Pink, Please (Oneshot)

[just2wings]

Pairing: JongKey
Rating: PG-13
Genre: AU, cotton candy-filled fluff featuring a slightly jaded protagonist
Word count: ~7900
Summary: Working at an amusement park sounded a lot more fun than it was, in Kibum’s opinion. At least that was until the new staffer showed up and Kibum was forced to re-evaluate more than his distaste for cotton candy.

Warning: some allusions to homophobia

A/N: A cutesy little fic because I randomly thought of JongKey in this setting and ended up writing this. This was fun, I hope you enjoy it!
____________________

Working at an amusement park sounded a lot more fun than it was. All of Kibum’s friends seemed to think it was an awesome part-time job for a student considering he got to spend his weekends and breaks over at Lotte World. Then again, maybe they just liked all the discounts Kibum could get them.

In reality, working at Lotte World meant dividing his time between pressing buttons to operate a roller coaster and rolling sticks into cotton candy. That stuff smelled, not to mention how it inevitably ended up sticking to everything. After almost two years of this job, Kibum never wanted to eat the thing again.

Kibum was glad that the park didn’t open too early in the morning; sitting behind a console to press buttons once in a while tended to be mind-numbingly boring and being tired only worsened it. Then again, at least he could stay seated and sip his coffee quietly as opposed to running around the noisy, crowded platform and making sure that everyone was fastened correctly. He had to admit that the extra training to learn how to operate the rides’ control panels had been worth it; it paid a bit more, too.

Kibum yawned for the countless time that morning, groaning when a song he’d heard too many times already came on the radio again. He nodded briefly when his coworker-Taemin, was it?-gave him two thumbs up from the platform, moving to the side, and Kibum went about starting the ride. Sometimes some of his fellow workers would come chat with him in between rides, momentarily relieving Kibum of his boredom, but Kibum knew from experience that this Taemin guy wasn’t particularly talkative. Still, Kibum couldn’t decide if he preferred him to Minho, who never seemed to shut up no matter how early or late it was and who always seemed so damn cheerful despite having to deal with overly-excited crowds and the occasional terrified passenger.

At least Minho never flirted with clients, though, which seemed to be exactly what Taemin was currently doing. He was leaning against the gate to the ride, suddenly seeming more than chatty while the girl he was talking to nodded at everything he said, althought it looked to be out of politeness more than anything. Kibum sighed, slumping further into his seat and swirled his lukewarm coffee before taking a sip. He rolled his eyes when Taemin lingered by her, double-checking her harness with a creepily wide smile once the next wagon came. On second thought, he preferred Minho.

Kibum was more than happy when his replacement took over once his shift was over.

“Don’t let him grope anybody,” he advised, pointing towards Taemin, before heading out for his lunch break. He packed his lunch most days because theme park food had gotten old very quickly.

It was a rather busy day, it being a weekend and during schools’ summer break, no less. He wasn’t really looking forward to spending his afternoon serving cotton candy left and right and hoping he was counting the change right as he rushed through orders.

A guy named Jinki usually worked at the cotton candy stand before him, but today they were two; he was accompanied by someone else and judging by the crusted, colourful cotton candy residue all over his hands, he was new to the job. He was rather short, but stocky, with dyed brown hair that fell into his eyes whenever he looked down and he smiled, albeit a bit nervously, at every customer without fault. Kibum kept watching him as he made his way closer, noticing how he reached over the counter and almost had to bend in half to hand over the big stick of candy to a young child. The child beamed at him and Kibum felt a small smile stretch his lips for the first time that day.

Jinki greeted him once he noticed Kibum approaching and the new guy swivelled around at once, looking up at Kibum with big eyes. Kibum quickly took in his full lips, high cheekbones, flat nose before cursing inwardly because, shit, he was cute.

“It’s Jonghyun’s first day,” Jinki told him as he neatened up the station, just like he always did before stepping aside for Kibum to take over. Kibum liked Jinki. He secretly hoped Taemin never got assigned to the cotton candy stand; he’d probably leave it in a terrible, sticky mess.

So cute guy had a name, Kibum mused. Cute guy was also still staring at him, so Kibum tried to act unaffected.

“It was such a busy morning,” Jinki went on, “not the best time for training.” Jonghyun finally tore his gaze away from Kibum to look at Jinki, nodding sympathetically. “I’ve gotta run, though,” he said, quickly wiping his hands on a rag and moving out of the small space, “I stocked up on blue by the way because we were running low. See you!”

Kibum really liked Jinki.

Jinki ran off after that, leaving Kibum alone with a now clueless looking Jonghyun. Kibum cleared his throat and leaned against the counter, trying to think of something to say.

“So,” he began, Jonghyun listening attentively, “first day, huh?”

Kibum had to suppress a cringe at his own less than spectacular delivery.

“Yeah,” Jonghyun answered, and his voice was slightly throaty-in a surprisingly pleasant, warm way.

Kibum was half-hoping for more clients to come and save him from his awkward attempts at small talk with a handsome stranger. Alas, no one came, and Jonghyun was still staring at him although now he had a small, almost amused smile on. It suited him, Kibum begrudgingly admitted.

