m not interested.”
You smile wider, poking your own foot into his, feeling how uncomfortable he must be standing here like this.
“I haven’t had much time for crushes either if I’m being straight with you.” You admit. “I do really want to keep going though…” You trail off this time, the room going silent and your lips start tingling with the urge to jump him right then and there.
You do lean in, but you can tell he has something else to say.
“Right here?” He laughs, unsure if he’s admitting to just how far he’s wanting to go, but he does think you are meeting him in the middle when it comes to this situation.
You both are adults after all, ‘keep going’ for two adults with interest usually means a lot more compared to high schoolers who have only held hands. There isn’t a clear indication of a stopping point, and you don’t know if there will be one. Because if the two of you are truly on the same page, you think the same idea is crossing your minds.
“Oh, right.” You finally say, pulling yourself back and looking at his feet one last time. “You should probably change your socks, by the way.” You laugh out as you turn to walk out of the room to deal with the heavily drunk businessmen in your living room.
~
The three men in the living room were heavily invested when you told them that you were going to bed. Not because you were going to sleep or anything, mostly because they watched Taeil follow after you and close the door.
They looked at each other, looked at the door, and decided that this situation was much better than it would have been if you were to continue disliking Taeil. Whatever you did in your own home was your business, and whatever you did in your own room with their boss was definitely not their business.
Knowing they’d still pry it out of one of you, Doyoung passed out shortly after that door was closed, clutching a couch pillow in his hands and doing his best to ride the roller coaster that went on behind his eyes. Taeyong and Haechan stayed up a bit longer, sipping water and gossiping about what you guys must have done in that kitchen while getting water. Thoughts of the questions from the game, the way Taeil pulled up quickly without warning, and the way you sobered yourself up just to see if he keeps that energy. They enjoyed the gossip because it wasn’t exactly drama, and if it stayed between the people in this house, everything should go by smoothly.
You, however, you’re absolutely fucking floored by Taeil. The very idea of him being sexual in any way kind of has your brain twisting and turning with all sorts of images that you want to grasp as if it were a core memory.
When he had followed you through the door, closing it gently and standing there as if he had no idea what to do, you were also at a loss. So, now here you are, giving him a tour of the small bedroom so that he doesn’t somehow get lost in it.
“Here’s my closet, the tv, my bed…” You drone on, walking around the room and presenting each section as if he should be taking notes.
Taeil looks around, endeared by how lived in the room looks. He felt comfortable behind this closed door with you, looking to your tv for just an extra bit of comfort considering on the other side of that door are three other men who you have to see every single weekday. He isn’t so sure if he could survive the embarrassment of them hearing whatever ends up happening in this room.
“Can we turn on the tv?” Taeil asks, slowly stepping further into the room and heading towards your bed.
“You…want to watch tv?”
There’s a split moment where you realize that you are not picking up a single hint of what he’s putting down for you. Of course he doesn’t want to watch tv. “Oh–” You immediately sigh out, grabbing the remote and putting on something completely at random. You can see him smile at it, placing himself on your bed.
“Is it okay if I sit?” He asks, like he’s not in this room to do god knows what with you.
“You can lay down if you want.” It comes out like a mutter, wanting the awkward transition from talking to kissing to be over with. “Why don’t we just pick up where we left off?”
Taeil rubs his hands against his lounge pants, sitting stiffly in place on the edge of the bed, but he nods his head as if he’s waiting for you to repeat what you had done in the kitchen. He can’t help it, being surrounded by everything that is you on a night where he never would have expected this to happen is creating a fog wall that feels near impenetrable.
To his relief, you do exactly what he needs in this moment. Crawling onto the bed behind him and pulling his shirt so that he falls back onto his back. He hits the mattress with a huff, but he smiles nonetheless and stares up at you. “Yeah?” You whisper out, wanting to get on with it still so that he can realize that he’s making this far too awkward for himself.
“Yeah—” He confirms with a small chuckle, still staring up at you as if you were the only woman he had ever found interest in.
It’s slow when you lean down to press a quick kiss to his lips, knowing full well that the small action would relax him enough to move on his own. It’s a little faster when you lay yourself down as if you’re going to sleep now, head against the pillows and eyes drooped a bit. “C’mere.” You say sweetly, beckoning him with a finger when he skews his to watch you.
He does as you ask, languidly sitting upright and scooting to your side. Taeil looks down at you, and the way your eyes meet his own in a way that shows him you want him to kiss you this time. So he does, forcing himself to just stop thinking so damn hard and give you what you seem to want.
Leaning down, Taeil is careful not to place his elbow against your hair as to pull it, and he gently sets his lips against yours as he adjusts his body to lay next to you. He turns your face along with his movements, keeping his lips connected until he’s comfortable enough to hold your jaw in place.
