(for kairousels) Something Up Fate's Sleeve [2/3]
Jongin has never quite been an early riser, hence always having gone into work late, but now that his job is somewhat on the line, he finds himself getting up earlier and getting breakfast earlier.
And therefore meeting with Do Kyungsoo.
He mulls over it one morning as he brushes his teeth, and he chuckles to himself, thinking it’s rather funny that he goes and eats breakfast with a well-known actor. Many would kill to be in his place when Jongin is simply indifferent about it all.
In the beginning, anyway. Over time, however, he starts to actually...well, look forward to it.
Please, do not misunderstand him.
There is no underlying reason, no silly connection to the string-that-shall-not-be-named. He would simply rather eat with good company than by himself. Kyungsoo is good company, whether he would like to admit it or not.
Conversation comes naturally to them. It’s easy to play off of each other, and there is hardly ever a lull, despite it being early morning. In fact, Jongin’s conversations with Kyungsoo tend to wake him up as much as the coffee does.
They chat about books, about apps, and even have a heated debate over pie versus cake, Jongin being for the latter. Joohyun, ever the mediator, ends the argument by bringing in a slice of each for both to enjoy.
Kyungsoo still likes to mindlessly doodle on his napkins, and Jongin jokes that he will take them and sell them on eBay as one-of-a-kind Do Kyungsoo drawings. In the end though, he mostly just ends up appreciating them and tucking them in his pocket when he thinks Kyungsoo isn't looking.
It's different, but Jongin likes it. Red string aside, they get along well, and Jongin is still too stubborn to admit that fate has anything to do with it.
“ - and so make sure to watch for Do Kyungsoo’s new movie, Hyung, coming to theaters November 24th. It is sure to be another blockbuster.”
Kyungsoo finishes reading the article, and there’s a dopey grin on his face, one that has Jongin smiling in return.
“How can you say that when you’ve never even seen my so-called blockbusters?” Kyungsoo says, resting his phone on the counter.
Jongin shrugs. “A journalist’s job is to bullshit.”
“This is all bullshit, then?” Kyungsoo asks with an accusing tone and raised eyebrows, gesturing to Jongin’s article on Kyungsoo.
“Every little detail,” Jongin teases, raising his mug of coffee to his lips.
“Even the part where you called me a ‘charming actor with a history of well-produced films’?”
“Especially that part,” Jongin jokes, promptly earning a nudge in his ribs, to which he exaggerates the pain, clutching at his side and face scrunching in mock-agony.
Kyungsoo nudges him again and shoves his shoulder lightly for good measure, and Jongin laughs, falling to the side of the counter.
“So you’re a celebrity,” Jongin says now, once they’ve both composed themselves enough, “and you come here every morning for breakfast. How have news sites not figured it out yet? Shouldn’t there be swarms of people here aching to get a look at you? I swear, if you ruin this diner for me…”
Kyungsoo laughs, waving a hand. “I’m very discreet. It’s why I come here earlier - to avoid people. If the occasion does come that I ruin the diner, then I’ll make it up to you.”
Jongin perks a brow. “Make it up to me?”
“Would you say no to breakfast at the highest point of the city?”
“Actually, I would say no,” Jongin says. “But only because I’m afraid of heights.”
“Oh,” Kyungsoo says, looking suddenly crestfallen. “What about a breakfast surrounded by an aquarium?”
“Erm, no thanks,” Jongin says with a chuckle. “I’d rather not be watched by fish eyes as I eat. You have all these options, and you choose to eat here?”
Kyungsoo nods, smiling fondly. “I like it here. It’s quiet, and homey, and reminds me of my mom’s cooking. It gives me a moment every day to just connect with myself and my roots, you know. To forget about things for a bit and remember who I really am outside of the public eye.”
“That’s nice,” Jongin says, lip quirking up in appreciation. “I’m just here for the coffee.”
Kyungsoo laughs, ducking his head. “That’s also a valid reason.”
