"The Dinner" Matthew Haldeman-Time

The Dinner

I write about men having sex with other men. You must be eighteen or older to read my fiction. This site is for consenting, responsible adults only.

Suho was in the kitchen, standing behind the island with Chen and Chanyeol, getting a drink. His bottle cap fell to the floor as they talked. “It seemed like a nice place to go,” he said. Ugh, he’d better pick that up. Xiumin had just cleaned the kitchen half an hour ago, and he didn’t feel like being scolded.

“No, I thought it was boring,” Chanyeol said. Suho crouched down, reaching for the cap.

“The maknae’s so annoying,” Baekhyun’s voice said suddenly, interrupting them. The cap was just beyond the reach of Suho’s fingers; he stretched for it. “He’s complaining about Changjo again. Why are they always fighting over Suho hyung? I don’t - - what, what, what?”

Suho got up, frowning. Brushing aside Chanyeol’s frantically waving hands and ignoring Baekhyun’s sudden panicked look, he asked, “The kids are arguing?”

“Uh,” Chanyeol said.

“It’s nothing,” Chen said.

“You could have told me that he’s right there!” Baekhyun objected.

“I was trying!” Chanyeol said. “Is it my fault you walked in running your mouth and wouldn’t stop?”

“What do you mean, they’re fighting over me?” Suho asked. He hadn’t heard anything about it, and he didn’t like it at all.

“I didn’t, ah, I didn’t mean it like, uh, it’s not like that,” Baekhyun said awkwardly. Widening his eyes, he stared at Chen.

Chen sighed, rubbing Suho’s upper arm. “It’s not serious. They just pick at each other sometimes. Sehun doesn’t want to have sex with Changjo because he thinks that Changjo wants to use it to prove he can top L.Joe’s dom.” Suho studied Chen’s face, trying to process that. “And there are things like Sehun thinks that Changjo boasts too much about having sex with you, like he, what’s it called, he lords it over people.”

But that didn’t make any sense at all! Changjo knew that what was private was private.

“D.O. says this is what happens when two spoiled maknaes have to share hyungs,” Chanyeol said. “They both see the other one manipulating hyungs to get what they want, and they’re like, ‘How dare you! That’s my job!’” he exclaimed, pointing at Chen.

“Oh, ew,” Chen said, laughing. “It’s like Suho hyung and L.Joe hyung are their favorite toys, and they have to learn how to share!”

“That’s nonsense,” Suho said. His dongsaengs knew better than that. Changjo and Sehun weren’t that foolish, were they? “What’s Sehun complaining about now?”

Baekhyun rubbed the top of his head, his eyes darting from side to side. “He, ah.” Pausing, he laughed nervously. “He’s still fussing about how you shouldn’t only do it with Changjo, how you should have sex with everyone in Teen Top so Changjo doesn’t feel so special.”

What?! “Why would he talk about a thing like that?” Suho asked, embarrassed. This was too far, he had to put a stop to this.

Licking his lips, L.Joe sat down on the foot of Chunji’s bed, his phone to his ear. “Yes, hyung?” Suho only called him to talk about Sehun, so this call had to be about Sehun, too. Oh Sehun. Instinctively, his fingers went to his neck, where his collar should have been.

“I think that it’s good for our teams to be close,” Suho said.

“Yes.” He thought so, too. Mostly for one specific reason, and that reason loomed so large in his mind it dwarfed everything else, but there were other good reasons, too.

“It seems like maybe our Sehun and our Changjo aren’t getting along as well as they could.”

“Uh?” This was news to him. Sehun and Changjo? As far as he could tell, everyone got along great. He couldn’t imagine why Sehun would fight with Changjo, and he hadn’t heard anything about Changjo having a problem with Sehun.

“I thought that, as their hyungs, you and I could help them to get to know each other better. They haven’t spent very much time with each other, compared to some of our other members. I think that maybe you and I have monopolized their time.”

“Mmm.” Okay, he could see that. Whenever Teen Top and EXO had overlapping free time, L.Joe and Sehun made a beeline for each other, and Changjo’s priority was Suho. He wasn’t sure, now that he thought about it, how much time Sehun and Changjo had spent together outside of free-for-all orgies.

“Maybe the four of us could get together,” Suho suggested. “We could go out for a night and get to know each other.”

The four of them? “W-w-with Oh Sehun?” He hated that his voice cracked and stuttered, but he couldn’t help it. A double date? With his owner? In public?!

“I think that it’ll be good, for all of us,” Suho said. “I’ll bring Sehun if you’ll bring Changjo. When can you meet?”

Blinking, he realized that he wasn’t really being asked to go. He was courteously being told to go. It occurred to him, then, that Suho wasn’t a real authority figure, just some hoobae, but Suho was a leader, Sehun’s leader, the one who brought Sehun to him, and he found himself saying, obediently, “We have some time on Monday night.”

Sehun had not seen this coming. “What?” he asked, lowering his toothbrush and staring at Suho. “Why?”

“It’ll be good for us.” Suho’s expression was serious and earnest, and he could see that this was an established thing, a done deal, not a suggestion or an invitation. “We’ll go tonight, we’ll meet them at the restaurant.”

Wait, no, “I thought that we had practice tonight.”

“Filming was rescheduled, so we’ll start practice early.”

“I, ah, Suho?” Lay asked, leaning around Sehun at the sink. “If you’re meeting L.Joe and Changjo, can I meet C.A.P.?”

“Mmm, talk to him and figure out what your plans are for when and where, and then I’ll decide,” Suho said.

“Hyung,” Sehun said, as Suho turned to go. Suho turned back patiently. “It’s not so easy. I can’t just meet L.Joe sunbae for dinner. That’s not - - it’s not like that between us. I think you’re asking too much.” When they bumped into each other backstage, in work settings, on idol territory, it was electric between them, but it was a specific environment. The number of times they’d met publicly, in a social setting, was very limited, and those were unique, special memories for Sehun. It was very difficult for L.Joe to see him in public, and asking L.Joe not just to be around him but to interact with him, to have to behave normally in front of waiters, it wasn’t fair. He wouldn’t put his pet through that.

“I spoke to L.Joe about it first, and he agreed,” Suho said. “If he’s already decided to go, and he’s already set the evening aside and made plans to meet us, it would be disrespectful of you to refuse.”

It was just like Suho to put him in an impossible situation. “You talked to L.Joe sunbae personally? You didn’t just talk to Changjo and make plans?”

Suho frowned at him. “I knew that this would be a sensitive issue and it might be difficult for L.Joe, so I spoke to him personally. Do you think that I’m careless about L.Joe’s situation? He agreed to go, and to bring Changjo. I haven’t talked to Changjo about it, but I’m sure that he’ll be there.”

Okay. But, “Why? What’s this for? Why the four of us?”

Suho nodded. “We’ll talk about that tonight,” he said, and he walked away.

It was like a date. It was kind of like he was going on a date with Oh Sehun. Once L.Joe got that idea in his head, it stuck. Ashamed, knowing that he was reading too much into the evening, he told himself that it wasn’t a date, it was nothing like a date, it was just four people going to dinner. But the idea of dating Oh Sehun got under his skin and took over his brain. He got ready like he was preparing for the night of his life: he scrubbed every corner of himself obsessively clean, he shaved even though he didn’t need to, and he changed clothes so many times he ended up putting some of the same outfits back on again.

A date with Oh Sehun. Dinner with Oh Sehun. It was such an overwhelming, thrilling prospect that he couldn’t even think about it in detail; the basic concept alone blew his mind. He couldn’t get past “dinner with Sehun” to imagine what that dinner might be like.

He was dressed and mostly, probably ready when he realized that his hard-on wasn’t going away. Oh, shit. What if he got hard at dinner? What if he had an erection in public? He had to take the edge off, at least. He went to find Niel, but Niel was in the shower. “Hey,” he said, going into the maknaes’ room. “Come and take care of this.”

“Your turn,” Changjo told Ricky, brushing his hair.

“What? My turn why?” Ricky asked. “You do it.”

“I’m getting ready,” Changjo argued.

“Who’s the maknae here?” Ricky demanded.

“It doesn’t matter,” L.Joe said, undoing his fly. “One of you c’mere.”

Ricky snatched the brush out of Changjo’s hand, hit him with it, and marched over to L.Joe. “Fine, hyung, here.”

While Ricky knelt in front of him, L.Joe leaned back against the wall, tipping his head back, his eyes drifting shut. Oh Sehun.

It was a nice restaurant. Changjo had been here before, with Suho and L. There were no Inspirits waiting outside tonight, only some EXO-Ls and now the Angels who’d trailed him and L.Joe. He snapped a photo of the front of the restaurant, and as he followed L.Joe inside, he texted L. Remember this place? It was a good night.