He deepens the kiss this time, his mind overflowing with the idea of how pretty you looked the day he introduced himself, and how sweet you had become towards him. He’s in your home, kissing you and feeling as if he could do it forever.
Slipping his tongue against yours felt even better than it did in your kitchen, nothing holding him back but his own fondness of not wanting this moment to end. You’d kissed him back just as gently, but it wasn’t long before he could feel your eagerness spilling through by your breathing alone.
You were kissing him as deeply as you could in the position you were, neck-straining just to press your lips harder against him, in a bruising way almost. Taeil smiled at that, his lips upturned as he pulled himself back for a breath and for a moment to look at you.
He could tell by the look in your eye that this was going to be more than just kissing each other and testing the water, but he was enjoying this languid way of showing his own need. He dips back down to kiss you again, just as deep before and becomes a little shocked at the way you immediately tug against his shirt.
You’re pulling, trying to get him on top of you. Even if it goes no further than this, you want his weight on top of you, holding onto you, weighing you down against this mattress so you don’t have to think of why it’s wrong to be doing this.
Taeil listens after a few more tugs, allowing your hands to guide him by the collar of his shirt. You knew full well that forcing him to hover half of his body over you would become uncomfortable at some point, and he would slot himself between your legs. He did that almost immediately though, already pressing his palm hard against the pillow you’re lying against for balance and pulling away from the kiss so that he can slot his knee between your thighs.
He lets out a small breath when he does it, looking at you in a way you’d never seen before. His pupils look bigger, hair a fluffy mess on top of his head. He looks more than a friend, more than a boss, he looks like someone you’d prefer to have on top of you several more times if he would allow it.
The soft features on his face are standing out more when you see him from this angle, and you don’t hesitate for a moment to reach up and guide his lips right back to yours. You’re thinking about how his body will start to react, how his lips may begin to move faster until he’s out of breath.
You don’t mind becoming needy, you really don’t. He doesn’t seem to mind so much either when you pull one of his hands from your waist and guide it beneath your shirt. It almost surprises you at how experienced he must be at this, expertly kneading and pinching as he kisses you without a single stutter of his tongue. It was insanely hot to you now, to see him like this after only knowing of his nervous professional self.
That nervous man who kept bringing you snacks, the one who stepped in a puddle of water from a cup he spilled. He’s the one using his fingers to do so little, but make it feel so good. He’s the one who appears to makeout with such experience that you believe it should be the first mention on his resume under the skills section. And he only gets better at it. The kissing becomes mindless as the mere squeezes against your nipple have you nearly coming undone beneath him.
You urge for more, grabbing the hand that’s still expertly rubbing your flesh and pushing it down. Once again guiding him. Taeil is fully aware of what you’re wanting, and is relishing in the idea of how you’re putting him in the exact situation he wants to be in.
You’re not exactly afraid to show him what you want, and you can tell he knows what he’s doing when he stays in one spot for too long. However, he nearly knocks the breath out of you, to the point to where you miss his little sighed out laugh when he slides that same hand beneath your lounge pants far quicker than your hand was guiding him.
Taeil was thinking a little too hard at this point, pulling back from your lips even more just so he could see the lump of his hand beneath your pants making it’s way. The warmth of your thighs against his palm and the way you attempt to squeeze his hand despite his knee preventing you from doing it? Perfect. His eyes slowly trail back up to yours, your stomach slightly exposed from what his hand had been doing previous.
Looking at you, he settles himself back to your side and keeps his arm outstretched so that he can continue to feel beneath your pants. Be begins to examine the way your chest rises and falls when he drags his hands closer and closer to the puddle against your panties. When he does finally get to that spot, you watch as his eyes shoot straight to your face and it’s almost as if he couldn’t contain himself any longer.
He doesn’t take his time to take your pants or panties off, and instead opts to rub that wet spot harshly, thumb finding it’s way to your clit as he dips right back into your lips to kiss you. If he’s being completely honest here, you looked so pretty already, but feeling that warmth, and the wetness he had caused you paired with your eyes looking back at him, almost as if you were patiently waiting for him to do more? It kind of threw him off of his game.
He felt starved, despite having only met you two weeks ago. His harsh rubs against your core is causing you to gasp only slightly into his mouth, bucking your own hips up in order to somehow feel more and more of it. Taeil isn’t trying at all to take his time now, he, more easily than he thought he could, hooks your panties in his fingers and pulls them to the side, kissing you harder now that he realizes he’s literally about to finger fuck you in a way you’d never think he could.
He positions himself yet again, unable to find a position that most satisfies him. He looks down at you when he sits up and finally, and fully positions himself in a way that allows him to take off your pants. He’s fluid when he does it, slipping his hand out of your pants only to pull them down along with your panties in one switch motion. You shiver at the air hitting you, but soon he was spreading your legs further apart as he kicked his own pants off of him. Before you even let him look at you, you’re tugging his shirt, urging him to just go ahead and get the rest taken care of.
