Us divided by three
Fandom: U-KISS
Pairing: Elvin
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst, Romance
Summary: The newly arrived Kiseop can't seem to keep his hands off of Kevin.
3,878 words
It started rather innocently, with a handshake and a smile, Eli remembers, with Kevin’s slim fingers lingering on his own for far longer than on the others, with the smell of a fainted cologne and a bright complexion. Their hands electrocuted one another the minute they established contact, causing them to laugh awkwardly and go for a second try.
Apparently Kevin had known from the beginning -up to this day, Eli is still not sure how- that he was American and he introduced himself in English, causing an immediate bonding between the two of them that their band mates still had long to find. They mostly remained grouped together, sometimes inviting Alexander, their third English-speaking cohort, but mostly it was just Eli and Kevin practicing together late at night, Eli and Kevin eating close to one another at the same table, Eli and Kevin playing Scrabble and refusing to let anybody else join in, Eli and Kevin here, Eli and Kevin there.
By now, it had become a commonly known fact that Kevin preferred Eli in all of his activities, liked sleeping with Eli in the same bed when the heating system broke down in the middle of the night and enjoyed all their private little jokes, whispered during interviews and photoshoots. It was also not a secret that Eli would give up his life to make Kevin happy, even if he would never admit it out loud, that he confided in Kevin with all of his secrets and that he fancied hugging him in the most random, out-of-the-blue moments.
Their displays of affection were soon acquainted by everyone in the company, everyone in their fandom and circle of friends, to the point in which they began being referred to as a newlywed couple and treated as such. The cheesy jokes on their behalf never bothered Eli, but it soon made him wonder if there was more meaning behind them than just the desire to make fun, or if maybe those around him managed to notice what he failed to even think about.
Sure his mood turned inexplicably fast from mild to irritated whenever Kevin hung around with Kibum more than with him, and sure he got a little more than just upset when the younger refused his invitation to lunch one day so that he could go see a movie with Soohyun, but that was because they were just friends.
Of course they were just friends.
Friends who oftentimes shared a bed, friends who intertwined their fingers when no one was looking, friends who couldn’t stay apart from each other for more than a day.
Stage 1. Interpreting.
The newly arrived Kiseop can’t seem to butt his own business and keep his tingly hands away from Kevin. He seems like he had just landed from outer space, lost and confused and scared, everything Eli hated the most in a person. Their manager drops him off in the middle of their comeback practice, more like a package than a human being and leaves without looking back. Kiseop simply stares at each and every one of them and makes a vague sound in his throat, then seems to be awaiting something.
Kevin is the first to straighten up from his place on the floor and goes up to him. They shake hands, exchange smiles, as well as a few phrases and Eli can’t help but notice the already existent sparks between them. He can’t hear what they’re talking about, but they soon start laughing loudly, as they retire in a corner and sit back on the floor, yoga-style. The practice stops there, because Kevin had always been sort of an undeclared leader among them, which means that people usually follow his actions like blind sheep.
Eli feels a weird sensation creeping up his spine, as he is staring in their direction shamelessly, watching Kevin placing a hand on his shoulder, noticing Kiseop shifting closer to him and generally observing their little flirty gestures that seem to be screaming ‘here-we-are-bonding-without-you’.
It’s not jealousy.
After all, they are nothing above friends.
When food delivery makes its presence, everyone takes a break from the break and begins rummaging through the oversized, brown paper bags in search of their favorite dishes. When Kevin comes along to scoop through the containers, Eli can finally feel relieved, as their habit of eating close to one another hasn’t changed. Frustration and disappointment overtake his spirit, though, when the younger simply grabs a few loads of pasta and chicken wings and reoccupies his place near Kiseop, all across the other side of the room.
They eat in an unusual silence, occasionally interrupted by Kiseop’s laughs, which makes everyone skip their eyes around the room - left, right, door, ceiling. Anywhere but the two of them. Eli is an exception, as he is chewing his rice with such force, Soohyun tells him he might want to pay a visit to the dentist after he’s done, to check for broken teeth.
‘What do you guys think about him?’ he asks the members, pointing with his head in Kiseop’s direction.
He receives the same answer, more or less identical.
‘Well, he should feel welcomed. I suggest after we finish this we go and introduce ourselves.’ Alexander said thoughtfully, not raising his gaze from the plate.
‘Kevin is already doing a great job with that.’ Kibum continues scornfully. ‘Maybe they’ll open club Powerpuff soon, I could totally picture them wearing assorting pink shirts one of these days.’
‘So you already hate him.’ Soohyun concludes with an amused expression. ‘And why is that, because he has better abs than you?’
‘You don’t know that.’ Kibum glares at him, narrowing his eyes.
‘But I do. I’ve seen his selcas. He is an ulzzang. You know, it’s actually very entertaining, watching you like this.’
