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He was running late, which normally wouldn’t bother him, but he couldn’t miss this flight back to Korea, again. His mid terms began in less than 48 hours and unless he could figure out a way to haul ass from his hotel to the airport, he would be utterly screwed.
Lee Taemin wasn’t always so careless with his time, but he hadn't intended to stay up all night last night, studying for a test he didn’t even want to take. His uniform looked a mess, shirt barely buttoned and blazer only hanging on by an arm. He was rushing through the airport, the security check and all while checking his watch over and over again. He was pushing it, but he still had time before they started boarding.
He normally wouldn’t be so stressed, but his captain had informed him that he would be taking care of a special crew on a private flight today, along with three other flight attendants. He was thankful that he didn’t have to be alone in this, but nervous because the wealthy were always the worst. Taemin could only count on one hand, the amount of times he had someone decent on flights like this.
There were dozens of excuses he could have come up with to get out of it. His midterm was close and he needed time to study. He had to help his mom with the move into her new house. He had to care for his dogs back at home. Anything to get out of going on yet another flight full of the snooty and upper class bastards that looked down on him and treated him like shit. It didn’t help that they were always old heads and smelled like heavy, expensive colognes and overly polished shoes. They reminded him of his fathers parents, who were currently paying his tuition but wouldn’t give him a dime for anything else.
Hence why, he was currently rushing to the gate with his flight, bag in tow and so happy he had made it before their passengers did. He gained a look from his captain, eyeing him and his attire before shaking his head. More than likely disappointed that Taemin was running late.
“Fix yourself up, Taemin. Show a little respect for yourself. Why were you running?”
Taemin didn’t want to admit that he had slept passed his alarm on his iPad. Or that his phone had died so he missed the ten calls he had from his friends that were trying to wake him up. He glanced at the other three flight attendants, Momo, Changmin, and Boa, who were all looking at him expectantly.
“We tried to wake you up. We thought you had left without us.” Changmin smiled, taking Taemin’s blazer and straightening him out. Changmin was a bit like the father Taemin always wanted. He wasn’t too much older, so it should be more like an older brother, but he was always doting on Taemin. He made sure he was fed, once let him stay at his place when he had a fight with his roommate, even let him borrow his car. He half thought that Changmin was rich and only did this job for fun. The mans style of living was luxurious.
“I’m sorry. I’m having a really off morning. I promise I’ll be ok once we board.”
He heard a tsk coming from Boa, feeling her slim fingers brush through his hair and style it as much as she could with her hands.
“You could have at least combed your hair a little. Did you really have no time at all? You’re usually more responsible that this, Taemin-ah.” She frowned at him a bit before the receptionist got their attention, letting them know it was ok to board the plane. He instantly went into work mode, after having fixed himself up to look more presentable. He was 23 but always treated like a 10 year old when it came to these two. He wasn’t even the youngest and they still treated Momo like she was the mature one of the two of them.
He took his time, walking alongside his coworkers and tidying up the aircraft. Their passengers wouldn’t arrive for a few more minutes, so he could relax a bit. This plane was nice. The walkways were wider, cleaner than most of the planes he had been on. The seats were nice as well. Wide and spacious, all accommodating for the classier passengers. There was only one other time he had been on a plane this nice and his only regret was that the flight was only two hours from Seoul to Tokyo. He didn’t even have time to take fake pictures and post them on his Snapchat and pretend to be rich for a few seconds.
“Taemin, go greet the passengers up front.” He didn’t really like being the greeter. He liked standing towards the back and smiling at the few people that would pass him by, ignoring him in the process because they were the ones that wanted to be bothered the least among them. As he took his position, he noticed the difference in these passengers. They were younger, well put together and seemed friendlier. Most of them greeted him politely, something he wasn’t used to. It wasn’t until he caught the eyes of a few familiar faces that he recognized who he was going to be attending to during this flight.
