(for bookishvice) Groundless [1/2]
For: bookishvice
Title: Groundless
Pairing: Jongin/D.O
Word Count: ~16,000 words
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Mama Powers!AU. But then Jongin has always looked at Kyungsoo like there’s nothing else in the world he could possibly turn his eyes to.
Author's Note: Thank you to T for all your help! ♥ I wanted to stay consistent with the tenses so basically anything between the arrows is a memory/flashback from the past. (also, hope you don't mind that it's NYE and not New Year's ;u;. Loved all your prompts! I really hope you like this! T0T
“What time is your mum expecting us tonight?” Kyungsoo asks, soaping up the dirty plate in his hands before dousing it under the tap water. They’d just spent the afternoon making a batch of cookies together from scratch, both with their sleeves rolled up to their elbows as they kneaded and rolled out the dough.
Jongin glances up at the kitchen clock before answering. “In a couple of hours.”
Kyungsoo nods, soaping up another bowl. “Your mum’s fine with us getting there through my tunnels, right? I’m not sure I’ll be able to stomach dinner if you warp us there.”
Jongin’s hand freezes where he’s scrubbing a plate dry, just for the merest fraction of a second, but Kyungsoo catches it.
“Jongin?” Kyungsoo’s hand stops wiping the bowl in his hand, letting the water run as he turns to look at him. Jongin lifts his eyes and cringes at Kyungsoo’s sharp intake of breath, eyes dawning with comprehension.
“You haven’t told them, have you,” he whispers, letting the bowl drop into the sink with a loud clatter as he gapes at Jongin. “About my earth moving? About…us?”
Jongin tries to say something, anything, but his voice fails him, simply staring helplessly as Kyungsoo runs a hand through his hair roughly.
“About me?” Jongin hears him whisper, the slightest quaver in his voice; “Jongin…does your family even know I exist at all?”
“I was just trying to find the right- ”
“The right time?” Kyungsoo cuts in, “We’ve been together for two years!”
“I know, I’m…I was just sc-”
“Are you that ashamed of me?” Kyungsoo cuts him off again, his voice hoarse as he grips the rim of the sink so tightly, his knuckles go white.
“No!” Jongin cries immediately, “That’s not it at all, Soo, please-”
“We’re…I asked you to marry me,” Kyungsoo’s voice breaks just as his shoulders slump, looking terribly defeated. “Did you even mean it when you said yes or did you feel obliged just because I got you a ring?”
“Hyung,” Jongin chokes out in a hurt voice, Kyungsoo’s words lashing at his chest like a white hot whip.
“Then what is it, Jongin? Why?” Kyungsoo shoots back, desperately searching for an answer in his eyes.
Because I’m scared, because they might ruin it, because they’ll make me rip you away, because I’m weak, I’m so, so weak it kills me.
There’s a lump forming in his throat and he opens his mouth to explain but he falters, because how can he put it into words?
Kyungsoo’s face crumples and his hand falls away from the sink limply.
“I-I guess I’m not enough then,” he murmurs, taking a step back, away from Jongin. “I guess I should just leave.”
He backs away and slips out of the room before Jongin can stop him, hearing the click of door to their shared bedroom seconds later before leaving him enveloped in the stifling silence. Groaning softly, Jongin falls to his haunches, pressing the heel of his hand into his eyes until there’s explosions of white behind his closed lids. He needs to fix this. He needs to tell him that he’s wrong because Kyungsoo is everything, that Jongin is just a spineless idiot who probably doesn’t even deserve him, but he wants to, more than anything in the world.
Sucking in a deep breath, Jongin straightens up and pads his way quietly to the bedroom, wondering if he should knock or just open the door. He opts for pushing it open slowly, poking his head into the room tentatively.
It’s empty.
Pushing the door open the rest of the way, Jongin’s steps inside, swallowing down a ball of worry as he scans the whole room. He finds what he’s looking for when he spots an overturned frame on the dresser. Kyungsoo’s tunnels into the ground have always set off a ripple of inevitable tremors, toppling a few things over every now and then. Sighing miserably, Jongin hangs his head, hoping Kyungsoo will come back home soon so Jongin can fix this. He turns to leave but his eye catches a glint of metal on the nightstand and he freezes. His blood goes cold, feeling like someone just doused his insides with ice water.
Kyungsoo’s engagement ring.
Jongin can’t breathe, weakly stepping closer to hold it up with a shaky hand. He’s startled by the burning prickle in his eyes, but the weight on his chest doesn’t ease up.
This can’t be happening. The distress culminates, seeping in between every joint of his body. Kyungsoo’s gone. Please, please no. Kyungsoo doesn’t want this anymore (doesn’t want him). Jongin fists a hand in the front of his shirt, feeling like his heart might just fall out of his chest with how hard it’s aching.
He needs to find him, before Kyungsoo gives up on him completely.
Shakily tucking the ring into his pocket, Jongin struggles to breathe in properly, lungs still constricting as he warps out of the room.
⇒ He puts a lease on this place halfway through their final year in university, after spending almost three months crammed in a small student house with several other people. It gets trickier by the day to find enough time to spend with each other, what with their free periods never coinciding and not sharing any classes together since they’re both in different courses. Having roommates is also a problem when they want a private moment together in the bedroom. Apartment hunting for places cheap enough to fall into his budget proves far more difficult than he’d ever anticipated, even after scrounging up the entirety of his savings, but somehow he manages.
Coaxing Kyungsoo into letting Jongin blindfold him is not an easy feat either, but one heated and very persuasive make-out session later, he begrudgingly allows Jongin to cover his eyes. Wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo's shoulders securely, he waits until Kyungsoo shuffles closer to press right up against him, winding his arms around his waist to fist in his shirt.
He teleports them right onto the doorstep of the new apartment, before untangling himself from Kyungsoo. His palms are sweaty and his hands shake so hard he fumbles with the knot of the blindfold, swallowing down the lump of nervousness creeping up his chest. The second it comes off, Kyungsoo blinks his eyes back into focus, staring at the door in front of him nonplussed.
It's when Jongin holds up the ring with two silver keys dangling from it with a shaky smile that Kyungsoo's expression morphs into a something between comprehension, shock and awe.
"You didn't," he breathes, wide eyed as he looks at the door again before turning back to Jongin. He opens his mouth, looking like he wants to say so much more but words fail him so Jongin quickly leaps in to fill up the gap.
“It’s not much, and it needs some work, but I thought we could figure it out?” he tries hopefully, suddenly wishing he’d put in more work on the place himself before showing it to Kyungsoo. Turning towards the door, he fumbles with the key ring, shivering a little when he feels a hand settle at the base of his spine. He can’t tell if Kyungsoo is trying to reassure him or hold his own self steady.
Finally fitting the right key into the keyhole, after deciding it would feel more meaningful to make their entry traditionally, he leads Kyungsoo up a narrow flight of stairs and this time makes quick work of the next door to the actual apartment.
It’s almost completely bare save for the ratty old couch sitting in the middle of the room but it’s enough space and it’s their space.
Kyungsoo stares, lips slightly parted as he takes in the place with speculative eyes. Jongin follows his gaze anxiously, wondering if he might have made a mistake with this one. The shabbiness of the place suddenly glares out at him, suddenly noticing how dreary and uninvitingly bare the room looks. Wringing his hands together, he swallows past the anxious lump clawing its way up his throat.
“I mean I’ve only paid the deposit so far so if you don’t-"
He doesn’t get to continue because Kyungsoo is suddenly right in front of him, kissing the words out of his mouth, claiming his lips between his own.
“I love it,” he breathes, fisted hands tightening in the front of Jongin’s bunched up shirt. “I can’t believe you actually…” he laughs quietly then, curved lips brushing Jongin’s as Kyungsoo looks for the words he wants to say to him.
“This is amazing. Thank you, Jongin.” He presses his gratitude against Jongin’s mouth, branding it into his lips, the awe evident in his hooded eyes, through his long lashes.
He pushes Jongin back by the chest until the back of his knees hit the armrest of the couch and sends him toppling over onto the seat cushion with Kyungsoo straddling him easily. Jongin’s hands come up to settle comfortably on Kyungsoo’s slim hips, slipping his thumbs under the hem of his shirt to press into his warm skin.
“We should start making our mark on this place then, don’t you think?” Kyungsoo murmurs softly, bracing himself with a hand on Jongin’s chest as he leans down slowly to bring their lips close, just a hair’s breadth apart. “Really make this place our own.”
“What do you have in mind?” Jongin asks, sliding his hands up along Kyungsoo’s back, tracing the ridges at the bottom of his spine.
Shifting, Kyungsoo brings a knee up in between Jongin’s thighs, pressing it into his crotch as he hooks an arm loosely around the back of Jongin’s knee. He slides the other hand up along the cushion of the couch to bring it right by Jongin’s head, holding himself up.
“We could christen this couch, for starters,” he grins, pressing their foreheads together as his fingers creep down to tease at Jongin’s belt buckle, “and I could thank you properly.”
His hand stills for a moment as he moves to bring his lips right next to Jongin’s ear;
“Would you like that?”
Jongin shivers, feeling the arousal heavy in the pit of his stomach, already getting hard in the uncomfortably tight confines of his pants. Groaning, he nudges Kyungsoo’s face back towards his own with his nose to kiss him hard, open mouthed and wet. He curls an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders, pleased when the hand Kyungsoo is using to hold himself up gives out and has him pressing snugly against Jongin’s chest. Laughing into his mouth, Kyungsoo works a hand between their bodies to press the heel of his palm into Jongin’s hardening cock, ripping a groan from his throat.