L responded with a text full of laughter, and then forwarded him a text from Suho. It was a shot of the same restaurant, and Suho had written, Meeting our Changjo here soon. Won’t be the same without you. Surprised, he sucked in his cheeks, trying not to laugh.

The hostess walked them back to a private room where Suho and Sehun already waited. What followed was the most awkward greeting Changjo had ever seen. L.Joe hung back about five miles away from the table, stuck there and refusing to go any closer. Sehun stared at L.Joe like Changjo and Suho and the table and the walls weren’t there. Changjo had to stand behind L.Joe and physically push him, guiding him closer. When they finally got there, Changjo hugged Suho. “Hi, hyung.”

“Our maknae,” Suho said, hugging him back. “How’ve you been?” Suho gave him a fond smile, then put a hand on L.Joe’s shoulder, squeezing hard enough to get L.Joe to pay attention. When L.Joe finally realized that Suho was there, and looked over, Suho gave a warm, encouraging, hyung smile and said, “Let’s sit and be comfortable.”

“Sure,” Changjo said, to move things along. He and Suho sat, and then Sehun sat down, and once Sehun started to sit, L.Joe dropped into a chair like it was important to follow Sehun’s lead.

Suho tried to ask about their schedules. Changjo talked, and L.Joe sat there staring at Sehun with this shy, intense focus, like he didn’t want to be obvious but it would be unbearable to miss a single breath Sehun took. It was funny, but it was also embarrassing! Maybe if it had been, like, L or someone, it might make a little bit of sense to act excited, but wasn’t this just Sehun? Ordinarily, Changjo found L.Joe’s preoccupation with Sehun funny and cute and sexy, but in this context, it was getting uncomfortable. Sehun wasn’t great enough to deserve all of this attention. Was being kind of handsome that much of a big deal? Shit, Changjo was good-looking, and L.Joe never looked at him like this.

“What does everyone want to order?” Suho asked, opening a menu. It was a round table. Suho was across from Changjo, and Sehun was across from L.Joe.

Sehun cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, I’m just a stupid hoobae,” he said, “so I don’t know what I’ll order. Suho hyung, can you order for me?”

L.Joe smiled like Sehun had just done something magical. But he immediately relaxed, too, Changjo could see it. He sat back in his chair a little, and he actually looked away from Sehun, bothering to open his menu and glance down at it.

“All right, I’ll order for you,” Suho said. “You can order what you’d like,” he told L.Joe. “Hyung will pay for it.”

L.Joe bit at his lip like he was embarrassed. “You don’t have to.”

“You should learn from him,” Changjo said, giving L.Joe a light kick under the table. “L.Joe hyung never buys anything for me or Ricky.”

“Ya.” Laughing, L.Joe kicked him back. “What are you saying? I buy all of the time.”

“You only buy things for Niel hyung,” Changjo said. “You get him drinks and snacks, and you never do anything for the rest of us.”

“Don’t you have Suho hyung and L hyung taking care of you?” L.Joe asked. “They’ll buy you food trucks if you ask, why should I buy a drink?”

“A food truck,” Suho said. “That sounds fun. Aw, I should have sent one to the set while you were filming.”

“What?” Sehun asked. “Hyung, you’ve never done that for anyone else. Not D.O. hyung or Chanyeol hyung or-”

“Is it a competition?” Suho asked. His voice was quiet, suddenly, and his eyebrows went up. Immediately, Changjo sensed danger and became still. Unmoving, silent, Changjo assessed the situation.

From the instant that L.Joe had said that Suho had invited them to dinner, Changjo had wondered why. L.Joe had said that Suho just wanted everyone to be closer and get to know each other better. He’d assumed that Suho wanted to get to know L.Joe better, because it was only smart for EXO’s leader to know the guy who was involved in a private BDSM relationship with Sehun. The dinner had seemed like a good idea, maybe even overdue; Suho and L.Joe hadn’t spent much time together, really, before now. Changjo had assumed that he’d been invited to round out the table, because he was close with Suho and L.Joe both, because Suho didn’t want to be alone with whatever happened between the dom and sub.

Maybe he’d assumed too hastily.

That tone, that look, it was all too significant. “Is it a competition?” was not a casual question, not the way Suho had just said it.

Maybe Suho had a different agenda, one Changjo hadn’t recognized. Carefully, he shifted in his seat, his gaze flicking from one face to another, checking out the scene. His elbows on the table, he folded his fingers together. Was this a passing moment, a stray flicker of tension? Was there something going on between Suho and Sehun, something specific Sehun had done earlier that day? It wasn’t necessarily about him at all, and that would be good. He wasn’t going to jump in if he didn’t have to. If he didn’t have to defend himself, he wasn’t going to try to diffuse the tension. There were people he was loyal enough to that he’d speak up to draw fire away from them, but Sehun wasn’t one of those people.

“What?” Sehun asked, like he didn’t get it. “No, hyung. I just think it’s a little weird to send a food truck to some other group’s maknae if you haven’t sent one for D.O. hyung, who’s worked on so many projects.”

“I make an effort for all of my dongsaengs,” Suho said. “It’s not good to keep score. I have a different relationship with every individual dongsaeng, and I hope that you all understand that I love everyone very much, without making comparisons. Would it be fair if I counted how many times a day you were good to this hyung or that hyung or another one?”

“No,” Sehun said. Looking confused, he frowned. “It’s not like that.”

“I hope not.” Sitting back, he opened his menu again, signaling an end to the conversation.

Sehun shot Changjo an annoyed look.

Excuse him? Changjo shot him the same look right back.

L.Joe kicked Changjo under the table.

“None of that,” Suho said, putting a hand on L.Joe’s thigh without looking up from his menu. “Let’s behave ourselves tonight. Does the steak sound good?”

Sehun was so handsome, L.Joe couldn’t take it. He couldn’t understand how one person could be so intensely good-looking. Sehun was so chic, his heart pounded just being so close to someone so cool, so in control. Those eyes, god, he couldn’t stand being in the same room while Sehun sat there and looked at things. Sehun’s eyes flickered here and there, gaze alighting on Suho, on the tabletop, on the water glass, god, fuck, L.Joe wanted to be that water glass, to be an everyday part of Sehun’s life, something Sehun made use of and took for granted, something that made casual, sacred contact with Sehun’s mouth. Sehun’s mouth! Sehun’s lips were soft and pink and small and refined, and L.Joe was rock-hard and desperate, mouth watering.

Sehun’s hair had been perfect when they’d walked in, immaculate, every strand in place, because Sehun was a handsome, well-groomed idol with a polished appearance. But then Sehun had run his hand through his hair and messed it up and left it that way, and now it was disheveled, because Sehun was sexy and real and an ordinary guy, natural and youthful and maybe even approachable. L.Joe couldn’t get enough of him, either version of him, any version of him. There were a hundred different facets of his personality, a thousand different sides of him to get to know, and every single one fascinated L.Joe.

It was a treat to get to see him like this, at dinner with his leader, in his ordinary private life. It was a huge treasure, a gift, but it was also a reward that L.Joe hadn’t actually earned. Sehun hadn’t given this to him, not voluntarily; Suho had arranged it over their heads. He felt like he was getting away with something, stealing something that Sehun hadn’t decided to give to him, and that made him feel like he was doing something wrong, like Sehun might be unhappy with the situation. Was Sehun displeased? Should he have refused and said no to Suho, or at least checked in with Sehun to ask for permission first? He wasn’t sure of the hierarchy here. Sehun was his owner, Sehun was in charge of him, everything had to go through Sehun first. But Sehun deferred to C.A.P., so shouldn’t he defer to Suho? So it was okay to be here, since Suho wanted it, right? Worried, he wished that he’d talked to Sehun about it. He’d wanted to bring it up when Sehun had texted him, but since Sehun hadn’t made any reference to it, he’d thought that he shouldn’t, either. He’d taken his cues from Sehun; he hadn’t been in his sunbae mindset.

He wasn’t in his sunbae mindset now, either. It was really hard to keep himself together when Sehun was right there, across the table from him, looking so handsome. Strikingly handsome. He wished that Suho and Changjo would leave.

Suho waited until the food came. Thanking the waitress, he dropped the code phrase for privacy. Once she withdrew, he trusted that they could eat without being interrupted.

Spreading his napkin over his lap, he smiled at his dongsaengs. “It’s nice to get together like this.” L.Joe and Changjo nodded, looking at him; Sehun made a vague sound of agreement, not really paying attention. “I’m glad that we can spend time together. It’s good for us all to be close. The more committed our teams are to each other, and the better we get to know each other, the more important it is for everyone to get along.”

