LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES...CHAPTER 21.2/36
Title: Love Knows No Boundaries
Author: tikibuddy91
Characters: EXO (Sehun, and mention of Jongin), BAP (minus Junhong, mention of Youngjae), and surprise guest
Word Count: ~5020
Genre: AU, Humor, Drama
Rating: PG-13 (There are a couple of heated moments...but nothing too explicit.)
Summary: College students; Blind, Deaf and Mute. Their lives deal with the ups and downs, like a roller coaster. They find relationships, and companionships. Life does not always have a happy ending, but they can try to get their own.
Author Note: What will Jongup do with the signs he learned in the previous part? Who's this surprise guest? ;)
(OTL, I should make a masterlist...but I've only written two fics... LOL)
Sign Language Guide
Families
Chapter 20 Part 1 | Chapter 20 Part 2 | Chapter 20 Part 3 | Chapter 21 Part 1 |
The next day brings a surprise to Jongup, when he finds himself practicing in front of a mirrored wall, in one of the available small dance rooms on campus.
He loses himself in dancing freestyle to one of his favorite songs, Turn Up the Music by Chris Brown, and does not hear the knock on the unlocked door nor does he register the reflection of a door moving in the mirror, allowing a certain visitor to come in quiet and unannounced like a cat.
Jongup does a double take when a movement in the mirror catches his eye, and his breath hitches in his throat as he stops mid-dancing. He turns around to face the last person he would think to see in the dancing room.
“H-hyung…h-hi.”
Standing in front of the door, clothed in a hoodie, jeans and a plaid brown and blue shirt, is Daehyun. The eye smile on his face shows off a sense of genuine pride in his dongsaeng’s natural talent.
[Surprise! Hi, J-U-ah, o-o-o-h-h music real neat, good beat-beat “boom”-“boom”-“boom”-“boom”. Feel inside body and floor! I like! Why stop? Continue dance, continue. Pretend me not here, me watch only.] Daehyun signs with expressions of glee and interest. (Surprise!! Hey Jongup-ah! Ooh, the music’s really neat; it has good beats. Boom, boom, boom, boom. I can feel it in my body and on the floor! I like this! But why’d you stop dancing? Go on, continue!! Pretend I’m not here, I’ll only be watching you.) He finds a chair nearby the door and takes his seat.
It has been a few weeks since Jongup first learned the alphabet and now, he has been improving on his signing and translation skills without the need of an interpreter. And so Jongup understands what Daehyun is saying, though Daehyun signs to him in a slightly slower pace than how he usually signs with Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Yongguk and Youngjae.
Jongup smiles and nods as he turns around to face the mirrored wall, getting ready to find his entrance into the song. In a matter of few seconds that Jongup is about to dance, he realizes that the song is almost ending. He stops in his movement as he hears the fading beats, signaling that the song is over. Smiling, he facepalms, before he turns around to make his way to the speakers.
On his way, he glances at Daehyun, who is looking at him with a bemused expression. He signs to Daehyun that the music has ended, so he will just replay the song. He presses the “previous track” button, and the song comes back alive through the speakers.
The music starts again with the smooth electronic and hip-hop beats bouncing off the walls. Jongup positions himself in front of the mirror, and prepares his body to move with the music.
Daehyun watches in anticipation as Jongup takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. Before Daehyun knows it, Jongup has opened them and his body starts moving automatically with the music, showing off a soft yet powerful choreography. As Daehyun watches Jongup dancing, he is amazed and almost overwhelmed with the contrast of ferocity and sleekness of Jongup’s dancing.
Jongup continues to perform with slick moves and smooth footwork for the next two minutes. When the chorus comes on for the third time, he starts gyrating his hips and looks at Daehyun, who is quite impressed with his moves. When he gets to the slow hip-hop beats, he starts to do chest pops and limb waves while gliding across the dance floor. He glances back at Daehyun for a few seconds, smirking before he turns his focus back to the mirror.
Daehyun is now in complete awe of how well his younger friend dances, his mouth slightly open with an upward curve on the corner of his mouth. When it is all over, Jongup ends with a smooth turn and a nice pose, facing Daehyun.
“Whooa~”, is all that Daehyun says when he claps. [Me “eyes-wow”. Natural skill have. All pop-chest, limb waves, and footwork look hard try!] (I am really amazed. You have such a natural skill in dancing. All those chest pops, limb waves, and footwork look hard to pull off!)
Jongup signs back [Thank-you] with a bright smile. Daehyun continues to praise his friend and then he asks Jongup, [J-U, can show-me another? What about dance audition your? Can see? Secret?] (Jongup-ah, can you show me another dance? Maybe your audition piece? May I see it, or is it a secret?)
[No-no, can. Title, Wall-Wall from C-h-r-i-s B-r-o-w-n. Spread-out years ago. Wait, please.] (No, you can see it! It’s “Wall to Wall” by Chris Brown. It came out a few years ago. Please wait.) Jongup signs to Daehyun as he walks over to the music speakers to change the music; Daehyun nods in understanding. Jongup then takes off his shirt, revealing a slightly sweaty A-shirt with toned muscles underneath.
Daehyun’s eyes widen slightly at the build of his younger friend. He holds his breath when he sees the shirt riding up on his hips, and he moans softly at the sight of the exposed V lines on Jongup’s waist. He notices how the air around him seems to be getting warm. Is it just me, or is it getting warmer in here? He starts to take off his jacket and places it on his lap.
Daehyun watches with a fast-beating heart as Jongup turns on the fan that is suspended on one corner of the room. He gulps as he stares a little too long at Jongup’s arms and the way his shirt clings to his defined abs. He squirms in his seat when he feels a stirring in his pants. He tries to look around, anywhere but Jongup’s body, but his eyes keep drawing back to it. His mind starts to get filled with images of his hands roaming on Jongup’s sweaty torso, and with Jongup’s smirks. He is thankful his jacket is on his lap, because his pants are now starting to feel a little tight.
Jongup turns to ask Daehyun. [“not-mind” I be this? Little hot s-o on fan]. (You don’t mind if I’m like this? It’s a little hot in here so I just had to turn on the fan.)
Daehyun gulps. Putting on a smile, he shakes his head. [Your place, not mine]. (It’s your place, not mine.) Jongup chuckles.
When the smooth hip-hop beats resound in the music room and Daehyun can feel the bass, he nods his head to the music and watches Jongup expectantly. Jongup smiles at the sight of his friend swaying and they make eye contact before Jongup looks away to the mirror for preparation.
~Pull up, pull up, can’t believe the girls, club packed~
When Chris Brown starts to sing through the speakers, Jongup puts on a powerful choreography, more intense and sharper than the previous one. He does not see the look of awe on Daehyun’s face as he continues to spin a few times on the spot.