“Will you only be working at this stand?” Kibum managed to ask.

“No, but I’m done for today,” Jonghyun told him. “Actually, would you mind if I stuck around a bit more? It was all a bit hectic this morning.”

“Uh-” Kibum found himself muttering, “yeah, sure, no problem.”

Kibum really wasn’t all that shy usually, but suddenly it was like talking while looking at Jonghyun was high-level multitasking. Thankfully, a mother and her daughter came up to the stand and Kibum busied himself preparing their two-toned cotton candy.

“How do you get it so round and perfect?” Jonghyun asked while Kibum was stowing away the money into the small drawer below.

“I just roll it around three times when it’s full, four and a half or five when it’s emptier, depending,” Kibum explained almost automatically. He had trained other people before, although none of them had been willing to do over-time. And they certainly hadn’t been as cute, but Kibum wasn’t quite ready to admit that.

“Four and a half?” Jonghyun repeated, eyebrows arching up. Kibum wasn’t sure if he was impressed or alarmed. Kibum could be very methodical, but then again he’d been rolling cotton candy onto sticks for close to two years now.

When Jonghyun’s expression didn’t let up, he felt the need to clarify: “I’ve been here a long time.”

Jonghyun didn’t have the chance to respond to that, a group of teenage boys approaching and asking for two sticks, one of each flavour. Kibum got started on the blue one while Jonghyun took care of the pink. Kibum couldn’t help but notice that Jonghyun was rather messy, coating the stick unevenly and handing over a heavily lopsided cloud of candy to one of the boys. Jonghyun apparently noticed as well, because he pouted at his creation and Kibum steadfastly ignored how adorable it was.

“You’ll get better,” he found himself saying, “do it in quick movements, and keep the stick straight.”

He let Jonghyun serve the next few customers while he handled the money, amused at how Jonghyun got more and more excited as he became better.

“See?” Kibum told him as he was handing over a relatively evenly-shaped mound to a couple. “Much better already.”

Just when Kibum was getting used to Jonghyun’s presence, he announced that he had to leave. Kibum couldn’t blame him-he had finished his shift a long time ago, after all-but he was rather nice company. He was easy-going, almost bubbly at times and it had Kibum feeling the same way despite his earlier reluctance.

Instead of running off like Jinki had, Jonghyun moved to the front of the stand, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. He took out a few bills, handing them to a perplexed Kibum before saying, “Pink, please.”

Kibum blinked at him, processing the request.

“You spend all morning covering yourself in this stuff and you still want to eat some?” he let slip. Kibum’s automatic response to cotton candy nowadays was to grimace.

But Jonghyun shrugged, pressing his money into Kibum’s hand. “Yeah,” he said simply, like it was normal.

Kibum went through the motions dazedly, handing over the bubble gum pink candy only to have Jonghyun take it and bite into it immediately, tearing off a large chunk. He smiled at Kibum, parting with a casual “See you later!”-cotton candy in hand.

Kibum watched him walk away, belatedly noticing that a small smile had slipped onto his lips. As much as he had appreciated Jonghyun’s company, in the end, he quickly stomped on the hope that Jonghyun would maybe stick around again; he didn’t want to set himself up for disappointment. An uneasy feeling settled into the pit of Kibum’s stomach, because Jonghyun seemed like the kind of person whom Kibum wouldn’t want to be disappointed by.

***

The next day, Kibum was marginally happier to see Minho instead of Taemin on the roller coaster’s deck, greeting him quickly and rushing to his station before Minho could start talking about the latest soccer match or whatever else he always rambled on about. He enjoyed a private moment of peace, hot coffee in hand, preparing himself for another day of bustling crowds. He tried not to think too much of the cute guy he had met the day before, because there was no telling whether their shifts would ever overlap again and he wasn’t even that cute. Or so Kibum tried to tell himself.

Except he totally was, and it was obvious as ever when Kibum saw him manning the stand as he walked over to it. There was a long line of customers waiting to be served, and Kibum hoped it meant Jonghyun wouldn’t take off as soon as he arrived.

“Oh, hey,” Jonghyun greeted him as Kibum brushed against his back, trying to enter the small space. “Mind helping me out a bit?”

Kibum got to work, occasionally bumping into Jonghyun when they both reached the same way. It was surprisingly nice-surprising, considering how Kibum spent most of his mornings trying to ignore his coworkers. Kibum was almost sad to see Jonghyun go when he announced he was almost late for his other training session.

It became a daily thing; Kibum would spend his morning shift looking forward to seeing Jonghyun at the stand, and Jonghyun would linger a little longer to help out or talk if there were no customers around. He would then head off to the kid’s section, where he worked at the carousel. He seemed oddly yet genuinely enthused by it, and Kibum was beginning to find it harder and harder to deny this little crush he had going on.

Worryingly enough, Minho seemed to notice his change in mood a week or so later.

“I’m glad you’re smiling more, Kibum,” Minho told him seriously one morning, in between rides, “but it’s a bit weird when you stare off into the distance with a dumb smile on.”