Changjo’s gaze flickered in a subtle way he recognized. Changjo’s brain had just flipped on. Changjo was alert now, aware.

Not reacting to that, he continued. “I’m glad to be able to say that most of our members get along very well. We’ve developed a lot of strong friendships and special relationships. So if there are any points of conflict, it’s good for us to address them and dig them up. Let’s resolve our problems before they get worse.” At the word “problems,” Changjo studied him more intently. He didn’t think that his face gave away anything particularly interesting, but he knew that Changjo was more perceptive than the average idol.

“Problems?” Sehun looked at him closely, then glanced at L.Joe, then frowned at him.

He could already see the defensive anger rising in Sehun, and he shook his head. “It’s not that, there’s nothing like that. I’m very glad that you and L.Joe are close, that’s all been resolved.”

Sehun’s frown was confused now. “Then what?”

“I’m the problem?” Changjo asked.

He wasn’t going to be soft and reassuring. “The problem is between the two of you. I’ve heard that you’re not getting along. There’s tension between our team’s maknaes, and I can’t let that happen. I don’t know if there’s something that you have to get off of your chests, or if you need to take a healing trip, but we’re going to work this out.”

“A healing trip,” Sehun repeated. “No.”

“I don’t think there’s a problem,” L.Joe said.

“Then you haven’t been picking fights with each other?” Suho asked. “Complaining about each other? Arguing over who gets to do what with whom and how? There’s no jealousy?”

Changjo snorted. “Why would I be jealous?” He raised his eyebrows, giving Sehun an interested look. “You’re jealous of me?”

“I’m not the one picking fights,” Sehun told Suho. “He starts shit all of the time, he says things and insinuates things, and then when I respond to it, I’m the one who gets in trouble. You think he can’t do anything wrong, when all he ever does is cause problems.”

“Maybe I expect you to be more mature and be more responsible when you talk to your dongsaeng,” Suho suggested pointedly.

“He’s a sunbae! Shouldn’t he be more mature?” Sehun demanded.

“Think about what it means that he’s your dongsaeng and already your sunbae,” Suho said. “Changjo’s had to deal with a lot, and he dealt with all of it years before you ever did. Maybe you should keep that in mind and be more considerate.”

“He doesn’t have some permanent ‘get out of jail free’ card! You give him a pass on everything just because he debuted young! You don’t do that for me or Taemin or any other maknae.”

“When we debuted, you were days away from eighteen,” Suho said. “Months older than C.A.P. was when he debuted, and he was their leader and hyung. Changjo was fourteen. How ready were you for this life when you were fourteen?”

“If he wasn’t ready for it, then he should’ve stayed home with his toys and his swing set,” Sehun said.

“What would they have done without him, when he’s the one who taught the other members to dance?” Suho asked. “What did you teach the other trainees?”

Sehun turned a dark shade of red and dug his fork into his steak. He was embarrassed and furious.

This wasn’t what Suho had wanted. He’d hoped for healing, not a confrontation. He ate for a moment, and then he sighed. He’d started this, and he had to finish it. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if he gave up on it now. “Changjo-goon.” He looked at Changjo across the table. “I hope that you haven’t put pressure on Sehun to do things he isn’t comfortable with. I hope that you know that’s never good to do with anyone.”

“It’s not pressure, not like that,” Changjo said quickly. He gestured at Sehun. “He’s not shy, he knows how to say no. I let him know what I want, because in a room where everyone’s doing anything to anyone, it’s easy to get swept up and make assumptions, right? So I check in with him, to see if he’s changed his mind, and he tells me no, so I hold back. What else can I do?”

“You don’t check in,” Sehun argued. “You challenge me. You taunt me.”

“You don’t taunt me?” Changjo demanded. “I don’t put anything off-limits, and don’t say that you don’t use that to make a point.”

Their wording was vague, but Suho could guess what that meant. Grabbing Sehun’s wrist, he glared into Sehun’s surprised eyes. “We do not use private, intimate things to prove points or gain an advantage or put people in their place. I don’t ever want to hear about you doing anything like that. Understand?”

“Hyung! I don’t!” Sehun insisted. “I don’t. He does! That’s what he does, he does it with you. He talks about you, he makes insinuations, he rubs it in everybody’s face.”

“Do I do that?” Changjo asked L.Joe. “Do I say that to you, do I rub it in your face?”

“No,” L.Joe said. He glanced at Sehun, looking conflicted, and it was obvious that he wanted to be on Sehun’s side. He looked disappointed in himself for a moment, and guilty, and then he met Suho’s eyes. “Changjo doesn’t talk that way, not to me or in our dorm. Maybe about L hyung, once in a while, but not much.”

“L hyung’s private, and he wouldn’t like it,” Changjo said. “It’s hard not to gloat about it, I always want to say something. It’s rough on me. But I know that L hyung would hate it if he heard me.”

“He says things about going to meet L hyung, and he dances around talking about how they’re going to meet up later. But he doesn’t say private things,” L.Joe said. “It’s just, ‘Oh, I’m going out, I’m going to see L hyung, we’re going to meet up, I won’t be back for hours. Oops, are you stuck here at the dorm? You can’t go out? That’s too bad for you! Don’t wait up, I’ll be back late!’ It’s really obnoxious, and everybody hates it, but he only goes that far.”

Suho nodded. He could definitely see Changjo taunting the Teen Top members, but he could also see Changjo respecting L’s privacy and not discussing their sex life in detail. He trusted that Changjo was the same way about him. “How far does he go with you?” he asked Sehun.

Sehun looked disgruntled. “It’s not explicit. It’s nothing severe. It’s his tone, the way he says it, the looks he gives, like we all know what he’s talking about.”

Okay. “Like when he says that he’s seeing L and he’ll be out late and no one should wait up,” Suho guessed. Looking dissatisfied, Sehun nodded. “It’s alluding to things, and everyone knows what he means by it, but it’s not specific enough to be lewd.”

“But why should he get to allude to the things he does with you?” Sehun demanded. “How long did we all have to spend pretending nothing was ever, ever happening? How long did we have an unbreakable code of silence? We never even hinted at it, ever, not even when you were out of the room, we always protected your privacy. Why does he get to be so disrespectful in front of us when it comes to you? Why does he get to act like he has some special privileges and special relationship? He’s using you to prove how hot he is, and I can’t stand it.”

“He’s cocky about those things,” Suho said.

“So is Xiumin hyung, but Xiumin hyung doesn’t act like he gets special treatment.”

Suho knew that he’d said this before, but it never hurt to be reminded. “What’s private is private,” he told Changjo. “We all have to feel comfortable and confident in being able to trust each other. I’ve opened up to you a lot, but what I share with you is only meant to be between us. It’s not fair to me or my members for you to tease them about it.”

Guilt colored Changjo’s face, and he glanced down before he met Suho’s eyes. “Yes, hyung,” he said. He started to glance in Sehun’s direction, but his gaze swung back to Suho instead. “I’m sorry. I can be more careful, I’ll be more respectful. I know that you’re sensitive about those things.”

Suho was unhappy with both of the maknaes for this situation, and he decided to talk with Changjo about this in private, later. “All right.”

The table was quiet for a moment. Then, suddenly, Changjo gave Sehun a quick, probing look. “Oh, I get it,” he said, setting down his water glass.

“Get what?” L.Joe asked.

“Mmm, never mind,” Changjo said, suddenly interested in his steak.

“Maknae! What is it?” L.Joe asked.

“Why are you always so desperate for attention?” Sehun asked Changjo. “Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“You should be embarrassed,” Changjo said, looking up from his plate. “I’m not the problem, you don’t care about me. You’re just jealous. You just said it, special treatment, special privileges, special relationship. You were the best dongsaeng and the only maknae in Suho hyung’s life, and now you’re not. He likes me and he takes care of me, now, too, and we have a special relationship, and you’re jealous. You’re worried about yourself.”

What? “It’s true?” Suho asked, leaning toward Sehun.

“You’re making it sound weird,” Sehun accused.

Then what the beagles had said in the kitchen was true. “You’re having trouble sharing the maknae’s spot. Suddenly your hyungs are close with other dongsaengs, and you don’t like it?”

“He doesn’t like it,” Sehun accused. “He’s the one who starts fights and baits me. You let him get away with everything. Like the time that he picked a fight and said all kinds of shit to me when we were outside of Teen Top’s practice room with Chen hyung, and all you wanted to hear about was what I did wrong and what I said.”

“You said inappropriate things in a public space,” Suho said.

“So did he!”

“No one heard him,” Suho said. “They heard you.”

