Come On Make Me Feel Alive [1/3]
Title: Come On Make Me Feel Alive
Author: adw1017 and eexiee
Pairing: Krisho, KaiLay, Layhan, Lu Han/others[endgame pairings]
Layhan; Krisho
Length: 21k
Rating: R
Summary: In which Kris just got dumped, Lu Han wants to party his way across the country, Yixing needs to understand the world, and Tao thinks his friends are all crazy. Oh, and they go on a summer road trip in a brand new Porsche Cayenne.
[A/N]: Originally written in 2013, nevet got crossposted completely so here ya go. eexiee and I took turns writing each location. If you're really curious as to who wrote what parts, I included that at the very end. Originally posted on AFF as a chaptered fic.
Prologue
The first time that they tell their roadtrip plans to an outsider, Chen almost pees his pants from laughing.
“That’s a terrible idea,” he wheezes, barely able to get his words out. “You four? In a car together, traveling for two months? You’d kill each other!”
“But we get along well,” Yixing protests mildly. “We’re best friends!”
The six guys are relaxed in Lu Han’s living room in a Park Avenue penthouse. The carpets are imported from Morocco, and the wallpaper is lined with specks of gold.
“You guys won’t even be able to decide what music to play in the car,” Xiumin scoffs. “Kris will want to listen to rap, Lu Han will want top 40 pop music, Yixing will want indie music, and Tao - Taozi will want silence.”
Lu Han sighs, but shrugs. “Headphones?”
Chen ponders the idea for a moment, then turns to Kris. “Hey, I know you were a little upset before, but I don’t think -”
“It’s a great idea,” Kris interrupts. “I could do with some fresh air, a change of scenery after…after…”
“The lying two-faced bitch?” Chen supplies.
There is a sharp intake of breath and a smack on the arm from Lu Han, but Kris nods. Yes, he thinks, that did describe his ex-girlfriend rather well. They had been together for almost eight months before she had cheated on him and then stomped all over his heart.
“It’s the perfect opportunity for Kris to get over her,” Lu Han adds excitedly. “He can have a girl in every city and - ”
“Not everyone wants to screw everything he sees, man,” Kris replies, tossing a cushion at Lu Han’s face.
Yixing rolls his eyes. “Some of us just wants to see more of the world, you know?”
“That’s cute, Xing,” Lu Han says, condescendingly. “Adorable, really. I’m going to party my way to California and it’s going to be a blast.”
Xiumin frowns, and picks up his soda from the table, “What are you guys going to drive?”
“My car,” Kris replies immediately.
Again, Chen starts to laugh. “Four rich city boys in a new Porsche Cayenne driving across the country? Sounds like a horror movie, one where you guys get killed by a bloodthirsty cannibal in the middle of Wisconsin.”
Lu Han shakes his head. “We have Tao,” he says, shrugging. “Any serial killer can bring it on. In fact, I fear for his life.”
Tao, the only member silent up until now, coughs loudly. “Is that all I’m good for?” he demands, annoyed. “To protect you three pretty boys from murderers?”
Casually, Lu Han throws an arm around Tao’s neck and starts choking him. “Of course not, Taotao,” he chuckles as the bigger male easily throws him off in mock disgust.
Chen and Xiumin exchange nervous looks, but the plan is set. Right after graduation from their respective universities, Kris, Lu Han, Yixing, and Tao, the four best friends, are embarking on a roadtrip across the country.
New York, New York
Lu Han’s short temper lasts all of five minutes after the start of the road trip. There is traffic going out of the City, and they are at a standstill in the Lincoln Tunnel.
“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to stuff you in the trunk,” Kris mutters gruffly as Lu Han makes another anguished sound.
Tao just looks nervously back and forth between the two older boys from the passenger seat.
Heaving a sigh, Yixing pats Kris on the shoulder. “Focus on the road,” he says, soothingly, “and you, Lu Han, shut the hell up.”
His best friend huffs, but does stop complaining.
“Here,” Yixing says, pulling his iPad out of his bag. He hands it to Lu Han, and slumps back into his seat. They had gotten a late start out of the city, and had a lengthy drive to their first stop. He puts his forehead up against the cool glass window, and gazes out into the tunnel, seemingly endless.
“Will we get to Princeton in time for dinner?” Tao asks, eyeing the GPS on the dashboard dubiously.
“Yeah, for sure,” Kris replies. “We’re meeting Sehun for dinner, right?”
“Uh...I don’t think it’s dinner,” Lu Han sniggers, eyes not leaving the iPad. “I’m pretty sure it’s only going to be the biggest party of the summer.”
“What are you doing?” Yixing asks, peeking over. He rolls his eyes upon seeing the screen, and give Lu Han a rough shove. “Candy Crush Saga? Really?”’
Lu Han shakes him off, and continues on about things he has heard about the summer kickoff bash they were attending that night.
Yixing tunes out the talk about the party, and focuses on the lights in the tunnel and the soft R&B over the car radio. Ten minutes later, the emerge from the tunnel, and start moving away from the City. Yixing turns his head back and watches the cityscape get further and further away.
“It’s going to be a great summer,” Lu Han mutters, and Yixing jumps in surprise. The other boy has put aside the iPad, and is instead watching Yixing.
Feeling surprisingly more reassured, Yixing nods. He is ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
Princeton, NJ
They get to Princeton, New Jersey a little after eight. A slight breeze has cooled down the summer heat, and the boys roll into town with all the windows down. Sehun is waiting with pizza and a big smile.
“The party won’t start for a few hours and I figured you’d be hungry,” he says, waving them into the temporary apartment that he is occupying for summer classes.
“Thanks, brat,” Kris replies, affectionately.
Sehun is a year younger than the others, but they had all gone to high school together in the City. He looks a lot different than when Lu Han had last seen him over spring break. His light brown hair is now a plethora of colors-blue, blond, red, green, brown, purposely styled to look unstyled.
“I think I kind of like this,” Lu Han says, reaching over to run a hand through Sehun’s new hair. The younger boy ducks under his arm, rolling his eyes.
“I can’t believe you guys are driving all the way to California.” Sehun’s tone is wistful as he gazes at them. “I wish I could go with you guys instead of - uh - classes.”
“You can go on your own soul searching trip after you graduation,” Kris laughs.
Lu Han, for one, does not plan on doing any ‘soul searching.’ As he as far is concerned, this summer is all about the traveling, the good food, the parties, and the hook-ups. His soul, as far as he is concerned, has already been found.
The Ivy League schools live by the motto “study hard, party hard.” Or rather, when bored boys with too much money, looking to kick summer off with a bang, get together to plan a party, they go all out. The house is covered with glitter and booze by the time they arrive, and people mingle in the yard, on the porch, in the backyard by the pool, and in the house.
Lu Han ducks past a frat boy doing a kegstand on the front steps and grabs onto Tao’s arm. “Are you going to be the sober one tonight?” he asks. “One of us needs to be coherent enough to take the rest of us back to Sehun’s in one piece.”
Tao lets out an exaggerated sigh and nods his head; he’s never been much of a drinker anyway.
It takes Lu Han less than an hour to zero in on a slim, brunette girl with big eyes and an even bigger rack. Tao rolls his eyes when he sees them disappear upstairs together and gives his head a shake. At least he can count on Lu Han with his consistency when it came to parties. Whether his companion for the night is male or female, Lu Han always has a thing for small brunettes.
“Why does he feel the need to hook up so much?” Tao asks mildly, turning to the person nearest to him.
Yixing shrugs. “Lonely? I don’t really know.”
“I think he has low self esteem and, I don’t know, he’s kind of dumb,” Sehun adds.
Tao eyes him with an approving nod. “All of my friends are dumb,” he finishes.
Lu Han returns less than an hour later with the buttons on his shirt done up incorrectly. Tao sighs, and quickly helps his friend get the right buttons in the right holes. They go on search of Kris and find him completely wasted and glued to Sehun, telling him all about his ex-girlfriend. Sehun is too drunk to understand anything and just nods and blinks. Yixing is snoozing next to them despite the loud party music, face planted on the armrest of the couch; someone has written ‘COLUMBIA SUX FYEAH PRINCETON’ on his arm in an orange sharpie.
Tao takes this to mean that the night is over.
Philadelphia, PA
Yixing opens his eyes to a pounding headache. He is curled up at the foot of one of Sehun’s couches, although he suspects that he had started the night on top of it. He stretches, and accidentally kicks Lu Han in the elbow. Tao peeks into the room upon hearing Lu Han’s groan, and gives them judging looks.
“Breakfast in ten,” he says.
“What time is it?” Yixing croaks, rolling over onto his stomach.
“It’s almost noon,” Sehun replies, coming out of his room with a hand pressed up to his head. There is another low groan, and Yixing raises his head just high enough to see Kris on another couch on the other side of the room, looking just as dead.
“Aspirin’s on the coffee table,” Tao calls.
Sehun and Kris trudge over and take painkillers for the headache. They toss the pills and the water bottle to Yixing and head off toward the kitchen.
It takes another two minutes for Yixing to open his eyes again. He uncaps the water bottles and tosses back two painkillers before handing them to Lu Han. The blond has bloodshot eyes and messy hair, eyeliner smudged all over his face.
“You look like shit,” he says, conversationally.
“Thanks, Xing,” Lu Han gumbles, eyeing Yixing over. “You don’t look so hot yourself right now. And I also think you sold out your own school, because that looks like your handwriting there.”
Yixing looks down at his arm and sees the words “COLUMBIA SUX FYEAH PRINCETON” written on his arm. Although the words are smudged, it is still definitely recognizable as his handwriting.
“I don’t want to move,” Yixing says, closing his eyes again. His whole body kind of hurts, and he doesn’t think he can hold down any food. “Actually, I don’t think I can move,” he adds.
“It was fun though,” Lu Hans says. There is a beat of silence, and then they are both laughing.
“Stop,” Yixing chokes out, “my head hurts. Stop laughing.”
