Meet The In-Laws
Title: Meet The In-Laws
Author eoryndal
Rating: r
Pairing: SuKai
Summary: On a rare weekend off, Suho visits his in-laws... em Kai's parents for the first time.
A/N: Inspired by this fanaccount and written for dee_fml's prompt.
"We live on the third floor. The apartment is really small," Jongin said, sounding apologetic, as he started climbing up the stairs. As far as he knew, Joonmyun's parents were pretty well-off and owned their own house. His parents' flat was nothing compared to that. "We had a bigger place but my parents moved here when I entered SM. You know, since my sisters are already out of the house too."
Joonmyun didn't know what to say to that. 'It's okay, I don't mind' and 'I'm sure it will be lovely' sounded dumb, even a bit condescending, if he thought about it. So he kept silent until Jongin stepped in front of one of the doors on the third floor and rang the bell. "Is it really okay for me to stay over? I don't want to inconvenience your parents. We didn't even call them."
It was their first free weekend since debut and for days everybody had talked about nothing else but their plans to visit their families. Joonmyun had been excited too -- until his mother had called him and said that she and his dad would have to attend the funeral of one of his father's colleagues who had passed away suddenly, leaving Joonmyun with the option to return to an empty home or stay in an equally empty dorm.
He had been crestfallen but had hidden it behind a forced smile. Everyone had been too busy packing their stuff and chattering happily to notice. So what if he couldn't see his parents this time? It was one of the things you had to get used to as an idol. What was one more weekend? He could spend it in the dance studio catching up on his footwork and enjoy a couple of quiet evenings with a good book undisturbed by his roommate Sehun's constant demands. As much as Joonmyun loved the maknae, he could be a handful.
Jongin, in his quiet, observing way, had noticed the sadness behind Joonmyun's smile though. He had grabbed Joonmyun's hand and the backpack Joonmyun had already packed in anticipation a few days ago and without further ado invited the older boy over.
That was how Joonmyun had ended up in front of Jongin's parents' apartment unannounced, feeling shy. And also sort of excited but scared of the fact that he'd be spending two days alone with Jongin.
Said boy was looking at him right now and instead of assuring him again that his parents wouldn't mind, he grinned playfully. "It's not like you take up much space."
Right when Joonmyun pulled his mouth into a pout and was about to make a lame comeback along the lines of 'size doesn't matter', the door was pulled open and Jongin was crushed in a tight hug.
"Mom," he groaned and struggled out of her hold but he couldn't help a broad smile stretching his lips even as she grabbed his cheeks between her hands embarrassingly and gushed. "Oh my dear boy! God, look at you, you've grown so thin. Come in, I prepared dinner." She clicked her tongue. "Do they even let you eat at that terrible place? My, my." And then she hugged him again.
"Mom! I'm happy to see you too. I brought a friend, is it okay if he stays over?"
"Oh." She laughed and released Jongin, giving him the chance to step back and to the side to let her poke her head out of the apartment door, saying hello to Joonmyun who bowed very politely. "Of course it's okay, dear. Come on in, boys."
Joonmyun stepped inside after Jongin, curiously letting his gaze wander through what he could see of the apartment from the entrance. It looked well lived in but comfortable and decorated lovingly. The warm, delicious smell of homemade food greeted him, making his stomach rumble. "Mom makes the best food," Jongin declared, eyes gleaming and cheeks still a bit flushed from being embarrassed over his mother's greeting. It was one of those moments he looked so painfully cute that Joonmyun wanted to grab him and smother him with kisses.
He was probably in trouble if he allowed himself to think like that.
The family gathered around a small table laden with plates of food and more side dishes than Joonmyun could count. All of them looked delicious. Jongin's mother ushered him to help himself but Joonmyun only bowed politely and was determined to wait until Jongin's father had filled his plate, his stomach growling again. When Jongin noticed his display of manners, he laughed at him, grabbed his plate and put a bit of everything on it, adding a huge spoon full of rice and meat. "Eat before you starve, idiot hyung." Jongin put the full plate in front of him and kicked him lightly.
"Jongin!" his mother chided. "Is that a way to treat your hyung?"
"Jongin-ah, are you not going to introduce your friend?" Jongin's father asked between bites.
"Ah, sorry! I forgot." Jongin chuckled. "Mom, dad, this is Kim Joonmyun. He's our band leader and..." As Jongin contemplated how best to describe Joonmyun, he tapped his chopsticks against his lips and Joonmyun tried not to stare. "...and my mentor," Jongin concluded completely serious and with warmth in his voice. His father simply made an approving sound and resumed eating but his mother started laughing at his choice of words.
"Mentor," she repeated and shifted her gaze to Joonmyun, grinning at him as if he were her accomplice. "I hope you've been teaching him lots of good things."
Jongin groaned at her but the worst thing was that Joonmyun actually laughed and then they both teased him about it. His friend and his mother making fun of him, Jongin wanted to die a little. So maybe he wasn't the best at expressing his feelings but they could show a bit of consideration towards him, couldn't they? Luckily, the doorbell rang in that moment and Jongin jumped up quickly to go answer the door.
A yelp, a tinkling sound and a surprised exclamation of "Monggu!" later, Jongin was sprawled on his back on the floor, cuddling a fuzzy, brown ball to his chest which sprouted a tiny, pink tongue and tried to lick his face.
"Look at that traitor. I take care of him but he still loves you more."
"Hi noona," Jongin beamed up from the floor in response.
"Yeah, yeah," she laughed and stepped over him into the apartment. "Hi mom and dad. Sorry I didn't call to tell you I was coming over. Gonna be pretty crowded. Oh god, food! Mom, I love you." She left her bags and coat on the couch in the living room and squeezed at the table. Somehow they managed to make room for one more plate.
"And you must be Joonmyun?"
He nodded and as soon as they had exchanged hellos, she started talking up a storm about how she tried to keep track of Exo's videos and interviews, then about her job and about her family. Joonmyun smiled inwardly at the difference between Jongin who was quite reserved most of the time and his talkative sister.
"Jongin-ah, don't you want to come back up and eat?" he said to the boy who was now sitting on the living room floor cross-legged, playing with his poodle. "I can scoot over a little to make more space." But Jongin was too absorbed in petting the little curly haired dog to notice Joonmyun talking to him. He looked so happy that the older boy let it slide and just watched him for a while, his chest feeling warm.
An elbow nudged him and when he turned around, he saw Jongin's sister grinning at him. "Good to see you have a soft spot for my baby brother. Please take good care of him, yeah?"
Joonmyun was about to open his mouth to promise when Jongin's mother chimed in.
"Oh, don't worry," she said with a chuckle. "Want to know how our Jonginnie introduced him?" And she told the story about how Jongin had called Joonmyun his mentor. The two women laughed heartily.
They spent the evening like this, eating and chatting, the occasional laughter filling the small apartment, until they found Jongin fast asleep with his back leaning against the couch, chin tucked to his chest and Monggu napping in his arms. Before they roused him, Jongin's sister snapped a picture with her phone which, knowing Jongin and his aversion to being seen in cute situations, would probably become a source of embarrassment to him later.
Jongin's sister adamantly refused to take the guest room, even though both boys said they could absolutely not let her sleep on the couch.
"You're our guest," she said to Joonmyun, the argument that voided all other arguments, before turning to Jongin. "And you always complain about your back pain. Go sleep in a real bed." She shooed the boys towards the bathroom. "Jonginnie knows where towels are and all that stuff."
They brushed their teeth in silence, standing next to each other in front of the sink, shoulders touching. Jongin's eyes kept falling close and his body swayed tiredly, so Joonmyun slung an arm around his waist to steady him. Or so he told himself when, in fact, it was an excuse to hold Jongin close. He was always so pliant and warm when he was tired. Joonmyun cast a glance at their joint reflection in the mirror and allowed himself to dream a little, even though he knew he would regret it later when he had to talk himself out of it again.
He thought they fit perfectly together but he knew his judgment wasn't exactly impartial.
Jongin bent down to spit and rinse his mouth, breaking the spell. When his head came back up, Joonmyun almost laughed out loud. Jongin had a bit of toothpaste foam left on his cheek close to the corner of his mouth. Without thinking, Joonmyun reached up to brush it away. Jongin jerked back momentarily, startled by the touch in his drowsy state, but then he saw Joonmyun and just let him.