“That’s the point! He’s baiting me! He goaded me into it.” Sehun flung himself back in his chair, visibly frustrated, face tight with his “the world is brutally unfair” expression.

Suho ate for a moment while he gave it all some thought. “Maybe you don’t know each other well enough,” he decided. “You haven’t grown very close. You spend your time with other members and don’t get together very much. Let’s just talk and share some things with each other. You have a lot in common. And I don’t know why you can’t share the maknae spot with each other, when you both already share it with someone else.”

“Kai’s not a maknae,” Sehun objected. “He’s terrible at it, and no one ever asks him to do it. I’m all by myself.”

“Mmm. Ricky seems like a much more natural maknae than Kai is,” Suho admitted.

“You’re a more natural maknae than Kai is,” Sehun said.

Suho smiled a little at that. It was embarrassing, but it was true. “How is our Changjo when he’s alone with his members?” he asked L.Joe.

L.Joe slowly tore his gaze away from Sehun. Blinking, refocusing himself, he shifted in his seat. “Changjo?” He laughed suddenly, glancing over at Changjo. “He’s awful, he’s the worst. He’s so annoying.”

“Sehun’s very spoiled,” Suho confessed. “We give him his way too much. I don’t think that we’re very demanding hyungs.”

“Are you kidding?” Sehun asked.

Ignoring that, Suho continued. “I think that you’re harder on your team’s maknae than we are on ours.”

“They beat me,” Changjo said. “You know that, right?”

L.Joe socked him hard in the arm and said, disgusted, “We don’t beat you.” Sehun grinned. “Changjo has a lot of energy, and he’s always doing something. I want a maknae who sits still once in a while. And I want a maknae who looks like a maknae! Why is he so tall and,” L.Joe sketched Changjo’s broad shoulders in the air. “Why can’t he be a cute, small dongsaeng?”

“Like Ricky?” Changjo asked, popping another bite into his mouth. He grinned devilishly at L.Joe as he chewed. “You’d be disappointed if I were small, hyung. Don’t pretend, you like my size.”

“Ah,” Suho said as L.Joe drew a fist back. “Changjo-goon, don’t tease. Let’s all behave while we’re in public.”

Changjo smiled at his plate.

“You don’t see it?” Sehun demanded. “This is what I’m talking about!”

“It’s a double entendre,” Suho said, exasperated. “Half of our members don’t seem to know any other way to talk. Isn’t this better than Lay, who doesn’t even make the effort to mask it?”

L.Joe laughed. “Lay hyung just says what he means. It’s fun, I like how honest he is.”

“Your members seem blunt,” Suho said. “It must be nice to have a leader who’s direct.”

“Some of our members say too much of what’s on their mind,” L.Joe said. “I don’t need to hear Chunji’s opinion on everything.”

“My members can get noisy,” Suho admitted. “The dressing room, the van, the bathroom, it’s nothing but chatter. Baekhyun talks just to hear himself talk, and Chanyeol…” His voice drifting off, he sighed and shook his head, cutting another bite of steak.

L.Joe made a soft, questioning noise. His gaze darted nervously from Sehun to Suho, back and forth. “Is it all right, can I ask? What is Oh Sehun like as a maknae, really?”

He seemed to feel like he was taking a huge, bold risk in asking, and Suho wanted to honor that by responding truthfully. “He’s very cute. It’s funny, how big he is now, how tall he’s gotten. I understand how surprised you are by how tall Changjo’s grown, because it’s been a big change watching Sehun, too. When he’s in a good mood, he’s adorable.”

“Oh,” Sehun said, cringing, like he didn’t want to hear this or be talked about this way.

Suho kept going, speaking openly to L.Joe. “I’m very proud of him. He works hard and he’s an honest man. He’s a good dongsaeng, he listens well. He’s responsible and he knows that he’s living a public life, and I trust him to conduct himself in a way that won’t embarrass EXO or the company. He’s loyal and he’s considerate.” Suho smiled. “And he’s very nice to look at, isn’t he? I’m glad to have such a handsome maknae.”

“But I’m not adorable,” Sehun said. “I don’t even have any aegyo.”

“He’s adorable,” Suho told L.Joe, to make sure that it was understood. “He’s so cute, even when he pouts. He complains too much and he talks back to his hyungs more than he should, but we let him get away with things like that because he’s too cute.”

“What does he pout about?” L.Joe asked. His gaze flitted in Sehun’s direction. He seemed self-conscious about asking, but he seemed too fascinated to hold back.

“Oh, everything,” Suho said dismissively, picking up his water glass. “He’s tired, he’s bored, he doesn’t feel like this, he doesn’t want to do that, it all comes up. One day, we’ve had pizza too often and he doesn’t ever want to eat pizza again in his life. The next day, one day later, why did we order chicken again, couldn’t we just get pizza?”

L.Joe laughed. “Really? It’s like that?”

“Spoiled,” Suho said. “He’s very sweet, though, when he wants to be. He translates things for Lay and explains well, and I’m always glad to see that. He always has nice messages for the fans, and he likes to be close with them. He cuddles with me, I never have time by myself on the couch.” He smiled. “But your maknae is the same way, isn’t he? Do you ever get to sit comfortably alone on your couch?”

“Him?” L.Joe asked, gesturing to Changjo as he ate. “He flops everywhere, he’s like a big dog, always throwing himself on top of somebody. He thinks he can still fit in our laps. He leans all over me and squishes me. It’s okay when he holds still,” he admitted, and his voice sounded reluctant but his smile was fond. “But the rest of the time! Kicking and squirming and poking, he digs his fingers everywhere.”

“I’m trying to get comfortable,” Changjo explained.

“Who’s comfortable with your elbow in my ribs?” L.Joe asked.

“I am,” Changjo said, grinning.

Sehun had thought that the worst part of the night would be Suho reprimanding him in front of Changjo.

It turned out that by far the worst part of the night was Suho reminiscing in front of L.Joe. All of a sudden, Suho was full of anecdotes about Sehun’s young trainee days, and what Sehun had been like as a fresh rookie. It all came out in one traumatizing story after another: all of the times that Sehun had thrown a fit, all of the times that Sehun had done something cute and endearing to win Suho’s favor, all of the times that Sehun had burst into tears. Suho had a nightmarish mental catalog of every single embarrassing thing Sehun had done, and joyfully elaborated on every detail right there at the table. The time he’d spilled sauce on his stage outfit and gotten worried that he’d get in trouble for it and tried desperately to hide it, the time he’d talked other trainees into doing his homework for him, the time he’d listened to Xiumin and gotten Mandarin words for a very innocent food and a very explicit sex act confused; Suho paraded all of it out for L.Joe’s entertainment. Sehun practically expected him to set up a slide projector for a visual aid.

It would’ve been embarrassing if Suho had done this in front of anyone else. But it was mortifying in front of L.Joe. Of all people!

Sehun was a complete person. He wasn’t some cardboard cutout of a dominating figure. He respected that L.Joe was a genuine human being with complex aspects, and L.Joe knew that about him, too. So it was okay with him for L.Joe to see him in all sorts of situations and hear that he was sort of stupid, sometimes. But, god, he still had some image to maintain! He wanted L.Joe to think of him as powerful and sexy, not as some ridiculous kid who’d been so exhausted from travel and long practices that he’d fallen asleep on the toilet in the KBS building.

Tonight was supposed to be about Sehun and Changjo growing closer, but it wasn’t working out that way. What it was accomplishing, though, was bringing Suho and L.Joe closer together. At Sehun and Changjo’s expense.

Changjo had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, he really liked seeing Suho and L.Joe become close. They were getting along really well, laughing a lot and smiling until their eyes sparkled, really enjoying each other’s company. But what they were laughing about was how foolish and cute Sehun and Changjo were. It was awful. Changjo had finally gotten to a point where Suho saw him as a man, and now L.Joe was piling on one story after another about what a stupid, weird, embarrassing kid he was.

If he didn’t listen to the words, it was a great moment. Suho and L.Joe were completely absorbed in each other, gazing into each other’s eyes, talking nonstop, eager to share every thought, reacting to every word. It was like the two of them were on a date, and Sehun and Changjo were the petulant kids they’d dragged along because they couldn’t get a baby-sitter. But when he tuned in and listened, ugh! L.Joe was telling the story about how they’d been traveling too much and he’d gotten confused and he’d gotten off of the elevator on the wrong floor at their hotel in Japan, and he hadn’t been able to get into his room, but he’d clearly been a Korean idol, so the maid had unlocked the room door for him, and he’d been so tired and foolish that he hadn’t realized that it was the wrong room entirely, and he’d stupidly taken a shower and been crawling into bed when Super Junior’s Donghae had walked in and found him. Being in his underwear in the bed of a five-year sunbae from a major company had been one of the worst moments of his life, and now Suho knew all about it! And Suho was vowing to talk to Donghae to hear more details! This was so fucking fantastic, Changjo wanted to plunge his own steak knife into his chest.