Bracketing Jongin’s thighs again, Kyungsoo kneels up and works on unbuckling Jongin’s belt, tugging the button of his pants open as Jongin struggles to pull his shirt off over his head. Once his pants and underwear are pushed down together, Jongin sits up to unbutton Kyungsoo’s own pants while he shrugs off his jacket and shirt. Finally, they kick off their pants completely and throw the rest of their garments haphazardly to the floor by the couch, eager to get back to each other’s mouths.
Kyungsoo rolls his hips achingly slowly, both of them groaning in tandem at the friction of their cocks rubbing together. Jongin’s lips find their way down his jaw, kissing down Kyungsoo’s neck and sucking marks into his skin just to hear him moan. He grazes his teeth lightly along the marks he’s left, feeling Kyungsoo shiver in his arms as a hand reaches up to fist in his hair. The fingers curling around his cock take Jongin by surprise and he accidentally nips a little too hard on the skin of Kyungsoo’s throat, kissing over the abused skin lightly in apology. Kyungsoo takes both their cocks in hand, forming the best ring he can with his fingers and pumps experimentally tearing low moans out of both their throats.
He finds Jongin’s lips again, licking into his mouth and Jongin eagerly swallows his moans, bringing a hand up to cup Kyungsoo’s cheek to angle their faces better. Kyungsoo’s fingers tighten and he quickens his pace, the pain of the dry friction almost drowned out by how good it feels. It’s like his nerves are on fire, drowning in the heat of Kyungsoo’s mouth and he twists his tongue, kissing him harder as he moans against his lips.
He whines when Kyungsoo rips himself away, displeased when he lets go of his cock. He’s so hard it aches. Kyungsoo only laughs at the frown on his face, leaning back down to press a swift kiss right between his furrowed eyebrows.
“Patience,” he breathes, before pulling away.
Leaning over to the side, Kyungsoo rifles through the messy pile of clothes strewn on the floor by the couch and Jongin keeps him steady with his hands on Kyungsoo’s hips. His skin is warm and soft beneath his fingers and it takes everything he has to lay still patiently.
Kyungsoo finally finds what he’s looking for, straightening back up with the jacket he’d thrown off earlier in hand. He searches the pockets quickly, looking satisfied when his fingers find purchase and he pulls out a packet of lube and a couple of condoms.
“Prepared, aren’t you?” Jongin laughs, squeezing Kyungsoo’s sides teasingly as he throws the jacket aside. “Do you always carry those around with you?”
“You tell me,” Kyungsoo grins, leaning down close to brush their lips together. “I was wearing your jacket.”
Flushing hard, Jongin squirms underneath him and Kyungsoo grins as he presses a quick kiss to his lips.
Popping the lid, he slathers his fingers with a generous amount of lube and pushes two inside himself, scissoring himself. His lips part, eyelashes fluttering as he works himself open and Jongin feels flushed, somewhat breathless and so fucking hard.
Finally, Kyungsoo slips his fingers out, taking hold of Jongin’s cock again to roll on a condom and slick it up. The light touches are killing him, already sensitive with need and Jongin groans, hardly able to wait.
Kyungsoo lifts himself up, keeping his balance with a hand on Jongin’s chest as Jongin’s hands come up to hold his waist, keeping him steady. Guiding Jongin’s cock towards his hold, Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and sinks down slowly, ripping long drawn groans from the both of them.
He so tight and hot, so good, but Jongin doesn’t dare move until Kyungsoo has adjusted properly. Keeping a hand braced on Jongin’s chest, Kyungsoo lifts himself up until there’s only the crown of his cock inside him and slams down hard, clenching tightly around him and it feels so dizzyingly good. There’s a beautiful flush colouring Kyungsoo’s cheeks, spreading all the way down to his heaving chest as he pushes himself up again, setting up a pace. The air is hot and thick with their moans, Kyungsoo bouncing in his lap with cut off whimpers as Jongin digs his heels into the couch cushions and thrusts up to meet his grinds with a groan.
Kyungsoo falls forward with a choked moan, holding himself up with his hands on either side of Jongin’s head. Their lips brush together and Jongin arches his neck to claim them but Kyungsoo pushes himself away with a grin, panting as he keeps fucking himself on Jongin’s cock. He licks his lips, eyes at half-mast as he bores them into Jongin’s heatedly. Leaning back, he curls his fingers around Jongin’s ankles and bares his neck, clearly an invitation when he moans low in his throat.
Jongin pushes himself to sit up, chuckling when Kyungsoo nearly loses his balance at the movement and circles his arms around his waist to press their chests up close together. He licks a stripe up the column of Kyungsoo’s neck, leaving a trail of kisses all the way down to the hollow of his throat before working his way back up to lick into Kyungsoo’s mouth.
Kyungsoo’s arms wind around Jongin’s neck and he breaks off to suck on his jawline, burying his moans in the skin of his cheek as Jongin rocks his hips up harder. Jongin can feels him trailing his fingertips across the planes of his back, sending little prickles of electricity zinging through his veins under his touch. The burning swirl of arousal pools in his stomach, and he pistons his hips up harder, keening as he throws his head back and god he’s so close, it feels like his entire body is on fire. Kyungsoo rolls his hips down, fucking himself harder on Jongin’s cock, his voice cracking when he cries out Jongin’s name over and over again. He comes like that, fingers buried in Jongin’s hair, his body rigid and pulled taut as Jongin’s hips pound into him to his own release.
They slump down against the couch, not bothering about the mess sticking between their stomachs. Kyungsoo seems content to lie on his chest, panting and looking completely fucked out and absolutely beautiful. Jongin wraps an arm around him securely, already feeling his eyelids getting heavy, struggling to keep them open.
“Now that’s a housewarming,” he murmurs sleepily, hearing Kyungsoo chuckle and kiss his chest in response just before he dozes off. ⇐
This is the first place he'd thought to check, hoping against hope that Kyungsoo might have come back here to have some quiet time away from him. It hurts to think about, that he has to come up with all the places Kyungsoo might go to, to get away from him, but he swallows it down; this is all his fault after all.
When they found a bigger place after they graduated from university, Kyungsoo had been the one to insist that they keep it this apartment; 'just in case' he'd insisted, though Jongin already knew it was purely for sentimental value. He hadn't opposed him them, not quite ready to part with the first piece of space they'd ever had just for themselves either.
But the building is empty, with no sign of being touched in a long time. Kyungsoo isn't here.
There an icy bite to the wind when he comes out of the next warp, standing on the bridge overlooking the frozen lake. Shivering, Jongin wraps his thin jacket tighter around himself, folding his arms to tuck his hands away for warmth.
His heart falls at the large mass of people on the ice and sitting around it on the drier banks out of the way. His eyes slip from one face to another in a futile attempt to single Kyungsoo out from the thick throng of people. Ice skating is popular this time of the year and it’s next to impossible to find anyone in the crowd.
He had come here once with Kyungsoo, getting the idea out of the blue.
⇒ He’s having a bad day.
Jongin can see it in the lines almost permanently etched into his face, the dark pull of his furrowed eyebrows and tight line of his lips. He hasn’t said a word to Jongin since he got home from class, tossing his bag aside and holing himself up in his room, emerging only to get food.
It’s not anger though. The downturned curve of his mouth, and the slight slump in his shoulders; it’s subtle, anyone could have missed it, but then Jongin has always looked at Kyungsoo like there’s nothing else in the world he could possibly turn his eyes to. He sees the faint shadows circling under his eyes and catches the ghost of a sigh that escapes Kyungsoo’s lips every now and then, the way he hangs his head when he thinks he’s alone, clearly berating himself internally.
Jongin recalls him mentioning an important test set earlier that morning. He doesn’t ask how it went; he doesn’t need to. Frowning, Jongin watches as Kyungsoo slumps down on one of the wooden chairs around the kitchen table, setting a bowl of cereal in front of him and poking at the cornflakes with his spoon without taking a bite. He’s got an elbow up on the table, mashing his cheek into his closed fist as he stares at his food; he’s subdued out of his appetite and Jongin cocks his head, getting a sudden idea.
It takes a while and a lot of coaxing but he manages to get a disgruntled Kyungsoo bundled up in a thick jacket with a woolly scarf wrapped snugly around his neck. Clasping his hands tightly around Kyungsoo’s arms before he can protest and change his mind, Jongin warps them out of the house and onto the hard stone of a bridge.
Kyungsoo takes one look at where they are and glares at Jongin, gritting his teeth grumpily.
“You know I suck at this stuff,” he mutters crossly, hunching his shoulders to block out the cold nip of the wind from his neck.
“You’ll be fine, it’ll be fun, hyung,” Jongin insists, curling his fingers around Kyungsoo’s wrist and pulling him behind him as he leads them down from the bridge onto the grassy bank. There’s already a crowd of people littering the surface of the frozen river, gliding across the thick ice on their skates. Jongin beelines for the renting stall to get two pairs of skates, still dragging a very reluctant Kyungsoo behind him; he hasn’t shrugged his hand off yet, which Jongin takes as a good sign. He just wants Kyungsoo to feel the same way he always feels when he comes out here every once in a while just to breathe; free, like the biting cold air and the smooth cut of the ice under his blades are slicing apart every knot of unease and distress polluting his body and thoughts. As a warper, Jongin relishes the solidity under his feet but he thinks maybe as an earth mover, Kyungsoo might revel in the smooth texture and finesse of the frozen river surface that the coarse earth doesn’t quite capture.
Kyungsoo is unsurprisingly wobbly on the ice, but Jongin cheers and yells out encouragements all the same, circling around him close enough to catch him if he falls.
