{exo; kai/d.o} finest thing in history (v)
Title: finest thing in history, part v/v
part four
The magazine covers and spreads that Jongin suddenly finds his face on aside, their lives continue the way they always have. Days slip into weeks that slide into months, until Kyungsoo flips to the next page on his calendar and realizes, with some surprise, that Jongin will be graduating this month. He'll have to worry about graduate school or finding a more substantial career soon, but at least he'll have an economics degree to support him; before Jongin starts on the next step of his life, Kyungsoo fully intends on punctuating the end of his university career with summer fun.
Kyungsoo is much too busy to shove his documents aside and run away to the seaside for a week, but he throws himself into the endless trading shipments and deals as Jongin panics over finals, both of them finding solace in each other's arms at night; Jongin seizes the opportunity to go to bed without a shirt on, even though the air conditioning keeps the summer heat well away. If Kyungsoo doesn't notice Jongin shoving one particular newspaper clipping under his Econ textbooks or coming home especially late some nights, then he knows he only has himself to blame later.
The beach is worth it. Jongin struts around shirtless, this time in bright red swim trunks rather than his navy blue boxers, oversized sunglasses that he bought with his own paycheck taking up nearly half of his face but obstructing none of the gloating grin he shoots at Kyungsoo. Jongin, at Kyungsoo's urging, invites his coworkers from the restaurant along, but by the time they return home, they are his friends.
Mid-February, Jongin and Kyungsoo teamed up to force Lu Han into accepting Kyungsoo's offer of paying for Lu Han's father's transplant. Now nearly half a year later, Lu Han's father is recovering well and Lu Han won't stop tripping over himself in an effort to repay Kyungsoo in any way he can, big or small, but Kyungsoo doesn't regret spending all that money if it means he can save a life as well as Jongin's friend's happiness. The money came from his own savings, barely a dent compared to the company's yearly profit, and helping Lu Han makes Kyungsoo happy.
Aside from what Lu Han calls an unpayable debt and Kyungsoo has long gotten over, they get along very well. Kyungsoo likes all of them, Lu Han and Joonmyun and Baekhyun and Chanyeol and Jongdae and Minseok, all of which who are good people and all of which who react with a bit too much surprise whenever Jongin touches Kyungsoo in front of them. It's obvious Lu Han and Joonmyun approve, happy to see Jongin so light-hearted. The week ends and Kyungsoo is brushing sand off of Jongin's back and legs before they get into the van-which Jongin insisted they take alone rather than with a driver, as stubborn as ever; Kyungsoo should have known he would have ended up driving-when he looks out at the ocean and wishes he never has to leave.
"We'll come back, okay?" Jongin whispers, putting his hand on Kyungsoo's hip. Kyungsoo's shirt is a bit too short, a sleeveless tank top he dug out of the closet just for this trip, and Jongin's fingers brush bare, tanned skin. "I promise, Kyungsoo. We'll come back to the beach together."
It isn't like Jongin to be so heavy and serious and Kyungsoo looks up into his face, the words catching in his throat. "Okay. I'll hold you to that," he manages at a whisper. He isn't sure why he suddenly feels so afraid, standing beside Jongin like this, where he belongs.
Jongin kisses him instead, the fingers on Kyungsoo's hip pressing into the soft skin, but a catcall from the van breaks them apart. "Yo!" Chanyeol calls. "Are we going to leave or are you two going to make out for the rest of the day?"
The second option sounds pretty good to both of them but they head back to the van anyways, Jongin only taking his hand away to get into the passenger seat.
Kyungsoo is the one who gets the very last glimpse of the beach, a flicker in his rearview mirror of the red setting sun, and he swears to himself that he will never forget this week, of getting to know Jongin's friends and screaming in protest when Jongin pretended to dump him into the water and kissing Jongin softly by the water's edge, the waves lapping gently at their feet as Kyungsoo curled his fingers into Jongin's dark hair to root himself to the world and Jongin's hands were hot on Kyungsoo's bare back.
✪
Work drags Kyungsoo in worse than ever as he takes command within the company, just as he's always meant to do. His tie constantly feels like it's choking him and Kyungsoo wonders if he'll ever find the same relish in earning money as the people all around him do.
Jongin has taken to leaving the house for hours at a time, and a fancy certificate and graduation gown now lives in their room. When he gets back home, Jongin often complains of sore muscles but refuses to tell Kyungsoo why he has them, dragging Kyungsoo with him into the jacuzzi with him as a distraction. It works perfectly, even if it does push Kyungsoo a bit too close to his invisible line when they kiss among the rolling bubbles and Jongin's hair is plastered slickly to his still-tan skin. He refuses to cut it.
One night, Jongin takes Kyungsoo into his arms just before Kyungsoo falls asleep and wakes him up with butterfly kisses that flit up from the inside of Kyungsoo's wrist to his collarbones, tracing the blades slowly before making their way up the column of Kyungsoo's throat. "And here I thought you'd be a bit better rested, seeing as it's the weekend," Jongin says injuredly, but there is fire dancing in his eyes and it is making it hard for Kyungsoo to remember what sleep is.
"Work follows me home, you know that," Kyungsoo says, curling his fingers into Jongin's thick locks of hair. He frees one to bat Jongin's hands away from the wristband of his pajama bottoms, still insecure; one would think partying and drinking in college would have rid those inhibitions away well enough, but Kyungsoo never let himself make that kind of decision, even when a girl fell into his lap. Jongin is in control and obviously experienced in bed, but he still withdraws his hand with a disappointed groan.
When Kyungsoo wants something, Jongin denies himself to give Kyungsoo what he wants, even if the desire is so strong Kyungsoo thinks he will shudder into pieces at Jongin's mere gaze. They kiss instead, hot and needy yet slow at Kyungsoo's touch, Jongin carefully licking between Kyungsoo's lips as Kyungsoo struggles not to whimper.
"Are you holding back, Kyungsoo?" Jongin whispers. His face is shrouded in shadow yet Kyungsoo feels unbearably hot under those dark eyes, lost in the night.
"Jongin-" Kyungsoo chokes out, unable to catch his breath when Jongin rolls on top of him, his weight a suffocating presence on Kyungsoo's chest not because he's heavy but because he's close, so close.
Jongin kisses a trail up Kyungsoo's neck and nips at Kyungsoo's earlobe, causing Kyungsoo to arch in response; the sharp movement drags heartfelt moans from their lips and Kyungsoo can feel himself flushing, as if it wasn't hot enough already. "Jongin," he repeats desperately.
"I know," Jongin answers, bringing his mouth to Kyungsoo's swollen lips again. His voice is hoarse, rough in a broken, needy way, and Kyungsoo has never heard anything so arousing in his life. Longing sears through his blood and muddles his thoughts, narrowing his world down to the boy hovering over him, the boy whose long-fingered hands are so sure yet gentle as they cradle Kyungsoo's face. He must be able to sense how hard Kyungsoo is shaking now, because their kissing decrescendos to a languid pace, the heat calming to a flush that holds them tightly together as they learn to breathe when their mouths are connected. When Jongin finally draws his head back, panting quietly, Kyungsoo fights to pull oxygen into his lungs properly because Kim Jongin never fails to take his breath away.
