(for bluedreaming) The Escapement Error - Part 2 of 3
For: bluedreaming
Title: The Escapement Error
He successfully manages to have Chanyeol and Jongin avoid each other for a whole two days, which is quite a task because Jongin is rather clingy and always asks too many questions. Thankfully, Jongin's computer was confiscated from him by his mother that day (Kyungsoo got a distressed text about it that morning), and Jongin's phone is an old hand-me-down where 3G is a thing of the distant future.
He sighs, sitting down on a bench two up from Jongin's usual one.
Jongin makes him want to be wild. He wants to yell and hit things and be so out of bounds that he can never even get back to his schedule. In theory. He just has this urge to go out of his way to do things; to keep Jongin under control or surveillance or whatever it is he's doing. It feels like he's holding Jongin's life in his hands like he's playing him in monopoly. Jongin is the silver dog and he's the big pinch moving him across the board without a dice to leave up to chance.
Kyungsoo pulls out Chanyeol's phone, opening his conversation with Jongin, which they left on a rather cute note last night. He types in a new message, double checking Chanyeol's calendar for the date.
I have a surprise for you. For our anniversary.
Jongin isn't there, but he still replies instantly. Aww what is it?
Tomorrow morning at 6:47am I want you to sit on the third bench from the end of the tracks with a blindfold over your eyes. Can you do that for me?
Sure...
A few seconds later, You're not going to take me to Disneyland or something, are you? Because if you are I need to pack and stuff.
It's a secret. You don't have to pack.
*
It's a big rush seeing Jongin sitting on the bench blindfolded and waiting for him. No backpack, no books, no pens or highlighters, just Jongin in his duffle coat and head with soft, newly washed hair. His cheeks are tinted pink from the cold, and he's sitting real proper, not like how he usually waits for the train with his legs and arms sprawled everywhere.
He walks up to Jongin slowly, feeling his heart hammering in his chest as he nears him, every little nanometer affecting his body. He's shaking with anticipation, his lips are tight, his hands are cold, and he for the life of him can't help but feel worried about his size, because it's the thing that can give him away the fastest. He just has to make sure Jongin doesn't try to lean into him or touch him too much. He has to stay in control; has to guide him around. At least he smells like Chanyeol to the T, thanks to his quick thinking.
He repeats to himself that Jongin is stupidly infatuated and gullible, and so therefore this shouldn't be too hard. It's been going well so far, and he has to venture to say that he's volumes better at this whole 'relationship' thing than Chanyeol, whose ass is probably still at home, with no larger attempts at contacting Jongin or getting his phone back to his name.
He stands right before his dream boy, placing at arm on his shoulder, before moving it up to pat his head. Jongin's hair really is soft. He allows his fingers to slide through the silky tresses until he notices that Jongin is smiling up at him, getting ready to throw himself at him for a traditional embrace. Kyungsoo keeps Jongin in place with his arm, cupping his face with one hand to dissuade Jongin from getting up. Jongin seems to let that greeting suffice, but Kyungsoo makes sure to lean down enough for the boy to catch his familiar smell.
Kyungsoo takes the reaction as an invitation to reach for his hand and pull him up from the bench, and he leads Jongin down along the train track to the very end of the stretch, where there's an empty train wagon that he's prepared for them himself with the help of tipping the right people (and passengers). He makes sure Jongin doesn't stumble and fall over the step while boarding, cinching his wait in with his hands as he guides him on. Jongin keeps his silence, letting Kyungsoo push him into their designated car and sit him down into a seat, even unbutton his coat and pull it off him.
"Where are we going?" Jongin asks, clasping his hands together in his lap, his knees bouncing with eagerness. "Can I take off the blindfol--"
Kyungsoo silences him with a finger to his lips, then presses his second hand to Jongin's clasped ones, squeezing, as if telling him to not do anything.
"Is this a game?"
A nod would suffice, but Jongin can't see him, so Kyungsoo simply moves from his mouth to caress his cheeks as a silent yes. The pinkness in Jongin's cheeks treble, and he quietens down.
It takes about 5 minutes and the train moving for their meal to arrive. Kyungsoo watches as a crew member from the kitchen car carries in two bowls of soup, a bouquet of roses, and a complimentary bread basket, giving them a curt nod of masked confusion as he takes his leave. Kyungsoo dismisses him and focuses back on Jongin, beautiful Jongin, who is waiting so patiently for his prize.
Kyungsoo presses the bouquet into Jongin's hands, and Jongin grabs it, sticking his nose into the flowers, as if he knows that's where he comes from. Flowers; the most beautiful creation on earth. Jongin is flowers and stars and snowflakes before they hit the ground and become polluted. Kyungsoo smiles to himself across from him, watching Jongin greet the flowers like an old friend.
"Well this is romantic," Jongin says with a small laugh. "I didn't know you had it in you. I love the flowers."
Kyungsoo takes the flowers back and places them to the side, because the soup is about to spoil, and they ought to eat it before it turns cold.
He grabs the spoon next to Jongin's soup and fills it with the creamy substance, then lifts the spoon of soup up to Jongin's plush lips, before the other opens them compliantly, accepting the warm liquid into his mouth. When Kyungsoo pulls the spoon out, Jongin smiles, before he swallows thickly.
"That's so good."
Kyungsoo smiles too, then leans forward to wipe the corner of Jongin's lip off with his thumb, because he has some green soup residue on it. It feels so good, taking care of Jongin. So right. Jongin with his messy self and uncoordinated everything, sitting still as Kyungsoo feeds him and prevents spillage. It's such a beautiful moment that Kyungsoo almost wants to cry; he wants to weep to himself and his accomplishments, and how the love of his life is so kind and patient with him. He knows he has to work on being more caring and present, but Jongin isn't demanding at all, and everything is going so well.
"You know, Chanyeol, I never thought you'd take me anywhere for our anniversary. I mean when we celebrated your birthday we just stayed in and watched a movie, so I'm not quite sure what triggered this change of heart, but--" No. No talk of him. Not now. Don't speak of another man while you're with me. DON'T SPEAK OF ANOTHER MAN WHILE YOU'RE-- "I love you."
"Jongin..." he lets the word fall from his lips, so short and simple and cute and perfect. It makes his mouth taste of gold and sugar.
He gets up from his seat quickly, moving to place himself next to his boyfriend with a hand atop his knee. Jongin jumps slightly, probably because he can't see anything, but he's sitting so perfectly in place still, his eyes drowned in the black of his blindfold.
"Chanyeol?" Jongin asks into the silence, a mix of curiosity and confusion marking the name.
Kyungsoo strokes his knee comfortingly, squeezing a little up his thigh too. Jongin is soft and a slightly thick, his muscles so lean they can barely be felt. It makes him close his eyes and rest back in his seat as he lets his hand wander, feeling as much of Jongin in one go as he can, until his hand is pressed down possessively against his crotch, Jongin's throat releasing a strangled noise as he twitches from the action.
"Chan--"
Kyungsoo squeezes again to get the boy to shut up, and it works like a charm, Jongin stiffening up in more ways than one. Kyungsoo makes quick work of his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping and sinking into his underwear in almost one go.
"Shhh," he coos at Jongin, gripping his warm member firm in his hand. It feels so good to touch him at last. To touch him.
"W-wait, what-- oh my god."
Kyungsoo watches Jongin blush beautifully under the cloth covering his eyes as he makes his way over the boy's shaft, squeezing and rubbing just how he himself likes it (which is technically the only way he knows how to do it). Except Jongin is so inconsistent with his sounds and movements, like he has no control whatsoever; sometimes he'll twitch and other times he'll buck up and claw at the armrests. He only whimpers in the beginning, but as his organ attracts more blood and he gets hotter, his whimpers turn into whines and stifled moans, his teeth biting at his bottom lip to keep himself quiet. Kyungsoo feels torn between being irked at his lack of discipline and turned on by it, and it's hard to admit. There is something really erotic about how Kyungsoo is able to mess with Jongin's senses enough to ruin his tolerance and normal behaviour.
"You dirty boy," Kyungsoo hisses to Jongin, mimicking how Chanyeol talked in the video he saw while schooling his voice to reach the right pitch, but staying far away enough from him for Jongin to not notice.
This makes Jongin slump back against the window, twitching like mad, and Kyungsoo smiles to himself, squeezing harder around Jongin's leaking member, before he let's go of it and watches the sweat on Jongin's forehead and neck cool.