Joonmyun's heart pounded heavily as he stared up into Jongin's tranquil face, taking a bit longer to clean the toothpaste stain than necessary because he wanted to savour the feel of Jongin's skin under his fingertips.
If he cupped the boy's face and leaned in for a kiss, would he let him? He closed his eyes, shaking his head inwardly. All things considered, he couldn't risk finding out.
They lay down together on the same bed since the guest room only had one. It was king-sized though and they each had their own set of pillows and blankets. Still, Joonmyun wondered how he could possibly close his eyes when Jongin lay only an arm's length away.
"Do you need anything else? More pillows, a glass of water, anything?" Jongin asked while he fluffed his pillow.
"I'm perfectly fine," Joonmyun answered but added, after a look at the thin tank top Jongin was wearing. "Aren't you going to freeze?"
Jongin dove face first into the pillow contentedly and tugged the blanket up. "When do I ever? Idiot hyung..." He reached over to Joonmyun's head and carded his hand through his hair slowly. Joonmyun's wide awake eyes met Jongin's sleepy ones. His hand reached the hood of the pullover Joonmyun was wearing.
"Hyung looks so cute in his hoodie," Jongin mumbled so quietly that Joonmyun almost didn't hear it. Jongin's fingers fiddled with the strings of Joonmyun's hood, tugging a bit so that it pulled close around his neck and he had to shift towards Jongin to get enough air. This reaction sparked an amused gleam in Jongin's eyes and he tugged with more purpose. Joonmyun followed willingly until his head landed on Jongin's pillow and the younger lifted a corner of his blanket, an offer Joonmyun gladly took. It wasn't often that Jongin allowed anyone this close, much less initiated contact himself.
Slinging an arm as casually as possible over Jongin's waist, Joonmyun let himself be engulfed by the heat radiating from his skin. He wanted to slide his hands up underneath Jongin's tank top, feel his back muscles under his palm and press fingertips into each dip of his spine. But there was a difference between cuddling and touching him like that.
"Hyung," Jongin whispered, a breath of warm air on his face that made Joonmyun open his eyes he hadn't noticed closing.
"Just now, in the bathroom..." His voice was low and a bit raspy. His fingers were still holding on to the strings of Joonmyun's hoodie. "I thought you were going to... I thought maybe you wanted... to kiss me?" The last words barely made a sound but they reverberated in Joonmyun's insides as he stared at Jongin unblinkingly, not knowing what to do now that this was out in the open.
Eventually, he lifted his hand from Jongin's waist and, even though it was noticeably trembling, brought it up to brush it over Jongin's cheek, close to the corner of his mouth, re-enacting the motion of cleaning the toothpaste stain. This time, however, he let his palm rest at Jongin's jawline the way he wanted to and ran his thumb very slowly, very lightly over Jongin's plush lips.
Without breaking eye contact, Jongin parted his lips and suddenly, he took Joonmyun's thumb into his mouth, pressing his hot, wet tongue against the underside, swallowing around it. Joonmyun jerked back, shocked at the jolt that had run through him and knocked the breath out of his lungs. Jongin followed insistently, rolling on top of him and pinning his body to the bed with the weight of his own. There was a desperate urgency in the way he pressed his lips to Joonmyun's.
Joonmyun kissed back until he felt like he was going to pass out. He shoved at Jongin's shoulders and turned his head to the side to gulp in huge breaths of air through his mouth, nose not enough.
"Wait," he panted as Jongin tried to re-attach his lips. "Need to breathe."
Jongin dropped his forehead half in the pillow, half in Joonmyun's hood. Only then did they notice that they had started grinding against each other. Jongin lifted his head and rolled his hips with more purpose, studying Joonmyun's face to gauge his reaction. Joonmyun threw his head back into the pillow and moaned a swearword.
"Sorry," Jongin mumbled.
"No! No, do that again." Joonmyun spread his legs to accommodate Jongin between them, placing his hands firmly on Jongin's backside as leverage to cant his own hips up and rub against Jongin's hardness. He would admire the fluid roll of Jongin's hips with which he met each of his thrusts but the maddening rub of their crotches left little room to notice anything else but the heady need to get off.
Jongin's hand grabbed the hem of his pullover blindly and shoved it up to his chest, their naked stomachs rubbing together now, since Jongin's tank top had also ridden up. Jongin moaned and bit his lip, increasing the speed of his movements.
Joonmyun grabbed the sides of Jongin's face and pulled him down for a kiss, angling his head so he could lick along the seam of his mouth. When Jongin parted his lips, Joonmyun nudged them wider open and then thrust his tongue in and out in an unmistakable imitation of fucking. Jongin's cheeks heated up under his palms as his hips adjusted unconsciously to the rhythm the older set with his tongue, jaw slack and lost in pleasure. He came with tensed, stuttering hips and Joonmyun swallowed his moans and saliva. Jongin kept his lips attached to Joonmyun's, breathing harshly through his nose, as he lay sweaty and heavy on top of him until he came down from his high. "Good?" Joonmyun tried to ask against Jongin's lips but it came out mostly unintelligible. Jongin just pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before sliding off of him and diving under the blanket.
Joonmyun's breath hitched as Jongin's warm hand pushed his sweatpants and boxers down over his sensitive erection. And then he felt Jongin's lips on the head of his cock. He tensed his muscles as hard as he could in order not to buck his pelvis in Jongin's face and come right then and there. He was glad for the little breather he got when Jongin detached his lips again. But then he could do nothing but wait for what would come next. Jongin took his time until Joonmyun was so wound up he thought he might explode from anticipation.
Jongin's spit-slicked hand around his cock came suddenly and brought such perfect tightness that he let out a whimper as his whole body convulsed and thrashed in the bedsheets. Jongin moved his curled fingers in long strokes, tight around the tip, and with a little rub of his thumb over the slit. It made Joonmyun wonder if this was the same way he touched himself. It was that image in his mind, Jongin with his beautiful, long legs spread, thrusting into his own hand, that made him come. Jongin caught everything in his cupped hand and emerged from the blanket with tousled, sweaty hair and a sheepish grin on his flushed face.
"Hyung, I-" Cutting him off, Joonmyun pecked his lips. "I wanted t-" Joonmyun made a game of interrupting him again and again with little kisses until Jongin made an annoyed sound and clamped his clean hand over Joonmyun's mouth. The older only chuckled in response, nuzzled Jongin's hand and closed his eyes, humming as a sign that he was going to listen now.
"Hyung... I wanted to do it with my mouth. But I... I don't know." Joonmyun could feel the hot embarrassment radiating from him. "I couldn't do it," Jongin finished lamely.
Joonmyun put his own hand over the one on his mouth and pressed his lips to Jongin's palm for a reassuring while before speaking. "Don't worry. It was perfect."
Jongin sat in the middle of the huge bed, clothes wrinkled, hair in a mess, and smiling shyly at himself with eyes downcast. Joonmyun felt a wonderful, warm swelling in his chest and he wondered if you could love someone so much that you burst into a million tiny stars and expanded like a new universe. He took a deep breath. "I lo-"
Jongin spoke at the same time and Joonmyun closed his mouth quickly.
"I think I should go to the bathroom, uhm, clean up a bit," Jongin said with a glance at the hand he was still holding up at an awkward angle to prevent the cum from dripping down onto the sheets. He jumped off the foot of the bed and made his way to the bathroom. Joonmyun didn't mind that he forgot to close the bedroom door fully behind him, turning towards the crack instead, through which the sound of splashing water reached him, drowsily waiting for Jongin's return. He came back butt naked, picking a pair of fresh boxers from his drawer before climbing back under the covers with Joonmyun.
At first, they lay facing each other but when Jongin couldn't take Joonmyun's loving smile any longer, he scrambled over him not too gently to press his face between Joonmyun's shoulder blades. He was out in a few minutes, warm breath fanning over Joonmyun's back and heating up a patch of his hoodie. It was a funny feeling but Joonmyun wanted to snuggle into it.