Jongin mumbles something against Kyungsoo's neck that Kyungsoo doesn't quite catch, only laughs softly when Kyungsoo asks him to repeat himself. Figuring he can ask him again in the morning, Kyungsoo fits himself to Jongin's side, falling asleep to the pace of Jongin's breathing even if it's still a bit uneven from their kissing.
When he wakes up, the bed is cold and he is completely and utterly alone.
✪
Instead of sinking into despair, Kyungsoo pulls up a data sheet and begins inputting the numbers, his hands moving mechanically as he wills his eyes not to cry. He searched the entire house three times, even the abandoned wings of the mansion he never bothered to show Jongin and Jongin had no need of ever visiting. Then he ran down to the garage, finding the keys to the Coupe in his jacket pocket with a lurch of dread he couldn't suppress, flinging himself into the driver's seat and starting the engine up with trembling hands. The drive to the still familiar restaurant was reckless and probably well over the speed limit, but not even the threat of a car accident could stop him as he screeched into the first open spot he saw, parked the car sloppily, and set off running for the kitchens.
Jongin had only showed Kyungsoo the side door once, but Kyungsoo took his chances with that rather than tear through the store and make a spectacle out of himself. When he burst into the room, hair still uncombed and clothes sitting haphazardly, eyes wild and scared, the entire kitchen had stared at him in surprise. Baekhyun instantly moved forward, reaching out to him. "Kyungsoo, what..."
"Jongin-" Kyungsoo said, breathless from running and struggling to speak coherently. "Jongin, where is he? Have you seen him?" He noticed Chanyeol pointedly look away from his eyes and Jongdae standing at the back of the room with fear in his own.
"Surely he hasn't done anything to get upset over," Baekhyun said soothingly, taking Kyungsoo's hands in his.
Kyungsoo shook his head, pulling his hands free. "No, no-I woke up and he was gone. His clothes and his books, he even left my keys. Everything."
Lu Han stood then, rising to his feet in a corner of the room Kyungsoo hadn't even noticed. His expression was sad, his lips pressed together in a tense line as he walked slowly across the room to put something into Kyungsoo's hands. Kyungsoo looked down automatically at the folded piece of binder paper and suddenly air resisted all his attempts to draw it into his lungs.
The first word he saw when he opened the note was that Jongin had addressed it to "D.O." Tears stung Kyungsoo's eyes but he forced himself to keep reading. The note was terribly short.
D.O, the words read, Jongin's handwriting as horrible as it was the first time Kyungsoo saw it, the first time he ever went to Jongin's old apartment. I'm gone and I don't want you to look for me. This is something I have to do, for myself and for you, so don't you dare cry because I never wanted that. I don't know how long this is going to take but I'll come back, I swear it. If I come back and you've moved on, I won't blame you. But I've made some promises to you and I intend to follow up on every one of them. Kai.
Kyungsoo looked up into Lu Han's face, knowing tears were running down his face and he was unable to stop them. "He left me?" he asked, his voice raw and vulnerable.
"I'm sorry," was all Lu Han replied with, and Kyungsoo sobbed into his shoulder.
That was in the morning. Now it is night and Jongin's note is taped to the wall over Kyungsoo's computer screen and Kyungsoo vaguely realizes he has made it through his first day without Jongin by his side. He spent it all in his study, immersing himself with work and ignoring his mother's call midday. The study was-is?-Jongin's least favorite room in the entire house; he always used to coax Kyungsoo away from the computer and to bed, hating every moment he spends in that room because of the dark circles it draws under Kyungsoo's eyes.
Now Jongin is no longer around to call him to the bedroom and so Kyungsoo works until he can't read the next number on his data chart, eyes almost closing but he can't. He can't go back to that empty bed and smell Jongin all around him when the sheets are so cold, lacking the heat of another body, the wandering fingers Kyungsoo so firmly resisted. He should have let Jongin go farther last night, Kyungsoo thinks bitterly. If only he had known that this would happen, then he would have slept with Jongin at every chance he had rather than try and contain all the want that burned between them. He should have said yes last night so at least he'd have the memories to hold onto because now Kyungsoo isn't sure he'll be able to see Jongin so intimately like that ever again.
When Kyungsoo finally goes to bed, there is no one to distract him from the poisonous thoughts circling his mind, again and again. It is harder than Kyungsoo could have ever imagined to fall asleep alone, even though he's been doing it for all but half a year of his life; all those months of Jongin holding him have come back to bite him.
✪
This time it is Kyungsoo who works himself nearly to death. He has no Lu Han or Joonmyun to fuss over him, unable to bear returning to the restaurant again if he can no longer see Jongin effortlessly maneuvering around the tables, taking orders and refilling water or bestowing one of those perfect smiles on a little girl clinging to the sleeve of her mother. His parents praise him for how well the company is flourishing but Kyungsoo has no way to rationalize why he's taken to driving the Volkswagen-he refuses to drive the Coupe after finding a jacket Jongin accidentally left behind in the backseat-to his company office, sometimes even sleeping on his couch there so he won't have to return home. His house feels twice as empty now that it has lost one of its inhabitants, now all of them. Kyungsoo sends the staff away at least four days out of seven every week, but some stay behind anyways, knowing he won't eat unless they insist he does.
The first letter comes almost half a year later, on the day Kyungsoo looked up from his menu and Jongin asked him if he needed more time before making his choices. It is a tiny envelope addressed to "DO Kyungsoo," a tiny period between the two letters of his last name; there is no return address but Kyungsoo rips it open anyways, finding some money and a post-it note. There was a time when I needed this money more than you did. Now, I don't need it either, so you can have it back. Kai.
Kyungsoo almost breaks down at work but he manages to hold himself together because he has three meetings to go today and it is unprofessional to go to meetings with tear-swollen eyes. He saves his tears for home, pressing a fist to his forehead and unable to understand why Jongin left, where Jongin is, why Jongin insists on doing this to him. Surely it hurts just as much for him, too?
His mother picks up on Jongin's absence three months later, asking after the good-looking finance major. Kyungsoo doesn't bother correcting her, just gives her a tight smile and says, "He's going to be away for a while, but he says he'll be back soon."
The next time is a single peppermint wrapped in clear cellophane, the exact kind that Kyungsoo keeps in a shallow dish his new secretary insists wasn't once an ashtray. Halfway into their relationship, Kyungsoo took Jongin to his work office; it was the first, last, and only time they went together, and the reason why Kyungsoo studiously avoids the coffee room on his floor. He can remember when Jongin pushed him behind the cupboard and kissed him until Kyungsoo sputtered out a Jongin, stop, I can't go out like this at work and Jongin traded kissing Kyungsoo's lips until they were swollen for sucking a hickey just under Kyungsoo's proper suit collar. Rather than clearing his head, the sharp flavor of the candy only muddles him into missing Jongin even more.