“Why don’t you stop?” Lu Han shoots back. He curls into the fetal position and clutches his stomach. Yixing isn’t even sure what is so funny anymore, but laughs anyway.
“The dumbdumbs are at it again,” they hear Kris proclaim.
“You’re a dumbdumb,” Tao replies.
By the time they stop laughing, Yixing has managed to pull himself up to a sitting position next to Lu Han.
“What did I do last night?” Lu Han asks, wincing as he also struggles up.
Yixing gives him a long look. “Don’t you mean ‘who did I do last night’ instead?” he asks with a wicked grin.
Lu Han reaches over to smack him, but Yixing is doubled over in laughter again.
It takes another two hours for them to get on the road again. This time, Tao is driving, because everyone else is too hungover. It rains for the entire three hour drive to Baltimore, and they stop only in Philadelphia.
“This city sucks,” Kris declares.
Yixing rolls his eyes, because he knows that Kris is a diehard fan of the New York Giants and the sole reason he hates Philadelphia is because of the Eagles. His guess is proven correct when, several minutes later, Kris declares that this city is tolerable after all through a mouthful of Philly cheese steak.
“Traitor,” Tao hisses.
Kris’ only response is to shove more cheese steak at his face.
Baltimore, MD
“Look, Xing, it’s you,” Lu Han cackles, pointing to a very sleepy looking octopus. Yixing watches it laze around its tank before turning to Lu Han with an expression not unlike the octopus’.
“It’s not me,” he says, but Lu Han just laughs louder. Tao rolls his eyes as he heads towards the shark tanks. Kris trails behind him, and Tao doesn’t want to turn around because he doesn’t want to see Kris’ pout and hear for the fifth time that day how much his ex-girlfriend loves seahorses.
“I don’t want to hear it, Kris,” Tao says before Kris can even say anything.
“Tao...” Kris sounds so pitiful that Tao finally turns around in front of the Atlantic Coral Reef.
“Kris, she cheated on you,” Tao reminds him. “She’s a horrible person and you deserve someone better than her. Also she thought it was okay to wear knee socks with Daisy Dukes, which it’s not.”
Kris sighs dramatically. “I know, Taozi, but I really did love her, and I think she loved me too.”
“Obviously not,” Tao says rudely, and a fish swims by behind him. “She didn’t care about you at all. Kris, I swear, you’ll meet someone new, someone better. Please get over her.”
Kris watches the fish behind Tao swim by. He knows Tao is right, but somehow, his ex-girlfriend is too hard to forget. He knows she’s probably with that other guy right now, maybe even cheating on him too, but he can’t get her out of his head.
“Kris, you’re moping again,” Lu Han says, coming up behind him. “Come on, just find someone to hook up with in the next city and it’ll be like the crazy bitch never even happened.”
Yixing makes a tutting sound, and Kris turns to see that he’s now wearing an octopus hat. It shouldn’t be quite as funny as Kris finds it, but for some reason he’s laughing uncontrollably. Tao starts to chuckle too, and then Lu Han is laughing as well.
“What?” Yixing asks, looking lost. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Lu Han replies, patting his friend on the back. “Absolutely nothing.”
Washington, DC
They really should have reconsidered trying to park anywhere in Georgetown, because it’s taken all of fifty minutes to finally find a parking spot on O Street.
“Finally,” Tao huffs, slamming the car door as he gets out of the front seat. “I’m dying of thirst. First stop is a grocery store.”
“But the cupcakes-”
“Lu Han, you saw the line,” Tao snaps, “it’s going to be at least a few hours until you get into the shop. I think a few extra minutes in the grocery store won’t hurt.”
“It could make a difference!” Lu Han protests, and finally Yixing steps in.
“Okay, Taotao, you go with Kris to the grocery store and I’ll wait in line with Lu Han. Deal?” Yixing proposes diplomatically.
“Deal,” Kris says, walking down the street with Tao on his heels. They drop Lu Han and Yixing off at the cupcake store (the line is almost two blocks long) and they continue down the street to Dean & DeLuca. “So, what are you going to drink?”
“Orangina. Sprite. Water. Lemonade. Beer, I don’t know,” Tao says. “Just something.” They step into the building, which looks more like a market than a grocery store, and it’s full of hipster college students and over-moneyed adults. It reminds Kris of home. Tao goes straight for the refrigerated section while Kris browses the impressive fruit selection.
Kris recognizes the Comme Des Garcons cardigan first, and then he proceeds to admire how tight the boy’s jeans are. Or, he does that until he realizes that he’s acting suspiciously like Lu Han, and then he goes for the boy’s face. He’s really something. Kris is sure that not even Lu Han is that pretty.
The boy notices Kris staring and he smiles back, shifting the bundle of organic parsley in his arms before approaching Kris. Kris’s heart nearly stops.
“I like your cardigan,” the boy says. “Comme Des Garcons Play, right?”
“Yeah, like yours,” Kris replies. “You like the brand?”
“It’s my favorite,” the boy smiles. “I’m Joonmyeon.” He holds out his hand and Kris shakes it with slightly too much enthusiasm.
“Kris,” Kris introduces himself.
“Oh, do you go to Georgetown too?” Joonmyeon asks.
“No,” Kris replies, “I just graduated from Yale. You go to Georgetown?”
“I’m starting grad school here in the fall,” Joonmyeon smiles. “I’m volunteering in the city right now.” Kris is about to open his mouth when Tao comes bounding up, stopping next to Kris with a giant bottle of Orangina in his hands.
“Oh, who’s your friend?” Tao asks, and Joonmyeon hardly even glances at Tao, which is somewhat of a rare occurrence. Kris has always been popular with girls, but Tao had been the one in their group of straight friends who got the interest from boys.
And then Kris remembers that he, too, is supposed to be in that group of straight friends. And that he’s just gotten out of a bad relationship. To take a random interest in a guy...it’s definitely not something Kris is quite ready for, in any case.
But then he turns back to Joonmyeon, who’s still looking up at him expectantly.
“Oh, Tao, this is Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon, this is my friend Tao. He and I and two other guys are taking a road trip across the country this summer,” Kris finally says, and Joonmyeon’s eyes widen.
“Wow,” Joonmyeon breathes. “So-so where’d you start?”
“New York,” Tao says, and Kris flinches momentarily before realizing that he really shouldn’t care which one of them replies to Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon smiles quickly before turning back to Kris.
“Are you staying here long?” Joonmyeon asks. Kris feels a pang of triumph as he realizes that Joonmyeon asked him specifically, and he’s got as long as you want on his tongue before he decides on something less clichéd.
“We’re here for like...a day. An afternoon? I don’t know,” Kris replies. “We’re just kind of going at our own pace.”
He sees Tao give him a sidelong glance before Tao bites his lip as he smirks, which he always does when he thinks he’s being sly.
“But we don’t really know our way around,” Tao adds, looking at Joonmyeon. “Do you know what we should see while we’re here?”
“Oh, oh, I could show you around if you want,” Joonmyeon replies, looking up at Kris.
“Yeah!” Kris says a little too quickly. “I mean, yeah, that would be great.”
He’s got a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, as if he’s realized that his mouth has just disobeyed his brain. His brain is telling him that this is a very bad idea, that he likes girls for God’s sakes and he’s going through the obligatory phase of solitude after a bad breakup.
And even as he’s thinking that, he can’t stop listening with rapt attention as Joonmyeon talks about D.C.
Tao grins as he turns away from Kris and Joonmyeon. “I’ll just go pay for my Orangina,” he says, but the other two are definitely not listening to him anymore.
Joonmyeon is telling Kris all about the Smithsonian and Congress, and Kris wants to listen more closely but it's hard when Joonmyeon's face is shining so bright. Kris mentally kicks himself because he really shouldn't be thinking of Joonmyeon under any sort of romantic light.
But he really can't help himself. Joonmyeon is small but not to the point of fragility. He's pretty but not to the point of feminine. He's a man-
And that's Kris's problem. Joonmyeon is a man. He's male, and Kris is also male, and Kris is not like Lu Han or Yixing which means that he is not interested in males.
And besides, he thinks, I'm getting over a breakup. I can't be thinking about anyone romantically right now, gender aside.
That thought doesn't stop him from wanting to learn more about Joonmyeon.
Joonmyeon buys his groceries which include organic parsley, organic carrots and a small bottle of spring water, and then they're standing on M Street deciding what to do.
"Should we get Yixing and Lu Han or should we just let them be?" Kris asks. Tao frowns, looking in the direction of Georgetown Cupcake. He bites his lip again before turning back to Kris and Joonmyeon.
"I'll go check on them. Once we get the cupcakes, we'll meet up with you two later. How does that sound?" Tao asks, and Kris knows he really shouldn't feel so giddy with excitement at the thought of being left alone with Joonmyeon.
"Is that okay?" he asks instead, looking down at Joonmyeon.
Joonmyeon nods vigorously. "Yeah, that's fine!" He exclaims, and Kris grins brightly.
"Okay, Taozi," Kris says, "call me when you guys have the cupcakes." Tao salutes him and walks off, leaving Kris and Joonmyeon blissfully alone.
"Well? What do you say we go to the White House first?" Joonmyeon asks.
"Sure," Kris says, and he's never been so tempted to hold a boy's hand.
One presidential mansion and three Smithsonian visits later, the sun is already going down and Tao still hasn't called.
Kris doesn't mind. He's holding Joonmyeon's groceries and walking close to him as they amble past the Smithsonian Castle.
"Hey, what are you going to do when you get to California?" Joonmyeon wonders.
"I don't know," Kris replies. "We've just been playing it by ear all this time."
"You should send me a picture of your glorious arrival," Joonmyeon jokes, but Kris doesn't have California on his mind.
Fuck it, he finally thinks.
"Do you want to come with us?" he blurts out.
"What?"
"I want you to-I mean, do you want to come with us?" he asks again, slower this time, but he's pretty sure Joonmyeon heard him.
"I have stuff to do," Joonmyeon says, looking up at the sky, but Kris gets the distinct feeling that Joonmyeon is torn.