Suho couldn’t believe that he hadn’t heard that story already, and begged L.Joe for more.

L.Joe had a hundred more stories and couldn’t talk fast enough.

Changjo toyed with his knife and daydreamed about ways to make L.Joe’s life miserable.

He had to admit, Suho seemed really happy. And he liked seeing Suho so happy. L.Joe seemed happy, too, relaxed and confident. This was how he wanted his hyungs to look, especially on a night off. They should be enjoying themselves, and they were, and he liked that, that was good. It was really cute, seeing them hit it off like this. He suddenly wished that he could get them to make out. Fuck, that would be hot. Amazingly, scorching-hot.

They were his hyungs, and they were both important to him. If they were close, it would be really nice. Well, as long as they didn’t gang up against him. But he wanted them to have a good relationship. He’d love it if they hung out together and called each other up and included each other in their lives. They were a huge part of his life, so why not be a bigger part of each other’s? They usually only dealt with each other when it had something to do with Sehun, and a lot of that was indirect contact, even then. It would be great if they’d connect just for the sake of it, to say hi, to catch up. L.Joe might benefit from having a kind, responsible, conscientious hyung. And maybe having someone to take care of who was even more awkward and anxious than he was would be good for Suho.

Plus the sex would be so. Fucking. Hot.

Sehun had watched L.Joe with other people, but more from afar, or in passing, than up close like this. L.Joe and Suho had talked the whole way through dinner and were now laughing their way through dessert, and it was amazing.

L.Joe was really at ease. Hell, he was flirtatious. He was flattering and hinting and teasing, like he was trying to pick Suho up. His smiles showed off his teeth, and he was constantly grooming himself, fluffing his soft hair, licking his lips, licking his teeth, biting his lips, god, he was killing Sehun with all of this mouth action. He kept touching Suho’s arm, and brushing his fingers over the back of Suho’s hand, and gazing at Suho with this sweet, calm, appreciative look like he was confident enough in himself to assume that he’d have Suho exactly where he wanted him by the end of the night. He wasn’t L.Joe hyung anymore, no, this was completely L.Joe sunbae, self-assured, adult, secure in himself.

Sehun couldn’t get enough of him. He was a captivating, sexy creature.

If Sehun hadn’t been so aroused, he would’ve been jealous that L.Joe was going after Suho and ignoring him. Did L.Joe prefer hyungs? He had to know! The idea that he was too young for L.Joe fascinated him. Or maybe he was too tall, that seemed really likely, and he was totally turned on by the idea that he wasn’t L.Joe’s type.

Suho didn’t mind being flirted with. He wasn’t flirting back, but he really liked L.Joe’s company, that was obvious. He was being himself, comfortable and in the moment, not trying to maintain his image, not trying to be a leader or a responsible hyung, just laughing and playing around and making goofy faces. Really, if it weren’t for the difference in speech patterns, Sehun wouldn’t have been sure that Suho was the hyung here.

Seeing Suho so relaxed made Sehun glad that they’d come to this dinner, after all. Maybe he had to sacrifice his reputation for the sake of Suho’s social life, but Suho and L.Joe had never been closer, and wow, it was really telling, how much that meant to him. The longer dinner lasted, the more he realized what a precious memory this night would be. Two of the most important, precious people in his life were creating bonds right in front of him, and it warmed his heart, it really did. This meant the world to him.

After Suho paid, he smiled at his dongsaengs. “Tonight was supposed to be about the two of you, and you’ve barely said anything. Did we talk too much instead?”

“You didn’t have to tell all of those stories,” Changjo said.

He laughed. “But they were great! I’m glad that I’ve heard them. You never told me any of those things.” He felt like he knew Changjo even better, after tonight, and he loved it. “Maybe we should do some more talking, but in private. Ah, our dorm is a little… Would it be all right if we went to your dorm?” he asked. “Should we ask C.A.P.?”

“He might be too busy to answer his phone,” L.Joe said.

“I’ll call D.O., he’ll answer.”

EXO’s manager was still there, and the four of them got into the van. While they rode to Teen Top’s dorm, Suho checked with C.A.P. to verify that it was okay.

In the dorm, Suho pushed a game controller aside and sat on the couch. Immediately, Changjo sat beside him. L.Joe shoved Changjo off and sat there instead, and Sehun sat beside L.Joe, leaving careful distance between them. Changjo sat on the floor, then sighed and flopped against Suho’s legs.

Pleased, Suho stroked his hair. “What can we do to help the two of you get along?”

“Stop playing favorites,” Sehun suggested.

“Stop picking fights,” L.Joe said, nudging Changjo with his toes.

“I don’t have favorites,” Suho said firmly, his hand falling still in Changjo’s hair. “Sehun’s not my favorite, Changjo’s not, D.O.’s not, L’s not, no one is.”

“Sunggyu hyung?” Changjo guessed.

He tugged hard on a lock of hair until Changjo winced. “I don’t have favorites,” he repeated. “I try to take care of all of my dongsaengs and all of my members and everyone who counts on me. I love all of you, and I would be glad if you’d look out for each other, too. I hope that Sehun can learn to be a kinder, more considerate hyung to you, and I hope that Changjo can learn to be a kinder, more respectful dongsaeng to you. How can that happen?”

Changjo didn’t say anything.

Sehun pressed his lips together.

Maybe this was the best moment he was going to get to broach a sensitive subject. “I don’t think that my relationship with Changjo is the only special friendship that people are worried about.”

Sehun looked at him.

After a very long, long moment of silence, L.Joe gave a start and looked at him too, eyes widening.

He smiled, amused that it had been that difficult to figure out. “You and Sehun do have a very unique relationship, and that might be hard to get used to. Everyone’s glad that you’re together,” he added, squeezing L.Joe’s arm. “But if someone new comes into your life and means as much to you as Sehun does, it’s a good idea to remind the people who’ve always been by your side that they still matter, too.”

“What. I.” Looking baffled, L.Joe stared down at Changjo, who was averting his gaze and pretending not to pay any attention. “What, maknae, you.”

“It’s easy to take people for granted, when they’ve been with you for so long,” Suho said. “We get used to our members, and we aren’t very careful about how we treat them. But Changjo’s sensitive-”

“What? I’m not,” Changjo objected, looking up.

“-and he loves you very much-”

“Oh, ew, no,” Changjo said, making a face.

“-and maybe you could remind him that he’s still special to you, even if Sehun is special to you, too.”

“Why are you like this?” Changjo demanded, staring at him, disgusted.

“Maybe your other members need to hear it, too,” Suho said, ignoring Changjo. “I don’t know.”

Looking as uncomfortable as anyone had ever looked, L.Joe patted Changjo’s shoulder. “I love you.”

“Ugh, get away,” Changjo grumbled, ducking his hand.

Laughing, L.Joe relaxed a little. “Maybe after you leave,” he told Suho.

Nodding, Suho accepted that. “Should we go now?”

“Now?” all three of them demanded.

Taken aback by their vigor, he burst into laughter. “What? Too soon?” But he knew why they weren’t ready to end the night. “Do you know that it’s okay to meet up and spend time with someone and end the date with a hug and a simple good-bye? You don’t have to go as far as possible every time you see someone.”

“No,” Sehun said. “Hyung, really, at least give us a couple of hours. You don’t want to go back to the dorm yet, it’s too early. And the other Teen Top members are still there.”

“Oh,” Changjo said. “We could all go together, we could go to EXO’s dorm.”

“No, let’s stay here,” Sehun urged.

“As long as we’re in private like this. Maybe it’s embarrassing, but I think that we should talk about it.” Suho forged ahead. “If there’s a problem with sex between you, can it be worked out?”

“Between us?” Sehun asked. “Me and Changjo? There’s not a problem. He doesn’t get to top everyone he wants to. That’s how life works, sometimes people say no.”

“Okay,” Suho said. “If that’s all there is, okay.”

“But why don’t you want to?” Changjo asked.

“Because you think that you have something to prove,” Sehun said.

“Maybe you’re insecure.”

“You’re immature!”

“Ya, ya, stop it,” Suho scolded. “Arguing won’t help.”

“I don’t have hang-ups,” Changjo said. “I don’t care what he does to me.”

“Oh, you don’t care?” Sehun asked.

“I don’t care.”

“You really don’t care?”

Changjo shrugged. “I don’t care at all.”

“So I can tie you up,” Sehun said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What, if you want to,” Changjo said.

