(suju/bang) it always starts out completely unexpected; kangin/g-dragon
it always starts out completely unexpected
(suju/big bang) 1468 wds. pg-13; rpf - friendship!kangin/g-dragon, implied!kangteuk, slight g/ri
it happens when kangin half-drunk dials jiyong's number.
s. they go way back, and there are things that can only be said over alcohol.
a/n. written for fic exchange challenge with kikiam who wanted friendship g-dragon/kangin (so therefore this is dedicated to her); this stemmed from that big bang on sukira guesting where g-dragon says he and taeyang have known kangin since they were little and that they refer to him as "youngwoonie-hyung."
d. i do not know, nor am i affiliated with, kangin, g-dragon, super junior, big bang, yg entertainment or sm entertainment. none of the events depicted in this story happened.
- - -
It happens when Kangin half-drunk dials Jiyong's number.
"Jiyong-ah? Come on, join me here," he slurs into the phone. "You can bring Youngbae with you. Let's go drinking!"
"Youngwoonie-hyung? What the fuck?" Jiyong grumbles, because while he wasn't asleep yet (up late trying to write music, as usual), it was almost 1 am and for all the other man knew, he could have been. "Where the fuck are you?"
"Here, there, everywhere!" Kangin jokes. When the other man doesn't respond, he continues with, "You know the place, it's right near your hostel. Just come over. It's been a while too, hasn't it?"
*
"How've you been Jiyong-ah?"
"I've been fine. Come on hyung, it's half-past 1am. Let me help you get home, before you get even more drunk."
"I didn't call you out just to go home, okay? Learn to have some fun, won't you? Where's Youngbae?"
"He was already asleep when you called. I didn't think to wake him up, he has an early schedule tomorrow after all, don't you?" Jiyong says, pressing the last statement, hoping the other man can take the hint.
"You two still doing good?" Apparently not, though.
"We're always good, hyung. We don't even fight," Jiyong chuckles.
"There was that one time if I remember correctly-"
"Stupid basketball game doesn't count," Jiyong grunts.
"Fighting is good though, sometimes. Strengthens friendship and all that jazz."
"If you say so, hyung."
"Well, how are the rest of your members, then? You taking good care of them Leader-ssi?"
"We're all doing good, hyung. Just a lot of individual projects at the moment."
"How's that kid? Your maknae? The one who was on Change with you?" Kangin asks.
"Seungri? He's good. Fine. His stage play was a success, and now he's in the talks for some movie," Jiyong answers.
"No, I meant how are you and him?"
"What?! Hyung..."
"You know what I mean Jiyong-ah. I've seen you around him before. You don't seem the same though, nowadays. Is anything wrong?"
"Hyung, what the fuck are you on? I mean. You know. It's all just fan service! I like girls," Jiyong states firmly.
"Yeah, that's what I kept telling myself too," Kangin mutters under his breath.
"Did you say something, hyung?"
"No, nothing, never mind," Kangin sighs, then after a pause, "Actually, no, okay. Fuck this. I said THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I USED TO TELL MYSELF, okay? That it's all just fan service and I've always liked girls. Maybe it used to be true, I don't know, but things change."
Jiyong has no idea how he's supposed to answer, but apparently there isn't really any need to because only a few seconds passed before Kangin mutters, "Fucking Jungsu."
"Is this what this is? Did you have a fight with Eeteuk-ssi?" Jiyong asks, even though he's still a little uncertain about how to react.
Kangin stares at his drink, unable to look straight at Jiyong, "Yeah, maybe," he says under his breath.
"So it's not just fan service?"
"Dammit Jiyong, of all the things I thought you were, a slow dimwit has never been one of them."
And Jiyong shuts up, because as always, all his pride, his smoothness, his confidence - he always leaves them at the door when he's with Youngwoonie-hyung (he'll never really be Kangin to Jiyong, after all), because it's always been like that ever since they first met.
Kangin sighs, "Because we've been friends for a while, I will be honest then - sometimes... sometimes I don't really remember if the fan service happened because... well, because, you know? Or if it's the other way around."
Jiyong nods silently, motioning for the bartender to bring him a drink. He's definitely going to need one if this conversation is going the way he thought it is.
"Fucking Eeteuk, fucking Jungsu. I don't know which is which, anymore, who's who, and I thought I've ALWAYS LIKED GIRLS, YOU KNOW?" Kangin groans, lighting up a cigarette.
"Hyung, I thought you said you quit."
"A single stick won't hurt."
"Hyung -"
"That's it exactly. I'm your hyung, let me smoke my fucking cigarette in peace."
And it's always been like this, Kangin has always been one of the few people who could shut Jiyong up, and both of them knows that's not going to change any time soon.
