hearts and bones (9/10)
kaisoo l r l fluff
Jongin swims to escape from the world- and then he meets the boy behind the camera.
Today, Jongin learns that the backs of his eyelids don’t make very good curtains when the sunlight filtrates through the thinness, engulfing them in a reddish-orange tint. Despite that, he keeps his eyes closed in hope of falling back asleep. It doesn’t matter that he’s walking. An annoying presence (read: Chanyeol) nudges his shoulders a couple of times but Jongin doesn’t even so much as respond, relying on pure luck to not trip over anything. This skill is one he has mastered over the years after being forced to get out of bed every morning for school.
“I’m serious, Jongin, you’re gonna regret it if you don’t open your eyes now.”
Unlike the previous times, Jongin’s eyelids slowly flutter open, his eyes squinted into slits as he tries to adjust to the sudden influx of light. The urgency in Chanyeol’s tone conjures thoughts of a particular person, and he’s right about that when his gaze lands on Kyungsoo who is just about to climb onto the bus with Baekhyun.
“Are we taking that bus too?” is his second sentence of the day, the first being a gruff “fuck you” to Chanyeol who greeted him in the morning with by kneeing him in the stomach (yeah, friendship).
“Nobody said we can’t,” Chanyeol simply says, and drags Jongin over to that bus, which isn’t too difficult to do because Jongin is very voluntarily moving towards the vehicle too. Kyungsoo has disappeared by the time they get to the steps, already in the bus, and Jongin climbs up speedily with a duffle bag in his grasp.
He spots Kyungsoo settled comfortably into the seat beside the window in the fifth row and marches right over, catching Baekhyun’s attention first. Jongin swings himself into the empty row behind them, leaning forward so he can talk to Baekhyun without attracting any more unnecessary attention.
“I have an idea,” he proposes to the brunet who, with his eyebrows raised knowingly, seems to already know what Jongin is about to suggest.
Chanyeol takes his time walking down the aisle while greeting the people he is acquainted with. The trio spares him a glance before getting back to business.
“I’m ready to hear it,” Baekhyun says.
“Let’s trade seats.”
“Why should I?”
Jongin’s lips part, ready with Chanyeol as an incentive, but when the friendly giant unintentionally hits Jongin’s face with his butt while squeezing his way through to the window seat, Jongin realizes it’s really more of a punishment.
“Um.”
Baekhyun is merciless. “Three seconds.”
“Wait-”
“Two.”
Jongin leans forward further, craning his neck to make eye-contact with Kyungsoo who only stares blankly back at him without offering to help. He’s on his own.
“One.” Baekhyun’s nasty smile makes Jongin realize he has no choice but to take a risk. Even if he loses this gamble, it would not be from not trying.
“Well,” he deadpans. “Chanyeol.”
A hand digs into his side and Jongin doesn’t even startle, all too used to it. Chanyeol then tries to lean over as well, the back of his head almost slamming into Jongin’s face this time as he endeavours to greet his friends with his trademark grin.
“Hey, Baek. Hey, Kyungsoo.”
Baekhyun raises his head to maintain eye-contact with Jongin. “Not a fair trade,” he says.
“True, but damn it.”
“Damn it,” Chanyeol echoes after Jongin, pulling back to wipe imaginary tears off his face.
The brunet sighs heavily and regards Kyungsoo. “What do you say? I’ll trade seats with him if you want me to.”
“We have a three-hour journey,” Kyungsoo reminds him pointedly as he, too, glimpses behind at Chanyeol whose imaginary crying has escalated into dramatic sniffling. “Are you sure?”
“You’re not being very considerate about my mental well-being.” Jongin interjects then, his voice laced with indignance, and knows the battle is won when Kyungsoo smiles at his words.
“Thanks, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo says sincerely. Baekhyun only smiles helplessly as he reaches overhead for his bag and gets up to switch seats with Jongin. Chanyeol gets a kick as a farewell gift from his best friend.
Jongin swings his own duffle bag into the overhead compartment and slides into the seat that is still warm from Baekhyun’s presence. “Good morning,” he tells Kyungsoo, his first decent greeting since he got dragged out of bed. Their hands find each other effortlessly, very naturally, and Jongin closes his fingers around Kyungsoo’s. “You didn’t help me out just now,” he adds accusingly.
Kyungsoo merely laughs dismissively. “You didn’t seem like you needed my help.”
“Were you going to help me out if Baekhyun didn’t want to switch seats?”
Kyungsoo’s lips quirk into a mischievous smile. “Guess.”
Jongin squeezes his fingers tightly. “You’re so mean,” he mutters, earning another laugh from Kyungsoo and they fall into normal conversation afterwards, chatting about games and the island they’re headed to for this retreat camp (promised by the Student Council to be “sun and fun”).
Their bus is the last one to set off nearly twenty minutes later, the engine rumbling as it leaves the school buildings behind them. Jongin doesn’t need to look back to know what his friends are up to; he can hear all about Chanyeol’s first experience alone at the supermarket and Baekhyun’s halfhearted humming. Strangely, that makes him feel safe, makes them feel at ease, and Jongin is free to rest his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder when everyone else is caught up in their own worlds.
“Sleepy?” Kyungsoo asks in a quiet voice, gazing down at Jongin who lets a big yawn answer his question.
“It’s illegal to be awake right now.”
Kyungsoo pats his cheek softly, the feeling of his fingertips lingering on the expanse of Jongin’s skin long after he retracts his hand. “Go to sleep.”
Jongin responds by pulling their linked arms to his chest and throws his free one around them, a substitute for the bolster he already misses terribly. “Night night, don’t let the bedbugs bite,” he mutters habitually, and succumbs to the sleepiness that has been gnawing at his bones. Kyungsoo’s warmth draws him into a lapse of peaceful sleep while the sky outside turns even bluer still.
When he rouses at a more appropriate timing to be alive, the entire bus has gone quiet. He blinks slowly, head still inclined on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, face twisting into a deep frown at the stiffness of his own neck. Eventually, he straightens up, and instead of the brilliant turquoise sky outside, he looks at Kyungsoo whose head is rested against the window, mind lost in dreamland.
Then Jongin tears his eyes away and looks around, discovering most people still in slumber, even Chanyeol who had claimed he was going to use the 3 hours journey productively on his brand new Nintendo DS. He spots Yixing in the seat diagonally behind him, headphones plugged in and eyes trained on the sight outside the window, watching the day go by. Jongin turns back to admire his scenery as well, gazing tenderly at Kyungsoo whose breath is coming in a slow and steady rhythm.
The fact that Kyungsoo is very attractive is not one that has ever eluded him, but now Jongin finds him even more so, unbelievably so, with the sunlight hitting his face in all the right angles, and his jet-black hair framing his handsome features so nicely. His lips draw into a smile when he looks down to see their fingers still intertwined, at the reminder that this person is his.
Jongin remains awake for the rest of the journey, simply admiring the view of both nature and Kyungsoo before him, the combination so incredibly pleasant to his eyes. They’re approximately five minutes away from their destination when Kyungsoo finally awakes, his eyes bleary and dazed, until Jongin kisses his cheek softly and it takes away the confusion.
They’re the first two to hop off the bus with their duffle bags in their hands, and they wait patiently for their groggy schoolmates to stream out in a neat file before proceeding to the ferry terminal as a group. Chanyeol is more toned down after his nap and remains so throughout their short ferry ride to the island. It later turns out to be because of motion sickness when he pukes onto the ground the moment his feet comes into contact with solid ground again.
The island is surrounded by the sea and Jongin feels the restorative power of the water straightaway, a tingling sensation growing rapidly across the surface of his body as he regards the glistening blueness with clear eyes. Kyungsoo grabs his wrist and shakes his head, pinning him down.
“Not now, Jongin.”
Thus, a disappointed Jongin gets ushered into yet another bus and their lodge pulls into view 15 minutes later, a three-storey wooden building with an impressive-looking slanted roof. Jongin grins, glad that it doesn’t look too shabby. If it looks this modern on the outside, it can’t be that bad inside.
A guy Jongin recognizes as the secretary of the student council comes around with a rectangular tin in his hands and has everyone draw a piece of coloured paper from it. This can only mean that they’re about to be sorted into groups and Jongin groans, having assumed this trip was going to be like a romantic honeymoon way too early.
Kyungsoo draws a pink slip whereas Jongin draws a blue one, and he swings his gaze around eagerly, looking around for someone he can swap teams with. Meanwhile, Chanyeol, who has recovered from his motion sickness, reverts right back to his usual self as he pokes Jongin’s back and informs him about being in the same team. Baekhyun draws a yellow one, something he doesn’t look too bothered about, and Jongin thinks he might have to surrender to his bad luck today when they’re led into the lodge before he can find someone to do an exchange with.
It turns out to be not so bad after all, because the blue and pink teams are considered ‘partner teams’ and will at the very least share the same sleeping quarters. Two neat rows of single beds greet him when he steps into the room and Jongin has to admit it’s definitely not that bad even though there’s no privacy at all. The people on the Blue team are instructed to take the left row, leaving the right row for the Pink team, so Kyungsoo leaves him then, following after his new teammates with light footsteps.
Jongin tosses his bag onto the fateful bed he has chosen and spreads his arms wide as he falls back onto the bed. Chanyeol takes the one next to him, settling down with a frown when his bed creaks under his weight. He bounces a little, and the bed creaks even more, and Jongin laughs. Then a familiar face catches his attention.
“Minseok!”
Minseok catches sight of him only then, breaking into a wide grin when he does. He approaches them with a humongous hiking backpack clinging on to him.
“Are you going to climb Mount Everest?”
Minseok ignores that question pointedly. “Blue team?”
Jongin and Chanyeol exchange looks before confirming his query and Minseok throws himself onto the bed beside Jongin’s.
“Awesome,” he mutters, his feelings obviously a contrast to Jongin’s who instantly feels like he has become an idiot sandwich of sorts being trapped between Minseok and Chanyeol.
For a change, Jongin looks around for Kyungsoo, and spots him sitting cross-legged on his bed that is near the end of the room. He is preoccupied in a conversation with someone Jongin identifies as Woobin (credit should be given to his idiot friend Minseok) and it would be a lie to say he feels completely neutral about seeing that, but he’s not given more time to mull over it when they’re called to gather outside.
