This. Here and Now. With You.
rating: pg
pairing: Kyungsoo/Jongin
length: 5.8k
summary: “I’m clueless, so I’ll trust you on this.”
note: This is fluff fluff fluff, nothing more. (Also I could call this indie!au tbh) I switch povs at weird times i'm sorry for that. Hope you enjoy it.
This. Here and Now. With You.
The sleepy guy approaches Kyungsoo while he’s trying to decide between increasing his The Cure collection by ordering Japanese Whispers or getting all those Bob Dylan albums he’s still yet to buy to make his Dylan collection a little more respectful. He doesn't notice the tall figure until he mumbles something Kyungsoo can’t quite hear. When he looks up at the stranger, he sees puffy eyes, bed hair, plump lips and oh, gorgeous skin, yes.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Kyungsoo asks politely.
Tall handsome guy rubs the sleep off his eyes, smiling softly. “I asked you if you can help me.”
“Oh…” Kyungsoo is taken by surprise. Does this guy think he works here? Well, he does spend most of his time-off in the record store because it’s his favorite and because his best friend, Baekhyun, works here and doesn't mind him hanging around. Kyungsoo even organizes the records for him, sometimes. Baekhyun didn’t know that it’s much better to keep things organized by year of release and not alphabetical order, and Kyungsoo was unofficially in charge of ordering limited edition releases (nothing to do with the fact he could also get them for a much lower price this way).
“I don’t work here, sorry.” Kyungsoo sends him an apologetic look, turning his attention back to the shelf.
The guy snorts and doesn't leave Kyungsoo’s side as he had expected. On the contrary, he gets closer and their arms brush.
“I’m sorry, but I could really use some help,” the guy insists, voice a bit low and hoarse.
Kyungsoo sighs, looks up again and asks, “What do you need my help for?”
The stranger smiles. He’s got perfect teeth, and damn, he smells nice. Kyungsoo shakes his head, trying to focus.
“I need to find a present for my friend and I think he’s into foreign stuff.” Jongin looks around, seeming a bit out of place and confused. It’s cute, Kyungsoo thinks. “But I don’t really know what kind of music he listens to.”
Kyungsoo nods, showing him he understands. “Well, you could ask your friend…”
“It’s a surprise!” he says almost instantly.
“O-okay then, but you have no idea what your friend is into?” Kyungsoo motions for the guy to follow him as he continues talking. “Is he into pop music?”
“I don’t know. What are you into?” This time, Kyungsoo is really taken by surprise and his eyes widen as he sends a confused look at the other’s direction.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m clueless, so I’ll trust you on this.” They both fall silent and it’s awkward for a moment, until Kyungsoo’s mind reminds him he hadn't introduced himself or anything of the sort, so maybe that’s what the other is expecting.
“My name is Kyungsoo,” he says, offering a hand that the stranger takes without hesitation.
“I’m Jongin.”
“So, Jongin, you have no idea what your friend likes. How am I supposed to help you find a nice gift for him?” Kyungsoo really wants to help, but he has no idea how to proceed in the present situation. He walks leisurely through the store in hope something catches Jongin’s eyes and he has some kind of epiphany.
“I will buy anything you tell me to,” Jongin answers.
“But what if your friend hates Echo & the Bunnymen?”
“What’s Echo…?” Jongin runs his hand through his already pretty messy hair and a nice scent of shampoo invades Kyungsoo’s nostrils.
“Nevermind,” Kyungsoo waves it off as he keeps walking around the store.
“No, I really want to know.” Jongin follows Kyungsoo.
“Here it is.” he finally stops, and Jongin does the same. Kyungsoo reaches out and gets one record out of the shelf. It’s Ocean Rain, the album he’s been listening to for months without stopping. It’s brilliant and he finds himself somehow super excited to make Jongin listen to it. He hands it to Jongin who has the biggest smile on his face, and Kyungsoo can’t help but smile lightly in return.
“Is it good?” Jongin asks, fingers tracing patterns on the cover.
“It’s great.” Kyungsoo knows his eyes are probably sparkling now. “I don’t know if your friend will like it, though…”
“I lied,” Jongin says, and Kyungsoo sends him a questioning look. “There’s no friend.”
“Oh…” It’s all Kyungsoo manages to say.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to waste your time, I just…” Jongin seems really embarrassed and his cheeks are slightly pink. He’s fidgeting, avoiding Kyungsoo’s gaze. “I wanted to talk to you, and that was the only excuse I could come up with in two weeks of thinking about it really hard.”
“You spent two weeks thinking about how to approach me?” Kyungsoo says it out loud to make the information tangible.
“I know it’s lame…” Jongin looks up again, but can’t hold his gaze for long.
“It’s very lame,” Kyungsoo agrees, and lets out a laugh that makes Jongin look at him again, this time without averting his eyes.
“Can’t you give me some credit, though?” Jongin pouts and it makes him look like an abandoned puppy. Kyungsoo has the sudden urge to pet him and feed him dog cookies, but that would be weird and probably disgusting.
“I’ll give you credit, yes,” he says, nodding, “for coming up with the worst plan ever and still going through with it. It takes some guts.”
Jongin smiles widely, holding the record next to his chest, like he wants to protect it from any harm. It’s adorable, Kyungsoo thinks, but takes the record from Jongin’s hands anyway.
“Come with me,” he says, leading the way to the cashier. Baekhyun is not there, but the other employee knows him as well. They greet each other and Jongin just stands there confused.
“What are you doing?” he asks, as Kyungsoo takes his wallet from his pocket.
“I’m buying this for you.” Kyungsoo doesn’t even spare him a glance, too preoccupied in counting the money.
“You don’t have to!” Jongin protests, this time earning a glance from Kyungsoo. It tells him to shut up and accept the gift.
“I want to,” Kyungsoo says simply. He hands the record to Jongin in a plastic bag, with a smile.
“Thank you, Kyungsoo,” Jongin says, looking like a child who just got his long awaited Christmas present. It’s adorable.
“You’re welcome.” Kyungsoo gives Jongin a small friendly punch on the arm, and adds, “track six is my favorite.”
“I’ll listen to it as soon as I get home,” Jongin says excitedly as they exit the store. It’s freezing outside and Kyungsoo pulls his red winter coat closer to his body. The wind is cold and strong, making both of them shiver.
“Do you live very far away? You’re just wearing a jacket, you’re going to freeze,” Kyungsoo points out, looking at Jongin who’s hugging himself, trying to get some protection from the cold.
“I don’t, I…” He laughs, looking kind of embarrassed. Kyungsoo thinks embarrassed Jongin is really cute.“I live across the street, actually.”
Oh. It all makes sense, then.
“You’re a stalker!” Kyungsoo shouts, pointing at Jongin in a playful manner. His mouth forms a perfect “O” and he takes a few steps back, distancing himself from the other.
“I’m not!” Jongin protests. “I swear! I don’t even know where you live or if you go to college, I just kept seeing you coming in and out of the store, sometimes with lots of records and I just thought you were pretty cute.”
“You what?” Kyungsoo almost forgets to breathe for a second. Did Jongin just call him cute?
“Cute. I thought… I think you’re pretty cute,” Jongin says, more to the pavement than to anyone else.
He’s the one that screams cute, and Kyungsoo wants to tell him that but of course he won’t. Stalkers don’t get called cute, right?
“I think you’re adorable, and really interesting. Sometimes you wear bow ties and you look great when you do.” Jongin just continues talking, Kyungsoo assumes because he himself didn’t say a word. How can he?