“No,” Suho said. “Sehun-ah, that’s not necessary.”

“I don’t care,” Changjo said again. “Give me a safe word and do whatever you want.”

“Stop it,” Suho said firmly. This kind of talk didn’t amuse him. They really were trying to prove themselves, both of them, using sex to score points, and he hated it.

He remembered something that L had said months before. Something about how people used sex for their own purposes, for their own gain, but if they were content just to make out, then they were really there for him, not for what they could get from him.

He didn’t think that there was anyone that Sehun or Changjo only made out with, someone they were intimate with in that way without ending up in sex. Someone they were close with, and erotic with, someone they shared themselves with, where it didn’t end up in sex. All of their make-out partners were also sex partners. And a lot of their sex skipped simple, precious things like kissing altogether, as far as he could tell.

“You can tell me no,” he said. “But I would like it if the two of you’d make out.”

All three of them looked stunned. “In front of you?” Sehun asked, like he couldn’t have heard right.

“No, not for my sake,” he said, embarrassed. “You can do it privately, in one of the bedrooms. But just make out. Not sex, not touching or, or, or anything else. Only kissing.”

Changjo was suspicious, his eyes narrow and watchful. “Why?”

“Because I want you to get closer. When you talk, you argue. But you’re both good at, ah, you’re both perceptive…” He didn’t know how to say what he wanted to say. “I think that it’ll be a good way for you to communicate.”

“I don’t want to make out with him,” Sehun said, looking disgusted, his lip curling in distaste.

“I’ll do it,” Changjo promptly volunteered. Hopping to his feet in a quick, energetic bound, he rubbed his hands together. “Here on the couch?”

“You can use one of the bedrooms,” Suho said. He didn’t want them to do it right there, in front of him.

“But we won’t need privacy if we’re just kissing,” Changjo said. “Hyung, can you get up?” he asked L.Joe.

“I’ll go, uh, I’ll get a drink,” Suho decided, standing up. When he was up, L.Joe slid over, making room for Changjo, barely.

Dropping into the tight space between L.Joe and Sehun, Changjo smiled at Sehun. “Ready to start?”

“No,” Sehun said, and pushed him aside, one hand on the side of his neck pinning his cheek to the back of the couch. Holding him down and looking past him, Sehun asked L.Joe, “Sunbae. Do you want to see this?”

The naked desire on L.Joe’s face as he nodded was too raw, and Suho turned aside, leaving the room.

“Okay,” Sehun said, behind him. “But just for a couple of minutes. Don’t try anything stupid.”

Considering all of the things that he and Changjo had done together, Sehun was faintly surprised to realize that they’d never kissed. They’d skipped over that step. He guessed that it would be okay to go ahead and kiss, now. Everyone else seemed to like kissing Changjo, anyway, and L.Joe wanted to see it, and the things that they had done together had been great.

Squeezed between Changjo and the arm of the couch, he shifted, nudging Changjo out of his way, getting comfortable, sorting out their legs. Once he was comfortable, with his thigh draped over Changjo’s, he curled his hands over the collar of Changjo’s shirt. “Good?” he asked, looking into Changjo’s eyes, at that sexy mouth. He liked the pretty bow shape of Changjo’s upper lip and the soft fullness of the lower lip. Yeah, this might be great.

Changjo’s expression was too pretty to be a smirk but too mischievous to be a smile. “Sure, hyung, whatever you want.”

Sehun rolled his eyes and kissed him.

Mmm, yeah. Changjo had expected Sehun to be good at this, and he wasn’t disappointed. They were totally clicking; he was sure that if he opened his eyes, he’d see sparks flying off of them. They matched each other’s rhythm perfectly, their tongues stroking, their kisses deeper and hungrier with each passing minute. When Sehun nibbled on his lower lip, he grunted, encouraging it, liking it, his body responding to the aggressive play, and Sehun moaned, kissing him hard.

Their kisses were full of little signals like that, back and forth communication. Suho might’ve had a point about that. They were used to picking up cues, in life and specifically in sex. Sehun had a lot of hyungs to deal with, and, shit, Changjo never would’ve survived this long if he hadn’t been able to read the subtleties of moods, desires, and intentions. So when he heard a catch in Sehun’s breath or felt the press of Sehun’s hand, he went with it, following Sehun’s nonverbal cues about how to kiss, where to lick, what to touch. Sehun responded just as immediately to him. Apparently, he gave away more than he realized, because Sehun figured out exactly what he liked, rubbing his nipples in a way that made his cock throb, sucking on his tongue in a way that made him feel hot and powerful and sexy and wanted.

He was doing his best not to escalate, because he wasn’t going to give anyone an excuse to say that he’d been pushy or manipulative; he was on his best behavior. Sehun, though, was totally into it, grabbing his ass and squeezing all over in an incredibly thorough inspection, pulling on him, hauling him closer and closer and closer into Sehun’s lap until they were grinding against each other. The rhythmic friction felt so great, he couldn’t wait to get naked, god, he needed to get off. He couldn’t believe that Suho expected them to stop after some polite kissing. Sehun obviously didn’t want to stop, either; those deep, demanding moans were practically ordering Changjo to take Sehun’s cock.

Just make out? There were a lot of ways to define making out, and Sehun had been working his way through them. He and Changjo had started off just kissing, but he’d decided to stretch the definition to include caressing, and then some subtle grinding. The further they went, the hotter the flames rose, and the more trouble he had policing himself. They were now into nipple play and not-at-all subtle grinding, and he could no longer understand why they had so many clothes on. He threw his shirt aside, then dragged off Changjo’s, and fuck, yes, this was more like it. Groaning, kissing Changjo again, he splayed his hands over Changjo’s pecs. So firm, so sexy, he rubbed over them, squeezing. The way Changjo moved against him, groaning, told him it was just as good for Changjo as it was for him, and he toyed with Changjo’s nipples, pinching harder than he should have, loving the way Changjo shuddered against him and bit his jaw. Groaning, he shifted, and he couldn’t tell whose idea it was but they were moving together, completely in sync; he was leaning back against the armrest, Changjo was sliding down to kiss his chest. Fuck, he was burning, he was aching, sex and pleasure were humming through him. Burying his fingers in Changjo’s hair, he moaned, squeezing his eyes shut and arching while Changjo licked his nipples. Changjo’s teeth tested his skin, and he undulated, rocking against Changjo’s cock, need making him pant.

“Just making out,” Changjo whispered, seductive and teasing and knowing, crawling up his body again, erection dragging against him. Changjo kissed his neck, and he moaned, tugging Changjo’s face up to his, licking his way over those sexy, reddened lips. “Just making out,” Changjo repeated, palm hot against his bare skin.

Changjo’s muscular, hard body really turned him on, and he couldn’t believe how connected they were, how well they understood each other. Needing to let out some aggression, he pulled Changjo’s head back and kissed Changjo’s neck hard, sucking, scraping his teeth over the smooth, firm column of Changjo’s neck. Changjo just moaned like it felt good and laughed like it was fun and kissed him, kissed him until he was moaning and tugging on Changjo’s hips and trying to get closer.

Changjo was so - - easygoing wasn’t the right word, not with this fiery lust fueling their every move. But everything was okay, everything was sexy, everything was a turn-on; Changjo didn’t enforce boundaries or pull away or flinch, wasn’t aggressive or confrontational, wasn’t intimidated or shy. This hot, erotic moment was better between them than any conversation had ever been. If Changjo could always be this sexy and mature and fun, then damn, Sehun wanted to adopt this maknae, too.

Oh Sehun.

Sehun was turned on, really turned on, flushed and demanding, giving all kinds of mid-sex signals. At any moment now, any second, he was going to yank Changjo’s pants down and bury himself in Changjo’s ass, and L.Joe couldn’t look away, couldn’t bear to miss it. He was moaning like everything felt good, greedy, wanting more and more, and L.Joe was having a really hard time not joining in, not helping, not giving Sehun what he was asking for.

Sehun wanted sex. Sehun should have sex. How much longer were they all going to deny Sehun what he needed?

Changjo was in the way, a very physical, very real presence. L.Joe didn’t shove him aside, because Sehun very obviously wanted Changjo to be right there. Over his shoulder, L.Joe watched every move Sehun made, watched them kiss, watched the contractions of Sehun’s black eyebrows.

Sehun wouldn’t look at him, wouldn’t acknowledge him, but that was okay. His needs weren’t important; Sehun’s were.

Changjo’s shirt was off, and on Changjo’s naked back, he could see marks. Half-moon indentations were Sehun’s nails had dug in. Scratches, fading redness from where Sehun had gripped. L.Joe really wanted to touch Changjo there, to feel for himself where Sehun’s hands had been. He’d never touched someone at the same time as Sehun; that wasn’t something they did. But the draw of Sehun’s demanding sexuality, the erotic energy pouring off of them, it was irresistible.