Taemin wasn’t a fanboy of any sort, but he did keep up with people he liked. He wasn’t into fashion but he knew models and idols, famous people who were now more like household names. Joy was the first to step on board, dressed in a what Taemin could only explain as classy rich princess attire. He loved Joy, he demeanor was carefree and he’d only heard good things about her personality. Next was Jaehyun, who he remembered seeing on the cover of Cosmopolitan just last week. Next in was Sehun, who Taemin was very familiar with because of his incredibly nonchalant attitude and his blank expressions which made you want to stare at him. Sehun was hot. Tall, muscular and best friends with Taemin’s current obsession. He received a nod, a double take, and a once over from Sehun that confused the hell out of him.
He felt a knot in his throat the moment he had seen him, hair pushed back and pouted lips, dressed in a black turtleneck that was so tight, Taemin could almost make out the shape of his nipples that he had stared at more times than he could count. Kim Jongin was on his flight and he thought that he just might pass out. How the hell was he supposed to function around the guy who he’s been obsessed with for the past six months. The first time he had seen Jongin, he was dragged to fashion week with his friend Kibum who was obsessed with anything that had to do with clothes, shoes design and the like. He didn’t hate it but it just wasn’t his type of setting. The moment he settled eyes on Jongin, walking down the runway in an outfit Taemin wouldn’t be caught dead in but it looked so fucking incredible on him that Taemin couldn’t take his eyes off him. He had bought every magazine he was featured in, watched his editorials on YouTube, even followed him on Instagram to keep up on his posts. Taemin was so deeply enraptured by him that he had even put his picture as his screensaver. He couldn’t allow his weird tendencies to show during this flight, otherwise he could lose his job and how else was he going to pay for his unhealthy habit of dipping his Oreos in strawberry milk at 2 am?
Jongin must have noticed him staring. He took in Taemin’s appearance in less than a second, something Taemin didn’t know if he should be offended by or not. He barely spared him a glance.
“Welcome aboard, sir.” He got out crisply, having said it about ten times before he walked in. What he didn’t expect was for Jongin to turn to him fully, smile down at him and nod. Taemin knew Jongin was tall, but he towered over Taemin and he wouldn’t consider himself incredibly short. He could possibly faint from how good Jongin smelled, their distance being maybe a foot or two away. His scent lingered even as he walked away to his seat.
He had to keep his cool. He couldn’t let himself act reckless while he was at work, no matter how damn good Jongin looked sitting in his chair, eyes closed and lips tutted in a way that made them look so kissable. Taemin was losing it before he felt a hand on his shoulder, Changmin giving him a worried gaze as he nodded towards the direction Taemin was supposed to be going to. They went through the normal routine, advisements, making sure everyone was strapped in for take off and it wasn’t until Taemin passed Jongin by that he felt someone grab his hand, on the opposite side from where Jongin was seated. He met eyes with Sehun who gave him a small smile.
“Sorry, I thought I needed something.” Taemin couldn’t help the small blush that climbed his neck up to his cheeks. He knew this flight would be long if he had to deal with not only the gorgeous specimen that was Kim Jongin, but his best friend Oh Sehun. Sehun had a reputation, unlike Jongin. You never heard anything about Jongin. Sure he had his dating rumors and such, but nothing like what Taemin had heard from just other flight attendants about Sehun. “Please let me know if you need anything.”
Taemin scampered off to take his seat as the captain spoke over the intercom. He sat close to Momo, who gave him a curious gaze. Thank god their seats were hidden behind a wall and thick curtain.
“What’s got you so red? Are you feeling sick?” She reaches up to place her hand in his head, frowning when he felt fine.
“Did you not see who is sitting out there? I’m gonna lose my mind in about ten seconds and I haven’t even said more than three words to him!” Taemin placed his head in his hands, his whispering tone harsh as he silently scolded himself for losing it in front of his coworkers who only looked at him strangely.
“Who are you talking about?” She took her hand from his forehead and fastened herself in. Taemin figured he should be doing the same, but was much too distracted by his inner conflict to do so.
“Jongin. Kim Jongin. You know, the guy I’ve been talking about on the magazines at every airport we stop at around the world? The guy who I’ve been telling you about non-stop for months now. The man on the screen of my phone? I can’t believe this is happening to me. I’m not even supposed to be here.” He whined his entire rant, noticing the small smirk on Momo’s lips and frowning because him having a conniption shouldn’t be amusing to her.