Over the months, Jongin-or rather, Kai-sends Kyungsoo several small envelopes; one week, Kyungsoo received four in a row, then the next one two months later, each of them contained some tidbit or scrap of paper reminding Kyungsoo painfully of something they once had together. The memories aren't slipping away if that was what Jongin was worried about, as clear and striking and breathtaking as ever. As summer reaches its height and Kyungsoo realizes it's been two whole years since he has touched Jongin's skin, he gets a sand dollar on the day after Jongin left him two years ago and a note, Have you been to the beach since we were together? The answer is no but Kyungsoo has no way of telling him anyways.
A sense of anticipation has tightened over Kyungsoo's life and he has no idea why, just a restless, anxious waiting that seems to have taken a hold of him in tendrils and spikes. He is almost not surprised when Lu Han shows up on his doorstep a month later, holding a slim, business-sized envelope in one hand.
"Lu Han, come in," Kyungsoo says, a bit awkwardly. Lu Han has inevitably changed in the past two years, hair now dyed a light, modest brown but limbs still as slim as ever, though the air around him has solidified into something more like self-confidence. The smile he gives Kyungsoo is the same one from so long ago as well, sweet and easy. Kyungsoo isn't sure why he feels almost nostalgic.
They end up in Kyungsoo's rarely used sitting room, seated across from each other on couches around the coffee table. A maid offers Lu Han tea and coffee but he declines, looking just as overwhelmed as Jongin once did, and Kyungsoo dismisses her when he sees Lu Han is uncomfortable. "Is this just a visit or...?" he asks, eyeing the envelope Lu Han is holding.
"No, I'm here for a reason. Kyungsoo, you look so tired," Lu Han frowns. "I knew you're not sleeping well."
Insomnia is something Kyungsoo has gotten to know well, but sometimes a couple of sleeping pills can knock him out long enough that he survives the week. "I'm all right, Lu Han," he says, giving the boy a tight smile. "You've been well?"
Lu Han nods. "I got a secure job at the accounting firm and it's keeping me afloat well enough. I still work at the restaurant but not as much, Jongdae is doing well. You haven't come by lately, huh?"
Kyungsoo shrugs. "Work is keeping me busy."
Even though he doesn't look like he believes him, Lu Han accepts the excuse. After a moment's pause, he hands the envelope to Kyungsoo and watches wordlessly as Kyungsoo opens it.
There are two pieces of paper inside, slim and narrow. The first one Kyungsoo pulls out is a check of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and written out to Do Kyungsoo, the exact price of a liver transplant. Kyungsoo lifts his head to stare at Lu Han in disbelief, but Lu Han merely gestures at the other paper.
It's a ticket. A ticket to a dance showcase downtown, featuring several groups that Kyungsoo has never heard of; he notices his seat is one of the best, directly in the front row.
"What is this?" Kyungsoo asks quietly.
Lu Han smiles again, a tiny curl of his lips. It is obvious he isn't giving anything away, not today. He taps a slender finger against the date, which is three days from today, and then stands. "Be there."
Kyungsoo stares in bewilderment as Lu Han lets himself out, then down at the check and ticket in his hand. If this is what he thinks it is, then the ticket is worth infinitely more.
✪
Three days later, Kyungsoo dives into his closet in search for something that isn't a suit. He resurfaces with black skinny jeans that sure as hell feel tighter than they were back in college and a simple, dark grey shirt with some graphics on the back and a logo he has long forgotten the meaning of across the front. The soft, clean fabric clings to his body the way an ironed dress shirt never can. A pair of sunglasses obstruct his eyes from the setting August sun as he cruises down the highway in the Coupe, the steering wheel surprisingly familiar under his hands. He almost had a panic attack when he got into the car, unable to pull out of the garage for a few moments because everything about his favorite car reminded him of Jongin, from the way he curled Jongin's reluctant fingers around the keys to Jongin's jacket, still abandoned in the backseat because Kyungsoo parked the car in the corner of the garage and refused to use it again a year and a half ago. Obviously, staff have been keeping it clean and in fit condition for use, even dusting out the jacket, but he's been using the Volkswagen lately. Hope has him sitting in the driver's seat of this car again.
By the time he pulls up in front of the club hosting the show, it is already filled with people dancing and drinking in dim lighting and pulsing beats. He doesn't recognize a single face as he maneuvers through the moving bodies to where rows and rows of seats, already occupied by more chattering people, have been set up. An usher takes one look at the ticket Kyungsoo is holding and takes him to the front row immediately, asking if would like something to drink. Kyungsoo declines politely, a bit unbalanced in the club atmosphere after being closed away in an office for so long, and takes his seat. He is close enough to touch the stage if he wants.
The crowd rushes into the remaining open seats as lights flare on the stage when the clock nears eight in the evening, a host walking out to deafening screams. Dancers and singers alike perform to a wildly appreciative crowd, the songs spurring even Kyungsoo to stand and clap along to the beat. It is nearly ten when the host walks out under the colorful lights again. "And now we have the performance you've all been waiting for! They've been all around the country and back, and tonight they'll be completing their nationwide tour. Give it up for-Exo!"
Kyungsoo watches interestedly as five boys walk out into the middle of the stage with their heads down, dressed in leather and studs and chains. One loud beat from the speakers and they raise their head in synchronization, and Kyungsoo feels like his world has been turned upside down and all the seats and lights and strangers have come crashing down around him and the boy onstage. The boy who very obviously makes eye contact with him, an all-too-familiar smirk hooked on his lips, and then music tears him away into a fierce, fast-paced dance at the tip of the formation, his face so intensely concentrated and burning with the most passion and life Kyungsoo has even seen on that face.
As he watches Jongin dance, the only thought on Kyungsoo's numb mind is, Jongin really became Kai after all.
Kyungsoo isn't too sure whether he blinked or not through the three songs Jongin-Exo's Kai, Kai-performs that night, whether the tears that just may be collecting in his eyes are because he's proud or amazed or just happy, so happy to see Jongin again. When the show ends and Exo returns backstage, Kyungsoo takes a moment to scrub the back of his hand over his eyes, wiping away the tears.
When he looks up, Lu Han is standing before him, grinning rather than that tiny curling of his lips he gave Kyungsoo three days ago. "Come on," he says, the skin around his eyes crinkling them away, his hand held out to Kyungsoo.
"Where are we going?" Kyungsoo asks, but the answer becomes apparent when they slip through a back door and end up among more people. Several are seated in clusters around mirrors and racks of clothing, others running around with headsets on or combs in hand, and Kyungsoo dazedly recognizes some of the performers he just saw. Lu Han drags him into one of the busiest corners of the room, past a sign labeled "Exo," and towards one particular group of people.