Kibum puffs and shows him the middle finger.
‘Dongho?’ Eli finally turns towards the youngest, who had been sitting quietly during the entire conversation. ‘What do you think?’
Dongho looks like he isn’t even sure of the Earth’s existence, as he raises his head slowly and shoots a surprised glance at each of them.
‘About what?’ he asks with his mouth full.
‘Kiseop.’
‘Kiseop who?’
Eli sighs and bolts up, then tips forward to the happy-go-lucky duo, who seem completely oblivious to everything around them. He halts with a thump, which forces Kiseop to look up at him scared.
‘We need to continue practice.’ He declares. ‘We’re already behind.’
‘We’ll practice later.’ Kevin states with a smile, as he rises from his spot and holds out a hand for Kiseop. ‘Now I’m taking him for a company tour. Do you want to join us?’
‘No, thanks. You two have fun.’ Eli responds coldly, twisting around on his toes to leave the room. He feels several pairs of curious eyes bolted on him on his way out.
Stage 2. Maneuvering
They don’t return to the practice room for the rest of the day and when the others get back to the dorm, they find Kevin and Kiseop sprawled on the couch leaned against each other, with two ice-cream cones in their hands, enjoying the music channel broadcasted on TV. Kibum rolls his eyes and walks into the bathroom without muttering a word.
As Alexander and Soohyun start preparing dinner, Eli joins them on the cushioned sofa, trying to place himself as far away as possible from Kiseop, who suddenly stiffens at his presence. Kevin doesn’t seem to mind having him there, as he untangles his arm from Kiseop’s and in return rests it on Eli’s knee. The named one experiences a strange, heated sensation in his stomach and wants to see just how far he can push things. So he places an arm around Kevin without warning and motions for him to place his head on his chest. Surprisingly -or not- Kevin does so without hesitation, as he settles his temple right above Eli’s heart and begins listening to the rhythmic beat.
He knows this is juvenile, however the older can’t help but feel like he’s winning against Kiseop, as he holds Kevin with such protectiveness like someone is about to enter and steal him any minute. The younger doesn’t seem to mind, though, as he begins giggling when Eli whispers God-knows-what in his ear, leaving Kiseop to stare blankly at the screen with a bitter smile.
They all eat as fast as possible, out of desire to catch a longer sleep, with Dongho’s rice flying all across the table and Soohyun’s messy chewing and Kibum’s vociferous commentaries after every swallow. Alexander still hasn’t finished his before-dinner prayer, which leaves the other three the only normal ones at the table. Eli notices Kiseop’s quietness and the way he stands on only half a stool, apparently too reserved and introverted to approach his food better. He likes to think he is one of the reasons behind his restraint and feels his mood brightening up.
‘So, Kiseop.’ Kibum begins with such an offensive tone, it looks like he has been waiting for this moment all night. ‘Where are you going to sleep?’
‘Oh. Well, um.’
Eli knows Kiseop is feeling like a target, as he lowers his gaze into his plate and seems to commence a very complicated thinking process.
‘Your room is not fully set up yet. Our couch is horrid, too.’ Kibum continues, visibly enjoying the extremely obvious gawkiness Kiseop is undergoing.
‘He’ll sleep in my room.’ Kevin suddenly announces, seemingly unaware of the tension that had crept up. Kibum and Eli stare at him in disbelief, Soohyun and Alexander glance at him, but keep their mouths shut, while Dongho is unconcerned about everything surrounding him. Kiseop simply sinks further in his chair.
As expected, Eli can’t close his eyes the entire night, rotating himself from one side of the bed to the other, twisting his arms and legs in semi-contortion positions, straightening his body, then wiggling it in a fetus pose again, struggling upwards to pace the room several times, then bouncing on the mattress again with thwarting. It’s ridiculous how Kiseop simply existing there, in the same bed with Kevin, just a few feet from him, drives him insane. Why, he has no idea. After all, Kevin is nothing but his friend.
His best friend. Sharing his space with someone else, when it should have been Eli there, holding him to keep him warm and to feel his fragile figure scooting closer to him.
But it’s alright, because they’re just friends.
He manages to somehow fall asleep in the early hours of the morning, but quickly awakens due to the smell of bacon and eggs. He gets up lazily and gives a cold stare at the sheets, which are so rumpled it looks like a bunch of four-year-olds had a party on them the entire night.
He walks into the kitchen just to find a stack of pancakes with maple syrup on the table, a giant omelette on the largest plate Eli has ever seen -he didn’t even know they had plates like that- and bacon frying in a pan on the stove. Kiseop and Kevin are also there, trying to mush each other’s face with cream, as they giggle uncontrollably. He is disgusted by the sight, so he just sits quietly on a chair and looks around the dorm.
‘Where is everybody?’
‘Oh, morning.’ Kevin laughs, somewhat surprised by his being. ‘They left, said they had things to do. We have the day off and I heard someone mentioning something about a movie.’