"No-- p-please don't stop. Please-- I-I'm so close..."
Kyungsoo decides this is a good time to pull out his grand finale and lathers his middle finger up with saliva in a swift movement, before he shifts and makes for sinking his second hand down the back of Jongin's worn H&M jeans. He gets another squeak of surprise and a couple small twitches, then Jongin lies dead still as Kyungsoo sinks his finger into him, only whining to himself and clenching around him. He's tight.
"Chan...mm..." Jongin's laying there pretty uselessly as Kyungsoo wiggles his finger in and out while pumping him, and bringing the boy figuratively to his knees and literally to his back is almost as satisfying as being punctual enough for the millisecond.
"Hello, this is your conductor speaking. We're having a layover at the next station due to construction work on the tracks. Please find your way off the train and switch to the one on track 3 to further your journey if needed. We apologize for any inconvenience."
They have to get off.
Kyungsoo panics, because he doesn't know what to do with Jongin and his blindfold in the end; he got too excited and didn't plan anything properly, to the extent that he should have. But Jongin can't see Chanyeol again; he knows that for sure. That would reveal it wasn't him who was there in the train with him at all, and then Jongin will freak out and it will cause irrational action that Kyungsoo can't predict, which could endanger his regular meetings with Jongin. He needs to know where he is at all times, or he'll go crazy. He needs to know.
Jongin is breathing hard in his seat, his pants unbuttoned and his bangs sticking to his forehead slightly from dampness, and Kyungsoo leaves him there, storming out of the train before he loses his mind and loses control of the situation. Somewhere between fear and the residual hard-on in his pants, Kyungsoo decides his next destination is predetermined.
*
The door is just as easy to open this time, barely putting up any resistance to his push. Unlocked and slightly ajar, it's carelessness and consistency that Kyungsoo feeds off of, and he walks in easier than he left Jongin at the train station, his head up high and his eyes strained.
There's low punk music playing from the top floor, which reminds Kyungsoo of the songs he found piled up in Chanyeol's audio library, equally loud and annoying.
He's walking up with a purpose, not caring if certain stairs creak or if his shoes pull against the floor with rumbling emphasis. If there are others home, they can see him, but he's going on nothing but good faith, having a feeling that things will go in his favour, like he's invincible.
Family portraits pass by him as he keep going; school pictures and the like, his hand sliding up the railing as he moves along in his steady pace. Chanyeol's door is wide open, like he finds no value in privacy whatsoever, and he's lying on his bed with his eyes closed, listening to his 'music', while drumming his fingers in the air.
Kyungsoo walks in, keeping his eyes glued to him, his feet feeling like they're gliding over the floorboard. His room has such a dauntingly disgusting smell; so thick and vile. The walk over to Chanyeol is so long but so short at the same time, and after what feels like an hour trying to approach him, Kyungsoo is standing right next to his animated body, watching him live in the melody of his tune.
Chanyeol's ears are big and his skin is uneven. His hair is styled weirdly and his teeth are too straight and his limbs are too long and gangly and he looks like he can just be snapped in half right now, his insignificant body taking up air and space and phony purpose.
Kyungsoo climbs onto the bed, crawling his body over so that he can sit himself onto Chanyeol's hips, legs on either side of him. Chanyeol doesn't react like anything is out of the ordinary, instead he chuckles, his eyes still closed. He reaches up to grip Kyungsoo's hips, lips stretched into a wide grin.
"Mmm Jonginnie...I was wondering when you'd come around. I've missed you."
Kyungsoo wants to puke into his mouth, but mostly gouge his eyes out with a barbeque prong fork.
"How can you say that when you missed your anniversary?" He asks, and he's genuinely curious. How is Chanyeol even a competition if he's completely useless and incapable? Pathetic. Careless. Unforgivably forgetful.
Chanyeol's eyes fly open in petrification, getting a good stare at the person above him that turns out to not be his boyfriend, but Kyungsoo is quicker, and he wraps his strong hands around Chanyeol's neck before he can move, squeezing down hard while groaning because he's so annoyed.
"You..." Chanyeol starts, but his words die in his blocked up throat as his tongue swells up from the pressure.
Kyungsoo breathes hard, tightening his vice grip. The boy starts thrashing, face eventually going pink and eyes looking like they're going to pop out of his head. He's flailing and sputtering, but Kyungsoo manages to remain seated on his stomach, unmoving, just keeping his iron grip around his larynx and oesophagus and whatever else is there under his hands, caving to him.
He just has to quieten him. He has to stop him.
Saliva and tears stream out of the purpling face, and Kyungsoo grunts angrily some more, before yelling down at Chanyeol in his head for existing and contaminating everything and complicating his initially simple schedule. He stops sitting still and starts shoving at Chanyeol's neck in intervals instead, making his head bang against the pillow. He's just so angry. Chanyeol is a flaw in the system. A faulty glitch.
His muscles feel sore at one point, and he doesn't know how long he's been sitting there for. Chanyeol's face looks broken and stupid, his eyes rolled up and his tongue poking out of his open mouth. He pries his hands off from around Chanyeol's neck, wiping what probably is his smell stuck to the palms of his hands, which he'll have to thoroughly disinfect later. Kyungsoo wets his dry lips, pulling at his shirt collar, which is feeling particularly tight at that moment, while he looks down at the ugly face, feeling his appetite diminish. How Jongin could ever eat with him around, Kyungsoo will never understand.
Chanyeol's body is heavy and difficult to maneuver, but easy enough to transport in a plastic bag, and Kyungsoo hauls him out of the house and into his backyard, before continuing out on the grass until he's at the edge of some woods. He knows there's a body of water somewhere; he just has to find it, and whether it will take all night of a few hours; the qualm in Kyungsoo's heart has been un-qualmed.
*
Kyungsoo arrives home at exactly 22:00, and the first thing he does is make himself a cup of coffee with two packs of sugar, not one. He switches the TV on and stands still in front of it for a good while to clear his head and replace his anger with desensitized images of dead children in the Middle East and proper women speaking and pronouncing clearly every single word about death and futility that they can.
As he sets his cup down on the coffee table and begins unbuttoning his soiled, filthy shirt, he sits thinking about Jongin, who could be sleeping on the couch next to him in that very second, instead of wasting time away from him, wherever he was.
But he decides then that the odds are going to be stacked in his favour tomorrow, even if he has to stay up until morning to accomplish it. He's going to make himself the luckiest man in the world. Everything is possible when you're aware of all the outcomes and feel like you're smart enough to play god and lady fate for a little while. God and fate aren't good with punctuality and routine anyways; Kyungsoo will be cleaning up their mistakes. Their faulty miscalculations of straying Jongin from his path and tricking him into thinking Chanyeol was his destiny and Kyungsoo was an insignificant stranger. It's like someone hacked the motherboard of life and rearranged the connecting wires that had it all make sense and compute without combusting. But it's faulty; all of it, and Kyungsoo is nothing if not a good I.T. technician.
*
Monday morning at 6:55am, Jongin is sitting on his bench with his backpack stuck between his legs and his hair tucked behind one ear because he's nervous about being late for school, but this time he's crying. Normally Kyungsoo hates deviations in patterns and outliers in consistency, but he welcomes this one with open arms, because he knows the derivative; he knows the cause.
Like a good citizen, he approaches the lamenting Jongin, making sure his tie is straight and his hair is slicked back the way he likes it to make for a good (third) impression.
"Is something the matter?"
His love looks up, pretty face littered with wetness and worry, and Kyungsoo wants to soothe him and wipe his face with his hands, but he refrains.
"M-my boyfriend is missing. I haven't seen him since..." Kyungsoo sees Jongin's face turn red, and he feels a little victory brew in his stomach and chest. "S-Saturday."
"That's unfortunate," Kyungsoo agrees, taking a seat next to Jongin, who looks surprised that there's someone talking to him. "Have you tried contacting him?"
"Yes-- all weekend! Still no reply. And his parents haven't seen him either."
Kyungsoo feels his stomach sink while he tightens his tie. He can't let Chanyeol be searched for; that would ruin everything. He doesn't want Jongin to be a shell of a person either, mourning a dead lover for the rest of his days. He adds the detail into his schedule, glancing up at the clock, which reads 06:57.
"Looks like our train is cancelled," he comments, placing his briefcase neatly on top of his legs. Jongin sniffles and then looks up at the clock. He doesn't seem to care much.
