The dimly lit room, tucked away at the far end of the apartment, was organised, methodical, and left little room for distractions. A sturdy desk dominated the room, its surface empty, save for the laptop in the middle, and the two computer screens, currently turned off. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and the books were aged with usage.

A desk lamp glowed luminous, illuminating the man seated at the desk. The white light of the lamp made his sandy blond curls appear white, almost. A deadly silence surrounded the man hunched over the laptop, save for the furious clacking of keys, a symphony of urgency against the otherwise stillness.

The glow of the screen cast sharp shadows over his angelic face. His fingers danced across the keyboard, swift and deliberate. His thick eyebrows were furrowed, mouth a thin line.

On the screen, lines of code scrolled endlessly, cryptic to the untrained eyes but to Taehyung, they were the language of control. He was as fluent in this language as he was in his mother tongue.

A soft ping followed by a notification that popped up from the bottom right of his screen caught his eye:

"Suspicious activity detected: unauthorised login attempt blocked"

Taehyung's furrowed eyebrows knitted further. However–

"Repeated login attempts detected. Immediate action required"

"Fuck!" Taehyung cursed loudly, the first break in the room's oppressive calm.

He leaned closer to the screen. He switched from one tab to another, hurriedly typing code. His long fingers danced across the keyboard at a speed close to lightning. The room, once still, now was alive with tension as Taehyung worked against an invisible opponent threatening to unravel his carefully constructed world. The surrounding air grew heavier with each passing second as if the very walls were closing in on him. Taehyung's breath came in shallow bursts, the tension tightening in his chest as his mind raced.

The notification kept flashing, each ping a reminder of the danger creeping closer. Unauthorized login attempts. Repeated access attempts. Someone was getting dangerously close. Too close.

How dare they? It was his website.

This was his world. He had built it, brick by brick, with a purpose in mind. He had built it in shadows and this world required precision, anonymity, and constant vigilance.

His pulse thudded in his ears as he typed faster, desperate to lock down the entry points. But there was no telling how long he had before the hackers overpowered him. He shut down one hacking attempt after another. It felt like he was working against the clock to defuse a bomb.

The darkness of the digital world had a way of making everything feel like a slow-burning fuse– you never know when things will fire back at you.

Taehyung's fingers worked frantically, sealing gaps, fortifying barriers, and encrypting everything deeper. Another notification popped up... he was almost there... just a little more. However-

Beep

The familiar sound of the front door unlocking sent a jolt through Taehyung's body. His head whipped towards the closed door of the room, right in front of him. His ears strained as he heard the front door open.

"Babe, I'm home!" a melodic voice flowed through the house and Taehyung gulped.

"In here!" He called and brought his eyes back to the screen. His fingers continued their work, slamming the keys at a rate that Taehyung feared their longevity.

Lines of code blurred together on the screen in front of him. He could hear footsteps now, and shuffling. Jeongguk was putting his things down in the living room. And then footsteps again. Closing by on the study, where Taehyung was at.

Taehyung cursed under his breath, increasing his speed. He heard the footsteps stop at the door and heard the creak of the door handle. He didn't have to look up to see the door opening, flooding the dimly lit room with the light of the afternoon and— Jeongguk.

Taehyung hit enter one last time just as Jeongguk entered, having secured his website, and slammed his laptop shut.

He looked up and flashed a grin at his boyfriend, who was walking in with a soft smile that brightened up the whole room. But his eyes lingered for a moment too long on the laptop, and Taehyung's hand, which rested protectively over it.

"Hey," Jeongguk greeted, his voice soft and affectionate.

Taehyung spun in his chair, his features breaking into a soft smile. "Hey," he replied casually, as if he hadn't just been working like his life depended on it.

"What were you working on?" Jeongguk asked, tilting his head, his tone curious.

"Nothing exciting," Taehyung said with a small shrug. "Just work."

Jeongguk chuckled, stepping closer. "You looked like you were in a fight with that keyboard."

Taehyung chuckled. "Just wanted to get it done so I could focus on you properly"

Jeongguk scoffed, but his cheeks had dusted pink. He sat across Taehyung's lap, one arm circling around the older man's neck.

"Flattery"

"I'm not lying!" Taehyung whined softly as he held Jeongguk's waist. "I thought you would be late"

"I was able to finish up sooner than I thought" Jeongguk smiled.

"Yeah?" Taehyung whispered, pressing a soft kiss onto Jeongguk's lips.

Jeongguk hummed, kissing back softly. He was smiling as he drew away.

"Are you done with your work?" the younger asked.

"Yup"

"I brought something for you. Come"

Taehyung grinned. "What did you bring?"