It was definitely not every day that he woke up with arms locked tight around his waist and a boner pressed to the back of his thighs. He liked the swirling feeling in his stomach he got whenever he thought of Jongin. It was even more intense now with the fresh memory of how he looked like when he came.
Joonmyun tried to turn around in Jongin's arms without waking the other up, but he was met with a slight stirring and eyelashes fluttering open. Jongin's gaze landed on his face, dark eyes sparkling. "Hi," Joonmyun said a little breathlessly right before Jongin kissed him and pulled him flush against his body. "Hyung," Jongin sighed when his morning wood came into contact with Joonmyun's pelvis and he let his eyes drop close again, rutting against Joonmyun with languid movements.
Joonmyun pushed a hand between their bodies -- Jongin's skin was searing hot from sleeping in a warm bed -- and dragged it teasingly over the front of his boxers, down over his balls and between his legs, then back up again. As he reached the waistline, he slipped his hand beneath it, touching Jongin's dick for the first time unobstructed by layers of cloth. He felt the smooth skin pulled taut over his swollen shaft, protruding veins and the tip made slippery by precome.
Jongin's breaths sped up, he threw his head back and rolled his hips, sliding his cock in and out of Joonmyun's fist at his own pace. Joonmyun tried to catch all of his release in his hand the same way Jongin had done for him the evening before. When he retracted his hand, Jongin rolled on his stomach and stretched like a cat. "Mmmh," he moaned deep in his throat, sounding wonderfully sated.
Joonmyun let him doze while he himself took a quick shower, a little colder than usual to counter the heat swirling in his veins. When he came back, Jongin was asleep in the same position, with his long, lithe body stretched out over the whole length of the bed. The morning sun made his skin glow golden like honey, like a dream. The moment was too perfect to just let it elapse, so Joonmyun pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Jongin. It wasn't weird, was it, since they were... What were they now?
A soft knock on the door yanked him out of his thoughts. He pulled the doorknob and was greeted with Jongin's smiling mother wishing him a good morning. "I made breakfast," she said. "I thought I heard you in the bathroom so I figured you boys were awake."
"That was me in the bathroom. Jonginnie is..." Joonmyun trailed off and looked over his shoulder back into the room where the younger was still sleeping unperturbed on the bed. Jongin's mother saw him too and smiled indulgently.
"I'm glad he's sleeping well. And about breakfast, just come to the kitchen any time you're ready. Oh, do you want coffee or juice?"
Joonmyun looked back at Jongin's mother and suddenly he was too aware of the fact that this woman's son was as blissed out as he was only because Joonmyun had had sex with him. He felt like it was branded to his forehead with a hot iron. His palm was sweaty on the doorknob. "Juice, please?" he asked feebly. After she left, he closed the door and staggered to the bed, trying to ignore the sinking feeling as if someone had dropped a stone into his stomach. He was about to climb onto the bed to shake Jongin awake when he noticed how obviously un-slept-in his side looked. The stone turned into a heavy boulder.
And this was how he knew it was not a dream. Because in a dream world, he wouldn't have to worry about parents, about managers and CEOs, about the eye of the public, about anyone who might disapprove of his love.
He sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, stroking a hand gently down Jongin's back. No, this might be the real world with all its consequences but he would never regret loving this boy.
Jongin sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from his eyes. When he noticed the look on Joonymun's face, he frowned. "What's wrong?"
Joonmyun shook his head a little and smoothed out his furrowed brow. "I was just... Your mother was here to tell us breakfast is ready." He hesitated a bit. "Jongin, what if your parents know? They'll hate... well, disapprove of me for sure, don't you think? Or worse, they might hate you."
"They love me no matter what," Jongin said like it was the easiest thing in the world. Joonmyun wished he could be as sure as him. "And they love you, too. My mom adores you."
"But-"
"No buts," Jongin said and leaned in, angling his head and giving Joonmyun a slow, sweet kiss. "I want breakfast. Come on, hyung!"
Since Jongin's father and sister were out taking Monggu for a walk, breakfast was a relatively quiet affair except for Jongin's mother chiding him for not dressing properly when he had a guest. In all honesty, Joonmyun didn't mind one bit that Jongin sat there in nothing but the same boxers and tank top he had slept in. He was happy simply because Jongin looked so comfortable. "Mom, hyung and I live in the same dorm. He's seen me in much worse states," Jongin argued and made Joonmyun blush slightly by rubbing his bare ankles up and down Joonmyun's calves. The radio played quietly in the background.
When Jongin was halfway into his third helping, his mother started washing the other dishes and Joonmyun, having already finished breakfast, jumped up to help her, even though she protested that it really wasn't necessary. Once empty, Jongin brought his plate and glass over to the sink. "Thank you, dear. Now please get dressed."
This time, Jongin conceded. He and Joonmyun had to return to their dorm in the evening anyway and as much as he'd like to lounge around all day, he didn't have any other choice but to wear clothes at the end of the day anyway. When he came back from the bathroom, the other two were still cleaning things up in the kitchen, chatting and sometimes asking Joonmyun to sing along to the radio. Jongin was mildly annoyed at his mother's behaviour, hoping it didn't make his friend uncomfortable, but then again, he was really glad that his mother liked Joonmyun so much and that he liked her, too, albeit still seeming a bit cautious.
Jongin would like to steal Joonmyun away though, lazing around on the bed in the guest room, reading comics or playing games on their phones. But they ended up in the living room somehow, playing Go Stop with Jongin's father. He was not a man of many words but everyone could tell he was really happy that day. He seemed genuinely proud of his son. Jongin was not as happy but the reason for that was that he lost most rounds of the card game. In all honesty, he was terrible at almost all games, so he wasn't surprised at all. Almost expecting to lose, he even narrowed his eyes at Joonmyun when the older was hit by a string of bad luck suspiciously, as if he lost on purpose to give Jongin the chance to win at least a few times. Joonmyun just laughed sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders like it couldn't be helped when he lost again.
All too soon, it was meal time, late lunch or early dinner, they weren't sure but they arranged it like that to leave enough time for Jongin and Joonmyun to pack their things and go back in the early evening. Incessant chatter filled the room once again, Jongin's sister playing a big part in that, but Joonmyun noticed that Jongin was exceptionally quiet. He stroked his knee under the table and shot him a questioning look. Jongin smiled vaguely in response and mouthed 'just thinking'. Joonmyun let it go for now.
After their meal, Joonmyun offered his help with the dishes again but this time, Jongin's mother dismissed it with a wave of her hand, telling him not to worry about it and go pack or use the few last moments to relax some more.
Jongin pulled him to the guest room, closing the door behind them. "Stop charming my mom. I bet she won't stop gushing over what a nice and polite young man you are or something."
"Well, I do have good manners," Joonmyun said airily, smiling like an angel. He couldn't help wanting to tease the younger when he pouted like that.
"Except when you put your hand in my pants first thing in the morning."
Joonmyun gaped. Jongin could see the smile slipping off his face but that wasn't what he wanted. He stepped in front of Joonmyun quickly and closed his arms tight around his shoulders, hugging him and speaking into the crown of his hair.
"Sorry," he chuckled. Then, in a more serious tone, he said. "It was good, though. I... I want to stay here. With you. I don't want to go back."
"Jongin-"
"I mean, of course I want to go back to dancing! To Exo. It's all I ever wanted. It's all I know how to do. But we spend so much time practicing and then... everything. I can't just say I love you and time will stop and everyone will disappear for a while so we can just... be together."
Even while half of Joonmyun's heart danced in joy because Jongin said he loved him, the other half was breaking. He lifted his head to kiss Jongin on the lips, closing his eyes and letting the feeling settle deep in his bones. "It's not going to be easy." Unspoken went the words '...but we are both persistent, aren't we?' Instead, he held Jongin tight.
The minutes ticked by until the alarm on his phone went off. He smiled dismally at Jongin. "We have to leave if we want to catch the 5:45."
Jongin nodded. They grabbed their backpacks and carried them to the front door. They were just about to take on their jackets and shoes when the tinkling sound of Monggu's collar could be heard and the little dog dashed towards them. The tiny poodle hopped around between their legs like a sheepdog trying to keep his flock together. But in the end he gave up, sat on his hind legs and yapped and whined pitifully because he could sense that they were about to leave him.
