(for zitaomfg) deer in the headlights
For: zitaomfg
Title: deer in the headlights
Pairings: Kai/D.O., Luhan/Xiumin
Rating: G
Word Count: 8876
Summary: Kyungsoo wakes up with a hangover after coming home to see his plain white tee covered with phone numbers.
Author’s Note: I really hope you like it! J
Kyungsoo has never liked Baekhyun.
He dislikes him even more now, eyes fluttering open to a relentless throbbing in the back of his head and an equally annoying throbbing bladder, demanding for his presence in the bathroom immediately. Kyungsoo rolls out of bed with a loud groan, hands already fumbling to pull his boxers down before he even reaches the bathroom.
The sight that greets him in the mirror after he’s done relieving himself startles him. His eyes are bloodshot, face swollen from God knows how long he’s been out, and his hair looks like an absolute nightmare. He looks like a drunk beggar. But that’s not the main point. He tears his gaze away from the mirror, fingers gripped around the hem of his white shirt. He had chosen a simple white button-up tee for the party -- not too dressy, not too casual -- and it was completely ruined now.
There are scribbles all over his shirt and Kyungsoo internally screams. They had all been written using a black marker and he doesn’t even need to think twice to know it’s not going to come off. There are numbers and words but cleaning up is still his first priority, so he mutters fuck under his breath and peels off his clothes.
He can smell the stench of alcohol on himself and he tries not to think about how his bed probably reeks of it also. He can’t even remember how he ended up at home again.
Last night had been totally crazy.
Baekhyun had thrown a huge graduation party for the seniors, and he had somehow convinced Kyungsoo to attend by telling him it wouldn’t be a wild one because only the seniors would attend, but Kyungsoo ended up finding himself in Baekhyun’s three-storey house along with almost everybody from the school -- freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. By then, it had been too late to leave, with Minseok’s arm slung around his shoulders and Luhan shoving booze into his hands.
He doesn’t remember anything much other than that.
Kyungsoo wraps a towel loosely around his torso and steps over the threshold to the bathroom, but not before sparing a quick glance at the mirror. He sighs in relief, grabbing his shirt on the way. At least he looks like himself again, although the bloodshot eyes will probably take some time.
Kyungsoo sits on the foot of his bed, towel still wrapped around his waist. His hair is still damp, water droplets clinging to the ends and he shakes his head, running a hand through his hair before shifting his attention onto the shirt.
He unballs it, spreading it out to examine the things written on it. There are random numbers scrawled all over the cotton material, and Kyungsoo frowns when he realizes they’re all phone numbers. What exactly had happened last night? He flips his shirt around, a sudden feeling that there’s something he needs to look at at the back, and it proves to be right when he spots the outstanding chibi cartoon right smack in the middle.
Kyungsoo holds it up closer to his face, smiling in spite of himself. The chibi sure looks adorable, and he hasn’t a doubt it’s him because of those wide eyes and heart-shaped lips. His lips has always been his trademark. The chibi version of him seems to be wearing their school uniform, and his face is scrunched up into a cute smile. The longer Kyungsoo stares at it, the cuter it gets. There’s just something about the drawing that’s grabbing at his attention and holding it there, and for a second, Kyungsoo really wants to know who had drawn this cute little thing.
His gaze shifts and his blood freezes when he spots a row of numbers scrawled right beside the chibi. He has to squint to make out the individual digits, and clearly, the artist of this chibi has atrocious handwriting. But that isn’t the main point. The main point is, should he call this number?
Groaning, he twists his back and stretches to reach for his phone lying right beside his pillow. He calls the first person that comes into mind.
Baekhyun picks up after the third ring.
“Hello?” His voice sounds gruff, unlike his usual self, and Kyungsoo wishes Baekhyun is having a worse hangover than himself.
“Hey, dick,” Kyungsoo says, “what’s up?”
“Um -- “
“No, forget it,” Kyungsoo cuts in before Baekhyun can continue. “I’m not actually interested in what you’re doing, I’m just used to saying that.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo mumbles into the phone before he cracks a smile, “oh come on, you’re not mad, are you?
“I woke up naked with a pink bowtie around my neck.” Baekhyun replies lifelessly. “Naked.”
“What -- “
“Yeah, so tell me how happy I am right now.”
Kyungsoo chews his bottom lip. Well, at least his situation isn’t half as bad as Baekhyun’s. He decides to just get to the main point because clearly, they both aren’t in the mood for conversations.
“What happened last night?”
“It was one hell of a party! My house is in a really bad state; I walked into the bathroom this morning and guess what? The were condoms floating in the bathtub. I don’t even know why the fuck it was filled.”
Kyungsoo flops back, smile creeping onto his face again. As much as he would like to feel sorry for his nemesis, that was really funny.
“Have you assessed the damage downstairs?”
He hears Baekhyun groan. “Don’t talk about it,” he snaps, “I don’t even want to leave my room. My parents are coming back in two days! My life is officially over -- and I just graduated!”
Kyungsoo grins. “Are you hinting for me to go over and help you clean up your mess?”
Baekhyun offers him a laugh at this point. “If you’d like to come over, I wouldn’t say no to extra help.”
Baekhyun has successfully caught onto his bait. Now he just has to reel him in. Play along, Kyungsoo thinks, make him think you actually are going to help him.
“I need to know what happened last night, though,” Kyungsoo says, “were you with me?”
There’s a short pause before Baekhyun hums. “Only for a short while. You were really drunk last night. Minseok and Luhan had to drag you out of my house. Yup. That was the only time I saw you, and oh, I stopped you from throwing up in my vase.”
Kyungsoo flushes.
“I was that drunk? Did I do anything embarrassing?”
“I’d love to tell you, but you have to ask Minseok.”
“Okay, bye.”
“Wait, are you going to come -- “
“I said bye.”
And then Kyungsoo hangs up. He’s still grinning when he dials Minseok’s number, but it fades away when the phone rings on and on and on. It’s one p.m., not too bad for the amount of booze he had last night, and he guesses Minseok’s still out. So Kyungsoo tries Luhan instead. His phone is turned off.
Great.
He sits upright and examines his shirt again, fingers tracing over the scrawl of digits. He never would have called the other numbers, but there’s just this urge to find out who the chibi artist is. Before his mind can register it, his fingers are already flying across the keypad of his phone, keying in the numbers.
Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. And hits call.
He squeezes his eyes shut, fists clenched shut just as tight. He already feels insane -- hell, what is he going to say? He listens to the dial tone and is just about to hang up, feeling slightly stupid, when the dial tone stops. Kyungsoo stops breathing.
“Hello?”
Mysterious man’s voice is low, almost husky, and Kyungsoo feels a strange wave of deja vu wash over him.
“Hey,” Kyungsoo replies nervously, “um, I’m Kyungsoo?”
There’s a short silence over the phone before the other party speaks up again.
“Oh,” he says, sounding a little surprised. “Yeah, what’s up?”
Kyungsoo finds his blood freezing for the second time that day. He hadn’t expected this mysterious guy to be so nonchalant, and now he’s feeling like the biggest idiot alive.
“Um, I just. Do I know you?”
Again, silence. He hears a door close over the phone and Kyungsoo unclenches his fists, staring at his own feet.