~They packed up in here wall to wall and I don’t hear nothing but ladies calling~
Jongup is so focused in his choreography that he has not really made any time to glance at his hyung, showing off some b-boy moves and slick mid-jump moves.
~So many look good in here, I don’t even know which one I want~
When the song reaches a slow part, Jongup starts to dance sexily and for one second, he hesitates to do something he has not done in the choreography, but he is willing to be bold and try it out.
~All I know is that I’m feeling this party, and you can see I’m so with it~
And so, reaching Chris Brown’s line, “I’m so with it”, Jongup does a few chest rolls as he drags his shirt upwards to reveal his abs. He smirks at the mirror, relishing in the cool air on his skin. He glances at Daehyun in the mirror, and his smirk falters at what he sees.
Daehyun is staring not at Jongup in the mirror, but directly at him with an unreadable expression, and it causes Jongup to slow down in his choreography, his shirt still hooked up. Jongup turns his focus to Daehyun behind him, and he starts to feel a little nervous, as the music continues to go on.
~And I’m tryna give one of them all this, but they keep coming from wall to wall~
Releasing his shirt, it drops down to its original place as Jongup turns his body to face Daehyun. He asks, [Hyung…you o-k?] (Hyung…are you okay?)
Daehyun continues to watch Jongup, slowly looking uncomfortable. Shaking himself out of his reverie, Daehyun immediately stands up, not looking at Jongup. With his jacket hanging on his arm a little lower than his chest, he signs to him with one hand as he hurries to the exit, his eyes not meeting Jongup’s eyes. [Have class soon. Good-luck practice. See-later.] (I have class soon. Good luck with your rehearsal. See you later.) With that, he shows a tight-lipped smile before he slips out through the door.
“O…okay.” [Oh-I-see, o-k] Jongup says weakly, his legs too delayed to react on Daehyun’s sudden exit. The loud click on the door resounds in the room, heard briefly over the lines of “Yeah, smash on the radio, but I penned it.”
The loud click makes Jongup feel a little ashamed of performing that bold move, which apparently made Daehyun feel uncomfortable. Even though that move was for Daehyun alone to watch, he still regrets his decision to do it. He turns to the mirror, as the last of the four repetitive lines is sung, and it fades into instrumental break.
Jongup looks at his speakers and goes over to turn them off. He thinks back to yesterday when Kyungsoo showed him the signs. Jongup brings his hands up again and tries to remember how to do it.
“I…Like…You. I…Love…You.”
Jongup succeeds in getting them right. He brightens at his efforts before his mind thinks back on Daehyun.
But Daehyun-hyung doesn’t have class, Jongup thinks to himself. It’s Wednesday…
- - -
In the couple of weeks since the confession, unfortunately for Yongguk and his almost uncontrollable desire for his lover, he and Himchan have often been going back and forth between the campus’ music studios and Himchan’s studio, so Yongguk did not have the chance to be intimate with Himchan. They had to keep re-tuning any sound qualities that they feel their song is lacking. They have recently titled their song, “Never Give Up”, with Yongguk and Junhong rapping; Junhong has pulled off his rapping skills very well under the guidance of his older brother. Himchan has also played several instruments that could almost imitate a human singing voice for the chorus, as well as the drums that stood out in the instrumental break of the song.
Yongguk feels lucky that he and Himchan are working together, being in such a compatible relationship. They give their best efforts to this project and are able to have fun, laughing and joking around in the campus studios. However, when they are back at Himchan’s music studio at his home, it is a different story.
Yongguk has made frequent subtle advances to Himchan over the weeks since they became a couple. Surprisingly, Himchan does not complain; he only moves away with a small smile if he feels uncomfortable, which he has felt less and less frequently over time. Yongguk continues to respect Himchan’s distance, waiting patiently for him to come out of his comfort zone. He is not exactly forcing him to be intimately close, even if he wants Himchan to be so.
Eventually, Himchan starts warming up to Yongguk by himself, and he starts to become comfortable being intimate with his boyfriend. One day, he finds himself moving closer to Yongguk as they listen to one of their prototype songs, and Yongguk instantly wraps his arms around Himchan’s torso without thinking. He shivers slightly from the feeling of Yongguk’s broad chest against his back, and from the way his arms are comfortably resting upon Yongguk’s arms, as they sway in time with their music playing. It is as far as they get in physical intimacy.
However, it is on two days when things get a little hotter for the two in Himchan’s music studio-garage, with passionate kissing, hands roaming, and moaning voices under the sounds of drums playing through the speakers, as Himchan straddles Yongguk’s lap.
Lately, while the couple has been busy working on their project, Jongup has been either rehearsing in the mini dance studio for his upcoming dance audition or working on the history project with Sehun.
On the night before the first one of Jongup’s long days, he talks with Himchan over dinner.
“Hyung, tomorrow I’m gonna be staying a little longer on campus, is that okay?”
Himchan stops in the middle of raising his fork to his mouth, looking a little alarmed at his younger brother. “What, why?”
“Because I need to practice my choreography and work with Sehun on our history project in the library.”
“Oh…okay. You sure you don’t want to use our garage to practice instead?” Himchan brings his fork to his mouth and eats his food.
“No no, it’s fine. You and Yongguk-hyung should use it for your project; the ones on campus are not always open. You guys should have it.” Jongup smiles.
Himchan stares at his brother warily and gulps his food. “But…how late are you gonna be there?”
“Uhm…maybe until 6 or 7PM.”
“That long?!” Himchan’s eyes widen. “O-okay, well, I…I can definitely pick you up at that time. Yongguk and I don’t have to work so much on our pro-”
“Oh, it’s okay. Sehun’s having his hyung picking us up and he’ll dr-”
“No.” Himchan says with a hard voice, almost slamming his fork down. Jongup jumps from the sudden action, staring up at his brother nervously.
“It’s okay, hyung. I’ve met him once, Kibum-hyung’s really nice. He doesn’t go to our school, thou-”
“No, I don’t want anyone to drive you. You only met him once?? What if he’s not what he seems? And you’re already calling him hyung! Last time this happened, it was with Joonmyeon-ah, and I was okay with that because he goes to our school. But this is someone who doesn’t go to our school, and I don’t know who is this Kibum, anyway. I can’t trust anyone driving you home. Really, Jonguppie, I can just come and pick you up, it’s fine.”
“Hyung, you’re gonna be working on the project with Yongguk-hyung for some time, and I don’t want to be a burden to you.”
“You’re not being a burden, you’re my responsibility, Jonguppie.”
“I…” Jongup falters after hearing the seriousness in his brother’s voice. He can see the concern in Himchan’s eyes. “I’m really glad that you think so, but sometimes you need to realize, I’m also an adult. Hyung, I’m almost 19. Trust me on this.”
Himchan chews on his bottom lip, pondering. He does not realize how deep in his thoughts he is until Jongup places a hand on his. He snaps out of his daze to see Jongup looking up at him with a small smile.