A phone buzzes somewhere, and Jongin knows it’s Kyungsoo’s, vibrating in his pocket. The actor frowns before pulling it out, glancing at it once and frowning further. Jongin already knows what that means.
“I have to -”
“Go,” Jongin finishes, nodding and putting on a smile for show. “I’ll tell Joohyun you left.”
Kyungsoo smiles gratefully, tinged with something else, something a bit somber. Jongin ignores it and watches him leave the diner, watches the door swing behind him until it’s shut and he is the only one present.
It’s quiet in the diner now, and he needs something to keep him distracted lest Joohyun come in and tease him again for ‘being lost without Kyungsoo’.
Too late.
“Did he leave already?” Joohyun asks, coming by to refill Jongin’s orange juice. “Is that why you look like a kicked puppy?”
Jongin rolls his eyes, ducking his face so she doesn’t see the red that creeps into his cheeks.
Kyungsoo’s always looked forward to his breakfasts at the diner for several reasons. The first, and biggest, is that it gave him some semblance of a normal life before he’d go and start a hectic day filled with cameras and directors and screenplays. The second reason was, of course, the food - greasy and filling and exactly what he wants for a good breakfast.
There is a third reason now, he’s beginning to realize.
This third reason comes in the form of a man with a smile too large for his face, of a man who throws his head back when he laughs, of a man who slumps into the diner every morning rubbing at his sleepy eyes with a loose fist. The third reason is the presence besides him, the journalist who eats ravenously some mornings but slowly other times when he’s a bit hungover from hanging out with his friends the night before.
The more time they spend together each morning at breakfast, the more Kyungsoo is learning about him. Jongin seems to be prickly on the surface, but he is soft around the edges, and something about it has Kyungsoo curious, like he wants to unmask the softie underneath the hard exterior. He’s described himself as cold and has told Kyungsoo that he’s lost friends because of his introverted tendencies, but to be honest, Kyungsoo only sees warmth and soft eyes and tender looks. Jongin is much warmer than he gives himself credit for. When he smiles, he ducks his head a bit, like he’s shy. When he watches Kyungsoo draw, he folds his arms on the counter and leans his chin against it, watching with a small smile.
He learns that Jongin seems to enjoy the simpler things in life as well; he likes the way snow looks in his hair and feels on his tongue, likes the way his sleeves fall past his hands sometimes, and he reddens when Kyungsoo compliments his writing.
Despite all this, there is still a wall. Jongin is untrusting and guarded, and Kyungsoo sees this every time they interact, but he chips at that wall a little every time, and Jongin lets him.
Jongin, on the other hand, has severely underestimated how kind and down to earth the actor is. His first hint should have been the fact that Kyungsoo eats at a lonesome, normal rate diner outside of the city instead of some high class restaurant. In fact, sometimes Jongin even forgets what Kyungsoo really does after they both leave the diner; he forgets that he is probably off to some movie set where he will get made up and dressed for the cameras. It’s almost hard to believe that this is the same man in those articles. He reminds himself that just because someone may sleep with other people frequently, it doesn’t mean anything about their personality. He tells himself to stop expecting an asshole of Kyungsoo just because the articles make him out to be one.
He doesn’t like to think about it often anyway - Kyungsoo sleeping with people. Something burns in his gut when he thinks about it.
Despite the man’s calm and collected exterior, Jongin knows he is stressed on the inside. Sometimes, he rushes out the diner doors when he checks his watch and realizes how late he is for a meeting with his manager or a press meeting. Jongin catches him rubbing at his temples sometimes, and he wonders if he’d gotten any sleep. He doesn’t blame him; his lifestyle is frantic, and he admires the fact that Kyungsoo always makes time to have a moment to himself in the mornings and visit his favorite diner and talk to Jongin.
Then other times, he remembers that Kyungsoo and his friends like to throw parties a lot, so maybe it is that instead and Jongin is just overthinking things. He feels like an asshole when he thinks this, but he has to admit to himself that it may be true and that he shouldn’t begin viewing Kyungsoo as a wholly amazing person, because just like himself, he is flawed, but in extremely varying ways. Jongin has a history of seeing people as more than flawed humans and glorifying them, and he always feels like he needs to ground himself to realize that people make mistakes too.