“D-do you like my bow ties?” he manages to mumble.
“Yes, I do. A lot.” Jongin finally stops staring intensely at the pavement and looks at him. His eyes are watering because of the cold wind, Kyungsoo thinks, and he feels bad for making Jongin stay outside in this freezing weather. He decides it’s best if they go home, but he also kind of likes Jongin and he doesn’t want this to end right here and now.
“Do you want my number?” he asks, unsure of what else to do.
Jongin looks at him, wide-eyed, and nods profusely. If he had a tail, it would be wagging like crazy, Kyungsoo thinks as he grabs a pen and paper from his backpack. He scribbles down his number and name so Jongin doesn’t forget it. He wants him to call, he wants to meet Jongin again, even though admitting it is weird.
“You can call me whenever, okay?” He grins and hands Jongin the piece of paper.
“C-can I call you when I get home?”
Too cute.
“You might want to wait a few minutes, because I still need to catch a bus home.”
“Yes, sure!” Jongin still has that excited tone that makes his voice go up a few octaves.
“You can call me and we’ll listen to the record together over the phone, okay?”
Jongin seems really happy and Kyungsoo feels the same. He doesn’t know why, but he thinks this must be the most productive visit to the record store to this date. Even more productive than the time he managed to get all The Velvet Underground albums for the most amazing price.
They wave each other goodbye about five times, because Kyungsoo keeps turning his head back as he walks to the bus stop and Jongin doesn’t enter his building until Kyungsoo turns a corner and is out of sight.
Later that afternoon, Jongin calls Kyungsoo (he waited two whole hours, what a warrior), and they listen to Ocean Rain five times. They talk and get to know each other, and Kyungsoo discovers the sound of Jongin’s laugh make each track even better and more magical to his ears. Jongin can’t control his happiness and more than once he goes quiet, only to have Kyungsoo to ask him “what’s the matter?”, to which he responds “I’m just glad I met you.”
The afternoon goes by really fast and they need to say goodbye to each other because they both have early morning classes, but they promise to meet on the weekend. Kyungsoo wants to go see a Godard film, and Jongin has no idea who Godard is but he pronounces his name right on the very first try.
Jongin can’t believe his luck, while he checks his reflection in the mirror for what could be the tenth time. He should’ve left a good fifteen minutes ago to catch the bus but he’s not sure this blue shirt goes well with this dark jeans and he’s having a hard time taming his hair. With a sigh, he decides he’ll just leave it as it is, because he can’t show up late for his very first date with Kyungsoo.
He lives not so far away from the bus stop so he manages to catch the right one just in time. He greets the driver politely and chooses a sit at the back, where he can be nervous and overexcited in peace.
This is really happening, Jongin thinks, looking out of the window at the brightly lit city. He feels his palms clammy and he tries to wipe them on his jeans. He can’t hold Kyungsoo’s hand with gross sweaty palms. Kyungsoo. He has a date with Kyungsoo, the cute guy from the record store, who wears bow ties and looks cute as hell when he does. The guy whom Jongin watched for months - in a totally non-stalker way - and tried so hard to come up with an excuse to talk to. This is happening.
He takes one more deep breath when the bus finally stops right in front of the mall and gets out, looking around for Kyungsoo. He said he would be waiting for him in front of the mall, because he didn’t really know his way around and didn’t trust himself to find the theater alone. How cute, Jongin thought.
“Hey, Jongin,” he hears someone call, and turns around to see who it is. Kyungsoo is walking towards him in a fast pace and he even skips a little. Jongin’s heart also skips a beat or two. He watches as Kyungsoo gets closer and suddenly there are arms wrapped around him, and a delicious scent invades Jongin’s nostrils. He has his nose almost buried in Kyungsoo’s hair, and he can’t help but nuzzle a bit into it, because damn, he smells like baby cologne.
Jongin somehow forgets to wrap his arms around Kyungsoo as well, but he remembers it before it’s too late and they share a not-so-awkward hug, until Kyungsoo finally pulls away to look at Jongin’s face. He has this smile on his face, and Jongin looks at it intently to memorize the image.
“Did you know your lips form a heart when you smile?” He blurts out before he can even stop himself, blushing furiously afterwards. But it’s not like Kyungsoo would notice, it’s quite dark outside.
Kyungsoo sounds amused, his smile widening. “Yes, so I’ve been told.”
“It’s really nice,” Jongin adds, as they start walking towards the entrance.
Kyungsoo looks up at him, an indecipherable expression on his face. It only lasts a few seconds, and then he’s smiling and laughing again, muttering a thank you and bumping into Jongin playfully.
To Jongin’s surprise, Kyungsoo is a chatter. He talks about everything under the sun while they’re making their way to the theater. They stop for ice cream at some point, and Kyungsoo engages on a nice mostly unilateral conversation about ice cream flavors with the owner of the place. After a while, Jongin drags Kyungsoo with him, saying they’re gonna be late for the movie, so they end up taking the stairs instead of the escalators to get to the first floor faster.
They’re both panting and laughing by the time they get there, and Jongin was expecting a line, but there isn’t one.
“Hmmm, are you sure this is the right theater?” Jongin asks, following Kyungsoo.
“Yes, it is. They usually do an old movies showcase on Wednesdays, but this month they decided to do it on the weekend,” he explains, looking at Jongin expectantly.
“That’s cool.” Jongin smiles and nods.
“It’s more than cool, Jongin! Where else could we watch a nouvelle vague masterpiece on a big screen?” Kyungsoo does an exaggerated gesture with his arms, stretching them as to exemplify a huge screen and Jongin laughs out loud, earning a pout in return. “Don’t laugh at me, I know I get too excited about weird stuff…”
“No, it’s not weird at all,” Jongin clarifies hurriedly, reaching out to ruffle Kyungsoo’s hair. “It’s cute… It’s nice.”
Kyungsoo’s pout turns into a grin and his cheeks turn a timid shade of red. Before Jongin can say anything else, he turns around and quickly runs to buy their tickets so Jongin is left there waiting and trying not to think about how hard it was not to reach and touch Kyungsoo’s probably-oh-so-soft cheeks. How hard it was not to imagine how it would feel having Kyungsoo’s plump lips against his own and oops, here he is, doing exactly what he doesn’t want to do.
Jongin shakes his head, trying to clear it of those thoughts and soon, Kyungsoo is back with the tickets.
They enter the theater after Jongin buys them a giant-sized popcorn and two large cups of coke, despite Kyungsoo’s protest. The theater is small and smells weird but Jongin doesn’t really mind. Kyungsoo looks happy, and that’s all that matters.
The movie starts not long after they’re comfortably sitting on their chairs, Jongin with his face almost buried in the popcorn. Kyungsoo watches him with an amused expression, until all the lights finally go out and the movie starts.
“Finally,” Kyungsoo mutters, making himself more comfy on his seat and sipping his coke absentmindedly.
“This is that French film you wanted to watch, right?” Jongin says in a quiet tone, looking around only to realise they’re pretty much alone there, except for a couple making out a few rows behind.
“Yes,” Kyungsoo answers, without taking his eyes off the screen. “I’ve seen it a couple of times, but I just never get tired of it.”
“Oh!? How many times?” Jongin asks, looking at Kyungsoo. The way he watches the screen almost without blinking must be Jongin’s new favorite thing about him, but there are so many of them already, he’s not sure he can pick just one.
“Like, twelve or something.”
Jongin can’t hold back a laugh, and Kyungsoo finally looks at him with a confused expression on his face. “What?” he asks, a half-smile playing on his lips.