“It’ll be okay, hyung. Trust me. Anyway, you will meet Kibum tomorrow night once he drops me off. Sehun’s riding with me, too. Would that make you feel better?”
- - -
The next evening, as Himchan and Yongguk sit around in the living room, Himchan glances at the clock located in the entertainment center under the television. They hear a car parking outside and doors opening and closing. It is only a few seconds later that they hear the sound of their front door opening when Jongup arrives home and announces that Kibum-hyung and Sehun are with him. The couple stands up, and when Himchan sees Kibum, he makes a sudden noise of recognition.
“KEY?!”
Kibum, though a little ruffled, recovers quickly and exclaims back. “Wha…Hey! Channie?!”
Yongguk has never felt more unnerved by the nickname.
“It’s been a long time!” Laughing, Himchan walks up to hug Kibum. Yongguk feels a wave of jealousy washing over his body, before he, Sehun and Jongup exchange looks of confusion. “I didn’t think I’d see you around after high school!”
“I know! We were in the same classroom every time! And I even told you I was gonna be studying abroad in England for some time after I graduated! Well that hasn’t happened yet, but it may happen sometime in the future!”
“I didn’t even think you would be the Kibum-hyung that is brothers with Jongin and Sehun! Ah, wait! That’s right, you did mention you had some brothers and one younger sister. That must’ve been years ago!” Himchan claps a hand to his forehead in awe.
Yongguk watches Kibum with a hard gaze, as Himchan and Kibum stand around, reminiscing the old days. Himchan then informs Kibum that he really appreciates what he is doing for Jongup.
“Ah, not a problem! And…who is this?” Kibum’s eyes glance over to Yongguk, who is standing behind Himchan. Himchan turns around and realizes with a jolt that he has forgotten his boyfriend. He gulps when he sees a spark of anger in Yongguk’s eyes, boring at him, demanding him to explain.
“Erm…heh, Kibum-goon.” Himchan chuckles weakly. “This is my boyfriend, Bang Yongguk. Yongguk-ah, thi-”
“I know. Kim Kibum.” Yongguk interrupts with a slight sting in his voice. Himchan scratches the back of his neck, feeling guilty and awkward.
“Whoa, boyfriend, Channie-yah? Boyfriend? Did something happen to you along the way? Because I clearly remember you claimed yourself to be straight back then; I was the gay one out of us two.”
“Yeah, Yongguk happened.” Himchan giggles.
“Oho,” Kibum says, pleased with this. He looks over to Yongguk, whose expression has remained unchanged. His eyebrow twitches in concern. “Excuse me, are you alright? You look a little jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.” Yongguk says quickly, his eyes darting over to Kibum. His lips suddenly curve into a forced smile.
“Uh-huh, and I’m not gay.” Kibum says with his head moving to one side and one arm akimbo, an obvious sassy behavior. Yongguk’s eyebrows knit with confusion. Himchan, Sehun and Jongup notice the slightly tense atmosphere in the living room.
“Yongguk-ah…Gukkie…please,” Himchan whispers behind his smile as he begs his boyfriend to be courteous, his head slightly nodding towards Kibum. Yongguk clears his throat, staring at Himchan, before he glances to Kibum and moves toward him to shake hands.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Well, nice to meet you, too, Mr. Incredibly-Jealous-Boyfriend-Who-Assumed-Himchan-and-I-Had-A-History-Together-But-He-Was-Oh-So-Wrong-Since-We-Were-Only-Just-Friends. You do remember Himchan was straight when I met him, right? Like, I just said that not too long ago. Silly, no need to get all worked up.” Kibum smirks upon seeing Yongguk huff his tension out.
Kibum turns to face Himchan, chuckling. “Goodness, Himchan, you got yourself a keeper. Jonghyunnie is almost like Yongguk, except” - Kibum glances at Yongguk - “there’s a height difference.”
- - -
After Kibum and Sehun left with Himchan inviting Kibum to come over anytime, and the Moon brothers and Yongguk have eaten dinner, Jongup retreats to his bedroom to work on some homework, while Yongguk and Himchan are working on their project in the garage. Himchan feels a little happier after his encounter with an old schoolmate; unfortunately, Yongguk notices the mood, and studies his boyfriend before he brings up the subject.
“Ahem…so…this Kibum…is apparently the Key you knew back in high school.”
Himchan looks up from his sheets, and meets Yongguk’s steely gaze.
“Mhm, he was a classmate of mine. When we first met, we hated each other; I hated his blunt honesty, he hated my arrogance. We had some fights here and there, and he had more sass than I did. So much more. But then we got along after he found out I was raising my brother alone. He was so curious as to why I kept leaving school right on time and coming to school a little early.
“We were pretty smart, among the several top students in our classes. He taught me English too, but needless to say, I have not been practicing my English for some time since graduation, so my skill’s not that great.” Himchan smiles at the memories. “He was a cool guy, seriously. It’s funny though, I only saw him in school, and I’ve never been to his place or anything, because I had work and all, even though he and I had a good connection, you know?” He looks back to his music sheets.
“Ah…I see.” Yongguk grates his teeth behind closed lips.
Himchan notices how terse Yongguk has been. He looks up again and sees his boyfriend facing him with a frown, his eyes out of focus. He smiles to himself, feeling a little giddy at how his boyfriend gets so easily jealous over nothing. He dares himself to make a move on Yongguk, slowly getting up from his chair and walking up to him.
Yongguk continues to stare out in space, his mind not registering the fact that Himchan has relocated himself to Yongguk’s lap, getting comfortable. It is only when Himchan places his arms around Yongguk’s shoulders that Yongguk snaps out of his thoughts, and looks up to see Himchan smiling down at him.
“Hey babe,” Himchan chuckles at his experiment of calling Yongguk a nickname. “Welcome back. Are you done being jealous for tonight?” He moves his hands to tangle in Yongguk’s hair, lazily scratching his head.
Yongguk chuckles at the sensation, and places one hand on Himchan’s hip and the other on the back of Himchan’s head. He pulls Himchan closer towards him to share an intimate brief kiss.
A soft, tentative brushing of the lips leads to twinkling eyes and a much more passionate clashing of mouths with light groans. When they are about to pull away, Himchan catches Yongguk’s bottom lip with his teeth and tugs on it gently, eliciting a breathy laugh from Yongguk. In reply, Yongguk brushes his nose against his boyfriend’s.
“This certainly made me feel a lot better now.”
- - -
Himchan continues to shy away from Yongguk’s advances whether in the studio, because he values it as a sacred space, or in his bedroom, because he thinks he is not ready for sex. Even though he had Hyosung as his girlfriend back then, they never had sex; Himchan was too busy for such needs, and he never went further than just kissing and holding hands with Hyosung. Therefore, he considers himself to be lacking in sex appeal. Yongguk is patient however, as he tells his curious Himchan about the good things and the risks.