Jongin's sister appeared from the living room to see what all the commotion was about. "Oh, you're leaving already?"
Jongin nodded. "Yeah, we have to hurry up if we want to catch the bus."
"Why didn't you say anything?" she laughed. "I can drop you off at the dorm on my way."
"Ah, thank you, but that's really not nec-"
"Awesome! Thank you, noona. When do you want to leave?" Jongin was already tugging his shoes back off.
"Half an hour? I still have to pack my things and there's something I wanted to talk about with mom first."
"Alright. We're in the living room. Call us when you're ready."
Joonmyun didn't get any say in the matter, he was tugged after Jongin to the living room and shoved on the smaller couch, throwing a slightly confused smile at Jongin's parents who were sitting on the bigger couch, watching tv. Jongin sprawled over Joonmyun's lap and the remaining space of the small couch, legs dangling over the armrest. He pulled out his phone and started a racing game. Even before Monggu came jumping on his chest and obstructed his view, he kept losing, but then he just switched the game off in favour of petting his dog gently.
And Joonmyun, Joonmyun couldn't think of anything that made him as happy and peaceful as watching this affectionate boy in his lap. He stroked the curly fur with never-ending patience until the little dog curled into a ball on his chest and fell asleep. Smiling, he looked up then and his gently gleaming eyes met Joonmyun's, binding their gaze for one endless moment. Joonmyun's chest filled up so much that he had no room left for air to breathe.
"I love you!" The thought rang so loud in his head that he was almost sure he had spoken it out loud. But Jongin's parents continued watching the tv and Jongin's eyes continued glowing and the clock continued ticking.
The drive in Jongin's sister's car was rather quiet, as she had to keep her attention on the road and the two boys in the backseat were wrapped in a silence like the one after waking up from a deep slumber and wondering if you're still dreaming. The city lights blinked outside of the car windows as the glistening skyscrapers of Seoul's dream factory district rose out of their reflections in the Han river.
"Ah, noona! Maybe it's better if you drop us off here. There are probably fans outside the building and I bet you don't want to have to change your licence plate."
"Alright." She pulled over and, after stopping the car, turned around in her seat. "Hey, Jonginnie," she called softly, her voice wavering a little. Jongin looked up. "Promise me to take good care of yourself. Eat well, okay?"
Jongin's eyes crinkled. "Promise me to take good care of Monggu!"
She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yah! Come here." Partly blocked by the backrest of the driver's seat, she pulled him into an awkward hug which was nonetheless full of warmth. Reluctant, but pretending he wasn't, Jongin pulled out of her embrace and stepped out of the car, hiding behind a thick scarf and a cap he pulled low over his eyes.
"Thank you for the ride." Joonmyun bowed politely before snuggling into his plain hoodie and his bulging down jacket.
"Don't mention it." Jongin's sister smiled. "It was great to get to know you. Come visit us again soon!"
They watched her car weave back into the traffic before shouldering their backpacks and making their way down a few blocks and around a corner.
"Your family is so nice. I love them."
"Me too," Jongin hummed.
"Yeah, I love you too." Joonmyun chuckled and bumped his shoulder against Jongin's while walking. He thought maybe if the boy's cap didn't plaster his hair over his ears, the tips of them might turn red the way they were prone to.
"That's not-"
"What you meant. I know. It's true though. I really do." Joonmyun smiled up at him, heart singing. He returned to grinning to himself when he saw that Jongin was avoiding meeting his eyes. That was how Jongin was. He'd probably pull his hand away if Joonmyun attempted to hold it. But he made Joonmyun wear his gloves when he saw him trying to knead warmth into his fingertips as they were waiting for the traffic signal at a crossroad and he let him walk so close by his side that their elbows were brushing constantly.
They took a route that led them to the back of their building where they entered swiftly, unnoticed by fans. An elevator took them up several floors but when the light signal announced their arrival at their floor and Joonmyun stepped to the doors, Jongin jammed his finger quickly on the button that held them close.
"Hyung, wait. Just..."
Joonmyun turned back around, eyed Jongin's finger on the button and let his gaze travel up until their eyes locked. One big step and he slammed Jongin's body into the solid wall of the elevator, brushing the cap off his face and claiming his lips in a bruising kiss. Jongin reciprocated with the same fervent hunger, more biting than kissing, one hand on the back of Joonmyun's neck holding him in place as he licked hotly into his mouth.
"Okay," he panted when he pulled back and switched his trembling finger from the 'close' button to the one that opened the elevator doors. "Now we can go."
Slightly dishevelled, they stumbled into the dorm, drawing the attention of Baekhyun who had just walked past the front door on his way to the kitchen. He made a u-turn and stopped in front of the two, hip leaning against the wooden shoe rack.
"Well hello. Look who's back." He showed a broad grin. "How'd it go?"
"How did what go?" asked an unsuspecting Joonmyun as he bent down to untie his shoelaces.
Sehun came and draped himself over Baekhyun's shoulders, munching on a handful of dried mango chips, laughing grossly with his mouth open when Baekhyun said. "Meeting your in-laws."
"My what?" Startled, Joonmyun got his fingers tangled in his shoelaces somehow and almost tripped over. It caused his phone to slip out of his pocket, clattering onto the floor and coming to rest somewhere out of his reach. Jongin, having already toed off his shoes, was about to go pick it up when Chanyeol who had come to join them together with Kyungsoo stooped down and picked it up.
"Wait, what's that?" Baekhyun's voice was laced with curiosity as he grabbed Chanyeol's wrist preventing him from giving the phone back to Joonmyun and snatched the phone himself. He squinted at the screen, suddenly breaking into laughter. "Why is there porn on your screen, hyung?"
Everybody -- minus a red-faced Jongin who was busying himself with his backpack in what looked like an attempt to merge into the coat rack -- crowded around Baekhyun, trying to snatch the device and have a look at it. "Gay porn," Sehun emphasized and giggled immaturely. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo made cat-calls and the tallest held the phone out of Joonmyun's reach.
"Give me that," Joonmyun said in his leader voice. "I don't even know what you're talking about." He held out his hand and Chanyeol placed the phone in it, ultimately unable to disobey Joonmyun when he was being stern.
Brows furrowed, Joonmyun glanced at the screen of his phone and his frown turned into a smile the moment he realized that it was set to change the background automatically to the last picture he had taken which was, in this case, a sleeping Jongin. It did look quite sensual the way he was sprawled on the bed, Joonmyun had to admit now that he looked at it this way but surely the others could tell that it wasn't some cheap picture to get off on?
"That's not porn," he told them in seriousness, eyes wide and honest. "It's Jongin."
Jongin dropped his backpack which caused Sehun to laugh at him loudly. Kyungsoo, however, ignored the younger and smiled sweetly at Joonmyun.
"Porn, Jongin, that's the same to you." Everybody gasped and turned their heads to stare at Kyungsoo. Although inwardly pleased at their reaction, Kyungsoo kept a straight face and didn't show the smugness he felt at his unfailing talent to strike when least expected. Instead, he pointed at the mess in the entranceway, shoes lying strewn everywhere amidst half of the contents of Jongin's backpack, like he hadn't just embarrassed two of his friends to the bones. "We'll have to clean that up before Chanyeol falls over it in the morning with his uncoordinated limbs."
Chanyeol's exclaims that he was not uncoordinated drowned in the general moans and complaints at the prospect of cleaning the chaos. Sehun proposed the usual game of rock, paper, scissors to decide who would be the lucky one for the job. It was Joonmyun who lost, accepting his duty with a burdened sigh. Sehun had the decency to look apologetic for a split second, before his default blank expression was back on his face, he stretched his arms up behind his head and wandered off to the kitchen, doubtlessly to roam the cabinets for more snacks.
The others scampered off as well, lest Joonmyun asked any of them to give him a helping hand. It didn't surprise Joonmyun one bit. What he did not expect, therefore, was to bump into someone else's hand when he reached out to put a pair of sneakers on the rack.
"Oh." He blinked at Jongin. "Since when do you volunteer for tidying up?"
"People can laugh at me all they want, but you are my mentor after all," Jongin mumbled and looked away, pretending like he had not felt a jolt of electricity at the touch of their hands.