“Nothing.” Jongin pretends to direct his attention back to the screen, but he really just watches Kyungsoo out of the corner of his eye.
Kyungsoo can’t remember the last time he was this excited and nervous. He thinks he’s doing pretty well in hiding his nervousness so far. Not sure about the excitement, though. Jongin is definitely fun to be around, and he doesn’t seem to mind Kyungsoo’s infinite rambling about bands, movies and ice cream flavours. His mother would say he’s a catch. But Kyungsoo isn’t so sure about his dating game. He’s dated before, of course - if girls and Baekhyun count - but this Jongin guy obviously likes him a lot. And Kyungsoo thinks he might like him as well.
“Oh, Kyungsoo…” Jongin’s voice next to his ear pulls him out of his thoughts. “The subtitles are messed up, I think.”
“Really?” Kyungsoo looks at the screen and notices there are no subs anymore. He wasn’t really paying attention for the last five minutes or so, too busy fantasizing about his and Jongin’s future romantic relationship, so he didn’t notice at all.
“Just wait a bit, I’ll be right back.” He gets up and quickly walks towards the projection room, knocking on the door a few times but there’s no answer. Great. Now his entire movie night is ruined.
“I’m so sorry, Jongin. There was no one there.” He gives Jongin an apologetic look as he returns to his seat. “Do you want to go, or…?”
Jongin half whined-half yawned, stretching a bit in his seat. “No, let’s finish it,” he answers with a grin.
“Do you speak french?”
“No, but you’ve seen this movie a hundred times, I bet you know the lines by heart.” He turns his head in Kyungsoo’s direction, grinning.
“So do you want me to whisper the lines to you until the end of the movie?”
“Not every single one of them, no. Just a few, so I can at least know what they’re talking about.” Jongin licks his lips and Kyungsoo finds that very distracting, so for a brief moment he forgets how to form words. Jongin’s still staring at him with a half-smile on his face, seeming to be enjoying himself very much.
“O-okay, sure,” he agrees and they both turn their attention back to the screen. They missed a good ten minutes of the movie, but Kyungsoo thinks it’s alright, he has it on VHS anyways. They can watch it again as many times as they want while curled up in bed under the blankets. Damn, he’s wandering off again.
It’s the scene where the couple is sitting by the sea. It’s probably one of Kyungsoo’s favorite scenes. He feels Jongin get closer and lean slightly toward him. “What is he saying?” Jongin lips are dangerously close to his ear, making him wince a bit.
“Ferdinand asked her why she looks so sad, and she said it’s because he speaks to her in words and she looks at him with feelings.” Kyungsoo watches Jongin’s expression after he recites the words and it’s honestly so cute how he pouts and makes a disappointed face.
“He doesn’t deserve her,” he says, and Kyungsoo chuckles.
“Ferdinand is le fou, yes. He really is kind of an idiot.”
“Marianne is cute,” Jongin says out of nowhere making Kyungsoo laugh a bit loud, but there’s no one to complain since the couple that was making out at that back had left long ago.
“Cuter than me?” Kyungsoo manages a pout that he isn’t sure Jongin can see until the other captures it between his own plush lips.
Kyungsoo’s reaction is close to pathetic, he realizes it too late. He lets out a low whimper, as Jongin starts kissing him softly but surely. It’s nice, Kyungsoo thinks. Very nice. And he is the one to take the next step, getting closer to Jongin as he slowly parts his lips to let Jongin’s shy tongue explore his mouth carefully. Their kiss tastes like sweet popcorn and something new to Kyungsoo. He wonders how the kiss tastes to Jongin.
But Kyungsoo’s mind can’t stay focused on one single thought for too long. There’s a lot of things happening at once; Jongin’s fingers curling in his hair, his free hand holding Kyungsoo’s side keeping him in place (not that he’s thinking about going anywhere), his moving lips always so warm and soft against Kyungsoo’s own.
When they finally stop kissing, Kyungsoo’s fingers travel immediately to graze over his own lips, as he holds back a giggle. He sighs instead, smiling at Jongin’s shy expression. He is also smiling, but he isn’t looking at Kyungsoo, choosing to stare at the screen instead. Curling up beside Jongin, Kyungsoo rests his head against the other’s shoulder, and a fraction of second later Jongin’s head is resting on top of Kyungsoo’s in a light gentle way that has him grinning even wider, if that’s possible. He’s glad they’re both probably too shy to talk about what just happened but not so shy they can’t curl up against each other as the final scenes of the movie roll before their eyes.
A week after their first date, Jongin is getting impatient because Kyungsoo hasn’t called him and, yes, he could have done it, but he’s kind of avoiding having to do so. They had parted ways after the movie finished, promising to call each other whenever they had free time from college, and to definitely get together again soon. Jongin was more than eager to do so, to say the least, but now he’s doubting if Kyungsoo feels the same.
He’s starting to doze off, lying on his bed with Ocean Rain playing in the background, when his mother calls him from downstairs.
“What is it?” he shouts back in response, not bothering to get up.
“There’s mail for you!” Jongin can hear her steps as she makes her way upstairs and stops in front of his door.
“Come in, mom,” he says, hiding his face in his pillow so his mom doesn’t see his bloated face and the bags under his eyes. He has been hiding for the whole week, not wanting anyone to see his pathetic heartbroken state. He’s pretty sure his mother knows what’s up though, because she tiptoes into his room and leaves something by his feet on the bed before leaving, closing the door behind her. Jongin is so very glad for her right now. He sighs in relief and sits up to check what it is he got in the mail. He never gets any mail, aside from a few magazines he’s subscribed to, so he’s a bit curious.
The small package has his name on it but no address or information about the sender. He opens it carefully, wondering what’s inside, and it comes as a bit of a surprise when he sees a cassette tape inside it. There’s also a small note attached.
The handwriting is familiar, and it reads: “This is my way of apologizing for not calling before. Blame college. Also, can you come meet me at the record store tomorrow?” It is signed, but it really doesn’t have to be.
Jongin feels his chest both tight and light at the same time. It’s like he can breathe again, but at the same time he’s having a hard time processing the fact that he was wrong and that Kyungsoo doesn’t hate him or anything. He wants to meet again, and the only reason he hadn’t called it’s because he was busy, just like Jongin. Jongin feels a little stupid for not calling Kyungsoo himself, when he was the one to practically stalk him before and then gently force his way into his life.
Anyway, it’s too late to regret it now. He will apologize to Kyungsoo tomorrow, when they meet. Jongin really hopes Kyungsoo doesn’t think of him as a douchebag and that he forgives him. He knows he’s ready to beg if it proves necessary.
Oh, right, the tape, he remembers, inspecting the thing. He puts it in the tapedeck, and as the first song starts to play he relaxes onto the bed once again, letting his mind float to wherever Kyungsoo is; his heart-shaped smile, his wide sincere eyes, his easy laugh and the way he talks about anything under the sun with an uncontrolled enthusiasm, and how cute that is.
Jongin listens to the entire mixtape before finally getting up to get things done. He still has college work to do and he intends to finish everything so he can have the weekend free for whatever plans he and Kyungsoo might make. He plays the tape about ten times before he’s done with his assignments, and goes to bed early so tomorrow can come faster. He has a hard time falling asleep, though. Maybe he should buy Kyungsoo something? He feels like he’s always on the receiving end. Since they first met, Kyungsoo has given him an album and made him a mixtape, it would be only fair if he gave him something too. Besides, the idea of Kyungsoo having something Jongin gave him is nice.