"You're taking the 06:56 too?" Jongin asks. Kyungsoo nods. "Oh...well it's only a minute late; they haven't said anything--"
"Train 201 on track 5 has been cancelled due to an explosion on the tracks, derailing the locomotive. No replacement transportation is currently in place."
Jongin furrows his eyebrows, glancing at the clock again, then down at his wristwatch, until finally, his eyes rest on Kyungsoo, staying there. They're deep brown and full of amazement.
"How did you know that?" He asks, almost resurrected from his stewing sadness.
"The trains are never late," Kyungsoo lies, sending him a small smile. Jongin returns it, playing with his fingers.
"Yeah...an explosion though; wow," He pauses, before continuing, "Ugh, I'm going to miss school again. They'll end up kicking me out at this rate."
"I can give you a ride if you want," Kyungsoo offers, perhaps a bit too eagerly, making sure to stare straight ahead, at where their train should have been. "I have a car that I take to work sometimes; it's just that taking the train is more efficient because of all the traffic."
"Really?" Jongin asks with eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "That would be awesome, to be honest. I can't really afford any more marks against my name."
"It would be my pleasure, then. The ride to work is excruciatingly boring anyways."
*
"You want me to what?"
"You heard me."
"I'm not a killer for hire, Mr. Do."
"I think you will find that using your TNT at the right time will neither kill nor injure civilians. In fact, the problem will most likely be placed on a faulty engine, since that seems to always be the case."
"I still don't see what's in it for me to even consider taking such a risk."
"I can be very persuasive, I assure you."
*
They get into Kyungsoo's Volkswagen, Jongin strapping himself into the passenger's side with his backpack squished down by his legs, while Kyungsoo sticks his keys in the ignition. Jongin looks shy and slightly uncomfortable in the nice car, and Kyungsoo tries to warm up the mood by putting on a CD (the only one in his possession), which happens to be a Best of Meat Loaf. Jongin seems a bit too young to recognize anything, but that's alright, because then he doesn't get distracted by the music, and Kyungsoo can instead watch his pretty head try to work out which route they're taking.
"My school's up past the Lone Range church. The private one," Jongin points out, pressing a finger to his lips while looking out of his window as Kyungsoo backs up from his parking spot.
"Yeah, I figured as much. You don't see many kids with uniforms these days unless they're doing what you do." Kyungsoo chuckles nervously, adjusting his rear-view mirror. He wonders if he'll be able to keep his eyes on the road at all with the love of his life sitting next to him; the little ray of sunshine of his cloudy sky. Oh, words can't describe how good this day is to him, how much he wants it to go on forever.
Jongin is a quiet little thing, very different from how he was with Chanyeol, as he only sits still in his car, staring out the window while they drive past fields and farms. Kyungsoo supposes he only opens up when he's very comfortable, and a car ride from a complete stranger isn't lodged anywhere into that category. He sighs, turning on the radio instead to his favourite station: the one that plays classical music and opera. Jongin glances at him once, as if surprised, then turns back to look out the window. Kyungsoo frowns, craving his attention abnormally much.
"So," he starts, checking his watch, which he has a habit of doing at least every 10 minutes. "Do you take the train every day? I think I might have seen you on the platform a couple of times."
"I do," Jongin says, and he seems so excited to talk suddenly, like he was just waiting for Kyungsoo to instigate conversation all along. "Every morning to school. It's pretty boring and I have to get up really early, but my parents won't let me attend public school, so that was kind of the end of that short conversation."
"I see," Kyungsoo muses, not really musing at all. He already knows what to say and where this conversation is going. He hasn't studied Jongin's speech habits and personality for nothing. "Well, I take the train to work every day too, and I can assure you it's equally boring."
"Right? I'm pretty sure there's no way to ever make it fun...unless you installed TVs on the back of the seats, maybe then."
Kyungsoo nods gravely, taking a left off the highway. "Or if those stupid trains turn into teleportation devices and we don't have to spend much time on them at all."
"There's something we need," Jongin agrees with a chuckle, pulling his feet up into his seat. "Something that would actually prevent us from being packed up like sardines and shipped down some scenery for way too long. Trains are kind of slow, don't you think? I mean they just glide over train tracks, like, can't they glide faster?"
Kyungsoo nods again, this time unable to stifle a laugh.
"What?"
"Nothing." He shrugs. "It's just that...well, trains go faster than cars, and here you are complaining about them."
Jongin chews on that information for a few seconds, eyebrows furrowing in concentration.
"Oh...I guess it just feels slow. Chanyeol-- I mean, my boyfriend always says that trains are really slow. And that cars are really fast because if you crash in one you can die, but you can't die on a train."
"I don't know about that, Jongin," Kyungsoo chuckles, finally feeling calm with his hands steady on the steering wheel. "He doesn't sound too bright to me."
"Wait...how do you know my name?"
Kyungsoo almost stops the car, clenching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turn a deadly white. He can feel Jongin staring at the side of his face, and his body is burning up all of a sudden; completely on fire.
"You look like a Jongin," he says quickly, and as expected, Jongin turns to look at himself in the car door mirror, confused. Kyungsoo uses the time to fish out Jongin's student card of his pants pocket, then pretends to pick it from the ground by his backpack.
"I'm just kidding; I saw your student I.D. on the floor there," he says, showing it to Jongin with a small laugh, one he almost doesn't manage to utter. He fears he'll stutter in front of him when he speaks. He does that a lot when he's nervous.
"Shit," Jongin curses, taking it from him. "I keep losing that..." Kyungsoo's not exactly surprised.
But their short, awkward little conversations will end soon, because they're almost at the intersection. The intersection where Kyungsoo will arrive at a specific time and punch the gas at a specific time to ensure that him and Jongin spend the better half of the day together. He's kind of proud of his creativity, to be honest. He's come so far and he's only going further, creeping closer and closer to his goal, when all his efforts will pay off.
He sees it, the intersection. There are many cars building up in it, but he only needs one, the one he paid for to show up to his right at this exact time. Kyungsoo feels himself begin to sweat. They're at a red light. Still there's no car to his right. He swallows thickly, feeling ticked off. He said a specific time and minute, even second, and he paid well for it. He needs a car to show up in exactly 31 seconds, or his whole plan will be flushed down the toilet. 29 seconds now. He hopes Jongin doesn't notice his distress, because it feels so obvious to him, so apparent. He's panicking. He's panicking.
A red car pulls up to rest on the road to his right, and Kyungsoo finally let's himself breathe, now switching his gaze to the red light. A few more seconds. Every millisecond counts. If he's off by a millisecond there will be no impact. It could go dreadfully wrong or sadly wrong. Either he hits the gas too early and they pass the car by a cat's hair, of he hits it too late and they die together, which sounds romantic, but is far from practical and definitely far from what he wants.
Green light. Kyungsoo slams his foot on the gas pedal the same time as the car coming in on his right, and grabs Jongin's upper arm in a sudden fear for his safety, holding him back in his seat as he sees red flash in front of them for a split second before their car is colliding into it, their seatbelts yanking tight against their chests. Jongin screams, and it all feels so long and slow, but Kyungsoo knows it's nothing but a fraction of a second, like it usually is.
The air smells of smoke and burnt tires. Him and Jongin are both conscious, the latter's eyes wide and his hands clutching onto Kyungsoo's arm.
"That crazy fucker just slammed the pedal on our green light!" Kyungsoo exclaims, coughing once as he pulls the seat-belt away from his sore skin. Jongin looks too scared to move, and Kyungsoo's more than happy with that, undoing the boy's seatbelt and telling him to wait and that he'll come around to get him out.
As he passes the front of the car he sees the suicidal fucker he struck a deal with lying head-first against the steering wheel. What are the chances of him convincing a suicidal man to die on his terms for some cash? His stomach knots when he sees the man's head move, and he know he'll have to pay up big time for not being able to kill him properly. He was off by 0.06 seconds because of Jongin sitting beside him. His attention was divided, something he wasn't used to.
"It's alright, out you come," he says gently as he opens Jongin's door and pulls the shaken teen out, thankfully sporting no further damages than a burn from his seat-belt right over his shoulder and up his neck, but unfortunately also looking stuck in perpetual shock.