It feels like they’re back to training with Chanyeol attached to his hip, playing the role of his Siamese twin once again. But Jongin’s not complaining. Anything that reminds him of swimming is welcome. He sits down with his knees hugged to his chest, watching the people around him curiously, unsure how to feel about not knowing such a huge portion of his schoolmates even after spending so many years in the same buildings. So it’s a pleasant escape from the overwhelming unfamiliarity when Sehun makes an appearance, winking (or maybe having an eye spasm) at Jongin in their brief moment of eye-contact. Jongin dimly notes that he’s in the Yellow team with Baekhyun and Yixing, so they probably won’t be crossing paths a lot.
Loud laughter breaks the reverie Jongin didn’t even know when he had slipped into, deep in thought about lunch and swimming. The council president, Jinyoung, had somehow made his way onto the elevated platform started some kind of game during his spiritual absence from earth, probably to lighten the atmosphere and get everyone into the mood. After a long moment of watching people flail around on stage and still failing to comprehend what’s going on, Jongin elbows Chanyeol lightly.
“What’s going on?”
Chanyeol’s neck is strained, his eyes fixated on the scene unfolding before them. “He’s just dragging people out to dance. Look, Baekhyun’s there.”
“Oh man.”
Simply put, it’s a game Jongin hopes he doesn’t ever have to participate in. He hates attention, and to eradicate any chance of getting dragged out, he avoids making eye-contact with the student representatives and instead looks around for Kyungsoo.
He spots Kyungsoo fairly quickly, a task that isn’t difficult to execute when they’re seated with their respective teams. And apparently, Jongin isn’t the only one who has spotted Kyungsoo, because he’s getting pulled out to the stage by Baekhyun who now has the right to drag other people into hell after having been through it himself. His eyes trail after Kyungsoo, taking in his narrow shoulders, heart clenching at how small he looks out there.
Kyungsoo doesn’t look too overjoyed to be there, a cute frown forming on his face, obviously unused to the attention. Chanyeol nudges him and he keeps his eyes locked on Kyungsoo who doesn’t seem to know what to do as he stands there awkwardly with wide eyes. It’s so insanely adorable that Jongin watches with a smile until Woobin (wait, when did he even get there?) rescues Kyungsoo by grabbing his wrist and swinging their arms together, and doesn’t let go until Kyungsoo gets a vague idea of what to do.
From this point on, it is with much unhappiness that Jongin watches, caught in a dilemma between going up on stage voluntarily and the terrifying thought of being up. Yet, when Kyungsoo starts smiling, his heart softens and he breaks into a helpless smile too, just happy Kyungsoo is having fun.
Fortunately for his patience, the game ends fairly quickly and Jongin manages to catch Kyungsoo’s eye when he’s walking back to his seat, and the warm smile he receives is enough to soothe his ruffled heart.
He knows he said he wouldn’t get jealous so much anymore, but it really is easier said than done because he now realizes it’s not something he can controll. It just happens that he’s in love with the most amazing person in this world and Kyungsoo’s merits are so pristine clear to him that it’s impossible for him to believe they would go unnoticed by others, which only adds on to his insecurities. Maybe Jongin is a little possessive, but even so, he is determined to not act like a psycho boyfriend and instead forces himself to relax by paying more attention to his friends. Regardless, he finds his gaze wandering over to where Kyungsoo is from time to time anyway.
And when he catches Kyungsoo stealing occasional glances at him too, the feeling that grows in his chest is one he hardly knows how to describe.
-
“Where’s Minseok?”
The mention of that name induces Jongin into laughter, almost spilling his ladle of gravy as his shoulders heave.
“He ran off the moment they said we could have dinner and I haven’t seen him since. Man, you should have seen how fast he ran. He really put Usain Bolt to shame.”
Chanyeol’s lips lift into a one-sided smile when he tries to picture that happening. “He’s a funny guy,” he remarks absently, grabbing the ladle after Jongin.
“Yeah, he is.” Jongin agrees breezily, waiting patiently for Chanyeol to scoop his desired amount of gravy. It turns out to be a large amount, and they embark on a search mission for an empty table with Chanyeol’s plate threatening to overflow with gravy.
Jongin’s heart nearly stills when Kyungsoo pops into his line of vision, and has already taken a few steps towards his table when he realizes that there are no empty seats there. He also seems to be getting along really well with his team members, especially with Woobin who is seated beside him. That tickles Jongin in a bad way and he straightens up, walking right over anyway.
The table in front of Kyungsoo’s is empty and Jongin settles down there. It takes Chanyeol a slightly longer time to arrive, delayed by his best efforts at trying not to spill any of his precious gravy.
“Wow,” Chanyeol exhales a huge sigh of relief. “That was really difficult.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be so greedy next time.”
“You’re probably right, but I’m not going to tell you that because I’m not going to give you the pleasure of knowing that you are.”
“Okay, Chanyeol.”
They dig in at the same time, and Chanyeol seems to be on a personal mission to land himself a place in the Guinness World Record for being the fastest eater when he practically shoves the entire plate into his mouth, whereas Jongin seems the more refined one, alternating between sneaking glimpses of Kyungsoo and eating like a normal guy.
Kyungsoo definitely knows he’s there. Their eyes meet a couple of times but Jongin can’t bring himself to return his smile even though he isn’t really angry, just a little jealous. And because he feels so incredibly stupid for feeling this way, eventually he stops looking over and focuses on his dinner instead.
He would definitely feel better if Kyungsoo came over and talked to him a little, but when he realizes his boyfriend doesn’t seem to have the intention of doing so, he promptly leaves in a conflicted state of mind.
It’s completely natural to feel jealous, he tries to reason with himself, but he still feels really stupid because he knows very well what Kyungsoo feels towards him. The realization that he has never felt this way about Jieun, never cared who she chose to hang out, informs him that the first real relationship of his life has only just started.
They find Minseok sitting outside smoking alone shortly after, and his silly antics soon lifts Jongin’s spirits again.
-
Cricket sounds follow him and his contemplation all the way to the toilet, fading away only when he sets foot into the dimly-lit area with his toiletries to wash up for the night. Unwilling to wait in line for the shower, Jongin had very voluntarily waited until it seemed like most people were back on their beds before he decided it would be his time to unwind, but he realizes he’s not the only one who had thought of that when his eyes land on a familiar stature.
Kyungsoo catches sight of him through the reflection and their gazes meet in the mirror. The smaller male spits out his mouthful of toothpaste and looks up at Jongin again with a small smile, one that makes Jongin almost smile back until he remembers how much injustice Kyungsoo has put him through the entire day.
So instead of going right over to sneak his arms around Kyungsoo’s slender waist and giving him a peck on the cheek like he normally does, Jongin remains where he is and lets his gaze drop to the ground, trying to decide his next move.
The sound of running water reaches him and Jongin’s head snaps back up. He watches Kyungsoo gargle a few times and his legs start moving on their own accord, transporting him to where the smaller male is standing by the sink with a bewildered expression now that he’s done brushing his teeth.
Kyungsoo’s hair is damp, so he must have just finished his shower too, and that guess is validated by the display of his toiletries against the mirror. Jongin reaches out to grab the shampoo, a spontaneous decision after realizing how much he doesn’t want to be alone here, but doesn’t want to ask Kyungsoo to stay with him. Nope, he’s not going to open his mouth at all.
“That’s mine,” says Kyungsoo, inclining his body towards Jongin so they can properly look at each other’s faces.
Jongin merely drops his gaze again, his lips forming a petulant pout.
“Give it back,” Kyungsoo says next, but he doesn’t make an attempt to retrieve the shampoo bottle in Jongin’s loose grip.
Neither are saying what they really want to despite their present privacy in the empty toilet, the reasons being indignance for Jongin and confusion for Kyungsoo who decides to test his boyfriend out first.
When it becomes apparent that Kyungsoo has to be the more vocal one this time, he stretches his arm out to grab the hand curled around his shampoo bottle, killing two birds with one stone.
“What’s wrong?”
Jongin doesn’t answer that. He just looks around, focusing on nothing in particular but Kyungsoo even as his heart flutters at the warmth of his hand.
“Did you forget to bring your shampoo?”
“I see your shampoo there though, so what is it?”
“Are you going to play mute?”
When Kyungsoo’s string of questions goes ignored, he sighs in exasperation and touches Jongin’s hip lightly.
“I’m going back then.”
Jongin’s responds by tightening his fingers around Kyungsoo’s wrist and attaching himself to his heels. That makes Kyungsoo stop in his tracks, whipping around to regard Jongin again.
“Okay,” he says in a tone that makes Jongin feel like a toddler. “I’ll stay here until you finish your shower.”
This time Jongin looks into his eyes for reassurance, and when Kyungsoo’s lips lift into a smile, Jongin lets himself be convinced. That, coupled with Kyungsoo’s muttered “promise”, he lets go of his hand and makes his way into the nearest cubicle.
Instead of staying under the faucet to relish in the bliss of a hot shower, he trades it for a quick one and uses Kyungsoo’s shampoo just because. The familiar scent offers him a great deal of comfort, and for a fleeting moment Jongin can trick himself into thinking they’re back at home and going to cuddle in bed after this-then he remembers he’s still kind of jealous and plasters a look of cold indifference onto his face.
Kyungsoo is sitting on the bench with his own fingers intertwined when the cubicle door swings open and Jongin steps out into the cooler air, granting brief eye-contact to the guy he’s pretending to be mad at.
“Let’s go,” Kyungsoo offers cordially and Jongin nods just as politely, waiting for Kyungsoo to lead the way so he can walk behind him instead of matching his footsteps.
By now Kyungsoo should have figured out why Jongin is behaving like this unless he’s more oblivious than Jongin thought, and the victim is just trying to figure out if his boyfriend understands his actions or not when said boyfriend’s fingers lock around his arm and forces him to fall into step beside him. Jongin lets his smile slip, turning away just in time to avoid detection.
Kyungsoo breaks the silence when the door to their sleeping quarters pulls into view. “Good night, green-eyed monster.” And instead of a kiss that would have appeased Jongin entirely, he flicks his finger against the swimmer’s forehead, then makes his way in without glancing back.
Jongin just stands there, stunned, but a small smile blossoms on his face when he recovers from the ridiculity of Kyungsoo’s actions and walks into the room too with a shake of his head.
His bed creaks as he stretches his limbs with a wide yawn, the tiredness only now kicking in. He looks to his left where Chanyeol is lying on his stomach with his eyes glued to his phone, and to his right where Minseok is sitting in an unnaturally upright position with his eyes closed. That gets his attention.
“What are you doing?” he asks, and repeats his question until Minseok exhales loudly.
“I’m meditating,” Minseok informs him in a not-very-civil tone. “It would help if you stop distracting me.”