“I’m Kim Jongin,” the guy offers, “I’m a junior. I don’t think you know me.”
Kim Jongin. Kim Jongin. Kim Jongin. Kyungsoo repeats it over and over in his mind, desperately trying to come up with a matching face. But none appears. Well, at least Kyungsoo has a voice to match his name to.
“I really don’t,” Kyungsoo laughs awkwardly. “Um, I liked the chibi. I wasn’t planning to call any of the numbers on my shirt but your chibi caught my attention.”
Jongin’s tone changes when he replies, and he sounds almost excited. Kyungsoo can’t help but smile. Kim Jongin really does sound kinda cute, like his drawing.
“Really? You liked it? I’m glad you did. I did it in a haste -- that’s not the best I can do, but I’m glad you liked it! I can draw it for you again if you’d like me to.”
Kyungsoo tilts his head. He hadn’t been expecting his offer.
“That would be nice,” he replies, and is slightly surprised to realize he actually did mean it. “But I have a question; what happened last night? I mean, I woke up with a bad headache this morning -- it’s still bad by the way -- and there are numbers all over my shirt. My favorite shirt!” Kyungsoo whines before realizing who he’s talking to. He shuts up.
He hears Jongin’s laughter for the first time over the phone and something warm unfurls in his chest.
“You were really drunk,” Jongin agrees, “and I’m not really sure about what happened…” His voice trails off.
“Why did you leave your number on my shirt?” Kyungsoo demands.
There’s another short pause before Jongin replies.
“Okay, I do know what happened, but I think it’s to your own benefit if you don’t.”
Nope. Not good. Definitely not a good sign.
“Tell me,” Kyungsoo says, but his voice cracks and he grabs his pillow. It really does reek of booze and sweat and he scrunches his nose unhappily.
There’s a lot of hemming and hawing over the phone and it takes a whole lot of “please please please I’ll treat you to coffee” (that’s right, sly Kyungsoo is sly) before Jongin finally relents.
“You were dead drunk last night, and super high too. You went around telling people they were cute and asking them to leave their numbers on your shirt.”
Kyungsoo buries his face in the pillow. Jongin goes on.
“You.. um.. thrust a marker into my hands.”
“Fuck me,” Kyungsoo mumbles, but it comes out as a muffled “oomphf” instead. Jongin doesn’t pay much attention to that.
“I’ve -- I’ve seen you around in school,” Kyungsoo doesn’t know if it’s merely his imagination but Jongin does sound kinda shy. “I just had the urge to draw you. It’s a present, I guess? Congratulations on graduating!”
Kyungsoo tosses his pillow off the bed, unable to take the stench anymore. He lies on his bare back, staring up at the ceiling.
“Thank you,” he sighs, “I feel embarrassed.”
“Nah, don’t be! It was really obvious you were drunk. Nobody is gonna remember that anyway.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“Okay, fine,” Jongin laughs again, “but it doesn’t affect you, anyway! You’ve already graduated.”
Kyungsoo really feels embarrassed. He rubs his face before rolling onto his belly, chin rested on his palm.
“You’re a junior?” he asks just to be sure he didn’t hear wrongly.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Kim Jongin,” Kyungsoo says, and feels those three syllables roll off his tongue like round candies. He frowns harder, trying to remember. If Jongin had seen him in the hallways, then chances are he had seen Jongin too. Maybe he just didn’t know his name. “I have this crazy feeling I’ve seen you too.”
“You do?”
“Yes,” Kyungsoo nods, and before he can stop himself, “send me a photo of your face.”
Jongin goes quiet and Kyungsoo goes back to burying his face in the sheets. He wants to shoot himself.
“I’m not so sure if that’s a good idea…” Jongin’s voice is quiet but there’s a hint of playfulness to it. “You mentioned something about treating me to coffee earlier?”
Thump thump.
“Yes.”
“How about I accept that offer, say, right now?”
Kyungsoo glances at the clock. He doesn’t have anything to do today.
“Now?” He asks dumbly, already rolling off the bed. He kicks his towel aside, standing in front of his wardrobe stark-naked as he rakes his gaze over the display of presentable clothes.
“Yes, now,” Jongin sounds a little uncertain, “unless you’re not free?”
“No, no, I’m free!”
He thinks he hears a small sigh of relief but he’s too distracted with trying to choose a shirt to think about that.
“That’s great,” Jongin says, “I’ll text you the address of the cafe. Meet you in twenty minutes?”
“Okay, great! See you, Jongin.”
Kyungsoo grabs a sky-blue button down shirt. No more white.
“See you too, Kyungsoo.”
The line goes dead.
“Jesus,” Kyungsoo mutters to himself, pulling a pair of skinny jeans off the rack. “I’m mad. I’m going crazy.”
It’s too out-of-character for him to do something like that, but earlier, when he was on the phone, Kyungsoo really didn’t want Jongin to hang up. He still feels crazy about this whole meeting, especially since he doesn’t even know who the hell Jongin is. He might be an obese kid with horrible acne and bad breath, but deep down, somehow, Kyungsoo knows he isn’t.
(And Kyungsoo has a feeling that this Jongin is adorable.)
He jumps into his pants, grateful he’s still able to fit. He hasn’t worn this pair of jeans in a long time. He walks over to the mirror, squirting cologne on his shirt and expertly styling his hair to get that out-of-bed look.
He gazes at the clock again, taking one last look at his reflection in the mirror before his phone beeps, signalling a text message.
Kyungsoo takes in the address and the smiley face Jongin had added behind and he’s off, out of the door.
Off to meet Jongin.
-
The cafe is only ten minutes away by foot and Kyungsoo stops right before the entrance, his heart speeding up all of a sudden.
He still has a chance to turn away and run now. He does a quick survey of the cafe from outside. It’s contemporary with lots of framed paintings and only a few patrons, aiding Kyungsoo in finding what he’s looking for.
He really doesn’t know how, but he has a feeling that the guy sitting at the corner table is Kim Jongin, even though his back is to him. He has broad shoulders and Kyungsoo swallows before pushing open the door. The person at the counter flashes him a smile but he returns it with a small one. Then he walks towards the corner table, heart slamming against his ribcage. He still feels crazy.
“Jongin?” He squeaks when he gets near. The man turns around and Kyungsoo’s eyes widen because boy, he is very good looking. Jongin has dark hair and heavy-lidded eyes, along with high cheekbones and plump lips (like his).
Jongin’s eyes widen as well and he stands up instantly.
“Hi,” he blurts, and Kyungsoo bursts into laughter. Jongin just watches him with wide eyes, until Kyungsoo waves his hand at him.
“You look so scared!” He chuckles, moving over to sit down. Jongin settles back down as well, but he’s still watching Kyungsoo with nervous eyes.
Kyungsoo stops laughing to spare Jongin and studies his face carefully. He’s even more attractive up close and he does look a little familiar, but Kyungsoo can’t exactly remember where and when he’s seen Jongin.
“I’ve seen you before,” he says carefully, and doesn’t miss the way Jongin’s eyes light up.
“Really?”
Kyungsoo nods slowly. “I think so. I just can’t remember where and when.”
Jongin’s face falls, but only ever so slightly.