There was a time when Jongin felt like he had himself all figured out, that he was in charge of everything. But Kyungsoo makes him feel like he’s rediscovering the world all over again and sometimes he feels like a kid; getting flustered, not knowing what to do or not getting any sleep thinking about something that will happen the next day. It feels good, he thinks, as he curls up under the blankets. It starts raining outside, and to the sound of the waterdrops falling, Jongin finally starts drifting to sleep.
“You are Jongin, right?” A short guy with alert eyes and thin lips approaches Jongin once he goes inside the store. Jongin knows him, of course. He’s seen him hundreds of times but they’ve never really talked, not even when Jongin pretended to be a customer and spent some time there just to see if Kyungsoo would come through the door so he would finally manage to talk to him. That never happened, and Jongin is now a bit scared that Baekhyun finally noticed what he was all about.
Jongin simply nods in response, taking a step back out of pure instinct.
“It’s okay, I won’t bite,” the guy says, getting behind the counter and motioning for Jongin to come closer. “Kyungsoo will be here in a moment, he’s at the back sorting some records.”
“Oh,” Jongin lets out, putting his hands inside his pockets. He thanks the other, and proceeds to wait by the counter.
“I am Baekhyun, by the way.” He extends a hand that Jongin takes. Lean fingers wrap around his own and when Jongin tries to retreat his hand after a brief handshake, Baekhyun stils his with a firm grip. Jongin launches him a puzzled look, to which Baekhyun answers with a smirk. “I heard you’re Kyungsoo’s stalker-turned-boyfriend. Cool.”
“W-what?” Jongin finally frees himself of the other’s firm grasp, surprised at his directness.
“Don’t worry. I think it’s cool, really.” He looks at Jongin and leans over the balcony as he talks. “Kyungsoo is my best friend, you know?”
Jongin is taken aback by the piece of information, but he realizes it makes sense now that Kyungsoo is always around and spends so much time in this particular store.
“You seem like a nice guy, Jongin,” Baekhyun says with a smile, and he rests a hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “You see, Kyungsoo is really precious to me so if you fuck this up…”
“Jongin!”
A familiar voice makes both Jongin and Baekhyun turn their attentions to the back of the store, where a slightly disheveled Kyungsoo is brushing some dust out of his jeans. He crosses the distance between them pretty fast and throws his arms around Jongin’s neck, pulling him into the nicest hug. Jongin is fast to return the gesture by pulling Kyungsoo closer by the waist, burying his face on the crook of the shorter’s neck, breathing in his familiar perfume. He had missed Kyungsoo so fucking much.
“Ew, gross. Please don’t make out at my workplace.”
They both laugh, pulling away from each other as Baekhyun makes a disgusted face at them. They wave him goodbye as he pretends to throw them a dirty rag but Jongin notices the small smile playing on his lips. Once they’re outside and out of Baekhyun’s sight, though, Jongin turns to Kyungsoo with a serious expression.
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin starts, holding one of Kyungsoo’s hands firmly. “I-I want to apologize for being dumb and not calling you and…”
“Shh, Jongin, it’s okay.” Kyungsoo cups Jongin’s face on his free hand, and shakes his head lightly. “You don’t need to apologize for anything. We were both busy, that’s all.”
“Yes, but…” He tries to continue with his incoherent rambling, but Kyungsoo tiptoes and gives him a peck on the lips, which is enough to shut him up.
“Don’t overthink this. We’re fine,” he says, voice low and eyes glued to Jongin’s. Jongin feels his heart racing inside his ribcage, and his lips burning for more of Kyungsoo’s and he learns forward, this time holding Kyungsoo’s face with both his hands.
The kiss is fiery but Jongin is gentle and Kyungsoo is always fast to keep up the pace. They fit so well, it’s like they were meant to be, Jongin thinks, as cheesy as that sounds even in his own head. He will probably never say it out loud, or at least, it will take him a pretty long time to tell Kyungsoo, but he thinks they were meant to be together, that they fit just like puzzle pieces. But Jongin is sure he will tell him, someday. He just has to make sure Kyungsoo lingers on long enough.
Kyungsoo is the one to break the kiss, his own lower lip trapped between his teeth, and the corners of his mouth twitch before he sighs contentedly and smiles. “Do you like the mixtape I made you?”
“I loved it!” Jongin strokes Kyungsoo’s cheek gently with his thumb and kisses the tip of his nose just to make the other blush. He gets exactly the reaction he expected.
“You should make me one, too,” Kyungsoo says in a playful tone as they begin to walk, not sure where they’re headed. “I feel like I’m the only one giving presents here. Is this a one-sided relationship?”
“As a matter of fact, I have something for you, but I’m not sure I will give you, since you sound so demanding.”
Kyungsoo stops walking, a loud cute whine escaping his lips and he starts to search every pocket on Jongin’s jacket and jeans. By the time he ends up with his hands on Jongin’s back pockets, Jongin is laughing so hard his tummy hurts.
“Ok, tell me where it is, now!” Kyungsoo demands, and Jongin can’t help but feel a little weird (good weird) looking at Kyungsoo standing there, arms crossed and full moon eyes fixed on him.
Jongin raises his arms in surrender and reaches for his jacket’s inside pocket, taking out a small packet. He hands it to a Kyungsoo whose expression had gone from the verge of scary to glowing with anticipation. Jongin had wrapped the gift up himself with some cute wrapping paper he found at home, and Kyungsoo opens it carefully to not damage the paper in any way. Meanwhile, Jongin fights the urge to take him in his arms again right in the middle of the street, because he is just so precious.
Kyungsoo is careful not to rip the paper to reveal a small velvet covered box. He opens it, trying to hide his excitement as he sees what it’s inside. It’s a bowtie. The cutest bowtie in the whole world, he dares to say; navy blue with little white dots and it feels so nice against Kyungsoo’s skin as he grazes his fingers over it.
“Do you like it?” Jongin asks, resting his chin on Kyungsoo’s shoulder as the other examines the gift. It’s nothing much, Jongin may think, but for Kyungsoo it’s one of the best gifts ever.
“I love it,” Kyungsoo says, turning his head so he can place a kiss on Jongin’s temple. “Thank you, Jongin.”
“It will look cute on you. That’s why I bought it, so maybe it was a little selfish of me.”
“Selfish or not, I love it and I love…” Kyungsoo stops before he can finish the sentence, covering his mouth with his hand. His eyes wide, as he looks at Jongin. He really hopes the other didn’t hear the last word because he was about to say something pretty embarrassing.
“You love?” Damn, Kyungsoo thinks. Jongin straightens up, looking at him expectantly and Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to do so he makes up the first dumb thing to cross his mind.
“I love… ice cream!” Quickly, he grabs Jongin’s hand and starts to pull him along. “Let’s go get ice cream.”
Jongin laughs behind him, allowing Kyungsoo to take him wherever he wants. Kyungsoo is pretty sure the other knows what he was about to say, but he’s so glad he let it slide. It’s not time for that kind of thing, Kyungsoo thinks. Not yet. He feels comfortable around Jongin and he likes the way he’s eager to listen to whatever Kyungsoo has to say, even if it’s not that interesting. He loves the way Jongin seems so confident at times, but how he’s also shy and timid. He loves a lot of things about Jongin already, but he can’t really say he loves Jongin. It’s too early.
“Hey, Kyungsoo,” Jongin calls, squeezing Kyungsoo’s hand and making him look up. Jongin has that dazzling smile adorning his face and Kyungsoo forgets to exhale for a moment.
“What?”
“I love ice cream too.”