Grunting, Kyungsoo keeps his arms outstretched as he stumbles and flails his way around at a snail’s pace, brows furrowed as he keeps his eyes on his feet and concentrates on keeping his balance. He gradually sets up a pace, skating in a straight path along the perimeter of the river, with Jongin gliding smoothly beside him just an arm’s length away, encouraging him along. Smiling, Jongin watches Kyungsoo experiment with circles, trying to curve around more and spin slowly on the ice. There’s a hint of something creeping into his eyes, a mixture between frustrated determination and eagerness, the slightest twitch of a smile playing on his lips. Jongin veers away, putting more distance between them to give Kyungsoo more space.
He just barely spots the kid shooting down in Kyungsoo’s direction, leaving him no time to call out and warn him. Kyungsoo looks up a split second before the collision happens and throws all his weight to the right, jumping out of the way. Throwing his hands out in front of him, Kyungsoo prepares for the inevitable fall but one of his skates skids on the ice and somehow catches the right angle, making him curve around prettily in a semi spin on one leg before slowing to a stop.
They gawk at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter, Kyungsoo nearly doubled over breathlessly as Jongin skates over next to him, shaking with mirth.
“Did you see that?” Kyungsoo laughs, his eyes curved into crescents. Jongin nods eagerly, giggles still tumbling from his lips. There’s a rush of warmth in his chest, swelling happily because the deep lines creasing Kyungsoo’s forehead have finally smoothed over and any traces of distress have ebbed away, even if it’s just for a while. His cheeks are flushed, still grinning so hard it looks like it’ll start to ache soon, and Jongin simply grins back. ⇐
“Minseok hyung!” he calls urgently, rushing down to the renting stall, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste. He’s got help this year, Jongin notes, watching as Yixing slides a finger lightly across the blade of a skate to restore its sharpness.
Jongin hopes against hope that Kyungsoo is around here somewhere, using the ice to clear his mind just like last time.
He stumbles again, a little woozy from his hurried warping, but a strong hand curls around his arm to hold him up.
“Easy, kid,” Luhan grins at him, only letting go when he’s sure Jongin’s legs will keep him up this time.
“Thank, hyung,” he mumbles embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s good to see you again.”
Minseok shows up after handing a pair of skates off to a customer, rounding the counter to pull Jongin into a hug.
“You here for my ice again?” he asks, jutting his chin towards the frozen solid lake before them.
Ducking his head apologetically, Jongin shifts awkwardly, throwing anxious glances at the crowd of people before turning back to his friends.
“I was just wondering if you guys have seen Kyungsoo around here today?” he asks, flushing and feeling his chest clench with shame at their confused but concerned looks.
Minseok turns to Yixing in askance, but he shakes his head cluelessly, shrugging his shoulders. Turning back towards the skating rink Minseok flicks his wrist, waiting as a small hunk of ice breaks from the perimeter and falls into his waiting palm. He cups the block with both hands, pressing them flat together until there’s nothing but droplets of water on his skin.
“I’m sorry Jongin, the ice holds no memory of him from today,” Minseok says apologetically, wiping his hand down on his pants. “I haven’t seen him come by the stall either.”
Jongin’s shoulders slump dejectedly, throwing another look at the moving body of people on the ice, as though Kyungsoo will suddenly show up among them with his usual smile on his face.
“I could try Looking for him,” Luhan offers, snatching Jongin’s attention back. “I’ll probably have to bypass the wall he set up after last time first.” He snickers, and Jongin recalls the prank Luhan had played on Kyungsoo, planting explicit images in his mind while he was trying to hold a conversation with some friends. Kyungsoo had learned to fortify his mind after that, stoutly refusing to speak to Luhan for a week.
Jongin nods gratefully, holding his breath as Luhan closes his eyes, searching for Kyungsoo’s mind. His brow furrows, jaw clenching tightly. Minseok steps forward to move to his side, ready to hold him steady if he sways. The deep frown on his face is not encouraging at all, and Jongin’s heart falls when Luhan cracks his eyes open without a smile to follow.
“Well he’s definitely learnt to block me out well,” he pants, wiping away a few beads of sweat that gathered on his forehead. Yixing immediately slides a hand up to cup his cheek, waiting a few seconds until Luhan’s shoulders relax and the frown slips away from his face in relief. He throws Yixing a thankful glance before he turns back to Jongin.
“He’s out of range though, he’s most likely in his underground tunnels. I can’t reach him down there. I’m sorry Jongin.”
Brushing aside his needless apology, Jongin shakes his head and pulls Luhan into a grateful hug, followed by Yixing.
“I’m sorry for the trouble,” he bows low until Minseok urges him to straighten up with an arm around his neck, the weight of it soothing. “Thanks, hyung.”
He pulls away with a wave of goodbye and warps out.
He lands on soft earth this time, his shoes sinking a bit in the damp soil beneath his shoes. The park is huge, spanning out so far he can’t even see where it ends. Sighing despondently, Jongin takes in the large mass of people littering the grassy plain huddled close for warmth as they wait for the year end fireworks to start, his heart sinking at how impossible it’s going to be to find Kyungsoo through the crowd. If he’s even here at all.
⇒ It’s sunny enough that they came out to walk the puppies, letting them run freely through the grass as Jongin and Kyungsoo splay out on the grass with their packed picnic basket of lunch. They sit side by side, leaning back on their arms as they soak in the sun, their shoulders occasionally bumping together.
The puppies adore Kyungsoo of course, sprinting back after rocketing around the park and bowling right into him, nuzzling whichever part of him they can reach. All three poodles are vying for his hand to scratch their heads, drawing out his bright smile and husky laugh as he tries to keep up with all of them. Jongin is entranced, finding himself unable to look away.
Kyungsoo pulls a container of fruit out of the basket, nibbling at a strawberry and chuckling when the puppies fall over themselves trying to get to it too.
He’s not the first of Jongin’s friends to play with his puppies, but he’s the first who’s ever made this moment seem so significant. It feels intimate, the way he reaches over to push a strawberry into his mouth, patting his thigh absently as he munches on his own. The longing in every fiber of his body aches so badly, it makes it hard to swallow. This, Jongin thinks to himself, watching Kyungsoo nuzzling his face into the puppies’ furry heads, this in all its simplicity and familiarity is everything that he wants with Kyungsoo. His heart swells up, squeezing with emotion and wistfulness because he wants to stay in this moment of ease with Kyungsoo for as long as he can.
Maybe it’s just the way the sun hits his face when he turns to smile at him, or the coral tint staining his lips from the strawberry juice but Jongin’s chest is full, overwhelmed and before he can talk himself out of it, he leans in and presses his lips to Kyungsoo’s.
They’re even softer than he’d ever dared to imagine, warm and plush against his own, and Jongin is sure he’s stopped breathing. He pulls back, cracking his eyes open again and the first thing he registers is Kyungsoo flinching back, hissing through his teeth. Jongin doesn’t think, he can barely process anything at all; his heart slams against his ribs and he feels the grass disappear beneath him. ⇐
He’s rounded the entire park at least twice, warping from one patch of grass to another to get a good look at the people splayed out on the ground. Wheezing, Jongin clutches at his side, trying to knead the painful stitch out with his fingers. He throws one last desperate look around again before warping out.
The second he materializes, Jongin has to swerve out of the way quickly before the waiter collides with him and drops his tray of orders. The restaurant is horribly over-decorated, streamers and balloons obnoxiously crammed into every nook and cranny of the place. Jongin manages a small smile as he looks around at the familiar setting. Chanyeol hasn’t changed at all.
⇒ He materializes on the chair so hard it nearly knocks the breath out of him.
“What the-”
He takes in his surroundings, gasping in horror that he’d accidentally warped away from the park right into this restaurant. It takes a few seconds but the memory of kissing Kyungsoo slams into him and he panics even harder, struggling to get to his feet when he knees feel all wobbly.
“I knew you’d finally see the light and pick my burgers over Baek’s chicken!”
Jongin turns to find Chanyeol grinning at him from behind the counter, drying up a glass with worn out dishcloth. Groaning, Jongin trudges over to sit on one of the high stools across from Chanyeol and burying his face in his arms on the counter.
“Hyung, I screwed up,” he whines miserably, thinking about the way Kyungsoo flinched back from him so quickly.
“Let me guess. Kyungsoo?”
Chanyeol seems to read the look in his eyes, nodding understandingly as he sets the spotless glass down and rounds the counter to take a seat beside him. Slumping against his shoulder, Jongin recounts everything that happened right before he got here.
Listening attentively, Chanyeol pats his hair gently, about to opens his mouth to say something but the jingle of the bells at the entrance make him pause.
“Well,” Jongin hears him say, “speak of the devil.”
Bolting upright in his seat, Jongin follows his line of sight towards the entrance and freezes when he spots Kyungsoo standing there. He looks absolutely livid.
"What the hell was that?" he hisses, storming over to where Jongin is sitting.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” Chanyeol chirps, clapping a hand on Jongin’s shoulder, ignoring the pleading eyes he’s throwing him and disappears into the kitchen.
“You left me with your kids,” Kyungsoo goes on as though Chanyeol wasn’t even there, “I can’t walk three dogs home by myself across those busy streets and you know they hate my underground tunnels!”
“Are they alright?” Jongin frets immediately, brows creasing, “they must be exhausted-”
“That’s not the point!” Kyungsoo cuts him off, nostrils flaring. Jongin falls silent, staring at his hands on his lap, unsure of where to go from here.
"How long?" he hears Kyungsoo ask, his voice far more hushed now.
"Hyung-"
"Jongin," Kyungsoo cuts in again, looking inexplicably furious, "How long?"
He can still feel the phantom warmth of Kyungsoo’s lips on his own.