Kyungsoo sees Jongin at once, his breath trapped in his throat at the sight of this boy he has missed for two long years. Jongin has changed out of the outfit he danced in, now dressed in a black, long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, but his hair is still styled, albeit a bit tousled now. Sweat lingers on his face and neck, and Kyungsoo watches as if in a dream as Jongin takes a gulp from his water bottle and nods distractedly to something the boy next to him says. Kyungsoo is almost within earshot of the boy's words, catching an "Are you all right?" but at that moment, Jongin turns at no apparent signal and his eyes meet Kyungsoo's.
Jongin stands, dropping his still-open bottle to his companion's protests, but he doesn't seem to care very much because he's too busy wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo so tightly he just might never let go. Kyungsoo doesn't mind the idea of that, curling his own arms around Jongin's waist and trying not to cry all over Jongin's neck.
"You came," Jongin whispers, his voice choked but still as beautiful as it was the first time Kyungsoo heard it. "You came to see me."
"Of course I did," Kyungsoo says indignantly, breathing in the scent that has haunted him for so long. Kai is confident, even cocky, and absolutely gorgeous under the lights of the stage, but this is Jongin-Jongin, Kyungsoo's boyfriend, who once served him noodles and drove Kyungsoo's Coupe and sustained their relationship through little white envelopes for two years while he was busy dancing on stages all over the country.
A cough pulls their attention to the rest of Exo, sitting and staring bemusedly at their main dancer who has wrapped his arms around some guy and refuses to move. They separate reluctantly, Jongin fitting his arm around Kyungsoo's waist, and Kyungsoo thinks he really might cry at how right it feels. "You've lost weight," Jongin whispers with a frown.
"I'm fine," Kyungsoo says in reply, and at that moment, he really is. Jongin introduces him to the rest of his friends, Sehun and Yixing and Wu Fan and Zitao, the last three who go by Lay and Kris and Tao onstage, and Kyungsoo watches slyly at the way Sehun seems to revolve around everything Lu Han does.
"He definitely has a crush," Jongin smirks when Kyungsoo asks on the drive home. The boys have been living in a tour bus that the other four are returning to tonight, preparing to return to their own homes within the week and celebrating a successful debut tour with music and food and alcohol, but Jongin bailed out on them to leave with Kyungsoo. He has his jacket in his lap-"I can't believe I forgot this thing, I searched for it for weeks"-and they catch up on the past two years. Jongin's life was far more exciting than Kyungsoo's, travelling from city to city and garnering more attention with each performance, and the light that Jongin seems to exude from inside out when he talks about dancing warms Kyungsoo with happiness. He didn't end up as a doctor, nor in economics, after all; entertainment is just as hard as those industries, but it's what Jongin wants and that makes all the difference.
When they get home, well into the night, the house is silent. "You weren't kidding when you said you never come home," Jongin says dryly as Kyungsoo flicks on the light of the hallway.
Kyungsoo shrugs. "I would have let you go," he says instead. "You didn't have to leave like that."
Jongin lets out a quiet sigh. "If you had just asked, I would have turned Wu Fan down and stayed with you rather than joining Exo. If, for one moment, you seemed like you didn't want me to go, I wouldn't have been able to bear leaving you."
"I guess so," Kyungsoo says, his stomach twisting uncomfortably at the thought of holding Jongin back from his dream.
"Besides," Jongin continues; the cadence of his voice drops to something low and rough as they near Kyungsoo's-their-bedroom, "this will be so much better since we waited so long."
Kyungsoo pushes the door open and is about the flick the lights on when Jongin bends down to kiss his neck, a touch lighter than air but enough that Kyungsoo's entire body heats like a furnace. "Jongin," he whispers, letting himself reach out and fist the fabric of Jongin's shirt in his hands. He is certain that Jongin can feel the yes his body is screaming when Jongin reaches out to unzip Kyungsoo's jacket and skips the grey shirt in favor for bare skin.
"Kyungsoo," Jongin answers, just as softly, before he captures Kyungsoo's lips with his own.
✪
When Kyungsoo wakes up, two years after he did so to an empty bed, this time he wakes up to a naked chest. "Oh," he says softly as the memories flood back, so surreal yet too tangible to be a dream, that he actually did see Jongin dance on a stage in front of a huge audience then took the main dancer of Exo off that stage and into his bed to relearn every plane and edge and curve of the body he had never known so well until last night. Last night actually did happen, if the body beside his is enough proof.
"Oh?" Jongin asks, his voice playful and satisfied. They are wearing the boxers that Kyungsoo blearily insisted they put on afterwards, and Jongin's fingertips are currently tripping down his back to sneak under Kyungsoo's waistband.
Kyungsoo wiggles to dislodge them, blushing as he recalls last night much too well. "Calm down, boyfriend, we have the rest of our lives to do it again."
Jongin hums in agreement and kisses Kyungsoo sweetly instead. "You know I won't always be around, since I'll be dancing with Exo, but I'll be right here every night I can, all right?"
"That's good enough for me," Kyungsoo says with a smile, noticing Jongin has yet to rinse the hair products out of his hair from last night's performance but barely caring. The media will go insane when they realize Do Kyungsoo is taking Kai, star of rising dance group Exo, to press conferences instead.
A/N #2: i um. yes. some extra things i wanted to say.
- i seriously thought this would just be a tiny little 5kish oneshot in which jongin was a waiter at some cafe and kyungsoo sat at a table by the window and sipping coffee and they became friends. then jongin dropped dishes (i actually dropped one of our best bowls the week before i started this fic and that was the inspiration js) and kyungsoo decided to be a rich important person (WHICH WAS ACTUALLY THE PLOTLINE OF ANOTHER FIC I PLANNED ARGH) and then i ended up with 23k words make it stoppppp
- the parts feel really lopsided bcos part 1 is ~5.6k, 2 is ~5.3k, 3 is only ~3.3k, 4 is ~3.7k, and 5 is 5.4k i dont even want to know; it was only 4 parts up until i just posted it bcos 2 was originally 8.6k wat. also i never meant to switch povs but it happened bcos the plot demanded it, argh. im cursed with prolixity i will never write oneshots or short a/ns again :(
- kris was originally the manager and had a ~thing~ with luhan the pretty waiter! but he works better in exo, the name which i blatantly stole from sm oopsies. 5 looks better in a formation than 4, we all know it.
- kaisoo is perfect :c however i wont touch them again for the next forever, see you after i write some baekyeol and more sehan with plots and aus that are actually cool :|
- i owe my tlist the world for putting up with me :( this fic was literally the only thing i talked about, and i COMPLAINED the whole time and there was pen homocide and repeated reassurances and im still nervous over posting this.