He can hear sirens in the distance already (how much time has passed? He's almost too nervous to check his watch now) and breathes out in relief, clutching Jongin's body to his side while he stares at the wreck his car managed to make of the oncoming one: busted front and windshield, window smashed and car door indented. Luckily the blame won't fall on him, and so all he has to do is take care of Jongin the rest of the day, as his chauffeur duty permits him to.
He covers Jongin's eyes before he gets to see the mess behind the steering wheel of the other car.
*
Jongin at the hospital is a nice experience. It's nice because Jongin isn't severely injured in any way, and just seems to have a light case of post-shock, which means he's shaky and clingy and not really ready to go anywhere.
"Do you want me to call your parents?" Kyungsoo offers while he gently strokes the bandage on Jongin's shoulder that's shielding his sore skin. Kyungsoo has a matching one on his. The bandage is soft, but sticky and textured on the tape areas.
"No...then they'll know I missed school again," Jongin says quietly, and the answer was very expected.
"Don't you think it's more important they know you were in a car accident?"
Jongin shakes his head with short sigh. "If I'm not dying or even hurt I don't think they'd care. And it doesn't matter anyways, because you're here."
Yes, Kyungsoo is there. He's been feeding Jongin small snacks and making him drink water and talking very nicely to him for the past couple hours or so until Jongin got around to speaking again. Jongin's parents would just be yelling at him for missing his history test today and accepting a ride from a stranger. Kyungsoo doesn't need anyone trying to convince Jongin it was a bad idea, because it was, in fact, the best one he's had so far.
"Do you still want me to drive you to school?" He asks, picking up Jongin's backpack, which he's been carrying around for him since they arrived at the hospital. He's remembering the soon to be angry hospital patient in one of the rooms that will be looking for him, and he doesn't have time for that; not now.
Jongin shakes his head again. "I don't think so..."
"Too much for one day, huh?" Kyungsoo replies with a laugh, but then gets nervous because he doesn't know if he should be laughing or not, and it's probably not the right time to. He covers it up by continuing to talk, keeping in high spirits, but not enough to appear elated, "How about I take you somewhere to eat? You must be starving."
"That would be nice; thank you."
*
They end up catching a small cab which Kyungsoo demands drive slowly and not on any sort of highway or fast lane whatsoever, holding Jongin's hand while they sit in the backseat together. Jongin wanted to walk, but Kyungsoo told him the hospital wasn't in any sort of proximity to good food, and that Jongin was in no shape to be walking too much, along with the fact that he couldn't avoid cars forever.
They end up stopping at a gas station because Jongin feels dizzy, and Kyungsoo pays the taxi driver to just stay put and wait for them while he buys Jongin more snacks from Seven Eleven and makes sure he stays hydrated. He assures him they can stay there as long as needed and that he'll just call in sick to work with no problems, and Jongin smiles weakly at him from the curb he's sitting on, a half-eaten pretzel stick poking out of his mouth.
"It's not like work is particularly exciting," Kyungsoo babbles on, checking his watch. The minutes are even and it's satisfying. "The people I work with aren't very nice anyways. I'd venture to say that your company is about 150% more comfortable."
"I'm glad." Jongin smiles up at him, and it's beautiful. "I'm a little bit of a burden, though, I mean...making you follow me around and all that," Jongin says with a slight blush, looking deflated. Kyungsoo doesn't want him to look so down; that would be counterproductive. "Buying me food and water. I swear I'm not a homeless person or something like that, it's just that my allowance--”
"Nonsense, Jongin; it's my duty," Kyungsoo insists, pulling the soggy pretzel bit that Jongin's been trying to eat for half an hour out of his mouth and flicking it away. "You got hurt under my care, and I'm just trying to make sure you're alright. It's nothing, really. Hang on, I'm going to go ask the shop assistant for some directions; I'll be back in a minute."
Kyungsoo mentally reprimands himself for fucking up, because they have a driver, but he really can't wait with the whole Chanyeol thing, because he can tell it's at the back of Jongin's mind every second they're talking; distracting him and pulling him down. The car crash and his wounds were way too superficial for Jongin to be so miffed.
As soon as he's inside, Kyungsoo places himself by the windows so that he has Jongin in full view, then pulls out Chanyeol's phone and starts writing a little message. Well, that's a bit of a lie; he's had the draft of the message sitting there for a while, but with a few tweaks and and a shaky click to the 'send' button, the message flies straight to Jongin in the form of a little vibration, and the boy takes his time to check his phone, head hung down and back curved. Watching Jongin read it, and feeling the bond between Chanyeol and him break and tear slowly with every word is so special, and it feels like a huge relief to Kyungsoo, his chest already lighter and his head seeming clearer. It takes Jongin a few minutes to cry, but when he does, Kyungsoo is so ready to go outside and play his part, even if Jongin crying isn't the best of experiences, but Kyungsoo is there to soothe his woes.
"Jongin?" He's walking up behind him slowly, cautiously, the teen's shoulders shaking like one of those little massage machines at motels. "Are you alright?"
Grief-stricken eyes look up at him, and for a second Kyungsoo wonders if maybe he pulled it too far in one day, if Jongin is weaker than he thought, until he hears, "Fucking asshole...he...m-my boyfriend just...broke up with..." Jongin succumbed, brave face caving, until he was sobbing helplessly and clutching his phone with shaky hands. "O-oh god-- and just a week ago I-- h-he said we'd be together forever, that we'd-- I don't know, you know, m-maybe live together after we graduated, or something..."
"What did he say?"
"He just sent me a text..."
"A text, huh? What a cold way of dumping someone..."
"It said that..." Jongin paused to sniffle, wiping off one cheek. "He's relocated to a neighbouring city to move onto bigger and better things. He said he needs a fresh start and...a more career-focused life, whatever that means."
"Oh." Kyungsoo makes sure to pull his lips down into a deep frown.
"He never even cared about his future before, you know? I just don't understand what I did wrong..."
"I'm sure it's not your fault."
Jongin looks up at him, brows knotted. "He had no ambition before and now all of a sudden he's moved away to focus his studies and some career? It must have been something I said..."
"Well, I hope his efforts go down the drain, because you certainly don't deserve silence for so long, only to be dumped so coldly. He sounds like an asshole," Kyungsoo muses, venturing to press a shaky hand on Jongin's shoulder.
"I guess..." Jongin sighs, dropping his phone into the bottom of his bag. There's crying and shaky certainty on the verge of his voice, but Jongin seems to be trying to suck it up. Perhaps out of embarrassment, and he'd rather let more emotions out at home than in front of some kind stranger. "Do you think you could maybe drive me home now?"
"Sure thing."
*
Kyungsoo drops Jongin off at home after the younger gives him directions to his house, but not before they exchange phone numbers (in case of future 'liability claims' and/or injury complications, Kyungsoo convinces him).
Trouble is that it's so much harder to sleep at night when he knows that Jongin knows of his existence. There are endless possibilities as to what Jongin could be thinking about at that very second, but the fact that he, Kyungsoo, could be one of those possibilities at all is so paramount, and his chances are even higher considering the day's memorable and rather thought-provoking events, the band-aid around Jongin's neck serving as a token reminder.
He ends up not sleeping at all, just staring at a picture of Jongin on his phone (one he took while they were at the hospital together) and sighs to himself, trying to remember what Jongin looks like up close in real life rather than through pixels. Jongin's beauty is so mistranslated through technology; it hardly even looks like him. Jongin in the flesh is so much better, so much more real and glowing, whether that can be blamed on his three-dimensionality or not.
At 1:23pm, Kyungsoo almost drops his phone on his face when it buzzes with a text message, from Jongin no less. He sits up with a start and carefully guides his shaky fingers to press the right buttons to open the message, straining his eyes to read the bright screen in the dim surroundings.
Can I buy you coffee tomorrow? I kind of owe you for taking care of me the other day...
Kyungsoo imagines going for coffee with Jongin. He imagines how the boy would look while ordering, perhaps a latte, with a smile, and then how he would look while taking his first sip, possibly scalding his tongue as he forgets about the temperature and is too impatient to wait. Jongin would stick out his tongue like a puppy and whine about how it hurt and felt weird for a little bit, then he'd stick it back in and try drinking his coffee again, full of rejuvenated determination, like he hadn't just burned himself and learned a lesson.
Almost getting lost in his thoughts and forgetting to answer, Kyungsoo forces himself to type out a reply message while panicking over what he should wear, because he only has two outfits and he dropped his suit off at the cleaner's because of yesterday's kerfuffle.