"Um," he fumbles, twisting the hem of his shirt around his finger so tightly that his nail begins to poke through, "since I got into University? So always, I guess," he trails off, baffled by the way Kyungsoo's eyebrows continue to furrow.
“So even when…” Kyungsoo pauses, pressing his lips together as he stares at Jongin.
"Even when I started seeing Minah?” he drags a hand along his face, tugging roughly at the strands of his hair. “God, Jongin, I talked to you about her all the time."
Jongin nods, remembering every heartbreaking moment he’d endured through his second year, listening to Kyungsoo talk about his new girlfriend while he picked up the pieces of his own heart.
"You just-you never stopped-even then?" Kyungsoo continues, staring at Jongin with a torn expression.
"Yeah," Jongin says again, lowering his eyes to where his fingers are playing with a loose thread on his shirt.
"And you just let me-why didn't you say anything?"
Kyungsoo's question has Jongin whipping his head up, the frustration in his tone and burning in his eyes making him falter a little. He shakes himself quickly though, feeling a wave of his own frustration wash over him.
"Why would I?" he throws back, because none of this makes sense. He’s tired, his heart feels bruised and worn thin. All he wants is to be anywhere but here so he can lie down and burn in his shame and misery, to try and figure out how to even fix this. "You’re my best friend, what’s the point in loading all my crap about how I felt on you. You were dating Minah!"
"Because I thought I never had a chance with you!" Kyungsoo exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air.
Stunned, Jongin's breath hitches, his lips parting in shock and he’s unable to make a sound as he gapes at Kyungsoo with wide eyes. That can’t be right. His heart is in his throat, pounding painfully enough to make him feel lightheaded.
"I mean," Kyungsoo shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut as he tries to explain it properly. "I liked Minah, she was sweet and funny and dating her was lovely. I’m not denying that. But I only considered going out with her at all because I thought you’d never… I thought I'd never have a shot with you."
"Then what made you break up with her?" Jongin whispers, feeling rooted to the spot. He wonders if Kyungsoo can hear his heart from where he's standing.
"Guess I never stopped hoping," Kyungsoo's lowers his eyes and Jongin takes a moment to admire, for the thousandth time, the way his dark lashes brush against his cheekbones.
The moment is short lived when Kyungsoo snaps his eyes open to close the distance and ram his fist right into Jongin’s gut.
“And it turns out I was right to do so,” he growls crossly as Jongin doubles over, clutching his stomach.
“Well you never said anything either!” he wheezes in a weak attempt to fight back. “And you cursed when I kissed you! You backed away like I was some disease!”
“That’s because Jjangah bit my finger,” Kyungsoo retorts, “and you warped out and left me alone before I could even say anything.”
Jongin shrinks under the force of his glare, biting on his lower lips when Kyungsoo turns his face away, folding his arms tightly against his chest.
“S-so,” Jongin tries uncertainly, “you like me?”
“Yes.”
Brusque.
“But… you’re mad.”
“Very.”
At a loss for words, he opens and closes his mouth in an attempt to find the right thing to say to that.
“Just-” Kyungsoo heaves out a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut with a frown. “Just take us back to the house, Jongin.”
Giving a short nod, Jongin complies and steps closer, his hand hovering over Kyungsoo’s shoulder, wondering if maybe he should take a chance and hold his hand. Kyungsoo is looking anywhere but at him though, forehead still creased, and he settles for curling his fingers firmly around Kyungsoo’s shoulder.
He warps them both out of Chanyeol’s restaurant, ignoring the curious glances from the handful of customers and lands them right outside Kyungsoo’s shared room with Junmyeon, feeling confused and a little anxious. Kyungsoo wordlessly pushes the door open and walks in, leaving Jongin to trail in after him, shutting the door uncertainly.
He’s barely even turned around when before he finds himself with his back pushed up against the closed door and Kyungsoo is crowding into his space. There’s no time to speak, no time to think before Kyungsoo’s mouth is covering his own, bringing a hand up to palm his cheek. He kisses gently, taking Jongin’s lower lip between his own before kissing his top one, pressing in closely against Jongin’s chest. He brings his other hand up to Jongin’s face, pressing his thumb into his cheekbone and angles his head to kiss him harder. Jongin feels the tip of his nose pressing into his cheek as Kyungsoo coaxes his lips open with his tongue, licking into his mouth with a breathy hum low in his throat. He tastes of strawberry, Jongin registers vaguely, shuddering when Kyungsoo curls his tongue and licks along the roof of his mouth. Kyungsoo’s mouth is dizzyingly hot, his soft lips slotting perfectly with Jongin’s before nibbling lightly on his lower lip. He’s too lightheaded to figure out what to do with his hands, feeling like his knees might buckle at any moment.
He lets out a breathless whine when Kyungsoo pulls back all too quickly, too dazed to feel embarrassed. Kyungsoo’s still pressed against his chest when he looks up at him, lips shiny and swollen.
“If you’d just said something, we could have saved ourselves a lot of-”
Jongin doesn’t let him finish, surging forward to claim his lips again, remembering his hands this time as he curls one around the back of Kyungsoo’s neck to pull him closer. He brushes their noses together, kissing him slowly as he brings his hand up to press the tips of his fingers into Kyungsoo’s cheek softly. He can feel the twist of Kyungsoo’s lips curving into a smile against his own, a spike of warmth in his chest when he feels arms curving around his waist to settle on the dip of his back. ⇐
“Jongin?”
Chanyeol emerges from the kitchen, wiping his hands down on the apron around his waist.
“Where’s Kyungsoo?”
His heart falls to his feet. “He’s not here?”
Chanyeol shakes his head, apologetic. Jongin nods, promising to come back for an actual meal sometime next week before he warps out.
He stumbles when he lands in the dimly lit bar, his lungs tight and stomach churning at the poor materialization of his sloppy warp. Wheezing, he doubles over, holding himself up with his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath from the efforts of travelling, too frazzled and distracted to do it properly. The sound of a guitar strumming reaches his ears once the blood stops pounding in his head.
“Jongin?”
Still bent over as he pants, Jongin twists his head towards the person calling his name, spotting Sehun throwing him an odd look from behind the bar counter. He tries to speak but only manages a rasp though his chapped lips, face scrunching in discomfort. Sehun cocks his head, looking almost bored as he quirks a lazy finger in the air towards him.
Jongin barely has time to blink before a gust of wind forces its way through his mouth and nose, inflating his lungs as he gulps in the much needed air. Brushing his hair out of his face, Jongin dodges past the batch of new people coming in through the door to get to the bar.
“Thanks,” he says gratefully.
“No problem. You looked a little winded,” Sehun snickers, aiming his pointer fingers at the row of drinks set on the counter to calculatedly blow air into them, fizzing them up nicely before sending them off.
Jongin ignores him in favour of scanning the bar, eyes leaping from head to head in the crowd desperately looking for that familiar sleekness to Kyungsoo’s hair.
“Looking for someone?” Sehun asks lightly, as he serves a martini, flying it smoothly right into the waiting hand of an elegantly dressed woman at the far end of the bar.
“Yeah, I...” He trails off when a familiar song begins to play, and turns his head to watch the live band strum out the first verse of the song.
They come down here on the weekends when they’re too tired to work but too wired up to stay cooped up at home. One added perk of befriending Sehun is the drink benefits they get to call when he’s on shift. The music is great here, small name bands coming in every week to give a live performance to the steady influx of regulars in the bar. It’s the perfect kind of atmosphere for a tranquil Friday night, upbeat enough to get them tapping their feet and swaying with their drinks in hand.
Most of the time though, Jongin isn’t even looking towards the stage; he barely glances at the musicians and the vocalist singing into the microphone. Most of the time he’s got his eyes subtly fixed on Kyungsoo, watching as he sways his body to the music, occasionally mouthing the words from a song he recognizes, a faint smile playing on his lips when the guitarists hit a sweet note. He watches him wistfully stare at the stage, drawn back by bouts of stage fright until one day Kyungsoo pulls him down to kiss him hard and takes a deep breath, bracing himself before marching right up onto that stage himself.
And when he comes down he ravishes Jongin’s mouth again, kissing him breathless, riding off the exhilaration of the performance. He says it feels like he’s in another world up there, and he doesn’t have to think about anything but his voice matching the music of the guitar. ⇐
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin says distractedly, desperately searching the growing throng of people, “He-we had a-have you seen him?”
The band starts on their next song, a more upbeat number this time and he can’t hear himself over the music. He knows Sehun has heard him though, looking up at him beseechingly in hopes that he’ll say yes. No such luck though. Sehun shakes his head, his expression drawn with concern. Jongin’s miserable sigh is lost in the loud bass of the amplifiers and he waves his thanks at Sehun before warping out of there.
He tries one bar after another, bursting in through the doors and desperately squeezing through the hordes of people ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve with enough alcohol to knock them out cold. He looks everywhere, scanning every person’s face he can see, feeling despair clawing at his insides like a thorn. He goes through every bar he knows of in the area until he’s stumbling and wheezing after every warp, getting clumsier by the minute. Every movement sends sparks of pain in his joints and he’s aching all over, dizzy as he half collapses against a wall to steady himself until his head stops spinning. His phone battery died, he notes, not that it really matters anyway since Kyungsoo isn’t answering his.
He lands himself halfway down a staircase at one point, painfully jostling his back when he teeters off balance and slips off the edge down a couple of steps. He’s losing his accuracy, materializing further and further off his intended mark. Praying he doesn’t warp himself in the middle of oncoming traffic, Jongin takes a deep breath and warps out again.
part two
Title: Groundless
Pairing: Jongin/D.O
Word Count: ~16,000 words
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Mama Powers!AU. But then Jongin has always looked at Kyungsoo like there’s nothing else in the world he could possibly turn his eyes to.