Jongin looks around him, thoroughly amused, thinking it wondrous strange how Minseok is able to “meditate” when their surroundings are so noisy. That, and the fact that Minseok meditates in the first place is funny, so Jongin slides himself to the edge of his bed until he can jab Chanyeol with his foot.
“Give me your baby powder,” Jongin lowers his voice as much as he can for discretion, something Chanyeol doesn’t help in as he stares back at his friend with a flabbergasted expression and repeats his request in his usual loud voice.
“Are you serious? You want my baby powder? Do you finally see the good of it?”
As Chanyeol’s #1 friend, it is 100% Jongin’s job to refrain from judging him too badly, though it’s hard to do so in certain instances. Jongin almost choked to death laughing when he first found out Chanyeol still uses baby powder for “smooth skin” and “to sleep better at night”, but he was nice enough to keep it a secret from his 358 friends on Facebook (though he’s not going to deny ever having blackmailed him), and he thinks now is the perfect time for Chanyeol to repay that favour.
“Just give it to me,” Jongin mutters exasperatedly, glancing back at Minseok who remains still and detached from reality at this very moment.
Chanyeol eyes him suspiciously and then gets around to digging in his bag until he produces what Jongin is asking for.
The bed creaks again as Jongin slides off and he tiptoes over to an unsuspecting Minseok who is very much focused on his meditation, unscrewing the cap of the baby powder as he does.
When he gets within range, he lifts the bottle over Minseok’s head and turns it over, suppressing his laughter as he watches a blanket of powder cover the copper hair.
Chanyeol gives him a muted high-five and they make themselves comfortable while waiting for Minseok to come back to reality, anticipating his reaction. When Minseok snaps out of his peaceful trance, he sniffs loudly.
“Is it just me or do I smell baby powder?”
Jongin gives his most innocent look when Minseok’s gaze lands on him.
“I don’t smell anything,” he says.
“Neither do I,” Chanyeol agrees smoothly.
Minseok’s eyebrows pull into a deep frown. “No, I swear I smell baby powder. That was what distracted me. I thought it couldn’t be but I swear, I smell it.”
The lights go out just as a smile wreaths Jongin’s face, a timely coincidence that conceals his mischief.
“I’ll recommend you to a psychiatrist tomorrow,” he promises Minseok, smiling wider at the barrage of filthy words he gets in return. Then the world quiets down, an inevitable result of the darkness and exhaustion.
At least an hour must have passed in what feels like penance to Jongin as he lies awake in the dark, staring up at the ceilings and wondering if the stars outside are watching him. The only thing that comes to mind is the soft smile on Kyungsoo’s face when they encountered each other in the toilet earlier, and Jongin already feels guilty for how he treated the person he loves so incredibly tenderly.
Sleep just wouldn’t come even in his state of fatigue, and after a futile bout of tossing and turning, Jongin sits up and looks around him. There are soft snores coming from Minseok’s side and he sees Chanyeol’s foot dangling off the bed, enough assurance that he’s probably the only one who can’t get to sleep.
He swings himself off the bed as quietly as he can, wincing when it creaks and holds his breath for the full 30 seconds it takes to make sure he hasn’t woken anyone up judging by the still silhouettes surrounding him. He knows exactly where to find Kyungsoo and it’s like a gravitational force he can’t help but give in to as he tiptoes his way there, excitement growing in his heart.
Woobin’s bed is beside Kyungsoo’s and Jongin catches a glimpse of him as he passes by, and concludes that it must be a tall-people thing when he sees his foot protruding out of his bed too, like Chanyeol’s had been.
That sight snags his attention only briefly because Jongin soon directs his gaze towards Kyungsoo, barely making out his silhouette. For a long moment, Jongin just stands by his bed and contemplates waking him up, but decides against it when the sound of Kyungsoo’s steady breathing reaches him. Instead, he climbs into Kyungsoo’s bed stealthily, pleased to find out it’s not as creaky as his and worms his way into the blanket nest Kyungsoo has made for himself.
Despite his best efforts, his movements awaken Kyungsoo who is up and staring at him with bright eyes that even the darkness can’t hide very much by the time he gets comfortable.
“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo whispers.
“Can’t sleep,” Jongin murmurs without missing a beat.
Kyungsoo isn’t going to let him go that easily. “You’re done being a green-eyed monster?”
Their faces are so incredibly close and Jongin makes a mental note to destroy Kyungsoo’s spare pillow back home so they can share one like this for the rest of eternity. How is it possible that Kyungsoo looks even cuter close-up?
“I think so,” Jongin says, “I checked before coming over and my eyes aren’t green anymore.”
He doesn’t miss Kyungsoo’s smile, can’t possibly let it go unnoticed when all the stars in his world light up at that.
“Sorry for waking you up,” Jongin adds good-naturedly, to which Kyungsoo merely sighs and shakes his head. “Night night.”
“Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” Kyungsoo finishes for him.
The green-eyed monster that had possessed him earlier really is nowhere to be found right now and Jongin doesn’t think of anything else when he leans in, kissing Kyungsoo’s lips gently. Kyungsoo’s arms sneak around his waist, pulling him in as he buries his face into Jongin’s neck, and Jongin has no trouble falling asleep like that with Kyungsoo tucked beneath his chin.
-
The first sunrays at dawn project long slanted shadows at odd angles through the windows, only to find Jongin already back in his own bed. He grabs his clothes and makes his way to the toilet to freshen up before the morning crowd beats him to it, in a relatively good mood after spending a short night with his insanely adorable boyfriend.
The others have started to rouse by the time Jongin gets back, muscles relaxed and hair damp from a hot shower. Chanyeol doesn’t show any signs of life with his long body sprawled across the bed and his oblivious face completely unruffled even when the noise level grows tentatively, then in full force. Minseok, on the other hand, fares considerably better. He’s sitting upright in bed with a dazed look on his face, looking as though he’s having enough difficulty just trying to remember who he is.
Jongin has to cough to disguise his laughter when he realizes the blanket of baby powder on the crown of Minseok’s head has remained intact through the night, and averts his gaze pointedly when Minseok finally spares him a look.
“What time is it?” he asks hoarsely, voice still deep from sleep.
“2am.”
“What are we doing today?”
“Hiking.”
Minseok cocks his head. “No way.”
“You should get your ass out of bed now if you don’t want to queue for a shower.” Jongin kindly advises him, tossing his bottle of shampoo over at his friend voluntarily.
“‘kay,” responds Minseok blearily, and really listens to Jongin’s advice as he gets out of bed and drags his feet towards the toilet.
Jongin looks towards the end of the room, over at where Kyungsoo is, already up and currently pulling out clothes from his duffle bag. He continues to stare, his brown eyes lightening quickly into a dark shade of green when Woobin ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair as a morning greeting, and keeps staring as Kyungsoo makes his way to the toilet, passing by him in the process. When the source of his jealousy is out of sight, he kicks Chanyeol’s butt.
“Get up.”
Chanyeol merely turns over and continues sleeping. Jongin kicks again with increased force.
“Seriously, everyone is up.”
“Tell them I died in my sleep,” Chanyeol mutters incoherently while pulling his blanket over his face.
Jongin sighs. “Duly noted.”
Sleepiness is definitely contagious, and Jongin yawns as he stretches himself across his bed, eyes falling shut. He is tethering so dangerously on the edge when Minseok’s voice forces his eyes open and he regards the football player lazily, wondering why he looks so unnerved. Minseok jumps onto his bed, his face hovering above Jongin’s.
“I think this place is haunted.”
Jongin tries to push him away but Minseok doesn’t so much as budge. “Why would you say that?”
“I found baby powder in my hair,” Minseok looks around warily before he explains his suspicion, and the fearful look in his eyes is enough to trigger Jongin into laughter.
“Right,” says Jongin, nearly choking.
“Take me seriously! It must be a baby ghost or something like that.” Minseok cries, and Jongin really laughs so hard that tears spill from the corners of his eyes. He wipes them away and buries his face in his pillow, still laughing, his shoulders shaking.
And Chanyeol sleeps through all of that, awakening only when Minseok and Jongin combine efforts to drag him out of bed by his legs, brute force forcing him into shameful defeat.
-
“Wow.”
“Right,” Jongin nods in agreement, making a sweeping gesture at their surroundings. “Definitely worth getting up early.”
“No fucking shit,” says Chanyeol with a roll of his eyes, “I even came back from the dead just for this.” After a moment, he asks, “Jongin, do you think it’s possible for us to swim back home?”
Jongin brushes his fringe back with his fingers, sparing Chanyeol a sideway glance.
“I guess we can give it a shot.”
Minseok huffs. “You guys are not leaving me here alone.” To seem more threatening, he shoves Jongin lightly, who chuckles as he regains balance on the footpath.
“Hey, survival of the fittest.”
In all honesty, it’s not that bad being surrounded by trees, trees, and more trees. The morning air is fresh and crisp, so much more out here in the nature, but it’s not a sight that appeals to Jongin who finds it difficult to concentrate on his view when he’s so busy fending off mosquitoes and avoiding stepping on snails and centipedes. They have been trekking for slightly over 45 minutes now, and Jongin has grown so very tired of the faces in his team-they’re everywhere he turns.
He takes a generous sip from his bottle, wondering how Kyungsoo is faring, hoping he’s sufficiently hydrated and not too tired. With thoughts of love occupying his mind, Jongin walks on, responding to Chanyeol’s jokes and Minseok’s snide comments from time to time. Chanyeol is telling him a joke about an old cock and a farmer when figures appear in the near distance, just a little ahead of them. Jongin squints, eyes narrowing, smile growing, and leaves Minseok to entertain Chanyeol’s humour as he sprints forth.
Kyungsoo turns around at the sound of the readily approaching footsteps and his eyes widen when he sees Jongin, but he comes to a standstill and waits for the swimmer to catch up. Woobin stops too, obviously Kyungsoo’s buddy for this camp. He gives Jongin a friendly smile when their eyes meet and Jongin returns that gesture generously, his happiness in seeing Kyungsoo enough to dispel his jealousy.
“Hey, you.” Kyungsoo says.
“Hey yourself.” Even still, Jongin deliberately wedges himself between Woobin and Kyungsoo, glancing in front of him briefly at the other people in the Pink Team. “Fancy running into you here.”
“I know,” Kyungsoo responds, his shoulders lifting in a loose shrug. “Just woke up and decided it was a beautiful morning to take a walk in the middle of nowhere. I wasn’t expecting you to be a morning person too.”
Jongin lifts his watch to his face, imitating Kyungsoo’s casual shrug. “It’s been… hmm… three hours since I became a morning person. It’s not that bad yet, but whether I can sustain this or not is another problem entirely.”