"Only as far as Virginia Beach, then. And I'll pay for your train ticket back. Please, Joonmyeon?"
Joonmyeon has a sparkle in his eye.
"Fuck it, I could use an adventure. To Virginia Beach, then," Joonmyeon laughs.
Joonmyeon's laugh is perfect too.
"Awesome," Kris says, and he hopes he doesn't sound as excited as he is.
When he calls Tao to tell him that Joonmyeon's coming along, Tao sounds unsurprised and informs Kris that he's found the most fantastic pair of jeans at Zara and that Lu Han has already tried on seventeen shirts.
"Well, tell Lu Han and Yixing that Joonmyeon is coming with us," he tells Tao.
"They know, and they're happy that you've fallen in love at first sight," Tao replies.
"It's not-" Kris begins, but he stops because yeah, it kind of is.
"Meet us at the car," Tao says lazily before hanging up.
"How do they feel about me coming?" Joonmyeon asks.
"They're excited to meet you. Just so you know, if Lu Han flirts with you please just ignore him. Oh, and Yixing is a little spacey sometimes so you can ignore him too. Tao can get really sarcastic so-"
"Ignore him as well?" Joonmyeon grins amusedly. "Only pay attention to you, is that what you're saying?"
And that is exactly what Kris is saying.
Virginia Beach, VA
After a long day at the beach, Lu Han is sporting a lobster-red sunburn while Tao has only gotten tanner. The three of them walk along the boardwalk as the sun sets.
“Just imagine,” Yixing says dreamily, “when we’re in California, we’ll get to see the sunset over the water. Won’t that be beautiful?”
“Yeah,” Lu Han sighs, “although Kris is going to be mopey.” The three of them look back at Kris and Joonmyeon, who are walking together several yards away. Joonmyeon’s talking about something and Kris is looking at him as if he can’t believe how lucky he is to have found someone like Joonmyeon.
“Or not,” Yixing says, and Lu Han nods in agreement.
“He’s definitely in love though,” Lu Han says.
Tao scoffs, rolling his eyes dramatically. “How can he be?” he demands. “He met the guy two days ago.”
Yixing laughs and pats Tao’s shoulder. “There’s this thing called love at first sight,” Yixing explains. “And I think it happened to Kris.”
“But wait, Kris is straight, right?” Lu Han butts in, and Tao sighs as if Lu Han is the world’s biggest idiot.
“You were supposedly straight until junior year of high school, remember?” Yixing reminds Lu Han gently. “And then that guy confessed to you and you decided to go out with him just for kicks.”
“How did you remember that?” Tao demands. “You can’t even remember what you had for breakfast but you can remember Lu Han’s escapades from high school?”
“It wasn’t him that made me bi,” Lu Han shrugs, ignoring Tao. “I’d always liked guys in the back of my mind.” Lu Han looks back at Kris and Joonmyeon. “Joonmyeon would be my type if his hair was brown instead of that reddish shade. Small brunettes are -”
“We know,” Tao interrupts loudly, sounding annoyed that he’d been completely ignored. “You do realize that your ‘type’ includes Jessica from your anthropology class last semester, whom you hated. And that it also includes Chen, Xiumin and Yixing?” Lu Han nods.
“I know, it’s -” he begins, but Yixing elbows him hard. Lu Han and Tao look at him to see where his gaze is directed, and it appears that Joonmyeon and Kris have stopped walking, and have instead taken to looking at each other.
“Do you think...” Yixing starts.
“Yeah,” Lu Han grins. “Kris is so getting some tonight.”
“Gross,” Tao sneers. “That is not what Yixing meant.”
“Guys,” Yixing interrupts. “Look.” They all turn back to their other friend only to see him kissing Joonmyeon insistently. Joonmyeon’s hands are fisting Kris’ shirt and although he has stand up on his tiptoes to reach Kris’ lips, he seems just as interested as Kris does.
Tao turns away looking tired. “Okay, I guess maybe Kris is getting some tonight.”
Kris takes a sip of wine and looks up at Joonmyeon. The dim lighting in the restaurant does nothing but accentuate Joonmyeon’s perfect face. I can do this, he thinks. How hard can having sex with a guy be? It’s basically the same as with a girl, just...not.
“Kris, you realize that’s your second glass of wine, right?” Joonmyeon asks, looking amused.
“I hold my alcohol well,” Kris remarks, thinking back to several days before when he’d gotten extremely drunk and woken up in Sehun’s apartment. “Kind of.”
Joonmyeon laughs and takes a sip from his own glass. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were nervous about something.”
Kris coughs. “No,” he says quickly, “I’m not.” Joonmyeon laughs again, and Kris really really loves his laugh. Kris smiles at him. Joonmyeon leans over the table to grab another roll and Kris gets a peek at the milky skin underneath Joonmyeon’s shirt. It sends his mind reeling once again.
He flags down the waiter and asks for yet another glass of wine. I can do this, he tells himself.
The problem isn’t at all that he doesn’t want to. He does, with all his heart. He isn’t sure he’d ever wanted his ex-girlfriend this much. Joonmyeon is everything she lacked and more. He wants to make Joonmyeon happy, to make Joonmyeon feel good.
But there is the sad fact that Joonmyeon is most likely far more experienced in the realm of homosexuality, and Kris doesn’t want to disappoint Joonmyeon. That is his biggest concern; he doesn’t want to disappoint or hurt Joonmyeon.
Joonmyeon seems to be able to tell, too. “What are you nervous about?” he asks, putting a hand on top of Kris’. “You can tell me, you know. I’m not about to run away. Unless you tell me you’re a murderer, in which case I will probably run, and I hope you don’t hold that against me.”
Kris laughs and his nervousness lessens slightly. “I...I’ve never done this before, but...I mean, it’s our last night together for who knows how long and I really like you. Just...yeah, you wanna...” he trails off, looking up at Joonmyeon with pleading eyes, hoping that he gets the message.
Joonmyeon is blushing wildly, and Kris takes another sip of wine.
“Yes,” Joonmyeon says quickly. “Yes, I want to.” Kris gulps down a particularly large mouthful of wine and realizes that his third glass is empty. “Are you sure?” Joonmyeon asks. “You drank a lot; I don’t want this to be because you’re drunk.”
“I want to,” Kris says calmly. “I’m really not drunk, I promise.” Three glasses is just enough to get him relaxed and perhaps a little buzzed. He turns his hand over and takes Joonmyeon’s fingers in his own.
“You don’t know how lucky I feel right now,” Joonmyeon admits.
Kris chuckles. “I think I have some idea.”
That evening, they step into their hotel room after bidding the other three a good night, and Kris takes Joonmyeon’s hand as they venture into the bedroom. They each sit on their respective sides, their fingers still intertwined.
“I can’t believe I found you,” Kris says quietly. Joonmyeon squeezes his hand and scoots towards Kris.
“We should thank our cardigans,” he says, pressing plush lips to Kris’ neck. Kris melts into the feeling of Joonmyeon’s breath hot against his collarbone, and he unconsciously places a possessive hand on Joonmyeon’s waist.
“Kris, you seem nervous again,” Joonmyeon murmurs against Kris’ neck.
“Well,” Kris admits, pulling away from Joonmyeon to look at him properly, “I’ve never done this with a guy before, and I don’t know, like...how it feels or what to do and admittedly I’m a little nervous since you obviously know what you’re doing.”
Joonmyeon looks at Kris for a moment and laughs cutely. “Are you saying that you’re scared to take it? Kris, look at us. Obviously I’m going to be the one taking it.”
Kris looks at Joonmyeon in surprise, since he hadn’t really expected that. Joonmyeon’s look softens and he kisses Kris quickly.
“It means a lot that you were willing to, though,” Joonmyeon says quietly. “I’ll make sure everything is done right, okay? You don’t have to worry.” Kris relaxes as Joonmyeon kisses the tension away. Kris slips his hands under Joonmyeon’s shirt and he’s not slow in removing it.
“I wasn’t expecting these,” Kris says, trailing a finger along the lines of a faintly-defined six-pack. Joonmyeon laughs and his muscles tighten. Kris splays his hand out on Joonmyeon’s stomach, noticing how small Joonmyeon’s pale body is against his long fingers.
“Let’s see how many times I surprise you tonight,” Joonmyeon says, and then he blushes as he realizes just how cheesy that sounds.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Kris chuckles, and he helps Joonmyeon do away with his shirt, too. Joonmyeon pauses to admire Kris’ body, and Kris feels a pang of pride and confidence rush through his system. He pulls Joonmyeon towards him, so that Joonmyeon’s back is to Kris’ chest. He kisses Joonmyeon’s neck while he teases Joonmyeon’s nipples between his thumb and forefinger, relishing in the small stifled whines escaping Joonmyeon’s throat.
“Kris,” Joonmyeon breathes heavily.
“Hm?” Kris asks, one hand trailing down to dip into Joonmyeon’s pants. And then he falters, for a moment. He’s never touched a cock other than his own, and he doesn’t know how to make it good for Joonmyeon.
“Kris,” Joonmyeon says, his voice steadying a bit. “I don’t care how you touch my dick; it’ll feel good no matter what, okay? So stop worrying.”
Kris kisses Joonmyeon’s neck again, his confidence renewed, and he pushes his fingers past the waistband of Joonmyeon’s pants. Joonmyeon lets out a sigh of relief and it’s only then that Kris notices that Joonmyeon is nervous too.
“I want this, you know,” Kris murmurs in Joonmyeon’s ear, and Joonmyeon bristles. “I want this as much as you do. You don’t need to worry either.” He wraps his fingers around Joonmyeon’s cock and pulls, hoping that Joonmyeon will react favorably.
Favorable is an understatement. Joonmyeon takes a sharp intake of breath and lets it out in a high whine. Kris continues flicking his wrist just right until Joonmyeon is squirming.
“Just - can we...” Joonmyeon trails off. He removes Kris’ hand carefully and shimmies out of his pants before reaching for the button on Kris’.