Kibum had the decency to look offended even though he couldn’t bring himself to apologize for it. He tried to glare at Minho, but eventually broke off into another small smile when thoughts of Jonghyun inevitably flitted through his mind again, making Minho sigh.

“I’m happy for you, whoever she is,” Minho teased before turning away to deal with the next wagon, involuntarily wiping the smile clean off of Kibum’s face.

There it was, the disappointment Kibum had tried to shield himself against at first. Because it was one thing to have a secret crush on a guy, but it was another entirely to admit it out loud when you happened to be a guy yourself. In Kibum’s experience, people didn’t tend to take it so well.

He sighed, forcing on a now sour smile when Minho gave him the thumbs up, signalling for him to start the ride again.

After his lunch break, he found Jonghyun alone at the cotton candy stand, plucking stray pieces from the dispensers and eating them. Kibum chuckled, surprising Jonghyun from behind who jumped and immediately tried to wipe his hands clean.

“I still don’t know how you can eat that stuff,” Kibum said in lieu of a greeting. Jonghyun’s lips were tinged slightly blue, which Kibum vowed not to tell him. Instead, he silently wondered when he’d begun to find such things endearing. Jonghyun seemed to make a lot of things endearing.

“I was just, uh, tidying up,” Jonghyun answered guiltily, still rubbing at his stained hands.

“Sure you were,” Kibum humoured him, narrowing his gaze. Jonghyun ducked a little, making himself look even smaller as he picked at the hem of his work shirt, fringe covering his eyes, and Kibum felt the need to add, “Hey, I don’t mind. It’s not like anyone’s measuring it out anyway. You’re fine.”

Jonghyun gave him a small smile then, relieved, before taking advantage of the lull between customers to ask Kibum all kinds of questions in a manner that could have been annoying, but Jonghyun seemed genuinely interested in his answers. Jonghyun had this warm feeling about him, one that made it all too easy for Kibum to pick up their banter, sometimes rambling on without even realizing it. Jonghyun interjected often, fueling their chatter in way that felt so natural that Kibum was always left frowning once Jonghyun had to leave. Kibum spent most of that afternoon leaning onto his elbows above the counter, occasionally drumming his nails against it while he waited for his shift to end. It was a rather slow day and Kibum was contemplating the odds of getting away with taking a short nap when he noticed something stashed below the counter. It was a wallet; blue leather, rather tasteful in Kibum’s opinion. It looked vaguely familiar, and surely enough when he looked inside he found Jonghyun’s student ID along with a cluster of other cards. Kibum didn’t mean to snoop, but something was sticking out amidst the cards and he tugged on it to reveal a picture. It was a small polaroid, featuring a dachshund puppy being held by someone. The person’s face wasn’t pictured, and they were wearing a rather large sweater making it hard to tell whether they were a boy or a girl. It may have been Jonghyun, but Kibum couldn’t shake off the feeling that it was a girl. He sighed, pushing it back in place; that would be just his luck.

When Jinki took over for the evening shift, Kibum grabbed the wallet and ran over to the carousel, hoping to catch Jonghyun before he left. He was still there, standing by the gate and was talking to a small girl with pigtails on the other side.

He managed to smile and frown at the same time when he spotted Kibum, no doubt wondering what had Kibum rushing his way. He moved over towards the exit of the ride, leaning over the railing to talk to Kibum.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“You forgot your wallet,” Kibum told him quickly, handing it over. Jonghyun seemed surprise to see it, taking it gingerly.

“I didn’t even know I’d left it there,” he mumbled more to himself, and Kibum cracked a smile at that-even though Kibum didn’t know him all that well, it seemed like something that was typical of Jonghyun. “Thank you so much.”

Kibum nodded in reply, lingering for a moment as Jonghyun watched him curiously.

“Cute dog,” he blurted out before he could think otherwise, pointing towards the wallet.

Jonghyun went round-eyed, pocketing it a bit stiffly and looking like he didn’t quite know how to respond, which was a first. He usually always had something to say. “Er, thanks.”

Kibum gave him a small smile and was about to turn away when Jonghyun spoke up, shifting on his feet and looking more uncomfortable than Kibum had ever seen him, which in turn made Kibum rather uneasy. “You don’t think it’s weird that I carry a picture of my dog with me, do you?”

Kibum couldn’t help the sharp laugh that escaped, too amused by Jonghyun’s concerned expression. Instead of replying, he reached for his phone, unlocking it to reveal his home screen. He tilted it towards Jonghyun, who smiled widely upon seeing a picture of Kibum’s two dogs in matching little jackets.

“They’re really adorable,” he told Kibum at once, almost cooing over the picture. “I feel much better now, at least I don’t dress mine up,” he added with a cheeky grin.

Kibum rolled his eyes playfully, grumbling back his goodbye when Jonghyun waved at him before going to open the gate for the next batch of kids. Kibum stood still for a moment, watching absent-mindedly as Jonghyun counted each kid aloud as they ran past him, wondering if there was any chance this could end well.