“But…you won’t be like that, nor do that, to me…will you?” Himchan laces his hands with Yongguk’s subconsciously on a Wednesday afternoon in his studio. They are once again in an embrace, this time on the floor, with Himchan sitting between Yongguk’s legs, his back resting on Yongguk’s chest.
Yongguk murmurs into Himchan’s ear, “No, not unless you ask for it. I want you to be comfortable with where we’re going, I’m not forcing you to like it or do it now.” He raises one of their intertwined hands to kiss the back of Himchan’s hand, before he lowers it down and rests his chin on Himchan’s left shoulder, whispering, “I feel like I don’t just like you, but that I really do love you, Himchan-ah. I want you to have the best things in life anyway. You deserve it.” He places a kiss behind Himchan’s ear, a little above where the jaw connects with the ear. He chuckles when he feels Himchan shiver from the contact, before he nips gently at Himchan’s ear.
“Y-yah…stop,” Himchan shudders as Yongguk chuckles in his sensitive ear. “Yah, my ear is sensitive, sto-mmngh, Yong-g-guk.” Yongguk continues to nip at his boyfriend’s ear as he releases their hands and his hands start roaming upwards under Himchan’s shirt, on Himchan’s sides and chest. The two of them fail to hear a soft knock on the door.
“Yessss…please, Yongguk.”
Himchan gives a shuddering breathy moan, his back pushing back on Yongguk’s chest in desire. His body twitches a few times, as he arches his back away from Yongguk’s chest, to feel more of the hands wandering across his torso. His hands are gripping tightly on Yongguk’s thighs. Yongguk kisses Himchan’s neck as he wraps his arms around his boyfriend’s waist.
KNOCK KNOCK…
“ANGGGH! WE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!” Himchan exclaims as he quickly gets out of Yongguk’s hold, standing up in a hurry while looking at the front door, panting with his eyes wide. He almost stumbles from the dizziness due to both his rapid position change and from the pleasurable sensations he felt from his intimate moment with Yongguk. He feels his face becoming warm.
“Hyung, I saw you and Yongguk-hyung get all touchy-feely, there’s no need to shout your denial,” Jongup says with a small smile, as he enters inside with a tray of food, and walks toward Himchan and Yongguk. “I knocked twice, but the first time you guys didn’t hear it. So I waited a few seconds after I accidentally peeked in and saw you two…doing that. But I had this tray of snacks so I couldn’t wait any longer.” Himchan facepalms himself as Yongguk gets up, chuckling.
“Have some, ok hyungs?” Yongguk and Himchan have wide grins plastered on their faces as they nod and thank Jongup, touched by his concern.
Jongup lays a tray of crackers, cheese, fruit and vegetables on the desk before giving Himchan a hug on the right side. “Are you guys okay, though? You don’t need a break, hyung?”
“Wha…” Raising his arm to wrap on Jongup’s shoulders, Himchan looks at Jongup before looking at Yongguk. “Y-yeah, we’re fine, Jonguppie.” He rakes his brother’s head with the same hand.
“Besides, we aren’t the ones doing a lot of physical work, you are, so we should be asking that question from you.” Jongup and Himchan start to sway a little on their spots, still in an embrace.
“Well…it’s just that I haven’t really seen you around.” Jongup explains. “The only times when I do see you, and Yongguk-hyung, in the house is around dinnertime. ”
“Oh…really?” Himchan shoots the question to both Jongup and Yongguk, who nod and shrug respectively. “Well, if you feel lonely, you can always come in here anyway and listen to us talk about music and technical stuff. Doesn’t that sound boring to you though?”
“Nope, hyung,” Jongup answers cheerily.
Himchan ruffles Jongup’s hair before giving him a smile. “Yah, how did you…get here by the way? You’re very early…it’s like 4PM or something.”
“I walked.”
“YOU WALKED?!” Himchan’s smile drops as he gawks at his brother.
“With Sehun.”
“He’s here? Why??” Himchan glances at the door before looking back at Jongup.
“Cause we’re gonna be working on our history project. Kibum-hyung will pick him up when we’re done.”
“Oh…okay, that’s fine. But in that case, where’s Jongin?”
“Working on his geography project at the library with Kyungsoo-hyung and…Daehyun-hyung…” Jongup trails off, looking a bit uncomfortable. He snuggles a little closer, placing his cheek on Himchan’s right shoulder.
Himchan notices this and is about to ask his brother, when Yongguk interrupts.
“And Youngjae?”
“He’s with JB-hyung, studying too,” Jongup turns to look at Yongguk.
“Oh, alright then.”
“Yeah…well, I’ll leave you guys alone to your project, I don’t want to keep my guest waiting. Work hard, hyungs! But don’t forget to eat!” Jongup removes himself from Himchan’s arms and he feels Himchan staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face.
Jongup peers curiously at his hyung. “What is it, hyung?”
“Jonguppie-yah, did something happen between you and Daehyun? Something bad?”
Jongup’s face blushes and he lowers his head, speechless. Yongguk raises an eyebrow, glancing between the two brothers.
“I…don’t know. He hasn’t been talking to me these past few weeks…even if we saw each other at lunch. When we do talk at lunch, it’s just a few signs and then he’s talking with Kyungsoo-hyung. Last week Wednesday, during my dance practice, Daehyun-hyung surprised me with a visit, and wanted to see how I was doing. He asked me if I could show him some dance routines, and so I did, including my choreography for the audition. Right in the middle of my audition choreography, I did a small dance move for him to see but he left without saying much. He even lied to me saying that he had class that day, when I realized afterwards that he didn’t have afternoon classes on Wednesdays. It seems he has been mad at me since then or something.” Jongup frowns.
“Hm…that is weird,” Yongguk comments. Himchan nods before Yongguk continues, “Do you want me to talk to him?”
“Ah no, hyung, it’s okay. Maybe it’s temporary?” Jongup asks tentatively.
“Well, knowing Daehyun, he’ll come around soon. It’s not like him to stay mad or give people the cold shoulder or silent treatments for no longer than two weeks. He might have a reason for it, and that reason could be outside of school or something.”
“Okay, hyung, thanks though…anyway, I should get going though, Sehun’s waiting. See you later, hyungs!” Jongup smiles before he feels Himchan patting his bottom as he turns around to leave.
“We will. You too, Jongup-ah, and thank you for the snacks.” Yongguk claps Jongup’s back gently as he watches Jongup pass by, earning a nod from the young man. Himchan and Yongguk watch Jongup leave the garage with small smiles on their faces.
As soon as Jongup exits the garage and is out of earshot, Yongguk comments to Himchan, “Jonguppie’s a cute kid, very thoughtful. You raised him well.”
Himchan blushes, busying himself with one of the apple wedges, a really big apple wedge. He notices how some fruits are cut up irregularly, due to Jongup’s lacking skills in cutting up neatly. “Thanks,” he says softly before he pops the wedge in his mouth.