And Kyungsoo knows what he means.
pairing: Kyungsoo/Jongin
length: 5.8k
summary: “I’m clueless, so I’ll trust you on this.”
note: This is fluff fluff fluff, nothing more. (Also I could call this indie!au tbh) I switch povs at weird times i'm sorry for that. Hope you enjoy it.
This. Here and Now. With You.
The sleepy guy approaches Kyungsoo while he’s trying to decide between increasing his The Cure collection by ordering Japanese Whispers or getting all those Bob Dylan albums he’s still yet to buy to make his Dylan collection a little more respectful. He doesn't notice the tall figure until he mumbles something Kyungsoo can’t quite hear. When he looks up at the stranger, he sees puffy eyes, bed hair, plump lips and oh, gorgeous skin, yes.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Kyungsoo asks politely.
Tall handsome guy rubs the sleep off his eyes, smiling softly. “I asked you if you can help me.”
“Oh…” Kyungsoo is taken by surprise. Does this guy think he works here? Well, he does spend most of his time-off in the record store because it’s his favorite and because his best friend, Baekhyun, works here and doesn't mind him hanging around. Kyungsoo even organizes the records for him, sometimes. Baekhyun didn’t know that it’s much better to keep things organized by year of release and not alphabetical order, and Kyungsoo was unofficially in charge of ordering limited edition releases (nothing to do with the fact he could also get them for a much lower price this way).
“I don’t work here, sorry.” Kyungsoo sends him an apologetic look, turning his attention back to the shelf.
The guy snorts and doesn't leave Kyungsoo’s side as he had expected. On the contrary, he gets closer and their arms brush.
“I’m sorry, but I could really use some help,” the guy insists, voice a bit low and hoarse.
Kyungsoo sighs, looks up again and asks, “What do you need my help for?”
The stranger smiles. He’s got perfect teeth, and damn, he smells nice. Kyungsoo shakes his head, trying to focus.
“I need to find a present for my friend and I think he’s into foreign stuff.” Jongin looks around, seeming a bit out of place and confused. It’s cute, Kyungsoo thinks. “But I don’t really know what kind of music he listens to.”
Kyungsoo nods, showing him he understands. “Well, you could ask your friend…”
“It’s a surprise!” he says almost instantly.
“O-okay then, but you have no idea what your friend is into?” Kyungsoo motions for the guy to follow him as he continues talking. “Is he into pop music?”
“I don’t know. What are you into?” This time, Kyungsoo is really taken by surprise and his eyes widen as he sends a confused look at the other’s direction.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m clueless, so I’ll trust you on this.” They both fall silent and it’s awkward for a moment, until Kyungsoo’s mind reminds him he hadn't introduced himself or anything of the sort, so maybe that’s what the other is expecting.
“My name is Kyungsoo,” he says, offering a hand that the stranger takes without hesitation.
“I’m Jongin.”
“So, Jongin, you have no idea what your friend likes. How am I supposed to help you find a nice gift for him?” Kyungsoo really wants to help, but he has no idea how to proceed in the present situation. He walks leisurely through the store in hope something catches Jongin’s eyes and he has some kind of epiphany.
“I will buy anything you tell me to,” Jongin answers.
“But what if your friend hates Echo & the Bunnymen?”
“What’s Echo…?” Jongin runs his hand through his already pretty messy hair and a nice scent of shampoo invades Kyungsoo’s nostrils.
“Nevermind,” Kyungsoo waves it off as he keeps walking around the store.
“No, I really want to know.” Jongin follows Kyungsoo.
“Here it is.” he finally stops, and Jongin does the same. Kyungsoo reaches out and gets one record out of the shelf. It’s Ocean Rain, the album he’s been listening to for months without stopping. It’s brilliant and he finds himself somehow super excited to make Jongin listen to it. He hands it to Jongin who has the biggest smile on his face, and Kyungsoo can’t help but smile lightly in return.
“Is it good?” Jongin asks, fingers tracing patterns on the cover.
“It’s great.” Kyungsoo knows his eyes are probably sparkling now. “I don’t know if your friend will like it, though…”
“I lied,” Jongin says, and Kyungsoo sends him a questioning look. “There’s no friend.”
“Oh…” It’s all Kyungsoo manages to say.
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to waste your time, I just…” Jongin seems really embarrassed and his cheeks are slightly pink. He’s fidgeting, avoiding Kyungsoo’s gaze. “I wanted to talk to you, and that was the only excuse I could come up with in two weeks of thinking about it really hard.”
“You spent two weeks thinking about how to approach me?” Kyungsoo says it out loud to make the information tangible.
“I know it’s lame…” Jongin looks up again, but can’t hold his gaze for long.
“It’s very lame,” Kyungsoo agrees, and lets out a laugh that makes Jongin look at him again, this time without averting his eyes.
“Can’t you give me some credit, though?” Jongin pouts and it makes him look like an abandoned puppy. Kyungsoo has the sudden urge to pet him and feed him dog cookies, but that would be weird and probably disgusting.
“I’ll give you credit, yes,” he says, nodding, “for coming up with the worst plan ever and still going through with it. It takes some guts.”
Jongin smiles widely, holding the record next to his chest, like he wants to protect it from any harm. It’s adorable, Kyungsoo thinks, but takes the record from Jongin’s hands anyway.
“Come with me,” he says, leading the way to the cashier. Baekhyun is not there, but the other employee knows him as well. They greet each other and Jongin just stands there confused.
“What are you doing?” he asks, as Kyungsoo takes his wallet from his pocket.
“I’m buying this for you.” Kyungsoo doesn’t even spare him a glance, too preoccupied in counting the money.
“You don’t have to!” Jongin protests, this time earning a glance from Kyungsoo. It tells him to shut up and accept the gift.
“I want to,” Kyungsoo says simply. He hands the record to Jongin in a plastic bag, with a smile.
“Thank you, Kyungsoo,” Jongin says, looking like a child who just got his long awaited Christmas present. It’s adorable.
“You’re welcome.” Kyungsoo gives Jongin a small friendly punch on the arm, and adds, “track six is my favorite.”
“I’ll listen to it as soon as I get home,” Jongin says excitedly as they exit the store. It’s freezing outside and Kyungsoo pulls his red winter coat closer to his body. The wind is cold and strong, making both of them shiver.
“Do you live very far away? You’re just wearing a jacket, you’re going to freeze,” Kyungsoo points out, looking at Jongin who’s hugging himself, trying to get some protection from the cold.
“I don’t, I…” He laughs, looking kind of embarrassed. Kyungsoo thinks embarrassed Jongin is really cute.“I live across the street, actually.”
Oh. It all makes sense, then.
“You’re a stalker!” Kyungsoo shouts, pointing at Jongin in a playful manner. His mouth forms a perfect “O” and he takes a few steps back, distancing himself from the other.
“I’m not!” Jongin protests. “I swear! I don’t even know where you live or if you go to college, I just kept seeing you coming in and out of the store, sometimes with lots of records and I just thought you were pretty cute.”
“You what?” Kyungsoo almost forgets to breathe for a second. Did Jongin just call him cute?
“Cute. I thought… I think you’re pretty cute,” Jongin says, more to the pavement than to anyone else.
He’s the one that screams cute, and Kyungsoo wants to tell him that but of course he won’t. Stalkers don’t get called cute, right?
“I think you’re adorable, and really interesting. Sometimes you wear bow ties and you look great when you do.” Jongin just continues talking, Kyungsoo assumes because he himself didn’t say a word. How can he?
“D-do you like my bow ties?” he manages to mumble.