He follows suit, throwing his shirt off of him so quickly that by the time you’d pulled yours off, he was already staring down between your legs in a way that made you feel like he really wanted this. When he suggested doing more earlier, he really meant more.
You can see his chest heaving, and though his underwear is still on, to your dismay, you don’t argue it. Preparing your body instead for what’s to come, you watch him do what he’s apparently best at. His hand works itself in the same way it did when your pants were on. He rubs against your folds, staring at it all the while, and then he tests the waters, slipping in the tip of his finger and finally meeting your face again.
Your pupils are blown now too, as if they weren’t already and when he sinks that same finger further in, you can see his cock move beneath his boxers. It’s hitting you now, your gut dropping at the feeling of any part of Taeil working you open.
As much as you want to kiss him while he does this, all you can do is watch the way his other hand works it’s way right back up to your chest, twisting and pulling the long forgotten nub and sending electric shocks straight down to where his finger slowly begins to fuck into you.
He keeps glancing from his finger disappearing inside of you to your face, searching for a reaction, searching for the need or lust or whatever it is you may want from him. It comes far too soon when you buck your hips up against his finger, murmuring out a small ‘another’.
Taeil complies, slipping in another finger and settling himself in a way to where he can lean back over you to kiss you. His lips moved much faster this time, and you can feel him slightly grind his cock against his own wrist while he plunges his fingers into you. It’s a different kind of want, you think. He wants to please you above all, and it appears it’s always been that way from the start.
“Feel good?” Taeil asks for confirmation when he pulls back from the messy kiss, grinding himself a bit harder against his wrist, you can feel his fingers sink deeper into you from it.
You gasp out at him, not answering but instead lunging forward and wrapping your arms around his neck so tightly, that you don’t think he could move if he wanted to. You kiss him, and you kiss and kiss and kiss until his fingers are utterly soaked as they work you open.
Forgetting where you were for a moment there, you finally loosen your grip on him, dropping your arms to cover your face as you allow yourself to just feel it. He takes that opportunity to pull back again, watching how you glisten around his fingers. It feels almost unbearable to him, his cock practically begging to be put to use at this point. He doesn’t need anything more than you being wrapped around it.
Blow jobs and hand jobs are great and all, but you look so. . . ready.
“Can I?” He suddenly asks, pulling you from the sparking thoughts of how his fingers were working magic inside of you, and it kind of shocks you a bit at the sudden words in the room. When you open your eyes to look at him, you can see his arm flexing as his fingers begin to slow their pace, his other hand pressed firmly around his cock that he had presumably pulled out as you were too busy feeling.
You just stare at it, realizing that you are seeing him in the most intimate way you could possibly see a person and you couldn’t even consider asking for more. His heavy cock long neglected since that first moment you’d noticed the slight bulge in the kitchen. Taeil can have whatever he wants. He can do whatever he wants.
You swallow thickly at him, spreading your legs just a bit more to give him the okay, and he doesn’t even question it.
Taeil pulls his fingers out of you but keeps one pressed firmly against your clit. He isn’t rubbing, nor is he drawing shapes against it in order to get you to finally moan or anything. He’s just resting it there, like a thumb tack in a to-do list to remind him that he’s going to make you cum around him.
You’re anticipating it at this point. Watching his hand disappear between your bodies as you can feel the tip rest against your folds at his positioning of it, and then his hand is up and in your hair. You can barely register what he’s doing when you feel it. One long, fluid thrust into you so that he bottoms out in one go. He was holding his breath when he did it, releasing it only after he had rested his abdomen against your belly and looked at you.
It was a shaky breath, and his right hand continued to tangle itself in your hair. He watched your eyes roll back, and he loved it. Loved the way your mouth fell open and loved, even more, the way you still tilted your head into the touch of his fingers brushing through the strands.
He allows himself to sit there for a moment, feeling the way you clenched around him, adjusting to the pleasure of having someone inside of you. He can barely hold himself together though, doing his best not to pull out and thrust himself back in with all of his force. You looked so desirable under him, legs resting around him, and taking him as if you were built to do it.
You looked even prettier when you opened your eyes, staring at him with a blown-out look that told him right then and there that he was making you feel good. Only now did he start to move his thumb against your clit, you’d almost forgotten it was there to be honest. Only now do you understand that this man knows exactly how to fuck a woman. His thumb is gentle against your sensitive bud, but his hips tell a different story when he stutters a half thrust into you. Pulling back only partly before pushing back in.
Tight, short thrusts pulse through your body and it feels amazing because at no point are you not filled up. All you can feel is sensational pressure against your walls, around your clit, and your legs begin to shake to your own surprise. You look up at him, noticing how in the moment he is when you realize his eyes are closed and he’s got his head thrown back, exposing the expanse of his neck to you.