‘Huh.’
‘I’m teaching Kiseop how to make an American breakfast. Wanna assist?’
‘No.’ Eli says bluntly and retrieves to the living room, where he turns on the TV and begins staring blankly at the screen. He doesn’t understand a thing the host is saying, but can overhear Kiseop laughing loudly from behind the wall.
Most annoying laugh in the world.
The two of them soon join him on the couch and Eli curses under his breath for not accepting the invitation from earlier, as his stomach growls in protest.
Through the constant chattering and laughter, Kiseop fails to pay attention to the bits of bacon in his fork, resulting in him dropping the content on the couch.
‘Be careful, will you?’ Eli snaps, throwing him a repulsed look. Kiseop immediately picks up the mess and feels guilty.
‘Cut him a little slack. He didn’t do it intentionally.’ Kevin says softly, taken aback by his reaction.
‘Well he should be more careful. This is not only his dorm, you know. Other people sit here.’ He replies, feeling his temper cooling ten degrees.
‘You didn’t react like this when Dongho spilled soda all over the carpet last week.’ Kevin reminds him.
‘Yeah, well, Dongho is a teen who doesn’t know crap about taking care of things. Him, on the other hand.’
‘Eli, come on.’ Kevin can’t believe his years. ‘It didn’t even stain, big deal.’
‘It could have. And stop defending him, like he doesn’t have a mouth.’
Kiseop’s eyes widen at that remark and starts scooting away from Eli as best as he can.
‘It won’t happen again.’ He mumbles, slowness overcoming his voice.
‘Are you even hearing yourself?’ Kevin raises his voice. ‘You’re being ridiculous.’
‘Well there’s something new under the sun.’ Eli grumbles, throwing himself up and out of the couch. He goes inside his room and locks the door behind.
Stage 3. Crossing the finish line
He thinks he might have a thing for Kevin.
A small, meaningless, probably soon-to-go-away phase, but still undeniably there. Which is absurd, since Kevin has always been, is and forever will be his best friend. He sometimes nags too much about how unhealthy Eli eats, how he spends too much money on trifles, how he is incapable of memorizing more than just a few Japanese phrases and how he shouldn’t send individual replies to fans on socializing sites, because they are for all eyes to see and favoritism can lead to fights. He also scolds him for always leaving his empty water bottles in the practice room, emphasizing that they’ll gather enough of them to create a life-sized mountain soon and bickers at his occasional snoring, whenever they share a bed. He tells him how he occupies too much space on the couch and how he needs to be more focused during interviews, not forgetting to also add that he should alternate his diet more, because the meals he eats are always full of calories.
Then again, Kevin also makes sure that Eli is always feeling alright, that he is warm during the night and properly hydrated during the day. He keeps him company when he is feeling down, even if the younger has his own business to attend to and sticks around to provide him with whatever he might need. He sometimes gives Eli the tastiest bite of his own food and lets him sleep and extra hour on weekends, lying to their manager by saying that he has gone to the gym or for a jog. He oftentimes lets Eli win when they’re playing games, because he knows how terrible the older is at strategy and wouldn’t get the upper hand otherwise. He also tells Eli how pretty he looks before a performance and squeezes his hand in reassurance prior to public appearances, just for the fact that no matter how tough or confident he may pose, Kevin knows he is still unmistakably human inside and needs comfort.
A week has already passed and Eli still hasn’t managed to get back into Kevin’s good books. The fight they had wasn’t an actual fight, which made the entire situation even more silly, not to mention that Kiseop was beginning to integrate himself better than anticipated.
He overhears Kevin complimenting him during dance practice on how good of a dancer he is and how fast he learns. Kibum, who is just as bothered by Kiseop’s presence as Eli is, pretends to dig a finger down his throat and puke, then makes a remark about how he is not that brilliant and walks away.
Things don’t change their course much for the next few days either and all Eli can do is sit back and endure an unending exhibition of smushy, lenient gestures and occasional flips of tenderness.
And these don’t help, they never do.
He stays behind one late evening in the practice room, simply because his pride is too ardent and forces him to become better than Kiseop. He plays the CD and begins gliding across the floor, frustrated how every little movement seems so far away from Kiseop’s smooth flow, how his legs bump against each other awkwardly and how his arms never seem quite in place. He isn’t able to keep his posture straight at all times, which gives a feeling of clumsiness.
The song is already about to end and all he can think of is that he’ll need about one more month to even match half of Kiseop’s performance, making him sigh with resentment. As he is about to restart the routine, he hears the door opening behind him. He turns surprised and meets Kevin’s confounded eyes.
‘Hey.’ He says in a small voice, closing the umbrella he is holding and placing it on a chair. ‘I didn’t know you were here.’
‘Well, now you do.’ Eli replies, feeling a tad guilty at his slightly cold tone of voice.