( Part Three )
Title: The Escapement Error
He successfully manages to have Chanyeol and Jongin avoid each other for a whole two days, which is quite a task because Jongin is rather clingy and always asks too many questions. Thankfully, Jongin's computer was confiscated from him by his mother that day (Kyungsoo got a distressed text about it that morning), and Jongin's phone is an old hand-me-down where 3G is a thing of the distant future.
He sighs, sitting down on a bench two up from Jongin's usual one.
Jongin makes him want to be wild. He wants to yell and hit things and be so out of bounds that he can never even get back to his schedule. In theory. He just has this urge to go out of his way to do things; to keep Jongin under control or surveillance or whatever it is he's doing. It feels like he's holding Jongin's life in his hands like he's playing him in monopoly. Jongin is the silver dog and he's the big pinch moving him across the board without a dice to leave up to chance.
Kyungsoo pulls out Chanyeol's phone, opening his conversation with Jongin, which they left on a rather cute note last night. He types in a new message, double checking Chanyeol's calendar for the date.
I have a surprise for you. For our anniversary.
Jongin isn't there, but he still replies instantly. Aww what is it?
Tomorrow morning at 6:47am I want you to sit on the third bench from the end of the tracks with a blindfold over your eyes. Can you do that for me?
Sure...
A few seconds later, You're not going to take me to Disneyland or something, are you? Because if you are I need to pack and stuff.
It's a secret. You don't have to pack.
*
It's a big rush seeing Jongin sitting on the bench blindfolded and waiting for him. No backpack, no books, no pens or highlighters, just Jongin in his duffle coat and head with soft, newly washed hair. His cheeks are tinted pink from the cold, and he's sitting real proper, not like how he usually waits for the train with his legs and arms sprawled everywhere.
He walks up to Jongin slowly, feeling his heart hammering in his chest as he nears him, every little nanometer affecting his body. He's shaking with anticipation, his lips are tight, his hands are cold, and he for the life of him can't help but feel worried about his size, because it's the thing that can give him away the fastest. He just has to make sure Jongin doesn't try to lean into him or touch him too much. He has to stay in control; has to guide him around. At least he smells like Chanyeol to the T, thanks to his quick thinking.
He repeats to himself that Jongin is stupidly infatuated and gullible, and so therefore this shouldn't be too hard. It's been going well so far, and he has to venture to say that he's volumes better at this whole 'relationship' thing than Chanyeol, whose ass is probably still at home, with no larger attempts at contacting Jongin or getting his phone back to his name.
He stands right before his dream boy, placing at arm on his shoulder, before moving it up to pat his head. Jongin's hair really is soft. He allows his fingers to slide through the silky tresses until he notices that Jongin is smiling up at him, getting ready to throw himself at him for a traditional embrace. Kyungsoo keeps Jongin in place with his arm, cupping his face with one hand to dissuade Jongin from getting up. Jongin seems to let that greeting suffice, but Kyungsoo makes sure to lean down enough for the boy to catch his familiar smell.
Kyungsoo takes the reaction as an invitation to reach for his hand and pull him up from the bench, and he leads Jongin down along the train track to the very end of the stretch, where there's an empty train wagon that he's prepared for them himself with the help of tipping the right people (and passengers). He makes sure Jongin doesn't stumble and fall over the step while boarding, cinching his wait in with his hands as he guides him on. Jongin keeps his silence, letting Kyungsoo push him into their designated car and sit him down into a seat, even unbutton his coat and pull it off him.
"Where are we going?" Jongin asks, clasping his hands together in his lap, his knees bouncing with eagerness. "Can I take off the blindfol--"
Kyungsoo silences him with a finger to his lips, then presses his second hand to Jongin's clasped ones, squeezing, as if telling him to not do anything.
"Is this a game?"
A nod would suffice, but Jongin can't see him, so Kyungsoo simply moves from his mouth to caress his cheeks as a silent yes. The pinkness in Jongin's cheeks treble, and he quietens down.
It takes about 5 minutes and the train moving for their meal to arrive. Kyungsoo watches as a crew member from the kitchen car carries in two bowls of soup, a bouquet of roses, and a complimentary bread basket, giving them a curt nod of masked confusion as he takes his leave. Kyungsoo dismisses him and focuses back on Jongin, beautiful Jongin, who is waiting so patiently for his prize.
Kyungsoo presses the bouquet into Jongin's hands, and Jongin grabs it, sticking his nose into the flowers, as if he knows that's where he comes from. Flowers; the most beautiful creation on earth. Jongin is flowers and stars and snowflakes before they hit the ground and become polluted. Kyungsoo smiles to himself across from him, watching Jongin greet the flowers like an old friend.
"Well this is romantic," Jongin says with a small laugh. "I didn't know you had it in you. I love the flowers."
Kyungsoo takes the flowers back and places them to the side, because the soup is about to spoil, and they ought to eat it before it turns cold.
He grabs the spoon next to Jongin's soup and fills it with the creamy substance, then lifts the spoon of soup up to Jongin's plush lips, before the other opens them compliantly, accepting the warm liquid into his mouth. When Kyungsoo pulls the spoon out, Jongin smiles, before he swallows thickly.
"That's so good."
Kyungsoo smiles too, then leans forward to wipe the corner of Jongin's lip off with his thumb, because he has some green soup residue on it. It feels so good, taking care of Jongin. So right. Jongin with his messy self and uncoordinated everything, sitting still as Kyungsoo feeds him and prevents spillage. It's such a beautiful moment that Kyungsoo almost wants to cry; he wants to weep to himself and his accomplishments, and how the love of his life is so kind and patient with him. He knows he has to work on being more caring and present, but Jongin isn't demanding at all, and everything is going so well.
"You know, Chanyeol, I never thought you'd take me anywhere for our anniversary. I mean when we celebrated your birthday we just stayed in and watched a movie, so I'm not quite sure what triggered this change of heart, but--" No. No talk of him. Not now. Don't speak of another man while you're with me. DON'T SPEAK OF ANOTHER MAN WHILE YOU'RE-- "I love you."
"Jongin..." he lets the word fall from his lips, so short and simple and cute and perfect. It makes his mouth taste of gold and sugar.
He gets up from his seat quickly, moving to place himself next to his boyfriend with a hand atop his knee. Jongin jumps slightly, probably because he can't see anything, but he's sitting so perfectly in place still, his eyes drowned in the black of his blindfold.
"Chanyeol?" Jongin asks into the silence, a mix of curiosity and confusion marking the name.
Kyungsoo strokes his knee comfortingly, squeezing a little up his thigh too. Jongin is soft and a slightly thick, his muscles so lean they can barely be felt. It makes him close his eyes and rest back in his seat as he lets his hand wander, feeling as much of Jongin in one go as he can, until his hand is pressed down possessively against his crotch, Jongin's throat releasing a strangled noise as he twitches from the action.
"Chan--"
Kyungsoo squeezes again to get the boy to shut up, and it works like a charm, Jongin stiffening up in more ways than one. Kyungsoo makes quick work of his pants, unbuttoning and unzipping and sinking into his underwear in almost one go.
"Shhh," he coos at Jongin, gripping his warm member firm in his hand. It feels so good to touch him at last. To touch him.
"W-wait, what-- oh my god."
Kyungsoo watches Jongin blush beautifully under the cloth covering his eyes as he makes his way over the boy's shaft, squeezing and rubbing just how he himself likes it (which is technically the only way he knows how to do it). Except Jongin is so inconsistent with his sounds and movements, like he has no control whatsoever; sometimes he'll twitch and other times he'll buck up and claw at the armrests. He only whimpers in the beginning, but as his organ attracts more blood and he gets hotter, his whimpers turn into whines and stifled moans, his teeth biting at his bottom lip to keep himself quiet. Kyungsoo feels torn between being irked at his lack of discipline and turned on by it, and it's hard to admit. There is something really erotic about how Kyungsoo is able to mess with Jongin's senses enough to ruin his tolerance and normal behaviour.
"You dirty boy," Kyungsoo hisses to Jongin, mimicking how Chanyeol talked in the video he saw while schooling his voice to reach the right pitch, but staying far away enough from him for Jongin to not notice.
This makes Jongin slump back against the window, twitching like mad, and Kyungsoo smiles to himself, squeezing harder around Jongin's leaking member, before he let's go of it and watches the sweat on Jongin's forehead and neck cool.