- i hope you all enjoyed it! ♥
edit: oops! it looks like my wording above of "the next forever" makes it sound like im never going to write kaisoo ever ever again. sorry--thats not what i meant! judging on how this otp brings out the best (or worst) of my vocal fangirling ability, and how i cant seem to resist incorporating them into my current wips, there will be more kaisoo. i promise.
part four
The magazine covers and spreads that Jongin suddenly finds his face on aside, their lives continue the way they always have. Days slip into weeks that slide into months, until Kyungsoo flips to the next page on his calendar and realizes, with some surprise, that Jongin will be graduating this month. He'll have to worry about graduate school or finding a more substantial career soon, but at least he'll have an economics degree to support him; before Jongin starts on the next step of his life, Kyungsoo fully intends on punctuating the end of his university career with summer fun.
Kyungsoo is much too busy to shove his documents aside and run away to the seaside for a week, but he throws himself into the endless trading shipments and deals as Jongin panics over finals, both of them finding solace in each other's arms at night; Jongin seizes the opportunity to go to bed without a shirt on, even though the air conditioning keeps the summer heat well away. If Kyungsoo doesn't notice Jongin shoving one particular newspaper clipping under his Econ textbooks or coming home especially late some nights, then he knows he only has himself to blame later.
The beach is worth it. Jongin struts around shirtless, this time in bright red swim trunks rather than his navy blue boxers, oversized sunglasses that he bought with his own paycheck taking up nearly half of his face but obstructing none of the gloating grin he shoots at Kyungsoo. Jongin, at Kyungsoo's urging, invites his coworkers from the restaurant along, but by the time they return home, they are his friends.
Mid-February, Jongin and Kyungsoo teamed up to force Lu Han into accepting Kyungsoo's offer of paying for Lu Han's father's transplant. Now nearly half a year later, Lu Han's father is recovering well and Lu Han won't stop tripping over himself in an effort to repay Kyungsoo in any way he can, big or small, but Kyungsoo doesn't regret spending all that money if it means he can save a life as well as Jongin's friend's happiness. The money came from his own savings, barely a dent compared to the company's yearly profit, and helping Lu Han makes Kyungsoo happy.
Aside from what Lu Han calls an unpayable debt and Kyungsoo has long gotten over, they get along very well. Kyungsoo likes all of them, Lu Han and Joonmyun and Baekhyun and Chanyeol and Jongdae and Minseok, all of which who are good people and all of which who react with a bit too much surprise whenever Jongin touches Kyungsoo in front of them. It's obvious Lu Han and Joonmyun approve, happy to see Jongin so light-hearted. The week ends and Kyungsoo is brushing sand off of Jongin's back and legs before they get into the van-which Jongin insisted they take alone rather than with a driver, as stubborn as ever; Kyungsoo should have known he would have ended up driving-when he looks out at the ocean and wishes he never has to leave.
"We'll come back, okay?" Jongin whispers, putting his hand on Kyungsoo's hip. Kyungsoo's shirt is a bit too short, a sleeveless tank top he dug out of the closet just for this trip, and Jongin's fingers brush bare, tanned skin. "I promise, Kyungsoo. We'll come back to the beach together."
It isn't like Jongin to be so heavy and serious and Kyungsoo looks up into his face, the words catching in his throat. "Okay. I'll hold you to that," he manages at a whisper. He isn't sure why he suddenly feels so afraid, standing beside Jongin like this, where he belongs.
Jongin kisses him instead, the fingers on Kyungsoo's hip pressing into the soft skin, but a catcall from the van breaks them apart. "Yo!" Chanyeol calls. "Are we going to leave or are you two going to make out for the rest of the day?"
The second option sounds pretty good to both of them but they head back to the van anyways, Jongin only taking his hand away to get into the passenger seat.
Kyungsoo is the one who gets the very last glimpse of the beach, a flicker in his rearview mirror of the red setting sun, and he swears to himself that he will never forget this week, of getting to know Jongin's friends and screaming in protest when Jongin pretended to dump him into the water and kissing Jongin softly by the water's edge, the waves lapping gently at their feet as Kyungsoo curled his fingers into Jongin's dark hair to root himself to the world and Jongin's hands were hot on Kyungsoo's bare back.
✪
Work drags Kyungsoo in worse than ever as he takes command within the company, just as he's always meant to do. His tie constantly feels like it's choking him and Kyungsoo wonders if he'll ever find the same relish in earning money as the people all around him do.
Jongin has taken to leaving the house for hours at a time, and a fancy certificate and graduation gown now lives in their room. When he gets back home, Jongin often complains of sore muscles but refuses to tell Kyungsoo why he has them, dragging Kyungsoo with him into the jacuzzi with him as a distraction. It works perfectly, even if it does push Kyungsoo a bit too close to his invisible line when they kiss among the rolling bubbles and Jongin's hair is plastered slickly to his still-tan skin. He refuses to cut it.
One night, Jongin takes Kyungsoo into his arms just before Kyungsoo falls asleep and wakes him up with butterfly kisses that flit up from the inside of Kyungsoo's wrist to his collarbones, tracing the blades slowly before making their way up the column of Kyungsoo's throat. "And here I thought you'd be a bit better rested, seeing as it's the weekend," Jongin says injuredly, but there is fire dancing in his eyes and it is making it hard for Kyungsoo to remember what sleep is.
"Work follows me home, you know that," Kyungsoo says, curling his fingers into Jongin's thick locks of hair. He frees one to bat Jongin's hands away from the wristband of his pajama bottoms, still insecure; one would think partying and drinking in college would have rid those inhibitions away well enough, but Kyungsoo never let himself make that kind of decision, even when a girl fell into his lap. Jongin is in control and obviously experienced in bed, but he still withdraws his hand with a disappointed groan.
When Kyungsoo wants something, Jongin denies himself to give Kyungsoo what he wants, even if the desire is so strong Kyungsoo thinks he will shudder into pieces at Jongin's mere gaze. They kiss instead, hot and needy yet slow at Kyungsoo's touch, Jongin carefully licking between Kyungsoo's lips as Kyungsoo struggles not to whimper.
"Are you holding back, Kyungsoo?" Jongin whispers. His face is shrouded in shadow yet Kyungsoo feels unbearably hot under those dark eyes, lost in the night.
"Jongin-" Kyungsoo chokes out, unable to catch his breath when Jongin rolls on top of him, his weight a suffocating presence on Kyungsoo's chest not because he's heavy but because he's close, so close.
Jongin kisses a trail up Kyungsoo's neck and nips at Kyungsoo's earlobe, causing Kyungsoo to arch in response; the sharp movement drags heartfelt moans from their lips and Kyungsoo can feel himself flushing, as if it wasn't hot enough already. "Jongin," he repeats desperately.
"I know," Jongin answers, bringing his mouth to Kyungsoo's swollen lips again. His voice is hoarse, rough in a broken, needy way, and Kyungsoo has never heard anything so arousing in his life. Longing sears through his blood and muddles his thoughts, narrowing his world down to the boy hovering over him, the boy whose long-fingered hands are so sure yet gentle as they cradle Kyungsoo's face. He must be able to sense how hard Kyungsoo is shaking now, because their kissing decrescendos to a languid pace, the heat calming to a flush that holds them tightly together as they learn to breathe when their mouths are connected. When Jongin finally draws his head back, panting quietly, Kyungsoo fights to pull oxygen into his lungs properly because Kim Jongin never fails to take his breath away.