“Wait,” Kris says, and anxiety flashes in Joonmyeon’s eyes. “We - we need lube, right?” Joonmyeon closes his eyes and smiles.
“Yeah,” he says. “There’s Vaseline in my bag in the bathroom.” Kris gets up to get it and when he comes back, he has a perfect view of Joonmyeon’s body stretched across the spacious hotel bed.
He slips back on top of the bed and uncaps the container of Vaseline, starting to coat his fingers liberally. He hopes Joonmyeon doesn’t notice how nervous he is, but it’s not likely because Joonmyeon had noticed every time so far.
“I can do it, Kris,” Joonmyeon says. Before Kris can protest, Joonmyeon gently takes the container out of Kris’ hands and coats his fingers. Kris watches as Joonmyeon’s fingers disappear between his spread legs and he takes a deep breath. Joonmyeon’s breath hitches a little as he presses his own fingers into his body, but Kris isn’t watching Joonmyeon work himself open. He’s watching the expression on Joonmyeon’s face, blissful and full of anticipation. Kris finds himself wanting to cause the expression, to do more than just watch.
So he covers two fingers with Vaseline and reaches around Joonmyeon, pressing a digit alongside Joonmyeon’s own. Joonmyeon’s eyes bolt open.
“C-can I?” Kris asks, and Joonmyeon nods slowly. Kris pushes past the ring of muscle and it’s impossibly hot inside Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon leans against Kris’ shoulder as Kris inserts another finger, regulating his breathing as best as he can. Kris pumps his fingers in time with Joonmyeon’s, scissoring ever so slightly so as not to hurt Joonmyeon when the time comes.
Finally they pull their fingers out, and Kris kisses Joonmyeon languidly before Joonmyeon pushes Kris back onto the bed.
Kris lays there in surprise, and before he knows it, Joonmyeon is straddling him, putting a condom on Kris’ cock and lubing it up.
“Ready?” Joonmyeon asks.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Kris wonders, and Joonmyeon blushes. He takes hold of Kris’ cock and slowly lowers himself onto it. Even after four fingers, Joonmyeon’s body is tight and hot around Kris. It’s nothing like Kris has ever felt before.
He puts his hands on Joonmyeon’s hips and looks up at Joonmyeon, whose pink face is now covered in a thin sheen of sweat. “Okay?” he asks, and Joonmyeon smiles down at him.
“Great,” he replies breathily, grinding against Kris.
When he comes, it’s the most fantastic experience he’s ever had. His vision and mind both go blank for a moment before everything refocuses, and then Joonmyeon comes and Kris falls in love all over again the way Joonmyeon lets everything out with a moan.
Joonmyeon pulls himself off of Kris and collapses against his body, and Kris finds that he doesn’t ever want to let Joonmyeon go.
“So?” Joonmyeon asks sleepily. “How was it?”
“The best,” Kris replies, pulling Joonmyeon close and kissing him quickly. “The absolute best.”
Charlotte, NC
Kris finally wakes up as they drive into Charlotte, and Lu Han is the first to pounce.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” he says in the most obnoxious voice possible. “You were pretty much dead to the world after we dropped Joonmyeon off at the train station. So...tell us everything! Are you converted?”
Kris merely rubs his eyes. “What?” he asks. “Converted?”
“I think he’s asking if you are now into men,” Tao says from the driver’s seat, and Yixing turns around to see how Kris responds.
Kris shrugs. “I’m into Joonmyeon,” he replies. Lu Han grins like an idiot.
“How is he in bed?” Lu Han wonders. “How was your first time with a guy, huh?”
“Lu Han, don’t pester him,” Yixing says, but he too looks curious. Kris smiles as he reminisces about the previous night. Joonmyeon had been perfect, and when he woke up with Joonmyeon in his arms, he felt like he owned the world.
Tao chuckles. “You’re smiling your creepy smile again.” Kris meets Tao’s eyes in the rearview mirror and for the first time in a while, Kris feels like Tao might be a little proud of him.
“I’m happy,” Kris replies simply. “I’m really happy.”
“There you go,” Yixing says, staring pointedly at Lu Han as if to tell him not to ask any more questions. Yixing turns back towards the front of the car, clearing his throat awkwardly, but only Tao notices, since Lu Han is too busy pestering Kris for more details.
“What’s wrong?” Tao asks, driving down the streets carefully.
“Kris found his passion,” Yixing responds, sounding a little wistful.
Tao slows down at a stoplight but it turns green right away and he continues to drive. “You’ll find yours, Xing, don’t worry.” He turns back to the road and Yixing is momentarily forgotten.
Yixing's not sure he'll find his passion. How can he when he's been pressured into becoming an engineering major? He can't just drop hundreds of thousands of dollars and four years of torturous studying just because he doesn't like engineering.
And yet, he can't help but think about just how much he dreads the end of the summer. Because that means finding a job, an engineering job, which he's guaranteed to hate solely because it's engineering. And he'll have to work the same type of job until he retires. After this summer, his life is going to be one huge disappointment.
More than anything, Yixing wants to dance. He's always loved dance, and he'd been a member of Columbia's dance team. While he danced, that was when he felt truly happy.
But of course, he can't dance, because he has a bachelor's degree in engineering so he needs to do engineering.
He's pulled from his thoughts when Tao pulls the key out of the ignition. “We’re here, guys. Go frolic to your hearts’ content.”
“NASCAR Hall of Fame!” Lu Han cries, jumping out of the car and pulling out a map. “Come on, guys, you want to see cars and races, right? Xing, you wanna come, right?”
Yixing laughs and Tao sighs as if he’s dealing with a bunch of children. “Yes,” Yixing replies. “Come on, Taozi. Come on, Kris, let’s go see some cars.”
Lu Han lets out a whoop and as they head toward their destination, Yixing can’t help but wonder which city will bring him his passion. For all he knows, perhaps NASCAR is his calling.
Atlanta, GA
Tao insists on playing tourist all day in Atlanta, so they humor him. For the first day, the tour the World of Coca-Cola and the CNN Center, and then spend the rest of the day exploring the High Museum of Art.
“Lame,” Lu Han mutters under his breath as he glares are a marble statue. “Who is impressed by this when we have the Met?”
Yixing kind of has to agree. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is far more impressive than any other they can possibly visit in the United States.
Yixing and Kris want to stay in and relax in the hotel spa tha night, but Lu Han insists on going out.
“We’re going to Six Flags tomorrow,” Tao whines. “We need to relax and rest with a nice massage and a soak in the jacuzzi.”
Lu Han, however, shakes his head. “Just a drink,” he pleads. “We won’t stay out too long.”
“How about we just hit the hotel bar?” Yixing suggests.
Again, Lu Han shakes his head. “We’re barely two streets away from the nightclubs,” he says. “Let’s just go.”
And because it’s Lu Han, and Lu Han can get away with almost anything with his pout, they all give in with a lot of grumbling.
“I kind of think Lu Han might be the devil,” Tao mutters under his breath. Yixing kind of has to agree.
“Wait, so are you even going try and pick someone up at the club tonight or are you and Joonmyeon exclusive now?” Lu Han asks, poking Kris in the back.
Yixing watches as a sappy smiles appears over Kris’ face. “We’re exclusive,” he replies, happily. “Georgetown has a great law school too, you know? I think I’d like it in D.C.”
Lu Han makes a fake retching sound. “Ew, commitment,” he grumbles,“gross.”
The Atlanta nightlife suits Yixing’s tastes. The club is full when they make their way in, but the bar is relatively quiet. Yixing heads to the dance floor immediately, but soon finds that he is too tired from the day’s activities to dance much. Instead, they all find spots at the bar and order a round of shots.
“Is it weird that I haven’t felt homesick yet, not even once?” Tao muses out loud.
Yixing shakes his head. “I haven’t really missed New York that much either,” he replies.
The guy sitting near them at the bar turns around upon hearing that. “Did you guys say New York?” he asks, curiously. “Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing.”
Lu Han takes one look at the guy, categorizes him as a small, gorgeous brunette, and starts fluttering his eyelids. “We’re from New York City,” he says, leaning forwards to offer the guy a clear view down the front of his tank top. “Hi, my name is Lu Han, and these are my friends, Yixing, Tao, and Kris. We’re road-tripping across the country.”
“Baekhyun,” the guy replies. His eyes had also fastened onto Lu Han immediately. “I’m originally from Hoboken, but I’m here in Atlanta visiting family.”
“What a coincidence!” Lu Han gushes, shooting Baekhyun a dazzling smile.
“Are you guys all classmates?” Baekhyun asks. “Lu Han must be the youngest, right?”
Everybody but Tao laughs. “I’m the youngest,” he growls, annoyed.
“Ah, but Lu Han is just so cute.” At that, Lu Han practically glows, and Yixing knows that he is taking Baekhyun back to the hotel that night.
Tao, however, is still unamused. “Bbuing bbuing, motherfucker,” he says tonelessly. “I’m cute, too.”
Baekhyun is no longer paying attention, because Lu Han has his hand on his arm and is pulling him to the dance floor.
“You guys can head back to the hotel without me after you finish your drinks,” Lu Han calls over his shoulders.
Kris just sighs as the pair disappears into the crowd.
“Ready to go back?” Tao asks. “It’s still not too late for us to hit the spa.”
Kris nods, and pays for the drinks. Yixing gulps down the rest of his gin and tonic and gets up the follow the other two toward the exit. He, for one, is ready for some quality jacuzzi time.
Lu Han takes one look at the Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia the next days and nopes really hard.
“That thing will fucking kill me,” he says, backing away slowly. “There is no way I’m going on that.”
Tao just looks at Yixing. “He’s your best friend,” he says, sounding pained. “Fix him.”
Yixing sighs, and holds his hands out for Tao’s bag. “You and Kris go,” he says begrudgingly. “I’ll wait with the brat.”
Lu Han at least has the decency to buy Yixing an overpriced frozen strawberry lemonade as they wait. “Thanks, Xing,” Lu Han sings, blinking with fake innocence.
Yixing just shakes his head and sighs again.