He stood up with Jeongguk, and the younger man guided him out of the room. Taehyung shot one last look at his laptop as he walked out into the living room.

Jeongguk sat down on a stool at the kitchen island, patting the seat next to him. Taehyung obliged, placing his phone on the counter, and his eyes widened in excitement as Jeongguk took out a plastic box, wrapped with a purple ribbon.

"That's so pretty" Taehyung grinned. "Is that cheesecake?!"

"Yup," Jeongguk giggled.

"This is for me? Did you have any?"

"Yeah. I had some at the wedding. They gave me two boxes because I was the photographer"

"Perks of being a photographer at the wedding, huh?" Taehyung chuckled as he dug in. Jeongguk watched him with soft eyes, shaped into crescents.

"Yummy?"

Taehyung moaned in delight. "Oh yeah. I was starving"

Jeongguk's eyes furrowed. "Did you not have lunch?"

"I had a brunch"

"What did you have?"

"Cereal?"

"Tae!"

"What?! I was busy, okay?" Taehyung muttered with a mouthful of cheescake.

Jeongguk groaned. "We should order in tonight"

"I was going to cook for you, though" Taehyung pouted.

"I don't want you to tire yourself. You haven't had a proper meal the whole day!"

"But..."

"No buts. Let's order a good meal. I got paid and they gave me a $200 tip!"

"Oh my god!"

"I know! They're rich! I didn't think they would. I mean, I only started my career like... 3 months ago. I have barely done any projects yet. They said they loved the photos and tipped me $200!"

"It's because my baby is talented"

Jeongguk grinned. "I'm so happy"

Taehyung smiled softly. He scooped up the last piece of the cake and pressed the spoon against Jeongguk's lips. He parted them open as Taehyung fed him the piece. They both smiled, munching on the cake.

"I'm full now" Taehyung smiled.

"After I shower, let's order something"

"Fine"

"Don't frown"

"Thought I turned you on when I frowned"

Jeongguk rolled his eyes. "That's when you're turned on. Now you look like a wounded puppy"

"A wounded puppy?!"

"Yup"

"Oh yeah? How about I—" Before Taehyung could finish his sentence, Jeongguk was pressing his lips against Taehyung's.

Taehyung's eyes widened momentarily. However, he kissed back with the same amount of passion. Subsequently, as Jeongguk sat on Taehyung's lap and their hand circled one another, the elder couldn't help but lick into the younger's mouth, tasting sweetness on his tongue.

Taehyung wanted to smile. Jeongguk always tasted divine. As their tongues met, Jeongguk let out a soft moan and Taehyung responded with a small groan. His body thrummed with arousal and their kisses got deeper and needier.

Jeongguk broke the kiss, breath heaving. His hands fiddled with Taehyung's hoodie throwing it over the elder's head. Taehyung attached his mouth to Jeongguk's once again, his own fingers working on popping Jeongguk's shirt buttons. His hands quickly caressed the soft skin of Jeongguk's torso, eager to feel him.

Taehyung's hands swiftly moved to Jeongguk's pants, with the intention of having Jeongguk naked in front of him and Jeongguk's hands were no different, fiddly and eager. Jeongguk broke the kiss once again to attach his lips against Taehyung's neck and the older man momentarily paused his actions, eyes fluttering close as he relished the feeling of Jeongguk's lips against his skin, when–

Ding

His eyes darted to his phone on the counter. His eyes narrowed as he took in the screen with a single message notification.

"I couldn't access the website ten minutes ago" The message read, "But I can access it now. I figured that you took care of the issue. Did you delete the files and wipe away the traces?"

"Fuck" Taehyung cursed. He forgot to do that.

Jeongguk stopped in his actions, probably sensing the way Taehyung tensed.

"What?" Jeongguk asked. His eyes were glassy. From arousal, Taehyung knew.

Taehyung looked at Jeongguk apologetically.

"I have to do something..." Taehyung muttered. "I will be back. Just give me five minutes"

Jeongguk frowned. "What do you have to do?"

"Just work, baby. I have to finish it up. Five minutes?"

"Can't your work wait fifteen minutes? Until we're done?"

"I..." Taehyung gulped, not knowing what to answer. He wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it until he deleted everything. And it couldn't wait.

He won't be able to properly focus on Jeongguk if they start this now.

"What's so urgent?"

Taehyung gulped. He searched for words but none came into his mind.

Jeongguk sighed, looking away from Taehyung's eyes. There was a hint of disappointment on Jeongguk's face. Taehyung gulped, guilt making his heart ache.

"Forget it" Jeongguk muttered, getting off Taehyung's lap.

"Baby..."

Jeongguk picked up his shirt from the ground and walked to their bedroom, without sparing Taehyung another glance. 

🧊