Jongin mumbles something against Kyungsoo's neck that Kyungsoo doesn't quite catch, only laughs softly when Kyungsoo asks him to repeat himself. Figuring he can ask him again in the morning, Kyungsoo fits himself to Jongin's side, falling asleep to the pace of Jongin's breathing even if it's still a bit uneven from their kissing.
When he wakes up, the bed is cold and he is completely and utterly alone.
✪
Instead of sinking into despair, Kyungsoo pulls up a data sheet and begins inputting the numbers, his hands moving mechanically as he wills his eyes not to cry. He searched the entire house three times, even the abandoned wings of the mansion he never bothered to show Jongin and Jongin had no need of ever visiting. Then he ran down to the garage, finding the keys to the Coupe in his jacket pocket with a lurch of dread he couldn't suppress, flinging himself into the driver's seat and starting the engine up with trembling hands. The drive to the still familiar restaurant was reckless and probably well over the speed limit, but not even the threat of a car accident could stop him as he screeched into the first open spot he saw, parked the car sloppily, and set off running for the kitchens.
Jongin had only showed Kyungsoo the side door once, but Kyungsoo took his chances with that rather than tear through the store and make a spectacle out of himself. When he burst into the room, hair still uncombed and clothes sitting haphazardly, eyes wild and scared, the entire kitchen had stared at him in surprise. Baekhyun instantly moved forward, reaching out to him. "Kyungsoo, what..."
"Jongin-" Kyungsoo said, breathless from running and struggling to speak coherently. "Jongin, where is he? Have you seen him?" He noticed Chanyeol pointedly look away from his eyes and Jongdae standing at the back of the room with fear in his own.
"Surely he hasn't done anything to get upset over," Baekhyun said soothingly, taking Kyungsoo's hands in his.
Kyungsoo shook his head, pulling his hands free. "No, no-I woke up and he was gone. His clothes and his books, he even left my keys. Everything."
Lu Han stood then, rising to his feet in a corner of the room Kyungsoo hadn't even noticed. His expression was sad, his lips pressed together in a tense line as he walked slowly across the room to put something into Kyungsoo's hands. Kyungsoo looked down automatically at the folded piece of binder paper and suddenly air resisted all his attempts to draw it into his lungs.
The first word he saw when he opened the note was that Jongin had addressed it to "D.O." Tears stung Kyungsoo's eyes but he forced himself to keep reading. The note was terribly short.
D.O, the words read, Jongin's handwriting as horrible as it was the first time Kyungsoo saw it, the first time he ever went to Jongin's old apartment. I'm gone and I don't want you to look for me. This is something I have to do, for myself and for you, so don't you dare cry because I never wanted that. I don't know how long this is going to take but I'll come back, I swear it. If I come back and you've moved on, I won't blame you. But I've made some promises to you and I intend to follow up on every one of them. Kai.
Kyungsoo looked up into Lu Han's face, knowing tears were running down his face and he was unable to stop them. "He left me?" he asked, his voice raw and vulnerable.
"I'm sorry," was all Lu Han replied with, and Kyungsoo sobbed into his shoulder.
That was in the morning. Now it is night and Jongin's note is taped to the wall over Kyungsoo's computer screen and Kyungsoo vaguely realizes he has made it through his first day without Jongin by his side. He spent it all in his study, immersing himself with work and ignoring his mother's call midday. The study was-is?-Jongin's least favorite room in the entire house; he always used to coax Kyungsoo away from the computer and to bed, hating every moment he spends in that room because of the dark circles it draws under Kyungsoo's eyes.
Now Jongin is no longer around to call him to the bedroom and so Kyungsoo works until he can't read the next number on his data chart, eyes almost closing but he can't. He can't go back to that empty bed and smell Jongin all around him when the sheets are so cold, lacking the heat of another body, the wandering fingers Kyungsoo so firmly resisted. He should have let Jongin go farther last night, Kyungsoo thinks bitterly. If only he had known that this would happen, then he would have slept with Jongin at every chance he had rather than try and contain all the want that burned between them. He should have said yes last night so at least he'd have the memories to hold onto because now Kyungsoo isn't sure he'll be able to see Jongin so intimately like that ever again.
When Kyungsoo finally goes to bed, there is no one to distract him from the poisonous thoughts circling his mind, again and again. It is harder than Kyungsoo could have ever imagined to fall asleep alone, even though he's been doing it for all but half a year of his life; all those months of Jongin holding him have come back to bite him.
✪
This time it is Kyungsoo who works himself nearly to death. He has no Lu Han or Joonmyun to fuss over him, unable to bear returning to the restaurant again if he can no longer see Jongin effortlessly maneuvering around the tables, taking orders and refilling water or bestowing one of those perfect smiles on a little girl clinging to the sleeve of her mother. His parents praise him for how well the company is flourishing but Kyungsoo has no way to rationalize why he's taken to driving the Volkswagen-he refuses to drive the Coupe after finding a jacket Jongin accidentally left behind in the backseat-to his company office, sometimes even sleeping on his couch there so he won't have to return home. His house feels twice as empty now that it has lost one of its inhabitants, now all of them. Kyungsoo sends the staff away at least four days out of seven every week, but some stay behind anyways, knowing he won't eat unless they insist he does.
The first letter comes almost half a year later, on the day Kyungsoo looked up from his menu and Jongin asked him if he needed more time before making his choices. It is a tiny envelope addressed to "DO Kyungsoo," a tiny period between the two letters of his last name; there is no return address but Kyungsoo rips it open anyways, finding some money and a post-it note. There was a time when I needed this money more than you did. Now, I don't need it either, so you can have it back. Kai.
Kyungsoo almost breaks down at work but he manages to hold himself together because he has three meetings to go today and it is unprofessional to go to meetings with tear-swollen eyes. He saves his tears for home, pressing a fist to his forehead and unable to understand why Jongin left, where Jongin is, why Jongin insists on doing this to him. Surely it hurts just as much for him, too?
His mother picks up on Jongin's absence three months later, asking after the good-looking finance major. Kyungsoo doesn't bother correcting her, just gives her a tight smile and says, "He's going to be away for a while, but he says he'll be back soon."
The next time is a single peppermint wrapped in clear cellophane, the exact kind that Kyungsoo keeps in a shallow dish his new secretary insists wasn't once an ashtray. Halfway into their relationship, Kyungsoo took Jongin to his work office; it was the first, last, and only time they went together, and the reason why Kyungsoo studiously avoids the coffee room on his floor. He can remember when Jongin pushed him behind the cupboard and kissed him until Kyungsoo sputtered out a Jongin, stop, I can't go out like this at work and Jongin traded kissing Kyungsoo's lips until they were swollen for sucking a hickey just under Kyungsoo's proper suit collar. Rather than clearing his head, the sharp flavor of the candy only muddles him into missing Jongin even more.
