Page 89 of Septembers

Oh, that again? “I don’t mind taking care of you, Dae, I promise.”

“I know, and I appreciate it. I needed it back then, but I don’t now.”

Oh. Wait. What? That wasn’t where Theo had thought this was going.

“I worked on it in Korea, put myself out there, went out, held actual conversations all on my own.” He spread his arms in an aren't you proud kind of way.

And Theo was. He really was. It was amazing how much Dae had changed. But it also meant that Theo was no longer his bridge to the rest of the world. He should’ve seen that coming; Dae had lived in a different country for the past three years, after all. “That’s awesome, Dae.”

“I mean, it’s still hard, and I won’t always be able to do it, but…” He sucked his bottom lip, thinking. When had he started doing that? It was obscene. “I guess, give me a chance to prove that I can do it on my own, okay?”

“I promise I’ll try to shut up.”

Dae huffed. “You will never shut up for as long as you live, and I don’t want you to. Just pass me the mic from time to time.”

Theo nodded, this thoughts shifting.

“Not literally, though.”

“Of course not.”

“I mean it.” Dae pointed at Theo’s forehead. “I can see the gears turning, and I’m telling you right now, I will never participate in karaoke.”

He was right, of course. The instant he’d said the word ‘mic’ a plan formulated to throw those words back in his face. “I would never. Where’s the trust?”

“Theo.” He playfully poked him in the stomach, tickling, backing him up against Céline. Theo tickled him back, and Dae honest-to-goodness giggled. “You’re done for now.” His arms moved down Theo’s body until they were trapping him in some kind of expert inescapable hold. The mischief radiating off him was intoxicating. Well, that plus the four vodka sodas he’d had at the theatre.

“You started it!”

“So I should finish it.” Dae reached to pick him up or throw him over his shoulder or some other unthinkable act, but Theo’s earnest plea for him to stop made him pause.

Theo was hard. Rock fucking hard. The enormous sweater covered him for now, but if Dae held him—if he came any closer—there was no way he wouldn’t feel it.

“Theo?”

“Nothing!” A squeak. Nonsensical. He needed to get the hell out of there. Dae opened his mouth, concern lining his face, but before any words came out, his phone started to buzz. “Your phone.”

“Yeah, I…” Dae searched his face for another moment before taking it out of his pocket. “Min is at the midnight market to find something for Eomma’s birthday. She’ll probably want your input.”

He held the phone between them and swiped to open the text, but it was definitely not Min. Morning light washed over a gorgeous man, his long black hair spread across a white pillow, the camera angled at his abs, below which was a dusting of hair leading to his hand, which he used to hold his long, smooth⁠—

“Oh, shit!” Dae dropped the phone as Theo gasped.

Too many thoughts, too many feelings. None of which were helping his highly inappropriate erection. He needed to laugh this away. “I think congratulations are in order?”

Dae shook his head. “It’s not—I mean, it is, but…”

“You and he…?”

“Yeah. For a bit.”

Theo tried to keep his tone light, but it came out strangled. “Was this the page you took out of my book?”

Dae’s groan sounded like it pained him. “What can I do to make you forget you saw this?”

“Build a time machine?”

This time, he groaned Theo’s name, and it pained Theo. His cock was practically throbbing at the sound.