Kyungsoo’s doodles are humble and cute, but sometimes he will surprise Jongin with a fully detailed and heavily sketched drawing, like today, where he’s drawn a small, scruffy dog with amazing detail to shadows and its furs. Jongin coos at it with warm eyes when Kyungsoo shows him.
“It’s funny,” Jongin says, smiling a bit. “I used to have a dog that looked exactly like that.”
“Really?” Kyungsoo asks, spooning eggs into his mouth. “I actually modeled this after my dog right now. I only adopted him a couple of weeks ago, but I love him a lot already. His name is Monggu.”
“What?” Jongin asks, brows shooting up. “That was my old dog’s name. I gave him to a shelter since the apartment I was moving into didn’t allow dogs.”
“Huh. Which shelter?”
“The one downtown. The small one with cute cat stickers on the windows, in between that pizzeria and the empty apartment building.”
Kyungsoo huffs humorously, eyes widening. “Well, shit. Guess I adopted your dog.”
“You’re kidding,” Jongin chuckles.
“I’m not! I got him from that shelter! The odds, huh?”
Jongin sees a flash of red at the corner of his eyes, but it fades away just as quickly as it had appeared. He swallows, a tight feeling in his throat.
“Yeah,” he manages to get out. “The odds.”
“You know what would be great?” Kyungsoo starts, a smile growing on his face. “Would you maybe want to see him?”
“You would - you would let me see him?”
Kyungsoo chuckles a bit, as if it’s obvious. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? I’m sure you miss him.”
The noise Jongin lets out sounds like a happy, strangled cry, and he grins, nodding fervently and simultaneously trying not to burst into tears on the spot.
It’s the first time they’ll be seeing each other outside of the diner (aside from the interview that both have agreed to forget), so Jongin is teeming with uneasiness. He looks at the address that Kyungsoo’s texted him again, and the actor had joked that this is the very peak of trust, because - being a famous actor - his address is kept secret and known to only his friends. Jongin smiles a bit at the last part, feeling a bit warm in his chest.
Then there’s the fact that he’ll get to see his dog again, who he hadn’t seen for months now. Will he remember him, or has he betrayed Jongin for Kyungsoo now? Jongin smiles nonetheless, because he can’t wait to see Monggu again. He vaguely hopes Kyungsoo isn’t the sort of celebrity to keep their dog prim and clean with neatly shaven fur and bejeweled collars. Monggu had always been a carefree and, at times, filthy pup.
Jongin finally comes across the apartment building, and the time is 6:25 pm, approximately half an hour before their planned time. To say he wasn’t eager would be a lie. He is excited to see Monggu again, but he is just as excited to see Kyungsoo as well, and he shakes his head at himself for the latter thought. He’s getting in over his head. He was probably nothing more to Kyungsoo than some weird guy he talked to at the diner sometimes.
Then he remembers, yet again, the string, and he swears to himself.
It has nothing to do with it, Jongin tells himself. They’re friends, that’s all, and the weird feeling in Jongin’s chest every time he sees him is just a result of their friendship.
Anyway, he’s here for the dog.
He tells the receptionist at the front counter that Do Kyungsoo should be expecting him, and she buzzes him through so that he may take the elevator up.
Well, at least Monggu is being well taken care of, Jongin tells himself as he clambers into the shiny, glass-like elevator. He’d expected more grandeur out of the apartment building, to be honest, but this makes sense. Kyungsoo had always been humble, from what Jongin can tell.
He knocks twice on the door that is marked as 236, taking a deep breath. Why is her nervous? He has no reason to be.
It isn't long before the door opens, and Jongin is met with the sight of Kyungsoo in a simple t-shirt and jeans, smiling at him in welcome.
“You're early,” he says, but gestures him in all the same.
It's a modest but still grand apartment, lesser than what you'd expect an actor to have, but definitely cleaner than the average.