Author's Note: Thank you to T for all your help! ♥ I wanted to stay consistent with the tenses so basically anything between the arrows is a memory/flashback from the past. (also, hope you don't mind that it's NYE and not New Year's ;u;. Loved all your prompts! I really hope you like this! T0T
“What time is your mum expecting us tonight?” Kyungsoo asks, soaping up the dirty plate in his hands before dousing it under the tap water. They’d just spent the afternoon making a batch of cookies together from scratch, both with their sleeves rolled up to their elbows as they kneaded and rolled out the dough.
Jongin glances up at the kitchen clock before answering. “In a couple of hours.”
Kyungsoo nods, soaping up another bowl. “Your mum’s fine with us getting there through my tunnels, right? I’m not sure I’ll be able to stomach dinner if you warp us there.”
Jongin’s hand freezes where he’s scrubbing a plate dry, just for the merest fraction of a second, but Kyungsoo catches it.
“Jongin?” Kyungsoo’s hand stops wiping the bowl in his hand, letting the water run as he turns to look at him. Jongin lifts his eyes and cringes at Kyungsoo’s sharp intake of breath, eyes dawning with comprehension.
“You haven’t told them, have you,” he whispers, letting the bowl drop into the sink with a loud clatter as he gapes at Jongin. “About my earth moving? About…us?”
Jongin tries to say something, anything, but his voice fails him, simply staring helplessly as Kyungsoo runs a hand through his hair roughly.
“About me?” Jongin hears him whisper, the slightest quaver in his voice; “Jongin…does your family even know I exist at all?”
“I was just trying to find the right- ”
“The right time?” Kyungsoo cuts in, “We’ve been together for two years!”
“I know, I’m…I was just sc-”
“Are you that ashamed of me?” Kyungsoo cuts him off again, his voice hoarse as he grips the rim of the sink so tightly, his knuckles go white.
“No!” Jongin cries immediately, “That’s not it at all, Soo, please-”
“We’re…I asked you to marry me,” Kyungsoo’s voice breaks just as his shoulders slump, looking terribly defeated. “Did you even mean it when you said yes or did you feel obliged just because I got you a ring?”
“Hyung,” Jongin chokes out in a hurt voice, Kyungsoo’s words lashing at his chest like a white hot whip.
“Then what is it, Jongin? Why?” Kyungsoo shoots back, desperately searching for an answer in his eyes.
Because I’m scared, because they might ruin it, because they’ll make me rip you away, because I’m weak, I’m so, so weak it kills me.
There’s a lump forming in his throat and he opens his mouth to explain but he falters, because how can he put it into words?
Kyungsoo’s face crumples and his hand falls away from the sink limply.
“I-I guess I’m not enough then,” he murmurs, taking a step back, away from Jongin. “I guess I should just leave.”
He backs away and slips out of the room before Jongin can stop him, hearing the click of door to their shared bedroom seconds later before leaving him enveloped in the stifling silence. Groaning softly, Jongin falls to his haunches, pressing the heel of his hand into his eyes until there’s explosions of white behind his closed lids. He needs to fix this. He needs to tell him that he’s wrong because Kyungsoo is everything, that Jongin is just a spineless idiot who probably doesn’t even deserve him, but he wants to, more than anything in the world.
Sucking in a deep breath, Jongin straightens up and pads his way quietly to the bedroom, wondering if he should knock or just open the door. He opts for pushing it open slowly, poking his head into the room tentatively.
It’s empty.
Pushing the door open the rest of the way, Jongin’s steps inside, swallowing down a ball of worry as he scans the whole room. He finds what he’s looking for when he spots an overturned frame on the dresser. Kyungsoo’s tunnels into the ground have always set off a ripple of inevitable tremors, toppling a few things over every now and then. Sighing miserably, Jongin hangs his head, hoping Kyungsoo will come back home soon so Jongin can fix this. He turns to leave but his eye catches a glint of metal on the nightstand and he freezes. His blood goes cold, feeling like someone just doused his insides with ice water.
Kyungsoo’s engagement ring.
Jongin can’t breathe, weakly stepping closer to hold it up with a shaky hand. He’s startled by the burning prickle in his eyes, but the weight on his chest doesn’t ease up.
This can’t be happening. The distress culminates, seeping in between every joint of his body. Kyungsoo’s gone. Please, please no. Kyungsoo doesn’t want this anymore (doesn’t want him). Jongin fists a hand in the front of his shirt, feeling like his heart might just fall out of his chest with how hard it’s aching.
He needs to find him, before Kyungsoo gives up on him completely.
Shakily tucking the ring into his pocket, Jongin struggles to breathe in properly, lungs still constricting as he warps out of the room.
⇒ He puts a lease on this place halfway through their final year in university, after spending almost three months crammed in a small student house with several other people. It gets trickier by the day to find enough time to spend with each other, what with their free periods never coinciding and not sharing any classes together since they’re both in different courses. Having roommates is also a problem when they want a private moment together in the bedroom. Apartment hunting for places cheap enough to fall into his budget proves far more difficult than he’d ever anticipated, even after scrounging up the entirety of his savings, but somehow he manages.
Coaxing Kyungsoo into letting Jongin blindfold him is not an easy feat either, but one heated and very persuasive make-out session later, he begrudgingly allows Jongin to cover his eyes. Wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo's shoulders securely, he waits until Kyungsoo shuffles closer to press right up against him, winding his arms around his waist to fist in his shirt.
He teleports them right onto the doorstep of the new apartment, before untangling himself from Kyungsoo. His palms are sweaty and his hands shake so hard he fumbles with the knot of the blindfold, swallowing down the lump of nervousness creeping up his chest. The second it comes off, Kyungsoo blinks his eyes back into focus, staring at the door in front of him nonplussed.
It's when Jongin holds up the ring with two silver keys dangling from it with a shaky smile that Kyungsoo's expression morphs into a something between comprehension, shock and awe.
"You didn't," he breathes, wide eyed as he looks at the door again before turning back to Jongin. He opens his mouth, looking like he wants to say so much more but words fail him so Jongin quickly leaps in to fill up the gap.
“It’s not much, and it needs some work, but I thought we could figure it out?” he tries hopefully, suddenly wishing he’d put in more work on the place himself before showing it to Kyungsoo. Turning towards the door, he fumbles with the key ring, shivering a little when he feels a hand settle at the base of his spine. He can’t tell if Kyungsoo is trying to reassure him or hold his own self steady.
Finally fitting the right key into the keyhole, after deciding it would feel more meaningful to make their entry traditionally, he leads Kyungsoo up a narrow flight of stairs and this time makes quick work of the next door to the actual apartment.
It’s almost completely bare save for the ratty old couch sitting in the middle of the room but it’s enough space and it’s their space.
Kyungsoo stares, lips slightly parted as he takes in the place with speculative eyes. Jongin follows his gaze anxiously, wondering if he might have made a mistake with this one. The shabbiness of the place suddenly glares out at him, suddenly noticing how dreary and uninvitingly bare the room looks. Wringing his hands together, he swallows past the anxious lump clawing its way up his throat.
“I mean I’ve only paid the deposit so far so if you don’t-"
He doesn’t get to continue because Kyungsoo is suddenly right in front of him, kissing the words out of his mouth, claiming his lips between his own.
“I love it,” he breathes, fisted hands tightening in the front of Jongin’s bunched up shirt. “I can’t believe you actually…” he laughs quietly then, curved lips brushing Jongin’s as Kyungsoo looks for the words he wants to say to him.
“This is amazing. Thank you, Jongin.” He presses his gratitude against Jongin’s mouth, branding it into his lips, the awe evident in his hooded eyes, through his long lashes.
He pushes Jongin back by the chest until the back of his knees hit the armrest of the couch and sends him toppling over onto the seat cushion with Kyungsoo straddling him easily. Jongin’s hands come up to settle comfortably on Kyungsoo’s slim hips, slipping his thumbs under the hem of his shirt to press into his warm skin.
“We should start making our mark on this place then, don’t you think?” Kyungsoo murmurs softly, bracing himself with a hand on Jongin’s chest as he leans down slowly to bring their lips close, just a hair’s breadth apart. “Really make this place our own.”
“What do you have in mind?” Jongin asks, sliding his hands up along Kyungsoo’s back, tracing the ridges at the bottom of his spine.
Shifting, Kyungsoo brings a knee up in between Jongin’s thighs, pressing it into his crotch as he hooks an arm loosely around the back of Jongin’s knee. He slides the other hand up along the cushion of the couch to bring it right by Jongin’s head, holding himself up.
“We could christen this couch, for starters,” he grins, pressing their foreheads together as his fingers creep down to tease at Jongin’s belt buckle, “and I could thank you properly.”
His hand stills for a moment as he moves to bring his lips right next to Jongin’s ear;
“Would you like that?”
Jongin shivers, feeling the arousal heavy in the pit of his stomach, already getting hard in the uncomfortably tight confines of his pants. Groaning, he nudges Kyungsoo’s face back towards his own with his nose to kiss him hard, open mouthed and wet. He curls an arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders, pleased when the hand Kyungsoo is using to hold himself up gives out and has him pressing snugly against Jongin’s chest. Laughing into his mouth, Kyungsoo works a hand between their bodies to press the heel of his palm into Jongin’s hardening cock, ripping a groan from his throat.