‘What are you doing?’ Kevin asks, going over to the stereo to stop the music.
‘I’m practicing. Thanks for turning that off, by the way.’
‘You don’t need to practice.’ One eyebrow goes up. ‘You already know the choreography.’
‘What is it to you, anyhow? Why did you even come back?’ he asks, annoyed at his own inexplicable anger. He feels dumb for treating Kevin like this, but doesn’t go back a notch.
‘Kiseop forgot his jacket.’ Kevin replies, pointing to the grey sweater hung on one of the pegs. Eli shoots him an overwrought look.
‘So what, now you’re also fetching his crap? He’ll soon ask you to feed him and change his diapers.’
Kevin stops dead in his tracks to look at him with objection, while Eli can’t believe what just came out of his mouth.
‘Eli, come on. What’s going on between the two of you? He didn’t do anything wrong to you.’
‘Here we go, with the defending again. Why don’t you hurry up and bring his jacket? You don’t want him to catch a cold. And if he does, you’ll probably stay by his bed all day long, bringing him hot soup and napkins.’
‘Excuse me?’ Kevin takes one step back.
‘Stop acting like you’re oblivious to all of this.’ Eli hisses. ‘We were supposed to go have lunch together, remember? And go to the video store to pick something to watch. Together. And you blow me off for someone you don’t even know that well.’
‘I blew you off because you started a fight, in case your memory is failing you.’
‘My memory is just fine.’
‘Well it doesn’t look like it.’ Kevin is visibly growing more and more affronted, if not disturbed, by the minute. ‘And I have all the rights to defend him, as he needs as much support as he can get right now, since he’s new and all. I don’t know why you’re so against him, but it won’t hurt being nice to him. I’m not asking you to actually do anything, just stop attacking him with every chance you get.’
‘Attacking him? You think I’m attacking him?’ Eli retorts thrown. ‘For starters, I’m not the one acting like a wimp in need of dire attention. He should pull his shit together and stop behaving like a limpet towards you, because he’s not a goddamn kid anymore. Second, don’t blame all of this on me, like I’m the only one not making him feel comfortable. The others barely speak to him. In fact, the last time I saw him talking with someone else besides you was two days ago, when he asked Soohyun if he can use the bathroom before him. And that was their entire brilliant dialog.’
Eli is not sure if Kevin grasped all of it, because he spoke too fast and precipitated. He is now breathing heavily through his nose, questioning his own sanity and wondering why on Earth would he have a sudden outburst like that.
‘At least the others are not being rude for no reason.’ Kevin roars. ‘You weren’t like this before, something changed you and I don’t know what it is. I’m not even sure I want to know, because it doesn’t look like something pretty. Whatever it is, why won’t you just talk to me?’
‘Because you’re always glued to him, that’s why. And let’s face it, we wouldn’t be fighting right now if it weren’t for him.’
‘For God’s sake, I’m not glued to him.’ Kevin gesticulates with his hands.
‘Fine, then he’s glued to you.’ Eli grumbles.
‘You are my best friend!’ Kevin shouts. ‘What happens now, you’ll avoid me for the rest of your life because he is part of our group? We need him, it’s beneficial for us as a team. It has nothing to do with me. I feel like I’m the only one trying sometimes, really.’
He turns around, seemingly exhausted and places his hands on his hips. Eli watches his face in the mirror and notices he has closed his eyes and is now trying to calm down. This is indeed stupid, Eli knows, so he goes over to him and embraces him from behind. Kevin, however, isn’t willing to let him get away with it, so he struggles out of the hug and runs out in the rain.
The older doesn’t hesitate a second and rushes after him, cursing the cold and spiky drops of water that seem to be piercing through his skin. He manages to catch up with Kevin and grabs his wrist, then spins him around and holds him close to his chest.
He feels Kevin trying to resist again, so he tightens the grip and caresses his hair, already soaking wet. The younger eventually melts into his touch and inhales the scent of his skin deeply, before looking up at him. He grazes his nape with the tips of his fingers, then slowly pushes his head towards him, until their lips collide. It’s a cold, but gentle kiss and Eli feels as if the entire world has just come crashing down upon him. Kevin feels fragile and wanting in his arms and, as he traces lines along his waist, he smiles at the sensation of hot skin, despite the almost-icy water pouring on them. They tangle their tongues messily and let small moans of pleasure escape, before they pull apart and look into each other’s eyes. They are both panting.
‘So.’ Kevin whispers.
‘So.’
‘Why do you hate him so much, again?’
‘Don’t ruin the moment by mentioning the midget.’ Eli rolls his eyes.
‘Stupid.’ He smacks him playfully, trying to look up by avoiding the rain drops falling on his face. ‘You should’ve said something.’
‘Well now you know.’
They start kissing again, with the umbrella and jacket forgotten in the practice room.