PART TWO >>
Author: adw1017 and eexiee
Pairing: Krisho, KaiLay, Layhan, Lu Han/others[endgame pairings]
Layhan; Krisho
Length: 21k
Rating: R
Summary: In which Kris just got dumped, Lu Han wants to party his way across the country, Yixing needs to understand the world, and Tao thinks his friends are all crazy. Oh, and they go on a summer road trip in a brand new Porsche Cayenne.
[A/N]: Originally written in 2013, nevet got crossposted completely so here ya go. eexiee and I took turns writing each location. If you're really curious as to who wrote what parts, I included that at the very end. Originally posted on AFF as a chaptered fic.
Prologue
The first time that they tell their roadtrip plans to an outsider, Chen almost pees his pants from laughing.
“That’s a terrible idea,” he wheezes, barely able to get his words out. “You four? In a car together, traveling for two months? You’d kill each other!”
“But we get along well,” Yixing protests mildly. “We’re best friends!”
The six guys are relaxed in Lu Han’s living room in a Park Avenue penthouse. The carpets are imported from Morocco, and the wallpaper is lined with specks of gold.
“You guys won’t even be able to decide what music to play in the car,” Xiumin scoffs. “Kris will want to listen to rap, Lu Han will want top 40 pop music, Yixing will want indie music, and Tao - Taozi will want silence.”
Lu Han sighs, but shrugs. “Headphones?”
Chen ponders the idea for a moment, then turns to Kris. “Hey, I know you were a little upset before, but I don’t think -”
“It’s a great idea,” Kris interrupts. “I could do with some fresh air, a change of scenery after…after…”
“The lying two-faced bitch?” Chen supplies.
There is a sharp intake of breath and a smack on the arm from Lu Han, but Kris nods. Yes, he thinks, that did describe his ex-girlfriend rather well. They had been together for almost eight months before she had cheated on him and then stomped all over his heart.
“It’s the perfect opportunity for Kris to get over her,” Lu Han adds excitedly. “He can have a girl in every city and - ”
“Not everyone wants to screw everything he sees, man,” Kris replies, tossing a cushion at Lu Han’s face.
Yixing rolls his eyes. “Some of us just wants to see more of the world, you know?”
“That’s cute, Xing,” Lu Han says, condescendingly. “Adorable, really. I’m going to party my way to California and it’s going to be a blast.”
Xiumin frowns, and picks up his soda from the table, “What are you guys going to drive?”
“My car,” Kris replies immediately.
Again, Chen starts to laugh. “Four rich city boys in a new Porsche Cayenne driving across the country? Sounds like a horror movie, one where you guys get killed by a bloodthirsty cannibal in the middle of Wisconsin.”
Lu Han shakes his head. “We have Tao,” he says, shrugging. “Any serial killer can bring it on. In fact, I fear for his life.”
Tao, the only member silent up until now, coughs loudly. “Is that all I’m good for?” he demands, annoyed. “To protect you three pretty boys from murderers?”
Casually, Lu Han throws an arm around Tao’s neck and starts choking him. “Of course not, Taotao,” he chuckles as the bigger male easily throws him off in mock disgust.
Chen and Xiumin exchange nervous looks, but the plan is set. Right after graduation from their respective universities, Kris, Lu Han, Yixing, and Tao, the four best friends, are embarking on a roadtrip across the country.
New York, New York
Lu Han’s short temper lasts all of five minutes after the start of the road trip. There is traffic going out of the City, and they are at a standstill in the Lincoln Tunnel.
“If you don’t shut up, I’m going to stuff you in the trunk,” Kris mutters gruffly as Lu Han makes another anguished sound.
Tao just looks nervously back and forth between the two older boys from the passenger seat.
Heaving a sigh, Yixing pats Kris on the shoulder. “Focus on the road,” he says, soothingly, “and you, Lu Han, shut the hell up.”
His best friend huffs, but does stop complaining.
“Here,” Yixing says, pulling his iPad out of his bag. He hands it to Lu Han, and slumps back into his seat. They had gotten a late start out of the city, and had a lengthy drive to their first stop. He puts his forehead up against the cool glass window, and gazes out into the tunnel, seemingly endless.
“Will we get to Princeton in time for dinner?” Tao asks, eyeing the GPS on the dashboard dubiously.
“Yeah, for sure,” Kris replies. “We’re meeting Sehun for dinner, right?”
“Uh...I don’t think it’s dinner,” Lu Han sniggers, eyes not leaving the iPad. “I’m pretty sure it’s only going to be the biggest party of the summer.”
“What are you doing?” Yixing asks, peeking over. He rolls his eyes upon seeing the screen, and give Lu Han a rough shove. “Candy Crush Saga? Really?”’
Lu Han shakes him off, and continues on about things he has heard about the summer kickoff bash they were attending that night.
Yixing tunes out the talk about the party, and focuses on the lights in the tunnel and the soft R&B over the car radio. Ten minutes later, the emerge from the tunnel, and start moving away from the City. Yixing turns his head back and watches the cityscape get further and further away.
“It’s going to be a great summer,” Lu Han mutters, and Yixing jumps in surprise. The other boy has put aside the iPad, and is instead watching Yixing.
Feeling surprisingly more reassured, Yixing nods. He is ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
Princeton, NJ
They get to Princeton, New Jersey a little after eight. A slight breeze has cooled down the summer heat, and the boys roll into town with all the windows down. Sehun is waiting with pizza and a big smile.
“The party won’t start for a few hours and I figured you’d be hungry,” he says, waving them into the temporary apartment that he is occupying for summer classes.
“Thanks, brat,” Kris replies, affectionately.
Sehun is a year younger than the others, but they had all gone to high school together in the City. He looks a lot different than when Lu Han had last seen him over spring break. His light brown hair is now a plethora of colors-blue, blond, red, green, brown, purposely styled to look unstyled.
“I think I kind of like this,” Lu Han says, reaching over to run a hand through Sehun’s new hair. The younger boy ducks under his arm, rolling his eyes.
“I can’t believe you guys are driving all the way to California.” Sehun’s tone is wistful as he gazes at them. “I wish I could go with you guys instead of - uh - classes.”
“You can go on your own soul searching trip after you graduation,” Kris laughs.
Lu Han, for one, does not plan on doing any ‘soul searching.’ As he as far is concerned, this summer is all about the traveling, the good food, the parties, and the hook-ups. His soul, as far as he is concerned, has already been found.
The Ivy League schools live by the motto “study hard, party hard.” Or rather, when bored boys with too much money, looking to kick summer off with a bang, get together to plan a party, they go all out. The house is covered with glitter and booze by the time they arrive, and people mingle in the yard, on the porch, in the backyard by the pool, and in the house.
Lu Han ducks past a frat boy doing a kegstand on the front steps and grabs onto Tao’s arm. “Are you going to be the sober one tonight?” he asks. “One of us needs to be coherent enough to take the rest of us back to Sehun’s in one piece.”
Tao lets out an exaggerated sigh and nods his head; he’s never been much of a drinker anyway.
It takes Lu Han less than an hour to zero in on a slim, brunette girl with big eyes and an even bigger rack. Tao rolls his eyes when he sees them disappear upstairs together and gives his head a shake. At least he can count on Lu Han with his consistency when it came to parties. Whether his companion for the night is male or female, Lu Han always has a thing for small brunettes.
“Why does he feel the need to hook up so much?” Tao asks mildly, turning to the person nearest to him.
Yixing shrugs. “Lonely? I don’t really know.”
“I think he has low self esteem and, I don’t know, he’s kind of dumb,” Sehun adds.
Tao eyes him with an approving nod. “All of my friends are dumb,” he finishes.
Lu Han returns less than an hour later with the buttons on his shirt done up incorrectly. Tao sighs, and quickly helps his friend get the right buttons in the right holes. They go on search of Kris and find him completely wasted and glued to Sehun, telling him all about his ex-girlfriend. Sehun is too drunk to understand anything and just nods and blinks. Yixing is snoozing next to them despite the loud party music, face planted on the armrest of the couch; someone has written ‘COLUMBIA SUX FYEAH PRINCETON’ on his arm in an orange sharpie.
Tao takes this to mean that the night is over.
Philadelphia, PA
Yixing opens his eyes to a pounding headache. He is curled up at the foot of one of Sehun’s couches, although he suspects that he had started the night on top of it. He stretches, and accidentally kicks Lu Han in the elbow. Tao peeks into the room upon hearing Lu Han’s groan, and gives them judging looks.
“Breakfast in ten,” he says.
“What time is it?” Yixing croaks, rolling over onto his stomach.
“It’s almost noon,” Sehun replies, coming out of his room with a hand pressed up to his head. There is another low groan, and Yixing raises his head just high enough to see Kris on another couch on the other side of the room, looking just as dead.
“Aspirin’s on the coffee table,” Tao calls.
Sehun and Kris trudge over and take painkillers for the headache. They toss the pills and the water bottle to Yixing and head off toward the kitchen.
It takes another two minutes for Yixing to open his eyes again. He uncaps the water bottles and tosses back two painkillers before handing them to Lu Han. The blond has bloodshot eyes and messy hair, eyeliner smudged all over his face.
“You look like shit,” he says, conversationally.
“Thanks, Xing,” Lu Han gumbles, eyeing Yixing over. “You don’t look so hot yourself right now. And I also think you sold out your own school, because that looks like your handwriting there.”
Yixing looks down at his arm and sees the words “COLUMBIA SUX FYEAH PRINCETON” written on his arm. Although the words are smudged, it is still definitely recognizable as his handwriting.
“I don’t want to move,” Yixing says, closing his eyes again. His whole body kind of hurts, and he doesn’t think he can hold down any food. “Actually, I don’t think I can move,” he adds.
“It was fun though,” Lu Hans says. There is a beat of silence, and then they are both laughing.
“Stop,” Yixing chokes out, “my head hurts. Stop laughing.”
“Why don’t you stop?” Lu Han shoots back. He curls into the fetal position and clutches his stomach. Yixing isn’t even sure what is so funny anymore, but laughs anyway.