***

“Will you ever tell me who she is?” Minho asked.

“No,” Kibum replied bluntly.

“So there is someone!” he said triumphantly, pointing a finger at Kibum. “Does she work here?”

Kibum fumbled for words, suddenly very glad to hear the familiar rattle of the next wagon arriving.

“I-I never said there was anybody,” he ended up saying, rather lamely. Minho gave him a dubious look, but thankfully he had to leave and tend to the next group of passengers.

Unfortunately, Kibum had come to learn that Minho wasn’t easily dismissed.

“Stop frowning!” Minho yelled out from across the deck, after giving him the thumbs up. “I’m sure she likes you too!”

Kibum immediately flailed around in a futile attempt to shush him, cursing Minho when he only laughed at Kibum in return. Still, his comment had Kibum frowning once more, silently wondering if things could ever be that simple.

When he snuck up to the stand that day, it was to the sight of Jonghyun handing over an abnormally large cloud of blue candy to an ecstatic looking little boy.

After watching the boy leave, precariously holding the huge stick of candy which was almost as big as him, Kibum walked in behind Jonghyun. He shook his head when Jonghyun greeted him, but it was more for show at this point considering how he was biting back a smile.

“I saw you, that was at least five swirls, not three,” Kibum said knowingly, teasing.

“But did you see him?” Jonghyun reasoned animatedly, gesturing towards the boy in question. Somehow, Jonghyun always moved whenever he talked; it was rather fascinating to watch. Then again watching Jonghyun in general tended to be easy on the eyes, no matter what he was doing. “He was adorable-he even asked politely and everything!”

Kibum finally gave him a small smile and Jonghyun chuckled under his breath. He leaned back against the counter, leaving more space for Kibum who always checked over everything before starting his shift, by force of habit.

“Do you work the evening shift sometimes?” Jonghyun asked him as Kibum was straightening the stack of paper cones.

“Yeah, more so during school, though,” he answered absent-mindedly, “I’ll be staying tomorrow evening because Jinki can’t make it in.”

“Wow,” Jonghyun muttered, flipping his hair out of his eyes-something he did quite often-and crossing his arms across his chest. It made his biceps bulge out a little from the short sleeve uniform shirts they wore and Kibum’s eyes lingered for a moment. “That’s a very long day.”

Kibum shrugged, forcing himself to meet Jonghyun’s gaze again. “I’ve done it before. I don’t mind once in a while.”

“Do you ever get bored?”

Kibum snorted, turning to fully face Jonghyun now that everything was in place. Despite not being a rookie anymore, Jonghyun had a tendency to scatter things yet Kibum didn’t mind it as much as he probably should have. “All the time,” he answered frankly.

Jonghyun went silent for a few seconds, which was unusual in itself but he was also staring back at Kibum with an unwavering gaze, in a way that made Kibum almost self-conscious, suddenly wanting to look away.

“I guess you have been working here a long time if the magic of amusement parks doesn’t affect you anymore,” he finally spoke up, not without humour.

“Very long,” Kibum agreed, nodding along. “Although I got sick of cotton candy after only a week-I don’t know how you can still eat it.”

Jonghyun gave him a bright smile at that, plucking a piece of pink cotton candy straight from the dispenser and shoving it into his mouth. He ended up licking his fingers with a smirk, leaving Kibum a bit befuddled and not quite sure where to look anymore without giving himself away by staring. Or blushing.

“I’d better run,” he said, wiping his fingers on his pants then and Kibum resisted the urge to cringe at the pinkish smear they left behind. “Have a good afternoon, Kibum.”

“You too,” Kibum called back, watching Jonghyun walk away. He very nearly blushed scarlet when a customer had to clear their throat loudly to get his attention again.

Kibum was abnormally glad to see Taemin on duty the next morning, if only because it meant Minho wouldn’t be there to pester him and confuse the gender of his crush. Then again, watching Taemin flirt with clients had gotten old the moment he’d first witnessed it.

Still, as Kibum watched a girl flip her hair over her shoulder while smiling at Taemin from where Kibum lay sprawled out over the control panel, bored out of his mind, he wondered what would happen if he attempted to more blatantly flirt with Jonghyun. Maybe he would be weirded out and would begin to avoid Kibum, like that guy he’d had a crush on in middle school. Or maybe he would pretend to be fine with it when he really wasn’t, like Kibum’s alleged best friend in high school. Or maybe he would go along with it for a while before inexplicably changing his mind, like Kibum’s ex-boyfriend. Really, Kibum didn’t have much to go on. He just had to decide whether ruining what they already had was worth the chance of having something more, which was much easier said than done.

Kibum had a lot on his mind when as he walked up to the cotton candy stand later that day, but they all melted into a smile upon seeing Jonghyun serve another of his over-sized cones to a starry-eyed kid.

“Let me guess,” Kibum said as soon as he was within earshot, and Jonghyun swivelled around to look at him, “she said ‘pretty please’?”