Pairing: Elvin
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Angst, Romance
Summary: The newly arrived Kiseop can't seem to keep his hands off of Kevin.
3,878 words
It started rather innocently, with a handshake and a smile, Eli remembers, with Kevin’s slim fingers lingering on his own for far longer than on the others, with the smell of a fainted cologne and a bright complexion. Their hands electrocuted one another the minute they established contact, causing them to laugh awkwardly and go for a second try.
Apparently Kevin had known from the beginning -up to this day, Eli is still not sure how- that he was American and he introduced himself in English, causing an immediate bonding between the two of them that their band mates still had long to find. They mostly remained grouped together, sometimes inviting Alexander, their third English-speaking cohort, but mostly it was just Eli and Kevin practicing together late at night, Eli and Kevin eating close to one another at the same table, Eli and Kevin playing Scrabble and refusing to let anybody else join in, Eli and Kevin here, Eli and Kevin there.
By now, it had become a commonly known fact that Kevin preferred Eli in all of his activities, liked sleeping with Eli in the same bed when the heating system broke down in the middle of the night and enjoyed all their private little jokes, whispered during interviews and photoshoots. It was also not a secret that Eli would give up his life to make Kevin happy, even if he would never admit it out loud, that he confided in Kevin with all of his secrets and that he fancied hugging him in the most random, out-of-the-blue moments.
Their displays of affection were soon acquainted by everyone in the company, everyone in their fandom and circle of friends, to the point in which they began being referred to as a newlywed couple and treated as such. The cheesy jokes on their behalf never bothered Eli, but it soon made him wonder if there was more meaning behind them than just the desire to make fun, or if maybe those around him managed to notice what he failed to even think about.
Sure his mood turned inexplicably fast from mild to irritated whenever Kevin hung around with Kibum more than with him, and sure he got a little more than just upset when the younger refused his invitation to lunch one day so that he could go see a movie with Soohyun, but that was because they were just friends.
Of course they were just friends.
Friends who oftentimes shared a bed, friends who intertwined their fingers when no one was looking, friends who couldn’t stay apart from each other for more than a day.
Stage 1. Interpreting.
The newly arrived Kiseop can’t seem to butt his own business and keep his tingly hands away from Kevin. He seems like he had just landed from outer space, lost and confused and scared, everything Eli hated the most in a person. Their manager drops him off in the middle of their comeback practice, more like a package than a human being and leaves without looking back. Kiseop simply stares at each and every one of them and makes a vague sound in his throat, then seems to be awaiting something.
Kevin is the first to straighten up from his place on the floor and goes up to him. They shake hands, exchange smiles, as well as a few phrases and Eli can’t help but notice the already existent sparks between them. He can’t hear what they’re talking about, but they soon start laughing loudly, as they retire in a corner and sit back on the floor, yoga-style. The practice stops there, because Kevin had always been sort of an undeclared leader among them, which means that people usually follow his actions like blind sheep.
Eli feels a weird sensation creeping up his spine, as he is staring in their direction shamelessly, watching Kevin placing a hand on his shoulder, noticing Kiseop shifting closer to him and generally observing their little flirty gestures that seem to be screaming ‘here-we-are-bonding-without-you’.
It’s not jealousy.
After all, they are nothing above friends.
When food delivery makes its presence, everyone takes a break from the break and begins rummaging through the oversized, brown paper bags in search of their favorite dishes. When Kevin comes along to scoop through the containers, Eli can finally feel relieved, as their habit of eating close to one another hasn’t changed. Frustration and disappointment overtake his spirit, though, when the younger simply grabs a few loads of pasta and chicken wings and reoccupies his place near Kiseop, all across the other side of the room.
They eat in an unusual silence, occasionally interrupted by Kiseop’s laughs, which makes everyone skip their eyes around the room - left, right, door, ceiling. Anywhere but the two of them. Eli is an exception, as he is chewing his rice with such force, Soohyun tells him he might want to pay a visit to the dentist after he’s done, to check for broken teeth.
‘What do you guys think about him?’ he asks the members, pointing with his head in Kiseop’s direction.
He receives the same answer, more or less identical.
‘Well, he should feel welcomed. I suggest after we finish this we go and introduce ourselves.’ Alexander said thoughtfully, not raising his gaze from the plate.
‘Kevin is already doing a great job with that.’ Kibum continues scornfully. ‘Maybe they’ll open club Powerpuff soon, I could totally picture them wearing assorting pink shirts one of these days.’
‘So you already hate him.’ Soohyun concludes with an amused expression. ‘And why is that, because he has better abs than you?’
‘You don’t know that.’ Kibum glares at him, narrowing his eyes.
‘But I do. I’ve seen his selcas. He is an ulzzang. You know, it’s actually very entertaining, watching you like this.’
Kibum puffs and shows him the middle finger.