It took him a second to realize that the only reason he was on this flight was because the pilot requested him. But what he couldn’t figure out was why? He wasn’t special by any means and he only knew that the pilot said another attendant recommended him. He was familiar with this pilot so it wasn’t that out of the ordinary but-
“You little brat. You knew he’d be here!” He was whispering, but his tone was stern enough that it had Momo in a fit of giggles as the rumbling of the plane taking off could be felt beneath them. He hurriedly snapped himself in, knowing he should have already had that done but his mind was back to Momo within seconds. That was the only explanation. She requested him, knowing about his infatuation and knowing that Jongin would be on this flight. He should’ve known better.
“You can thank me later. He seems to be nice enough. Try to talk to him. Maybe slip him your number as you serve him dinner.” Taemin was sure he was burning a hole in her face by how hard his glare was.
.
“He’s cute.” Sehun said offhandedly, glancing over at his friend who wasn’t paying him even the slightest attention. He was too busy staring at the backside of the cute flight attendant that was walking away from them. Sehun knew Jongin’s type and that guy was 100 percent ideal. He was a nice height, soft features and doe like eyes. His gram was slim but even through his uniform you could tell he wasn’t just skin and bones. He had light toning and Jongin liked that in his men. His friend was being incredibly obvious.
“You’re gonna have fun this flight, right Jongin?” The smirk he received was teasing, eyes finally leaving the backside of the flight attendant as he disappeared behind the curtain.
“I won’t go that far. He seems innocent. You know how I feel about shy types.” Jongin likes the ones he could talk to, and shy types were hard to crack open. Though with a job like this, he could have just read his stunned expression incorrectly.
“Don’t go judging right off the back. He’s receptive, if his blush meant anything when I touched him. I’m almost positive he’s gay, or at least bi. If you don’t go for him, I will.” Sehun has a reputation for fucking anything that walks. It came with people throwing themselves at his all day, every day. He couldn’t help it. He was young, willing and ready for beautiful people to please him and on the rare occasion, he pleased by him.
Jongin didn’t like the thought of such a pretty face being manipulated and possibly bedded by Sehun. He wanted this one for himself. It was rare when they both would pursue the same person, but it was a fun competition between friends. Jongin was the less scandalous one of them, only sleeping with select people and even so, he knew who to choose to keep his business out of the tabloids. He liked his privacy and if he was approached anywhere near as boldly as he’d seen Sehun he approached, he might go crazy.
“Don’t embarrass him. Don’t push either. Behave, Sehun.” He smiled at his friend before relaxing as the plane took off. The gala they had just attended was fun, he met many endorsers and even got to talk with someone about a new opportunity to collaborate with some big names in the states. Jongin had been modeling since he was 14, staring off with commercials and uniform wear. It wasn’t until he was about 18 or 19 that he began to venture into a more mature style that fit him well. He grew into his feature and became a decent looking man, which caught the eyes of his current company SM. At 24, he was a supermodel. His name on your magazine meant sales, his face on your brand meant money being thrown your way and his following, not only on Instagram, but in general was large and you would think he was an idol by how often he gets recognized in public.
It only made it more difficult to date because he had to hide his interests. He was bi, having it be widely known of his past relationship with the actress Jung Soojung, or her celebrity persona Krystal. They lasted for about a year before they broke it off, due to their busy schedules. They still kept in contact, but Jongin wouldn’t allow them to start dating again unless they both toned it down. At the moment they were in the prime of their careers, still young and fresh and still having a long way to go before they could truly settle down.
In the meantime, Jongin was going to dabble and the flight attendant with the soft lips and gorgeous eyes was quickly gaining his attention. It was only about 10 minutes into the flight before the flight attendants began to come around and ask for different things, drinks, something to snack on and such. Jongin was waiting until that pretty guy came up and smiled at him, so beautiful that he felt his heart skip a beat and he was mesmerized.
