Station 553 | Taegyu & Heehoon

4) Cuddlers and Deniers

"Hey, Taehyun." Beomgyu jogged to catch up to the younger boy as they left the station. "I have a gift for you."

He held his palm out.

"A key?" Taehyun frowned. "Wait, is this-"

"To my apartment, yeah."

Taehyun stared at the older boy in disbelief. "We've known each other for three weeks, Beomgyu. Are you insane?"

"You're the one who moved in literally two days after we met."

"Temporarily moved in. A key makes it feel, like, permanent."

"Who's to say I won't take the key back after this class ends?"

"And what if I sell it on the black market to a gang of robbers before that?"

Beomgyu shook his head, smiling. "Only you would think of that, Kang."

He pressed the key into Taehyun's hand. "I'm trusting you not to do that. It's our home now, so it won't benefit you to ruin it. Also, I have another gift."

"What is it?"

"A bike."

"A bike?" Taehyun groaned.

"Yep, my old one." Beomgyu patted the younger boy's back. "This way you don't have to ask me for a ride every time you want to go out."

"I don't go out."

"Yeah, I know, it's kind of sad." He pushed Taehyun into their car. "Why don't you start taking daily bike rides around our neighborhood? Get some Vitamin D?"

"What? We don't have a neighborhood; we live in an apartment in the middle of a city, Beomgyu. I'm going to get hit by a bus!"

"It's fine; I'm an EMT. If you get hit by a bus, I'll save you. Oh, and one more thing."

"What now?"

"I bought a couch," Beomgyu grinned. "So you don't have to sleep in the same bed as me."

Taehyun quieted down. "Oh."

He gave Beomgyu a bright smile, fully knowing that later, he'd be crawling into bed with the older boy anyway. "Thanks."

***

"I'm bored," Taehyun sighed, sprawling across the new couch awkwardly placed in the center of Beomgyu's apartment.

"Then practice taking my pulse," Beomgyu ordered. "You sucked at it in class."

"Screw you too," Taehyun muttered, sitting up and scooting over to make space for Beomgyu on the couch. He grabbed the older boy's wrist.

"Wait. Use three fingers when taking a radial pulse. It's easier to feel the beats."

Taehyun corrected his grip. "Like this?"

"Yeah." Beomgyu cocked his head mischievously. "Where would you take my pulse if I were unconscious?"

"Here." Taehyun moved his fingers up to Beomgyu's neck. "The carotid artery."

"And what if my head was cut off?"

Taehyun rolled his eyes. "Then you'd be dead."

"Okay, but seriously," Beomgyu laughed. "Where's the next best place to take my pulse?"

"I don't know," Taehyun sighed. "Where?"

He scrambled backward as Beomgyu began taking off his pants. "Dude, what the fuck are you doing?"

"My femoral artery."

Taehyun spun around, covering his eyes. "Beomgyu... Please put your pants back on."

"You have to learn this at some point, Taehyun."

"I have a hard time believing that you do this with all of your students."

"Technically, this is my first year as an instructor, so you're my first student."

"You're an instructor in training," Taehyun corrected.

"Whatever. Who's to say I won't do it again next year with a different student?"

"That sounds oddly predatory."

Beomgyu grinned. "Okay, but would you be jealous if I did this with somebody else?"

"Of course not," Taehyun scoffed, still keeping his hands over his eyes. "There's nothing to be jealous of."

He shifted uncomfortably, sensing Beomgyu move closer.

"Do you trust me?" Beomgyu whispered, his hands snaking around Taehyun's wrists.

"Not really." Taehyun tried to keep his composure as Beomgyu's nose grazed the back of his neck. "Gyu..."

Beomgyu gently uncovered the younger boy's eyes. "Let me help you."

Taehyun's eyes glazed over. He slightly leaned back into Beomgyu's chest. "With what?"

"With taking a pulse, of course." Beomgyu patted Taehyun's shoulder. "What are you doing? Get up. It's time to learn, not sleep."

Taehyun turned around to face the older boy. "I- I wasn't..."

"Shh." Beomgyu guided Taehyun's hand to his hip. "Stop stalling. Take my femoral pulse."

Taehyun's fingers glided across Beomgyu's skin, following the curvature of the older boy's pelvic bone.

"You got it," Beomgyu encouraged. "It's about an inch to the- oh. Taehyun? Too far."

Taehyun retracted his hand at lightning speed.

"Sorry," he whispered, mortified. "I didn't-"

"It's okay. We all make mistakes." Beomgyu looked away judgmentally. "Some more than others."

"It was an accident!" Taehyun groaned. "I'm sorry!"

"I know," Beomgyu laughed, slipping on his pants. "I'm just teasing you, Kang."

Taehyun let out a deep breath, hugging his knees as he stared at a wall silently.

The older boy awkwardly cleared his throat. "So... Do you wanna watch a movie?"

"Not really."

"Do you wanna go out?"

"Not really."

Beomgyu sighed with annoyance. "Do you wanna play video games?"

"You have video games?" Taehyun glanced over, his eyes widening in interest.

"Oh, that got your attention." Beomgyu gave a satisfied smirk as he stood up to fetch the controllers. "Screenager."

"Hey." Taehyun threw a pillow at him. "Do not call me a screenager. You spend ninety percent of your time at the station scrolling through TikTok."

"Yes, but the difference is that I am not a teenager, I have a full-time job, and I pay for my own stuff, including the couch you're sitting on and the breakfast you eat every morning."

Taehyun rolled his eyes. "If you want to kick me out, then do it. I'll gladly go back to living with Soobin."

"Yeah, right." Beomgyu tossed Taehyun a controller. "You like cuddling with me too much to leave."

"I don't like-" Taehyun blushed furiously. "I-"

"You're a cuddler," Beomgyu grinned. "Admit it. Under that tough exterior, you're just a little softie who likes to cuddle."

"Shut up," Taehyun grumbled. "And turn the stupid TV on."