“Ah,” he replies thoughtfully, taking a sip of his coffee before remembering Kyungsoo. He looks up at him with wide eyes again. “Do you want coffee?”
Kyungsoo just waves dismissively at him.
“I’m treating, remember?”
Kyungsoo has never been much of a social butterfly, but he doesn’t feel the awkwardness he always does around strangers with Jongin. He wonders why. To clear his mind, he gets up and goes over to the counter to place his order. Jongin has his hands clasped together when Kyungsoo returns with a cup of steaming coffee, but for starters he doesn’t look so nervous anymore.
“So, how was last night for you?”
Jongin gives an exaggerated sigh that makes Kyungsoo smile.
“It was crazy,” he says, before his eyes are on Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo swears he felt a jolt of electricity. “How was it for you?”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “You already know, Jongin.” He is starting to really like how Jongin tastes on his tongue.
Jongin chuckles. “Right, it was horrible for you.”
“So…” Kyungsoo starts to finger the rim of his cup. “About the chibi…”
He sees Jongin stiffen.
“Yeah, um, I’m glad you liked it.”
“Do you like drawing?”
Jongin’s gaze is intense. Really intense. Kyungsoo’s not used to it, but he wouldn’t mind getting used to it.
“I do,” Jongin replies, “I really like drawing. I want to be a cartoonist.”
“That’s interesting,” Kyungsoo says sincerely, and Jongin’s eyes light up again. This time, the sparkle doesn’t die.
“You think so?”
Kyungsoo nods slowly, slightly confused by Jongin’s reaction.
Jongin just bites down on his bottom lip, but his wide grin is contagious. “I’m really happy you think so. People always look at me like I’m mad when I tell them about my dream. They think it isn’t going to get me anywhere. They tell me to dream big and earn big bucks in the future, but I’m not going to give up on my dreams.”
Something in Kyungsoo melts. Subconsciously, he leans forward, closer to Jongin.
“Those people -- ” he starts, gesturing for Jongin to come closer. Jongin does, and a faint pink spreads across his cheeks. “ -- are idiots.”
The pink turns crismon.
Conversation is easy after that, words flowing out naturally without much thought and Kyungsoo thinks it’s incredible how they clicked just like that. Jongin is a year younger than him, a junior, but he’s easy and nice to talk to and Kyungsoo finds himself voicing out his worries for his future, the fear of disappointing the people around him, the uncertainty and self-doubt. He also manages to find out Jongin is on the soccer team and Kyungsoo wonders if that’s where he had seen him. Maybe he had seen Jongin’s face when he went to watch Minseok’s practices with Luhan. They chat, and Jongin offers to draw for Kyungsoo once again.
Kyungsoo smiles with all the sincerity in the world. “I’d love it,” he says.
“I had a great time,” Jongin mumbles quietly as they walk out of the cafe together. He turns to look at Kyungsoo hopefully. “Let’s do this again?”
Kyungsoo really does feel the sparks as he tilts his head back to look into Jongin’s eyes. They’re a dark brown and Jongin is absolutely dazzling under the sunlight.
“Definitely,” Kyungsoo mutters back, and suddenly, the booze, the embarrassment, and the horrible hangover were worth it.
Jongin was worth it.
-
“Staring at your phone isn’t going to make Jongin text you.” Luhan informs Kyungsoo kindly.
Kyungsoo gives him a long glare before he stretches his body across the couch, feet hanging off the edge. Luhan and Minseok were both acquainted with Jongin, seeing that they were all in the same soccer team, but they were not close to him. According to Minseok who was a lot more helpful than Luhan was, Jongin was a little dreamy but a nice guy to be around. He was funny despite his quietness, and had a kind of humor he thought Kyungsoo would appreciate.
“I’m not waiting for his text,” Kyungsoo lies, sweeping his bangs back. He drops his phone onto his chest. “Nope, I’m definitely not.”
“We know you well enough, Kyungsoo, how long has it been since you dated anyway?”
“I haven’t met anyone I’m interested in...” Kyungsoo agrees absently, voice trailing off as he tries to think of the meeting with Jongin last week. “I’m not interested in Jongin, I just -- “
“All I hear is blah blah blah.”
Minseok leans over the table to give Luhan a high-five. They end up laughing, while Kyungsoo glares harder. He needs to reevaluate his choice of best friends.
“Anyway!” Minseok drawls, crawling towards the couch. He strokes Kyungsoo’s hair when he’s close enough, smile playful and teasing. “Just text him. You should ask him out on a date.”
“But -- “
“He’s right.” Luhan nods, a grave expression on his face.
Kyungsoo groans. “Will you guys just stop interrupting me?”
Minseok rests his head on the arm of the couch. “But love,” he says in a sweet voice, “we have no time for your self-denial bullshit.”
Kyungsoo closes his eyes. He goes back to the cafe in his mind, trying to conjure up the image of Jongin’s face and his shy smile, anything to keep his mind off his best friends who are definitely not helping.
Kyungsoo isn’t going to deny that he’s sorely disappointed because it’s been a week since they first met and Jongin hasn’t texted him, but his ego is stopping him from texting Jongin first. That is until he hears a vibration, and he opens his eyes to see his phone clutched in Minseok’s hand. He snatches it over, a wave of panic rushing through his veins at the sight of his best friend’s evil grin.
It is from Jongin.
From: Jongin
Hey, I’m fine :) how are you doing?
Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, lifting his head to glare at Minseok who is smiling innocently at him. Luhan tries to muffle his giggles from across the table.
“What did you send him?”
Minseok pouts. “Scroll up and check your chat history.”
To: Jongin
how r u
Kyungsoo buries his face in his hands, kicking at the floor childishly.
“You guys can’t do this to me!” He whines. “I don’t even type like this!”
“At least say thank you, asshole.” That was Minseok.
“No thanks for making me appear desperate. Besides, who the hell even still uses how are you to start a conversation? I would have simply said hey.”
“And what if he had replied with hey? You wouldn’t have known how to reply to that.” Luhan points out and Kyungsoo begrudgingly admits he has a point.
He sighs loudly. “Okay, fine, what do I do now?”
“Ask him out!”
“Keep on talking to him!”
Luhan and Minseok glare at each other before they come to a mutual agreement.
“Ask him out so you can keep talking to him,” Minseok suggests, and leans over to high-five Luhan again.
Kyungsoo sticks out his tongue in concentration, fingers flying across his keypad. He types, erases, types, erases, trying to come up with something cool. Talking to Jongin via text is like playing a game of chess. He can’t mess up.
To: Jongin
bored, haha
From: Jongin
the amount of assignments and projects lately have been overwhelming, sry for not texting you earlier
Jongin texts again before he can reply.
From: Jongin
hope you’re not mad! :( besides, i didn’t know if you wanted to see me again
A smile finds its way onto Kyungsoo’s face and he’s not there anymore, not on his couch, but somewhere happier. He hasn’t felt like this for a long time.
To: Jongin
i wanna see you again
Kyungsoo is so deeply engrossed in texting Jongin he doesn’t even notice Luhan behind him, reading his messages over his shoulder until the Chinese male shrieks loudly. He moves away instantly, hiding his phone behind his back.
“You’re so cute with him!” Luhan shrieks loudly. “You’re like a completely different person.”