“Yes, I do. A lot.” Jongin finally stops staring intensely at the pavement and looks at him. His eyes are watering because of the cold wind, Kyungsoo thinks, and he feels bad for making Jongin stay outside in this freezing weather. He decides it’s best if they go home, but he also kind of likes Jongin and he doesn’t want this to end right here and now.
“Do you want my number?” he asks, unsure of what else to do.
Jongin looks at him, wide-eyed, and nods profusely. If he had a tail, it would be wagging like crazy, Kyungsoo thinks as he grabs a pen and paper from his backpack. He scribbles down his number and name so Jongin doesn’t forget it. He wants him to call, he wants to meet Jongin again, even though admitting it is weird.
“You can call me whenever, okay?” He grins and hands Jongin the piece of paper.
“C-can I call you when I get home?”
Too cute.
“You might want to wait a few minutes, because I still need to catch a bus home.”
“Yes, sure!” Jongin still has that excited tone that makes his voice go up a few octaves.
“You can call me and we’ll listen to the record together over the phone, okay?”
Jongin seems really happy and Kyungsoo feels the same. He doesn’t know why, but he thinks this must be the most productive visit to the record store to this date. Even more productive than the time he managed to get all The Velvet Underground albums for the most amazing price.
They wave each other goodbye about five times, because Kyungsoo keeps turning his head back as he walks to the bus stop and Jongin doesn’t enter his building until Kyungsoo turns a corner and is out of sight.
Later that afternoon, Jongin calls Kyungsoo (he waited two whole hours, what a warrior), and they listen to Ocean Rain five times. They talk and get to know each other, and Kyungsoo discovers the sound of Jongin’s laugh make each track even better and more magical to his ears. Jongin can’t control his happiness and more than once he goes quiet, only to have Kyungsoo to ask him “what’s the matter?”, to which he responds “I’m just glad I met you.”
The afternoon goes by really fast and they need to say goodbye to each other because they both have early morning classes, but they promise to meet on the weekend. Kyungsoo wants to go see a Godard film, and Jongin has no idea who Godard is but he pronounces his name right on the very first try.
Jongin can’t believe his luck, while he checks his reflection in the mirror for what could be the tenth time. He should’ve left a good fifteen minutes ago to catch the bus but he’s not sure this blue shirt goes well with this dark jeans and he’s having a hard time taming his hair. With a sigh, he decides he’ll just leave it as it is, because he can’t show up late for his very first date with Kyungsoo.
He lives not so far away from the bus stop so he manages to catch the right one just in time. He greets the driver politely and chooses a sit at the back, where he can be nervous and overexcited in peace.
This is really happening, Jongin thinks, looking out of the window at the brightly lit city. He feels his palms clammy and he tries to wipe them on his jeans. He can’t hold Kyungsoo’s hand with gross sweaty palms. Kyungsoo. He has a date with Kyungsoo, the cute guy from the record store, who wears bow ties and looks cute as hell when he does. The guy whom Jongin watched for months - in a totally non-stalker way - and tried so hard to come up with an excuse to talk to. This is happening.
He takes one more deep breath when the bus finally stops right in front of the mall and gets out, looking around for Kyungsoo. He said he would be waiting for him in front of the mall, because he didn’t really know his way around and didn’t trust himself to find the theater alone. How cute, Jongin thought.
“Hey, Jongin,” he hears someone call, and turns around to see who it is. Kyungsoo is walking towards him in a fast pace and he even skips a little. Jongin’s heart also skips a beat or two. He watches as Kyungsoo gets closer and suddenly there are arms wrapped around him, and a delicious scent invades Jongin’s nostrils. He has his nose almost buried in Kyungsoo’s hair, and he can’t help but nuzzle a bit into it, because damn, he smells like baby cologne.
Jongin somehow forgets to wrap his arms around Kyungsoo as well, but he remembers it before it’s too late and they share a not-so-awkward hug, until Kyungsoo finally pulls away to look at Jongin’s face. He has this smile on his face, and Jongin looks at it intently to memorize the image.
“Did you know your lips form a heart when you smile?” He blurts out before he can even stop himself, blushing furiously afterwards. But it’s not like Kyungsoo would notice, it’s quite dark outside.
Kyungsoo sounds amused, his smile widening. “Yes, so I’ve been told.”
“It’s really nice,” Jongin adds, as they start walking towards the entrance.
Kyungsoo looks up at him, an indecipherable expression on his face. It only lasts a few seconds, and then he’s smiling and laughing again, muttering a thank you and bumping into Jongin playfully.
To Jongin’s surprise, Kyungsoo is a chatter. He talks about everything under the sun while they’re making their way to the theater. They stop for ice cream at some point, and Kyungsoo engages on a nice mostly unilateral conversation about ice cream flavors with the owner of the place. After a while, Jongin drags Kyungsoo with him, saying they’re gonna be late for the movie, so they end up taking the stairs instead of the escalators to get to the first floor faster.
They’re both panting and laughing by the time they get there, and Jongin was expecting a line, but there isn’t one.
“Hmmm, are you sure this is the right theater?” Jongin asks, following Kyungsoo.
“Yes, it is. They usually do an old movies showcase on Wednesdays, but this month they decided to do it on the weekend,” he explains, looking at Jongin expectantly.
“That’s cool.” Jongin smiles and nods.
“It’s more than cool, Jongin! Where else could we watch a nouvelle vague masterpiece on a big screen?” Kyungsoo does an exaggerated gesture with his arms, stretching them as to exemplify a huge screen and Jongin laughs out loud, earning a pout in return. “Don’t laugh at me, I know I get too excited about weird stuff…”
“No, it’s not weird at all,” Jongin clarifies hurriedly, reaching out to ruffle Kyungsoo’s hair. “It’s cute… It’s nice.”
Kyungsoo’s pout turns into a grin and his cheeks turn a timid shade of red. Before Jongin can say anything else, he turns around and quickly runs to buy their tickets so Jongin is left there waiting and trying not to think about how hard it was not to reach and touch Kyungsoo’s probably-oh-so-soft cheeks. How hard it was not to imagine how it would feel having Kyungsoo’s plump lips against his own and oops, here he is, doing exactly what he doesn’t want to do.
Jongin shakes his head, trying to clear it of those thoughts and soon, Kyungsoo is back with the tickets.
They enter the theater after Jongin buys them a giant-sized popcorn and two large cups of coke, despite Kyungsoo’s protest. The theater is small and smells weird but Jongin doesn’t really mind. Kyungsoo looks happy, and that’s all that matters.
The movie starts not long after they’re comfortably sitting on their chairs, Jongin with his face almost buried in the popcorn. Kyungsoo watches him with an amused expression, until all the lights finally go out and the movie starts.
“Finally,” Kyungsoo mutters, making himself more comfy on his seat and sipping his coke absentmindedly.
“This is that French film you wanted to watch, right?” Jongin says in a quiet tone, looking around only to realise they’re pretty much alone there, except for a couple making out a few rows behind.
“Yes,” Kyungsoo answers, without taking his eyes off the screen. “I’ve seen it a couple of times, but I just never get tired of it.”
“Oh!? How many times?” Jongin asks, looking at Kyungsoo. The way he watches the screen almost without blinking must be Jongin’s new favorite thing about him, but there are so many of them already, he’s not sure he can pick just one.
“Like, twelve or something.”
Jongin can’t hold back a laugh, and Kyungsoo finally looks at him with a confused expression on his face. “What?” he asks, a half-smile playing on his lips.