"No-- p-please don't stop. Please-- I-I'm so close..."
Kyungsoo decides this is a good time to pull out his grand finale and lathers his middle finger up with saliva in a swift movement, before he shifts and makes for sinking his second hand down the back of Jongin's worn H&M jeans. He gets another squeak of surprise and a couple small twitches, then Jongin lies dead still as Kyungsoo sinks his finger into him, only whining to himself and clenching around him. He's tight.
"Chan...mm..." Jongin's laying there pretty uselessly as Kyungsoo wiggles his finger in and out while pumping him, and bringing the boy figuratively to his knees and literally to his back is almost as satisfying as being punctual enough for the millisecond.
"Hello, this is your conductor speaking. We're having a layover at the next station due to construction work on the tracks. Please find your way off the train and switch to the one on track 3 to further your journey if needed. We apologize for any inconvenience."
They have to get off.
Kyungsoo panics, because he doesn't know what to do with Jongin and his blindfold in the end; he got too excited and didn't plan anything properly, to the extent that he should have. But Jongin can't see Chanyeol again; he knows that for sure. That would reveal it wasn't him who was there in the train with him at all, and then Jongin will freak out and it will cause irrational action that Kyungsoo can't predict, which could endanger his regular meetings with Jongin. He needs to know where he is at all times, or he'll go crazy. He needs to know.
Jongin is breathing hard in his seat, his pants unbuttoned and his bangs sticking to his forehead slightly from dampness, and Kyungsoo leaves him there, storming out of the train before he loses his mind and loses control of the situation. Somewhere between fear and the residual hard-on in his pants, Kyungsoo decides his next destination is predetermined.
*
The door is just as easy to open this time, barely putting up any resistance to his push. Unlocked and slightly ajar, it's carelessness and consistency that Kyungsoo feeds off of, and he walks in easier than he left Jongin at the train station, his head up high and his eyes strained.
There's low punk music playing from the top floor, which reminds Kyungsoo of the songs he found piled up in Chanyeol's audio library, equally loud and annoying.
He's walking up with a purpose, not caring if certain stairs creak or if his shoes pull against the floor with rumbling emphasis. If there are others home, they can see him, but he's going on nothing but good faith, having a feeling that things will go in his favour, like he's invincible.
Family portraits pass by him as he keep going; school pictures and the like, his hand sliding up the railing as he moves along in his steady pace. Chanyeol's door is wide open, like he finds no value in privacy whatsoever, and he's lying on his bed with his eyes closed, listening to his 'music', while drumming his fingers in the air.
Kyungsoo walks in, keeping his eyes glued to him, his feet feeling like they're gliding over the floorboard. His room has such a dauntingly disgusting smell; so thick and vile. The walk over to Chanyeol is so long but so short at the same time, and after what feels like an hour trying to approach him, Kyungsoo is standing right next to his animated body, watching him live in the melody of his tune.
Chanyeol's ears are big and his skin is uneven. His hair is styled weirdly and his teeth are too straight and his limbs are too long and gangly and he looks like he can just be snapped in half right now, his insignificant body taking up air and space and phony purpose.
Kyungsoo climbs onto the bed, crawling his body over so that he can sit himself onto Chanyeol's hips, legs on either side of him. Chanyeol doesn't react like anything is out of the ordinary, instead he chuckles, his eyes still closed. He reaches up to grip Kyungsoo's hips, lips stretched into a wide grin.
"Mmm Jonginnie...I was wondering when you'd come around. I've missed you."
Kyungsoo wants to puke into his mouth, but mostly gouge his eyes out with a barbeque prong fork.
"How can you say that when you missed your anniversary?" He asks, and he's genuinely curious. How is Chanyeol even a competition if he's completely useless and incapable? Pathetic. Careless. Unforgivably forgetful.
Chanyeol's eyes fly open in petrification, getting a good stare at the person above him that turns out to not be his boyfriend, but Kyungsoo is quicker, and he wraps his strong hands around Chanyeol's neck before he can move, squeezing down hard while groaning because he's so annoyed.
"You..." Chanyeol starts, but his words die in his blocked up throat as his tongue swells up from the pressure.
Kyungsoo breathes hard, tightening his vice grip. The boy starts thrashing, face eventually going pink and eyes looking like they're going to pop out of his head. He's flailing and sputtering, but Kyungsoo manages to remain seated on his stomach, unmoving, just keeping his iron grip around his larynx and oesophagus and whatever else is there under his hands, caving to him.
He just has to quieten him. He has to stop him.
Saliva and tears stream out of the purpling face, and Kyungsoo grunts angrily some more, before yelling down at Chanyeol in his head for existing and contaminating everything and complicating his initially simple schedule. He stops sitting still and starts shoving at Chanyeol's neck in intervals instead, making his head bang against the pillow. He's just so angry. Chanyeol is a flaw in the system. A faulty glitch.
His muscles feel sore at one point, and he doesn't know how long he's been sitting there for. Chanyeol's face looks broken and stupid, his eyes rolled up and his tongue poking out of his open mouth. He pries his hands off from around Chanyeol's neck, wiping what probably is his smell stuck to the palms of his hands, which he'll have to thoroughly disinfect later. Kyungsoo wets his dry lips, pulling at his shirt collar, which is feeling particularly tight at that moment, while he looks down at the ugly face, feeling his appetite diminish. How Jongin could ever eat with him around, Kyungsoo will never understand.
Chanyeol's body is heavy and difficult to maneuver, but easy enough to transport in a plastic bag, and Kyungsoo hauls him out of the house and into his backyard, before continuing out on the grass until he's at the edge of some woods. He knows there's a body of water somewhere; he just has to find it, and whether it will take all night of a few hours; the qualm in Kyungsoo's heart has been un-qualmed.
*
Kyungsoo arrives home at exactly 22:00, and the first thing he does is make himself a cup of coffee with two packs of sugar, not one. He switches the TV on and stands still in front of it for a good while to clear his head and replace his anger with desensitized images of dead children in the Middle East and proper women speaking and pronouncing clearly every single word about death and futility that they can.
As he sets his cup down on the coffee table and begins unbuttoning his soiled, filthy shirt, he sits thinking about Jongin, who could be sleeping on the couch next to him in that very second, instead of wasting time away from him, wherever he was.
But he decides then that the odds are going to be stacked in his favour tomorrow, even if he has to stay up until morning to accomplish it. He's going to make himself the luckiest man in the world. Everything is possible when you're aware of all the outcomes and feel like you're smart enough to play god and lady fate for a little while. God and fate aren't good with punctuality and routine anyways; Kyungsoo will be cleaning up their mistakes. Their faulty miscalculations of straying Jongin from his path and tricking him into thinking Chanyeol was his destiny and Kyungsoo was an insignificant stranger. It's like someone hacked the motherboard of life and rearranged the connecting wires that had it all make sense and compute without combusting. But it's faulty; all of it, and Kyungsoo is nothing if not a good I.T. technician.
*
Monday morning at 6:55am, Jongin is sitting on his bench with his backpack stuck between his legs and his hair tucked behind one ear because he's nervous about being late for school, but this time he's crying. Normally Kyungsoo hates deviations in patterns and outliers in consistency, but he welcomes this one with open arms, because he knows the derivative; he knows the cause.
Like a good citizen, he approaches the lamenting Jongin, making sure his tie is straight and his hair is slicked back the way he likes it to make for a good (third) impression.
"Is something the matter?"
His love looks up, pretty face littered with wetness and worry, and Kyungsoo wants to soothe him and wipe his face with his hands, but he refrains.
"M-my boyfriend is missing. I haven't seen him since..." Kyungsoo sees Jongin's face turn red, and he feels a little victory brew in his stomach and chest. "S-Saturday."
"That's unfortunate," Kyungsoo agrees, taking a seat next to Jongin, who looks surprised that there's someone talking to him. "Have you tried contacting him?"
"Yes-- all weekend! Still no reply. And his parents haven't seen him either."
Kyungsoo feels his stomach sink while he tightens his tie. He can't let Chanyeol be searched for; that would ruin everything. He doesn't want Jongin to be a shell of a person either, mourning a dead lover for the rest of his days. He adds the detail into his schedule, glancing up at the clock, which reads 06:57.
"Looks like our train is cancelled," he comments, placing his briefcase neatly on top of his legs. Jongin sniffles and then looks up at the clock. He doesn't seem to care much.