And then, it isn't long before little footsteps can be heard from hallway, and Jongin sees Monggu for the first time in several months.
He grins widely, crouching low when the dog practically leaps into his arms, and he gets a face full of fur, laughing as Monggu writhes in his arms. The dog is clearly hyper at the sight of his ex-owner, and Jongin feels something welling up in him. Monggu had been with him for so long before he’d had to give him away, and he’s feeling ridiculously emotional right now, but in the best way.
“Are you alright?” Kyungsoo asks him, and Jongin ducks his face.
“Yeah, ‘m fine,” Jongin mutters, letting Monggu climb all over him, into his lap. He laughs with a broken sob stuck in between when Monggu tries to lick at his face.
Kyungsoo steps away somewhere, before returning with a box of tissues.
“It’s alright,” Kyungsoo says, handing a tissue to him. “It’s okay to miss him. He’s here with you now, yeah?”
Jongin sniffles a bit, embarrassed, but takes the tissue with a grateful smile. “Thank you,” he murmurs. “I’m sorry, this is ridiculous -”
“It’s not,” Kyungsoo assures, crouching besides Jongin to put his hand on his shoulder, somewhat comfortingly. He smiles at Jongin again, perhaps the softest Jongin’s ever seen from him. “Your feelings are valid. Really.”
Jongin smiles sadly, head down and met with the smiling face of Monggu, who sticks his tongue out at him before nuzzling his head into Jongin’s chest. Jongin lifts his head towards Kyungsoo then, shoulders slack and feeling like his heart is going to burst, but for so many different reasons.
“I’m really happy to see him again,” Jongin says quietly, as if it wasn’t already obvious. He runs a hand through Monggu’s fur, and the dog takes that as further encouragement to jump in excitement, leaping at Jongin’s face. The latter laughs and jumps back in surprise, having forgotten how hyper Monggu can be. Kyungsoo snickers besides him, and lifts his hand away, and Jongin already misses the warmth.
“I can’t cook for the life of me,” Kyungsoo says now. “So I’m going to order takeout, if that’s alright with you.”
Jongin gapes at Kyungsoo with Monggu in his hands. “You don’t have to. I’m not hungry.”
“I’m not going to invite you over and then not feed you,” Kyungsoo says, grinning and standing up now. “You guys can reconnect. I’ll be right back.”
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin stops him before he can leave just yet. The other turns to him, brows raised in question. “Um, thank you. For this.”
Then he's smiling, bright and dazzling, with his whole face squishing and it's so adorable Jongin could melt on the spot.
And so, much like how they fell into their diner routine, this becomes a habit between them, a stepping stone to something greater. Kyungsoo invites Jongin over whenever both of them are free from the tiring responsibilities of work and social lives. His excuse is Monggu. He doesn’t want to admit to himself just yet that it might be because of something else. Or several something elses.
Like the way Jongin always shows up in his beige pea coat, wrapped snugly around him, hair blown into a mess by the wind, presumably. Or the way Jongin smiles at him when he opens the door, all bright and sunshine-y, and Kyungsoo would feel weak in the knees. Or the way Jongin tries one night to cook for them both, tired of the takeout. Jongin is not quite the chef either, so the two of them were left to standing in the kitchen scratching their heads in confusion, wondering if they’d done it right, because the lasagna definitely didn’t look how it did in the picture with the recipe attached.
Nonetheless, Kyungsoo had appreciated the gesture, and they ordered takeout anyway, sat in the kitchen with Monggu at their feet.
Then there’s the way Jongin plays with the pup, smiling so brightly that Kyungsoo is a bit, dare he admit it, envious.
There’s the night Jongin asks to watch one of Kyungsoo’s movies, having never seen one. Kyungsoo had responded negatively, because he took comfort in the fact that Jongin had never seen his work.
In the end, Kyungsoo is swayed by Jongin’s pout and his expert use of a puppy face, added with the actual puppy raised to his face level, both pouting at Kyungsoo until he gave in.