He expected the jab in his ribs and they share a laugh that resonates in the cool morning air and the forest around them comes alive, branches swaying lightly in the breeze and leaves rustling, whispering tales of love and friendship.
Woobin tries to strike up conversation after a few minutes of silence, being a much friendlier person than Jongin had expected. “You’re a swimmer, yeah?”
All hard feelings dissolve at his affable smile even though Jongin has to crane his neck to look up at him. “Yeah. And you?”
“Basketball.”
He eyes Woobin with envy, taking in his long limbs and tall height. “You must be quite a valuable player.”
“I wouldn’t say I contribute much besides feeding stereotypes,” Woobin laughs, putting Jongin at ease. “Touka’s in your team, isn’t she?”
It takes a while for Jongin to recall who Touka is. When the girl with the short hair and multiple piercings surface in his mind, he nods tentatively. “I think so.”
Woobin laughs. “I found someone in the Blue team to swap with me but I got caught, so that was a bummer.”
Jongin doesn’t get it instantly. His jaw fall open as he stares at Woobin. “You mean…?”
“Touka is my girlfriend.”
“Oh.” He looks at Kyungsoo who is suppressing a violent smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement, obviously mocking Jongin who had been so jealous for nothing. “Oh,” Jongin repeats, breaking into a grin himself. “Yeah, cool, she’s pretty nice.”
Then, he leans towards Kyungsoo and pinches his waist lightly while whispering into his ear. “You should have told me!”
Kyungsoo regards him with cool eyes. “It was funny watching you get all worked up like an idiot.”
How different this boy is from the one he encountered at the pool is nearly enough to make Jongin want to pull out every single strand of his hair, but he really likes seeing this cheeky side of Kyungsoo. Getting to know him more and more and unlocking different sides of this person he’s so in love with is tremendous enjoyment. And he loves all of him, every single side he has seen.
“I’ll punish you soon,” Jongin promises him and Kyungsoo’s brows raise in response, obviously challenging the swimmer.
They’re forced to go separate ways soonafter, different activities planned for different teams and Jongin rejoins his friends in a good mood. Chanyeol takes a look at him and shakes his head, muttering something along the line of kids these days. The next 2 hours fly right by as they attempt to build a tree-house, and Jongin has to admit he really had fun even though their tree-house turned out extremely deficient and ugly. He even manages to interact a little with Touka who is really nice and he can really see her with Woobin, which lifts his spirits even more. Chanyeol also felt the need to inform him that he has never seen Jongin being so cooperative and participative in anything that doesn’t involve swimming.
After their tree-house fiasco, they’re led to a small clearing, with Jongin at the forefront of the group because his eager ears picked up the sound of water before anyone else did. The rest of the team arrives to see Jongin already in the stream, his clothes abandoned on a low branch.
Chanyeol pushes Minseok in much to the displeasure of the latter, who batters him vigorously until they’re both out of breath and ready to join Jongin in seeking repose from the gentle water, so clear and cool beneath the vast blue sky.
Instead of swimming, Jongin just relaxes and releases the weight of the world from his shoulders as he floats on the surface, eyes closed.
It’s moments like this that really makes everything worth it; when he gets to indulge in what makes him feel so utterly alive and at peace with the world, and this particular moment is reminiscent of the first time he waddled into the love of his life as a child. Jongin is not really a superstitious person, but he does believe that his affinity with the water will last until the universe crumbles into rust and stardust- he must have loved the water in his past life too, and in this life, and the next. It will never end.
Most of his teammates got bored of splashing around after a while, and are lured away by the temptation of camp-fire food. Meanwhile, Jongin remains where he is. He doesn’t think he ever intends to leave this place. Chanyeol and Minseok are the only two still in the stream with him and he looks at them fondly, pleased he’s not alone in this moment, though having Kyungsoo here would definitely break the scale of perfection.
“I’m starving,” Minseok complains when the delicious aroma of meat wafts over to them, sniffing loudly like a dog.
“We should probably go before they wipe out everything,” Chanyeol says, already making his way towards the bank. He looks back at Jongin. “You coming?”
Jongin shakes his head. “Nah, I think I’ll just remain here for a little while more. Come get me when you guys are leaving?”
“Alright. You want some food?”
“Save some for me if it’s not too much trouble.”
“I resigned myself to a life of trouble when I decided to accept your friendship,” Chanyeol informs him kindly, grinning at the blast of water Jongin sends his way because he ducks and it ends up hitting clueless Minseok instead.
“Fuck you,” Minseok mutters, not really sure who he’s directing it to, too lost in the thoughts of meat to care anyway.
Jongin watches his friend disappear between the trees, the sounds of their conversation drifting further and further away until serenity replaces them entirely. He goes back to floating on the surface, his eyes wide open this time as a crack appears in the sky and all of its vibrancy spills through, seeping right into him.
His decision to accept the swimming scholarship and dive into a life of competition isn’t one that is completely free of anxiety and he finds himself still questioning if it’s the right choice sometimes, but right now, with the water cradling his body, Jongin knows it is. Kyungsoo was right. He’s not going to mysteriously forget his love for swimming just because he’s about to be thrown into a rat-race of timings and medals. He shares a special affinity with the water and that makes him different from everyone else.
A reassured smile settles on his face, his eyes still trained on the sky above him, until a small splash lets him know that his private sphere has been breached. He lets gravity pull him back down, soles landing softly against the bottom of the stream.
But it is just Kyungsoo standing by the bank, arms hanging limply by his side and smile casual.
“It’s not very difficult to find you.”
Jongin holds his hand out to him. “You were looking for me?” he teases. “What for?”
“To beat you up.” Yet Kyungsoo’s hand is warm and his fingers curl around Jongin’s without hesitation, allowing himself to fall forward when Jongin tugs, right into his arms.
“What a gangster,” Jongin mutters as their chests collide, his bare chest pressed against Kyungsoo’s clothed one. He bites down lightly on Kyungsoo’s ear, purposefully exhaling there because he knows just how sensitive it can be.
“The water is kind of cold.”
“You don’t like the water very much, do you?” His words are laden with meaning and he knows Kyungsoo gets exactly what he’s trying to imply when the cheeky imp hums contemplatively.
“Well, I guess it’s tolerable, but barely.”
Jongin doesn’t go easy on him this time, digging his fingers into Kyungsoo’s hips to punish him for his impudence. He tickles him without mercy, delighted at how easily he’s coaxing laughter out of Kyungsoo who squirms in his embrace, and even more delighted at how the smaller male isn’t really attempting to push him away.
When he thinks the punishment has been enacted long enough to leave a lasting impression, or at least for now, he relents and tightens his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist. Kyungsoo gazes up at him, and Jongin cannot help leaning down to capture the perfect swell of his lips in a kiss when he sees the sky reflected in the smaller male’s eyes, hoping to taste heaven in his mouth.
“I’m so lucky to have you,” he breaks the kiss just to mutter that and Kyungsoo’s fingers tangle in the back of his hair, pulling him back down just so they can kiss again.
If Jongin had thought the view here with the stream and clear blue sky was great, he should see how the two of them look against this gorgeous backdrop; locked in each other’s arms and waist-deep in the water, joined in a kiss that made them oblivious of the world around them.
There’s no saying where Jongin’s hands would have gone or if he would have behaved had a loud gasp not pulled them apart, their heads snapping towards the source of the sound at the same time.
Jieun stands a few metres away from them, her eyes brimming with bewilderment and pain, her hand covering her open mouth.
“Jieun…”
Jongin had not seen her around at all, did not even know she was here too, so she must have done a great job avoiding him--until now.
“You’re kidding,” she says when her arm falls back to her side.
Kyungsoo takes a step away and tries to shake off Jongin’s hand, but Jongin merely tightens his fingers around his hand, earning him a surprised wide-eyed look.
“You’re not going anywhere, Kyungsoo.” He lets Kyungsoo know, and at this, Kyungsoo stops trying to break free of his grasp. He turns to Jieun next, his voice a little shaky at the beginning. “I don’t know what to say but I’m not going to apologize because what I have with Kyungsoo is not something I feel sorry about, though I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
Her eyes well up with tears. Kyungsoo looks away.
“I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry about that too, but I hope you realize now that there is no going back for us. And I had to do this, because staying with you would only hurt us both even more. What you’re looking at now is the truth. It is what it is.”
The atmosphere is so awkward that Jongin first thought the tension alone was somehow causing twigs to snap, the sounds amplified in this situation, until Chanyeol emerges from between the trees behind Jieun. His mouth falls into a perfect ‘O’ when he sees Jongin and Kyungsoo standing together in the stream with their fingers intertwined.
“Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t know Kyungsoo was here.” It must have been Chanyeol who perhaps let slip that Jongin was alone at the stream, and Jieun probably wanted to just get a quick glance at the ex she still can’t really bring herself to get over, still indulged in the fantasy of a possible reconciliation someday.
She runs away before her tears can fall, pushing past Chanyeol who nearly drops the plate of food as he looks after her.
“Should we go after her?”
Jongin hardens his resolve. “No,” he says. “This is a clean break we both need.”
“Oh, okay then.” Chanyeol says while he slowly takes a step back. “Is it better if I leave you two to yourselves?”
Jongin smiles. “Leave the food here and get lost.”
That is enough reassurance to Chanyeol in letting him know Jongin’s definitely not angry at him for accidentally screwing shit up, and he gives him a mock salute, then really does as he’s told and leaves the plate of food on the ground as an offering of sorts, leaving afterwards.
Kyungsoo’s fingers are cold and clammy. Jongin frowns, squeezing some warmth into them. “You okay?”
“Are you okay?”
The look in Kyungsoo’s eyes makes it inevitable for him to lean in and give him a peck just to ease the tightness between his brows.
“I feel great, actually. We don’t have to hide anymore. I can let the whole damn world know I love you.”
Kyungsoo drops his head but Jongin catches a glimpse of a smile before he manages to shield his face from view.
“Okay,” Kyungsoo mutters.
“Anyway, why are you alone? Aren’t you supposed to be with your team?”
“Ditched them.”
“You ditched them to come look for me?”
Kyungsoo licks his dry lips. “They were fighting about how to build the tree-house. I got annoyed.”
This amuses Jongin thoroughly as he leads Kyungsoo out of the stream, going right for the food Chanyeol had left.
“Some meat to appease your highness?”
Their fingers remain connected throughout. Kyungsoo beams up at him, his childlike happiness inducing Jongin into his own.
“Sure,” Kyungsoo agrees readily, opening his mouth for Jongin to feed him.