You could probably cry over how much you’d love to lean up and lick a stripe across that skin, but in the position you’re in, you can’t bring yourself to move.
His thrusts become a bit lazier after a few moments, you could tell when his fingers fall from your hair and find themselves pressed against your thigh in order to hold your leg further open for him. You can feel him pull almost all the way out this time before pushing back in, and it grants him the moan he had been waiting for.
Both of you had been holding your breath as much as you could, and when you finally allowed yourself to breathe, so did he. He urged himself to keep doing that, hitting you with long and deep thrusts in order to pull more of those sounds from your throat. His groans coming along side your own, because the way your body reacts makes him feel good. When your legs shake, when you try to grasp him, pulling and pushing against his back with your hands as if to make him sinking deeper and deeper with each thrust–the way it sounds. Wet, slapping of skin in a room where he’d forgotten the tv was even on.
His moans went straight through you, the deep and breathy sounds of him each time he presses into you. It’s driving you insane.
“You sound so, so pretty right now–” He manages to mutter out, almost sending you over the edge by hearing his out-of-breath voice alone, but it’s the fact that he’s now focusing more on your clit than the pace of his cock driving into you.
He’s tracing hearts, squares, fucking pentagrams for all you care. All you know is that no man has ever hit your clit so right. You can feel your skin crawl with the prickling feeling of an orgasm each time his thrusts hit you deep, paired with his own deep and guttural moans, and you don’t even care at this point.
Taeil can see it. He can see your orgasm coming the moment he looks at you. You’re very quietly muttering to yourself rather than him. Small yesses, and even smaller pleases. He wishes you were saying it to him, but for reason, he thinks it's prettier than you’re singing little mantras to yourself because of what he’s doing. He uses those small, hushed cries to get you through it. Still circling your clit, he finally pulls his other hand from your thigh and tucks it beneath your ass, changing the angle just enough to where the tip of his cock is repeatedly hitting a soft spot inside of you.
Your eyes shoot open, and your grip on him becomes that much stronger. You pull him down, forcing him back into his quick, tight thrusts as he struggles to keep that same pressure against your clit. He’s almost worried now, wondering why he’s suddenly face to face with you until he feels you clench so tightly around him.
The wave of tension on your muscles almost too much to bare paired with his fingers against you, all you can do is hold him in place. You feel so entirely sensitive in this moment that all you can do is hold him there. Begging for him not to move, to keep still as your pussy practically milks him dry all on its own.
His mouth goes slack at the very image of you orgasming around him. The feeling is enough to put a smile on his face for weeks to come, but the image and the suffocating grip you have on him is insanely hot, and he can’t do it. The one thing he can’t do for you is to stay still. You let out a whimper when his hips and moans overpower your own, thrusting at a pace quicker than he had reached before.
Taeil can still feel you clench around him, small beads of your heat dribbling out with each powerful thrust into you.
“Just a little longer–” He manages to mutter out to you, shushing you as he pulls both of his hands to your face and holds you there, staring straight into your eyes when he does it. “A little more,” He pants out, resting his lips against your own as he frantically works himself up. His hips are losing any sort of rhythm, and the sensitivity is almost unbearable before, suddenly, his weight is gone and he’s leaned back, pulling himself out of you.
“Where?” He asks, fisting his cock at an aggressive pace, out of breathe and looking at you.
You are equally out of breath and wincing a bit from the sudden emptiness, but you still smile at the responsible man before you. Not only had you not used a condom, but he doesn’t even know if you’re on the pill or not. A gold star for Mr.Moon. As he waits for your answer, you just stare at the way he works his hand against his length. You can see his abdomen tense as you finally, innocently, look up at him.
You throw yourself forward and nearly knock him back, but he keeps his balance as he watches you. He’s completely thrown off guard for only a moment before he feels his cock enveloped with warmth again. Unable to contain it, he does his best not to treat your mouth the way he does his hand, only slowly pressing himself further and further to the back of your throat until you choke just a tiny bit around him. He didn’t intend for that to happen, he really really didn’t, but when he tries to pull back, you hold him there.
He can’t even look down at you to see how you’re taking it before he’s, quite literally, grasping your hair with shaking hands and cumming with a very deep, drawn out moan.
~
“No woman has ever let me finish in their mouth before.” Taeil says nonchalantly, lying next to you and lazily watching the random show you had thrown onto the tv before. “No woman has ever acted like that with me, actually.”
You look over at him in disbelief.
“You’ve got to be joking?” You laugh a little because, really? No one but you? The man is not only handsome as all hell, but he knew how to work his body inside of someone and for some reason, you think he’s fucking lying.