Over the months, Jongin-or rather, Kai-sends Kyungsoo several small envelopes; one week, Kyungsoo received four in a row, then the next one two months later, each of them contained some tidbit or scrap of paper reminding Kyungsoo painfully of something they once had together. The memories aren't slipping away if that was what Jongin was worried about, as clear and striking and breathtaking as ever. As summer reaches its height and Kyungsoo realizes it's been two whole years since he has touched Jongin's skin, he gets a sand dollar on the day after Jongin left him two years ago and a note, Have you been to the beach since we were together? The answer is no but Kyungsoo has no way of telling him anyways.
A sense of anticipation has tightened over Kyungsoo's life and he has no idea why, just a restless, anxious waiting that seems to have taken a hold of him in tendrils and spikes. He is almost not surprised when Lu Han shows up on his doorstep a month later, holding a slim, business-sized envelope in one hand.
"Lu Han, come in," Kyungsoo says, a bit awkwardly. Lu Han has inevitably changed in the past two years, hair now dyed a light, modest brown but limbs still as slim as ever, though the air around him has solidified into something more like self-confidence. The smile he gives Kyungsoo is the same one from so long ago as well, sweet and easy. Kyungsoo isn't sure why he feels almost nostalgic.
They end up in Kyungsoo's rarely used sitting room, seated across from each other on couches around the coffee table. A maid offers Lu Han tea and coffee but he declines, looking just as overwhelmed as Jongin once did, and Kyungsoo dismisses her when he sees Lu Han is uncomfortable. "Is this just a visit or...?" he asks, eyeing the envelope Lu Han is holding.
"No, I'm here for a reason. Kyungsoo, you look so tired," Lu Han frowns. "I knew you're not sleeping well."
Insomnia is something Kyungsoo has gotten to know well, but sometimes a couple of sleeping pills can knock him out long enough that he survives the week. "I'm all right, Lu Han," he says, giving the boy a tight smile. "You've been well?"
Lu Han nods. "I got a secure job at the accounting firm and it's keeping me afloat well enough. I still work at the restaurant but not as much, Jongdae is doing well. You haven't come by lately, huh?"
Kyungsoo shrugs. "Work is keeping me busy."
Even though he doesn't look like he believes him, Lu Han accepts the excuse. After a moment's pause, he hands the envelope to Kyungsoo and watches wordlessly as Kyungsoo opens it.
There are two pieces of paper inside, slim and narrow. The first one Kyungsoo pulls out is a check of hundreds of thousands of dollars, and written out to Do Kyungsoo, the exact price of a liver transplant. Kyungsoo lifts his head to stare at Lu Han in disbelief, but Lu Han merely gestures at the other paper.
It's a ticket. A ticket to a dance showcase downtown, featuring several groups that Kyungsoo has never heard of; he notices his seat is one of the best, directly in the front row.
"What is this?" Kyungsoo asks quietly.
Lu Han smiles again, a tiny curl of his lips. It is obvious he isn't giving anything away, not today. He taps a slender finger against the date, which is three days from today, and then stands. "Be there."
Kyungsoo stares in bewilderment as Lu Han lets himself out, then down at the check and ticket in his hand. If this is what he thinks it is, then the ticket is worth infinitely more.
✪
Three days later, Kyungsoo dives into his closet in search for something that isn't a suit. He resurfaces with black skinny jeans that sure as hell feel tighter than they were back in college and a simple, dark grey shirt with some graphics on the back and a logo he has long forgotten the meaning of across the front. The soft, clean fabric clings to his body the way an ironed dress shirt never can. A pair of sunglasses obstruct his eyes from the setting August sun as he cruises down the highway in the Coupe, the steering wheel surprisingly familiar under his hands. He almost had a panic attack when he got into the car, unable to pull out of the garage for a few moments because everything about his favorite car reminded him of Jongin, from the way he curled Jongin's reluctant fingers around the keys to Jongin's jacket, still abandoned in the backseat because Kyungsoo parked the car in the corner of the garage and refused to use it again a year and a half ago. Obviously, staff have been keeping it clean and in fit condition for use, even dusting out the jacket, but he's been using the Volkswagen lately. Hope has him sitting in the driver's seat of this car again.
By the time he pulls up in front of the club hosting the show, it is already filled with people dancing and drinking in dim lighting and pulsing beats. He doesn't recognize a single face as he maneuvers through the moving bodies to where rows and rows of seats, already occupied by more chattering people, have been set up. An usher takes one look at the ticket Kyungsoo is holding and takes him to the front row immediately, asking if would like something to drink. Kyungsoo declines politely, a bit unbalanced in the club atmosphere after being closed away in an office for so long, and takes his seat. He is close enough to touch the stage if he wants.
The crowd rushes into the remaining open seats as lights flare on the stage when the clock nears eight in the evening, a host walking out to deafening screams. Dancers and singers alike perform to a wildly appreciative crowd, the songs spurring even Kyungsoo to stand and clap along to the beat. It is nearly ten when the host walks out under the colorful lights again. "And now we have the performance you've all been waiting for! They've been all around the country and back, and tonight they'll be completing their nationwide tour. Give it up for-Exo!"
Kyungsoo watches interestedly as five boys walk out into the middle of the stage with their heads down, dressed in leather and studs and chains. One loud beat from the speakers and they raise their head in synchronization, and Kyungsoo feels like his world has been turned upside down and all the seats and lights and strangers have come crashing down around him and the boy onstage. The boy who very obviously makes eye contact with him, an all-too-familiar smirk hooked on his lips, and then music tears him away into a fierce, fast-paced dance at the tip of the formation, his face so intensely concentrated and burning with the most passion and life Kyungsoo has even seen on that face.
As he watches Jongin dance, the only thought on Kyungsoo's numb mind is, Jongin really became Kai after all.
Kyungsoo isn't too sure whether he blinked or not through the three songs Jongin-Exo's Kai, Kai-performs that night, whether the tears that just may be collecting in his eyes are because he's proud or amazed or just happy, so happy to see Jongin again. When the show ends and Exo returns backstage, Kyungsoo takes a moment to scrub the back of his hand over his eyes, wiping away the tears.
When he looks up, Lu Han is standing before him, grinning rather than that tiny curling of his lips he gave Kyungsoo three days ago. "Come on," he says, the skin around his eyes crinkling them away, his hand held out to Kyungsoo.
"Where are we going?" Kyungsoo asks, but the answer becomes apparent when they slip through a back door and end up among more people. Several are seated in clusters around mirrors and racks of clothing, others running around with headsets on or combs in hand, and Kyungsoo dazedly recognizes some of the performers he just saw. Lu Han drags him into one of the busiest corners of the room, past a sign labeled "Exo," and towards one particular group of people.
