Everlasting #7: Off Screen
Title: Off Screen
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 3,217
Warnings: my poopiness, i think?
Summary: Jongin is jealous of Kyungsoo's on screen kiss.
Author's Note: I'm really, really thankful to the mods like you have no idea. I've been terrible with managing my schedule so I'm really not confident with this one but even so, I wish that you'll enjoy reading it. To the mods, you've been the greatest and kindest and most patient group of people and I'm both extremely thankful and sorry for causing you so much trouble. But you're the best and thank you for making this fest possible. To the prompter omg i really wanted to take the rating up a notch but I'm such a poop potato I am sorry maybe I'll make it up to you after reveals? ; u ;
"Cut!"
That one word alone rings loud in Kyungsoo's ear. He gives himself a full five seconds before letting his shoulders slump and the soft smile on his lips drop.
Kyungsoo musters up a weak smile after, flashing them from one person to the next who comes up to congratulate him. It's small and obviously an exhausted one but a sincere smile nonetheless.
The director shouts for all the actors and staff to gather for one last round of post huddle. They exchange laughter and mild teasing and ended it by agreeing to have a dinner party after everyone else freshens up.
Kyungsoo breathes in deeply, patting his face with a tissue and successfully missing the male walking towards him.
"Here."
Kyungsoo drops his hand, a tired smile coming up when he sees the person handing him a bottle of water.
"No cold water for you." Jongin grins teasingly when he sees the slight tick on the actor's smile. "You need to take care of your throat."
Kyungsoo frowns childishly, cheeks slightly warmer than normal before gratefully taking the bottle and opening it.
The two walks slowly towards the white van parked a few meters away, people passing and greeting them occasionally.
Kyungsoo chugs down the water quickly, glancing at the male walking beside him and fighting off a smile. Jongin's wearing faded shorts and a loose blue sweater, a contrary to his normal black suit as mandated by the higher ups.
"I'll drive you to the restaurant and wait for you." Jongin says when Kyungsoo slumps down on the leather chair inside his van. "I already asked Uncle to go home since I know you'll be celebrating the last day of shooting and you'll end up going home later than usual."
Kyungsoo shrugs off his coat and looks pointedly at the taller male, "You're eating as well. With us." he adds for emphasis when he sees Jongin about to protest.
"Kyungsoo-"
"No, Jongin." Kyungsoo cuts him off, smirking at Jongin for two seconds and then letting it soften into a smile. "Please?"
The taller male stands frozen in place before a hand shoots up to ruffle his own hair.
"Fine. You win. Again."
Kyungsoo relaxes back down at his seat, a content smile on his face.
Kyungsoo could feel the stares rather than actually see them when Jongin follows quickly after him inside that small restaurant. He bites back a smile, knowing the stares are not because his bodyguard is dressed improperly but because of how good looking said bodyguard is.
Jongin's been working for him for nearly four years now, starting as an apprentice of Kyungsoo's original personal bodyguard before replacing him after a year. They've been really close then, their age similarity helping in making them best friends aside from their work relationship.
Of course, Jongin is highly professional and won't allow any trace of personal life meddle with work which sometimes makes Kyungsoo frustrated.
"Kyungsoo!" the producer grins widely, opening his arms and clapping the actor on the back loudly. "So glad you could come."
Jongin watches the exchange from behind, standing silently behind the actor and waiting.
He's used to this.
Or not.
Loosening his tie the tiniest bit, Jongin looks around at the brightly lit hall for the nth time in the past two hours. This is the third party Kyungsoo had to attend this same week and honestly, Jongin's starting to get worried Kyungsoo's not getting enough rest.
Fixing his earpiece, Jongin stares at the crowd of people clapping their hands in chorus. There, in front of all of them, is Kyungsoo standing with a couple of people. Jongin recognizes those belonging from Kyungsoo's entertainment agency while some are artist the smaller male has worked with already; although there are some unfamiliar faces, particularly the girl beside Kyungsoo.
He watches the exchange with feigned disinterest, eyes tracking every move the girl beside Kyungsoo is making. If he's heard correctly, she's the new girl lead on Kyungsoo's latest web drama.
"Having fun?"
Jongin glances at his right and subtly makes a face at Kyungsoo who's hiding a smirk behind the glass of wine he's drinking.
"A blast, actually." Jongin responds dryly before casually grabbing the glass from Kyungsoo's hand and taking a sniff from it.