‘Dongho?’ Eli finally turns towards the youngest, who had been sitting quietly during the entire conversation. ‘What do you think?’
Dongho looks like he isn’t even sure of the Earth’s existence, as he raises his head slowly and shoots a surprised glance at each of them.
‘About what?’ he asks with his mouth full.
‘Kiseop.’
‘Kiseop who?’
Eli sighs and bolts up, then tips forward to the happy-go-lucky duo, who seem completely oblivious to everything around them. He halts with a thump, which forces Kiseop to look up at him scared.
‘We need to continue practice.’ He declares. ‘We’re already behind.’
‘We’ll practice later.’ Kevin states with a smile, as he rises from his spot and holds out a hand for Kiseop. ‘Now I’m taking him for a company tour. Do you want to join us?’
‘No, thanks. You two have fun.’ Eli responds coldly, twisting around on his toes to leave the room. He feels several pairs of curious eyes bolted on him on his way out.
Stage 2. Maneuvering
They don’t return to the practice room for the rest of the day and when the others get back to the dorm, they find Kevin and Kiseop sprawled on the couch leaned against each other, with two ice-cream cones in their hands, enjoying the music channel broadcasted on TV. Kibum rolls his eyes and walks into the bathroom without muttering a word.
As Alexander and Soohyun start preparing dinner, Eli joins them on the cushioned sofa, trying to place himself as far away as possible from Kiseop, who suddenly stiffens at his presence. Kevin doesn’t seem to mind having him there, as he untangles his arm from Kiseop’s and in return rests it on Eli’s knee. The named one experiences a strange, heated sensation in his stomach and wants to see just how far he can push things. So he places an arm around Kevin without warning and motions for him to place his head on his chest. Surprisingly -or not- Kevin does so without hesitation, as he settles his temple right above Eli’s heart and begins listening to the rhythmic beat.
He knows this is juvenile, however the older can’t help but feel like he’s winning against Kiseop, as he holds Kevin with such protectiveness like someone is about to enter and steal him any minute. The younger doesn’t seem to mind, though, as he begins giggling when Eli whispers God-knows-what in his ear, leaving Kiseop to stare blankly at the screen with a bitter smile.
They all eat as fast as possible, out of desire to catch a longer sleep, with Dongho’s rice flying all across the table and Soohyun’s messy chewing and Kibum’s vociferous commentaries after every swallow. Alexander still hasn’t finished his before-dinner prayer, which leaves the other three the only normal ones at the table. Eli notices Kiseop’s quietness and the way he stands on only half a stool, apparently too reserved and introverted to approach his food better. He likes to think he is one of the reasons behind his restraint and feels his mood brightening up.
‘So, Kiseop.’ Kibum begins with such an offensive tone, it looks like he has been waiting for this moment all night. ‘Where are you going to sleep?’
‘Oh. Well, um.’
Eli knows Kiseop is feeling like a target, as he lowers his gaze into his plate and seems to commence a very complicated thinking process.
‘Your room is not fully set up yet. Our couch is horrid, too.’ Kibum continues, visibly enjoying the extremely obvious gawkiness Kiseop is undergoing.
‘He’ll sleep in my room.’ Kevin suddenly announces, seemingly unaware of the tension that had crept up. Kibum and Eli stare at him in disbelief, Soohyun and Alexander glance at him, but keep their mouths shut, while Dongho is unconcerned about everything surrounding him. Kiseop simply sinks further in his chair.
As expected, Eli can’t close his eyes the entire night, rotating himself from one side of the bed to the other, twisting his arms and legs in semi-contortion positions, straightening his body, then wiggling it in a fetus pose again, struggling upwards to pace the room several times, then bouncing on the mattress again with thwarting. It’s ridiculous how Kiseop simply existing there, in the same bed with Kevin, just a few feet from him, drives him insane. Why, he has no idea. After all, Kevin is nothing but his friend.
His best friend. Sharing his space with someone else, when it should have been Eli there, holding him to keep him warm and to feel his fragile figure scooting closer to him.
But it’s alright, because they’re just friends.
He manages to somehow fall asleep in the early hours of the morning, but quickly awakens due to the smell of bacon and eggs. He gets up lazily and gives a cold stare at the sheets, which are so rumpled it looks like a bunch of four-year-olds had a party on them the entire night.
He walks into the kitchen just to find a stack of pancakes with maple syrup on the table, a giant omelette on the largest plate Eli has ever seen -he didn’t even know they had plates like that- and bacon frying in a pan on the stove. Kiseop and Kevin are also there, trying to mush each other’s face with cream, as they giggle uncontrollably. He is disgusted by the sight, so he just sits quietly on a chair and looks around the dorm.
‘Where is everybody?’
‘Oh, morning.’ Kevin laughs, somewhat surprised by his being. ‘They left, said they had things to do. We have the day off and I heard someone mentioning something about a movie.’