Jonghyun merely grinned back one of his almost too-wide, toothy smiles, looking a bit dorky yet still somehow completely endearing to Kibum, and nodded. “I’m all for encouraging kids to be polite through candy. Besides, I think word has been going around because we’ve been getting more customers than the ice cream place across from us lately,” he told Kibum in a serious tone, pointing towards the other stand some way down the path from them.

“I actually prefer ice cream,” Kibum mused, jolting when Jonghyun suddenly gasped beside him, hand coming up to his chest in mock hurt.

“Traitor,” Jonghyun accused with narrowed eyes; the expression really didn’t suit him. That and the sheer ridiculousness of Jonghyun’s competitive spirit had Kibum laughing out loud for a long time. As he caught his breath, wiping at his eyes and meeting Jonghyun’s amused gaze, he thought of his earlier dilemma and of how he’d already gained so much just by befriending Jonghyun. Maybe some things were best left as they were, he pondered, while simultaneously wondering how much longer he could fool himself into thinking he didn’t wish for more.

Kibum found himself keeping an eye on the ice cream stand throughout the afternoon. Jonghyun hadn’t been lying, because it did look like their cotton candy stand was getting more business than the other stand was. Kibum suppressed a small grin at the thought, mostly on behalf of Jonghyun’s enthusiasm.

When Kibum snuck a look at his phone some time later, he was discouraged to find it was only around six o’clock. On any normal day, he would have been done already and have stepped aside for Jinki to fill in but he was on his own that night and had yet a few more hours to go through.

A small line-up formed in front of the stand around dinner time and Kibum was swept into a rush, swirling cones and handling change as fast as he could. He was stowing away money from the previous client when he looked up to see Jonghyun smiling in front of him, last in line.

“I told you we were popular,” he said cheekily when Kibum could only blink at him in surprise.

“Hey,” Kibum ended up uttering, “what are you doing here?” Kibum was more than pleased to see him again, but he was a bit confused as to why Jonghyun had showed up unexpected.

“Well, I’m done for the day,” Jonghyun told him, casually leaning onto the counter from the clients’ side. He had unbuttoned the top of his work shirt, revealing a black V-neck underneath that was just deep enough to hint at the definition of his pectorals. It looked like a very nice shirt from what Kibum could see, and the model only made it all the more alluring. “But I remembered you saying how bored you were,” Jonghyun went on, apparently oblivious to how Kibum’s eyes had suddenly drifted south of his face, “and I thought you might like some company.”

Kibum’s eyes snapped back up to Jonghyun’s at that, Jonghyun’s smile never faltering, and Kibum had a split second to weigh his options here. He could start nodding like a bobble head doll and scare Jonghyun off, or he could agree with a nonchalant shrug and a casual “sure”. In the end, he couldn’t keep a small smile from sneaking onto his lips, so he simply nodded once and spoke sincerely.

“That’d be great.”

Jonghyun beamed at him and quickly made his way around the stand to join Kibum behind it.

“Did you eat yet?” he asked Kibum.

Kibum shook his head, taking the opportunity to finally tear his eyes away from Jonghyun; the end-of-the-day rumpled look was a particularly good one on him. “I can’t take a break since there’s no one to replace me but it’s okay, I get paid a little extra because of it,” he explained.

Jonghyun frowned at him, pursing his full lips into a bit of a pout. “I don’t mind filling in for a bit if you want to go eat something,” he offered.

As touched as Kibum was by his kindness, having Jonghyun work without declaring it didn’t feel honest to him so he declined. “No, I’ll be good. But thanks.”

Jonghyun fiddled with one of the paper cones that had fallen out of the container, eyes cast downwards as he spoke, “I haven’t eaten either. If you want we could go someplace nearby after your shift.”

Jonghyun’s eyes lifted to watch him, brown and large and staring right at him, as though to gauge his reaction, and Kibum suddenly felt put on the spot. He was speechless, completely caught off-guard and yet all he could think about was I hope you’re serious.

“Are you sure?” he asked tentatively, but Jonghyun didn’t budge. “I mean, it’ll be pretty late by then and don't you have to be here again tomorrow morning?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jonghyun brushed off easily, although his smile looked a bit shaky-nervous almost, like it had that first time Kibum had seen him, when he’d been overwhelmed with clients on his first day, elbows-deep in cotton candy. The thought had Kibum’s stomach twisting itself into a knot, which he tried to ignore along with the hope that he wasn’t just imagining things. “I know you aren’t too fond of this place-which I still don’t understand, by the way-” Jonghyun added teasingly, “so I was wondering if you’d want to, you know, hang out somewhere else.”

Kibum was taken aback by Jonghyun’s blunt honesty, and it was getting harder and harder to quell the twisting, fluttering feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was also getting harder and harder to avoid setting himself up for disappointment, but Kibum couldn’t bring himself to say no, not when Jonghyun was looking at him intently with those stupidly big, rounded eyes of his and an unsure smile. Not when Jonghyun consistently failed to disappoint him and he was all Kibum looked forward to every day.

“Sure,” he agreed, giving into a small smile as Jonghyun’s grew wider.