← PREV / NEXT →
Jongin swims to escape from the world- and then he meets the boy behind the camera.
Today, Jongin learns that the backs of his eyelids don’t make very good curtains when the sunlight filtrates through the thinness, engulfing them in a reddish-orange tint. Despite that, he keeps his eyes closed in hope of falling back asleep. It doesn’t matter that he’s walking. An annoying presence (read: Chanyeol) nudges his shoulders a couple of times but Jongin doesn’t even so much as respond, relying on pure luck to not trip over anything. This skill is one he has mastered over the years after being forced to get out of bed every morning for school.
“I’m serious, Jongin, you’re gonna regret it if you don’t open your eyes now.”
Unlike the previous times, Jongin’s eyelids slowly flutter open, his eyes squinted into slits as he tries to adjust to the sudden influx of light. The urgency in Chanyeol’s tone conjures thoughts of a particular person, and he’s right about that when his gaze lands on Kyungsoo who is just about to climb onto the bus with Baekhyun.
“Are we taking that bus too?” is his second sentence of the day, the first being a gruff “fuck you” to Chanyeol who greeted him in the morning with by kneeing him in the stomach (yeah, friendship).
“Nobody said we can’t,” Chanyeol simply says, and drags Jongin over to that bus, which isn’t too difficult to do because Jongin is very voluntarily moving towards the vehicle too. Kyungsoo has disappeared by the time they get to the steps, already in the bus, and Jongin climbs up speedily with a duffle bag in his grasp.
He spots Kyungsoo settled comfortably into the seat beside the window in the fifth row and marches right over, catching Baekhyun’s attention first. Jongin swings himself into the empty row behind them, leaning forward so he can talk to Baekhyun without attracting any more unnecessary attention.
“I have an idea,” he proposes to the brunet who, with his eyebrows raised knowingly, seems to already know what Jongin is about to suggest.
Chanyeol takes his time walking down the aisle while greeting the people he is acquainted with. The trio spares him a glance before getting back to business.
“I’m ready to hear it,” Baekhyun says.
“Let’s trade seats.”
“Why should I?”
Jongin’s lips part, ready with Chanyeol as an incentive, but when the friendly giant unintentionally hits Jongin’s face with his butt while squeezing his way through to the window seat, Jongin realizes it’s really more of a punishment.
“Um.”
Baekhyun is merciless. “Three seconds.”
“Wait-”
“Two.”
Jongin leans forward further, craning his neck to make eye-contact with Kyungsoo who only stares blankly back at him without offering to help. He’s on his own.
“One.” Baekhyun’s nasty smile makes Jongin realize he has no choice but to take a risk. Even if he loses this gamble, it would not be from not trying.
“Well,” he deadpans. “Chanyeol.”
A hand digs into his side and Jongin doesn’t even startle, all too used to it. Chanyeol then tries to lean over as well, the back of his head almost slamming into Jongin’s face this time as he endeavours to greet his friends with his trademark grin.
“Hey, Baek. Hey, Kyungsoo.”
Baekhyun raises his head to maintain eye-contact with Jongin. “Not a fair trade,” he says.
“True, but damn it.”
“Damn it,” Chanyeol echoes after Jongin, pulling back to wipe imaginary tears off his face.
The brunet sighs heavily and regards Kyungsoo. “What do you say? I’ll trade seats with him if you want me to.”
“We have a three-hour journey,” Kyungsoo reminds him pointedly as he, too, glimpses behind at Chanyeol whose imaginary crying has escalated into dramatic sniffling. “Are you sure?”
“You’re not being very considerate about my mental well-being.” Jongin interjects then, his voice laced with indignance, and knows the battle is won when Kyungsoo smiles at his words.
“Thanks, Baekhyun.” Kyungsoo says sincerely. Baekhyun only smiles helplessly as he reaches overhead for his bag and gets up to switch seats with Jongin. Chanyeol gets a kick as a farewell gift from his best friend.
Jongin swings his own duffle bag into the overhead compartment and slides into the seat that is still warm from Baekhyun’s presence. “Good morning,” he tells Kyungsoo, his first decent greeting since he got dragged out of bed. Their hands find each other effortlessly, very naturally, and Jongin closes his fingers around Kyungsoo’s. “You didn’t help me out just now,” he adds accusingly.
Kyungsoo merely laughs dismissively. “You didn’t seem like you needed my help.”
“Were you going to help me out if Baekhyun didn’t want to switch seats?”
Kyungsoo’s lips quirk into a mischievous smile. “Guess.”
Jongin squeezes his fingers tightly. “You’re so mean,” he mutters, earning another laugh from Kyungsoo and they fall into normal conversation afterwards, chatting about games and the island they’re headed to for this retreat camp (promised by the Student Council to be “sun and fun”).
Their bus is the last one to set off nearly twenty minutes later, the engine rumbling as it leaves the school buildings behind them. Jongin doesn’t need to look back to know what his friends are up to; he can hear all about Chanyeol’s first experience alone at the supermarket and Baekhyun’s halfhearted humming. Strangely, that makes him feel safe, makes them feel at ease, and Jongin is free to rest his head on Kyungsoo’s shoulder when everyone else is caught up in their own worlds.
“Sleepy?” Kyungsoo asks in a quiet voice, gazing down at Jongin who lets a big yawn answer his question.
“It’s illegal to be awake right now.”
Kyungsoo pats his cheek softly, the feeling of his fingertips lingering on the expanse of Jongin’s skin long after he retracts his hand. “Go to sleep.”
Jongin responds by pulling their linked arms to his chest and throws his free one around them, a substitute for the bolster he already misses terribly. “Night night, don’t let the bedbugs bite,” he mutters habitually, and succumbs to the sleepiness that has been gnawing at his bones. Kyungsoo’s warmth draws him into a lapse of peaceful sleep while the sky outside turns even bluer still.
When he rouses at a more appropriate timing to be alive, the entire bus has gone quiet. He blinks slowly, head still inclined on Kyungsoo’s shoulder, face twisting into a deep frown at the stiffness of his own neck. Eventually, he straightens up, and instead of the brilliant turquoise sky outside, he looks at Kyungsoo whose head is rested against the window, mind lost in dreamland.
Then Jongin tears his eyes away and looks around, discovering most people still in slumber, even Chanyeol who had claimed he was going to use the 3 hours journey productively on his brand new Nintendo DS. He spots Yixing in the seat diagonally behind him, headphones plugged in and eyes trained on the sight outside the window, watching the day go by. Jongin turns back to admire his scenery as well, gazing tenderly at Kyungsoo whose breath is coming in a slow and steady rhythm.
The fact that Kyungsoo is very attractive is not one that has ever eluded him, but now Jongin finds him even more so, unbelievably so, with the sunlight hitting his face in all the right angles, and his jet-black hair framing his handsome features so nicely. His lips draw into a smile when he looks down to see their fingers still intertwined, at the reminder that this person is his.
Jongin remains awake for the rest of the journey, simply admiring the view of both nature and Kyungsoo before him, the combination so incredibly pleasant to his eyes. They’re approximately five minutes away from their destination when Kyungsoo finally awakes, his eyes bleary and dazed, until Jongin kisses his cheek softly and it takes away the confusion.
They’re the first two to hop off the bus with their duffle bags in their hands, and they wait patiently for their groggy schoolmates to stream out in a neat file before proceeding to the ferry terminal as a group. Chanyeol is more toned down after his nap and remains so throughout their short ferry ride to the island. It later turns out to be because of motion sickness when he pukes onto the ground the moment his feet comes into contact with solid ground again.
The island is surrounded by the sea and Jongin feels the restorative power of the water straightaway, a tingling sensation growing rapidly across the surface of his body as he regards the glistening blueness with clear eyes. Kyungsoo grabs his wrist and shakes his head, pinning him down.
“Not now, Jongin.”
Thus, a disappointed Jongin gets ushered into yet another bus and their lodge pulls into view 15 minutes later, a three-storey wooden building with an impressive-looking slanted roof. Jongin grins, glad that it doesn’t look too shabby. If it looks this modern on the outside, it can’t be that bad inside.
A guy Jongin recognizes as the secretary of the student council comes around with a rectangular tin in his hands and has everyone draw a piece of coloured paper from it. This can only mean that they’re about to be sorted into groups and Jongin groans, having assumed this trip was going to be like a romantic honeymoon way too early.
Kyungsoo draws a pink slip whereas Jongin draws a blue one, and he swings his gaze around eagerly, looking around for someone he can swap teams with. Meanwhile, Chanyeol, who has recovered from his motion sickness, reverts right back to his usual self as he pokes Jongin’s back and informs him about being in the same team. Baekhyun draws a yellow one, something he doesn’t look too bothered about, and Jongin thinks he might have to surrender to his bad luck today when they’re led into the lodge before he can find someone to do an exchange with.
It turns out to be not so bad after all, because the blue and pink teams are considered ‘partner teams’ and will at the very least share the same sleeping quarters. Two neat rows of single beds greet him when he steps into the room and Jongin has to admit it’s definitely not that bad even though there’s no privacy at all. The people on the Blue team are instructed to take the left row, leaving the right row for the Pink team, so Kyungsoo leaves him then, following after his new teammates with light footsteps.
Jongin tosses his bag onto the fateful bed he has chosen and spreads his arms wide as he falls back onto the bed. Chanyeol takes the one next to him, settling down with a frown when his bed creaks under his weight. He bounces a little, and the bed creaks even more, and Jongin laughs. Then a familiar face catches his attention.
“Minseok!”
Minseok catches sight of him only then, breaking into a wide grin when he does. He approaches them with a humongous hiking backpack clinging on to him.
“Are you going to climb Mount Everest?”
Minseok ignores that question pointedly. “Blue team?”
Jongin and Chanyeol exchange looks before confirming his query and Minseok throws himself onto the bed beside Jongin’s.
“Awesome,” he mutters, his feelings obviously a contrast to Jongin’s who instantly feels like he has become an idiot sandwich of sorts being trapped between Minseok and Chanyeol.
For a change, Jongin looks around for Kyungsoo, and spots him sitting cross-legged on his bed that is near the end of the room. He is preoccupied in a conversation with someone Jongin identifies as Woobin (credit should be given to his idiot friend Minseok) and it would be a lie to say he feels completely neutral about seeing that, but he’s not given more time to mull over it when they’re called to gather outside.