Minseok perks up. “What did he say?”
Luhan’s grin is annoying. “He said, I wanna see you again.”
His phone vibrates again. Kyungsoo reads it quickly and locks it before Luhan can peek, and disappears into his bedroom. Fifteen minutes later, he’s dressed in a graphic T-shirt and ripped jeans, keys and wallet in his hand as he shoots his friends murderous looks.
“Don’t set my house on fire,” is all he says before he leaves.
-
Kyungsoo somehow finds it cute that Jongin is at the exact same table as the first time and he strolls over with a lot more confidence. The younger male has papers strewn over the table, his cup of coffee dangerously close to the edge of the table. He barely notices when Kyungsoo sits down.
“Hey,” Kyungsoo greets him gently, not wanting to be rude. Jongin’s head snaps up and he breaks into a grin.
“Hey!” He replies a little too excitedly, as though he’s been dying to see Kyungsoo again. “You’re fast.”
“It’s not very far from my house,” Kyungsoo replies with a laugh. He slouches in his chair. “What are you doing?”
“My house is right beside this cafe actually.” Jongin admits, nose scrunched up cutely. “I come here to study all the time. And these are all research materials for my project.”
Kyungsoo just sighs happily, glad this phase is over. “You look like you’re having a hard time.”
“I am. Do you want coffee?”
Jongin glances up from his papers and Kyungsoo feels all the breath in his chest get knocked out. It’s as though Jongin had grown even more attractive since the last time he saw him.
“I’ll get it myself,” he mutters, already rising from his seat. He doesn’t want Jongin to see him blushing so he rushes off to the counter, giving himself time to cool down. When he returns, Jongin is once again buried in his assignments, and Kyungsoo can’t exactly say that he’s disappointed because Jongin’s intense gaze does things to him -- things he’s not completely comfortable with.
But Kyungsoo is quite wrong about the lack of attention because Jongin raises his head and pins him in place with that intense gaze.
“You weren’t the one who texted me, right?”
He chokes on his coffee, and the queasy feeling in his stomach should have been enough to prompt him to place his cup further from the edge, because they both watch with wide eyes as the cup tilts and falls right into Kyungsoo’s lap.
“Fuck,” Kyungsoo utters, face twisted in pain. The coffee is scorching hot. Jongin jumps up to his feet and is on his knees beside Kyungsoo in less than a second, hands hovering above his thighs.
“Shit,” he mutters when he takes in Kyungsoo’s expression. “Let’s get you to my house, you need some ice and a change of pants.”
All Kyungsoo can do is nod, standing up. His face is flushed again and he feels embarrassed, half-wishing this meeting had never taken place. Only a fool like him would spill coffee on himself in front of someone he felt something towards.
Jongin gathers his papers and hugs them to his chest, and he seems to hesitate before he reaches out to grab Kyungsoo’s wrist gingerly.
“Let’s go,” he says, pulling them away from the table and out of the cafe.
They don’t speak on the way to Jongin’s apartment because Kyungsoo is busy biting down on his lip, feeling stupid, whereas Jongin seems lost in thoughts, a faraway look in his eyes. Maybe this is what Luhan and Minseok said about being dreamy. Kyungsoo kind of likes it, though. He kinds of likes everything about Jongin despite this being their second meeting. One thing that doesn’t change is that Jongin keeps his fingers curled around Kyungsoo’s wrist, gently guiding them to his apartment.
Jongin looks at his pants when they’re in the lift and Kyungsoo tries to keep himself under control. He just keeps his eyes fixated on the handle, thinking of everything else but Jongin’s eyes on his pants.
His apartment is bigger and cleaner than Kyungsoo had expected. He follows Jongin into the living room, stopping when the younger male disappears into his bedroom to grab some pants for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo slyly peeks into Jongin’s room, surprised to see a cabinet filled with books and a mini fridge right beside his bed.
When he finally notices the scratching noise, Jongin is back out with a pair of blue shorts in his hands. He grins sheepishly.
“We have to apply ice on your burn so I figured out shorts would be better, although I don’t know if you’d fit…”
Jongin’s eyes are on his waist this time and Kyungsoo gulps nervously. He receives the shorts shyly.
“I’m sure they will.”
The scratching noise gets louder, more persistent, and this time there’s a soft whine. They both turn towards the only closed door down the hallway and Jongin touches the back of his neck, looking worried. Panic sets in again as Kyungsoo takes another step back, pupils dilated.
What if Jongin is a serial killer? What if there’s someone behind the door trying to get help?
Jongin doesn’t seem to notice Kyungsoo’s trouble expression as he walks over to the door. He glances at Kyungsoo again before opening the door, and a small puppy rushes out to meet him. The puppy latches itself on to Jongin’s leg. Kyungsoo releases the breath he had been holding.
“This is Jongsoo,” Jongin says quietly, and Kyungsoo knows he isn’t imagining the deep blush on Jongin’s face. “You’re not afraid of dogs, right?”
Kyungsoo shakes his head, lips easing into a smile. Jongin smiles back, bending down to lift the puppy into his arms. He approaches Kyungsoo, grabbing one of Jongsoo’s tiny paws to wave at Kyungsoo.
“He’s only five months old,” Jongin says when he right in front of Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo leans down so he can pat the puppy’s head, surprised at the softness of its fur.
“He’s cute,” he says.
Jongin’s smile grows wider. “He’s a darling, but he still makes a wreck out of my house sometimes so I lock him in his room.”
Kyungsoo gasps. “He even has a room?”
Jongin’s shoulders lift in a casual shrug. “It’s the perks of living alone in a two-room apartment. But he sleeps with me most of the time.” His expression changes into a horrified one, jaw dropping. “Go and change! The bathroom is right there. I’ll get the ice-pack ready.”
Kyungsoo lets himself get shoo-ed into the bathroom, smile never leaving his face. A sudden crazy thought crosses his mind -- what if Jongin had named the puppy after them? Jong from Jongin, Soo from Kyungsoo? Then he shakes his head, pulling Jongin’s shorts up. It’s impossible. Kyungsoo balls up his jeans before leaving the bathroom, feeling naked. Jongin is seated on the couch, Jongsoo on his lap, and as promised, an ice-pack on the table before him. He lifts his head when Kyungsoo steps out and their eyes lock, and for a second they just stare at each other, unmoving. Then Kyungsoo breaks out of the trance and walks towards Jongin, hoping the heat in his face goes unnoticed.
“It’s not very bad,” Jongin comments as Kyungsoo sits down beside him. “It’s just red, but it doesn’t look very serious.”
“I’m okay,” Kyungsoo confirms. “It’s nothing, don’t worry.” Nevertheless, he grabs the ice-pack from the table and places it on the red patch on his thigh. Then he turns back to Jongin, heart softening at the look on his face.
It’s one of concern and adoration, and Kyungsoo doesn’t know why he’s feeling like this, or why he suddenly really wants to kiss Jongin’s lips.
Jongsoo lets out a soft whine and the moment is broken. They turn to the puppy, now struggling in Jongin’s hold. Jongin lets go, and they both gasp when he scrambles over to Kyungsoo, nestled in the small space between them. He puts his paws on Kyungsoo, careful not to touch the ice-pack, and Kyungsoo’s reaction is automatic when he lets his fingers wrap around Jongsoo’s tiny body. Then he looks at Jongin for permission, and Jongin gives him a nod. That’s all it takes for Kyungsoo to leave Jongsoo up into the air.