Author: tikibuddy91
Characters: EXO (Sehun, and mention of Jongin), BAP (minus Junhong, mention of Youngjae), and surprise guest
Word Count: ~5020
Genre: AU, Humor, Drama
Rating: PG-13 (There are a couple of heated moments...but nothing too explicit.)
Summary: College students; Blind, Deaf and Mute. Their lives deal with the ups and downs, like a roller coaster. They find relationships, and companionships. Life does not always have a happy ending, but they can try to get their own.
Author Note: What will Jongup do with the signs he learned in the previous part? Who's this surprise guest? ;)
(OTL, I should make a masterlist...but I've only written two fics... LOL)
Sign Language Guide
Families
Chapter 20 Part 1 | Chapter 20 Part 2 | Chapter 20 Part 3 | Chapter 21 Part 1 |
The next day brings a surprise to Jongup, when he finds himself practicing in front of a mirrored wall, in one of the available small dance rooms on campus.
He loses himself in dancing freestyle to one of his favorite songs, Turn Up the Music by Chris Brown, and does not hear the knock on the unlocked door nor does he register the reflection of a door moving in the mirror, allowing a certain visitor to come in quiet and unannounced like a cat.
Jongup does a double take when a movement in the mirror catches his eye, and his breath hitches in his throat as he stops mid-dancing. He turns around to face the last person he would think to see in the dancing room.
“H-hyung…h-hi.”
Standing in front of the door, clothed in a hoodie, jeans and a plaid brown and blue shirt, is Daehyun. The eye smile on his face shows off a sense of genuine pride in his dongsaeng’s natural talent.
[Surprise! Hi, J-U-ah, o-o-o-h-h music real neat, good beat-beat “boom”-“boom”-“boom”-“boom”. Feel inside body and floor! I like! Why stop? Continue dance, continue. Pretend me not here, me watch only.] Daehyun signs with expressions of glee and interest. (Surprise!! Hey Jongup-ah! Ooh, the music’s really neat; it has good beats. Boom, boom, boom, boom. I can feel it in my body and on the floor! I like this! But why’d you stop dancing? Go on, continue!! Pretend I’m not here, I’ll only be watching you.) He finds a chair nearby the door and takes his seat.
It has been a few weeks since Jongup first learned the alphabet and now, he has been improving on his signing and translation skills without the need of an interpreter. And so Jongup understands what Daehyun is saying, though Daehyun signs to him in a slightly slower pace than how he usually signs with Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Yongguk and Youngjae.
Jongup smiles and nods as he turns around to face the mirrored wall, getting ready to find his entrance into the song. In a matter of few seconds that Jongup is about to dance, he realizes that the song is almost ending. He stops in his movement as he hears the fading beats, signaling that the song is over. Smiling, he facepalms, before he turns around to make his way to the speakers.
On his way, he glances at Daehyun, who is looking at him with a bemused expression. He signs to Daehyun that the music has ended, so he will just replay the song. He presses the “previous track” button, and the song comes back alive through the speakers.
The music starts again with the smooth electronic and hip-hop beats bouncing off the walls. Jongup positions himself in front of the mirror, and prepares his body to move with the music.
Daehyun watches in anticipation as Jongup takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. Before Daehyun knows it, Jongup has opened them and his body starts moving automatically with the music, showing off a soft yet powerful choreography. As Daehyun watches Jongup dancing, he is amazed and almost overwhelmed with the contrast of ferocity and sleekness of Jongup’s dancing.
Jongup continues to perform with slick moves and smooth footwork for the next two minutes. When the chorus comes on for the third time, he starts gyrating his hips and looks at Daehyun, who is quite impressed with his moves. When he gets to the slow hip-hop beats, he starts to do chest pops and limb waves while gliding across the dance floor. He glances back at Daehyun for a few seconds, smirking before he turns his focus back to the mirror.
Daehyun is now in complete awe of how well his younger friend dances, his mouth slightly open with an upward curve on the corner of his mouth. When it is all over, Jongup ends with a smooth turn and a nice pose, facing Daehyun.
“Whooa~”, is all that Daehyun says when he claps. [Me “eyes-wow”. Natural skill have. All pop-chest, limb waves, and footwork look hard try!] (I am really amazed. You have such a natural skill in dancing. All those chest pops, limb waves, and footwork look hard to pull off!)
Jongup signs back [Thank-you] with a bright smile. Daehyun continues to praise his friend and then he asks Jongup, [J-U, can show-me another? What about dance audition your? Can see? Secret?] (Jongup-ah, can you show me another dance? Maybe your audition piece? May I see it, or is it a secret?)
[No-no, can. Title, Wall-Wall from C-h-r-i-s B-r-o-w-n. Spread-out years ago. Wait, please.] (No, you can see it! It’s “Wall to Wall” by Chris Brown. It came out a few years ago. Please wait.) Jongup signs to Daehyun as he walks over to the music speakers to change the music; Daehyun nods in understanding. Jongup then takes off his shirt, revealing a slightly sweaty A-shirt with toned muscles underneath.
Daehyun’s eyes widen slightly at the build of his younger friend. He holds his breath when he sees the shirt riding up on his hips, and he moans softly at the sight of the exposed V lines on Jongup’s waist. He notices how the air around him seems to be getting warm. Is it just me, or is it getting warmer in here? He starts to take off his jacket and places it on his lap.
Daehyun watches with a fast-beating heart as Jongup turns on the fan that is suspended on one corner of the room. He gulps as he stares a little too long at Jongup’s arms and the way his shirt clings to his defined abs. He squirms in his seat when he feels a stirring in his pants. He tries to look around, anywhere but Jongup’s body, but his eyes keep drawing back to it. His mind starts to get filled with images of his hands roaming on Jongup’s sweaty torso, and with Jongup’s smirks. He is thankful his jacket is on his lap, because his pants are now starting to feel a little tight.
Jongup turns to ask Daehyun. [“not-mind” I be this? Little hot s-o on fan]. (You don’t mind if I’m like this? It’s a little hot in here so I just had to turn on the fan.)
Daehyun gulps. Putting on a smile, he shakes his head. [Your place, not mine]. (It’s your place, not mine.) Jongup chuckles.
When the smooth hip-hop beats resound in the music room and Daehyun can feel the bass, he nods his head to the music and watches Jongup expectantly. Jongup smiles at the sight of his friend swaying and they make eye contact before Jongup looks away to the mirror for preparation.
~Pull up, pull up, can’t believe the girls, club packed~
When Chris Brown starts to sing through the speakers, Jongup puts on a powerful choreography, more intense and sharper than the previous one. He does not see the look of awe on Daehyun’s face as he continues to spin a few times on the spot.
~They packed up in here wall to wall and I don’t hear nothing but ladies calling~
Jongup is so focused in his choreography that he has not really made any time to glance at his hyung, showing off some b-boy moves and slick mid-jump moves.