They watch one per a single night Jongin is there - six movies over the course of one month, meaning Jongin visits Kyungsoo’s apartment at least once a week, and if you count the breakfasts they share at the diner nearly every weekday morning, they see each other quite often.
The first film had been one of Kyungsoo’s earlier ones, where he’d played a young teenager in high school with a crush. Jongin had cooed and teased Kyungsoo, who buried his face in a pillow nearby. The second was a thriller, and Kyungsoo was playing a high school student once again, only this time, less cute and a bit more, well, dead at the end. Jongin marveled at his acting and praised Kyungsoo, who - once again - buried his face in a pillow nearby.
In fact, he seems to be embarrassed with the idea of Jongin watching his movies.
“Are you those types of actors who can’t watch a movie they’ve been in because of the cringe?” Jongin asks one night.
“It’s not that I can’t watch them,” Kyungsoo says. “I can’t watch you watching them.”
“What makes me so special?” Jongin asks with a playful quirk of his lips as he pops a chip into his mouth.
Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes, leaning his head against the armchair in favor of actually responding. Jongin just grinned, pleased, and continued watching the movie. In this one, Kyungsoo is playing a country boy with, yet again, a crush.
“We don’t have parties anymore,” is the first thing Sehun says when Kyungsoo seats himself across from him.
“Hello to you too.”
“I’ve been sober for so long, Kyungsoo.”
“Bars exist, you know.”
“Yeah, but you know they’re not nearly as much fun as your parties. They don’t have models and actors and actresses.
Kyungsoo scoffs lightly, smile adorned nonetheless. “Throw your own, then. You’ve wormed your way into my social life enough to know all of these models and actors already.”
Sehun frowns. “But your apartment is bigger.”
“Are you only friends with me for my apartment?”
“Well, yeah,” Sehun says. “Definitely not because of your ravishing and lively personality, Mr. I’m-Too-Good-To-Believe-In-Soulmates.”
“That is definitely not my last name.”
“Total buzzkill.”
“And yet, I’m still fun at parties,” Kyungsoo says with a grin, stealing Sehun’s coffee to take a sip of his own.
“So when is the next, huh? It’s been too long.”
Kyungsoo makes a noncommittal noise, frowning. “Not about that life anymore.”
And as Sehun practically thrashes in his seat, demanding answers and asking why he’s suddenly decided to be celibate, all Kyungsoo can think of is warm eyes, woolen sweaters with sleeves that fall past hands, and a soft little smile directed at him, dimple and all.
“What did we tell you, Jonginnie?”
Luhan laughs as Jongin falls into the booth across from them.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You and the actor,” Minseok explains with a knowing grin. “You guys see each other often, yeah?”
“Jongin goes over to his place every night,” Luhan tells him with a snicker.
“Not every night!” Jongin defends, lips jutting out in a pout and eyes widened at the scandalous, and untrue, things his friends are saying. “We’re just friends.”
“Friends who happen to be connected by the red string of fate.”
“Why did I even tell you guys,” Jongin grumbles to himself.
“How’s it like, being in a relationship with a celebrity?”
“We’re not in a relationship!”
“Doesn’t paparazzi catch you going in and out every night and morning?”
“I don’t stay the night!”
“You guys get it done that quick, huh?”
Jongin gapes at them, affronted, before throwing a napkin at them, and then his scarf, and then his phone. The two devils only laugh at the attack, narrowly avoiding the phone thrown in their direction.
“Red string of fate is never wrong, Jongin!” Luhan says with a wide grin, now avoiding the wallet that was aimed for his head.
Jongin runs out of things to throw at them, so he pouts instead, throwing his head onto the table face down and letting out a long groan.
“You like him, right?” Minseok asks now, a bit more serious as their laughter dies down.
Jongin groans again in response. Minseok seems to take that as a yes, reaching over to pat Jongin’s shoulder comfortingly. “There, there, child. It is fated - therefore, it shall be.”