He looks comfortable, he looks spent, and it’s far too late into the night to defend this conversation, but you don’t really care about that much.
“I’m being serious–” Taeil admits, looking over at you with a face that seems to be trying to convince you. He really is being serious, no one has ever seemed to have wanted him that much. Maybe it’s just his non-existant ego getting a boost, he’s not sure.
And if you still don’t believe him tomorrow, or the next day, or the next week. He doesn’t mind. The reality is that regardless of if any other woman has acted that way towards him, he’s really just trying to tell you that he liked the way you seemed to want him.
~
note: i was gonna do a little more for the ending, one where the guys are prying and it’s a normal day at work, except now you’ve felt ur boss’s cock in u. But nah, this is supposed to be a damn blurb u guys, i got carried the fuck away.
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WHAT— what if reader always walks by the cat cafe but never goes in bc they’re kinda scared of cats but they notice TAEIL playing with cats and get the courage to maybe go in or they watch from the window and they’re always wanting to play but they have this tendency of chickening out. STOPPPP IDK WHY BUT IT JUST FJSKKDD ITS SO CUTE !!! Reader finds taeil so endearing but also slightly jealous that they’re able to play with cats so easily and it’s hard for reader and they really want to be a cat owner one day too but they maybe had a small incident as child nothing too bad but it just made this little insecurity for reader !!!
A Kitty's Heart of Gold | Moon Taeil
[ m.list including other neos! ]
─ Synopsis: There is a cat cafe called Cute Kitty Paws near your university, one you tend to avoid due to your unexplained fear of felines.
But, your own fear did not stop you from an unexpected encounter with the handsome cat cafe owner - Moon Taeil!
─ Genre: so fluffy like cat fur, One-Shot, REQUESTED PROMPT!
─ Concepts: university au (reader is a student), use of they/them, non-idol au, cat cafe owner!Taeil, cats<3, haechan special appearance, reader has a irrational fear of cats, just lots of fluffiness and taeil being soft for cats, haechan sneezing up a storm, jungwoo is mentioned and is reader's friend!, reader and taeil bonding over cats basically, some romantic implications but no romantic progression (reader is whipped bc who isnt)
─ Count of Words: 3.4k
─ Inspiration of the Work: this taeil cat video, Darling by JUNNY (ft. dress)
❒ a/n: hey sweetheart, ty for requesting<3 im so sorry this was late and happy belated birthday!! this was supposed to be your birthday present, but you know...HAHA...you already know, i told u in pms BYE. BUT YES THIS PROMPT HAS BEEN LIVING IN MY HEAD RENT FREE- thank you again for requesting and spamming my messages about this!! i absolutely ADORE taeil and him... him as a cat dad... oh god him... JUST HIM! (from a taeil stan in denial)
><
Summer - the season you are never too fond of due to the heat and the uncomfortable weather cursing you to sweat for a period of time, when standing outside doing absolutely nothing. Though this weather is one to plummet your mood when the time comes, you feel incredibly refreshed when gaining the opportunity to visit the cafe and get an ice cold drink; of course, special summer drinks on the menu is one perk you like about summer.
You are someone who enjoys trying a variety of beverages from a cafe, especially the one a bit further away from your campus. You are a regular there, oftentimes stopping by to study in the serene environment or picking up a drink to keep your tastebuds enlightened by the taste of coffee or whatever beverage you had ordered.
For today, it seems like fate has brought you to one cafe that is near your campus.
You could easily obtain your usual drink, knowing it is one ordinary beverage; but, this particular cafe is one you avoid like a plague. You stood in front of the entrance, staring at the sign above and claiming the name of ‘Cute Kitty Paws’ - according to your close friend, Kim Jungwoo, it was a cafe that has these special summer drinks that have you yearning with curiosity.
It was intimidating, however. It was no ordinary cafe, considering it is cat themed and there are many felines roaming freely inside. You have never visited, not even once have you thought about visiting; until, you took a sip of Jungwoo’s drink and suddenly you are craving for that same taste again on this random day. Oh, why did this cafe have to be cat-themed?
You have walked past this cafe plenty of times before, having to take this specific route towards the usual cafe you visit. Plenty of times have you seen the roaming cats sitting by the window, their small pupil gazes following any passerby; you never bothered to interact with any, feeling some discomfort with such creature regardless of it’s cute appearance to most people.
Although, your attention never lingers too long on the cafe through the glass window revealing the cat-themed interior inside; you’ve seen a young man, a brunette with a very charming smile adorning his features. He caught your eye sometimes as you walked by, sometimes turning your head fully to see him playing with the felines with a hanging feather or he would be laying on the floor.
You have no idea why, but it is endearing to watch someone - even a complete stranger - interact with animals with such gentleness. He never took notice of you, he was in his own world. A man with a heart of gold for these felines, the very same person holding a smile you can’t help but find contagious. In a way, he almost resembled one of them by laying on the floor without a care in the world.
