double exposure | yuta/taeyong; nct

Chapter 6

"For dinner? That's so fancy," Yuta says, tapping his fingers against his cheek, elbow resting on the table in front of him.

"Well, Kun's busy in the morning and Doyoung's busy in the afternoon," Taeyong says. "Don't feel too special. It's just what works with everybody's schedule." He looks down at his phone. "Johnny wants to film something with us, though. Is that okay?"

Yuta shrugs easily, dipping his head to take a sip of his iced coffee. "Yeah, what does he want to film?"

"Uh," Taeyong says, waiting for Johnny to finish typing. "Oh, he's gonna force us to work out with him. He was going to do a day-in-the-life vlog tomorrow."

"Won't be so bad, will it? We don't have to do the same workout as he does, right?" Yuta asks.

"I hope not," Taeyong says. "He's... a dedicated athlete."

Management on both sides approved a collaboration between Yuta and Taeyong. Yuta's been working with his composers, while Taeyong's been working with his team on the lyrics. They've slotted a few times into Taeyong's increasingly busy schedule for them to hear the demos, get some recording done, and meet with choreographers. In the meantime, Taeyong will be slowly working his way through preparations for his next album, and hopefully having a couple of meals with his friends.

Doyoung is just finishing a comeback cycle; Kun, on the other hand, is swamped with work. He offered to help on the collab, but Taeyong politely turned him down, telling him he'd rather see him rested. Johnny has a little more freedom when it comes to his schedule, but he likes to keep himself busy—filming, as he said. Taeyong knows he's trying to capitalize on the sensation that is his relationship with Yuta, but he doesn't mind. It'll get them publicity, too, which is always good.

They haven't announced the collaboration yet, but the video will be going up after the announcement, so they'll get to talk about it informally as an extra Easter egg for the fans.

"I'm up for a challenge," Yuta says.

"That's brave," Taeyong replies drily. "I'm not." He likes Johnny's message and sends him a series of disgruntled emojis, then switches his phone off. "Okay, I have a couple of meetings this afternoon, but I'll see you tonight for our first listen, yes?"

"Yes," Yuta agrees, watching Taeyong as he stands and takes their breakfast dishes to the sink.

"You have the spare key?"

"Yes," Yuta replies patiently, faintly amused. "Don't worry about me. I'll have a great time exploring the city while you work yourself to the bone."

"Like you aren't the same way," Taeyong retorts fondly, rolling his eyes. "Okay, my manager will be here in, like, five, so I'm gonna go."

"Hey, wait." When Taeyong turns, Yuta is pouting. "Kiss before you go," he demands.

Taeyong laughs, backtracking to the table to fulfill his request. Maybe I can live with this, after all, he thinks as he closes his eyes. It's as close as I'll ever get to anything. Shouldn't I be grateful for that, and let it go?

The cavernous wanting that's taken the space where his heart should sit would probably disagree.

ϟ ϟ ϟ

Johnny and Yuta hit it off right away. Taeyong watches on as they laugh and joke together, smiling to himself. Johnny's staff are hovering around the edges, setting up cameras and mics; Taeyong knows a few of them, so he makes the rounds while Johnny explains his work to Yuta.

"Yeah, I mostly just film content like this, and bring on guests when I can," he says. "Taeyongie is a fan favorite."

"I'm not surprised," Yuta replies, and Taeyong's stomach flops pathetically.