Author eoryndal
Rating: r
Pairing: SuKai
Summary: On a rare weekend off, Suho visits his in-laws... em Kai's parents for the first time.
A/N: Inspired by this fanaccount and written for dee_fml's prompt.
"We live on the third floor. The apartment is really small," Jongin said, sounding apologetic, as he started climbing up the stairs. As far as he knew, Joonmyun's parents were pretty well-off and owned their own house. His parents' flat was nothing compared to that. "We had a bigger place but my parents moved here when I entered SM. You know, since my sisters are already out of the house too."
Joonmyun didn't know what to say to that. 'It's okay, I don't mind' and 'I'm sure it will be lovely' sounded dumb, even a bit condescending, if he thought about it. So he kept silent until Jongin stepped in front of one of the doors on the third floor and rang the bell. "Is it really okay for me to stay over? I don't want to inconvenience your parents. We didn't even call them."
It was their first free weekend since debut and for days everybody had talked about nothing else but their plans to visit their families. Joonmyun had been excited too -- until his mother had called him and said that she and his dad would have to attend the funeral of one of his father's colleagues who had passed away suddenly, leaving Joonmyun with the option to return to an empty home or stay in an equally empty dorm.
He had been crestfallen but had hidden it behind a forced smile. Everyone had been too busy packing their stuff and chattering happily to notice. So what if he couldn't see his parents this time? It was one of the things you had to get used to as an idol. What was one more weekend? He could spend it in the dance studio catching up on his footwork and enjoy a couple of quiet evenings with a good book undisturbed by his roommate Sehun's constant demands. As much as Joonmyun loved the maknae, he could be a handful.
Jongin, in his quiet, observing way, had noticed the sadness behind Joonmyun's smile though. He had grabbed Joonmyun's hand and the backpack Joonmyun had already packed in anticipation a few days ago and without further ado invited the older boy over.
That was how Joonmyun had ended up in front of Jongin's parents' apartment unannounced, feeling shy. And also sort of excited but scared of the fact that he'd be spending two days alone with Jongin.
Said boy was looking at him right now and instead of assuring him again that his parents wouldn't mind, he grinned playfully. "It's not like you take up much space."
Right when Joonmyun pulled his mouth into a pout and was about to make a lame comeback along the lines of 'size doesn't matter', the door was pulled open and Jongin was crushed in a tight hug.
"Mom," he groaned and struggled out of her hold but he couldn't help a broad smile stretching his lips even as she grabbed his cheeks between her hands embarrassingly and gushed. "Oh my dear boy! God, look at you, you've grown so thin. Come in, I prepared dinner." She clicked her tongue. "Do they even let you eat at that terrible place? My, my." And then she hugged him again.
"Mom! I'm happy to see you too. I brought a friend, is it okay if he stays over?"
"Oh." She laughed and released Jongin, giving him the chance to step back and to the side to let her poke her head out of the apartment door, saying hello to Joonmyun who bowed very politely. "Of course it's okay, dear. Come on in, boys."
Joonmyun stepped inside after Jongin, curiously letting his gaze wander through what he could see of the apartment from the entrance. It looked well lived in but comfortable and decorated lovingly. The warm, delicious smell of homemade food greeted him, making his stomach rumble. "Mom makes the best food," Jongin declared, eyes gleaming and cheeks still a bit flushed from being embarrassed over his mother's greeting. It was one of those moments he looked so painfully cute that Joonmyun wanted to grab him and smother him with kisses.
He was probably in trouble if he allowed himself to think like that.
The family gathered around a small table laden with plates of food and more side dishes than Joonmyun could count. All of them looked delicious. Jongin's mother ushered him to help himself but Joonmyun only bowed politely and was determined to wait until Jongin's father had filled his plate, his stomach growling again. When Jongin noticed his display of manners, he laughed at him, grabbed his plate and put a bit of everything on it, adding a huge spoon full of rice and meat. "Eat before you starve, idiot hyung." Jongin put the full plate in front of him and kicked him lightly.
"Jongin!" his mother chided. "Is that a way to treat your hyung?"
"Jongin-ah, are you not going to introduce your friend?" Jongin's father asked between bites.
"Ah, sorry! I forgot." Jongin chuckled. "Mom, dad, this is Kim Joonmyun. He's our band leader and..." As Jongin contemplated how best to describe Joonmyun, he tapped his chopsticks against his lips and Joonmyun tried not to stare. "...and my mentor," Jongin concluded completely serious and with warmth in his voice. His father simply made an approving sound and resumed eating but his mother started laughing at his choice of words.
"Mentor," she repeated and shifted her gaze to Joonmyun, grinning at him as if he were her accomplice. "I hope you've been teaching him lots of good things."
Jongin groaned at her but the worst thing was that Joonmyun actually laughed and then they both teased him about it. His friend and his mother making fun of him, Jongin wanted to die a little. So maybe he wasn't the best at expressing his feelings but they could show a bit of consideration towards him, couldn't they? Luckily, the doorbell rang in that moment and Jongin jumped up quickly to go answer the door.
A yelp, a tinkling sound and a surprised exclamation of "Monggu!" later, Jongin was sprawled on his back on the floor, cuddling a fuzzy, brown ball to his chest which sprouted a tiny, pink tongue and tried to lick his face.
"Look at that traitor. I take care of him but he still loves you more."
"Hi noona," Jongin beamed up from the floor in response.
"Yeah, yeah," she laughed and stepped over him into the apartment. "Hi mom and dad. Sorry I didn't call to tell you I was coming over. Gonna be pretty crowded. Oh god, food! Mom, I love you." She left her bags and coat on the couch in the living room and squeezed at the table. Somehow they managed to make room for one more plate.
"And you must be Joonmyun?"
He nodded and as soon as they had exchanged hellos, she started talking up a storm about how she tried to keep track of Exo's videos and interviews, then about her job and about her family. Joonmyun smiled inwardly at the difference between Jongin who was quite reserved most of the time and his talkative sister.
"Jongin-ah, don't you want to come back up and eat?" he said to the boy who was now sitting on the living room floor cross-legged, playing with his poodle. "I can scoot over a little to make more space." But Jongin was too absorbed in petting the little curly haired dog to notice Joonmyun talking to him. He looked so happy that the older boy let it slide and just watched him for a while, his chest feeling warm.
An elbow nudged him and when he turned around, he saw Jongin's sister grinning at him. "Good to see you have a soft spot for my baby brother. Please take good care of him, yeah?"
Joonmyun was about to open his mouth to promise when Jongin's mother chimed in.
"Oh, don't worry," she said with a chuckle. "Want to know how our Jonginnie introduced him?" And she told the story about how Jongin had called Joonmyun his mentor. The two women laughed heartily.
They spent the evening like this, eating and chatting, the occasional laughter filling the small apartment, until they found Jongin fast asleep with his back leaning against the couch, chin tucked to his chest and Monggu napping in his arms. Before they roused him, Jongin's sister snapped a picture with her phone which, knowing Jongin and his aversion to being seen in cute situations, would probably become a source of embarrassment to him later.
Jongin's sister adamantly refused to take the guest room, even though both boys said they could absolutely not let her sleep on the couch.
"You're our guest," she said to Joonmyun, the argument that voided all other arguments, before turning to Jongin. "And you always complain about your back pain. Go sleep in a real bed." She shooed the boys towards the bathroom. "Jonginnie knows where towels are and all that stuff."
They brushed their teeth in silence, standing next to each other in front of the sink, shoulders touching. Jongin's eyes kept falling close and his body swayed tiredly, so Joonmyun slung an arm around his waist to steady him. Or so he told himself when, in fact, it was an excuse to hold Jongin close. He was always so pliant and warm when he was tired. Joonmyun cast a glance at their joint reflection in the mirror and allowed himself to dream a little, even though he knew he would regret it later when he had to talk himself out of it again.
He thought they fit perfectly together but he knew his judgment wasn't exactly impartial.
Jongin bent down to spit and rinse his mouth, breaking the spell. When his head came back up, Joonmyun almost laughed out loud. Jongin had a bit of toothpaste foam left on his cheek close to the corner of his mouth. Without thinking, Joonmyun reached up to brush it away. Jongin jerked back momentarily, startled by the touch in his drowsy state, but then he saw Joonmyun and just let him.