~So many look good in here, I don’t even know which one I want~
When the song reaches a slow part, Jongup starts to dance sexily and for one second, he hesitates to do something he has not done in the choreography, but he is willing to be bold and try it out.
~All I know is that I’m feeling this party, and you can see I’m so with it~
And so, reaching Chris Brown’s line, “I’m so with it”, Jongup does a few chest rolls as he drags his shirt upwards to reveal his abs. He smirks at the mirror, relishing in the cool air on his skin. He glances at Daehyun in the mirror, and his smirk falters at what he sees.
Daehyun is staring not at Jongup in the mirror, but directly at him with an unreadable expression, and it causes Jongup to slow down in his choreography, his shirt still hooked up. Jongup turns his focus to Daehyun behind him, and he starts to feel a little nervous, as the music continues to go on.
~And I’m tryna give one of them all this, but they keep coming from wall to wall~
Releasing his shirt, it drops down to its original place as Jongup turns his body to face Daehyun. He asks, [Hyung…you o-k?] (Hyung…are you okay?)
Daehyun continues to watch Jongup, slowly looking uncomfortable. Shaking himself out of his reverie, Daehyun immediately stands up, not looking at Jongup. With his jacket hanging on his arm a little lower than his chest, he signs to him with one hand as he hurries to the exit, his eyes not meeting Jongup’s eyes. [Have class soon. Good-luck practice. See-later.] (I have class soon. Good luck with your rehearsal. See you later.) With that, he shows a tight-lipped smile before he slips out through the door.
“O…okay.” [Oh-I-see, o-k] Jongup says weakly, his legs too delayed to react on Daehyun’s sudden exit. The loud click on the door resounds in the room, heard briefly over the lines of “Yeah, smash on the radio, but I penned it.”
The loud click makes Jongup feel a little ashamed of performing that bold move, which apparently made Daehyun feel uncomfortable. Even though that move was for Daehyun alone to watch, he still regrets his decision to do it. He turns to the mirror, as the last of the four repetitive lines is sung, and it fades into instrumental break.
Jongup looks at his speakers and goes over to turn them off. He thinks back to yesterday when Kyungsoo showed him the signs. Jongup brings his hands up again and tries to remember how to do it.
“I…Like…You. I…Love…You.”
Jongup succeeds in getting them right. He brightens at his efforts before his mind thinks back on Daehyun.
But Daehyun-hyung doesn’t have class, Jongup thinks to himself. It’s Wednesday…
- - -
In the couple of weeks since the confession, unfortunately for Yongguk and his almost uncontrollable desire for his lover, he and Himchan have often been going back and forth between the campus’ music studios and Himchan’s studio, so Yongguk did not have the chance to be intimate with Himchan. They had to keep re-tuning any sound qualities that they feel their song is lacking. They have recently titled their song, “Never Give Up”, with Yongguk and Junhong rapping; Junhong has pulled off his rapping skills very well under the guidance of his older brother. Himchan has also played several instruments that could almost imitate a human singing voice for the chorus, as well as the drums that stood out in the instrumental break of the song.
Yongguk feels lucky that he and Himchan are working together, being in such a compatible relationship. They give their best efforts to this project and are able to have fun, laughing and joking around in the campus studios. However, when they are back at Himchan’s music studio at his home, it is a different story.
Yongguk has made frequent subtle advances to Himchan over the weeks since they became a couple. Surprisingly, Himchan does not complain; he only moves away with a small smile if he feels uncomfortable, which he has felt less and less frequently over time. Yongguk continues to respect Himchan’s distance, waiting patiently for him to come out of his comfort zone. He is not exactly forcing him to be intimately close, even if he wants Himchan to be so.
Eventually, Himchan starts warming up to Yongguk by himself, and he starts to become comfortable being intimate with his boyfriend. One day, he finds himself moving closer to Yongguk as they listen to one of their prototype songs, and Yongguk instantly wraps his arms around Himchan’s torso without thinking. He shivers slightly from the feeling of Yongguk’s broad chest against his back, and from the way his arms are comfortably resting upon Yongguk’s arms, as they sway in time with their music playing. It is as far as they get in physical intimacy.
However, it is on two days when things get a little hotter for the two in Himchan’s music studio-garage, with passionate kissing, hands roaming, and moaning voices under the sounds of drums playing through the speakers, as Himchan straddles Yongguk’s lap.
Lately, while the couple has been busy working on their project, Jongup has been either rehearsing in the mini dance studio for his upcoming dance audition or working on the history project with Sehun.
On the night before the first one of Jongup’s long days, he talks with Himchan over dinner.
“Hyung, tomorrow I’m gonna be staying a little longer on campus, is that okay?”
Himchan stops in the middle of raising his fork to his mouth, looking a little alarmed at his younger brother. “What, why?”
“Because I need to practice my choreography and work with Sehun on our history project in the library.”
“Oh…okay. You sure you don’t want to use our garage to practice instead?” Himchan brings his fork to his mouth and eats his food.
“No no, it’s fine. You and Yongguk-hyung should use it for your project; the ones on campus are not always open. You guys should have it.” Jongup smiles.
Himchan stares at his brother warily and gulps his food. “But…how late are you gonna be there?”
“Uhm…maybe until 6 or 7PM.”
“That long?!” Himchan’s eyes widen. “O-okay, well, I…I can definitely pick you up at that time. Yongguk and I don’t have to work so much on our pro-”
“Oh, it’s okay. Sehun’s having his hyung picking us up and he’ll dr-”
“No.” Himchan says with a hard voice, almost slamming his fork down. Jongup jumps from the sudden action, staring up at his brother nervously.
“It’s okay, hyung. I’ve met him once, Kibum-hyung’s really nice. He doesn’t go to our school, thou-”
“No, I don’t want anyone to drive you. You only met him once?? What if he’s not what he seems? And you’re already calling him hyung! Last time this happened, it was with Joonmyeon-ah, and I was okay with that because he goes to our school. But this is someone who doesn’t go to our school, and I don’t know who is this Kibum, anyway. I can’t trust anyone driving you home. Really, Jonguppie, I can just come and pick you up, it’s fine.”
“Hyung, you’re gonna be working on the project with Yongguk-hyung for some time, and I don’t want to be a burden to you.”
“You’re not being a burden, you’re my responsibility, Jonguppie.”
“I…” Jongup falters after hearing the seriousness in his brother’s voice. He can see the concern in Himchan’s eyes. “I’m really glad that you think so, but sometimes you need to realize, I’m also an adult. Hyung, I’m almost 19. Trust me on this.”
Himchan chews on his bottom lip, pondering. He does not realize how deep in his thoughts he is until Jongup places a hand on his. He snaps out of his daze to see Jongup looking up at him with a small smile.