It was a busy night, but Jonghyun talked him through it and what should have been never-ending hours of boredom turned into chatting with Jonghyun for what felt like much shorter. Kibum ended up closing the stand a little early after Jonghyun had promised not to tell on him-it had been his idea, after all-and after a short trip to the employee room, he was following Jonghyun out of the park.

Jonghyun had taken off his work shirt, revealing more of the V-neck that fit him like a glove. Kibum suddenly wished he had packed another shirt, if only to enjoy the night out without being reminded of work. Then again, his job was the reason he had met Jonghyun in the first place and Kibum couldn’t deny feeling grateful for that, no matter how sick of cotton candy he was.

They bickered playfully about where to go while they rode the subway. They ended up getting off not too far from the amusement park, Kibum letting himself be guided into a small restaurant that Jonghyun swore made the best cold noodles. They both ordered the same thing after having settled across from each other at a very small, square table.

“I hope you know I’m expecting this to be a mind-blowing meal,” Kibum said, deadpan.

“I may have oversold this place a little,” Jonghyun admitted sheepishly. He had been right about one thing so far, though; it was really nice to see him in a different setting. He looked more relaxed somehow, casual, just like any other student their age and yet Kibum had never felt more drawn to him than he did now, seated across from him as Jonghyun leaned over the table, looking at him intently. It wasn’t even about the way he looked, however gorgeous he was. It was the normalcy of the moment that made it all the more appealing, like this was something Kibum could have every day, something warm and familiar with Jonghyun looking at him like he genuinely wanted to be here with Kibum, like he truly cared. It made it all too easy to imagine them as friends and then more, meeting after school or work to catch up on each other’s days like every other young couple in love.

Kibum felt the sudden want like an ache to his chest, and it only worsened when he wondered if this was something he would ever be able to have. More specifically, something he would ever be able to have with Jonghyun.

Kibum was glad for the distraction when their food came, digging into it immediately. Jonghyun seemed pleased by his reaction, however, which helped soothe him from his previous musings.

“It’s good, right?” Jonghyun asked, enthused.

Kibum took a moment to savour the food he had gracelessly shoved into his mouth, humming around a mouthful at the taste.

“It ish,” he mumbled, completely garbling the words. Jonghyun gave him a bright smile and dug in as well.

When came time to pay the bill, Jonghyun stood up without a word and made his way towards the counter. Once Kibum caught on, he hurried onto his feet behind him, rushing to the counter as well.

“I’ll pay, Kibum, don’t worry,” Jonghyun said simply, already reaching for his wallet.

Kibum grabbed his arm, stuttering out a “N-no,” which only made Jonghyun chuckle as he gently pried Kibum’s hand off, freeing his arm again.

“I really don’t mind,” he assured him, “it’s my treat.”

“But I don’t mind either, at least let me-”

“You can pay for the next time,” Jonghyun interrupted his rambling, and Kibum fell silent at once. A part of him was stunned, but another, a bigger part of him, was too pleased at the thought of a “next time” to keep fighting Jonghyun for the bill.

***

“What’s with the frown today?” was the first thing Minho said to him, bright and early the following morning, because Kibum apparently couldn’t catch a break.

Kibum sighed, staring down into his cup of coffee. His evening with Jonghyun had been amazing-too amazing, and that was what worried Kibum. He knew it made no sense, he knew it was pathetic to pine and pine over someone when he was too scared to even think about the next step, but he couldn’t help it. He liked Jonghyun too much to risk it, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to give the thought of it up. He drew in a long breath, looking up to find Minho watching him warily.

“What does it mean when someone sticks around at their workplace after-hours?” he asked in what he hoped was a cryptic way.

Minho arched an eyebrow, giving Kibum a weird look. “That they’re a workaholic,” he answered bluntly.

“Okay, but what if they, like,” Kibum pressed, suddenly feeling awkward in his own skin, “stick around with you?”

It took a second for his words to sink in, but when they did Minho exclaimed loudly, “So she does work here!” He looked far too happy to be meddling in Kibum’s personal life again.

“I-what? No,” Kibum hurriedly denied, but Minho simply shook his head.

“It means she’s into you, buddy,” Minho told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t call me buddy,” Kibum snapped, shaking it off. Minho laughed-at him, most likely-before running off onto the deck when the next wagon arrived.

Kibum stared off into the distance, almost missing his cue to start the ride again, wondering if Minho’s insight may have been onto something, gender notwithstanding. Still, it all came down to whether or not Kibum was willing to let himself hope. And he was getting pretty tired of always wondering.

“Hey, Minho?” he called out in between rides.

Minho came up to him, looking cheery as ever. “Yeah?”

“What if I told you it was a guy?”

For a heart-stopping second, Minho’s eyes went round but he quickly pulled his expression into a sincere smile. “All the same, Kibum,” he said simply.

Kibum nodded once, trying not to let the immensity of that admission get to him just yet. “We went out for dinner. He paid for me,” he found himself saying while Minho kept smiling softly at him.

“Seriously?” Minho said, in a tone that was far from teasing. “Then you better get a move on.”