"You can drink if you want." Kyungsoo suggests to which Jongin just shoots him a blank look.
"Not on duty, Kyungsoo." he returns the glass. "And don't drink too much as well."
Kyungsoo takes back the drink but not before making a face at Jongin as well. "Yes, yes."
Jongin pats himself on the thigh for the hundredth time today as he watches the girl dab at the corner of Kyungsoo's mouth.
It's the third day of filming for Kyungsoo's new web drama and it's proving to be the toughest challenge yet so far for Jongin.
As if testing him again, Kyungsoo leans forward sloppily, as if to kiss the girl and Jongin fights the urge to throw his phone directly at the scene.
And then Kyungsoo not so softly lets his face fall down in between, a dull thud echoing as his cheek makes contact with the table. Jongin winces, immediately standing up when the director shouts the end of the scene.
"Are you alright?" he prods, fingers pressing daintily against the smaller male's cheek.
Kyungsoo only laughs it off, pushing away Jongin's hand and nodding. "It was fake, Jongin. I'm alright."
"Doesn't look fake to me." Jongin grumbles, not able to resist the pout on his lips at Kyungsoo's assurance.
Kyungsoo does not say anything, just keeps his eyes at Jongin and smiles softly.
"Are you really this cute when you're drunk, Kyungsoo ssi?"
Both of them turn their heads at the soft voice.
"No, no." Kyungsoo shakes his head, laughing weakly.
Jongin tunes out the next words and decides to go back to his seat, watching the scene from a distance.
It's no secret of the fondness he holds over the small actor (except for Kyungsoo, maybe) so every now a then, small bouts of jealousy would surface at particular times.
Like that one scene where Kyungsoo had to pretend to kiss the girl at one of his earlier projects. It was fake, yes, but it was one of the times Jongin felt undeniable jealousy at the close proximity of the two. A lot followed after but Jongin's been able to keep it under control, not wanting to jeopardize Kyungsoo's career and most importantly, their friendship.
Which is increasingly becoming more difficult as he flips open the script.
It's the last day of filming and Jongin is torn between relief and torture. Relief because he won’t be enduring any more intimate scenes between Kyungsoo and that girl but torture as well for one particular scene he's dreading to happen at the last part of the drama.
Glancing at his phone, he spares Baekhyun's message a second before stuffing it back on his pocket. He's wearing casual clothes again this time as asked by Kyungsoo since they'll be filming at one of the parks nearby the university where the web drama mainly focuses on.
Everyone's high on giggles, Jongin takes note sourly, as he drags his eyes away from the staff and to where Kyungsoo is walking at the dirt path.
He looks giggly as well and that alone tempts him to smile too, but he holds it back, clearly not wanting to be affected when Kyungsoo is apparently giggling with that girl.
Jongin instead pastes a frown at his face, earning curious looks from some of the make up staff.
There's an unjustified amount of green coursing through his veins at the moment and he thinks back to the message Baekhyun sent him earlier.
'If you're jealous so much why not make him yours already?'
Breathing deeply, Jongin nods to himself, feeling crazily brave at the image of finally being able to call Kyungsoo his.
He ignores the small seed of doubt inside his head, telling him how he's nothing but a bodyguard for the young actor. He has nothing but their close friendship to vouch for but he ignores it in favor of finally seeing that smile directed at him.
His thoughts are cut off when he hears some of the girls' breathing hitch, eyes focusing on the pair walking ahead.
It's too late to turn his head when the girl cups Kyungsoo's cheeks and pressing a quick kiss to his lips. Jongin keeps still, not being able to look away as the girl presses another kiss directly at Kyungsoo's mouth. Again.
Kyungsoo flashes a shy smile at the screen, fingers pressing against his lips as if still high on the kisses given to him.
The scene continues on and Jongin feels himself breathing properly again when the filming ends, all of the staff clapping in celebration for the wrap up.
"Hey."
Jongin glances at Kyungsoo who's beaming up at him. There's a faint smudge of pink at the corner of Kyungsoo's mouth and Jongin hastily grabs a pack of wet tissues and plucks one.
"What-"
Pressing the tissue at Kyungsoo's cheek, Jongin not so gently dabs at Kyungsoo's skin until he reaches his mouth, fingers pressing a tad bit harder until no traces of the kiss is left.