Another elongated groan, and Jongin wants to disappear. His friends are dramatic as hell, tease him too much, but they are - in the end - right. He was fucked.
“It’s been a while,” Kyungsoo notes, stepping aside to allow Jongin to enter his apartment.
“Yeah, sorry. Work has me really busy these days,” Jongin says. “We’ve got a whole bunch of new interns and they all need someone to hold their hands.”
Kyungsoo chuckles. “It’s alright.” He shuffles a bit, taking the rotisserie chicken from Jongin and setting it on the coffee table. “Monggu really missed you.”
“Did he?” Jongin asks, crouching to pet at the dog that yips near his feet.
“Yeah. He’s been sulking these past few weeks when he noticed you’ve been gone for a while,” Kyungsoo says. “I got some drinks earlier today too, if you like.”
“Sure,” Jongin nods, and he helps Kyungsoo with the setting of plates in the living room, unsure of when the last time they’ve eaten on a proper dining table was.
They eat in front of some vocal competition show on the television, picking their favorites and making bets on who’s going to make it to the next round, despite the fact that neither of them will bother to keep up with the show unless they’re watching it together. It’s long after they’ve cleared away the chicken and the plates that Jongin feels the alcohol begin to settle in his system, coursing through his veins and making his brain go fuzzy.
The coffee table is pushed aside, and now Kyungsoo and Jongin lay face up on the carpet, having claimed they were tired and, not wanting to fight over the couch, laid on the floor instead. On the television now, there is a late re-run of a game show with the host speaking much too loud, ringing in Jongin’s ears despite the volume having been lowered.
It’s late, Jongin realizes when he clicks his phone off after browsing the internet. Probably the latest he’s ever stayed over. He can’t be bothered to move though, because he’s drunk and giddy as hell. Tonight had been nice too, talking to Kyungsoo like they’ve been friends for years and years despite knowing each other for a few months.
Kyungsoo’s mumbling about something, and Jongin just now realizes.
“Hm?” Jongin asks, his head aching a bit.
Kyungsoo blows air through his lips noisily, eyes dazed at the ceiling. “What’s being in a relationship like?”
Jongin turns to him in shock. “You’ve never been in a relationship?”
“Not a serious one,” Kyungsoo says quietly. “I’ve been in this industry since I was fifteen. I never had time to date, nor was I even allowed to.”
“Oh,” Jongin says. “That’s kind of. Sad.”
Kyungsoo shrugs. “Yeah, but. I mean. I’m fine with it, I guess. I was lonely before, but that’s why I adopted Monggu. He keeps me company.”
“You were lonely?” Jongin asks, and suddenly he’s met with the mental image of Kyungsoo alone in this large apartment, and it has his heart aching a bit.
“It was nothing,” Kyungsoo says. “I’m not anymore.”
“It’s not nothing,” Jongin defends for him. “But not anymore, huh? Meeting a lot of hot dates?”
Kyungsoo huffs, rolling his eyes. “Nothing like that.”
“I had a girlfriend,” Jongin says. “We broke up about a year ago. I loved her a lot. But I think that’s where the problem was.”
Kyungsoo turns to look at him, brow arched. “Why would that be the problem?”
“Because it hurt a lot when she left,” Jongin swallows, and takes a deep breath. “I felt like I didn’t mean anything to her. The thing is - when I love, I love too much. I don’t half-ass love. I love so much, and so… deeply that when the very thing I love hurts me, it tilts my whole world off axis, like everything is a lie. It’s a mindset I need to get rid of, I know, but it’s just so overwhelming to the point where I can’t help it at times. I’m -” he licks his lips, “- working on it.”
Kyungsoo is quiet for a while. There is this strange buzz in the silence between them, torturous and calming at the same time, though Jongin just thinks it might be the alcohol getting to him.
“Well, I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” Kyungsoo says, barely more than a whisper. “Since when was loving a bad thing? I mean, it hurts sometimes, sure. Definitely. That’s always a given. But isn’t it all worth it?” Then he chuckles, blunt and bit harsh. “Not that I’d know.”