Kibum didn’t know whether to be disappointed or relieved when Jonghyun was nowhere to be seen at the cotton candy stand. Some girl that Kibum had only seen a few times was there instead, taking off as soon as he had arrived. He couldn’t blame her, not when he would do the same. The sudden silence was startling, and Kibum almost missed the small mess Jonghyun inevitably left behind. It didn’t help that Kibum had all afternoon and all evening to spend alone, since Jinki wouldn’t be coming in today either. If it hadn’t been for Jonghyun keeping him company the previous day, Jinki would have seriously owed him for all this over-time Kibum was doing on his behalf.

He checked his phone way too often throughout the afternoon, failing to be discreet with it at times but he couldn’t bring himself to bother with constantly hiding it. He watched as the clock turned to six fifteen, letting go of the hope that Jonghyun would come find him again. He reasoned it was probably his day off, considering how he hadn’t been there in the morning, and that it was better off this way, considering he didn’t quite know what he wanted to say to Jonghyun just yet.

The evening crawled by at an unbearably slow pace; it didn’t help that it was a Monday evening either, which was usually the slowest evening of the week. Kibum was beyond relieved to watch the last minutes of his shift trickle by, going about closing and locking up the stand on tired feet. If Kibum had been in any mood to joke, he would have thought it funny how not seeing Jonghyun had made the day seem that much more draining.

He was on his way to the employee room when he noticed that the carousel was still lit up and running, unlike most other rides which tended to close a little earlier when the crowds thinned out. With his interest piqued, he made his way over closer to the ride, frowning when he only counted two kids riding the small, colourful horses. He couldn’t help but smile, though, when he spotted Jonghyun in the little cabin beside it, because it suddenly all made sense.

Jonghyun saw him soon enough, hurrying out to greet him and leaving the carousel still spinning.

“You reward polite kids with extra-long rides now, too?” Kibum teased, his previous foul mood gone just like that, in favour of warmth and smiles.

Jonghyun chuckled but didn’t deny it, stepping closer to Kibum.

“You do know there’s a sign that says ‘minimum of five passengers’?” Kibum went on, unable to wipe the smile from his face, but he figured that was okay because Jonghyun seemed to be experiencing a similar problem.

“Shh,” he shushed, “I don’t think they can read yet.”

Kibum laughed, and Jonghyun kept smiling at him, moving ever so closer, gaze dipping down to Kibum’s mouth. His shirt was a little rumpled, the first button undone, lips parted in a quiet breath and maybe it was the warm feeling taking over Kibum’s chest or the way the multitude of lights made everything feel just a touch magical, but Kibum decided to throw his doubts and worries to the wind for once. He clutched at Jonghyun’s shirt and leaned in for a kiss, connecting their lips in a soft, curious touch. Jonghyun responded immediately, wrapping an arm around Kibum’s waist, kissing back with more force and purpose. Kibum parted his lips eagerly to make way for his tongue, smiling into their kiss when he suddenly tasted nothing but cotton candy. He lifted a hand to Jonghyun’s shoulders, scrunching his eyes tightly shut as he took everything in, not wanting to let the moment go, not when it had turned out so perfect.

Still, he pulled back when his widening smile made it hard to keep kissing Jonghyun, who pecked at his lips again and again before he could get words out.

“You taste like cotton candy,” he whispered in between pecks.

“I may or may not have stocked up on some,” Jonghyun spoke to his lips, touching their noses. “Get used to it.”

Kibum couldn’t help it; he tilted his head to catch Jonghyun’s plump lips in another kiss, eager to taste more of them now that he could. He pulled Jonghyun in even closer, relishing in his warmth, the sweet taste of him and the idea that this was only the beginning. Kibum had never been more fond of cotton candy, and he could already feel himself growing even fonder of it in the future.

When they broke apart the second time, Jonghyun told him to wait there for a minute while he shut down the ride for the night. Kibum waited patiently, grin only widening when the two kids jumped off their horses and were escorted away by their parents.

When Jonghyun came out again, he held out his hand and Kibum took it gladly, threading their fingers together. Jonghyun’s palm was slightly clammy, fingers a bit short and rough, and yet it was better than anything Kibum had dared imagine.

“You could have told me you were gay, you know,” Kibum probed while they walked towards the exit. Jonghyun huffed beside him.

“You could have said something yourself,” he replied, eyes darting sideways to give Kibum a sly look as he squeezed his hand tighter.

“I stare at you all the time. I thought I was being obvious enough,” Kibum said, not entirely joking.

“I took you out on a date,” Jonghyun countered. “I can’t believe you didn’t catch on then and there.”

“That was a date?” Kibum asked at once, halting in his footsteps. Jonghyun turned around to face him with a slightly incredulous look.

“Kibum,” he spoke slowly, “I paid for you.”

“Oh,” Kibum mumbled in a small voice, feeling the need to explain himself. “It’s just that my past experiences with guys haven’t exactly ended well.”

Jonghyun seemed to sober up a bit more at that, and he considered Kibum’s words before twisting his lips into a smirk. “Sounds like you have horrible taste in men,” he announced, rather smugly.