"Jongin?" Kyungsoo questions after the other's fingers has left his face. He carefully presses his own against his jaw, brows furrowing in confusion at the weird behavior of the taller male.
Jongin grunts in acknowledgement and Kyungsoo's brows furrow deeper.
"Is there something- anything wrong?"
Jongin throws the used tissue away and looks at Kyungsoo, still silent.
It takes a few beats before a single word leaves the bodyguard's mouth.
"Nothing."
Jongin loudly munches on his chips as he flicks the channel on the television in front of him.
The sound of the door opening does not distract him but the shoe flying in front of him does.
"Baek!"
"I left this morning with you on that couch and now I come home with you still on that couch and you also managed to eat through our week's supply of snack!"
Jongin just stares at the petite police officer, face void of expression before returning his attention to the television in front of him and changing the channel again.
"Jesus, Jongin. Get a grip." Baekhyun chides, throwing one of the throw pillows blindly at the taller male. "You get one day off from working and you spend it where? On our couch. With bags of potato chips."
Jongin scrunches his face but makes no move to contradict the other male.
A sigh leaves Baekhyun's mouth, choosing to keep his uniform on and plopping next to the taller male.
"It can't be that bad." he starts, raising a brow at Jongin whose lips naturally form a pout at the vague hint of his dilemma. "I mean, Kyungsoo's an actor, it's inevitable, right?"
Jongin makes a muffled noise but Baekhyun does not stop.
"You could always audition to be an actor? Or a model!" the police officer nods to himself, enthusiastically. "Though I doubt there'll be kissing scenes soon for our kind of movie, but who knows!"
Baekhyun keeps on rambling until Jongin abruptly stands up and shoves the bag of chips at him.
"I'll go kiss him."
"Yes, that's right- I'm sorry, what?"
"I'm going to Kyungsoo's house." Jongin repeats, louder this time. "And I'm going to kiss the daylights out of him."
Baekhyun remains speechless, watching Jongin look around for his sneakers before settling for a pair of slippers.
"I'll see you later, hyung!"
The door closes before Baekhyun can ever response.
It's when Jongin stands in front of Kyungsoo's apartment did the consequences of his sudden idea hits him in the face. Hard.
"Shit." he whispers harshly under his breath, the brown of Kyungsoo's door staring back at him menacingly, as if mocking him for even standing in front of it in the first place.
He was not thinking straight when he decided to just stand up, take a cab straight to Kyungsoo's secret apartment and kiss him senseless. He did not give himself enough time to think about whether Kyungsoo likes him or if he even like males in the first place.
"Shit." he repeats, running a hand through his hair and pacing back and forth in front of the closed door.
A beep and then a click before the door opens and Kyungsoo peeks his head to stare at Jongin.
"How long are you going to walk back and forth in front of my door?"
Jongin halts, his breathing coming to a halt for a second or two before his heart jumpstarts and starts beating a mile per second.
".. Hi?"
Kyungsoo stares at him, clearly unimpressed before walking back inside and leaving the door open, a silent invitation for Jongin to come inside. The thought makes his heart pound harder against his chest it almost physically aches. What does he do when he walks inside?
Swallowing his nerves for the meantime, he silently steps in and closes the door behind him as quiet as he can, as if he's sneaking in unannounced into someone else's home.
Walking further into familiar space, he spots Kyungsoo grabbing a carton of orange juice from the fridge and pouring some into two glasses.
"What's up?" Kyungsoo asks, taking a sip from his own glass and handing the other to Jongin who takes it silently.
Jongin does not speak for a while, letting the silence stretch on until it's Kyungsoo who breaks the silence again by turning the television on.
Jongin breathes a little easier this time, thankful for the distraction in the form of entertainment news flashing in front of him. The gratefulness does not last long though when he sees the familiar face of his employer and best friend along with the petite girl he's grown to dislike the last few weeks.
"Jongin?"
He registers Kyungsoo's voice amidst the mindless chatter from the lady host on the show but he does not give it much thought, too focused on the topic of the episode: the most awaited kiss for the drama's finale.
"Jongin." Kyungsoo says and this time, the frustration is clearly evident on the tone of his voice. "Please tell me what's wrong."
Jongin wants to turn around, assure Kyungsoo that no, nothing is wrong, everything is perfect but he could not seem to do so especially when the Kyungsoo in front of him smiles bashfully and turns to the girl sitting beside him.