“He’s so cute,” Kyungsoo coos, bringing Jongsoo closer to his face. Jongsoo’s head dips forward to lick his nose and he scrunches it up, laughing.
“He likes you,” Jongin remarks, smile identical to Kyungsoo’s.
“I bet he does,” Kyungsoo laughs, cooing at Jongsoo for a little while more before the puppy gets bored and starts to struggle in his arms. Kyungsoo sets him down on Jongin’s lap and Jongsoo is more than contented to sprawl out on his owner’s thighs.
They look up, catching each other’s eye and laugh again.
Kyungsoo’s tongue darts out to moisten his lips and he doesn’t miss the way Jongin’s gaze drops to his lips for just a second, before he’s staring through his soul again.
“So,” Kyungsoo says breathlessly, desperate to break the tension. “You live alone?”
“Yeah, it’s just me and Jongsoo.” At that, he flips the puppy over and starts to tickle his belly. Jongsoo just sticks out his tongue, staring up at Jongin.
“I live alone too,” Kyungsoo mutters, “but Minseok and Luhan come over most of the time.”
“They’re really good at soccer,” Jongin perks up, “Luhan is really nice. He teaches me a lot.”
“They said the same thing about you,” Kyungsoo blurts, eyes going wide when he realizes his mistake. But by then, it’s already too late. He just tries to play it cool. “I mentioned your name to them and they told me you’re a nice guy, good at soccer and a little dreamy sometimes. They also told me you’re quiet.”
Jongin looks slightly pleased at that.
“That’s nice to hear, I’ve never been so sure of my soccer skills.”
“I’m sure you’re good,” Kyungsoo replies instantly. “I’ve been to watch soccer practices and I haven’t seen anyone with horrendous skills -- well, Chanyeol is pretty bad -- but otherwise you’re fine, since I didn’t notice you.”
“Chanyeol’s my best friend.”
“Oh, shit, sor -- “
Jongin shakes his head, laughing again. “It’s okay, he really isn’t good at soccer. But he’s a nice guy.”
Of course he is, Kyungsoo thinks as he studies Jongin’s smiling face, he must be a nice guy if Jongin considers him to be his best friend.
“I’m going to go wash your jeans and then put them in the dryer so you can get home,” Jongin interrupts his train of thoughts, already rising from the couch, Jongsoo in his arms. “Just stay here. You can look around for a bit if you get bored, but I’ll try to make it fast.”
Kyungsoo gives him a reassuring smile. “Okay,” he says, and Jongin sets Jongsoo onto the ground before he takes Kyungsoo’s jeans and disappear into the bathroom. The sound of water gushing out from the tap drifts to his ears and Kyungsoo decides he’s done with the ice pack. He grabs it and sets it back on the table. There’s still a big red patch on his thigh, but at least it isn’t hurting or tingling anymore. He starts to explore Jongin’s living room with Jongsoo close to his heels.
In the end, Kyungsoo gives in and bends down to pick the puppy up. He kisses Jongsoo’s head.
“You’re cute,” he tells him. Jongsoo just makes a small noise.
Jongin’s living room is very simply furnished -- a couch, a television, a small (presumably studying) desk and some framed photographs. But that’s enough too, considering that he’s only a high school student and already living alone. Kyungsoo wants to ask him about his family, his parents, but he has a feeling Jongin will tell him if he wants to and when the time is right, so he pushes that to the back of his mind and sets out to explore instead.
His first stop is the row of framed photographs right beside the desk. It’s like watching Jongin’s life story, looking at him grow up. The first photograph is of child Jongin at a beach, grin wide and shades even wider. The second one is of adolescent Jongin with a taller male beside him, arm thrown loosely around his shoulder. Their smiles are wide and Kyungsoo doesn’t know why, but he just has a feeling that the unidentified male is Chanyeol. He’ll ask Jongin about it later on. The third one is a photograph of the current Jongin, but Jongsoo is in the frame as well and Kyungsoo lifts Jongsoo up to the photograph.
“That’s you and Nini,” he coos, before looking around to see if Jongin had heard his embarrassing nickname for him. It just sort of popped up in his mind. Fortunately, the coast was clear. The tap was still turned on.
Then Kyungsoo moves on to the desk. It’s untidy but that’s forgivable because Kyungsoo’s desk is nowhere near being tidy and he sits down on the chair, placing Jongsoo on his lap. The little puppy is an absolute angel -- maybe he should get one too. He looks down at the papers on Jongin’s desk, chuckling to himself at the sight of the worksheets. Oh, Kyungsoo really is glad to be done with the high school bullshit. He’s just about to take Jongsoo and move back to the couch when a navy blue notebook at the corner of the desk catches his eye. Again, he turns around to make sure the coast is clear before grabbing the notebook.
It’s wrong, it’s rude, it’s not at all acceptable to flip open the notebook but that’s exactly what Kyungsoo does. He feels bad about it too, but there’s just this nagging feeling and his hands are trembling when he flips open to the first page.
His heart promptly explodes.
The first page is filled with chibi drawings, not just that, they’re all of Kyungsoo with various expressions. There’s some with him smiling, some with him frowning, some with him looking angry, and even one little version of him crying at the bottom. They’re all unbelievably cute, and its undeniably Kyungsoo himself because of those wide eyes and lips.
Then Kyungsoo flips to the second page. It’s basically the same thing, little chibi drawings of Kyungsoo. He flips, and flips, and flips, and the entire notebook is filled with him. He doesn’t want to read too much into it because he recalls Jongin having promised him he would draw for him again, but then there are dates written in black ink on the top left corner of every page and that changes everything.
He flips to the first page again. Nearly six months ago.
A noise from the bathroom brings Kyungsoo back to reality and he shuts the notebook, pushing it back to where he took it and flying back to the couch (taking Jongsoo with him, of course). He’s sitting on the couch with the most innocent expression he can manage when Jongin reappears with his jeans.
Jongin smiles at him. “It didn’t leave a stain, thank goodness.”
Jongsoo crawls off his lap and Kyungsoo stands up so he can take his jeans.
“Thank you,” he mumbles, and tries not to blush when their fingers brush.
His mind is full of thoughts when he enters the bathroom again, peeling Jongin’s shorts off and jumping into his own jeans. What can that possibly mean? Does it mean Jongin has had a crush on him since six months ago? He’s still thinking when he pushes the bathroom door open to see Jongin scratching Jongsoo’s belly, and the fact that Kyungsoo really doesn’t mind at all hits him like a freight train.
Instead, he feels relief and oddly happy, because as much as he’d hate to admit it, he does feel an attraction towards Jongin.
“I should get going,” Kyungsoo says reluctantly as he watches the exchange between Jongin and Jongsoo. “I have to fix dinner for Luhan and Minseok. Besides, I left them in my house and I don’t feel so safe about it.”
Jongin looks sad but that expression quickly fades away. “Sure,” he says, walking towards the door. Jongsoo follows after him, short little tail wagging.