Joonmyun's heart pounded heavily as he stared up into Jongin's tranquil face, taking a bit longer to clean the toothpaste stain than necessary because he wanted to savour the feel of Jongin's skin under his fingertips.
If he cupped the boy's face and leaned in for a kiss, would he let him? He closed his eyes, shaking his head inwardly. All things considered, he couldn't risk finding out.
They lay down together on the same bed since the guest room only had one. It was king-sized though and they each had their own set of pillows and blankets. Still, Joonmyun wondered how he could possibly close his eyes when Jongin lay only an arm's length away.
"Do you need anything else? More pillows, a glass of water, anything?" Jongin asked while he fluffed his pillow.
"I'm perfectly fine," Joonmyun answered but added, after a look at the thin tank top Jongin was wearing. "Aren't you going to freeze?"
Jongin dove face first into the pillow contentedly and tugged the blanket up. "When do I ever? Idiot hyung..." He reached over to Joonmyun's head and carded his hand through his hair slowly. Joonmyun's wide awake eyes met Jongin's sleepy ones. His hand reached the hood of the pullover Joonmyun was wearing.
"Hyung looks so cute in his hoodie," Jongin mumbled so quietly that Joonmyun almost didn't hear it. Jongin's fingers fiddled with the strings of Joonmyun's hood, tugging a bit so that it pulled close around his neck and he had to shift towards Jongin to get enough air. This reaction sparked an amused gleam in Jongin's eyes and he tugged with more purpose. Joonmyun followed willingly until his head landed on Jongin's pillow and the younger lifted a corner of his blanket, an offer Joonmyun gladly took. It wasn't often that Jongin allowed anyone this close, much less initiated contact himself.
Slinging an arm as casually as possible over Jongin's waist, Joonmyun let himself be engulfed by the heat radiating from his skin. He wanted to slide his hands up underneath Jongin's tank top, feel his back muscles under his palm and press fingertips into each dip of his spine. But there was a difference between cuddling and touching him like that.
"Hyung," Jongin whispered, a breath of warm air on his face that made Joonmyun open his eyes he hadn't noticed closing.
"Just now, in the bathroom..." His voice was low and a bit raspy. His fingers were still holding on to the strings of Joonmyun's hoodie. "I thought you were going to... I thought maybe you wanted... to kiss me?" The last words barely made a sound but they reverberated in Joonmyun's insides as he stared at Jongin unblinkingly, not knowing what to do now that this was out in the open.
Eventually, he lifted his hand from Jongin's waist and, even though it was noticeably trembling, brought it up to brush it over Jongin's cheek, close to the corner of his mouth, re-enacting the motion of cleaning the toothpaste stain. This time, however, he let his palm rest at Jongin's jawline the way he wanted to and ran his thumb very slowly, very lightly over Jongin's plush lips.
Without breaking eye contact, Jongin parted his lips and suddenly, he took Joonmyun's thumb into his mouth, pressing his hot, wet tongue against the underside, swallowing around it. Joonmyun jerked back, shocked at the jolt that had run through him and knocked the breath out of his lungs. Jongin followed insistently, rolling on top of him and pinning his body to the bed with the weight of his own. There was a desperate urgency in the way he pressed his lips to Joonmyun's.
Joonmyun kissed back until he felt like he was going to pass out. He shoved at Jongin's shoulders and turned his head to the side to gulp in huge breaths of air through his mouth, nose not enough.
"Wait," he panted as Jongin tried to re-attach his lips. "Need to breathe."
Jongin dropped his forehead half in the pillow, half in Joonmyun's hood. Only then did they notice that they had started grinding against each other. Jongin lifted his head and rolled his hips with more purpose, studying Joonmyun's face to gauge his reaction. Joonmyun threw his head back into the pillow and moaned a swearword.
"Sorry," Jongin mumbled.
"No! No, do that again." Joonmyun spread his legs to accommodate Jongin between them, placing his hands firmly on Jongin's backside as leverage to cant his own hips up and rub against Jongin's hardness. He would admire the fluid roll of Jongin's hips with which he met each of his thrusts but the maddening rub of their crotches left little room to notice anything else but the heady need to get off.
Jongin's hand grabbed the hem of his pullover blindly and shoved it up to his chest, their naked stomachs rubbing together now, since Jongin's tank top had also ridden up. Jongin moaned and bit his lip, increasing the speed of his movements.
Joonmyun grabbed the sides of Jongin's face and pulled him down for a kiss, angling his head so he could lick along the seam of his mouth. When Jongin parted his lips, Joonmyun nudged them wider open and then thrust his tongue in and out in an unmistakable imitation of fucking. Jongin's cheeks heated up under his palms as his hips adjusted unconsciously to the rhythm the older set with his tongue, jaw slack and lost in pleasure. He came with tensed, stuttering hips and Joonmyun swallowed his moans and saliva. Jongin kept his lips attached to Joonmyun's, breathing harshly through his nose, as he lay sweaty and heavy on top of him until he came down from his high. "Good?" Joonmyun tried to ask against Jongin's lips but it came out mostly unintelligible. Jongin just pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth before sliding off of him and diving under the blanket.
Joonmyun's breath hitched as Jongin's warm hand pushed his sweatpants and boxers down over his sensitive erection. And then he felt Jongin's lips on the head of his cock. He tensed his muscles as hard as he could in order not to buck his pelvis in Jongin's face and come right then and there. He was glad for the little breather he got when Jongin detached his lips again. But then he could do nothing but wait for what would come next. Jongin took his time until Joonmyun was so wound up he thought he might explode from anticipation.
Jongin's spit-slicked hand around his cock came suddenly and brought such perfect tightness that he let out a whimper as his whole body convulsed and thrashed in the bedsheets. Jongin moved his curled fingers in long strokes, tight around the tip, and with a little rub of his thumb over the slit. It made Joonmyun wonder if this was the same way he touched himself. It was that image in his mind, Jongin with his beautiful, long legs spread, thrusting into his own hand, that made him come. Jongin caught everything in his cupped hand and emerged from the blanket with tousled, sweaty hair and a sheepish grin on his flushed face.
"Hyung, I-" Cutting him off, Joonmyun pecked his lips. "I wanted t-" Joonmyun made a game of interrupting him again and again with little kisses until Jongin made an annoyed sound and clamped his clean hand over Joonmyun's mouth. The older only chuckled in response, nuzzled Jongin's hand and closed his eyes, humming as a sign that he was going to listen now.
"Hyung... I wanted to do it with my mouth. But I... I don't know." Joonmyun could feel the hot embarrassment radiating from him. "I couldn't do it," Jongin finished lamely.
Joonmyun put his own hand over the one on his mouth and pressed his lips to Jongin's palm for a reassuring while before speaking. "Don't worry. It was perfect."
Jongin sat in the middle of the huge bed, clothes wrinkled, hair in a mess, and smiling shyly at himself with eyes downcast. Joonmyun felt a wonderful, warm swelling in his chest and he wondered if you could love someone so much that you burst into a million tiny stars and expanded like a new universe. He took a deep breath. "I lo-"
Jongin spoke at the same time and Joonmyun closed his mouth quickly.
"I think I should go to the bathroom, uhm, clean up a bit," Jongin said with a glance at the hand he was still holding up at an awkward angle to prevent the cum from dripping down onto the sheets. He jumped off the foot of the bed and made his way to the bathroom. Joonmyun didn't mind that he forgot to close the bedroom door fully behind him, turning towards the crack instead, through which the sound of splashing water reached him, drowsily waiting for Jongin's return. He came back butt naked, picking a pair of fresh boxers from his drawer before climbing back under the covers with Joonmyun.
At first, they lay facing each other but when Jongin couldn't take Joonmyun's loving smile any longer, he scrambled over him not too gently to press his face between Joonmyun's shoulder blades. He was out in a few minutes, warm breath fanning over Joonmyun's back and heating up a patch of his hoodie. It was a funny feeling but Joonmyun wanted to snuggle into it.
It was definitely not every day that he woke up with arms locked tight around his waist and a boner pressed to the back of his thighs. He liked the swirling feeling in his stomach he got whenever he thought of Jongin. It was even more intense now with the fresh memory of how he looked like when he came.