Bracketing Jongin’s thighs again, Kyungsoo kneels up and works on unbuckling Jongin’s belt, tugging the button of his pants open as Jongin struggles to pull his shirt off over his head. Once his pants and underwear are pushed down together, Jongin sits up to unbutton Kyungsoo’s own pants while he shrugs off his jacket and shirt. Finally, they kick off their pants completely and throw the rest of their garments haphazardly to the floor by the couch, eager to get back to each other’s mouths.
Kyungsoo rolls his hips achingly slowly, both of them groaning in tandem at the friction of their cocks rubbing together. Jongin’s lips find their way down his jaw, kissing down Kyungsoo’s neck and sucking marks into his skin just to hear him moan. He grazes his teeth lightly along the marks he’s left, feeling Kyungsoo shiver in his arms as a hand reaches up to fist in his hair. The fingers curling around his cock take Jongin by surprise and he accidentally nips a little too hard on the skin of Kyungsoo’s throat, kissing over the abused skin lightly in apology. Kyungsoo takes both their cocks in hand, forming the best ring he can with his fingers and pumps experimentally tearing low moans out of both their throats.
He finds Jongin’s lips again, licking into his mouth and Jongin eagerly swallows his moans, bringing a hand up to cup Kyungsoo’s cheek to angle their faces better. Kyungsoo’s fingers tighten and he quickens his pace, the pain of the dry friction almost drowned out by how good it feels. It’s like his nerves are on fire, drowning in the heat of Kyungsoo’s mouth and he twists his tongue, kissing him harder as he moans against his lips.
He whines when Kyungsoo rips himself away, displeased when he lets go of his cock. He’s so hard it aches. Kyungsoo only laughs at the frown on his face, leaning back down to press a swift kiss right between his furrowed eyebrows.
“Patience,” he breathes, before pulling away.
Leaning over to the side, Kyungsoo rifles through the messy pile of clothes strewn on the floor by the couch and Jongin keeps him steady with his hands on Kyungsoo’s hips. His skin is warm and soft beneath his fingers and it takes everything he has to lay still patiently.
Kyungsoo finally finds what he’s looking for, straightening back up with the jacket he’d thrown off earlier in hand. He searches the pockets quickly, looking satisfied when his fingers find purchase and he pulls out a packet of lube and a couple of condoms.
“Prepared, aren’t you?” Jongin laughs, squeezing Kyungsoo’s sides teasingly as he throws the jacket aside. “Do you always carry those around with you?”
“You tell me,” Kyungsoo grins, leaning down close to brush their lips together. “I was wearing your jacket.”
Flushing hard, Jongin squirms underneath him and Kyungsoo grins as he presses a quick kiss to his lips.
Popping the lid, he slathers his fingers with a generous amount of lube and pushes two inside himself, scissoring himself. His lips part, eyelashes fluttering as he works himself open and Jongin feels flushed, somewhat breathless and so fucking hard.
Finally, Kyungsoo slips his fingers out, taking hold of Jongin’s cock again to roll on a condom and slick it up. The light touches are killing him, already sensitive with need and Jongin groans, hardly able to wait.
Kyungsoo lifts himself up, keeping his balance with a hand on Jongin’s chest as Jongin’s hands come up to hold his waist, keeping him steady. Guiding Jongin’s cock towards his hold, Kyungsoo takes a deep breath and sinks down slowly, ripping long drawn groans from the both of them.
He so tight and hot, so good, but Jongin doesn’t dare move until Kyungsoo has adjusted properly. Keeping a hand braced on Jongin’s chest, Kyungsoo lifts himself up until there’s only the crown of his cock inside him and slams down hard, clenching tightly around him and it feels so dizzyingly good. There’s a beautiful flush colouring Kyungsoo’s cheeks, spreading all the way down to his heaving chest as he pushes himself up again, setting up a pace. The air is hot and thick with their moans, Kyungsoo bouncing in his lap with cut off whimpers as Jongin digs his heels into the couch cushions and thrusts up to meet his grinds with a groan.
Kyungsoo falls forward with a choked moan, holding himself up with his hands on either side of Jongin’s head. Their lips brush together and Jongin arches his neck to claim them but Kyungsoo pushes himself away with a grin, panting as he keeps fucking himself on Jongin’s cock. He licks his lips, eyes at half-mast as he bores them into Jongin’s heatedly. Leaning back, he curls his fingers around Jongin’s ankles and bares his neck, clearly an invitation when he moans low in his throat.
Jongin pushes himself to sit up, chuckling when Kyungsoo nearly loses his balance at the movement and circles his arms around his waist to press their chests up close together. He licks a stripe up the column of Kyungsoo’s neck, leaving a trail of kisses all the way down to the hollow of his throat before working his way back up to lick into Kyungsoo’s mouth.
Kyungsoo’s arms wind around Jongin’s neck and he breaks off to suck on his jawline, burying his moans in the skin of his cheek as Jongin rocks his hips up harder. Jongin can feels him trailing his fingertips across the planes of his back, sending little prickles of electricity zinging through his veins under his touch. The burning swirl of arousal pools in his stomach, and he pistons his hips up harder, keening as he throws his head back and god he’s so close, it feels like his entire body is on fire. Kyungsoo rolls his hips down, fucking himself harder on Jongin’s cock, his voice cracking when he cries out Jongin’s name over and over again. He comes like that, fingers buried in Jongin’s hair, his body rigid and pulled taut as Jongin’s hips pound into him to his own release.
They slump down against the couch, not bothering about the mess sticking between their stomachs. Kyungsoo seems content to lie on his chest, panting and looking completely fucked out and absolutely beautiful. Jongin wraps an arm around him securely, already feeling his eyelids getting heavy, struggling to keep them open.
“Now that’s a housewarming,” he murmurs sleepily, hearing Kyungsoo chuckle and kiss his chest in response just before he dozes off. ⇐
This is the first place he'd thought to check, hoping against hope that Kyungsoo might have come back here to have some quiet time away from him. It hurts to think about, that he has to come up with all the places Kyungsoo might go to, to get away from him, but he swallows it down; this is all his fault after all.
When they found a bigger place after they graduated from university, Kyungsoo had been the one to insist that they keep it this apartment; 'just in case' he'd insisted, though Jongin already knew it was purely for sentimental value. He hadn't opposed him them, not quite ready to part with the first piece of space they'd ever had just for themselves either.
But the building is empty, with no sign of being touched in a long time. Kyungsoo isn't here.
There an icy bite to the wind when he comes out of the next warp, standing on the bridge overlooking the frozen lake. Shivering, Jongin wraps his thin jacket tighter around himself, folding his arms to tuck his hands away for warmth.
His heart falls at the large mass of people on the ice and sitting around it on the drier banks out of the way. His eyes slip from one face to another in a futile attempt to single Kyungsoo out from the thick throng of people. Ice skating is popular this time of the year and it’s next to impossible to find anyone in the crowd.
He had come here once with Kyungsoo, getting the idea out of the blue.
⇒ He’s having a bad day.
Jongin can see it in the lines almost permanently etched into his face, the dark pull of his furrowed eyebrows and tight line of his lips. He hasn’t said a word to Jongin since he got home from class, tossing his bag aside and holing himself up in his room, emerging only to get food.
It’s not anger though. The downturned curve of his mouth, and the slight slump in his shoulders; it’s subtle, anyone could have missed it, but then Jongin has always looked at Kyungsoo like there’s nothing else in the world he could possibly turn his eyes to. He sees the faint shadows circling under his eyes and catches the ghost of a sigh that escapes Kyungsoo’s lips every now and then, the way he hangs his head when he thinks he’s alone, clearly berating himself internally.
Jongin recalls him mentioning an important test set earlier that morning. He doesn’t ask how it went; he doesn’t need to. Frowning, Jongin watches as Kyungsoo slumps down on one of the wooden chairs around the kitchen table, setting a bowl of cereal in front of him and poking at the cornflakes with his spoon without taking a bite. He’s got an elbow up on the table, mashing his cheek into his closed fist as he stares at his food; he’s subdued out of his appetite and Jongin cocks his head, getting a sudden idea.
It takes a while and a lot of coaxing but he manages to get a disgruntled Kyungsoo bundled up in a thick jacket with a woolly scarf wrapped snugly around his neck. Clasping his hands tightly around Kyungsoo’s arms before he can protest and change his mind, Jongin warps them out of the house and onto the hard stone of a bridge.
Kyungsoo takes one look at where they are and glares at Jongin, gritting his teeth grumpily.
“You know I suck at this stuff,” he mutters crossly, hunching his shoulders to block out the cold nip of the wind from his neck.
“You’ll be fine, it’ll be fun, hyung,” Jongin insists, curling his fingers around Kyungsoo’s wrist and pulling him behind him as he leads them down from the bridge onto the grassy bank. There’s already a crowd of people littering the surface of the frozen river, gliding across the thick ice on their skates. Jongin beelines for the renting stall to get two pairs of skates, still dragging a very reluctant Kyungsoo behind him; he hasn’t shrugged his hand off yet, which Jongin takes as a good sign. He just wants Kyungsoo to feel the same way he always feels when he comes out here every once in a while just to breathe; free, like the biting cold air and the smooth cut of the ice under his blades are slicing apart every knot of unease and distress polluting his body and thoughts. As a warper, Jongin relishes the solidity under his feet but he thinks maybe as an earth mover, Kyungsoo might revel in the smooth texture and finesse of the frozen river surface that the coarse earth doesn’t quite capture.
Kyungsoo is unsurprisingly wobbly on the ice, but Jongin cheers and yells out encouragements all the same, circling around him close enough to catch him if he falls.