It feels like they’re back to training with Chanyeol attached to his hip, playing the role of his Siamese twin once again. But Jongin’s not complaining. Anything that reminds him of swimming is welcome. He sits down with his knees hugged to his chest, watching the people around him curiously, unsure how to feel about not knowing such a huge portion of his schoolmates even after spending so many years in the same buildings. So it’s a pleasant escape from the overwhelming unfamiliarity when Sehun makes an appearance, winking (or maybe having an eye spasm) at Jongin in their brief moment of eye-contact. Jongin dimly notes that he’s in the Yellow team with Baekhyun and Yixing, so they probably won’t be crossing paths a lot.
Loud laughter breaks the reverie Jongin didn’t even know when he had slipped into, deep in thought about lunch and swimming. The council president, Jinyoung, had somehow made his way onto the elevated platform started some kind of game during his spiritual absence from earth, probably to lighten the atmosphere and get everyone into the mood. After a long moment of watching people flail around on stage and still failing to comprehend what’s going on, Jongin elbows Chanyeol lightly.
“What’s going on?”
Chanyeol’s neck is strained, his eyes fixated on the scene unfolding before them. “He’s just dragging people out to dance. Look, Baekhyun’s there.”
“Oh man.”
Simply put, it’s a game Jongin hopes he doesn’t ever have to participate in. He hates attention, and to eradicate any chance of getting dragged out, he avoids making eye-contact with the student representatives and instead looks around for Kyungsoo.
He spots Kyungsoo fairly quickly, a task that isn’t difficult to execute when they’re seated with their respective teams. And apparently, Jongin isn’t the only one who has spotted Kyungsoo, because he’s getting pulled out to the stage by Baekhyun who now has the right to drag other people into hell after having been through it himself. His eyes trail after Kyungsoo, taking in his narrow shoulders, heart clenching at how small he looks out there.
Kyungsoo doesn’t look too overjoyed to be there, a cute frown forming on his face, obviously unused to the attention. Chanyeol nudges him and he keeps his eyes locked on Kyungsoo who doesn’t seem to know what to do as he stands there awkwardly with wide eyes. It’s so insanely adorable that Jongin watches with a smile until Woobin (wait, when did he even get there?) rescues Kyungsoo by grabbing his wrist and swinging their arms together, and doesn’t let go until Kyungsoo gets a vague idea of what to do.
From this point on, it is with much unhappiness that Jongin watches, caught in a dilemma between going up on stage voluntarily and the terrifying thought of being up. Yet, when Kyungsoo starts smiling, his heart softens and he breaks into a helpless smile too, just happy Kyungsoo is having fun.
Fortunately for his patience, the game ends fairly quickly and Jongin manages to catch Kyungsoo’s eye when he’s walking back to his seat, and the warm smile he receives is enough to soothe his ruffled heart.
He knows he said he wouldn’t get jealous so much anymore, but it really is easier said than done because he now realizes it’s not something he can controll. It just happens that he’s in love with the most amazing person in this world and Kyungsoo’s merits are so pristine clear to him that it’s impossible for him to believe they would go unnoticed by others, which only adds on to his insecurities. Maybe Jongin is a little possessive, but even so, he is determined to not act like a psycho boyfriend and instead forces himself to relax by paying more attention to his friends. Regardless, he finds his gaze wandering over to where Kyungsoo is from time to time anyway.
And when he catches Kyungsoo stealing occasional glances at him too, the feeling that grows in his chest is one he hardly knows how to describe.
-
“Where’s Minseok?”
The mention of that name induces Jongin into laughter, almost spilling his ladle of gravy as his shoulders heave.
“He ran off the moment they said we could have dinner and I haven’t seen him since. Man, you should have seen how fast he ran. He really put Usain Bolt to shame.”
Chanyeol’s lips lift into a one-sided smile when he tries to picture that happening. “He’s a funny guy,” he remarks absently, grabbing the ladle after Jongin.
“Yeah, he is.” Jongin agrees breezily, waiting patiently for Chanyeol to scoop his desired amount of gravy. It turns out to be a large amount, and they embark on a search mission for an empty table with Chanyeol’s plate threatening to overflow with gravy.
Jongin’s heart nearly stills when Kyungsoo pops into his line of vision, and has already taken a few steps towards his table when he realizes that there are no empty seats there. He also seems to be getting along really well with his team members, especially with Woobin who is seated beside him. That tickles Jongin in a bad way and he straightens up, walking right over anyway.
The table in front of Kyungsoo’s is empty and Jongin settles down there. It takes Chanyeol a slightly longer time to arrive, delayed by his best efforts at trying not to spill any of his precious gravy.
“Wow,” Chanyeol exhales a huge sigh of relief. “That was really difficult.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be so greedy next time.”
“You’re probably right, but I’m not going to tell you that because I’m not going to give you the pleasure of knowing that you are.”
“Okay, Chanyeol.”
They dig in at the same time, and Chanyeol seems to be on a personal mission to land himself a place in the Guinness World Record for being the fastest eater when he practically shoves the entire plate into his mouth, whereas Jongin seems the more refined one, alternating between sneaking glimpses of Kyungsoo and eating like a normal guy.
Kyungsoo definitely knows he’s there. Their eyes meet a couple of times but Jongin can’t bring himself to return his smile even though he isn’t really angry, just a little jealous. And because he feels so incredibly stupid for feeling this way, eventually he stops looking over and focuses on his dinner instead.
He would definitely feel better if Kyungsoo came over and talked to him a little, but when he realizes his boyfriend doesn’t seem to have the intention of doing so, he promptly leaves in a conflicted state of mind.
It’s completely natural to feel jealous, he tries to reason with himself, but he still feels really stupid because he knows very well what Kyungsoo feels towards him. The realization that he has never felt this way about Jieun, never cared who she chose to hang out, informs him that the first real relationship of his life has only just started.
They find Minseok sitting outside smoking alone shortly after, and his silly antics soon lifts Jongin’s spirits again.
-
Cricket sounds follow him and his contemplation all the way to the toilet, fading away only when he sets foot into the dimly-lit area with his toiletries to wash up for the night. Unwilling to wait in line for the shower, Jongin had very voluntarily waited until it seemed like most people were back on their beds before he decided it would be his time to unwind, but he realizes he’s not the only one who had thought of that when his eyes land on a familiar stature.
Kyungsoo catches sight of him through the reflection and their gazes meet in the mirror. The smaller male spits out his mouthful of toothpaste and looks up at Jongin again with a small smile, one that makes Jongin almost smile back until he remembers how much injustice Kyungsoo has put him through the entire day.
So instead of going right over to sneak his arms around Kyungsoo’s slender waist and giving him a peck on the cheek like he normally does, Jongin remains where he is and lets his gaze drop to the ground, trying to decide his next move.
The sound of running water reaches him and Jongin’s head snaps back up. He watches Kyungsoo gargle a few times and his legs start moving on their own accord, transporting him to where the smaller male is standing by the sink with a bewildered expression now that he’s done brushing his teeth.
Kyungsoo’s hair is damp, so he must have just finished his shower too, and that guess is validated by the display of his toiletries against the mirror. Jongin reaches out to grab the shampoo, a spontaneous decision after realizing how much he doesn’t want to be alone here, but doesn’t want to ask Kyungsoo to stay with him. Nope, he’s not going to open his mouth at all.
“That’s mine,” says Kyungsoo, inclining his body towards Jongin so they can properly look at each other’s faces.
Jongin merely drops his gaze again, his lips forming a petulant pout.
“Give it back,” Kyungsoo says next, but he doesn’t make an attempt to retrieve the shampoo bottle in Jongin’s loose grip.
Neither are saying what they really want to despite their present privacy in the empty toilet, the reasons being indignance for Jongin and confusion for Kyungsoo who decides to test his boyfriend out first.
When it becomes apparent that Kyungsoo has to be the more vocal one this time, he stretches his arm out to grab the hand curled around his shampoo bottle, killing two birds with one stone.
“What’s wrong?”
Jongin doesn’t answer that. He just looks around, focusing on nothing in particular but Kyungsoo even as his heart flutters at the warmth of his hand.
“Did you forget to bring your shampoo?”
“I see your shampoo there though, so what is it?”
“Are you going to play mute?”
When Kyungsoo’s string of questions goes ignored, he sighs in exasperation and touches Jongin’s hip lightly.
“I’m going back then.”
Jongin’s responds by tightening his fingers around Kyungsoo’s wrist and attaching himself to his heels. That makes Kyungsoo stop in his tracks, whipping around to regard Jongin again.
“Okay,” he says in a tone that makes Jongin feel like a toddler. “I’ll stay here until you finish your shower.”
This time Jongin looks into his eyes for reassurance, and when Kyungsoo’s lips lift into a smile, Jongin lets himself be convinced. That, coupled with Kyungsoo’s muttered “promise”, he lets go of his hand and makes his way into the nearest cubicle.
Instead of staying under the faucet to relish in the bliss of a hot shower, he trades it for a quick one and uses Kyungsoo’s shampoo just because. The familiar scent offers him a great deal of comfort, and for a fleeting moment Jongin can trick himself into thinking they’re back at home and going to cuddle in bed after this-then he remembers he’s still kind of jealous and plasters a look of cold indifference onto his face.
Kyungsoo is sitting on the bench with his own fingers intertwined when the cubicle door swings open and Jongin steps out into the cooler air, granting brief eye-contact to the guy he’s pretending to be mad at.
“Let’s go,” Kyungsoo offers cordially and Jongin nods just as politely, waiting for Kyungsoo to lead the way so he can walk behind him instead of matching his footsteps.
By now Kyungsoo should have figured out why Jongin is behaving like this unless he’s more oblivious than Jongin thought, and the victim is just trying to figure out if his boyfriend understands his actions or not when said boyfriend’s fingers lock around his arm and forces him to fall into step beside him. Jongin lets his smile slip, turning away just in time to avoid detection.
Kyungsoo breaks the silence when the door to their sleeping quarters pulls into view. “Good night, green-eyed monster.” And instead of a kiss that would have appeased Jongin entirely, he flicks his finger against the swimmer’s forehead, then makes his way in without glancing back.
Jongin just stands there, stunned, but a small smile blossoms on his face when he recovers from the ridiculity of Kyungsoo’s actions and walks into the room too with a shake of his head.
His bed creaks as he stretches his limbs with a wide yawn, the tiredness only now kicking in. He looks to his left where Chanyeol is lying on his stomach with his eyes glued to his phone, and to his right where Minseok is sitting in an unnaturally upright position with his eyes closed. That gets his attention.
“What are you doing?” he asks, and repeats his question until Minseok exhales loudly.
“I’m meditating,” Minseok informs him in a not-very-civil tone. “It would help if you stop distracting me.”