“The dumbdumbs are at it again,” they hear Kris proclaim.
“You’re a dumbdumb,” Tao replies.
By the time they stop laughing, Yixing has managed to pull himself up to a sitting position next to Lu Han.
“What did I do last night?” Lu Han asks, wincing as he also struggles up.
Yixing gives him a long look. “Don’t you mean ‘who did I do last night’ instead?” he asks with a wicked grin.
Lu Han reaches over to smack him, but Yixing is doubled over in laughter again.
It takes another two hours for them to get on the road again. This time, Tao is driving, because everyone else is too hungover. It rains for the entire three hour drive to Baltimore, and they stop only in Philadelphia.
“This city sucks,” Kris declares.
Yixing rolls his eyes, because he knows that Kris is a diehard fan of the New York Giants and the sole reason he hates Philadelphia is because of the Eagles. His guess is proven correct when, several minutes later, Kris declares that this city is tolerable after all through a mouthful of Philly cheese steak.
“Traitor,” Tao hisses.
Kris’ only response is to shove more cheese steak at his face.
Baltimore, MD
“Look, Xing, it’s you,” Lu Han cackles, pointing to a very sleepy looking octopus. Yixing watches it laze around its tank before turning to Lu Han with an expression not unlike the octopus’.
“It’s not me,” he says, but Lu Han just laughs louder. Tao rolls his eyes as he heads towards the shark tanks. Kris trails behind him, and Tao doesn’t want to turn around because he doesn’t want to see Kris’ pout and hear for the fifth time that day how much his ex-girlfriend loves seahorses.
“I don’t want to hear it, Kris,” Tao says before Kris can even say anything.
“Tao...” Kris sounds so pitiful that Tao finally turns around in front of the Atlantic Coral Reef.
“Kris, she cheated on you,” Tao reminds him. “She’s a horrible person and you deserve someone better than her. Also she thought it was okay to wear knee socks with Daisy Dukes, which it’s not.”
Kris sighs dramatically. “I know, Taozi, but I really did love her, and I think she loved me too.”
“Obviously not,” Tao says rudely, and a fish swims by behind him. “She didn’t care about you at all. Kris, I swear, you’ll meet someone new, someone better. Please get over her.”
Kris watches the fish behind Tao swim by. He knows Tao is right, but somehow, his ex-girlfriend is too hard to forget. He knows she’s probably with that other guy right now, maybe even cheating on him too, but he can’t get her out of his head.
“Kris, you’re moping again,” Lu Han says, coming up behind him. “Come on, just find someone to hook up with in the next city and it’ll be like the crazy bitch never even happened.”
Yixing makes a tutting sound, and Kris turns to see that he’s now wearing an octopus hat. It shouldn’t be quite as funny as Kris finds it, but for some reason he’s laughing uncontrollably. Tao starts to chuckle too, and then Lu Han is laughing as well.
“What?” Yixing asks, looking lost. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” Lu Han replies, patting his friend on the back. “Absolutely nothing.”
Washington, DC
They really should have reconsidered trying to park anywhere in Georgetown, because it’s taken all of fifty minutes to finally find a parking spot on O Street.
“Finally,” Tao huffs, slamming the car door as he gets out of the front seat. “I’m dying of thirst. First stop is a grocery store.”
“But the cupcakes-”
“Lu Han, you saw the line,” Tao snaps, “it’s going to be at least a few hours until you get into the shop. I think a few extra minutes in the grocery store won’t hurt.”
“It could make a difference!” Lu Han protests, and finally Yixing steps in.
“Okay, Taotao, you go with Kris to the grocery store and I’ll wait in line with Lu Han. Deal?” Yixing proposes diplomatically.
“Deal,” Kris says, walking down the street with Tao on his heels. They drop Lu Han and Yixing off at the cupcake store (the line is almost two blocks long) and they continue down the street to Dean & DeLuca. “So, what are you going to drink?”
“Orangina. Sprite. Water. Lemonade. Beer, I don’t know,” Tao says. “Just something.” They step into the building, which looks more like a market than a grocery store, and it’s full of hipster college students and over-moneyed adults. It reminds Kris of home. Tao goes straight for the refrigerated section while Kris browses the impressive fruit selection.
Kris recognizes the Comme Des Garcons cardigan first, and then he proceeds to admire how tight the boy’s jeans are. Or, he does that until he realizes that he’s acting suspiciously like Lu Han, and then he goes for the boy’s face. He’s really something. Kris is sure that not even Lu Han is that pretty.
The boy notices Kris staring and he smiles back, shifting the bundle of organic parsley in his arms before approaching Kris. Kris’s heart nearly stops.
“I like your cardigan,” the boy says. “Comme Des Garcons Play, right?”
“Yeah, like yours,” Kris replies. “You like the brand?”
“It’s my favorite,” the boy smiles. “I’m Joonmyeon.” He holds out his hand and Kris shakes it with slightly too much enthusiasm.
“Kris,” Kris introduces himself.
“Oh, do you go to Georgetown too?” Joonmyeon asks.
“No,” Kris replies, “I just graduated from Yale. You go to Georgetown?”
“I’m starting grad school here in the fall,” Joonmyeon smiles. “I’m volunteering in the city right now.” Kris is about to open his mouth when Tao comes bounding up, stopping next to Kris with a giant bottle of Orangina in his hands.
“Oh, who’s your friend?” Tao asks, and Joonmyeon hardly even glances at Tao, which is somewhat of a rare occurrence. Kris has always been popular with girls, but Tao had been the one in their group of straight friends who got the interest from boys.
And then Kris remembers that he, too, is supposed to be in that group of straight friends. And that he’s just gotten out of a bad relationship. To take a random interest in a guy...it’s definitely not something Kris is quite ready for, in any case.
But then he turns back to Joonmyeon, who’s still looking up at him expectantly.
“Oh, Tao, this is Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon, this is my friend Tao. He and I and two other guys are taking a road trip across the country this summer,” Kris finally says, and Joonmyeon’s eyes widen.
“Wow,” Joonmyeon breathes. “So-so where’d you start?”
“New York,” Tao says, and Kris flinches momentarily before realizing that he really shouldn’t care which one of them replies to Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon smiles quickly before turning back to Kris.
“Are you staying here long?” Joonmyeon asks. Kris feels a pang of triumph as he realizes that Joonmyeon asked him specifically, and he’s got as long as you want on his tongue before he decides on something less clichéd.
“We’re here for like...a day. An afternoon? I don’t know,” Kris replies. “We’re just kind of going at our own pace.”
He sees Tao give him a sidelong glance before Tao bites his lip as he smirks, which he always does when he thinks he’s being sly.
“But we don’t really know our way around,” Tao adds, looking at Joonmyeon. “Do you know what we should see while we’re here?”
“Oh, oh, I could show you around if you want,” Joonmyeon replies, looking up at Kris.
“Yeah!” Kris says a little too quickly. “I mean, yeah, that would be great.”
He’s got a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, as if he’s realized that his mouth has just disobeyed his brain. His brain is telling him that this is a very bad idea, that he likes girls for God’s sakes and he’s going through the obligatory phase of solitude after a bad breakup.
And even as he’s thinking that, he can’t stop listening with rapt attention as Joonmyeon talks about D.C.
Tao grins as he turns away from Kris and Joonmyeon. “I’ll just go pay for my Orangina,” he says, but the other two are definitely not listening to him anymore.
Joonmyeon is telling Kris all about the Smithsonian and Congress, and Kris wants to listen more closely but it's hard when Joonmyeon's face is shining so bright. Kris mentally kicks himself because he really shouldn't be thinking of Joonmyeon under any sort of romantic light.
But he really can't help himself. Joonmyeon is small but not to the point of fragility. He's pretty but not to the point of feminine. He's a man-
And that's Kris's problem. Joonmyeon is a man. He's male, and Kris is also male, and Kris is not like Lu Han or Yixing which means that he is not interested in males.
And besides, he thinks, I'm getting over a breakup. I can't be thinking about anyone romantically right now, gender aside.
That thought doesn't stop him from wanting to learn more about Joonmyeon.
Joonmyeon buys his groceries which include organic parsley, organic carrots and a small bottle of spring water, and then they're standing on M Street deciding what to do.
"Should we get Yixing and Lu Han or should we just let them be?" Kris asks. Tao frowns, looking in the direction of Georgetown Cupcake. He bites his lip again before turning back to Kris and Joonmyeon.
"I'll go check on them. Once we get the cupcakes, we'll meet up with you two later. How does that sound?" Tao asks, and Kris knows he really shouldn't feel so giddy with excitement at the thought of being left alone with Joonmyeon.
"Is that okay?" he asks instead, looking down at Joonmyeon.
Joonmyeon nods vigorously. "Yeah, that's fine!" He exclaims, and Kris grins brightly.
"Okay, Taozi," Kris says, "call me when you guys have the cupcakes." Tao salutes him and walks off, leaving Kris and Joonmyeon blissfully alone.
"Well? What do you say we go to the White House first?" Joonmyeon asks.
"Sure," Kris says, and he's never been so tempted to hold a boy's hand.
One presidential mansion and three Smithsonian visits later, the sun is already going down and Tao still hasn't called.
Kris doesn't mind. He's holding Joonmyeon's groceries and walking close to him as they amble past the Smithsonian Castle.
"Hey, what are you going to do when you get to California?" Joonmyeon wonders.
"I don't know," Kris replies. "We've just been playing it by ear all this time."
"You should send me a picture of your glorious arrival," Joonmyeon jokes, but Kris doesn't have California on his mind.
Fuck it, he finally thinks.
"Do you want to come with us?" he blurts out.
"What?"
"I want you to-I mean, do you want to come with us?" he asks again, slower this time, but he's pretty sure Joonmyeon heard him.
"I have stuff to do," Joonmyeon says, looking up at the sky, but Kris gets the distinct feeling that Joonmyeon is torn.
"Only as far as Virginia Beach, then. And I'll pay for your train ticket back. Please, Joonmyeon?"