It didn’t seem like it, but Jongin was flirting with the boy every time he passed him by. Asking for meaningless things like a napkin or moist towelettes. He even stopped him to ask about the flight itinerary and he loved the soft tone of his voice when he spoke. His lips were animated, moving so smoothly and pushing out in a way that looking like he was asking for a kiss. Jongin liked him. He wasn’t as shy as he originally thought and that was a plus in Jongin’s eyes.
.
After the first couple of hours they were Served their first meal. It was soup, some marinated beef, a bowl of rice and a small salad. It was brought to him by Taemin who settled his food down and he was hovered over Jongin in a way that let him smell his scent, a light hint of vanilla and a mix of.. was that Calvin Klein? Jongin was intoxicated for a moment and when he pulled back, Jongin caught his eyes.
They stared for a moment, Taemin’s eyes darting over his face and pausing at his lips for just a second before quickly standing and correcting his stance. Jongin didn’t miss the hint of a blush on his cheeks.
“Would you like me to get you anything else, sir?”
“A glass of wine with no ice, and your time. That is, if you can spare a moment of it for me.”
Jongin had a liking for pretty things. The flight attendant in his first class wing was no exception to this.
“I’m sorry, are you flirting with me?” His quirked eyebrow and the hint of a smile, inching at the corner of his mouth caught Jongin’s eye.
“Only if it you’re comfortable with that.”
The laugh that left his lips was charming. Jongin knew he was in trouble if he was already this beguiled by the boy. His eyes traced down to his name tag, Taemin. His name was even pretty.
“I’ll go get you your drink sir.” He was smiling now, having turned to walk away from Jongin without taking any other requests. He felt a bit special, though he knew it was probably because the boy, Taemin, had already asked everyone else what they wanted.
“No fair. He didn’t even ask me what I wanted.” Sehun friends and looked over at Jongin as he declined his chair and kicked his legs up.
“He’s trying to work, Sehun. Let him.” He smirked, knowing he had gotten his moment to flirt with him just a little more.
I’ve true course of the next hour, Jongin had managed to finish his meal, receive his wine a even a few refills. He was lightly buzzing, feeling tipsy at most and Taemin looked prettier the more he had to drink.
“Don’t you think you should be slowing down, Jongin-ah? You’ll drink yourself drunk.” He heard Jaehyun speak form behind him, who had been witness to his constant flirting with the flight attendant.
“I’m fine. It’s only wine.” His real reason for drinking so much was because it got Taemin to come back. The last time Taemin had even stopped to talk to him for a couple of minutes. This last time, he was going to ask for his number. Just as he was about to reach for the button to ring Taemin again, his drink spilled over his lap. It wasn’t a lot left, but red wine on light blue jeans was long a good look.
Taemin was approaching his seat anyways and when he took in the scene he immediately panicked. Those jeans were so nice and no doubt expensive, he moved the table up and took Jongin’s arm, pulling him up and moving towards the bathroom. If he slowed down it would stain and those pants made him look so nice.
Before he could even think about what he was doing, he pulled Jongin into the bathroom, closing the door and turning away from him. He grabbed a small complimentary towel, wet it with warm water and turned to place the towel over the stain. He pressed his hand against the towel, hard enough to draw the red liquid out of his pants and onto the white fabric. It wasn’t until he looked up that he realized he had his hand over Jongin’s thigh, incredibly close to his crotch and his hair was almost smothering the man in his face.
Truth be told, Taemin didn’t have to be this close, but in his haste he wasn’t thinking about distance or the fact that he didn’t know Jongin, or the fact that he still had his hand on Jongin’s thigh. His thigh that was drenched in water now and still stained red with wine. He was making a fool of himself after he told himself not to do that. What the hell was he supposed to do now?
“I-I.. I’m so sorry. The stain.. red..” He shook his head before gathering his thoughts. “I just wanted to help. Your pants look so nice and they’ll be ruined if you don’t get the stain out quickly. I’m sorry, I should’ve asked before dragging you in here.”
He pulled back, take a couple of steps away and grimacing at the giant wet mark around the already red stained pants. All the while, Jongin simply seemed amused. He took in the stain, only slightly upset that he ruined his favorite pants. In a way it was kind of worth it to see Taemin so flustered over something that can easily be replaced. Jongin decided to be bold, reaching out and brushing Taemin’s hair out of his face and smiling softly at him.