“I like you, though,” Kibum told him honestly. It had Jonghyun’s smirk melting in to a small, private smile, one that seemed soft around the edges, one that Kibum definitely wouldn’t mind seeing more of.

“About time,” Jonghyun said simply, moving in close for another kiss.

Epilogue

“So let me get this straight,” Jonghyun spoke up at once. “You spend hours upon hours operating a roller coaster, watching thousands of people ride it, and yet you’re terrified of actually going on it?”

“I’m not terrified,” Kibum denied, determined to go about tidying up the stand in his pre-shift ritual, “just… reticent.”

Jonghyun scoffed and Kibum frowned, about to turn around and call him out on it when he continued, “What about other rides?”

Kibum hesitated to answer. “I don’t really like heights,” he finally admitted, scrunching up his nose.

Jonghyun gaped at him, doing a rather poor job of hiding it. “Wow,” he muttered, “how did you manage to land this job?”

“By promising not to eat all the cotton candy,” Kibum replied smartly, and surely enough Jonghyun looked a little sheepish. It was kind of adorable, and Kibum had no qualms admitting that to himself anymore.

“Right,” Jonghyun spoke lowly. He moved in closer, crowding into Kibum in the already tight space. He leaned in and pressed their lips together briefly after making sure no one was looking their way. Kibum smiled into the kiss, all too happy to lick the now familiar taste of cotton candy from Jonghyun’s lips.

Jonghyun pulled back, lips shining, a sight that pleased Kibum immensely and had heat pooling deep within his stomach at the thought that it was all his doing. “I’ll catch you later.” And with that Jonghyun was off to his next shift.

It turned out Jonghyun meant every single one of those words because when he showed up at the cotton candy stand again a few hours later, he dragged Kibum off before the latter could protest.

“Where are we-oh god,” Kibum mumbled, quickly figuring just where Jonghyun was leading him.

“Oh yes,” Jonghyun said, insistently pulling at Kibum’s hand until they were at the roller coaster’s entrance.

“I hate you,” Kibum announced.

“Come on,” Jonghyun tried to coax him, turning to face him and taking both his hands in his. “Just this once, you have to at least try it.”

Jonghyun turned big, pleading eyes onto him and Kibum found himself wavering. Still, he knew how to bargain.

“Fine,” he sighed, “but I’ll need consolation after this traumatic experience. With, like, ice cream. Or whatever else, I’m not picky.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” Jonghyun said with a wink, biting down in his lip and Kibum had to stifle a smirk of his own; he really wasn’t picky, after all, and Jonghyun seemed to be on the same page.

He half-heartedly followed Jonghyun into the line, ignoring the few curious looks they got because of their uniforms. They steadily got closer to the deck, which Kibum usually saw from the other side, and Kibum was glad that Jonghyun hadn’t let go of his hand. He squeezed it harder when came time to climb into the wagon, only letting go to pull down the harness against his chest, which he then proceeded to latch onto instead. Minho looked surprised to find him sitting aboard for a second, but gave into a smile when his eyes flitted over to Jonghyun next to him. Kibum was too busy staring at the sharp incline ahead to worry about Minho embarrassing him in front of Jonghyun. In fact, Minho probably did say something but whatever it was, it flew right above Kibum’s head.

Kibum let out a startled yelp when the ride jerked into motion, proceeding to scream his lungs out throughout the rest of it. His only reassurance was that Jonghyun was also yelling rather loudly beside him. By the time the wagon made its way back onto the boarding platform, Kibum was breathing heavily and only half-aware of the people snickering behind them. He stumbled out of the ride on wobbly legs and would have smacked Jonghyun if he didn’t think he needed the steadying hand Jonghyun had placed on his waist.

“I’m never, ever,” Kibum spoke gravely, “doing that again.”

“Come on, that was fun!” Jonghyun argued.

“You were yelling the entire time, too,” Kibum replied, point-blank.

“Exactly! Fun!”

And yeah, okay, maybe it had been slightly fun and exhilarating but Kibum had had enough already and he didn’t like the way Jonghyun was eyeing the entrance again.

“No,” he warned.

Jonghyun granted him a slightly apologetic look. “How about the ferris wheel? Or the spinning teacups?”

Kibum stepped closer, raising a hand to fiddle with the collar of Jonghyun’s shirt, feeling bold. “How about we head to your place instead?” he asked, voice dropping lower to add, “I’m sure I can find other ways to make you scream.”

Jonghyun’s eyes darkened at once, a small grin flickering onto his lips. “You play dirty,” he admonished, and yet the grin didn’t fade. “I like it.”

Kibum chuckled despite himself and pulled him in for a kiss, tongue darting out to lick at the seam of his lips, almost by habit. Jonghyun hummed into it, returning the kiss for a few long, languid seconds.

“I like it, too,” Kibum admitted once they had broken apart, smiling, except that was a lie: he loved it.

____________________
Edit: Emma drew amazing, awesome fanart for this fic go look a the cuteness a;dlfjal;sjdf she even drew Jonghyun in a black v-neck and I love it I'm so excited and you're amazing dear ;_; thank you so much.