Joonmyeon has a sparkle in his eye.
"Fuck it, I could use an adventure. To Virginia Beach, then," Joonmyeon laughs.
Joonmyeon's laugh is perfect too.
"Awesome," Kris says, and he hopes he doesn't sound as excited as he is.
When he calls Tao to tell him that Joonmyeon's coming along, Tao sounds unsurprised and informs Kris that he's found the most fantastic pair of jeans at Zara and that Lu Han has already tried on seventeen shirts.
"Well, tell Lu Han and Yixing that Joonmyeon is coming with us," he tells Tao.
"They know, and they're happy that you've fallen in love at first sight," Tao replies.
"It's not-" Kris begins, but he stops because yeah, it kind of is.
"Meet us at the car," Tao says lazily before hanging up.
"How do they feel about me coming?" Joonmyeon asks.
"They're excited to meet you. Just so you know, if Lu Han flirts with you please just ignore him. Oh, and Yixing is a little spacey sometimes so you can ignore him too. Tao can get really sarcastic so-"
"Ignore him as well?" Joonmyeon grins amusedly. "Only pay attention to you, is that what you're saying?"
And that is exactly what Kris is saying.
Virginia Beach, VA
After a long day at the beach, Lu Han is sporting a lobster-red sunburn while Tao has only gotten tanner. The three of them walk along the boardwalk as the sun sets.
“Just imagine,” Yixing says dreamily, “when we’re in California, we’ll get to see the sunset over the water. Won’t that be beautiful?”
“Yeah,” Lu Han sighs, “although Kris is going to be mopey.” The three of them look back at Kris and Joonmyeon, who are walking together several yards away. Joonmyeon’s talking about something and Kris is looking at him as if he can’t believe how lucky he is to have found someone like Joonmyeon.
“Or not,” Yixing says, and Lu Han nods in agreement.
“He’s definitely in love though,” Lu Han says.
Tao scoffs, rolling his eyes dramatically. “How can he be?” he demands. “He met the guy two days ago.”
Yixing laughs and pats Tao’s shoulder. “There’s this thing called love at first sight,” Yixing explains. “And I think it happened to Kris.”
“But wait, Kris is straight, right?” Lu Han butts in, and Tao sighs as if Lu Han is the world’s biggest idiot.
“You were supposedly straight until junior year of high school, remember?” Yixing reminds Lu Han gently. “And then that guy confessed to you and you decided to go out with him just for kicks.”
“How did you remember that?” Tao demands. “You can’t even remember what you had for breakfast but you can remember Lu Han’s escapades from high school?”
“It wasn’t him that made me bi,” Lu Han shrugs, ignoring Tao. “I’d always liked guys in the back of my mind.” Lu Han looks back at Kris and Joonmyeon. “Joonmyeon would be my type if his hair was brown instead of that reddish shade. Small brunettes are -”
“We know,” Tao interrupts loudly, sounding annoyed that he’d been completely ignored. “You do realize that your ‘type’ includes Jessica from your anthropology class last semester, whom you hated. And that it also includes Chen, Xiumin and Yixing?” Lu Han nods.
“I know, it’s -” he begins, but Yixing elbows him hard. Lu Han and Tao look at him to see where his gaze is directed, and it appears that Joonmyeon and Kris have stopped walking, and have instead taken to looking at each other.
“Do you think...” Yixing starts.
“Yeah,” Lu Han grins. “Kris is so getting some tonight.”
“Gross,” Tao sneers. “That is not what Yixing meant.”
“Guys,” Yixing interrupts. “Look.” They all turn back to their other friend only to see him kissing Joonmyeon insistently. Joonmyeon’s hands are fisting Kris’ shirt and although he has stand up on his tiptoes to reach Kris’ lips, he seems just as interested as Kris does.
Tao turns away looking tired. “Okay, I guess maybe Kris is getting some tonight.”
Kris takes a sip of wine and looks up at Joonmyeon. The dim lighting in the restaurant does nothing but accentuate Joonmyeon’s perfect face. I can do this, he thinks. How hard can having sex with a guy be? It’s basically the same as with a girl, just...not.
“Kris, you realize that’s your second glass of wine, right?” Joonmyeon asks, looking amused.
“I hold my alcohol well,” Kris remarks, thinking back to several days before when he’d gotten extremely drunk and woken up in Sehun’s apartment. “Kind of.”
Joonmyeon laughs and takes a sip from his own glass. “If I didn’t know better I’d say you were nervous about something.”
Kris coughs. “No,” he says quickly, “I’m not.” Joonmyeon laughs again, and Kris really really loves his laugh. Kris smiles at him. Joonmyeon leans over the table to grab another roll and Kris gets a peek at the milky skin underneath Joonmyeon’s shirt. It sends his mind reeling once again.
He flags down the waiter and asks for yet another glass of wine. I can do this, he tells himself.
The problem isn’t at all that he doesn’t want to. He does, with all his heart. He isn’t sure he’d ever wanted his ex-girlfriend this much. Joonmyeon is everything she lacked and more. He wants to make Joonmyeon happy, to make Joonmyeon feel good.
But there is the sad fact that Joonmyeon is most likely far more experienced in the realm of homosexuality, and Kris doesn’t want to disappoint Joonmyeon. That is his biggest concern; he doesn’t want to disappoint or hurt Joonmyeon.
Joonmyeon seems to be able to tell, too. “What are you nervous about?” he asks, putting a hand on top of Kris’. “You can tell me, you know. I’m not about to run away. Unless you tell me you’re a murderer, in which case I will probably run, and I hope you don’t hold that against me.”
Kris laughs and his nervousness lessens slightly. “I...I’ve never done this before, but...I mean, it’s our last night together for who knows how long and I really like you. Just...yeah, you wanna...” he trails off, looking up at Joonmyeon with pleading eyes, hoping that he gets the message.
Joonmyeon is blushing wildly, and Kris takes another sip of wine.
“Yes,” Joonmyeon says quickly. “Yes, I want to.” Kris gulps down a particularly large mouthful of wine and realizes that his third glass is empty. “Are you sure?” Joonmyeon asks. “You drank a lot; I don’t want this to be because you’re drunk.”
“I want to,” Kris says calmly. “I’m really not drunk, I promise.” Three glasses is just enough to get him relaxed and perhaps a little buzzed. He turns his hand over and takes Joonmyeon’s fingers in his own.
“You don’t know how lucky I feel right now,” Joonmyeon admits.
Kris chuckles. “I think I have some idea.”
That evening, they step into their hotel room after bidding the other three a good night, and Kris takes Joonmyeon’s hand as they venture into the bedroom. They each sit on their respective sides, their fingers still intertwined.
“I can’t believe I found you,” Kris says quietly. Joonmyeon squeezes his hand and scoots towards Kris.
“We should thank our cardigans,” he says, pressing plush lips to Kris’ neck. Kris melts into the feeling of Joonmyeon’s breath hot against his collarbone, and he unconsciously places a possessive hand on Joonmyeon’s waist.
“Kris, you seem nervous again,” Joonmyeon murmurs against Kris’ neck.
“Well,” Kris admits, pulling away from Joonmyeon to look at him properly, “I’ve never done this with a guy before, and I don’t know, like...how it feels or what to do and admittedly I’m a little nervous since you obviously know what you’re doing.”
Joonmyeon looks at Kris for a moment and laughs cutely. “Are you saying that you’re scared to take it? Kris, look at us. Obviously I’m going to be the one taking it.”
Kris looks at Joonmyeon in surprise, since he hadn’t really expected that. Joonmyeon’s look softens and he kisses Kris quickly.
“It means a lot that you were willing to, though,” Joonmyeon says quietly. “I’ll make sure everything is done right, okay? You don’t have to worry.” Kris relaxes as Joonmyeon kisses the tension away. Kris slips his hands under Joonmyeon’s shirt and he’s not slow in removing it.
“I wasn’t expecting these,” Kris says, trailing a finger along the lines of a faintly-defined six-pack. Joonmyeon laughs and his muscles tighten. Kris splays his hand out on Joonmyeon’s stomach, noticing how small Joonmyeon’s pale body is against his long fingers.
“Let’s see how many times I surprise you tonight,” Joonmyeon says, and then he blushes as he realizes just how cheesy that sounds.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Kris chuckles, and he helps Joonmyeon do away with his shirt, too. Joonmyeon pauses to admire Kris’ body, and Kris feels a pang of pride and confidence rush through his system. He pulls Joonmyeon towards him, so that Joonmyeon’s back is to Kris’ chest. He kisses Joonmyeon’s neck while he teases Joonmyeon’s nipples between his thumb and forefinger, relishing in the small stifled whines escaping Joonmyeon’s throat.
“Kris,” Joonmyeon breathes heavily.
“Hm?” Kris asks, one hand trailing down to dip into Joonmyeon’s pants. And then he falters, for a moment. He’s never touched a cock other than his own, and he doesn’t know how to make it good for Joonmyeon.
“Kris,” Joonmyeon says, his voice steadying a bit. “I don’t care how you touch my dick; it’ll feel good no matter what, okay? So stop worrying.”
Kris kisses Joonmyeon’s neck again, his confidence renewed, and he pushes his fingers past the waistband of Joonmyeon’s pants. Joonmyeon lets out a sigh of relief and it’s only then that Kris notices that Joonmyeon is nervous too.
“I want this, you know,” Kris murmurs in Joonmyeon’s ear, and Joonmyeon bristles. “I want this as much as you do. You don’t need to worry either.” He wraps his fingers around Joonmyeon’s cock and pulls, hoping that Joonmyeon will react favorably.
Favorable is an understatement. Joonmyeon takes a sharp intake of breath and lets it out in a high whine. Kris continues flicking his wrist just right until Joonmyeon is squirming.
“Just - can we...” Joonmyeon trails off. He removes Kris’ hand carefully and shimmies out of his pants before reaching for the button on Kris’.
“Wait,” Kris says, and anxiety flashes in Joonmyeon’s eyes. “We - we need lube, right?” Joonmyeon closes his eyes and smiles.