Even if you are interested in this one person, your own fear has prevented you from entering this cafe. The very thought of being in the same room as cats has your heart in turmoil, your own skin crawling like an uncomfortable curse running through your body; was it an irrational fear? Sometimes, you think you are insane or even overreacting by something so cute and fluffy.
Taking a deep breath, you step away from the cafe’s door. You couldn’t bear the thought of entering despite your own gluttony speaking otherwise, you wanted to have the peach-mango flavored drink that Jungwoo had brought that one day; unfortunately, you lost all confidence. Well, it was one quest you have failed! Time to move on.
Walking away from the door, you walk past the window where you are exposed to any cat lover’s heaven. Several felines lay around, a few watching you; awkwardly you met a few of their gazes, your hand twitching slightly at the thought of touching them to rake your fingers through the slick fur they usually have. Yet that parasite called ‘fear’ remains in the back of your head.
Suddenly, the man you adored from afar had come into view. He stood with the usual smile he reserved for these cats, his pretty yet large hands extended out when he leaned down; a feline approaching with a furry head bumping against it, gently nibbling on his fingers and you felt your own heart drop. Not a crushing one, but one to make your own heart ache in the most pleasant way.
The way his fingers stroke the fur of the feline’s head, you felt oddly comforted by the sight. In your head, these creatures aren’t too bad especially with how he interacts with them. You stood dumbly, the fond smile playing at your lips and you did not notice the quizzical gaze meeting yours. Meeting eyes with the worker inside through the window made your own body tense up, embarrassment rushing through you like a tidal wave.
Momentarily, the two of you stood and stared at one another without breaking eye contact. Your thoughts racing, telling you to run away or let the world swallow you whole; but, your feet remain glued to the floor from the bewilderment with a mix of embarrassment. You never thought about it until now, but the gentle cat-person is incredibly handsome.
Oh, why did you have to meet someone like that in this type of situation?!
Finally, he walks away and you are blinking back to reality. Out of your sight, the felines remain and you are ready to run off like a stray frightened by a stranger. Once you begin to move, you hear the door open and the chiming bell above makes you turn your head instinctively. You met eyes with the handsome cat-person, once again.
He politely smiles at you, “Would you like to come in? We are open.”
You did not reply instantly, only staring at him with wide eyes like a deer in the headlights. You didn’t fully process the question, letting your eyes roam along his figure; a white apron tied around his waist, the cat-themed badge on his chest and revealing his name to be Taeil. It was a pretty name for such a pretty person.
He shifts before you, your eyes instantly meeting his. Clearing your throat, you slowly nod - “Yes? I just…Yeah.” You had mentally facepalmed at your words, not sure what you were trying to say. In fact, you wanted to reject his offer! Your mouth having a mind of its own, answering for you without comprehending your actual feelings; maybe it was the small guilt you felt for being a creep for watching him.
He nods, not affected by your awkwardness; he gestures for you to come in, a hand beckoning you to come closer. Suddenly, you are following through, a spell casted on you by the same gentle hand petting those cats inside. Something about him seemed so relaxing, you can’t understand what it was exactly; he held such a soft and welcoming demeanor.
Entering inside, you are met by the scent of sanitization which is one you aren’t exactly complaining about; it is a different aroma you are used to. You could hear some felines meowing from afar, your head slowly turning to see the four-legged furballs roaming; some eyeing at you with their unreadable gazes, and a few meowing towards you in greeting. Hesitating, you froze and felt the prickling sensation run through you.
“Is there something wrong? Are you allergic? I should have informed you this is a cat cafe,” Taeil spoke to you gently, catching onto the anxiety cursing your well-being. You turned towards him, swallowing the lump stuck in your throat - “Oh…I knew that…It’s just…” You glanced at the cats on the other side, thankful for the high gate the felines couldn’t walk past through or jump over.
“I-I have a fear of them, that’s all…” You admit barely above a whisper and Taeil seemed surprised by your confession. He nodded in understanding however, his tender gaze holding no judgment whatsoever; he smiled kindly, “I can make your drink and give it to you outside. I understand, if this could be overwhelming. Tell me what you like to order.” He suggests, compromising with your fear.
Considering his words, you take a deep breath and slowly shake your head - “The thing is…I don’t hate them. You know that exposure thing in psychology? Maybe I can do that! I mean, how can I be in a cat cafe without interacting with any?” You say with a laugh, trying to relieve the tension with the forced enthusiasm. Taeil briefly pursed his lips at your words before nodding in understanding, “I am sure you will enjoy your time here. I can stay by your side.”