Jongin looks around him, thoroughly amused, thinking it wondrous strange how Minseok is able to “meditate” when their surroundings are so noisy. That, and the fact that Minseok meditates in the first place is funny, so Jongin slides himself to the edge of his bed until he can jab Chanyeol with his foot.
“Give me your baby powder,” Jongin lowers his voice as much as he can for discretion, something Chanyeol doesn’t help in as he stares back at his friend with a flabbergasted expression and repeats his request in his usual loud voice.
“Are you serious? You want my baby powder? Do you finally see the good of it?”
As Chanyeol’s #1 friend, it is 100% Jongin’s job to refrain from judging him too badly, though it’s hard to do so in certain instances. Jongin almost choked to death laughing when he first found out Chanyeol still uses baby powder for “smooth skin” and “to sleep better at night”, but he was nice enough to keep it a secret from his 358 friends on Facebook (though he’s not going to deny ever having blackmailed him), and he thinks now is the perfect time for Chanyeol to repay that favour.
“Just give it to me,” Jongin mutters exasperatedly, glancing back at Minseok who remains still and detached from reality at this very moment.
Chanyeol eyes him suspiciously and then gets around to digging in his bag until he produces what Jongin is asking for.
The bed creaks again as Jongin slides off and he tiptoes over to an unsuspecting Minseok who is very much focused on his meditation, unscrewing the cap of the baby powder as he does.
When he gets within range, he lifts the bottle over Minseok’s head and turns it over, suppressing his laughter as he watches a blanket of powder cover the copper hair.
Chanyeol gives him a muted high-five and they make themselves comfortable while waiting for Minseok to come back to reality, anticipating his reaction. When Minseok snaps out of his peaceful trance, he sniffs loudly.
“Is it just me or do I smell baby powder?”
Jongin gives his most innocent look when Minseok’s gaze lands on him.
“I don’t smell anything,” he says.
“Neither do I,” Chanyeol agrees smoothly.
Minseok’s eyebrows pull into a deep frown. “No, I swear I smell baby powder. That was what distracted me. I thought it couldn’t be but I swear, I smell it.”
The lights go out just as a smile wreaths Jongin’s face, a timely coincidence that conceals his mischief.
“I’ll recommend you to a psychiatrist tomorrow,” he promises Minseok, smiling wider at the barrage of filthy words he gets in return. Then the world quiets down, an inevitable result of the darkness and exhaustion.
At least an hour must have passed in what feels like penance to Jongin as he lies awake in the dark, staring up at the ceilings and wondering if the stars outside are watching him. The only thing that comes to mind is the soft smile on Kyungsoo’s face when they encountered each other in the toilet earlier, and Jongin already feels guilty for how he treated the person he loves so incredibly tenderly.
Sleep just wouldn’t come even in his state of fatigue, and after a futile bout of tossing and turning, Jongin sits up and looks around him. There are soft snores coming from Minseok’s side and he sees Chanyeol’s foot dangling off the bed, enough assurance that he’s probably the only one who can’t get to sleep.
He swings himself off the bed as quietly as he can, wincing when it creaks and holds his breath for the full 30 seconds it takes to make sure he hasn’t woken anyone up judging by the still silhouettes surrounding him. He knows exactly where to find Kyungsoo and it’s like a gravitational force he can’t help but give in to as he tiptoes his way there, excitement growing in his heart.
Woobin’s bed is beside Kyungsoo’s and Jongin catches a glimpse of him as he passes by, and concludes that it must be a tall-people thing when he sees his foot protruding out of his bed too, like Chanyeol’s had been.
That sight snags his attention only briefly because Jongin soon directs his gaze towards Kyungsoo, barely making out his silhouette. For a long moment, Jongin just stands by his bed and contemplates waking him up, but decides against it when the sound of Kyungsoo’s steady breathing reaches him. Instead, he climbs into Kyungsoo’s bed stealthily, pleased to find out it’s not as creaky as his and worms his way into the blanket nest Kyungsoo has made for himself.
Despite his best efforts, his movements awaken Kyungsoo who is up and staring at him with bright eyes that even the darkness can’t hide very much by the time he gets comfortable.
“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo whispers.
“Can’t sleep,” Jongin murmurs without missing a beat.
Kyungsoo isn’t going to let him go that easily. “You’re done being a green-eyed monster?”
Their faces are so incredibly close and Jongin makes a mental note to destroy Kyungsoo’s spare pillow back home so they can share one like this for the rest of eternity. How is it possible that Kyungsoo looks even cuter close-up?
“I think so,” Jongin says, “I checked before coming over and my eyes aren’t green anymore.”
He doesn’t miss Kyungsoo’s smile, can’t possibly let it go unnoticed when all the stars in his world light up at that.
“Sorry for waking you up,” Jongin adds good-naturedly, to which Kyungsoo merely sighs and shakes his head. “Night night.”
“Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” Kyungsoo finishes for him.
The green-eyed monster that had possessed him earlier really is nowhere to be found right now and Jongin doesn’t think of anything else when he leans in, kissing Kyungsoo’s lips gently. Kyungsoo’s arms sneak around his waist, pulling him in as he buries his face into Jongin’s neck, and Jongin has no trouble falling asleep like that with Kyungsoo tucked beneath his chin.
-
The first sunrays at dawn project long slanted shadows at odd angles through the windows, only to find Jongin already back in his own bed. He grabs his clothes and makes his way to the toilet to freshen up before the morning crowd beats him to it, in a relatively good mood after spending a short night with his insanely adorable boyfriend.
The others have started to rouse by the time Jongin gets back, muscles relaxed and hair damp from a hot shower. Chanyeol doesn’t show any signs of life with his long body sprawled across the bed and his oblivious face completely unruffled even when the noise level grows tentatively, then in full force. Minseok, on the other hand, fares considerably better. He’s sitting upright in bed with a dazed look on his face, looking as though he’s having enough difficulty just trying to remember who he is.
Jongin has to cough to disguise his laughter when he realizes the blanket of baby powder on the crown of Minseok’s head has remained intact through the night, and averts his gaze pointedly when Minseok finally spares him a look.
“What time is it?” he asks hoarsely, voice still deep from sleep.
“2am.”
“What are we doing today?”
“Hiking.”
Minseok cocks his head. “No way.”
“You should get your ass out of bed now if you don’t want to queue for a shower.” Jongin kindly advises him, tossing his bottle of shampoo over at his friend voluntarily.
“‘kay,” responds Minseok blearily, and really listens to Jongin’s advice as he gets out of bed and drags his feet towards the toilet.
Jongin looks towards the end of the room, over at where Kyungsoo is, already up and currently pulling out clothes from his duffle bag. He continues to stare, his brown eyes lightening quickly into a dark shade of green when Woobin ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair as a morning greeting, and keeps staring as Kyungsoo makes his way to the toilet, passing by him in the process. When the source of his jealousy is out of sight, he kicks Chanyeol’s butt.
“Get up.”
Chanyeol merely turns over and continues sleeping. Jongin kicks again with increased force.
“Seriously, everyone is up.”
“Tell them I died in my sleep,” Chanyeol mutters incoherently while pulling his blanket over his face.
Jongin sighs. “Duly noted.”
Sleepiness is definitely contagious, and Jongin yawns as he stretches himself across his bed, eyes falling shut. He is tethering so dangerously on the edge when Minseok’s voice forces his eyes open and he regards the football player lazily, wondering why he looks so unnerved. Minseok jumps onto his bed, his face hovering above Jongin’s.
“I think this place is haunted.”
Jongin tries to push him away but Minseok doesn’t so much as budge. “Why would you say that?”
“I found baby powder in my hair,” Minseok looks around warily before he explains his suspicion, and the fearful look in his eyes is enough to trigger Jongin into laughter.
“Right,” says Jongin, nearly choking.
“Take me seriously! It must be a baby ghost or something like that.” Minseok cries, and Jongin really laughs so hard that tears spill from the corners of his eyes. He wipes them away and buries his face in his pillow, still laughing, his shoulders shaking.
And Chanyeol sleeps through all of that, awakening only when Minseok and Jongin combine efforts to drag him out of bed by his legs, brute force forcing him into shameful defeat.
-
“Wow.”
“Right,” Jongin nods in agreement, making a sweeping gesture at their surroundings. “Definitely worth getting up early.”
“No fucking shit,” says Chanyeol with a roll of his eyes, “I even came back from the dead just for this.” After a moment, he asks, “Jongin, do you think it’s possible for us to swim back home?”
Jongin brushes his fringe back with his fingers, sparing Chanyeol a sideway glance.
“I guess we can give it a shot.”
Minseok huffs. “You guys are not leaving me here alone.” To seem more threatening, he shoves Jongin lightly, who chuckles as he regains balance on the footpath.
“Hey, survival of the fittest.”
In all honesty, it’s not that bad being surrounded by trees, trees, and more trees. The morning air is fresh and crisp, so much more out here in the nature, but it’s not a sight that appeals to Jongin who finds it difficult to concentrate on his view when he’s so busy fending off mosquitoes and avoiding stepping on snails and centipedes. They have been trekking for slightly over 45 minutes now, and Jongin has grown so very tired of the faces in his team-they’re everywhere he turns.
He takes a generous sip from his bottle, wondering how Kyungsoo is faring, hoping he’s sufficiently hydrated and not too tired. With thoughts of love occupying his mind, Jongin walks on, responding to Chanyeol’s jokes and Minseok’s snide comments from time to time. Chanyeol is telling him a joke about an old cock and a farmer when figures appear in the near distance, just a little ahead of them. Jongin squints, eyes narrowing, smile growing, and leaves Minseok to entertain Chanyeol’s humour as he sprints forth.
Kyungsoo turns around at the sound of the readily approaching footsteps and his eyes widen when he sees Jongin, but he comes to a standstill and waits for the swimmer to catch up. Woobin stops too, obviously Kyungsoo’s buddy for this camp. He gives Jongin a friendly smile when their eyes meet and Jongin returns that gesture generously, his happiness in seeing Kyungsoo enough to dispel his jealousy.
“Hey, you.” Kyungsoo says.
“Hey yourself.” Even still, Jongin deliberately wedges himself between Woobin and Kyungsoo, glancing in front of him briefly at the other people in the Pink Team. “Fancy running into you here.”
“I know,” Kyungsoo responds, his shoulders lifting in a loose shrug. “Just woke up and decided it was a beautiful morning to take a walk in the middle of nowhere. I wasn’t expecting you to be a morning person too.”
Jongin lifts his watch to his face, imitating Kyungsoo’s casual shrug. “It’s been… hmm… three hours since I became a morning person. It’s not that bad yet, but whether I can sustain this or not is another problem entirely.”