‘Huh.’
‘I’m teaching Kiseop how to make an American breakfast. Wanna assist?’
‘No.’ Eli says bluntly and retrieves to the living room, where he turns on the TV and begins staring blankly at the screen. He doesn’t understand a thing the host is saying, but can overhear Kiseop laughing loudly from behind the wall.
Most annoying laugh in the world.
The two of them soon join him on the couch and Eli curses under his breath for not accepting the invitation from earlier, as his stomach growls in protest.
Through the constant chattering and laughter, Kiseop fails to pay attention to the bits of bacon in his fork, resulting in him dropping the content on the couch.
‘Be careful, will you?’ Eli snaps, throwing him a repulsed look. Kiseop immediately picks up the mess and feels guilty.
‘Cut him a little slack. He didn’t do it intentionally.’ Kevin says softly, taken aback by his reaction.
‘Well he should be more careful. This is not only his dorm, you know. Other people sit here.’ He replies, feeling his temper cooling ten degrees.
‘You didn’t react like this when Dongho spilled soda all over the carpet last week.’ Kevin reminds him.
‘Yeah, well, Dongho is a teen who doesn’t know crap about taking care of things. Him, on the other hand.’
‘Eli, come on.’ Kevin can’t believe his years. ‘It didn’t even stain, big deal.’
‘It could have. And stop defending him, like he doesn’t have a mouth.’
Kiseop’s eyes widen at that remark and starts scooting away from Eli as best as he can.
‘It won’t happen again.’ He mumbles, slowness overcoming his voice.
‘Are you even hearing yourself?’ Kevin raises his voice. ‘You’re being ridiculous.’
‘Well there’s something new under the sun.’ Eli grumbles, throwing himself up and out of the couch. He goes inside his room and locks the door behind.
Stage 3. Crossing the finish line
He thinks he might have a thing for Kevin.
A small, meaningless, probably soon-to-go-away phase, but still undeniably there. Which is absurd, since Kevin has always been, is and forever will be his best friend. He sometimes nags too much about how unhealthy Eli eats, how he spends too much money on trifles, how he is incapable of memorizing more than just a few Japanese phrases and how he shouldn’t send individual replies to fans on socializing sites, because they are for all eyes to see and favoritism can lead to fights. He also scolds him for always leaving his empty water bottles in the practice room, emphasizing that they’ll gather enough of them to create a life-sized mountain soon and bickers at his occasional snoring, whenever they share a bed. He tells him how he occupies too much space on the couch and how he needs to be more focused during interviews, not forgetting to also add that he should alternate his diet more, because the meals he eats are always full of calories.
Then again, Kevin also makes sure that Eli is always feeling alright, that he is warm during the night and properly hydrated during the day. He keeps him company when he is feeling down, even if the younger has his own business to attend to and sticks around to provide him with whatever he might need. He sometimes gives Eli the tastiest bite of his own food and lets him sleep and extra hour on weekends, lying to their manager by saying that he has gone to the gym or for a jog. He oftentimes lets Eli win when they’re playing games, because he knows how terrible the older is at strategy and wouldn’t get the upper hand otherwise. He also tells Eli how pretty he looks before a performance and squeezes his hand in reassurance prior to public appearances, just for the fact that no matter how tough or confident he may pose, Kevin knows he is still unmistakably human inside and needs comfort.
A week has already passed and Eli still hasn’t managed to get back into Kevin’s good books. The fight they had wasn’t an actual fight, which made the entire situation even more silly, not to mention that Kiseop was beginning to integrate himself better than anticipated.
He overhears Kevin complimenting him during dance practice on how good of a dancer he is and how fast he learns. Kibum, who is just as bothered by Kiseop’s presence as Eli is, pretends to dig a finger down his throat and puke, then makes a remark about how he is not that brilliant and walks away.
Things don’t change their course much for the next few days either and all Eli can do is sit back and endure an unending exhibition of smushy, lenient gestures and occasional flips of tenderness.
And these don’t help, they never do.
He stays behind one late evening in the practice room, simply because his pride is too ardent and forces him to become better than Kiseop. He plays the CD and begins gliding across the floor, frustrated how every little movement seems so far away from Kiseop’s smooth flow, how his legs bump against each other awkwardly and how his arms never seem quite in place. He isn’t able to keep his posture straight at all times, which gives a feeling of clumsiness.
The song is already about to end and all he can think of is that he’ll need about one more month to even match half of Kiseop’s performance, making him sigh with resentment. As he is about to restart the routine, he hears the door opening behind him. He turns surprised and meets Kevin’s confounded eyes.
‘Hey.’ He says in a small voice, closing the umbrella he is holding and placing it on a chair. ‘I didn’t know you were here.’
‘Well, now you do.’ Eli replies, feeling a tad guilty at his slightly cold tone of voice.