“Y-You don’t have to!” You sputter out, surprised by his willingness to help you with your ‘exposure’ experiment. He only shook his head with the same gentle smile, the one that has your heart feeling warm - “I am the owner of this cafe, I take pride in all the cats being taken care of here and my customers’ comfort is my responsibility. These cats are socialized with humans, I can assure you that nothing will happen.”
You nod at his words, glancing warily at the felines awaiting for you and Taeil to join them on the other side. “I can show you how to interact with them. Maybe you can visit often, we can take our time familiarizing yourself with them; is that okay with you?” He asks, taking a step forward with a hand resting on the gate.
His patience and gentle words had made you feel more at ease, the idea of him sticking by your side through the process is enough to comfort you; even if it was only little. Small words of gratitude are given towards him, Taeil only smiled back at you before opening the gate.
“Take your time going inside,” He assures you, the pressure upon your shoulders uplifted once you heard the gate unlock with a click. Loudly the felines purr by his feet, rubbing themselves against the leg sticking out to prevent them from walking past the open gate. Slowly you inhale, gradually building the confidence despite the leeching fear; slowly you approach Taeil and the three cats crowding around him.
Avoiding stepping on the cats near your feet, you take a step into the cat-themed cafe with the counter in full view with another worker behind it. He stood behind the counter with raven locks of hair, a finger rubbing at his sniffling nose; you weren’t able to greet him just yet once feeling a cat press against your legs, a small gasp leaving you at the contact.
A hand is placed on your lower back to prevent yourself from losing balance from the surprise, Taeil smiling at you as you meet his handsome face - “Don’t worry, I got you. For now, we can look at the menu; you don’t have to pet them for today, if you aren’t comfortable.”
“Thank you…” you murmur out, Taeil’s hand never leaving your back as he guides you towards the counter. The cat badge on the barista’s apron read Donghyuck, he looks at you with a curious look; he doesn’t seem to understand the situation. “Are you dating someone, Hyung?” He suddenly asks, the younger male looking towards the brunette with raised eyebrows and a smirk drawn over his lips.
Taeil shook his head with a smile, “They are a customer. They aren’t familiar with cats, so I am helping them.” He tells Donghyuck, not exactly exposing your fear with the felines which you are grateful for. His gentle touch leaves your back and you are left with roaming eyes reading the menu above Donghyuck’s head. You consider the options, easily finding the iced drink that Jungwoo had before.
“Oh, I am sorry!” Donghyuck exclaims, his head bowing in apology towards you. You looked back at him and shook your head, “No worries. Can I get the iced peach-mango?” You order with Taeil standing next to you. Donghyuck grins at you, “That’s one of my friends’ favorites! Were you recommended to come by here?”
Nodding, “Yeah a friend of mine from Uni.”
In the corner of your eye, you see Taeil moving away to quietly crouch down to the felines eye level. The affectionate smile playing at his pink lips once more, fingers running through a cat’s fur; you are suddenly feeling the familiar tranquility you’ve always felt, whenever Taeil interacted with the cats. His heart of gold worn upon his sleeve, it is revealed to you like treasure twinkling back at you.
“Oh yeah? I know someone from the nearby University also! It’s Jungwoo-hyung. Hyung, he came by today right?” Donghyuck replies back to you, the familiar name of your friend’s name regaining the attention back to the raven-head.
A bright expression overtakes your features with a nod, “I know Jungwoo too! I had a sip of his drink and I’ve been wanting it ever since. It’s super refreshing for this summer weather.”
Donghyuck smirks proudly at your words, “I know right? I am the one who created that drink. What can Hyung do without me?~”
Taeil chuckles at the younger’s words and looks up at the two of you, “Jungwoo did mention someone liking the drink a lot.”
You laugh and point at yourself, “Well, that’s me! My name is Y/N, by the way.” You finally introduce yourself, completely forgetting to tell. You felt more relaxed, knowing you are surrounded by the friendly staff members. Donghyuck points at his tag, “At your service~” He hums while placing down the drink you’ve ordered. You thank him, taking out your wallet to pay.
“It’s on the house.” Taeil offered once standing up, you looked at him in surprise. Shaking your head, you quickly interject - “No, no it’s okay! You can treat me like any other customer–”
“You aren’t just a customer. You are a friend and I think, you coming by is enough to repay.” Taeil simply tells you, the words of complaint becoming stale on your tongue; you had no idea whether to argue further or to accept it. You can’t argue with his handsome face, his eyes holding a sea of kindness with a smile to have you swimming in captivating waves.
Sighing, “Only this one time!” You tell him and Taeil nods with a smile. Donghyuck looks between you, a melodic tune whistling drifting through the air from his pursed lips - “Wow, hyung must really like you…Are you liking me less now, hyung?” Donghyuck pouts whilst looking at the brunette.