“Maybe it’s why I’m kind of holding onto the soulmate thing,” Jongin says quietly. At this point, he has no filter, letting his eyes fall shut and the words flow as they please, consequences disregarded. “Maybe it’s why I’m hoping all my relationships fell to shit for a reason. Because there’s someone better out there for me. I don’t want to believe it sometimes, you know. But other times, you just can’t help but hope, because you have no other choice.”
Kyungsoo is quiet besides him. Something in Jongin nags that maybe he’d said something wrong, but it drowns out quickly by the alcohol running through his veins. He can’t find it in himself to care right now.
Soon enough, he grows tired of the silence, and opens his eyes again to raise himself and lean against his elbow, gazing down at Kyungsoo.
“Do you believe in it?” he asks, eyes hooded and tired.
He sees Kyungsoo’s throat bob. “Not in the slightest.”
Jongin pouts, then nods understandingly. “That’s okay. Did I ever tell you I can see it?”
“See it?”
“The red string of fate.”
At this, Kyungsoo’s face scrunches before he’s laughing, turning his head away. “You’re bullshitting me.”
“I’m not,” Jongin whines, eyes wide and mouth formed into a pucker.
“You’re drunk.”
“That I am,” Jongin admits with a sly grin before laughter bubbles out of him. “But I’m telling the truth. I saw it on my friends and now they’ve been together for more than two years. And when you and I first met -”
“Shut up,” Kyungsoo laughs again, whacking Jongin with a weak fist. “You’re full of bullshit.”
Jongin chuckles in return, swatting Kyungsoo’s hand away. They laugh a bit more, drunken slurs and insults muttered from their alcohol-stained lips, until the laughter dies down and they’re left with the silence. Jongin drowns in it, and takes the moment to appreciate how nice Kyungsoo looks in this dim lighting. The smile falls off his face immediately, eyes softening and heart expanding in his chest.
Without realizing, he’s been inching closer and closer to Kyungsoo’s face, half-hovering over him. Again, he sees Kyungsoo’s throat bob, taking note that he seems to do that a lot when Jongin looks at him.
The atmosphere has changed drastically around them. Jongin feels a tension settling into the air, one that pushes him closer to Kyungsoo, one that builds up in himself, one that has him licking his lips.
“We’ve been drinking,” Kyungsoo says suddenly, a whisper.
Jongin’s eyes are darting back to Kyungsoo’s, away from his lips to focus on the man himself.
“I know,” is all Jongin says, and it comes out as a small whisper, breath hitting Kyungsoo’s mouth. He shivers.
“Don’t do anything you might regret,” Kyungsoo huffs quietly. Jongin grows dizzy at the feel of Kyungsoo so close, at the scent of him, at the mere thought that Kyungsoo might want to kiss him too. Jongin lets his eyes fall shut, trembling slightly when he feels Kyungsoo’s heat emanate off of him.
There is a silent, torturous moment between them when their lips are a mere inch away, and Jongin stills for a second, heart hammering frantically in his chest. Kyungsoo’s hand on his thigh doesn’t help, the warmth pressing through his jeans and causing his nerves to light themselves on fire.
“I won’t regret this,” Jongin mutters on his lips, just before closing the distance between them.
Kyungsoo immediately falls into him, mouth swept into a searing kiss and Jongin feels himself burning. He doesn’t know what’s gotten into him, because it’s not as if he hadn’t kissed before, but this is different. This is Kyungsoo - Kyungsoo, who is scorching to the touch, whose hand slides further up his thigh to his hip to pull him closer, whose tongue suddenly curls into Jongin’s mouth eagerly. Jongin is light headed, dizzy at the hot press of Kyungsoo’s mouth on his. Their noses brush, and they tilt their heads, and Kyungsoo weaves a hand into Jongin’s hair, and things are moving quickly but Jongin can’t find it in him to stop.
He especially finds it harder to stop when Kyungsoo is clambering up suddenly, taking hold of his wrist and guiding him to his bedroom.
part iii