Kyungsoo sees Jongin at once, his breath trapped in his throat at the sight of this boy he has missed for two long years. Jongin has changed out of the outfit he danced in, now dressed in a black, long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants, but his hair is still styled, albeit a bit tousled now. Sweat lingers on his face and neck, and Kyungsoo watches as if in a dream as Jongin takes a gulp from his water bottle and nods distractedly to something the boy next to him says. Kyungsoo is almost within earshot of the boy's words, catching an "Are you all right?" but at that moment, Jongin turns at no apparent signal and his eyes meet Kyungsoo's.
Jongin stands, dropping his still-open bottle to his companion's protests, but he doesn't seem to care very much because he's too busy wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo so tightly he just might never let go. Kyungsoo doesn't mind the idea of that, curling his own arms around Jongin's waist and trying not to cry all over Jongin's neck.
"You came," Jongin whispers, his voice choked but still as beautiful as it was the first time Kyungsoo heard it. "You came to see me."
"Of course I did," Kyungsoo says indignantly, breathing in the scent that has haunted him for so long. Kai is confident, even cocky, and absolutely gorgeous under the lights of the stage, but this is Jongin-Jongin, Kyungsoo's boyfriend, who once served him noodles and drove Kyungsoo's Coupe and sustained their relationship through little white envelopes for two years while he was busy dancing on stages all over the country.
A cough pulls their attention to the rest of Exo, sitting and staring bemusedly at their main dancer who has wrapped his arms around some guy and refuses to move. They separate reluctantly, Jongin fitting his arm around Kyungsoo's waist, and Kyungsoo thinks he really might cry at how right it feels. "You've lost weight," Jongin whispers with a frown.
"I'm fine," Kyungsoo says in reply, and at that moment, he really is. Jongin introduces him to the rest of his friends, Sehun and Yixing and Wu Fan and Zitao, the last three who go by Lay and Kris and Tao onstage, and Kyungsoo watches slyly at the way Sehun seems to revolve around everything Lu Han does.
"He definitely has a crush," Jongin smirks when Kyungsoo asks on the drive home. The boys have been living in a tour bus that the other four are returning to tonight, preparing to return to their own homes within the week and celebrating a successful debut tour with music and food and alcohol, but Jongin bailed out on them to leave with Kyungsoo. He has his jacket in his lap-"I can't believe I forgot this thing, I searched for it for weeks"-and they catch up on the past two years. Jongin's life was far more exciting than Kyungsoo's, travelling from city to city and garnering more attention with each performance, and the light that Jongin seems to exude from inside out when he talks about dancing warms Kyungsoo with happiness. He didn't end up as a doctor, nor in economics, after all; entertainment is just as hard as those industries, but it's what Jongin wants and that makes all the difference.
When they get home, well into the night, the house is silent. "You weren't kidding when you said you never come home," Jongin says dryly as Kyungsoo flicks on the light of the hallway.
Kyungsoo shrugs. "I would have let you go," he says instead. "You didn't have to leave like that."
Jongin lets out a quiet sigh. "If you had just asked, I would have turned Wu Fan down and stayed with you rather than joining Exo. If, for one moment, you seemed like you didn't want me to go, I wouldn't have been able to bear leaving you."
"I guess so," Kyungsoo says, his stomach twisting uncomfortably at the thought of holding Jongin back from his dream.
"Besides," Jongin continues; the cadence of his voice drops to something low and rough as they near Kyungsoo's-their-bedroom, "this will be so much better since we waited so long."
Kyungsoo pushes the door open and is about the flick the lights on when Jongin bends down to kiss his neck, a touch lighter than air but enough that Kyungsoo's entire body heats like a furnace. "Jongin," he whispers, letting himself reach out and fist the fabric of Jongin's shirt in his hands. He is certain that Jongin can feel the yes his body is screaming when Jongin reaches out to unzip Kyungsoo's jacket and skips the grey shirt in favor for bare skin.
"Kyungsoo," Jongin answers, just as softly, before he captures Kyungsoo's lips with his own.
✪
When Kyungsoo wakes up, two years after he did so to an empty bed, this time he wakes up to a naked chest. "Oh," he says softly as the memories flood back, so surreal yet too tangible to be a dream, that he actually did see Jongin dance on a stage in front of a huge audience then took the main dancer of Exo off that stage and into his bed to relearn every plane and edge and curve of the body he had never known so well until last night. Last night actually did happen, if the body beside his is enough proof.
"Oh?" Jongin asks, his voice playful and satisfied. They are wearing the boxers that Kyungsoo blearily insisted they put on afterwards, and Jongin's fingertips are currently tripping down his back to sneak under Kyungsoo's waistband.
Kyungsoo wiggles to dislodge them, blushing as he recalls last night much too well. "Calm down, boyfriend, we have the rest of our lives to do it again."
Jongin hums in agreement and kisses Kyungsoo sweetly instead. "You know I won't always be around, since I'll be dancing with Exo, but I'll be right here every night I can, all right?"
"That's good enough for me," Kyungsoo says with a smile, noticing Jongin has yet to rinse the hair products out of his hair from last night's performance but barely caring. The media will go insane when they realize Do Kyungsoo is taking Kai, star of rising dance group Exo, to press conferences instead.
A/N #2: i um. yes. some extra things i wanted to say.
- i seriously thought this would just be a tiny little 5kish oneshot in which jongin was a waiter at some cafe and kyungsoo sat at a table by the window and sipping coffee and they became friends. then jongin dropped dishes (i actually dropped one of our best bowls the week before i started this fic and that was the inspiration js) and kyungsoo decided to be a rich important person (WHICH WAS ACTUALLY THE PLOTLINE OF ANOTHER FIC I PLANNED ARGH) and then i ended up with 23k words make it stoppppp
- the parts feel really lopsided bcos part 1 is ~5.6k, 2 is ~5.3k, 3 is only ~3.3k, 4 is ~3.7k, and 5 is 5.4k i dont even want to know; it was only 4 parts up until i just posted it bcos 2 was originally 8.6k wat. also i never meant to switch povs but it happened bcos the plot demanded it, argh. im cursed with prolixity i will never write oneshots or short a/ns again :(
- kris was originally the manager and had a ~thing~ with luhan the pretty waiter! but he works better in exo, the name which i blatantly stole from sm oopsies. 5 looks better in a formation than 4, we all know it.
- kaisoo is perfect :c however i wont touch them again for the next forever, see you after i write some baekyeol and more sehan with plots and aus that are actually cool :|
- i owe my tlist the world for putting up with me :( this fic was literally the only thing i talked about, and i COMPLAINED the whole time and there was pen homocide and repeated reassurances and im still nervous over posting this.
- i hope you all enjoyed it! ♥
edit: oops! it looks like my wording above of "the next forever" makes it sound like im never going to write kaisoo ever ever again. sorry--thats not what i meant! judging on how this otp brings out the best (or worst) of my vocal fangirling ability, and how i cant seem to resist incorporating them into my current wips, there will be more kaisoo. i promise.