‘What are you doing?’ Kevin asks, going over to the stereo to stop the music.
‘I’m practicing. Thanks for turning that off, by the way.’
‘You don’t need to practice.’ One eyebrow goes up. ‘You already know the choreography.’
‘What is it to you, anyhow? Why did you even come back?’ he asks, annoyed at his own inexplicable anger. He feels dumb for treating Kevin like this, but doesn’t go back a notch.
‘Kiseop forgot his jacket.’ Kevin replies, pointing to the grey sweater hung on one of the pegs. Eli shoots him an overwrought look.
‘So what, now you’re also fetching his crap? He’ll soon ask you to feed him and change his diapers.’
Kevin stops dead in his tracks to look at him with objection, while Eli can’t believe what just came out of his mouth.
‘Eli, come on. What’s going on between the two of you? He didn’t do anything wrong to you.’
‘Here we go, with the defending again. Why don’t you hurry up and bring his jacket? You don’t want him to catch a cold. And if he does, you’ll probably stay by his bed all day long, bringing him hot soup and napkins.’
‘Excuse me?’ Kevin takes one step back.
‘Stop acting like you’re oblivious to all of this.’ Eli hisses. ‘We were supposed to go have lunch together, remember? And go to the video store to pick something to watch. Together. And you blow me off for someone you don’t even know that well.’
‘I blew you off because you started a fight, in case your memory is failing you.’
‘My memory is just fine.’
‘Well it doesn’t look like it.’ Kevin is visibly growing more and more affronted, if not disturbed, by the minute. ‘And I have all the rights to defend him, as he needs as much support as he can get right now, since he’s new and all. I don’t know why you’re so against him, but it won’t hurt being nice to him. I’m not asking you to actually do anything, just stop attacking him with every chance you get.’
‘Attacking him? You think I’m attacking him?’ Eli retorts thrown. ‘For starters, I’m not the one acting like a wimp in need of dire attention. He should pull his shit together and stop behaving like a limpet towards you, because he’s not a goddamn kid anymore. Second, don’t blame all of this on me, like I’m the only one not making him feel comfortable. The others barely speak to him. In fact, the last time I saw him talking with someone else besides you was two days ago, when he asked Soohyun if he can use the bathroom before him. And that was their entire brilliant dialog.’
Eli is not sure if Kevin grasped all of it, because he spoke too fast and precipitated. He is now breathing heavily through his nose, questioning his own sanity and wondering why on Earth would he have a sudden outburst like that.
‘At least the others are not being rude for no reason.’ Kevin roars. ‘You weren’t like this before, something changed you and I don’t know what it is. I’m not even sure I want to know, because it doesn’t look like something pretty. Whatever it is, why won’t you just talk to me?’
‘Because you’re always glued to him, that’s why. And let’s face it, we wouldn’t be fighting right now if it weren’t for him.’
‘For God’s sake, I’m not glued to him.’ Kevin gesticulates with his hands.
‘Fine, then he’s glued to you.’ Eli grumbles.
‘You are my best friend!’ Kevin shouts. ‘What happens now, you’ll avoid me for the rest of your life because he is part of our group? We need him, it’s beneficial for us as a team. It has nothing to do with me. I feel like I’m the only one trying sometimes, really.’
He turns around, seemingly exhausted and places his hands on his hips. Eli watches his face in the mirror and notices he has closed his eyes and is now trying to calm down. This is indeed stupid, Eli knows, so he goes over to him and embraces him from behind. Kevin, however, isn’t willing to let him get away with it, so he struggles out of the hug and runs out in the rain.
The older doesn’t hesitate a second and rushes after him, cursing the cold and spiky drops of water that seem to be piercing through his skin. He manages to catch up with Kevin and grabs his wrist, then spins him around and holds him close to his chest.
He feels Kevin trying to resist again, so he tightens the grip and caresses his hair, already soaking wet. The younger eventually melts into his touch and inhales the scent of his skin deeply, before looking up at him. He grazes his nape with the tips of his fingers, then slowly pushes his head towards him, until their lips collide. It’s a cold, but gentle kiss and Eli feels as if the entire world has just come crashing down upon him. Kevin feels fragile and wanting in his arms and, as he traces lines along his waist, he smiles at the sensation of hot skin, despite the almost-icy water pouring on them. They tangle their tongues messily and let small moans of pleasure escape, before they pull apart and look into each other’s eyes. They are both panting.
‘So.’ Kevin whispers.
‘So.’
‘Why do you hate him so much, again?’
‘Don’t ruin the moment by mentioning the midget.’ Eli rolls his eyes.
‘Stupid.’ He smacks him playfully, trying to look up by avoiding the rain drops falling on his face. ‘You should’ve said something.’
‘Well now you know.’
They start kissing again, with the umbrella and jacket forgotten in the practice room.