“It’ll be okay, hyung. Trust me. Anyway, you will meet Kibum tomorrow night once he drops me off. Sehun’s riding with me, too. Would that make you feel better?”
- - -
The next evening, as Himchan and Yongguk sit around in the living room, Himchan glances at the clock located in the entertainment center under the television. They hear a car parking outside and doors opening and closing. It is only a few seconds later that they hear the sound of their front door opening when Jongup arrives home and announces that Kibum-hyung and Sehun are with him. The couple stands up, and when Himchan sees Kibum, he makes a sudden noise of recognition.
“KEY?!”
Kibum, though a little ruffled, recovers quickly and exclaims back. “Wha…Hey! Channie?!”
Yongguk has never felt more unnerved by the nickname.
“It’s been a long time!” Laughing, Himchan walks up to hug Kibum. Yongguk feels a wave of jealousy washing over his body, before he, Sehun and Jongup exchange looks of confusion. “I didn’t think I’d see you around after high school!”
“I know! We were in the same classroom every time! And I even told you I was gonna be studying abroad in England for some time after I graduated! Well that hasn’t happened yet, but it may happen sometime in the future!”
“I didn’t even think you would be the Kibum-hyung that is brothers with Jongin and Sehun! Ah, wait! That’s right, you did mention you had some brothers and one younger sister. That must’ve been years ago!” Himchan claps a hand to his forehead in awe.
Yongguk watches Kibum with a hard gaze, as Himchan and Kibum stand around, reminiscing the old days. Himchan then informs Kibum that he really appreciates what he is doing for Jongup.
“Ah, not a problem! And…who is this?” Kibum’s eyes glance over to Yongguk, who is standing behind Himchan. Himchan turns around and realizes with a jolt that he has forgotten his boyfriend. He gulps when he sees a spark of anger in Yongguk’s eyes, boring at him, demanding him to explain.
“Erm…heh, Kibum-goon.” Himchan chuckles weakly. “This is my boyfriend, Bang Yongguk. Yongguk-ah, thi-”
“I know. Kim Kibum.” Yongguk interrupts with a slight sting in his voice. Himchan scratches the back of his neck, feeling guilty and awkward.
“Whoa, boyfriend, Channie-yah? Boyfriend? Did something happen to you along the way? Because I clearly remember you claimed yourself to be straight back then; I was the gay one out of us two.”
“Yeah, Yongguk happened.” Himchan giggles.
“Oho,” Kibum says, pleased with this. He looks over to Yongguk, whose expression has remained unchanged. His eyebrow twitches in concern. “Excuse me, are you alright? You look a little jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.” Yongguk says quickly, his eyes darting over to Kibum. His lips suddenly curve into a forced smile.
“Uh-huh, and I’m not gay.” Kibum says with his head moving to one side and one arm akimbo, an obvious sassy behavior. Yongguk’s eyebrows knit with confusion. Himchan, Sehun and Jongup notice the slightly tense atmosphere in the living room.
“Yongguk-ah…Gukkie…please,” Himchan whispers behind his smile as he begs his boyfriend to be courteous, his head slightly nodding towards Kibum. Yongguk clears his throat, staring at Himchan, before he glances to Kibum and moves toward him to shake hands.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Well, nice to meet you, too, Mr. Incredibly-Jealous-Boyfriend-Who-Assumed-Himchan-and-I-Had-A-History-Together-But-He-Was-Oh-So-Wrong-Since-We-Were-Only-Just-Friends. You do remember Himchan was straight when I met him, right? Like, I just said that not too long ago. Silly, no need to get all worked up.” Kibum smirks upon seeing Yongguk huff his tension out.
Kibum turns to face Himchan, chuckling. “Goodness, Himchan, you got yourself a keeper. Jonghyunnie is almost like Yongguk, except” - Kibum glances at Yongguk - “there’s a height difference.”
- - -
After Kibum and Sehun left with Himchan inviting Kibum to come over anytime, and the Moon brothers and Yongguk have eaten dinner, Jongup retreats to his bedroom to work on some homework, while Yongguk and Himchan are working on their project in the garage. Himchan feels a little happier after his encounter with an old schoolmate; unfortunately, Yongguk notices the mood, and studies his boyfriend before he brings up the subject.
“Ahem…so…this Kibum…is apparently the Key you knew back in high school.”
Himchan looks up from his sheets, and meets Yongguk’s steely gaze.
“Mhm, he was a classmate of mine. When we first met, we hated each other; I hated his blunt honesty, he hated my arrogance. We had some fights here and there, and he had more sass than I did. So much more. But then we got along after he found out I was raising my brother alone. He was so curious as to why I kept leaving school right on time and coming to school a little early.
“We were pretty smart, among the several top students in our classes. He taught me English too, but needless to say, I have not been practicing my English for some time since graduation, so my skill’s not that great.” Himchan smiles at the memories. “He was a cool guy, seriously. It’s funny though, I only saw him in school, and I’ve never been to his place or anything, because I had work and all, even though he and I had a good connection, you know?” He looks back to his music sheets.
“Ah…I see.” Yongguk grates his teeth behind closed lips.
Himchan notices how terse Yongguk has been. He looks up again and sees his boyfriend facing him with a frown, his eyes out of focus. He smiles to himself, feeling a little giddy at how his boyfriend gets so easily jealous over nothing. He dares himself to make a move on Yongguk, slowly getting up from his chair and walking up to him.
Yongguk continues to stare out in space, his mind not registering the fact that Himchan has relocated himself to Yongguk’s lap, getting comfortable. It is only when Himchan places his arms around Yongguk’s shoulders that Yongguk snaps out of his thoughts, and looks up to see Himchan smiling down at him.
“Hey babe,” Himchan chuckles at his experiment of calling Yongguk a nickname. “Welcome back. Are you done being jealous for tonight?” He moves his hands to tangle in Yongguk’s hair, lazily scratching his head.
Yongguk chuckles at the sensation, and places one hand on Himchan’s hip and the other on the back of Himchan’s head. He pulls Himchan closer towards him to share an intimate brief kiss.
A soft, tentative brushing of the lips leads to twinkling eyes and a much more passionate clashing of mouths with light groans. When they are about to pull away, Himchan catches Yongguk’s bottom lip with his teeth and tugs on it gently, eliciting a breathy laugh from Yongguk. In reply, Yongguk brushes his nose against his boyfriend’s.
“This certainly made me feel a lot better now.”
- - -
Himchan continues to shy away from Yongguk’s advances whether in the studio, because he values it as a sacred space, or in his bedroom, because he thinks he is not ready for sex. Even though he had Hyosung as his girlfriend back then, they never had sex; Himchan was too busy for such needs, and he never went further than just kissing and holding hands with Hyosung. Therefore, he considers himself to be lacking in sex appeal. Yongguk is patient however, as he tells his curious Himchan about the good things and the risks.