"Jongin, do you not want to work for me anymore?"
The girl besides his best friend mimics his smile and shyly encourages the viewers to anticipate the last episode if they wish to found out how the scene went. Jongin can feel the back of his neck heat up in annoyance.
"Are you mad at me, is that it?"
The alarm inside his head starts blaring when he hears the sadness in Kyungsoo's voice but he could not look away especially when the host teases the two to sample a kiss in front of the national TV.
"Jongin, please."
He snaps.
The crowd inside the studio starts clapping but he hears nothing, only the hitch in Kyungsoo's breath as he crowds him against the wall and presses his forehead against his, the tip of their noses touching and their breathing space colliding.
Kyungsoo blinks up at him, eyes wider than average. Jongin could see the way the other's breathing turns ragged and the flush creeping up his pale cheeks. He knows he is not much different but he feels an odd sense of satisfaction at seeing Kyungsoo as affected as him. It makes him hope that he's not rushing into this alone - probably.
He does not know how long they just stare at each other, but he knows it's enough to have their breathing gain some sort of stableness.
It's Kyungsoo who breaks the silence yet again.
"Do you... Do you like me, Jongin?"
The mixture of confusion and hope inside the smaller's eyes fuel Jongin so he answers... by kissing the man in front of him.
It's not the type of confrontation Jongin imagined it to be. He was all set to push Kyungsoo against the wall and kiss him hard, convey all his frustration and jealousy onto a kiss and have Kyungsoo apologizing to him; but it's very far from his original idea. Instead, he presses his lips against his in a feather light kiss, feeling the shudder that ran through Kyungsoo from where their parts of their skin are touching. It's a huge contrast but Jongin figures he kinds of like this soft reality than what he imagined.
It only takes a second or two and then Jongin's pulling away, dragging his gaze from Kyungsoo's mouth to his eyes and feeling his heart beat in inconsistency at awaiting Kyungsoo's reaction.
It's not what he expects when Kyungsoo leans forward and carefully plants his mouth against his briefly.
"I like you." the smaller male whispers against his lips when he pulls away, eyes cautiously scanning Jongin's face. "I really like you."
Jongin heaves out a sigh of relief, feeling incredibly lighter at hearing those words from the actor. He closes his eyes and smiles weakly, nudging his nose against Kyungsoo's and finally laughing just a little.
"I'm very much in love with you." Jongin answers breathlessly, opening his eyes and feeling elated when he sees the smile blooming from Kyungsoo's lips. It was ethereal. Kyungsoo is ethereal.
"I'm sorry." he starts, ignoring the confused expression on Kyungsoo's face. He sighs once more, carefully letting their fingers touch until they're loosely intertwined. He pulls away and gently leads Kyungsoo to sit down on the couch.
"I'm really sorry," he starts again, finding Kyungsoo's eyes and then looking away again in shame. "for ignoring you the past days. It was stupid. I was stupid." he pauses. "I was jealous."
Kyungsoo fidgets on his seat, brows furrowing the slightest. "Of what?"
Jongin presses his lips together, feeling incredibly shy and ashamed of the reason. He hears the chatter in the background and he unconsciously glances at the television when Kyungsoo's lead female partner begins talking.
"Oh, Jongin." Kyungsoo says and it makes Jongin turn his attention back to him, catching the fond look the smaller male is directing at him. "Are you jealous of the kiss?"
This makes Jongin flush redder, confirming Kyungsoo's theory. He chuckles, completely finding it endearing how soft Jongin is, a complete contrast to his job of being a bodyguard.
"You don't need to be." Kyungsoo says after, surprising Jongin by pecking him on the lips. "I only ever want to kiss you, you know. I was just scared you wouldn't want that. I mean me, kissing you."
Jongin is rendered speechless and when the words finally sink in, a bright grin follows.
"I really, really like you hyung."
He muffles Kyungsoo's answer in another kiss.
"Jongin, stop!"
Jongin just groans, throwing his shirt off and shutting up Kyungsoo again.
"I said, oh my God-"
"Stop talking, hyung." Jongin grumbles, dragging his mouth down Kyungsoo's neck.
Kyungsoo groans in protest and stretches his right leg to kick at Jongin's stomach.
"Not a chance." he says, turning them around and straddling Jongin.
Kyungsoo smiles.