Taeil didn’t answer, simply ignoring the younger’s teasing and he kept his gaze on you; somehow, all attention towards the barista is drowned out by Taeil’s presence itself. “Would you like to stay here a bit longer? You can play with the kittens, they are less intimidating in comparison to the adults.” Taeil suggests. You’ve completely forgotten where you were, for a moment.
A cat hops onto the counter, you backed away and Donghyuck sneezes from behind the counter. Taeil apologizes quickly, picking up the large cat - “Did you not take your allergy medication?” He asks when glancing at the younger. Donghyuck continues to sneeze, his head turned away with a few more sneezes escaping him. He grumbles, “I ran out...I didn’t take one today.”
Standing closely to Taeil, you seeked comfort from his presence. He doesn’t seem to mind, a hand stuffed into his apron and you are watching the brunette take out a pack of medication; he hands it towards the younger. Donghyuck grins at the older, his bubbly nature returning once being taken care of.
“Thanks, hyung!”
Taeil doesn’t answer back, looking towards you - “Sometimes, the cats do whatever they want. Sorry about that.” He chuckles and you smile back at him with a shake of your head. Hearing the many stories of cats, you knew how independent they could be. “I think I can handle kittens. I don’t mind staying here longer,” You answer back.
Nodding his head, you are following him through the cafe and approaching a door. “All these cats are up for adoption. They are all rescued…I usually foster them before bringing them here though,” He tells you and you nod with a pleased smile; a newfound admiration towards the man you've watched from afar for these past seasons.
“You really love cats huh?”
Taeil looks at you with a smile, “They are often misunderstood. I love them dearly.” He turns back to the door to open it and reveals two kittens playing inside. Entering after him, you are feeling relaxed by the smaller felines scampering around with their big heads, and tiny legs; you laugh a little, placing down your cup on a table before slowly kneeling down. Maybe your exposure experiment will go along just fine.
Joining next to you, Taeil picks up a string toy and lets it hang above the kittens’ head. They were distracted by the toy, not approaching you nor sparing any attention towards you; an envious pang felt within your heart, as you watched Taeil play with the kittens. He looks at you, “Usually they warm up quickly when you play with them. They can be really sweet, once they warm up to you.”
He hands you the string and you take it, fingers brushing against his warm ones. A faint smile played at your lips by the contact, turning your attention to the kittens while swinging around the string above them; they hop and climb on top of each other, trying to reach for the toy.
You let out a laugh, “How cute!” you exclaim while playing with the kittens hunting down the string you dangled above their heads.
In a comfortable silence, you drag the string along the floor and the kittens pounce onto it, trying their best to catch it. Taeil watches the felines play, “Are you feeling more comfortable around them?” He asks and glances at you. Your eyes didn’t leave the kittens, nodding your head - “I definitely am…But, I think it’s because you are here, you know?” You admit with a sheepish smile once meeting his eyes.
“Progress is progress. That’s what matters.”
His words made your heart skip a beat, a flustered smile appeared on your lips and you hung your head to hide your bashfulness. Unexpectedly, one of the kittens had climbed into your lap and you instantly stiffened at the contact; Taeil let out a chuckle next to you, “They seem to really like you. Relax. He is just napping.”
He reaches out, gently rubbing a finger at the small head of the kitten. “Kittens sleep a lot more than adult cats. They have so much energy that’s why,” He laughs and you laugh with him; feeling relaxed by the cute fact and Taeil’s presence. Looking down at the kitten in your lap, you smile to yourself - a sense of proudness radiating you, as you lift up a hand to pet the small body.
The fur was soft against your skin, you easily stroke the smooth fur and Taeil smiles next to you. “How do you feel?” he asks and you look up at him with a grin. “I feel great! I finally got to pet a cat,” You laugh a bit and he nods at your words; fondness overtaking his handsome features, the soft expression having your breath hitching.
So, this was the world he was living in. A world filled with your fear, yet it became a very relaxing experience for you. You want to live in his world more often.
“I want to come again.” You tell him, your mind determined to overcome your fear and grow closer to the cat-person with a heart of gold. He looks up from the kitten he was playing with, meeting your determined gaze with his gentle one - “You can visit whenever you like then. We are open every weekday until 10 p.m., and on weekends we close at 8 p.m.”
You nodded, “I also want to come again to see you more.”
Taeil looks at you, eyes widening slightly at your words and his lips twitching up into a bashful smile. Faintly, a dust of red overcame his cheeks and he looked away with a chuckle - “I would love to see you more also.”
Grinning at him, you let out a pinkie to ensure the promise shared between the two of you. “I will come by then!” You promise, awaiting for his pinkie to intertwine with yours. He glances at your hand before nodding his head, his larger pinkie intertwined with yours.
“I promise to welcome you anytime.”
It was one step to getting closer with the cat-person with a golden heart.
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