Joonmyun tried to turn around in Jongin's arms without waking the other up, but he was met with a slight stirring and eyelashes fluttering open. Jongin's gaze landed on his face, dark eyes sparkling. "Hi," Joonmyun said a little breathlessly right before Jongin kissed him and pulled him flush against his body. "Hyung," Jongin sighed when his morning wood came into contact with Joonmyun's pelvis and he let his eyes drop close again, rutting against Joonmyun with languid movements.
Joonmyun pushed a hand between their bodies -- Jongin's skin was searing hot from sleeping in a warm bed -- and dragged it teasingly over the front of his boxers, down over his balls and between his legs, then back up again. As he reached the waistline, he slipped his hand beneath it, touching Jongin's dick for the first time unobstructed by layers of cloth. He felt the smooth skin pulled taut over his swollen shaft, protruding veins and the tip made slippery by precome.
Jongin's breaths sped up, he threw his head back and rolled his hips, sliding his cock in and out of Joonmyun's fist at his own pace. Joonmyun tried to catch all of his release in his hand the same way Jongin had done for him the evening before. When he retracted his hand, Jongin rolled on his stomach and stretched like a cat. "Mmmh," he moaned deep in his throat, sounding wonderfully sated.
Joonmyun let him doze while he himself took a quick shower, a little colder than usual to counter the heat swirling in his veins. When he came back, Jongin was asleep in the same position, with his long, lithe body stretched out over the whole length of the bed. The morning sun made his skin glow golden like honey, like a dream. The moment was too perfect to just let it elapse, so Joonmyun pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of Jongin. It wasn't weird, was it, since they were... What were they now?
A soft knock on the door yanked him out of his thoughts. He pulled the doorknob and was greeted with Jongin's smiling mother wishing him a good morning. "I made breakfast," she said. "I thought I heard you in the bathroom so I figured you boys were awake."
"That was me in the bathroom. Jonginnie is..." Joonmyun trailed off and looked over his shoulder back into the room where the younger was still sleeping unperturbed on the bed. Jongin's mother saw him too and smiled indulgently.
"I'm glad he's sleeping well. And about breakfast, just come to the kitchen any time you're ready. Oh, do you want coffee or juice?"
Joonmyun looked back at Jongin's mother and suddenly he was too aware of the fact that this woman's son was as blissed out as he was only because Joonmyun had had sex with him. He felt like it was branded to his forehead with a hot iron. His palm was sweaty on the doorknob. "Juice, please?" he asked feebly. After she left, he closed the door and staggered to the bed, trying to ignore the sinking feeling as if someone had dropped a stone into his stomach. He was about to climb onto the bed to shake Jongin awake when he noticed how obviously un-slept-in his side looked. The stone turned into a heavy boulder.
And this was how he knew it was not a dream. Because in a dream world, he wouldn't have to worry about parents, about managers and CEOs, about the eye of the public, about anyone who might disapprove of his love.
He sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, stroking a hand gently down Jongin's back. No, this might be the real world with all its consequences but he would never regret loving this boy.
Jongin sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from his eyes. When he noticed the look on Joonymun's face, he frowned. "What's wrong?"
Joonmyun shook his head a little and smoothed out his furrowed brow. "I was just... Your mother was here to tell us breakfast is ready." He hesitated a bit. "Jongin, what if your parents know? They'll hate... well, disapprove of me for sure, don't you think? Or worse, they might hate you."
"They love me no matter what," Jongin said like it was the easiest thing in the world. Joonmyun wished he could be as sure as him. "And they love you, too. My mom adores you."
"But-"
"No buts," Jongin said and leaned in, angling his head and giving Joonmyun a slow, sweet kiss. "I want breakfast. Come on, hyung!"
Since Jongin's father and sister were out taking Monggu for a walk, breakfast was a relatively quiet affair except for Jongin's mother chiding him for not dressing properly when he had a guest. In all honesty, Joonmyun didn't mind one bit that Jongin sat there in nothing but the same boxers and tank top he had slept in. He was happy simply because Jongin looked so comfortable. "Mom, hyung and I live in the same dorm. He's seen me in much worse states," Jongin argued and made Joonmyun blush slightly by rubbing his bare ankles up and down Joonmyun's calves. The radio played quietly in the background.
When Jongin was halfway into his third helping, his mother started washing the other dishes and Joonmyun, having already finished breakfast, jumped up to help her, even though she protested that it really wasn't necessary. Once empty, Jongin brought his plate and glass over to the sink. "Thank you, dear. Now please get dressed."
This time, Jongin conceded. He and Joonmyun had to return to their dorm in the evening anyway and as much as he'd like to lounge around all day, he didn't have any other choice but to wear clothes at the end of the day anyway. When he came back from the bathroom, the other two were still cleaning things up in the kitchen, chatting and sometimes asking Joonmyun to sing along to the radio. Jongin was mildly annoyed at his mother's behaviour, hoping it didn't make his friend uncomfortable, but then again, he was really glad that his mother liked Joonmyun so much and that he liked her, too, albeit still seeming a bit cautious.
Jongin would like to steal Joonmyun away though, lazing around on the bed in the guest room, reading comics or playing games on their phones. But they ended up in the living room somehow, playing Go Stop with Jongin's father. He was not a man of many words but everyone could tell he was really happy that day. He seemed genuinely proud of his son. Jongin was not as happy but the reason for that was that he lost most rounds of the card game. In all honesty, he was terrible at almost all games, so he wasn't surprised at all. Almost expecting to lose, he even narrowed his eyes at Joonmyun when the older was hit by a string of bad luck suspiciously, as if he lost on purpose to give Jongin the chance to win at least a few times. Joonmyun just laughed sheepishly, shrugging his shoulders like it couldn't be helped when he lost again.
All too soon, it was meal time, late lunch or early dinner, they weren't sure but they arranged it like that to leave enough time for Jongin and Joonmyun to pack their things and go back in the early evening. Incessant chatter filled the room once again, Jongin's sister playing a big part in that, but Joonmyun noticed that Jongin was exceptionally quiet. He stroked his knee under the table and shot him a questioning look. Jongin smiled vaguely in response and mouthed 'just thinking'. Joonmyun let it go for now.
After their meal, Joonmyun offered his help with the dishes again but this time, Jongin's mother dismissed it with a wave of her hand, telling him not to worry about it and go pack or use the few last moments to relax some more.
Jongin pulled him to the guest room, closing the door behind them. "Stop charming my mom. I bet she won't stop gushing over what a nice and polite young man you are or something."
"Well, I do have good manners," Joonmyun said airily, smiling like an angel. He couldn't help wanting to tease the younger when he pouted like that.
"Except when you put your hand in my pants first thing in the morning."
Joonmyun gaped. Jongin could see the smile slipping off his face but that wasn't what he wanted. He stepped in front of Joonmyun quickly and closed his arms tight around his shoulders, hugging him and speaking into the crown of his hair.
"Sorry," he chuckled. Then, in a more serious tone, he said. "It was good, though. I... I want to stay here. With you. I don't want to go back."
"Jongin-"
"I mean, of course I want to go back to dancing! To Exo. It's all I ever wanted. It's all I know how to do. But we spend so much time practicing and then... everything. I can't just say I love you and time will stop and everyone will disappear for a while so we can just... be together."
Even while half of Joonmyun's heart danced in joy because Jongin said he loved him, the other half was breaking. He lifted his head to kiss Jongin on the lips, closing his eyes and letting the feeling settle deep in his bones. "It's not going to be easy." Unspoken went the words '...but we are both persistent, aren't we?' Instead, he held Jongin tight.
The minutes ticked by until the alarm on his phone went off. He smiled dismally at Jongin. "We have to leave if we want to catch the 5:45."
Jongin nodded. They grabbed their backpacks and carried them to the front door. They were just about to take on their jackets and shoes when the tinkling sound of Monggu's collar could be heard and the little dog dashed towards them. The tiny poodle hopped around between their legs like a sheepdog trying to keep his flock together. But in the end he gave up, sat on his hind legs and yapped and whined pitifully because he could sense that they were about to leave him.