He expected the jab in his ribs and they share a laugh that resonates in the cool morning air and the forest around them comes alive, branches swaying lightly in the breeze and leaves rustling, whispering tales of love and friendship.
Woobin tries to strike up conversation after a few minutes of silence, being a much friendlier person than Jongin had expected. “You’re a swimmer, yeah?”
All hard feelings dissolve at his affable smile even though Jongin has to crane his neck to look up at him. “Yeah. And you?”
“Basketball.”
He eyes Woobin with envy, taking in his long limbs and tall height. “You must be quite a valuable player.”
“I wouldn’t say I contribute much besides feeding stereotypes,” Woobin laughs, putting Jongin at ease. “Touka’s in your team, isn’t she?”
It takes a while for Jongin to recall who Touka is. When the girl with the short hair and multiple piercings surface in his mind, he nods tentatively. “I think so.”
Woobin laughs. “I found someone in the Blue team to swap with me but I got caught, so that was a bummer.”
Jongin doesn’t get it instantly. His jaw fall open as he stares at Woobin. “You mean…?”
“Touka is my girlfriend.”
“Oh.” He looks at Kyungsoo who is suppressing a violent smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement, obviously mocking Jongin who had been so jealous for nothing. “Oh,” Jongin repeats, breaking into a grin himself. “Yeah, cool, she’s pretty nice.”
Then, he leans towards Kyungsoo and pinches his waist lightly while whispering into his ear. “You should have told me!”
Kyungsoo regards him with cool eyes. “It was funny watching you get all worked up like an idiot.”
How different this boy is from the one he encountered at the pool is nearly enough to make Jongin want to pull out every single strand of his hair, but he really likes seeing this cheeky side of Kyungsoo. Getting to know him more and more and unlocking different sides of this person he’s so in love with is tremendous enjoyment. And he loves all of him, every single side he has seen.
“I’ll punish you soon,” Jongin promises him and Kyungsoo’s brows raise in response, obviously challenging the swimmer.
They’re forced to go separate ways soonafter, different activities planned for different teams and Jongin rejoins his friends in a good mood. Chanyeol takes a look at him and shakes his head, muttering something along the line of kids these days. The next 2 hours fly right by as they attempt to build a tree-house, and Jongin has to admit he really had fun even though their tree-house turned out extremely deficient and ugly. He even manages to interact a little with Touka who is really nice and he can really see her with Woobin, which lifts his spirits even more. Chanyeol also felt the need to inform him that he has never seen Jongin being so cooperative and participative in anything that doesn’t involve swimming.
After their tree-house fiasco, they’re led to a small clearing, with Jongin at the forefront of the group because his eager ears picked up the sound of water before anyone else did. The rest of the team arrives to see Jongin already in the stream, his clothes abandoned on a low branch.
Chanyeol pushes Minseok in much to the displeasure of the latter, who batters him vigorously until they’re both out of breath and ready to join Jongin in seeking repose from the gentle water, so clear and cool beneath the vast blue sky.
Instead of swimming, Jongin just relaxes and releases the weight of the world from his shoulders as he floats on the surface, eyes closed.
It’s moments like this that really makes everything worth it; when he gets to indulge in what makes him feel so utterly alive and at peace with the world, and this particular moment is reminiscent of the first time he waddled into the love of his life as a child. Jongin is not really a superstitious person, but he does believe that his affinity with the water will last until the universe crumbles into rust and stardust- he must have loved the water in his past life too, and in this life, and the next. It will never end.
Most of his teammates got bored of splashing around after a while, and are lured away by the temptation of camp-fire food. Meanwhile, Jongin remains where he is. He doesn’t think he ever intends to leave this place. Chanyeol and Minseok are the only two still in the stream with him and he looks at them fondly, pleased he’s not alone in this moment, though having Kyungsoo here would definitely break the scale of perfection.
“I’m starving,” Minseok complains when the delicious aroma of meat wafts over to them, sniffing loudly like a dog.
“We should probably go before they wipe out everything,” Chanyeol says, already making his way towards the bank. He looks back at Jongin. “You coming?”
Jongin shakes his head. “Nah, I think I’ll just remain here for a little while more. Come get me when you guys are leaving?”
“Alright. You want some food?”
“Save some for me if it’s not too much trouble.”
“I resigned myself to a life of trouble when I decided to accept your friendship,” Chanyeol informs him kindly, grinning at the blast of water Jongin sends his way because he ducks and it ends up hitting clueless Minseok instead.
“Fuck you,” Minseok mutters, not really sure who he’s directing it to, too lost in the thoughts of meat to care anyway.
Jongin watches his friend disappear between the trees, the sounds of their conversation drifting further and further away until serenity replaces them entirely. He goes back to floating on the surface, his eyes wide open this time as a crack appears in the sky and all of its vibrancy spills through, seeping right into him.
His decision to accept the swimming scholarship and dive into a life of competition isn’t one that is completely free of anxiety and he finds himself still questioning if it’s the right choice sometimes, but right now, with the water cradling his body, Jongin knows it is. Kyungsoo was right. He’s not going to mysteriously forget his love for swimming just because he’s about to be thrown into a rat-race of timings and medals. He shares a special affinity with the water and that makes him different from everyone else.
A reassured smile settles on his face, his eyes still trained on the sky above him, until a small splash lets him know that his private sphere has been breached. He lets gravity pull him back down, soles landing softly against the bottom of the stream.
But it is just Kyungsoo standing by the bank, arms hanging limply by his side and smile casual.
“It’s not very difficult to find you.”
Jongin holds his hand out to him. “You were looking for me?” he teases. “What for?”
“To beat you up.” Yet Kyungsoo’s hand is warm and his fingers curl around Jongin’s without hesitation, allowing himself to fall forward when Jongin tugs, right into his arms.
“What a gangster,” Jongin mutters as their chests collide, his bare chest pressed against Kyungsoo’s clothed one. He bites down lightly on Kyungsoo’s ear, purposefully exhaling there because he knows just how sensitive it can be.
“The water is kind of cold.”
“You don’t like the water very much, do you?” His words are laden with meaning and he knows Kyungsoo gets exactly what he’s trying to imply when the cheeky imp hums contemplatively.
“Well, I guess it’s tolerable, but barely.”
Jongin doesn’t go easy on him this time, digging his fingers into Kyungsoo’s hips to punish him for his impudence. He tickles him without mercy, delighted at how easily he’s coaxing laughter out of Kyungsoo who squirms in his embrace, and even more delighted at how the smaller male isn’t really attempting to push him away.
When he thinks the punishment has been enacted long enough to leave a lasting impression, or at least for now, he relents and tightens his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist. Kyungsoo gazes up at him, and Jongin cannot help leaning down to capture the perfect swell of his lips in a kiss when he sees the sky reflected in the smaller male’s eyes, hoping to taste heaven in his mouth.
“I’m so lucky to have you,” he breaks the kiss just to mutter that and Kyungsoo’s fingers tangle in the back of his hair, pulling him back down just so they can kiss again.
If Jongin had thought the view here with the stream and clear blue sky was great, he should see how the two of them look against this gorgeous backdrop; locked in each other’s arms and waist-deep in the water, joined in a kiss that made them oblivious of the world around them.
There’s no saying where Jongin’s hands would have gone or if he would have behaved had a loud gasp not pulled them apart, their heads snapping towards the source of the sound at the same time.
Jieun stands a few metres away from them, her eyes brimming with bewilderment and pain, her hand covering her open mouth.
“Jieun…”
Jongin had not seen her around at all, did not even know she was here too, so she must have done a great job avoiding him--until now.
“You’re kidding,” she says when her arm falls back to her side.
Kyungsoo takes a step away and tries to shake off Jongin’s hand, but Jongin merely tightens his fingers around his hand, earning him a surprised wide-eyed look.
“You’re not going anywhere, Kyungsoo.” He lets Kyungsoo know, and at this, Kyungsoo stops trying to break free of his grasp. He turns to Jieun next, his voice a little shaky at the beginning. “I don’t know what to say but I’m not going to apologize because what I have with Kyungsoo is not something I feel sorry about, though I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
Her eyes well up with tears. Kyungsoo looks away.
“I know I hurt you, and I’m sorry about that too, but I hope you realize now that there is no going back for us. And I had to do this, because staying with you would only hurt us both even more. What you’re looking at now is the truth. It is what it is.”
The atmosphere is so awkward that Jongin first thought the tension alone was somehow causing twigs to snap, the sounds amplified in this situation, until Chanyeol emerges from between the trees behind Jieun. His mouth falls into a perfect ‘O’ when he sees Jongin and Kyungsoo standing together in the stream with their fingers intertwined.
“Hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t know Kyungsoo was here.” It must have been Chanyeol who perhaps let slip that Jongin was alone at the stream, and Jieun probably wanted to just get a quick glance at the ex she still can’t really bring herself to get over, still indulged in the fantasy of a possible reconciliation someday.
She runs away before her tears can fall, pushing past Chanyeol who nearly drops the plate of food as he looks after her.
“Should we go after her?”
Jongin hardens his resolve. “No,” he says. “This is a clean break we both need.”
“Oh, okay then.” Chanyeol says while he slowly takes a step back. “Is it better if I leave you two to yourselves?”
Jongin smiles. “Leave the food here and get lost.”
That is enough reassurance to Chanyeol in letting him know Jongin’s definitely not angry at him for accidentally screwing shit up, and he gives him a mock salute, then really does as he’s told and leaves the plate of food on the ground as an offering of sorts, leaving afterwards.
Kyungsoo’s fingers are cold and clammy. Jongin frowns, squeezing some warmth into them. “You okay?”
“Are you okay?”
The look in Kyungsoo’s eyes makes it inevitable for him to lean in and give him a peck just to ease the tightness between his brows.
“I feel great, actually. We don’t have to hide anymore. I can let the whole damn world know I love you.”
Kyungsoo drops his head but Jongin catches a glimpse of a smile before he manages to shield his face from view.
“Okay,” Kyungsoo mutters.
“Anyway, why are you alone? Aren’t you supposed to be with your team?”
“Ditched them.”
“You ditched them to come look for me?”
Kyungsoo licks his dry lips. “They were fighting about how to build the tree-house. I got annoyed.”
This amuses Jongin thoroughly as he leads Kyungsoo out of the stream, going right for the food Chanyeol had left.
“Some meat to appease your highness?”
Their fingers remain connected throughout. Kyungsoo beams up at him, his childlike happiness inducing Jongin into his own.
“Sure,” Kyungsoo agrees readily, opening his mouth for Jongin to feed him.
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