Matching Key (JoongNine AU)

Code XVIII

Nine

I'm in trouble. Definitely. The first one, because for the past month, I had to balance between two tasks, handling Joong as part of work, and also meeting Chen as part of...I didn't know what to call that, he said pair, but I didn't really like it, sounded rather liked a thing than a person, so I term myself as, his partner.

Secondly, I felt a little hate towards Mr. Ta, well, he was only doing his part as Hunters, I know. Did that make him a bad person? I couldn't put it exactly as that, it's his job, but still, because it affected Chen, in which, a failure would cost him, his existence. So, I was divided.

And the third, was the erratic thudding that I felt inside my chest, right now. Standing in front of the door of Chen's house, I came with a duffel bag that contained my clothes, to stay with him during the weekends, since my schedule was totally free. So, without thinking much, I boldly suggested this, using the excuse to help on the task, that it would be easier to work together, since in weekdays my hands were quite full. Yes, that was what I kept telling myself, to convince myself, that the last kiss didn't affect me much, when truthfully, it did.

The first time he kissed me, back at the hotel, I was surprised and thinking of pushing away. The second kiss when he was unaware, I had started to feel the shivers of response, but pushed it back again. That last kiss, when I suggested the test, it was actually, to serve two purposes; to prove his theory and also, to assess my own response too. He hesitated, but with a nod from me, he moved ahead and kissed deeply, not just once, but many. I held myself tight, till the moment when I felt he was pulling back, I finally let go of my will, and surrendered to the urge to kiss him back.  And now, this had become...the biggest trouble indeed. He wouldn't be able to feel the same way; he had explained to me as much, of how a pair work. And also...he was not here...to stay.

I closed my eyes, composed myself to be as my usual self to not let him worry, and rang the door bell. The smile that greeted me, felt liked a punch to my fragile composure. Though I was with Joong, frequently, and I did feel the same comfort too, but the way my body reacted, differ in a way. To put a reasonable doubt, my relationship with Joong, though close, was built on a professional ground, so it came with a certain limitation. But, with Chen...I couldn't explain it, even to myself.

I was pulled in, but my mood felt low, thinking of the trouble that I put myself in.

Joong

Nine eyes that looked at me seemed hollow, there're no shine. When he said he wanted to stay here, for two days I was restless. This was very unusual for me, to be affected by someone else liked this. After that last kiss, and the painful memory that it brought to my mind, I hesitated a little to try to dive further in search of the truth. So, even when Nine was here, we never again did any skinship. All we did was spending the few hours that we had together, figuring out the clue of the task, which till now seemed to not solve anything, indicated by the lost of two more lines from the tattoo. Only five left.

Mr. Ta kept giving Nine more work. Definitely to keep Nine from associating with me and to focus on Joong. Aside from handling artists, Nine was also put into new working team for young talent's scouting. The demand for younger artists nowadays was a huge business opportunity since their influence through social media play, was major source of income from endorsement and sponsorship.

Mr. Ta still didn't know that we had bonded. After the revelation, I ceased to connect with Nine, and communicate through talk and chats. It was safer, convenient and let us be closer. Recently, I learnt to use cute emojis and stickers. Nine was laughing in earnest by that. The reason was not that he was belittling the effort, but because I learnt them from a blog targeted for teenagers. Well, how would I know that it was not meant for adult? I was just trying to be as others on this earth. Nine later on, taught me to use video call instead of chats, and we talked quite often before bed, because Nine only got to go home mostly at night. I asked him to rest, but he insisted it's alright.

I took his bag and pulled him in. On the table, already set, food for two that I'd prepared in advance.

"A candlelit dinner?", Nine asked, astonished, and looked at me.

"Uhm, I searched on the net, how to set dinner for two, and this is what the search result suggested", I said, somehow proud of what was prepared. The two days effort to buy everything; the wine coloured tablecloth, elegant dishes and cutleries; scented candles and also, roses; the setting really was up to par as the pictures that I referred to.

Nine eyes that were dim before, now crinkled with mirth. Unexpectedly, he tiptoed and kissed my cheek, but couldn't contain his exasperated laughter after all, and buried his face on my arm.

"It's wrong?", I said, the proud feeling just now, had turned to dust. I guess, I must stop using the net after this and just asked Nine directly.

Nine finally calmed down a bit and answered, "No. This is so beautiful, and quite romantic.Thank you for the effort, Chen. But, again your reference is a little bit err, shall I say overboard? This is for couples, or lovers. It's okay; food is food after all".

"Then...do you like it?", I asked hesitantly, my eyes looked at the sweetness in his smile right now.

"Never have dinner as this one, before...Yes. I like it. Thank you".

Dejavu...just liked that memory of that  pouty mouth asking for kisses, because he liked it. That sudden thought, making my lips curved into a smile too.

"If you like it, then, it's alright...".

Without thinking too much, I bent down and gave a quick kiss on his lips, which caused Nine to be surprised, blushed, but then, the shine that was lost form his eyes at the beginning, was again...twinkling. His sorrow was at least, put at bay, for now.

Ah, in that case, that google search thing...was not wrong after all.