Grunting, Kyungsoo keeps his arms outstretched as he stumbles and flails his way around at a snail’s pace, brows furrowed as he keeps his eyes on his feet and concentrates on keeping his balance. He gradually sets up a pace, skating in a straight path along the perimeter of the river, with Jongin gliding smoothly beside him just an arm’s length away, encouraging him along. Smiling, Jongin watches Kyungsoo experiment with circles, trying to curve around more and spin slowly on the ice. There’s a hint of something creeping into his eyes, a mixture between frustrated determination and eagerness, the slightest twitch of a smile playing on his lips. Jongin veers away, putting more distance between them to give Kyungsoo more space.
He just barely spots the kid shooting down in Kyungsoo’s direction, leaving him no time to call out and warn him. Kyungsoo looks up a split second before the collision happens and throws all his weight to the right, jumping out of the way. Throwing his hands out in front of him, Kyungsoo prepares for the inevitable fall but one of his skates skids on the ice and somehow catches the right angle, making him curve around prettily in a semi spin on one leg before slowing to a stop.
They gawk at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter, Kyungsoo nearly doubled over breathlessly as Jongin skates over next to him, shaking with mirth.
“Did you see that?” Kyungsoo laughs, his eyes curved into crescents. Jongin nods eagerly, giggles still tumbling from his lips. There’s a rush of warmth in his chest, swelling happily because the deep lines creasing Kyungsoo’s forehead have finally smoothed over and any traces of distress have ebbed away, even if it’s just for a while. His cheeks are flushed, still grinning so hard it looks like it’ll start to ache soon, and Jongin simply grins back. ⇐
“Minseok hyung!” he calls urgently, rushing down to the renting stall, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste. He’s got help this year, Jongin notes, watching as Yixing slides a finger lightly across the blade of a skate to restore its sharpness.
Jongin hopes against hope that Kyungsoo is around here somewhere, using the ice to clear his mind just like last time.
He stumbles again, a little woozy from his hurried warping, but a strong hand curls around his arm to hold him up.
“Easy, kid,” Luhan grins at him, only letting go when he’s sure Jongin’s legs will keep him up this time.
“Thank, hyung,” he mumbles embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s good to see you again.”
Minseok shows up after handing a pair of skates off to a customer, rounding the counter to pull Jongin into a hug.
“You here for my ice again?” he asks, jutting his chin towards the frozen solid lake before them.
Ducking his head apologetically, Jongin shifts awkwardly, throwing anxious glances at the crowd of people before turning back to his friends.
“I was just wondering if you guys have seen Kyungsoo around here today?” he asks, flushing and feeling his chest clench with shame at their confused but concerned looks.
Minseok turns to Yixing in askance, but he shakes his head cluelessly, shrugging his shoulders. Turning back towards the skating rink Minseok flicks his wrist, waiting as a small hunk of ice breaks from the perimeter and falls into his waiting palm. He cups the block with both hands, pressing them flat together until there’s nothing but droplets of water on his skin.
“I’m sorry Jongin, the ice holds no memory of him from today,” Minseok says apologetically, wiping his hand down on his pants. “I haven’t seen him come by the stall either.”
Jongin’s shoulders slump dejectedly, throwing another look at the moving body of people on the ice, as though Kyungsoo will suddenly show up among them with his usual smile on his face.
“I could try Looking for him,” Luhan offers, snatching Jongin’s attention back. “I’ll probably have to bypass the wall he set up after last time first.” He snickers, and Jongin recalls the prank Luhan had played on Kyungsoo, planting explicit images in his mind while he was trying to hold a conversation with some friends. Kyungsoo had learned to fortify his mind after that, stoutly refusing to speak to Luhan for a week.
Jongin nods gratefully, holding his breath as Luhan closes his eyes, searching for Kyungsoo’s mind. His brow furrows, jaw clenching tightly. Minseok steps forward to move to his side, ready to hold him steady if he sways. The deep frown on his face is not encouraging at all, and Jongin’s heart falls when Luhan cracks his eyes open without a smile to follow.
“Well he’s definitely learnt to block me out well,” he pants, wiping away a few beads of sweat that gathered on his forehead. Yixing immediately slides a hand up to cup his cheek, waiting a few seconds until Luhan’s shoulders relax and the frown slips away from his face in relief. He throws Yixing a thankful glance before he turns back to Jongin.
“He’s out of range though, he’s most likely in his underground tunnels. I can’t reach him down there. I’m sorry Jongin.”
Brushing aside his needless apology, Jongin shakes his head and pulls Luhan into a grateful hug, followed by Yixing.
“I’m sorry for the trouble,” he bows low until Minseok urges him to straighten up with an arm around his neck, the weight of it soothing. “Thanks, hyung.”
He pulls away with a wave of goodbye and warps out.
He lands on soft earth this time, his shoes sinking a bit in the damp soil beneath his shoes. The park is huge, spanning out so far he can’t even see where it ends. Sighing despondently, Jongin takes in the large mass of people littering the grassy plain huddled close for warmth as they wait for the year end fireworks to start, his heart sinking at how impossible it’s going to be to find Kyungsoo through the crowd. If he’s even here at all.
⇒ It’s sunny enough that they came out to walk the puppies, letting them run freely through the grass as Jongin and Kyungsoo splay out on the grass with their packed picnic basket of lunch. They sit side by side, leaning back on their arms as they soak in the sun, their shoulders occasionally bumping together.
The puppies adore Kyungsoo of course, sprinting back after rocketing around the park and bowling right into him, nuzzling whichever part of him they can reach. All three poodles are vying for his hand to scratch their heads, drawing out his bright smile and husky laugh as he tries to keep up with all of them. Jongin is entranced, finding himself unable to look away.
Kyungsoo pulls a container of fruit out of the basket, nibbling at a strawberry and chuckling when the puppies fall over themselves trying to get to it too.
He’s not the first of Jongin’s friends to play with his puppies, but he’s the first who’s ever made this moment seem so significant. It feels intimate, the way he reaches over to push a strawberry into his mouth, patting his thigh absently as he munches on his own. The longing in every fiber of his body aches so badly, it makes it hard to swallow. This, Jongin thinks to himself, watching Kyungsoo nuzzling his face into the puppies’ furry heads, this in all its simplicity and familiarity is everything that he wants with Kyungsoo. His heart swells up, squeezing with emotion and wistfulness because he wants to stay in this moment of ease with Kyungsoo for as long as he can.
Maybe it’s just the way the sun hits his face when he turns to smile at him, or the coral tint staining his lips from the strawberry juice but Jongin’s chest is full, overwhelmed and before he can talk himself out of it, he leans in and presses his lips to Kyungsoo’s.
They’re even softer than he’d ever dared to imagine, warm and plush against his own, and Jongin is sure he’s stopped breathing. He pulls back, cracking his eyes open again and the first thing he registers is Kyungsoo flinching back, hissing through his teeth. Jongin doesn’t think, he can barely process anything at all; his heart slams against his ribs and he feels the grass disappear beneath him. ⇐
He’s rounded the entire park at least twice, warping from one patch of grass to another to get a good look at the people splayed out on the ground. Wheezing, Jongin clutches at his side, trying to knead the painful stitch out with his fingers. He throws one last desperate look around again before warping out.
The second he materializes, Jongin has to swerve out of the way quickly before the waiter collides with him and drops his tray of orders. The restaurant is horribly over-decorated, streamers and balloons obnoxiously crammed into every nook and cranny of the place. Jongin manages a small smile as he looks around at the familiar setting. Chanyeol hasn’t changed at all.
⇒ He materializes on the chair so hard it nearly knocks the breath out of him.
“What the-”
He takes in his surroundings, gasping in horror that he’d accidentally warped away from the park right into this restaurant. It takes a few seconds but the memory of kissing Kyungsoo slams into him and he panics even harder, struggling to get to his feet when he knees feel all wobbly.
“I knew you’d finally see the light and pick my burgers over Baek’s chicken!”
Jongin turns to find Chanyeol grinning at him from behind the counter, drying up a glass with worn out dishcloth. Groaning, Jongin trudges over to sit on one of the high stools across from Chanyeol and burying his face in his arms on the counter.
“Hyung, I screwed up,” he whines miserably, thinking about the way Kyungsoo flinched back from him so quickly.
“Let me guess. Kyungsoo?”
Chanyeol seems to read the look in his eyes, nodding understandingly as he sets the spotless glass down and rounds the counter to take a seat beside him. Slumping against his shoulder, Jongin recounts everything that happened right before he got here.
Listening attentively, Chanyeol pats his hair gently, about to opens his mouth to say something but the jingle of the bells at the entrance make him pause.
“Well,” Jongin hears him say, “speak of the devil.”
Bolting upright in his seat, Jongin follows his line of sight towards the entrance and freezes when he spots Kyungsoo standing there. He looks absolutely livid.
"What the hell was that?" he hisses, storming over to where Jongin is sitting.
“I’ll leave you to it then,” Chanyeol chirps, clapping a hand on Jongin’s shoulder, ignoring the pleading eyes he’s throwing him and disappears into the kitchen.
“You left me with your kids,” Kyungsoo goes on as though Chanyeol wasn’t even there, “I can’t walk three dogs home by myself across those busy streets and you know they hate my underground tunnels!”
“Are they alright?” Jongin frets immediately, brows creasing, “they must be exhausted-”
“That’s not the point!” Kyungsoo cuts him off, nostrils flaring. Jongin falls silent, staring at his hands on his lap, unsure of where to go from here.
"How long?" he hears Kyungsoo ask, his voice far more hushed now.
"Hyung-"
"Jongin," Kyungsoo cuts in again, looking inexplicably furious, "How long?"
He can still feel the phantom warmth of Kyungsoo’s lips on his own.