“Yeah,” he says. “There’s Vaseline in my bag in the bathroom.” Kris gets up to get it and when he comes back, he has a perfect view of Joonmyeon’s body stretched across the spacious hotel bed.
He slips back on top of the bed and uncaps the container of Vaseline, starting to coat his fingers liberally. He hopes Joonmyeon doesn’t notice how nervous he is, but it’s not likely because Joonmyeon had noticed every time so far.
“I can do it, Kris,” Joonmyeon says. Before Kris can protest, Joonmyeon gently takes the container out of Kris’ hands and coats his fingers. Kris watches as Joonmyeon’s fingers disappear between his spread legs and he takes a deep breath. Joonmyeon’s breath hitches a little as he presses his own fingers into his body, but Kris isn’t watching Joonmyeon work himself open. He’s watching the expression on Joonmyeon’s face, blissful and full of anticipation. Kris finds himself wanting to cause the expression, to do more than just watch.
So he covers two fingers with Vaseline and reaches around Joonmyeon, pressing a digit alongside Joonmyeon’s own. Joonmyeon’s eyes bolt open.
“C-can I?” Kris asks, and Joonmyeon nods slowly. Kris pushes past the ring of muscle and it’s impossibly hot inside Joonmyeon. Joonmyeon leans against Kris’ shoulder as Kris inserts another finger, regulating his breathing as best as he can. Kris pumps his fingers in time with Joonmyeon’s, scissoring ever so slightly so as not to hurt Joonmyeon when the time comes.
Finally they pull their fingers out, and Kris kisses Joonmyeon languidly before Joonmyeon pushes Kris back onto the bed.
Kris lays there in surprise, and before he knows it, Joonmyeon is straddling him, putting a condom on Kris’ cock and lubing it up.
“Ready?” Joonmyeon asks.
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Kris wonders, and Joonmyeon blushes. He takes hold of Kris’ cock and slowly lowers himself onto it. Even after four fingers, Joonmyeon’s body is tight and hot around Kris. It’s nothing like Kris has ever felt before.
He puts his hands on Joonmyeon’s hips and looks up at Joonmyeon, whose pink face is now covered in a thin sheen of sweat. “Okay?” he asks, and Joonmyeon smiles down at him.
“Great,” he replies breathily, grinding against Kris.
When he comes, it’s the most fantastic experience he’s ever had. His vision and mind both go blank for a moment before everything refocuses, and then Joonmyeon comes and Kris falls in love all over again the way Joonmyeon lets everything out with a moan.
Joonmyeon pulls himself off of Kris and collapses against his body, and Kris finds that he doesn’t ever want to let Joonmyeon go.
“So?” Joonmyeon asks sleepily. “How was it?”
“The best,” Kris replies, pulling Joonmyeon close and kissing him quickly. “The absolute best.”
Charlotte, NC
Kris finally wakes up as they drive into Charlotte, and Lu Han is the first to pounce.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” he says in the most obnoxious voice possible. “You were pretty much dead to the world after we dropped Joonmyeon off at the train station. So...tell us everything! Are you converted?”
Kris merely rubs his eyes. “What?” he asks. “Converted?”
“I think he’s asking if you are now into men,” Tao says from the driver’s seat, and Yixing turns around to see how Kris responds.
Kris shrugs. “I’m into Joonmyeon,” he replies. Lu Han grins like an idiot.
“How is he in bed?” Lu Han wonders. “How was your first time with a guy, huh?”
“Lu Han, don’t pester him,” Yixing says, but he too looks curious. Kris smiles as he reminisces about the previous night. Joonmyeon had been perfect, and when he woke up with Joonmyeon in his arms, he felt like he owned the world.
Tao chuckles. “You’re smiling your creepy smile again.” Kris meets Tao’s eyes in the rearview mirror and for the first time in a while, Kris feels like Tao might be a little proud of him.
“I’m happy,” Kris replies simply. “I’m really happy.”
“There you go,” Yixing says, staring pointedly at Lu Han as if to tell him not to ask any more questions. Yixing turns back towards the front of the car, clearing his throat awkwardly, but only Tao notices, since Lu Han is too busy pestering Kris for more details.
“What’s wrong?” Tao asks, driving down the streets carefully.
“Kris found his passion,” Yixing responds, sounding a little wistful.
Tao slows down at a stoplight but it turns green right away and he continues to drive. “You’ll find yours, Xing, don’t worry.” He turns back to the road and Yixing is momentarily forgotten.
Yixing's not sure he'll find his passion. How can he when he's been pressured into becoming an engineering major? He can't just drop hundreds of thousands of dollars and four years of torturous studying just because he doesn't like engineering.
And yet, he can't help but think about just how much he dreads the end of the summer. Because that means finding a job, an engineering job, which he's guaranteed to hate solely because it's engineering. And he'll have to work the same type of job until he retires. After this summer, his life is going to be one huge disappointment.
More than anything, Yixing wants to dance. He's always loved dance, and he'd been a member of Columbia's dance team. While he danced, that was when he felt truly happy.
But of course, he can't dance, because he has a bachelor's degree in engineering so he needs to do engineering.
He's pulled from his thoughts when Tao pulls the key out of the ignition. “We’re here, guys. Go frolic to your hearts’ content.”
“NASCAR Hall of Fame!” Lu Han cries, jumping out of the car and pulling out a map. “Come on, guys, you want to see cars and races, right? Xing, you wanna come, right?”
Yixing laughs and Tao sighs as if he’s dealing with a bunch of children. “Yes,” Yixing replies. “Come on, Taozi. Come on, Kris, let’s go see some cars.”
Lu Han lets out a whoop and as they head toward their destination, Yixing can’t help but wonder which city will bring him his passion. For all he knows, perhaps NASCAR is his calling.
Atlanta, GA
Tao insists on playing tourist all day in Atlanta, so they humor him. For the first day, the tour the World of Coca-Cola and the CNN Center, and then spend the rest of the day exploring the High Museum of Art.
“Lame,” Lu Han mutters under his breath as he glares are a marble statue. “Who is impressed by this when we have the Met?”
Yixing kind of has to agree. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is far more impressive than any other they can possibly visit in the United States.
Yixing and Kris want to stay in and relax in the hotel spa tha night, but Lu Han insists on going out.
“We’re going to Six Flags tomorrow,” Tao whines. “We need to relax and rest with a nice massage and a soak in the jacuzzi.”
Lu Han, however, shakes his head. “Just a drink,” he pleads. “We won’t stay out too long.”
“How about we just hit the hotel bar?” Yixing suggests.
Again, Lu Han shakes his head. “We’re barely two streets away from the nightclubs,” he says. “Let’s just go.”
And because it’s Lu Han, and Lu Han can get away with almost anything with his pout, they all give in with a lot of grumbling.
“I kind of think Lu Han might be the devil,” Tao mutters under his breath. Yixing kind of has to agree.
“Wait, so are you even going try and pick someone up at the club tonight or are you and Joonmyeon exclusive now?” Lu Han asks, poking Kris in the back.
Yixing watches as a sappy smiles appears over Kris’ face. “We’re exclusive,” he replies, happily. “Georgetown has a great law school too, you know? I think I’d like it in D.C.”
Lu Han makes a fake retching sound. “Ew, commitment,” he grumbles,“gross.”
The Atlanta nightlife suits Yixing’s tastes. The club is full when they make their way in, but the bar is relatively quiet. Yixing heads to the dance floor immediately, but soon finds that he is too tired from the day’s activities to dance much. Instead, they all find spots at the bar and order a round of shots.
“Is it weird that I haven’t felt homesick yet, not even once?” Tao muses out loud.
Yixing shakes his head. “I haven’t really missed New York that much either,” he replies.
The guy sitting near them at the bar turns around upon hearing that. “Did you guys say New York?” he asks, curiously. “Sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing.”
Lu Han takes one look at the guy, categorizes him as a small, gorgeous brunette, and starts fluttering his eyelids. “We’re from New York City,” he says, leaning forwards to offer the guy a clear view down the front of his tank top. “Hi, my name is Lu Han, and these are my friends, Yixing, Tao, and Kris. We’re road-tripping across the country.”
“Baekhyun,” the guy replies. His eyes had also fastened onto Lu Han immediately. “I’m originally from Hoboken, but I’m here in Atlanta visiting family.”
“What a coincidence!” Lu Han gushes, shooting Baekhyun a dazzling smile.
“Are you guys all classmates?” Baekhyun asks. “Lu Han must be the youngest, right?”
Everybody but Tao laughs. “I’m the youngest,” he growls, annoyed.
“Ah, but Lu Han is just so cute.” At that, Lu Han practically glows, and Yixing knows that he is taking Baekhyun back to the hotel that night.
Tao, however, is still unamused. “Bbuing bbuing, motherfucker,” he says tonelessly. “I’m cute, too.”
Baekhyun is no longer paying attention, because Lu Han has his hand on his arm and is pulling him to the dance floor.
“You guys can head back to the hotel without me after you finish your drinks,” Lu Han calls over his shoulders.
Kris just sighs as the pair disappears into the crowd.
“Ready to go back?” Tao asks. “It’s still not too late for us to hit the spa.”
Kris nods, and pays for the drinks. Yixing gulps down the rest of his gin and tonic and gets up the follow the other two toward the exit. He, for one, is ready for some quality jacuzzi time.
Lu Han takes one look at the Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Over Georgia the next days and nopes really hard.
“That thing will fucking kill me,” he says, backing away slowly. “There is no way I’m going on that.”
Tao just looks at Yixing. “He’s your best friend,” he says, sounding pained. “Fix him.”
Yixing sighs, and holds his hands out for Tao’s bag. “You and Kris go,” he says begrudgingly. “I’ll wait with the brat.”
Lu Han at least has the decency to buy Yixing an overpriced frozen strawberry lemonade as they wait. “Thanks, Xing,” Lu Han sings, blinking with fake innocence.
Yixing just shakes his head and sighs again.
PART TWO >>