"What is it about Eeteuk-ssi?"
"What do you mean what about him?" Kangin says.
"What is it about him that makes him special?" Jiyong verifies.
"Well. He's... he's Eeteuk, you know. He just is. Sometimes he can be so fucking useless, and that used to really piss me off. Eventually it just made me want to always be by his fucking side, supporting him, helping him out. And sometimes, he can be such a fucking crybaby, but when it comes to our members - he knows how to calm everyone down, you know? And his laugh, and his smile, fuck, for some reason I can never get enough of them and it's diving me insane because I don't understand why. The fuck. This is," Kangin said, taking a long hit from his cigarette afterwards. "So your turn now, Jiyong-ah. What about the maknae?"
"I told you hyung, it's not like that. I'm into girls," Jiyong insists, not looking at Kangin.
"Don't fuck with me Kwon Jiyong. I just told you about my damn feelings. It's your turn to spill."
"I don't even know myself," Jiyong mutters, a minute or two-long pause later.
"The mighty G-Dragon doesn't know?" Kangin laughs.
"Don't poke fun, hyung," Jiyong grumbles.
"Does Youngbae know?"
"How can he when even I don't?"
Kangin raises an eyebrow.
"I don't know. Maybe. He probably suspects," Jiyong sighs.
"And he will never say anything, unless you do, because that guy understands your pride too much," Kangin says, laughing a little, "It's why your friendship works so well."
Jiyong looks at him pointedly, and Kangin just laughs more at him, "Well? Go on with your story."
"It's just complicated, okay? He's still a kid, sometimes I feel like the world's biggest pervert for thinking about him like... like you know. And it's not like he's that younger, it's just two years, but sometimes it feels like more."
"Isn't he turning 19[1] soon?"
"Yeah. But it's not just the age, hyung. You can be fucking 20 or 25 or 30 or 60 and still act like a kid. You know?"
"Tell me about it," Kangin mutters.
"Sometimes I feel Seungri's like that. And he's such a fucking oddball. There are times when he's just really embarrassing to be seen with, seriously. And there are times when he follows me like a lost puppy, and he just rolls his eyes at me when I tell him off. What the fuck's that about?"
"But you find it cute, huh? Come on, admit you do."
"Aish," Jiyong grunts, his cheeks a little red, "Maybe."
Kangin laughs.
"But the kid can be so hardworking too, and he's always so eager to please, you can't help but like that about him," Jiyong continues.
And then there's a slight silence before, "Can I have a stick, hyung?"
"After you tell me off about my health?!" Kangin scoffs.
"Shut up, hyung. I never said anything about quitting like you," Jiyong says, "Besides, I thought a stick won't hurt?"
*
Three hours, a pack of cigarettes and how many bottles of beer later, and Kangin is practically passed out.
"Come on, hyung, we really need to be getting home now," Jiyong says, helping the other man up, and hailing a cab.
"That's not the address of my apartment complex," Kangin says when he hears Jiyong giving the cab driver directions.
"No, it's not," Jiyong just says back.
And thirty minutes later, Eeteuk is opening the door to them.
"Kangin! Where have you been?! Are you drunk?! I've been worried sick! You weren't even answering your phone! What's the use of having one if -"
"Let's never fight again, hyung," Kangin says, a drunken smile on his face, leaning in to envelope Eeteuk in a hug.
"I - uh... aish! You're really drunkl!" Eeteuk looks flustered, embarrassed, but he is smiling when he awkwardly returns the hug. "Jiyong-ssi, I'm sorry if he's troubled you."
"It's okay," Jiyong shrugs, "Youngwoonie-hyung and I go way back. I didn't really mind."
"Thanks for bringing him home anyway. Do you want to come in?"
"No, thanks. I should go home myself."
"Are you sure? You don't seem entirely sober yourself. Have at least a cup of coffee, maybe?" Eeteuk insists.
"I can just call a cab again, I'll be fine, but thanks anyway," Jiyong answers.
"Okay, if you're sure," Eeteuk says, a little unsure.
"I'll be fine. Take care of hyung," Jiyong smiles.
As Eeteuk closes the door, Jiyong could hear him softly berating Kangin ("You smell like cigarettes, I thought you quit." "I'm quitting again after tonight, hyung." "You're never going to quit if you start smoking every time we have a fight." "That's why we're not going to fight again.") and Jiyong can't help but think about how much they sound like an old married couple.
And then he desperately tries to slap himself awake when he realises that he's thinking that maybe one day he and Seungri could be just like them.
/ fin.
[1] Seungri was born in 1990, but Korean age is fucked up and damn confusing.