"Um," he fumbles, twisting the hem of his shirt around his finger so tightly that his nail begins to poke through, "since I got into University? So always, I guess," he trails off, baffled by the way Kyungsoo's eyebrows continue to furrow.
“So even when…” Kyungsoo pauses, pressing his lips together as he stares at Jongin.
"Even when I started seeing Minah?” he drags a hand along his face, tugging roughly at the strands of his hair. “God, Jongin, I talked to you about her all the time."
Jongin nods, remembering every heartbreaking moment he’d endured through his second year, listening to Kyungsoo talk about his new girlfriend while he picked up the pieces of his own heart.
"You just-you never stopped-even then?" Kyungsoo continues, staring at Jongin with a torn expression.
"Yeah," Jongin says again, lowering his eyes to where his fingers are playing with a loose thread on his shirt.
"And you just let me-why didn't you say anything?"
Kyungsoo's question has Jongin whipping his head up, the frustration in his tone and burning in his eyes making him falter a little. He shakes himself quickly though, feeling a wave of his own frustration wash over him.
"Why would I?" he throws back, because none of this makes sense. He’s tired, his heart feels bruised and worn thin. All he wants is to be anywhere but here so he can lie down and burn in his shame and misery, to try and figure out how to even fix this. "You’re my best friend, what’s the point in loading all my crap about how I felt on you. You were dating Minah!"
"Because I thought I never had a chance with you!" Kyungsoo exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air.
Stunned, Jongin's breath hitches, his lips parting in shock and he’s unable to make a sound as he gapes at Kyungsoo with wide eyes. That can’t be right. His heart is in his throat, pounding painfully enough to make him feel lightheaded.
"I mean," Kyungsoo shakes his head, squeezing his eyes shut as he tries to explain it properly. "I liked Minah, she was sweet and funny and dating her was lovely. I’m not denying that. But I only considered going out with her at all because I thought you’d never… I thought I'd never have a shot with you."
"Then what made you break up with her?" Jongin whispers, feeling rooted to the spot. He wonders if Kyungsoo can hear his heart from where he's standing.
"Guess I never stopped hoping," Kyungsoo's lowers his eyes and Jongin takes a moment to admire, for the thousandth time, the way his dark lashes brush against his cheekbones.
The moment is short lived when Kyungsoo snaps his eyes open to close the distance and ram his fist right into Jongin’s gut.
“And it turns out I was right to do so,” he growls crossly as Jongin doubles over, clutching his stomach.
“Well you never said anything either!” he wheezes in a weak attempt to fight back. “And you cursed when I kissed you! You backed away like I was some disease!”
“That’s because Jjangah bit my finger,” Kyungsoo retorts, “and you warped out and left me alone before I could even say anything.”
Jongin shrinks under the force of his glare, biting on his lower lips when Kyungsoo turns his face away, folding his arms tightly against his chest.
“S-so,” Jongin tries uncertainly, “you like me?”
“Yes.”
Brusque.
“But… you’re mad.”
“Very.”
At a loss for words, he opens and closes his mouth in an attempt to find the right thing to say to that.
“Just-” Kyungsoo heaves out a sigh, squeezing his eyes shut with a frown. “Just take us back to the house, Jongin.”
Giving a short nod, Jongin complies and steps closer, his hand hovering over Kyungsoo’s shoulder, wondering if maybe he should take a chance and hold his hand. Kyungsoo is looking anywhere but at him though, forehead still creased, and he settles for curling his fingers firmly around Kyungsoo’s shoulder.
He warps them both out of Chanyeol’s restaurant, ignoring the curious glances from the handful of customers and lands them right outside Kyungsoo’s shared room with Junmyeon, feeling confused and a little anxious. Kyungsoo wordlessly pushes the door open and walks in, leaving Jongin to trail in after him, shutting the door uncertainly.
He’s barely even turned around when before he finds himself with his back pushed up against the closed door and Kyungsoo is crowding into his space. There’s no time to speak, no time to think before Kyungsoo’s mouth is covering his own, bringing a hand up to palm his cheek. He kisses gently, taking Jongin’s lower lip between his own before kissing his top one, pressing in closely against Jongin’s chest. He brings his other hand up to Jongin’s face, pressing his thumb into his cheekbone and angles his head to kiss him harder. Jongin feels the tip of his nose pressing into his cheek as Kyungsoo coaxes his lips open with his tongue, licking into his mouth with a breathy hum low in his throat. He tastes of strawberry, Jongin registers vaguely, shuddering when Kyungsoo curls his tongue and licks along the roof of his mouth. Kyungsoo’s mouth is dizzyingly hot, his soft lips slotting perfectly with Jongin’s before nibbling lightly on his lower lip. He’s too lightheaded to figure out what to do with his hands, feeling like his knees might buckle at any moment.
He lets out a breathless whine when Kyungsoo pulls back all too quickly, too dazed to feel embarrassed. Kyungsoo’s still pressed against his chest when he looks up at him, lips shiny and swollen.
“If you’d just said something, we could have saved ourselves a lot of-”
Jongin doesn’t let him finish, surging forward to claim his lips again, remembering his hands this time as he curls one around the back of Kyungsoo’s neck to pull him closer. He brushes their noses together, kissing him slowly as he brings his hand up to press the tips of his fingers into Kyungsoo’s cheek softly. He can feel the twist of Kyungsoo’s lips curving into a smile against his own, a spike of warmth in his chest when he feels arms curving around his waist to settle on the dip of his back. ⇐
“Jongin?”
Chanyeol emerges from the kitchen, wiping his hands down on the apron around his waist.
“Where’s Kyungsoo?”
His heart falls to his feet. “He’s not here?”
Chanyeol shakes his head, apologetic. Jongin nods, promising to come back for an actual meal sometime next week before he warps out.
He stumbles when he lands in the dimly lit bar, his lungs tight and stomach churning at the poor materialization of his sloppy warp. Wheezing, he doubles over, holding himself up with his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath from the efforts of travelling, too frazzled and distracted to do it properly. The sound of a guitar strumming reaches his ears once the blood stops pounding in his head.
“Jongin?”
Still bent over as he pants, Jongin twists his head towards the person calling his name, spotting Sehun throwing him an odd look from behind the bar counter. He tries to speak but only manages a rasp though his chapped lips, face scrunching in discomfort. Sehun cocks his head, looking almost bored as he quirks a lazy finger in the air towards him.
Jongin barely has time to blink before a gust of wind forces its way through his mouth and nose, inflating his lungs as he gulps in the much needed air. Brushing his hair out of his face, Jongin dodges past the batch of new people coming in through the door to get to the bar.
“Thanks,” he says gratefully.
“No problem. You looked a little winded,” Sehun snickers, aiming his pointer fingers at the row of drinks set on the counter to calculatedly blow air into them, fizzing them up nicely before sending them off.
Jongin ignores him in favour of scanning the bar, eyes leaping from head to head in the crowd desperately looking for that familiar sleekness to Kyungsoo’s hair.
“Looking for someone?” Sehun asks lightly, as he serves a martini, flying it smoothly right into the waiting hand of an elegantly dressed woman at the far end of the bar.
“Yeah, I...” He trails off when a familiar song begins to play, and turns his head to watch the live band strum out the first verse of the song.
They come down here on the weekends when they’re too tired to work but too wired up to stay cooped up at home. One added perk of befriending Sehun is the drink benefits they get to call when he’s on shift. The music is great here, small name bands coming in every week to give a live performance to the steady influx of regulars in the bar. It’s the perfect kind of atmosphere for a tranquil Friday night, upbeat enough to get them tapping their feet and swaying with their drinks in hand.
Most of the time though, Jongin isn’t even looking towards the stage; he barely glances at the musicians and the vocalist singing into the microphone. Most of the time he’s got his eyes subtly fixed on Kyungsoo, watching as he sways his body to the music, occasionally mouthing the words from a song he recognizes, a faint smile playing on his lips when the guitarists hit a sweet note. He watches him wistfully stare at the stage, drawn back by bouts of stage fright until one day Kyungsoo pulls him down to kiss him hard and takes a deep breath, bracing himself before marching right up onto that stage himself.
And when he comes down he ravishes Jongin’s mouth again, kissing him breathless, riding off the exhilaration of the performance. He says it feels like he’s in another world up there, and he doesn’t have to think about anything but his voice matching the music of the guitar. ⇐
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin says distractedly, desperately searching the growing throng of people, “He-we had a-have you seen him?”
The band starts on their next song, a more upbeat number this time and he can’t hear himself over the music. He knows Sehun has heard him though, looking up at him beseechingly in hopes that he’ll say yes. No such luck though. Sehun shakes his head, his expression drawn with concern. Jongin’s miserable sigh is lost in the loud bass of the amplifiers and he waves his thanks at Sehun before warping out of there.
He tries one bar after another, bursting in through the doors and desperately squeezing through the hordes of people ready to celebrate New Year’s Eve with enough alcohol to knock them out cold. He looks everywhere, scanning every person’s face he can see, feeling despair clawing at his insides like a thorn. He goes through every bar he knows of in the area until he’s stumbling and wheezing after every warp, getting clumsier by the minute. Every movement sends sparks of pain in his joints and he’s aching all over, dizzy as he half collapses against a wall to steady himself until his head stops spinning. His phone battery died, he notes, not that it really matters anyway since Kyungsoo isn’t answering his.
He lands himself halfway down a staircase at one point, painfully jostling his back when he teeters off balance and slips off the edge down a couple of steps. He’s losing his accuracy, materializing further and further off his intended mark. Praying he doesn’t warp himself in the middle of oncoming traffic, Jongin takes a deep breath and warps out again.
part two