"You're taking the 06:56 too?" Jongin asks. Kyungsoo nods. "Oh...well it's only a minute late; they haven't said anything--"
"Train 201 on track 5 has been cancelled due to an explosion on the tracks, derailing the locomotive. No replacement transportation is currently in place."
Jongin furrows his eyebrows, glancing at the clock again, then down at his wristwatch, until finally, his eyes rest on Kyungsoo, staying there. They're deep brown and full of amazement.
"How did you know that?" He asks, almost resurrected from his stewing sadness.
"The trains are never late," Kyungsoo lies, sending him a small smile. Jongin returns it, playing with his fingers.
"Yeah...an explosion though; wow," He pauses, before continuing, "Ugh, I'm going to miss school again. They'll end up kicking me out at this rate."
"I can give you a ride if you want," Kyungsoo offers, perhaps a bit too eagerly, making sure to stare straight ahead, at where their train should have been. "I have a car that I take to work sometimes; it's just that taking the train is more efficient because of all the traffic."
"Really?" Jongin asks with eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "That would be awesome, to be honest. I can't really afford any more marks against my name."
"It would be my pleasure, then. The ride to work is excruciatingly boring anyways."
*
"You want me to what?"
"You heard me."
"I'm not a killer for hire, Mr. Do."
"I think you will find that using your TNT at the right time will neither kill nor injure civilians. In fact, the problem will most likely be placed on a faulty engine, since that seems to always be the case."
"I still don't see what's in it for me to even consider taking such a risk."
"I can be very persuasive, I assure you."
*
They get into Kyungsoo's Volkswagen, Jongin strapping himself into the passenger's side with his backpack squished down by his legs, while Kyungsoo sticks his keys in the ignition. Jongin looks shy and slightly uncomfortable in the nice car, and Kyungsoo tries to warm up the mood by putting on a CD (the only one in his possession), which happens to be a Best of Meat Loaf. Jongin seems a bit too young to recognize anything, but that's alright, because then he doesn't get distracted by the music, and Kyungsoo can instead watch his pretty head try to work out which route they're taking.
"My school's up past the Lone Range church. The private one," Jongin points out, pressing a finger to his lips while looking out of his window as Kyungsoo backs up from his parking spot.
"Yeah, I figured as much. You don't see many kids with uniforms these days unless they're doing what you do." Kyungsoo chuckles nervously, adjusting his rear-view mirror. He wonders if he'll be able to keep his eyes on the road at all with the love of his life sitting next to him; the little ray of sunshine of his cloudy sky. Oh, words can't describe how good this day is to him, how much he wants it to go on forever.
Jongin is a quiet little thing, very different from how he was with Chanyeol, as he only sits still in his car, staring out the window while they drive past fields and farms. Kyungsoo supposes he only opens up when he's very comfortable, and a car ride from a complete stranger isn't lodged anywhere into that category. He sighs, turning on the radio instead to his favourite station: the one that plays classical music and opera. Jongin glances at him once, as if surprised, then turns back to look out the window. Kyungsoo frowns, craving his attention abnormally much.
"So," he starts, checking his watch, which he has a habit of doing at least every 10 minutes. "Do you take the train every day? I think I might have seen you on the platform a couple of times."
"I do," Jongin says, and he seems so excited to talk suddenly, like he was just waiting for Kyungsoo to instigate conversation all along. "Every morning to school. It's pretty boring and I have to get up really early, but my parents won't let me attend public school, so that was kind of the end of that short conversation."
"I see," Kyungsoo muses, not really musing at all. He already knows what to say and where this conversation is going. He hasn't studied Jongin's speech habits and personality for nothing. "Well, I take the train to work every day too, and I can assure you it's equally boring."
"Right? I'm pretty sure there's no way to ever make it fun...unless you installed TVs on the back of the seats, maybe then."
Kyungsoo nods gravely, taking a left off the highway. "Or if those stupid trains turn into teleportation devices and we don't have to spend much time on them at all."
"There's something we need," Jongin agrees with a chuckle, pulling his feet up into his seat. "Something that would actually prevent us from being packed up like sardines and shipped down some scenery for way too long. Trains are kind of slow, don't you think? I mean they just glide over train tracks, like, can't they glide faster?"
Kyungsoo nods again, this time unable to stifle a laugh.
"What?"
"Nothing." He shrugs. "It's just that...well, trains go faster than cars, and here you are complaining about them."
Jongin chews on that information for a few seconds, eyebrows furrowing in concentration.
"Oh...I guess it just feels slow. Chanyeol-- I mean, my boyfriend always says that trains are really slow. And that cars are really fast because if you crash in one you can die, but you can't die on a train."
"I don't know about that, Jongin," Kyungsoo chuckles, finally feeling calm with his hands steady on the steering wheel. "He doesn't sound too bright to me."
"Wait...how do you know my name?"
Kyungsoo almost stops the car, clenching the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turn a deadly white. He can feel Jongin staring at the side of his face, and his body is burning up all of a sudden; completely on fire.
"You look like a Jongin," he says quickly, and as expected, Jongin turns to look at himself in the car door mirror, confused. Kyungsoo uses the time to fish out Jongin's student card of his pants pocket, then pretends to pick it from the ground by his backpack.
"I'm just kidding; I saw your student I.D. on the floor there," he says, showing it to Jongin with a small laugh, one he almost doesn't manage to utter. He fears he'll stutter in front of him when he speaks. He does that a lot when he's nervous.
"Shit," Jongin curses, taking it from him. "I keep losing that..." Kyungsoo's not exactly surprised.
But their short, awkward little conversations will end soon, because they're almost at the intersection. The intersection where Kyungsoo will arrive at a specific time and punch the gas at a specific time to ensure that him and Jongin spend the better half of the day together. He's kind of proud of his creativity, to be honest. He's come so far and he's only going further, creeping closer and closer to his goal, when all his efforts will pay off.
He sees it, the intersection. There are many cars building up in it, but he only needs one, the one he paid for to show up to his right at this exact time. Kyungsoo feels himself begin to sweat. They're at a red light. Still there's no car to his right. He swallows thickly, feeling ticked off. He said a specific time and minute, even second, and he paid well for it. He needs a car to show up in exactly 31 seconds, or his whole plan will be flushed down the toilet. 29 seconds now. He hopes Jongin doesn't notice his distress, because it feels so obvious to him, so apparent. He's panicking. He's panicking.
A red car pulls up to rest on the road to his right, and Kyungsoo finally let's himself breathe, now switching his gaze to the red light. A few more seconds. Every millisecond counts. If he's off by a millisecond there will be no impact. It could go dreadfully wrong or sadly wrong. Either he hits the gas too early and they pass the car by a cat's hair, of he hits it too late and they die together, which sounds romantic, but is far from practical and definitely far from what he wants.
Green light. Kyungsoo slams his foot on the gas pedal the same time as the car coming in on his right, and grabs Jongin's upper arm in a sudden fear for his safety, holding him back in his seat as he sees red flash in front of them for a split second before their car is colliding into it, their seatbelts yanking tight against their chests. Jongin screams, and it all feels so long and slow, but Kyungsoo knows it's nothing but a fraction of a second, like it usually is.
The air smells of smoke and burnt tires. Him and Jongin are both conscious, the latter's eyes wide and his hands clutching onto Kyungsoo's arm.
"That crazy fucker just slammed the pedal on our green light!" Kyungsoo exclaims, coughing once as he pulls the seat-belt away from his sore skin. Jongin looks too scared to move, and Kyungsoo's more than happy with that, undoing the boy's seatbelt and telling him to wait and that he'll come around to get him out.
As he passes the front of the car he sees the suicidal fucker he struck a deal with lying head-first against the steering wheel. What are the chances of him convincing a suicidal man to die on his terms for some cash? His stomach knots when he sees the man's head move, and he know he'll have to pay up big time for not being able to kill him properly. He was off by 0.06 seconds because of Jongin sitting beside him. His attention was divided, something he wasn't used to.
"It's alright, out you come," he says gently as he opens Jongin's door and pulls the shaken teen out, thankfully sporting no further damages than a burn from his seat-belt right over his shoulder and up his neck, but unfortunately also looking stuck in perpetual shock.