“Hey, it’s fine. My pants can be replaced. It’s my fault for being clumsy. Are you ok?” Taemin could literally faint right now and life would be fine. Jongin was touching him, Jongin smiled at him. Jongin was speaking to him and asking him was he ok like he isn’t assaulting his whole person with his deep voice and alluring eyes. Hell no, he wasn’t ok.
“I’m fine. You’re all wet now because of me.” He glances at Jongin’s legs, taking in how he barely helped the stain go away.
“Don’t worry about it. It was nice being that close.” He laughed softly, his voice like a melody in Taemin’s ears and he could help but stare. Jongin was just too gorgeous for his own good. Even in his slightly tipsy state, Taemin felt like it just made him more handsome.
“I’m cutting you off.”
The sudden declaration confused Jongin until he realized that Taemin meant the wine. Cutting him off from drinking anymore. It was probably for the better.
“I’m fine with that. I need to sober up before I go to sleep anyways.” He moved to lean against the door, eyeing Taemin with a coy smile on his lips. “I guess I finally did get a moment of your time. I quite enjoy it.”
It was Taemin’s cue to leave. He had no need to be in this restroom anymore and he had kind of abandoned his duties to help someone that didn’t even really need it. Plus, being in such close proximity of a man he had dreamed of more times than he could count was bad for his health.
“I should be getting back to work if you don’t need me.” There wasn’t much for him to do anyways. Between dozing off and finding something to do, everyone was pretty much occupied and didn’t need him there. He just wanted an excuse to leave this room before he dropped to his knees and-
“I wouldn’t say I don’t need you. I want you here. I don’t mean to be pushy, so please tell me if I’m reading things wrongly here. I’d really like to get to know you. You’re beautiful and I think I’ve made it more than obvious that I’m attracted to you.”
He was going to faint. Surely he was closer to passing out than he was to getting out of this room and screaming into Momo’s shoulder that he hated her guts and wished she would have fleas. At the same time he wanted to hug her and thank her because he wouldn’t be in this situation without her. He would never have been able to see just how gorgeous Jongin’s eyes are as they locked with his and waited for him to respond while he was having WWIII in his mind at the thought of Jongin finding him attractive.
“I.. I don’t even know what to say. Are you being serious? If this is a joke, I swear uniform or not, I will slap you sober.” Taemin was panicking. Not only was he being approached by Jongin with interest in mind, but he had insulted him by saying he would slap him if he was kidding. Was he insane?
Jongin must not have taken his threat to seriously, because he only laughed, eyes turning into crescents and smile so wide that Taemin found the whole this adorable.
“I promise I’m not! I really do think you’re beautiful.”
Jongin knew now that he wasn’t messing around with a shy boy like he originally thought. Taemin was feisty when he wanted to be and Jongin liked him more for that. He stopped laughing after a while, awaiting Taemin’s answer that he hoped would be what he wanted and not a rejection like he was starting to believe it would be. He was taking longer than Jongin would have liked, and it was making his confidence drop by the second. Maybe it was sobering him without the slap.
Taemin decided he would give in, maybe he wasn’t joking? Did he really think he was beautiful? He could only find out if he let the man pursue him. For once in his life he decided to be bold, reaching forward for Jongins shirt and pulling him down to his level. It was a harsh tug, and Jongin seemed more than willing to give into Taemin’s advances. He pressed his lips against Jongin’s, testing the waters at first and he swore this time he really was going to faint.
How were his lips so soft? How is it that he was kissing Kim Jongin in the middle of a 17 hour flight that they were only 7 hours into? He couldn’t fathom being so lucky and yet here he was, lips melding slowly with Jongin’s, tasting the wine still lingering on his lips and drinking it down.
Jongin was quick to reciprocate Taemin’s kiss, holding him by the hips and pulling him between his legs. His lips were as soft as the looked, possibly softer because they felt like plush pillows. It was like kissing a cloud. His lips were nice. He pulled away first, holding Taemin at a distance and gazing into such soft eyes that he almost forgot what he wanted to say.
“Can I take that as a yes then?”