“But…you won’t be like that, nor do that, to me…will you?” Himchan laces his hands with Yongguk’s subconsciously on a Wednesday afternoon in his studio. They are once again in an embrace, this time on the floor, with Himchan sitting between Yongguk’s legs, his back resting on Yongguk’s chest.
Yongguk murmurs into Himchan’s ear, “No, not unless you ask for it. I want you to be comfortable with where we’re going, I’m not forcing you to like it or do it now.” He raises one of their intertwined hands to kiss the back of Himchan’s hand, before he lowers it down and rests his chin on Himchan’s left shoulder, whispering, “I feel like I don’t just like you, but that I really do love you, Himchan-ah. I want you to have the best things in life anyway. You deserve it.” He places a kiss behind Himchan’s ear, a little above where the jaw connects with the ear. He chuckles when he feels Himchan shiver from the contact, before he nips gently at Himchan’s ear.
“Y-yah…stop,” Himchan shudders as Yongguk chuckles in his sensitive ear. “Yah, my ear is sensitive, sto-mmngh, Yong-g-guk.” Yongguk continues to nip at his boyfriend’s ear as he releases their hands and his hands start roaming upwards under Himchan’s shirt, on Himchan’s sides and chest. The two of them fail to hear a soft knock on the door.
“Yessss…please, Yongguk.”
Himchan gives a shuddering breathy moan, his back pushing back on Yongguk’s chest in desire. His body twitches a few times, as he arches his back away from Yongguk’s chest, to feel more of the hands wandering across his torso. His hands are gripping tightly on Yongguk’s thighs. Yongguk kisses Himchan’s neck as he wraps his arms around his boyfriend’s waist.
KNOCK KNOCK…
“ANGGGH! WE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!” Himchan exclaims as he quickly gets out of Yongguk’s hold, standing up in a hurry while looking at the front door, panting with his eyes wide. He almost stumbles from the dizziness due to both his rapid position change and from the pleasurable sensations he felt from his intimate moment with Yongguk. He feels his face becoming warm.
“Hyung, I saw you and Yongguk-hyung get all touchy-feely, there’s no need to shout your denial,” Jongup says with a small smile, as he enters inside with a tray of food, and walks toward Himchan and Yongguk. “I knocked twice, but the first time you guys didn’t hear it. So I waited a few seconds after I accidentally peeked in and saw you two…doing that. But I had this tray of snacks so I couldn’t wait any longer.” Himchan facepalms himself as Yongguk gets up, chuckling.
“Have some, ok hyungs?” Yongguk and Himchan have wide grins plastered on their faces as they nod and thank Jongup, touched by his concern.
Jongup lays a tray of crackers, cheese, fruit and vegetables on the desk before giving Himchan a hug on the right side. “Are you guys okay, though? You don’t need a break, hyung?”
“Wha…” Raising his arm to wrap on Jongup’s shoulders, Himchan looks at Jongup before looking at Yongguk. “Y-yeah, we’re fine, Jonguppie.” He rakes his brother’s head with the same hand.
“Besides, we aren’t the ones doing a lot of physical work, you are, so we should be asking that question from you.” Jongup and Himchan start to sway a little on their spots, still in an embrace.
“Well…it’s just that I haven’t really seen you around.” Jongup explains. “The only times when I do see you, and Yongguk-hyung, in the house is around dinnertime. ”
“Oh…really?” Himchan shoots the question to both Jongup and Yongguk, who nod and shrug respectively. “Well, if you feel lonely, you can always come in here anyway and listen to us talk about music and technical stuff. Doesn’t that sound boring to you though?”
“Nope, hyung,” Jongup answers cheerily.
Himchan ruffles Jongup’s hair before giving him a smile. “Yah, how did you…get here by the way? You’re very early…it’s like 4PM or something.”
“I walked.”
“YOU WALKED?!” Himchan’s smile drops as he gawks at his brother.
“With Sehun.”
“He’s here? Why??” Himchan glances at the door before looking back at Jongup.
“Cause we’re gonna be working on our history project. Kibum-hyung will pick him up when we’re done.”
“Oh…okay, that’s fine. But in that case, where’s Jongin?”
“Working on his geography project at the library with Kyungsoo-hyung and…Daehyun-hyung…” Jongup trails off, looking a bit uncomfortable. He snuggles a little closer, placing his cheek on Himchan’s right shoulder.
Himchan notices this and is about to ask his brother, when Yongguk interrupts.
“And Youngjae?”
“He’s with JB-hyung, studying too,” Jongup turns to look at Yongguk.
“Oh, alright then.”
“Yeah…well, I’ll leave you guys alone to your project, I don’t want to keep my guest waiting. Work hard, hyungs! But don’t forget to eat!” Jongup removes himself from Himchan’s arms and he feels Himchan staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face.
Jongup peers curiously at his hyung. “What is it, hyung?”
“Jonguppie-yah, did something happen between you and Daehyun? Something bad?”
Jongup’s face blushes and he lowers his head, speechless. Yongguk raises an eyebrow, glancing between the two brothers.
“I…don’t know. He hasn’t been talking to me these past few weeks…even if we saw each other at lunch. When we do talk at lunch, it’s just a few signs and then he’s talking with Kyungsoo-hyung. Last week Wednesday, during my dance practice, Daehyun-hyung surprised me with a visit, and wanted to see how I was doing. He asked me if I could show him some dance routines, and so I did, including my choreography for the audition. Right in the middle of my audition choreography, I did a small dance move for him to see but he left without saying much. He even lied to me saying that he had class that day, when I realized afterwards that he didn’t have afternoon classes on Wednesdays. It seems he has been mad at me since then or something.” Jongup frowns.
“Hm…that is weird,” Yongguk comments. Himchan nods before Yongguk continues, “Do you want me to talk to him?”
“Ah no, hyung, it’s okay. Maybe it’s temporary?” Jongup asks tentatively.
“Well, knowing Daehyun, he’ll come around soon. It’s not like him to stay mad or give people the cold shoulder or silent treatments for no longer than two weeks. He might have a reason for it, and that reason could be outside of school or something.”
“Okay, hyung, thanks though…anyway, I should get going though, Sehun’s waiting. See you later, hyungs!” Jongup smiles before he feels Himchan patting his bottom as he turns around to leave.
“We will. You too, Jongup-ah, and thank you for the snacks.” Yongguk claps Jongup’s back gently as he watches Jongup pass by, earning a nod from the young man. Himchan and Yongguk watch Jongup leave the garage with small smiles on their faces.
As soon as Jongup exits the garage and is out of earshot, Yongguk comments to Himchan, “Jonguppie’s a cute kid, very thoughtful. You raised him well.”
Himchan blushes, busying himself with one of the apple wedges, a really big apple wedge. He notices how some fruits are cut up irregularly, due to Jongup’s lacking skills in cutting up neatly. “Thanks,” he says softly before he pops the wedge in his mouth.