“Nothing.” Jongin pretends to direct his attention back to the screen, but he really just watches Kyungsoo out of the corner of his eye.
Kyungsoo can’t remember the last time he was this excited and nervous. He thinks he’s doing pretty well in hiding his nervousness so far. Not sure about the excitement, though. Jongin is definitely fun to be around, and he doesn’t seem to mind Kyungsoo’s infinite rambling about bands, movies and ice cream flavours. His mother would say he’s a catch. But Kyungsoo isn’t so sure about his dating game. He’s dated before, of course - if girls and Baekhyun count - but this Jongin guy obviously likes him a lot. And Kyungsoo thinks he might like him as well.
“Oh, Kyungsoo…” Jongin’s voice next to his ear pulls him out of his thoughts. “The subtitles are messed up, I think.”
“Really?” Kyungsoo looks at the screen and notices there are no subs anymore. He wasn’t really paying attention for the last five minutes or so, too busy fantasizing about his and Jongin’s future romantic relationship, so he didn’t notice at all.
“Just wait a bit, I’ll be right back.” He gets up and quickly walks towards the projection room, knocking on the door a few times but there’s no answer. Great. Now his entire movie night is ruined.
“I’m so sorry, Jongin. There was no one there.” He gives Jongin an apologetic look as he returns to his seat. “Do you want to go, or…?”
Jongin half whined-half yawned, stretching a bit in his seat. “No, let’s finish it,” he answers with a grin.
“Do you speak french?”
“No, but you’ve seen this movie a hundred times, I bet you know the lines by heart.” He turns his head in Kyungsoo’s direction, grinning.
“So do you want me to whisper the lines to you until the end of the movie?”
“Not every single one of them, no. Just a few, so I can at least know what they’re talking about.” Jongin licks his lips and Kyungsoo finds that very distracting, so for a brief moment he forgets how to form words. Jongin’s still staring at him with a half-smile on his face, seeming to be enjoying himself very much.
“O-okay, sure,” he agrees and they both turn their attention back to the screen. They missed a good ten minutes of the movie, but Kyungsoo thinks it’s alright, he has it on VHS anyways. They can watch it again as many times as they want while curled up in bed under the blankets. Damn, he’s wandering off again.
It’s the scene where the couple is sitting by the sea. It’s probably one of Kyungsoo’s favorite scenes. He feels Jongin get closer and lean slightly toward him. “What is he saying?” Jongin lips are dangerously close to his ear, making him wince a bit.
“Ferdinand asked her why she looks so sad, and she said it’s because he speaks to her in words and she looks at him with feelings.” Kyungsoo watches Jongin’s expression after he recites the words and it’s honestly so cute how he pouts and makes a disappointed face.
“He doesn’t deserve her,” he says, and Kyungsoo chuckles.
“Ferdinand is le fou, yes. He really is kind of an idiot.”
“Marianne is cute,” Jongin says out of nowhere making Kyungsoo laugh a bit loud, but there’s no one to complain since the couple that was making out at that back had left long ago.
“Cuter than me?” Kyungsoo manages a pout that he isn’t sure Jongin can see until the other captures it between his own plush lips.
Kyungsoo’s reaction is close to pathetic, he realizes it too late. He lets out a low whimper, as Jongin starts kissing him softly but surely. It’s nice, Kyungsoo thinks. Very nice. And he is the one to take the next step, getting closer to Jongin as he slowly parts his lips to let Jongin’s shy tongue explore his mouth carefully. Their kiss tastes like sweet popcorn and something new to Kyungsoo. He wonders how the kiss tastes to Jongin.
But Kyungsoo’s mind can’t stay focused on one single thought for too long. There’s a lot of things happening at once; Jongin’s fingers curling in his hair, his free hand holding Kyungsoo’s side keeping him in place (not that he’s thinking about going anywhere), his moving lips always so warm and soft against Kyungsoo’s own.
When they finally stop kissing, Kyungsoo’s fingers travel immediately to graze over his own lips, as he holds back a giggle. He sighs instead, smiling at Jongin’s shy expression. He is also smiling, but he isn’t looking at Kyungsoo, choosing to stare at the screen instead. Curling up beside Jongin, Kyungsoo rests his head against the other’s shoulder, and a fraction of second later Jongin’s head is resting on top of Kyungsoo’s in a light gentle way that has him grinning even wider, if that’s possible. He’s glad they’re both probably too shy to talk about what just happened but not so shy they can’t curl up against each other as the final scenes of the movie roll before their eyes.
A week after their first date, Jongin is getting impatient because Kyungsoo hasn’t called him and, yes, he could have done it, but he’s kind of avoiding having to do so. They had parted ways after the movie finished, promising to call each other whenever they had free time from college, and to definitely get together again soon. Jongin was more than eager to do so, to say the least, but now he’s doubting if Kyungsoo feels the same.
He’s starting to doze off, lying on his bed with Ocean Rain playing in the background, when his mother calls him from downstairs.
“What is it?” he shouts back in response, not bothering to get up.
“There’s mail for you!” Jongin can hear her steps as she makes her way upstairs and stops in front of his door.
“Come in, mom,” he says, hiding his face in his pillow so his mom doesn’t see his bloated face and the bags under his eyes. He has been hiding for the whole week, not wanting anyone to see his pathetic heartbroken state. He’s pretty sure his mother knows what’s up though, because she tiptoes into his room and leaves something by his feet on the bed before leaving, closing the door behind her. Jongin is so very glad for her right now. He sighs in relief and sits up to check what it is he got in the mail. He never gets any mail, aside from a few magazines he’s subscribed to, so he’s a bit curious.
The small package has his name on it but no address or information about the sender. He opens it carefully, wondering what’s inside, and it comes as a bit of a surprise when he sees a cassette tape inside it. There’s also a small note attached.
The handwriting is familiar, and it reads: “This is my way of apologizing for not calling before. Blame college. Also, can you come meet me at the record store tomorrow?” It is signed, but it really doesn’t have to be.
Jongin feels his chest both tight and light at the same time. It’s like he can breathe again, but at the same time he’s having a hard time processing the fact that he was wrong and that Kyungsoo doesn’t hate him or anything. He wants to meet again, and the only reason he hadn’t called it’s because he was busy, just like Jongin. Jongin feels a little stupid for not calling Kyungsoo himself, when he was the one to practically stalk him before and then gently force his way into his life.
Anyway, it’s too late to regret it now. He will apologize to Kyungsoo tomorrow, when they meet. Jongin really hopes Kyungsoo doesn’t think of him as a douchebag and that he forgives him. He knows he’s ready to beg if it proves necessary.
Oh, right, the tape, he remembers, inspecting the thing. He puts it in the tapedeck, and as the first song starts to play he relaxes onto the bed once again, letting his mind float to wherever Kyungsoo is; his heart-shaped smile, his wide sincere eyes, his easy laugh and the way he talks about anything under the sun with an uncontrolled enthusiasm, and how cute that is.
Jongin listens to the entire mixtape before finally getting up to get things done. He still has college work to do and he intends to finish everything so he can have the weekend free for whatever plans he and Kyungsoo might make. He plays the tape about ten times before he’s done with his assignments, and goes to bed early so tomorrow can come faster. He has a hard time falling asleep, though. Maybe he should buy Kyungsoo something? He feels like he’s always on the receiving end. Since they first met, Kyungsoo has given him an album and made him a mixtape, it would be only fair if he gave him something too. Besides, the idea of Kyungsoo having something Jongin gave him is nice.