Kyungsoo turns around to face him when they reach the door and for the second time that day, he gets the urge to pull Jongin in and kiss his lips. Jongin’s eyes are intense but it makes Kyungsoo feel good, it makes him feel as though Jongin only sees him in this entire world and it’s becoming what he really wants.
“I had a nice time today,” Kyungsoo says, “even though I spilled coffee on myself.”
“Me too, it was a nice break from studying.”
“Look, I want to hang out with you again, okay? So don’t be afraid to text or call me when you’re feeling stressed out. I’ll be glad to come over. And I really like this little guy.” Kyungsoo bends down so he can pat Jongsoo’s head. “See you soon, angel,” he adds in a smaller voice just for Jongsoo.
Jongin’s eyebrows are knitted when he straightens to full form, but even so he’s still half a head shorter than Jongin and it makes his heart thump loudly. Kyungsoo wonders if he should do it, grab Jongin’s shoulders and pull him in to kiss him, but looking at Jongin’s earnest face, he knows it isn’t the right time.
It’s quite obvious by now they have feelings for each other and he really wants to ask about the drawings in Jongin’s notebook, but Kyungsoo also knows he’ll get a chance to in the future, perhaps when they’re together and comfortable enough to really talk about everything.
“I’ll see you soon?” Kyungsoo asks, shyness laced between his words.
Jongin’s lips curl. “See you. I’ll call you.”
“Okay.”
He waves at Jongin one last time before he’s off, heading for the lift. Kyungsoo leaves Jongin’s apartment with a light smile and a lighter heart.
-
Kyungsoo has never been much of a social butterfly, so he doesn’t really mind when students from his high school stroll past without so much as a glance. He kicks a pebble out of his way, suddenly feeling overdressed.
They had started texting after the visit to Jongin’s apartment, and had arranged to meet again next Friday, which was today.
The chatterings and screeching from the other students are starting to dig into his ears and Kyungsoo feels like an old man all of a sudden. He just leans against the wall, hoping Jongin will show up soon.
When he does, Chanyeol is with him. He has his arm thrown loosely around Jongin’s shoulders, the both of them seemingly engaged in a deep conversation as they walk out of the gate. Something pricks at his heart and it makes him want to clench his fist and punch a wall. Nobody should be able to make Jongin smile like that. He wants to grab Chanyeol and kick his face, then push him against the wall --
“Hyung!”
Jongin shrugs out of Chanyeol’s embrace the instant he spots Kyungsoo and jogs over to him, his smile much happier. Kyungsoo can’t help but smile back.
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry, have you been waiting for a long time?”
Kyungsoo places his hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “No, I just arrived.”
“I’m gonna go now,” Jongin twists his neck to say to Chanyeol, and the taller male waves at them. His eyes raked over Kyungsoo’s face but Kyungsoo doesn’t give him any more attention as he grabs Jongin’s wrist and pull him away.
They make their way to a convenience store after Jongin’s complaints of “I’m hungry, I haven’t had lunch” where they settle down quite happily, seated closed enough for their arms to brush every now and then.
Jongin gets a cup of instant noodles and Kyungsoo watches for a while before he relents and gets himself a chicken flavored one. There they share peaceful silence and thoughtful smiles, basking in the strange feelings and attraction they felt towards each other. Kyungsoo doesn’t know if Jongin knows it is a mutual attraction, but he knows and it feels great to like someone who will catch him.
They decide to go to a comic book store after that because Kyungsoo wants to get the latest volume of Prince of Tennis, and they walk their way there with ice pops in their mouth. Jongin talks about his day -- long, dreadful lessons, tons of assignments and his upcoming soccerl match (to which Kyungsoo promised his attendance) -- while Kyungsoo just listened. The more he listened, the more he realized he really liked listening to Jongin talk. He likes his voice, his cute facial expressions and the way he phrases things. Jongin seems like a big child and Kyungsoo wants to take care of him.
Jongin, who has been to this comic book store countless of times, just sulks around the store while Kyungsoo carefully makes his choice. Now that he has all the time in the world, he can get a few more comic books. It doesn’t matter if he’s not able to afford it, at the very most, he’ll just borrow money from Minseok.
“What’s that?” Jongin asks curiously, bored of wandering around the store. He stays beside Kyungsoo faithfully.
“Prince of Tennis,” Kyungsoo replies, thrusting the book into his hands. “You should try reading it.”
“I tried reading it once and I didn’t like it very much…” Jongin admits in a small voice. “Do you like it a lot, hyung?”
Kyungsoo tries to hide his disappointment. He once swore he would only date someone who liked Prince of Tennis as much as he did.
“I like it a lot.”
Jongin looks at the book in his palms, a really thoughtful expression on his face. Kyungsoo ignores the way Jongin’s eyes flicker to him.
“I’ll try to like it too,” Jongin’s voice is barely audible when Kyungsoo chooses another book. He turns to the younger male.
“What?”
“I’ll try to read this again,” Jongin repeats, voice louder and firmer. He even looks more determined. “Because you like it, hyung.”
Kyungsoo has never felt this way before. He wants to kiss Jongin again, but he can’t find it in himself to do it with Jongin staring so intensely at him. In the end, he just stretches his arm and takes Jongin’s hand.
“Call me Kyungsoo.”
Jongin wraps his fingers around Kyungsoo’s and doesn’t let go for the rest of the day.
-
Minseok and Luhan’s only fault would be that they are way too comfortable around Kyungsoo, so Kyungsoo is baffled when the two of them start to behave suspiciously in front of him. As usual, they’re hanging out at Kyungsoo’s apartment, but instead of obnoxious jokes and annoying laughter this time, they’re really quiet. Apart from occasional nudges and giggles, they don’t speak much to Kyungsoo. It doesn’t take long for Kyungsoo to feel very left out.
“What the hell is wrong with the both of you?” he finally snaps.
Luhan tries his innocent look but it isn’t working on a pissed Kyungsoo. He knows that too, because he drops that look and turns to Minseok for help. Minseok just laughs nervously.
“We have something going on after this, Soo.”
“That doesn’t give you enough reason to be acting so damn weirdly.”
“We were acting weirdly?”
Minseok is a horrible actor.
“We were?”
Luhan is even worse.
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, rubbing his temples. He doesn’t want to argue with them. He’s still trying to tame his temper when the doorbell rings, missing the look Luhan and Minseok share before they both scramble to the door, grabbing their bags and shoes on the way.
“We’ve got something going on!”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow!”
Kyungsoo keeps his eyes shut. He’s expecting to hear the door slam shut, and good riddance to bad rubbish. But it doesn’t come, and when he cracks them open, he nearly pees his pants.
Jongin is standing at the door with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, looking very antsy.
“Hi,” he says.
Kyungsoo abandons his comfortable position on the couch and walks over to Jongin, the moment feeling very surreal. The boy he likes is standing at his door, flowers in one hand and a handful of T-shirt in the other. His attire is smart-casual but it wouldn’t have made much of a difference because with a face like that, he could have showed up naked and still manage to sweep Kyungsoo off his feet.
“What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo asks, and fortunately for him it doesn’t come out hostile. He just sounds curious.
Jongin fidgets, but he doesn’t step into his apartment.
“I have something to say to you.”