Biting his lip, staring at Changjo’s back, L.Joe put a hand out. Reaching, slowly reaching, he caressed the air. He knew Changjo’s back, knew the lines of muscle, the curves of Changjo’s shoulder blades, the sexy arch of Changjo’s spine. He’d been here a million times before, behind Changjo’s naked back. It would be okay to touch. Just once. Just for a second. Just, just, just for one, quick second.

His fingertips made contact, brushing over Changjo’s back. It was taut, smooth like satin, and he traced the line of Changjo’s spine. Leaning closer, closer, he licked his lips, his fingers weaving a path between the dainty crescent grooves Sehun’s fingernails had left. When he caressed across a red scratch, he hissed, sure that coming in direct contact with it would scald him. It was too intimate, touching in the same places where Sehun had been only moments before, but now that he was here, he couldn’t imagine pulling away. Licking his lips wasn’t enough anymore, he needed more, and he licked Changjo’s back, his tongue seeking out the places Sehun had visited. Sehun had been here, “Mmm,” and here, too, “ooohh-hh-hh,” marking Changjo’s skin, lusting, possessing.

“Fuck, oh, hyung,” Changjo panted, squirming under him. Not moving away from him, not moving toward him, just moving, shifting, sinuous and graceful, muscles flexing.

“Let him,” Sehun said. He sounded young and breathless and aroused, and L.Joe’s gut clenched. His owner was talking about him. “Let him do whatever he wants.”

He hadn’t even been sure that Sehun remembered that he was back here, but he should have guessed. Sehun was a good owner, a controlling owner. Thrilled to have been noticed and mentioned, feeling emboldened, he ran his hand down Changjo’s side. Changjo’s skin was hot, fever-hot, and he licked his way up Changjo’s spine, pausing at every mark and scratch as he went, sucking, compelled to taste, to lick Sehun’s fingerprints off of his maknae’s body.

When he’d licked his slow, obsessive way up far enough, he saw Sehun’s hand on the back of Changjo’s neck. “Uuoohhh, Oh Sehun.” Hungry, craving Sehun’s touch, he moved as close as he dared, breathing on the back of Sehun’s hand, not making contact, sniffing around Sehun’s skin. Long, lean fingers, Sehun was caressing and gripping Changjo, he’d never been so proud of Changjo or so jealous in all of his life. He licked as close as he could get, nibbling on Changjo’s nape, doing everything but brushing against Sehun. Panting, insatiable, he nuzzled into Changjo’s hair. He was getting all kinds of new erotic input, sounds Sehun didn’t make with him, the horny moans Sehun made with an equal, low and breathy. Moves Sehun didn’t make with him, writhing under somebody, grinding and pulling but holding back, not taking, not assuming the right to anything and everything. At the same time, he had all of the familiar sexual, sensual sensations of intimacy with Changjo, the scent of Changjo’s sweet musk, the play of muscles across Changjo’s back, the rhythmic rolling of Changjo’s hips. Cupping Changjo’s ass, he licked his way around the rim of Changjo’s ear, whispering, “You’re so fucking hot, ooouunnh, maknae, I want to fuck you, I want to get you off.”

“God, sunbae,” Sehun panted, arching under Changjo’s body. “You’d better be talking to him.”

Changjo laughed, and L.Joe was so surprised that he laughed, too.

Sehun groaned, cupping Changjo’s face in both hands and kissing him, hard enough that he shimmied in L.Joe’s grip. Kissing the back of his neck, L.Joe worked a hand down the front of his pants, feeling him up, groaning, lusting for his big, silky cock.

“Shit, ah, hyung,” Changjo said, breathing hard. “Suho hyung said, ah, wait, wait.”

“Suho hyung wasn’t talking to him,” Sehun said, his words alternately running together and interrupted by kisses. “Just to us. Sunbae can do what he wants.”

“Kids, kids.” Like mentioning him had summoned him, suddenly Suho was beside the couch. L.Joe tried to hold still but couldn’t manage to let go of Changjo’s hot, hard cock. “I don’t usually like to interrupt, but stop, for now. I think this is a good time, while you’re getting along so well, before things go too far.”

Sehun collapsed against the couch’s arm, pressing the heels of his hands over his eyes. “You’re kidding me, you have to be kidding.”

“No, it’s time to stop,” Suho said.

Stop? Now? While Sehun was so turned on? When Sehun had just said that he could do whatever he wanted? L.Joe sensed that he should respect Suho’s authority, but it was really tempting to tell Suho to go to hell. Conflicted, he worked his hand back out of Changjo’s pants, and then he sat back, moving to the corner of the couch and tucking his legs up.

Clearing his throat, Changjo adjusted himself, then slid back onto the floor.

“We can take a little time, if you want to visit for a little bit longer,” Suho said. He wasn’t looking anywhere but at their eyes, which seemed like an amazing feat of self-control. Personally, L.Joe found it a genuine physical struggle to look at anything besides Sehun’s erection. Suho had to be aware of it, it was right there! And he’d seen it before, he’d had sex with Sehun, he had to know how amazing and sexy and powerful and handsome it was. And he was actually managing to look at other things in the room, instead? How was that possible? He had willpower beyond human comprehension, that was the only answer. He did realize this was Sehun, right? “Or we can go back to our dorm, or we can say good night for now.”

“Stay here,” Sehun said immediately.

“Could we stay here?” L.Joe asked. He wanted that, anyway, but if it was what Sehun wanted, then it had to happen. “Could Oh Sehun stay for a while?”

“Stay and do what?” Changjo asked.

“Well, if L.Joe and Sehun want some private time, then you and I.” Suho stopped talking, turned red, and studied the wall for a moment, clearing his throat and smoothing his hair.

“Hyung, why don’t you take Sehun hyung to your room?” Changjo asked at the same time that Sehun said, “Sunbae, let’s go talk in your room.”

Smiling, immediately ecstatic, L.Joe was on his feet. “We’ll be going now,” he said, and hurried toward his room. Sehun was right behind him, and as soon as they were in, he locked the door.

“God, you’re so fucking hot,” Sehun said, unbuttoning his fly. “Television.”

Immediately, obediently, L.Joe was on his knees, his wrists crossed behind his back. Looking up, he opened his mouth, eager for it.

“So fucking hot,” Sehun said again, shoving his underwear down. His black pubes, his long erection, fuck, he was beautiful. Hungry for his cock, L.Joe moaned, and he cupped the back of L.Joe’s head, pushing his erection down L.Joe’s throat. “You needed it, you need this, you need me,” Sehun said, panting, thrusting into L.Joe’s mouth.

“Mmm,” he said, trying to agree. It was all so abrupt, immediate, lewd, that L.Joe’s head was swimming, and he could only moan gratefully, sucking as best he could while Sehun rocked into his mouth. The long, urgent slide of Sehun’s shaft between his lips was heaven to him, and bliss cascaded through him as he stared at Sehun’s flexing abs. Being this obscenely close to Sehun, Sehun right here, right in his face, in his mouth, pushing aggressively into him, was overwhelming, rewarding him with everything he’d been yearning for and dreaming about.

“Such a good pet, you’re so sexy, you needy slut, fuck,” Sehun groaned. Stepping back, Sehun grabbed him by the throat, lifting. Hurriedly, eager to please, he cooperated, scrambling to his feet. “Spread yourself open,” Sehun ordered, throwing him onto the bed. Hitching his hips up, getting his knees under him, he was face-down on the sheets, making the best of where he’d landed, reaching back and pulling apart the halves of his ass, exposing himself. The rough, quick way Sehun lubed him was so familiar that he shuddered, whimpering happily. Then Sehun was in him, fucking him, jolting him with forceful, crude thrusts. His face was buried in the sheets, the rocking bed absorbing and muffling his heartfelt moans, pleasure blazing and spiking with every powerful stroke of Sehun’s cock. “You desperate slut, you need it so badly, you can’t help yourself.”

“Sehun-ah, yes, Sehun-ah,” he moaned. Sehun was fucking him so hard his whole body was jerking on the bed, rocking to Sehun’s rhythm and forced into the mattress. He needed to come so badly, he felt like he was on the verge of erupting. “I need it, I do. Please, Sehun-ah, please.”