Jongin's sister appeared from the living room to see what all the commotion was about. "Oh, you're leaving already?"
Jongin nodded. "Yeah, we have to hurry up if we want to catch the bus."
"Why didn't you say anything?" she laughed. "I can drop you off at the dorm on my way."
"Ah, thank you, but that's really not nec-"
"Awesome! Thank you, noona. When do you want to leave?" Jongin was already tugging his shoes back off.
"Half an hour? I still have to pack my things and there's something I wanted to talk about with mom first."
"Alright. We're in the living room. Call us when you're ready."
Joonmyun didn't get any say in the matter, he was tugged after Jongin to the living room and shoved on the smaller couch, throwing a slightly confused smile at Jongin's parents who were sitting on the bigger couch, watching tv. Jongin sprawled over Joonmyun's lap and the remaining space of the small couch, legs dangling over the armrest. He pulled out his phone and started a racing game. Even before Monggu came jumping on his chest and obstructed his view, he kept losing, but then he just switched the game off in favour of petting his dog gently.
And Joonmyun, Joonmyun couldn't think of anything that made him as happy and peaceful as watching this affectionate boy in his lap. He stroked the curly fur with never-ending patience until the little dog curled into a ball on his chest and fell asleep. Smiling, he looked up then and his gently gleaming eyes met Joonmyun's, binding their gaze for one endless moment. Joonmyun's chest filled up so much that he had no room left for air to breathe.
"I love you!" The thought rang so loud in his head that he was almost sure he had spoken it out loud. But Jongin's parents continued watching the tv and Jongin's eyes continued glowing and the clock continued ticking.
The drive in Jongin's sister's car was rather quiet, as she had to keep her attention on the road and the two boys in the backseat were wrapped in a silence like the one after waking up from a deep slumber and wondering if you're still dreaming. The city lights blinked outside of the car windows as the glistening skyscrapers of Seoul's dream factory district rose out of their reflections in the Han river.
"Ah, noona! Maybe it's better if you drop us off here. There are probably fans outside the building and I bet you don't want to have to change your licence plate."
"Alright." She pulled over and, after stopping the car, turned around in her seat. "Hey, Jonginnie," she called softly, her voice wavering a little. Jongin looked up. "Promise me to take good care of yourself. Eat well, okay?"
Jongin's eyes crinkled. "Promise me to take good care of Monggu!"
She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yah! Come here." Partly blocked by the backrest of the driver's seat, she pulled him into an awkward hug which was nonetheless full of warmth. Reluctant, but pretending he wasn't, Jongin pulled out of her embrace and stepped out of the car, hiding behind a thick scarf and a cap he pulled low over his eyes.
"Thank you for the ride." Joonmyun bowed politely before snuggling into his plain hoodie and his bulging down jacket.
"Don't mention it." Jongin's sister smiled. "It was great to get to know you. Come visit us again soon!"
They watched her car weave back into the traffic before shouldering their backpacks and making their way down a few blocks and around a corner.
"Your family is so nice. I love them."
"Me too," Jongin hummed.
"Yeah, I love you too." Joonmyun chuckled and bumped his shoulder against Jongin's while walking. He thought maybe if the boy's cap didn't plaster his hair over his ears, the tips of them might turn red the way they were prone to.
"That's not-"
"What you meant. I know. It's true though. I really do." Joonmyun smiled up at him, heart singing. He returned to grinning to himself when he saw that Jongin was avoiding meeting his eyes. That was how Jongin was. He'd probably pull his hand away if Joonmyun attempted to hold it. But he made Joonmyun wear his gloves when he saw him trying to knead warmth into his fingertips as they were waiting for the traffic signal at a crossroad and he let him walk so close by his side that their elbows were brushing constantly.
They took a route that led them to the back of their building where they entered swiftly, unnoticed by fans. An elevator took them up several floors but when the light signal announced their arrival at their floor and Joonmyun stepped to the doors, Jongin jammed his finger quickly on the button that held them close.
"Hyung, wait. Just..."
Joonmyun turned back around, eyed Jongin's finger on the button and let his gaze travel up until their eyes locked. One big step and he slammed Jongin's body into the solid wall of the elevator, brushing the cap off his face and claiming his lips in a bruising kiss. Jongin reciprocated with the same fervent hunger, more biting than kissing, one hand on the back of Joonmyun's neck holding him in place as he licked hotly into his mouth.
"Okay," he panted when he pulled back and switched his trembling finger from the 'close' button to the one that opened the elevator doors. "Now we can go."
Slightly dishevelled, they stumbled into the dorm, drawing the attention of Baekhyun who had just walked past the front door on his way to the kitchen. He made a u-turn and stopped in front of the two, hip leaning against the wooden shoe rack.
"Well hello. Look who's back." He showed a broad grin. "How'd it go?"
"How did what go?" asked an unsuspecting Joonmyun as he bent down to untie his shoelaces.
Sehun came and draped himself over Baekhyun's shoulders, munching on a handful of dried mango chips, laughing grossly with his mouth open when Baekhyun said. "Meeting your in-laws."
"My what?" Startled, Joonmyun got his fingers tangled in his shoelaces somehow and almost tripped over. It caused his phone to slip out of his pocket, clattering onto the floor and coming to rest somewhere out of his reach. Jongin, having already toed off his shoes, was about to go pick it up when Chanyeol who had come to join them together with Kyungsoo stooped down and picked it up.
"Wait, what's that?" Baekhyun's voice was laced with curiosity as he grabbed Chanyeol's wrist preventing him from giving the phone back to Joonmyun and snatched the phone himself. He squinted at the screen, suddenly breaking into laughter. "Why is there porn on your screen, hyung?"
Everybody -- minus a red-faced Jongin who was busying himself with his backpack in what looked like an attempt to merge into the coat rack -- crowded around Baekhyun, trying to snatch the device and have a look at it. "Gay porn," Sehun emphasized and giggled immaturely. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo made cat-calls and the tallest held the phone out of Joonmyun's reach.
"Give me that," Joonmyun said in his leader voice. "I don't even know what you're talking about." He held out his hand and Chanyeol placed the phone in it, ultimately unable to disobey Joonmyun when he was being stern.
Brows furrowed, Joonmyun glanced at the screen of his phone and his frown turned into a smile the moment he realized that it was set to change the background automatically to the last picture he had taken which was, in this case, a sleeping Jongin. It did look quite sensual the way he was sprawled on the bed, Joonmyun had to admit now that he looked at it this way but surely the others could tell that it wasn't some cheap picture to get off on?
"That's not porn," he told them in seriousness, eyes wide and honest. "It's Jongin."
Jongin dropped his backpack which caused Sehun to laugh at him loudly. Kyungsoo, however, ignored the younger and smiled sweetly at Joonmyun.
"Porn, Jongin, that's the same to you." Everybody gasped and turned their heads to stare at Kyungsoo. Although inwardly pleased at their reaction, Kyungsoo kept a straight face and didn't show the smugness he felt at his unfailing talent to strike when least expected. Instead, he pointed at the mess in the entranceway, shoes lying strewn everywhere amidst half of the contents of Jongin's backpack, like he hadn't just embarrassed two of his friends to the bones. "We'll have to clean that up before Chanyeol falls over it in the morning with his uncoordinated limbs."
Chanyeol's exclaims that he was not uncoordinated drowned in the general moans and complaints at the prospect of cleaning the chaos. Sehun proposed the usual game of rock, paper, scissors to decide who would be the lucky one for the job. It was Joonmyun who lost, accepting his duty with a burdened sigh. Sehun had the decency to look apologetic for a split second, before his default blank expression was back on his face, he stretched his arms up behind his head and wandered off to the kitchen, doubtlessly to roam the cabinets for more snacks.
The others scampered off as well, lest Joonmyun asked any of them to give him a helping hand. It didn't surprise Joonmyun one bit. What he did not expect, therefore, was to bump into someone else's hand when he reached out to put a pair of sneakers on the rack.
"Oh." He blinked at Jongin. "Since when do you volunteer for tidying up?"
"People can laugh at me all they want, but you are my mentor after all," Jongin mumbled and looked away, pretending like he had not felt a jolt of electricity at the touch of their hands.