He can hear sirens in the distance already (how much time has passed? He's almost too nervous to check his watch now) and breathes out in relief, clutching Jongin's body to his side while he stares at the wreck his car managed to make of the oncoming one: busted front and windshield, window smashed and car door indented. Luckily the blame won't fall on him, and so all he has to do is take care of Jongin the rest of the day, as his chauffeur duty permits him to.
He covers Jongin's eyes before he gets to see the mess behind the steering wheel of the other car.
*
Jongin at the hospital is a nice experience. It's nice because Jongin isn't severely injured in any way, and just seems to have a light case of post-shock, which means he's shaky and clingy and not really ready to go anywhere.
"Do you want me to call your parents?" Kyungsoo offers while he gently strokes the bandage on Jongin's shoulder that's shielding his sore skin. Kyungsoo has a matching one on his. The bandage is soft, but sticky and textured on the tape areas.
"No...then they'll know I missed school again," Jongin says quietly, and the answer was very expected.
"Don't you think it's more important they know you were in a car accident?"
Jongin shakes his head with short sigh. "If I'm not dying or even hurt I don't think they'd care. And it doesn't matter anyways, because you're here."
Yes, Kyungsoo is there. He's been feeding Jongin small snacks and making him drink water and talking very nicely to him for the past couple hours or so until Jongin got around to speaking again. Jongin's parents would just be yelling at him for missing his history test today and accepting a ride from a stranger. Kyungsoo doesn't need anyone trying to convince Jongin it was a bad idea, because it was, in fact, the best one he's had so far.
"Do you still want me to drive you to school?" He asks, picking up Jongin's backpack, which he's been carrying around for him since they arrived at the hospital. He's remembering the soon to be angry hospital patient in one of the rooms that will be looking for him, and he doesn't have time for that; not now.
Jongin shakes his head again. "I don't think so..."
"Too much for one day, huh?" Kyungsoo replies with a laugh, but then gets nervous because he doesn't know if he should be laughing or not, and it's probably not the right time to. He covers it up by continuing to talk, keeping in high spirits, but not enough to appear elated, "How about I take you somewhere to eat? You must be starving."
"That would be nice; thank you."
*
They end up catching a small cab which Kyungsoo demands drive slowly and not on any sort of highway or fast lane whatsoever, holding Jongin's hand while they sit in the backseat together. Jongin wanted to walk, but Kyungsoo told him the hospital wasn't in any sort of proximity to good food, and that Jongin was in no shape to be walking too much, along with the fact that he couldn't avoid cars forever.
They end up stopping at a gas station because Jongin feels dizzy, and Kyungsoo pays the taxi driver to just stay put and wait for them while he buys Jongin more snacks from Seven Eleven and makes sure he stays hydrated. He assures him they can stay there as long as needed and that he'll just call in sick to work with no problems, and Jongin smiles weakly at him from the curb he's sitting on, a half-eaten pretzel stick poking out of his mouth.
"It's not like work is particularly exciting," Kyungsoo babbles on, checking his watch. The minutes are even and it's satisfying. "The people I work with aren't very nice anyways. I'd venture to say that your company is about 150% more comfortable."
"I'm glad." Jongin smiles up at him, and it's beautiful. "I'm a little bit of a burden, though, I mean...making you follow me around and all that," Jongin says with a slight blush, looking deflated. Kyungsoo doesn't want him to look so down; that would be counterproductive. "Buying me food and water. I swear I'm not a homeless person or something like that, it's just that my allowance--”
"Nonsense, Jongin; it's my duty," Kyungsoo insists, pulling the soggy pretzel bit that Jongin's been trying to eat for half an hour out of his mouth and flicking it away. "You got hurt under my care, and I'm just trying to make sure you're alright. It's nothing, really. Hang on, I'm going to go ask the shop assistant for some directions; I'll be back in a minute."
Kyungsoo mentally reprimands himself for fucking up, because they have a driver, but he really can't wait with the whole Chanyeol thing, because he can tell it's at the back of Jongin's mind every second they're talking; distracting him and pulling him down. The car crash and his wounds were way too superficial for Jongin to be so miffed.
As soon as he's inside, Kyungsoo places himself by the windows so that he has Jongin in full view, then pulls out Chanyeol's phone and starts writing a little message. Well, that's a bit of a lie; he's had the draft of the message sitting there for a while, but with a few tweaks and and a shaky click to the 'send' button, the message flies straight to Jongin in the form of a little vibration, and the boy takes his time to check his phone, head hung down and back curved. Watching Jongin read it, and feeling the bond between Chanyeol and him break and tear slowly with every word is so special, and it feels like a huge relief to Kyungsoo, his chest already lighter and his head seeming clearer. It takes Jongin a few minutes to cry, but when he does, Kyungsoo is so ready to go outside and play his part, even if Jongin crying isn't the best of experiences, but Kyungsoo is there to soothe his woes.
"Jongin?" He's walking up behind him slowly, cautiously, the teen's shoulders shaking like one of those little massage machines at motels. "Are you alright?"
Grief-stricken eyes look up at him, and for a second Kyungsoo wonders if maybe he pulled it too far in one day, if Jongin is weaker than he thought, until he hears, "Fucking asshole...he...m-my boyfriend just...broke up with..." Jongin succumbed, brave face caving, until he was sobbing helplessly and clutching his phone with shaky hands. "O-oh god-- and just a week ago I-- h-he said we'd be together forever, that we'd-- I don't know, you know, m-maybe live together after we graduated, or something..."
"What did he say?"
"He just sent me a text..."
"A text, huh? What a cold way of dumping someone..."
"It said that..." Jongin paused to sniffle, wiping off one cheek. "He's relocated to a neighbouring city to move onto bigger and better things. He said he needs a fresh start and...a more career-focused life, whatever that means."
"Oh." Kyungsoo makes sure to pull his lips down into a deep frown.
"He never even cared about his future before, you know? I just don't understand what I did wrong..."
"I'm sure it's not your fault."
Jongin looks up at him, brows knotted. "He had no ambition before and now all of a sudden he's moved away to focus his studies and some career? It must have been something I said..."
"Well, I hope his efforts go down the drain, because you certainly don't deserve silence for so long, only to be dumped so coldly. He sounds like an asshole," Kyungsoo muses, venturing to press a shaky hand on Jongin's shoulder.
"I guess..." Jongin sighs, dropping his phone into the bottom of his bag. There's crying and shaky certainty on the verge of his voice, but Jongin seems to be trying to suck it up. Perhaps out of embarrassment, and he'd rather let more emotions out at home than in front of some kind stranger. "Do you think you could maybe drive me home now?"
"Sure thing."
*
Kyungsoo drops Jongin off at home after the younger gives him directions to his house, but not before they exchange phone numbers (in case of future 'liability claims' and/or injury complications, Kyungsoo convinces him).
Trouble is that it's so much harder to sleep at night when he knows that Jongin knows of his existence. There are endless possibilities as to what Jongin could be thinking about at that very second, but the fact that he, Kyungsoo, could be one of those possibilities at all is so paramount, and his chances are even higher considering the day's memorable and rather thought-provoking events, the band-aid around Jongin's neck serving as a token reminder.
He ends up not sleeping at all, just staring at a picture of Jongin on his phone (one he took while they were at the hospital together) and sighs to himself, trying to remember what Jongin looks like up close in real life rather than through pixels. Jongin's beauty is so mistranslated through technology; it hardly even looks like him. Jongin in the flesh is so much better, so much more real and glowing, whether that can be blamed on his three-dimensionality or not.
At 1:23pm, Kyungsoo almost drops his phone on his face when it buzzes with a text message, from Jongin no less. He sits up with a start and carefully guides his shaky fingers to press the right buttons to open the message, straining his eyes to read the bright screen in the dim surroundings.
Can I buy you coffee tomorrow? I kind of owe you for taking care of me the other day...
Kyungsoo imagines going for coffee with Jongin. He imagines how the boy would look while ordering, perhaps a latte, with a smile, and then how he would look while taking his first sip, possibly scalding his tongue as he forgets about the temperature and is too impatient to wait. Jongin would stick out his tongue like a puppy and whine about how it hurt and felt weird for a little bit, then he'd stick it back in and try drinking his coffee again, full of rejuvenated determination, like he hadn't just burned himself and learned a lesson.
Almost getting lost in his thoughts and forgetting to answer, Kyungsoo forces himself to type out a reply message while panicking over what he should wear, because he only has two outfits and he dropped his suit off at the cleaner's because of yesterday's kerfuffle.
( Part Three )