“Yeah, hump that bed like you were going to hump that boy,” Sehun whispered in his ear. Shocked, electrified, he bucked, his mind uncomprehending, his hips shoving enthusiastically against the mattress in an urgent, fucking motion. He couldn’t help it, he was coming, his hips pumping, cum flowing onto the bed. Humping his own soiled sheets, he groaned, and Sehun groped his balls, cupping and squeezing in a way that sent excited tremors up his thighs. “Don’t stop now, hyung, we both know you have another load in you. You wanted to fuck him, now show it to me, show me how, give it to your pillow like you were going to give it to him.” Sehun let go of his balls and grabbed his pillow, shoving it under him.

With the soft target bunched under his hips, he instantly obeyed. He went with Sehun’s hard, punishing rhythm, humping vigorously in short, energetic thrusts like a dog. The pillow was too gentle and yielding, nothing like any of the hot, dynamic men he’d been with. But he was so turned on, so eager to follow his owner’s command, that he fucked the pillow quickly and came all over it, spraying across the floral-patterned pillowcase, whimpering excitedly.

“That’s it, get off on it, take my cock,” Sehun urged, one hand planted on his back, forcing him down. “Damn, ah, hyung, your cum chute feels so good, unnh.” Sehun drove deep into him, thrusting even faster now, balls smacking against him. “Yeah, gonna get off in your hot, slutty ass.”

The news that Sehun found pleasure in him, the news that Sehun was about to come, thrilled him so much that he squirmed, gasping against the sheets. “Please, please, yes, Sehun-ah.”

“That’s it, pet, beg me for it,” Sehun groaned, and as he chanted, “Please, Sehun-ah, please,” Sehun grunted and tensed over him, coming.

“Yes, Sehun-ah, thank you, thank you,” he mumbled into the sheets, feeling radiant.

“Ouuunnh, good pet.” Sehun covered him like a blanket, sagging over him, heavy and long-limbed. “Fuck, I wanted to nail your ass across every table in that restaurant.”

“Yes, yes, I wanted you to.” He was going to fantasize about that for a long time to come.

Rolling off of him, Sehun made a lazy sound, sprawling across his bed. “Get up and put your collar on, then c’mere and lick my balls clean.”

Excitement buzzed him. “Yes, Sehun-ah, yes, please,” he said enthusiastically, already in motion.

Changjo meant to get up and walk Suho to the door, but Suho told him to stay in bed and kissed him good-bye. Sated and feeling really comfortable and loved and smug, he lolled around in his bed for a while, texting L and replaying the evening’s events in his mind. Okay, mostly he ignored the first part of the night and focused on making out with Sehun and L.Joe crawling up his back and Suho pleading for more of his cock.

He finally got up and walked naked to the bathroom, then poked around the kitchen for a snack. L.Joe came in and smacked his chest and told him to “put some goddamned clothes on.” He rolled his eyes behind L.Joe’s back, went to find some underwear, and then went right back to the kitchen. “Think the other members are on their way back yet?” he asked, finding a bag of chips. “Or did C.A.P. hyung finally fuck Baekhyun hyung so hard he can’t get his cock out?”

“Probably that,” L.Joe admitted, and Changjo grinned. L.Joe seemed to be in a good mood. Something had changed in his relationship with Sehun recently, Changjo was sure of it, because when Sehun left these days, he wasn’t as sensitive and twitchy and weird anymore. He was a lot more calm and confident right in the aftermath, lately. “Maknae.” He brushed his bangs out of his face and looked at Changjo with solemn eyes.

Oh, this wasn’t going to be good. “What?” Changjo asked, walking away.

L.Joe padded after him, following him the whole way to his bedroom. He didn’t want to sit down and be cornered, so he slowly circled the room, like a shark, never stopping. “I want to - - ya, stop, I want to talk to you,” L.Joe insisted, taking the bag from him.

He took it back. He was tempted, like he always was, to hold it up high out of L.Joe’s reach, but that had always been a really bad idea, in the past. “What?”

L.Joe shoved him onto the bed and straddled him. Laughing, he let go of the chips and held onto L.Joe’s thighs, watching L.Joe’s face, interested. “Listen to hyung.”

“I’m listening,” he said, adopting an open, attentive expression.

L.Joe pushed on his shoulders and he submitted, relaxing against the bed. “Suho hyung said…” Giving up on that, L.Joe looked uncertain and shy. “I care about you, okay?”

“Ew.” He rolled away.

L.Joe shoved him back down, frowning at him. “We’re Teen Top, we’re members. How much have we been through together, and you think I like some other team’s maknae more than I like you?”

“Isn’t he your sacred precious sweetie Oh Sehun?” Changjo asked. Rolling onto his stomach, he picked up the bag of chips again.

Grabbing the bag out of his hand, L.Joe whapped the back of his head with it. “That’s different. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like you anymore.”

“Not as much as you like Ohsehun Ohsehun Ohsehun,” Changjo accused, twisting around and trying to wriggle himself free.

“Hold still, shit,” L.Joe said, and he felt L.Joe’s hard-on nudge his thigh.

Disbelieving, he laughed. “God, you’re hard now? Didn’t your Ohsehun Ohsehun get you off?”

“Shut up,” L.Joe muttered. “I just, I really want to fuck you. But this isn’t about that, I’m trying to talk to you for once.”

“Since when are you so hot for me?” he asked, intrigued, rubbing between L.Joe’s legs.

Making a low, whining noise, L.Joe squirmed against his hand. “Shit, maknae, since every day.”

Mmm, he liked hearing that. “Okay, I’ll put out if you say sweet things to me like you love me a lot and you always will and I’m the best maknae you’ve ever had.”

Leaning close over him, cupping the side of his face, gaze skittering away from his eyes and focusing on his mouth, L.Joe whispered, “I love you, Changjo-goon, I love you every goddamned day, I’m going to love you for the rest of your life, there isn’t anyone I love more than I love you.” Blushing, scowling, embarrassed, L.Joe muttered, “Okay, good enough? Can I get it in you now?”

“Okay, but don’t waste time with foreplay,” he said, rolling onto his stomach and tugging down his underpants, baring his ass. “We’re not lovers.”

He didn’t say it back, or anything, but after they’d finished screwing, he shared his chips with L.Joe, and he figured that was pretty much the same thing.

Sehun got back to the dorm in time to enjoy the end of the orgy. He was so worked up from seeing his pet that a dorm full of horny, raunchy guys was exactly what he needed, and he stormed his way through them, one after another. Finally, his aggression depleted, he crawled in under C.A.P. and lifted his knees and let C.A.P.’s steady thrusts rock him to a pure, blissful plane of vast, resounding ecstasy.

When the Teen Top members left, he staggered around with his hyungs, washing up and periodically moaning, “Shit, that was amazing.” When he finally felt alert again, he texted his pet to make sure that everything was okay. Then he draped himself across Kai’s bed and drifted, half-asleep, while Kai and D.O. whispered about the orgy on D.O.’s bed.

After a while, Suho came in and said, “I need a minute to talk to Sehun.”

Kai and D.O. left, and Sehun gathered himself together enough to sit up. Suho sat beside him, squeezing his thigh. “Sehun-ah, how long have we known each other?”

“Long enough for you to have more embarrassing stories about me than my parents do,” he guessed.

Suho smiled at that. “It’s been a long time. And you know how much I love you. All of my members are precious to me, and with every year, I’m more and more proud of you.” Suho gazed right into his eyes, not afraid to bare everything. “You don’t ever have to feel threatened by anybody else. You don’t ever have to worry that someone will pull me away from you, or become more important to me than you and EXO and what we share. I’m your hyung, no matter what,” Suho insisted, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I’m your member, no matter what. And I’m EXO’s leader, no matter what. I’m committed to you, and I’ll always be right here beside you. Understand?”

Suho was being so firm and loving and sincere that it stripped right through his defenses, and he felt like Suho was reaching right into his chest and opening doors and exposing his vulnerable heart. “I understand,” he said, because he didn’t know what else to say. But of course he knew what else to say. “I love you, too, hyung.”

“Good,” Suho said, hugging him.

They were still hugging - - hey, it felt good, and Suho had a great body - - when Xiumin’s voice asked, “Have you seen-? Oh, uh, here you are.”

Pulling away from Sehun, Suho looked up. “Ah, hyung, what do you need?”

“Uh.” Xiumin smiled and didn’t say anything else.

Suho blushed. “Ah, I understand.” Coughing, he got up. “I’ll go to my room, then, so we can talk.”

“Right, good,” Xiumin said, following him.

Horny, horny hyungs. Wow. Shaking his head, smug in his own well-fucked state, Sehun rolled onto his stomach and picked up his phone. He had a sweet, shy text from his pet, which he savored. And he had a text from Changjo. Sleep well, hyung.

Pressing his lips together, he considered that. Then, smiling, he texted back. Let’s communicate well again soon.

Series page: "Let's Love"

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