He offers Kyungsoo the flowers when he goes close and Kyungsoo takes it gratefully, lifting it to his face to take a whiff. A bouquet of roses. Typical, though it’s his first time receiving flowers.
“There’s something else…” Jongin pulls out a pocket-sized scrapbook and hands it over to Kyungsoo who takes it slowly, gauging his reaction. “Everything I want to say to you is inside, so just read it, and you don’t have to give me a reply immediately okay? Take your time. I’ll wait.”
This is a confession. It’s very obvious.
But Kyungsoo still flips open the scrapbook with shaky hands, tears pricking at the back of his eyeballs because no one has ever done this for him. The scrapbook isn’t very thick, about ten pages or so, but they’re all filled with little chibis of Kyungsoo and he wonders how long this had taken Jongin to do. He must have spent weeks trying to perfect this and his confession. At the very last page, however, is one sentence that makes fireworks go off in Kyungsoo’s head.
I want you to know something but I don’t quite know how to say it, so I’ll just let the first three words of this sentence say it for me.
Jongin’s eyes are hopeful and nervous all at the same time when Kyungsoo gazes up at him with teary eyes.
“Be mine?” he mouths.
Kyungsoo wants to reply to him, but he’s too busy choking over his tears, and Jongin takes that as a bad sign. His face falls.
“You don’t have to give me an answer right now, I’ll give you time. I know we haven’t met for long but I’ve known you for a long time. I’ve liked you for a long time, Kyungsoo, ever since I first set my eyes on you. Jongsoo’s name isn’t a coincidence. I named him after us. I’ll change his name if you mind it!” Jongin seems too eager to pacify him and Kyungsoo really wants to speak, but he doesn’t want to interrupt the younger male. “That night at the party you really did ask for my number and it made me hopeful, but then I realized you basically asked for everybody else’s numbers. You still called me anyway, and I think that’s fate. So will you choose to listen to the stars and be mine?”
The younger male’s cheeks are bright red.
“You’re so silly, Jongin,” Kyungsoo whispers, transferring the scrapbook to the hand holding the bouquet so he can pull Jongin’s collar and drag him in. “Of course I’ll be yours,” he says gently right before their lips touch.
If Kyungsoo had had any uncertainties, then the kiss broke everything, because Jongin’s lips are soft and warm against his and it feels like the missing puzzle piece in him is finally back in his hands again. Kyungsoo cups Jongin’s face, pulling away. Their smiles are shy.
“I knew about your crush on me,” Kyungsoo chuckles, “I saw your notebook.”
He really likes the warmth radiating out of Jongin’s face from underneath his palms.
“O - oh.”
“It’s okay, I think it’s adorable. Did you plan this with Minseok and Luhan?”
“I just told them to give me the space I needed.”
Kyungsoo kisses his lips again.
“Thank you,” he says sincerely, eyes locking with Jongin’s. “I’m not sure how this will turn out or if my attraction towards you now isn’t shallow, but I’m willing to give it a try with you.”
“And I’m willing to be heartbroken because of you.”
Kyungsoo pulls a face before he’s laughing again. “That was horrifically cheesy.”
Jongin just leans in to nose his cheek. “I like it though.”
Kyungsoo thinks for a long second before answering, cheeks brunching in a cute smile.
“Me too.”
He pulls Jongin into the house and hopes Minseok and Luhan leaves them alone for the rest of today, and for the rest of the week, because he wants to spend all his time with his new boyfriend.
Title: deer in the headlights
Pairings: Kai/D.O., Luhan/Xiumin
Rating: G
Word Count: 8876
Summary: Kyungsoo wakes up with a hangover after coming home to see his plain white tee covered with phone numbers.
Author’s Note: I really hope you like it! J
Kyungsoo has never liked Baekhyun.
He dislikes him even more now, eyes fluttering open to a relentless throbbing in the back of his head and an equally annoying throbbing bladder, demanding for his presence in the bathroom immediately. Kyungsoo rolls out of bed with a loud groan, hands already fumbling to pull his boxers down before he even reaches the bathroom.
The sight that greets him in the mirror after he’s done relieving himself startles him. His eyes are bloodshot, face swollen from God knows how long he’s been out, and his hair looks like an absolute nightmare. He looks like a drunk beggar. But that’s not the main point. He tears his gaze away from the mirror, fingers gripped around the hem of his white shirt. He had chosen a simple white button-up tee for the party -- not too dressy, not too casual -- and it was completely ruined now.
There are scribbles all over his shirt and Kyungsoo internally screams. They had all been written using a black marker and he doesn’t even need to think twice to know it’s not going to come off. There are numbers and words but cleaning up is still his first priority, so he mutters fuck under his breath and peels off his clothes.
He can smell the stench of alcohol on himself and he tries not to think about how his bed probably reeks of it also. He can’t even remember how he ended up at home again.
Last night had been totally crazy.
Baekhyun had thrown a huge graduation party for the seniors, and he had somehow convinced Kyungsoo to attend by telling him it wouldn’t be a wild one because only the seniors would attend, but Kyungsoo ended up finding himself in Baekhyun’s three-storey house along with almost everybody from the school -- freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors. By then, it had been too late to leave, with Minseok’s arm slung around his shoulders and Luhan shoving booze into his hands.
He doesn’t remember anything much other than that.
Kyungsoo wraps a towel loosely around his torso and steps over the threshold to the bathroom, but not before sparing a quick glance at the mirror. He sighs in relief, grabbing his shirt on the way. At least he looks like himself again, although the bloodshot eyes will probably take some time.
Kyungsoo sits on the foot of his bed, towel still wrapped around his waist. His hair is still damp, water droplets clinging to the ends and he shakes his head, running a hand through his hair before shifting his attention onto the shirt.
He unballs it, spreading it out to examine the things written on it. There are random numbers scrawled all over the cotton material, and Kyungsoo frowns when he realizes they’re all phone numbers. What exactly had happened last night? He flips his shirt around, a sudden feeling that there’s something he needs to look at at the back, and it proves to be right when he spots the outstanding chibi cartoon right smack in the middle.
Kyungsoo holds it up closer to his face, smiling in spite of himself. The chibi sure looks adorable, and he hasn’t a doubt it’s him because of those wide eyes and heart-shaped lips. His lips has always been his trademark. The chibi version of him seems to be wearing their school uniform, and his face is scrunched up into a cute smile. The longer Kyungsoo stares at it, the cuter it gets. There’s just something about the drawing that’s grabbing at his attention and holding it there, and for a second, Kyungsoo really wants to know who had drawn this cute little thing.
His gaze shifts and his blood freezes when he spots a row of numbers scrawled right beside the chibi. He has to squint to make out the individual digits, and clearly, the artist of this chibi has atrocious handwriting. But that isn’t the main point. The main point is, should he call this number?
Groaning, he twists his back and stretches to reach for his phone lying right beside his pillow. He calls the first person that comes into mind.
Baekhyun picks up after the third ring.
“Hello?” His voice sounds gruff, unlike his usual self, and Kyungsoo wishes Baekhyun is having a worse hangover than himself.
“Hey, dick,” Kyungsoo says, “what’s up?”