There was a time when Jongin felt like he had himself all figured out, that he was in charge of everything. But Kyungsoo makes him feel like he’s rediscovering the world all over again and sometimes he feels like a kid; getting flustered, not knowing what to do or not getting any sleep thinking about something that will happen the next day. It feels good, he thinks, as he curls up under the blankets. It starts raining outside, and to the sound of the waterdrops falling, Jongin finally starts drifting to sleep.
“You are Jongin, right?” A short guy with alert eyes and thin lips approaches Jongin once he goes inside the store. Jongin knows him, of course. He’s seen him hundreds of times but they’ve never really talked, not even when Jongin pretended to be a customer and spent some time there just to see if Kyungsoo would come through the door so he would finally manage to talk to him. That never happened, and Jongin is now a bit scared that Baekhyun finally noticed what he was all about.
Jongin simply nods in response, taking a step back out of pure instinct.
“It’s okay, I won’t bite,” the guy says, getting behind the counter and motioning for Jongin to come closer. “Kyungsoo will be here in a moment, he’s at the back sorting some records.”
“Oh,” Jongin lets out, putting his hands inside his pockets. He thanks the other, and proceeds to wait by the counter.
“I am Baekhyun, by the way.” He extends a hand that Jongin takes. Lean fingers wrap around his own and when Jongin tries to retreat his hand after a brief handshake, Baekhyun stils his with a firm grip. Jongin launches him a puzzled look, to which Baekhyun answers with a smirk. “I heard you’re Kyungsoo’s stalker-turned-boyfriend. Cool.”
“W-what?” Jongin finally frees himself of the other’s firm grasp, surprised at his directness.
“Don’t worry. I think it’s cool, really.” He looks at Jongin and leans over the balcony as he talks. “Kyungsoo is my best friend, you know?”
Jongin is taken aback by the piece of information, but he realizes it makes sense now that Kyungsoo is always around and spends so much time in this particular store.
“You seem like a nice guy, Jongin,” Baekhyun says with a smile, and he rests a hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “You see, Kyungsoo is really precious to me so if you fuck this up…”
“Jongin!”
A familiar voice makes both Jongin and Baekhyun turn their attentions to the back of the store, where a slightly disheveled Kyungsoo is brushing some dust out of his jeans. He crosses the distance between them pretty fast and throws his arms around Jongin’s neck, pulling him into the nicest hug. Jongin is fast to return the gesture by pulling Kyungsoo closer by the waist, burying his face on the crook of the shorter’s neck, breathing in his familiar perfume. He had missed Kyungsoo so fucking much.
“Ew, gross. Please don’t make out at my workplace.”
They both laugh, pulling away from each other as Baekhyun makes a disgusted face at them. They wave him goodbye as he pretends to throw them a dirty rag but Jongin notices the small smile playing on his lips. Once they’re outside and out of Baekhyun’s sight, though, Jongin turns to Kyungsoo with a serious expression.
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin starts, holding one of Kyungsoo’s hands firmly. “I-I want to apologize for being dumb and not calling you and…”
“Shh, Jongin, it’s okay.” Kyungsoo cups Jongin’s face on his free hand, and shakes his head lightly. “You don’t need to apologize for anything. We were both busy, that’s all.”
“Yes, but…” He tries to continue with his incoherent rambling, but Kyungsoo tiptoes and gives him a peck on the lips, which is enough to shut him up.
“Don’t overthink this. We’re fine,” he says, voice low and eyes glued to Jongin’s. Jongin feels his heart racing inside his ribcage, and his lips burning for more of Kyungsoo’s and he learns forward, this time holding Kyungsoo’s face with both his hands.
The kiss is fiery but Jongin is gentle and Kyungsoo is always fast to keep up the pace. They fit so well, it’s like they were meant to be, Jongin thinks, as cheesy as that sounds even in his own head. He will probably never say it out loud, or at least, it will take him a pretty long time to tell Kyungsoo, but he thinks they were meant to be together, that they fit just like puzzle pieces. But Jongin is sure he will tell him, someday. He just has to make sure Kyungsoo lingers on long enough.
Kyungsoo is the one to break the kiss, his own lower lip trapped between his teeth, and the corners of his mouth twitch before he sighs contentedly and smiles. “Do you like the mixtape I made you?”
“I loved it!” Jongin strokes Kyungsoo’s cheek gently with his thumb and kisses the tip of his nose just to make the other blush. He gets exactly the reaction he expected.
“You should make me one, too,” Kyungsoo says in a playful tone as they begin to walk, not sure where they’re headed. “I feel like I’m the only one giving presents here. Is this a one-sided relationship?”
“As a matter of fact, I have something for you, but I’m not sure I will give you, since you sound so demanding.”
Kyungsoo stops walking, a loud cute whine escaping his lips and he starts to search every pocket on Jongin’s jacket and jeans. By the time he ends up with his hands on Jongin’s back pockets, Jongin is laughing so hard his tummy hurts.
“Ok, tell me where it is, now!” Kyungsoo demands, and Jongin can’t help but feel a little weird (good weird) looking at Kyungsoo standing there, arms crossed and full moon eyes fixed on him.
Jongin raises his arms in surrender and reaches for his jacket’s inside pocket, taking out a small packet. He hands it to a Kyungsoo whose expression had gone from the verge of scary to glowing with anticipation. Jongin had wrapped the gift up himself with some cute wrapping paper he found at home, and Kyungsoo opens it carefully to not damage the paper in any way. Meanwhile, Jongin fights the urge to take him in his arms again right in the middle of the street, because he is just so precious.
Kyungsoo is careful not to rip the paper to reveal a small velvet covered box. He opens it, trying to hide his excitement as he sees what it’s inside. It’s a bowtie. The cutest bowtie in the whole world, he dares to say; navy blue with little white dots and it feels so nice against Kyungsoo’s skin as he grazes his fingers over it.
“Do you like it?” Jongin asks, resting his chin on Kyungsoo’s shoulder as the other examines the gift. It’s nothing much, Jongin may think, but for Kyungsoo it’s one of the best gifts ever.
“I love it,” Kyungsoo says, turning his head so he can place a kiss on Jongin’s temple. “Thank you, Jongin.”
“It will look cute on you. That’s why I bought it, so maybe it was a little selfish of me.”
“Selfish or not, I love it and I love…” Kyungsoo stops before he can finish the sentence, covering his mouth with his hand. His eyes wide, as he looks at Jongin. He really hopes the other didn’t hear the last word because he was about to say something pretty embarrassing.
“You love?” Damn, Kyungsoo thinks. Jongin straightens up, looking at him expectantly and Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to do so he makes up the first dumb thing to cross his mind.
“I love… ice cream!” Quickly, he grabs Jongin’s hand and starts to pull him along. “Let’s go get ice cream.”
Jongin laughs behind him, allowing Kyungsoo to take him wherever he wants. Kyungsoo is pretty sure the other knows what he was about to say, but he’s so glad he let it slide. It’s not time for that kind of thing, Kyungsoo thinks. Not yet. He feels comfortable around Jongin and he likes the way he’s eager to listen to whatever Kyungsoo has to say, even if it’s not that interesting. He loves the way Jongin seems so confident at times, but how he’s also shy and timid. He loves a lot of things about Jongin already, but he can’t really say he loves Jongin. It’s too early.
“Hey, Kyungsoo,” Jongin calls, squeezing Kyungsoo’s hand and making him look up. Jongin has that dazzling smile adorning his face and Kyungsoo forgets to exhale for a moment.
“What?”
“I love ice cream too.”
And Kyungsoo knows what he means.