“Um -- “
“No, forget it,” Kyungsoo cuts in before Baekhyun can continue. “I’m not actually interested in what you’re doing, I’m just used to saying that.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo mumbles into the phone before he cracks a smile, “oh come on, you’re not mad, are you?
“I woke up naked with a pink bowtie around my neck.” Baekhyun replies lifelessly. “Naked.”
“What -- “
“Yeah, so tell me how happy I am right now.”
Kyungsoo chews his bottom lip. Well, at least his situation isn’t half as bad as Baekhyun’s. He decides to just get to the main point because clearly, they both aren’t in the mood for conversations.
“What happened last night?”
“It was one hell of a party! My house is in a really bad state; I walked into the bathroom this morning and guess what? The were condoms floating in the bathtub. I don’t even know why the fuck it was filled.”
Kyungsoo flops back, smile creeping onto his face again. As much as he would like to feel sorry for his nemesis, that was really funny.
“Have you assessed the damage downstairs?”
He hears Baekhyun groan. “Don’t talk about it,” he snaps, “I don’t even want to leave my room. My parents are coming back in two days! My life is officially over -- and I just graduated!”
Kyungsoo grins. “Are you hinting for me to go over and help you clean up your mess?”
Baekhyun offers him a laugh at this point. “If you’d like to come over, I wouldn’t say no to extra help.”
Baekhyun has successfully caught onto his bait. Now he just has to reel him in. Play along, Kyungsoo thinks, make him think you actually are going to help him.
“I need to know what happened last night, though,” Kyungsoo says, “were you with me?”
There’s a short pause before Baekhyun hums. “Only for a short while. You were really drunk last night. Minseok and Luhan had to drag you out of my house. Yup. That was the only time I saw you, and oh, I stopped you from throwing up in my vase.”
Kyungsoo flushes.
“I was that drunk? Did I do anything embarrassing?”
“I’d love to tell you, but you have to ask Minseok.”
“Okay, bye.”
“Wait, are you going to come -- “
“I said bye.”
And then Kyungsoo hangs up. He’s still grinning when he dials Minseok’s number, but it fades away when the phone rings on and on and on. It’s one p.m., not too bad for the amount of booze he had last night, and he guesses Minseok’s still out. So Kyungsoo tries Luhan instead. His phone is turned off.
Great.
He sits upright and examines his shirt again, fingers tracing over the scrawl of digits. He never would have called the other numbers, but there’s just this urge to find out who the chibi artist is. Before his mind can register it, his fingers are already flying across the keypad of his phone, keying in the numbers.
Kyungsoo takes a deep breath. And hits call.
He squeezes his eyes shut, fists clenched shut just as tight. He already feels insane -- hell, what is he going to say? He listens to the dial tone and is just about to hang up, feeling slightly stupid, when the dial tone stops. Kyungsoo stops breathing.
“Hello?”
Mysterious man’s voice is low, almost husky, and Kyungsoo feels a strange wave of deja vu wash over him.
“Hey,” Kyungsoo replies nervously, “um, I’m Kyungsoo?”
There’s a short silence over the phone before the other party speaks up again.
“Oh,” he says, sounding a little surprised. “Yeah, what’s up?”
Kyungsoo finds his blood freezing for the second time that day. He hadn’t expected this mysterious guy to be so nonchalant, and now he’s feeling like the biggest idiot alive.
“Um, I just. Do I know you?”
Again, silence. He hears a door close over the phone and Kyungsoo unclenches his fists, staring at his own feet.
“I’m Kim Jongin,” the guy offers, “I’m a junior. I don’t think you know me.”
Kim Jongin. Kim Jongin. Kim Jongin. Kyungsoo repeats it over and over in his mind, desperately trying to come up with a matching face. But none appears. Well, at least Kyungsoo has a voice to match his name to.
“I really don’t,” Kyungsoo laughs awkwardly. “Um, I liked the chibi. I wasn’t planning to call any of the numbers on my shirt but your chibi caught my attention.”
Jongin’s tone changes when he replies, and he sounds almost excited. Kyungsoo can’t help but smile. Kim Jongin really does sound kinda cute, like his drawing.
“Really? You liked it? I’m glad you did. I did it in a haste -- that’s not the best I can do, but I’m glad you liked it! I can draw it for you again if you’d like me to.”
Kyungsoo tilts his head. He hadn’t been expecting his offer.
“That would be nice,” he replies, and is slightly surprised to realize he actually did mean it. “But I have a question; what happened last night? I mean, I woke up with a bad headache this morning -- it’s still bad by the way -- and there are numbers all over my shirt. My favorite shirt!” Kyungsoo whines before realizing who he’s talking to. He shuts up.
He hears Jongin’s laughter for the first time over the phone and something warm unfurls in his chest.
“You were really drunk,” Jongin agrees, “and I’m not really sure about what happened…” His voice trails off.
“Why did you leave your number on my shirt?” Kyungsoo demands.
There’s another short pause before Jongin replies.
“Okay, I do know what happened, but I think it’s to your own benefit if you don’t.”
Nope. Not good. Definitely not a good sign.
“Tell me,” Kyungsoo says, but his voice cracks and he grabs his pillow. It really does reek of booze and sweat and he scrunches his nose unhappily.
There’s a lot of hemming and hawing over the phone and it takes a whole lot of “please please please I’ll treat you to coffee” (that’s right, sly Kyungsoo is sly) before Jongin finally relents.
“You were dead drunk last night, and super high too. You went around telling people they were cute and asking them to leave their numbers on your shirt.”
Kyungsoo buries his face in the pillow. Jongin goes on.
“You.. um.. thrust a marker into my hands.”
“Fuck me,” Kyungsoo mumbles, but it comes out as a muffled “oomphf” instead. Jongin doesn’t pay much attention to that.
“I’ve -- I’ve seen you around in school,” Kyungsoo doesn’t know if it’s merely his imagination but Jongin does sound kinda shy. “I just had the urge to draw you. It’s a present, I guess? Congratulations on graduating!”
Kyungsoo tosses his pillow off the bed, unable to take the stench anymore. He lies on his bare back, staring up at the ceiling.
“Thank you,” he sighs, “I feel embarrassed.”
“Nah, don’t be! It was really obvious you were drunk. Nobody is gonna remember that anyway.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
“Okay, fine,” Jongin laughs again, “but it doesn’t affect you, anyway! You’ve already graduated.”
Kyungsoo really feels embarrassed. He rubs his face before rolling onto his belly, chin rested on his palm.
“You’re a junior?” he asks just to be sure he didn’t hear wrongly.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Kim Jongin,” Kyungsoo says, and feels those three syllables roll off his tongue like round candies. He frowns harder, trying to remember. If Jongin had seen him in the hallways, then chances are he had seen Jongin too. Maybe he just didn’t know his name. “I have this crazy feeling I’ve seen you too.”
“You do?”
“Yes,” Kyungsoo nods, and before he can stop himself, “send me a photo of your face.”
Jongin goes quiet and Kyungsoo goes back to burying his face in the sheets. He wants to shoot himself.
“I’m not so sure if that’s a good idea…” Jongin’s voice is quiet but there’s a hint of playfulness to it. “You mentioned something about treating me to coffee earlier?”
Thump thump.
“Yes.”
“How about I accept that offer, say, right now?”
Kyungsoo glances at the clock. He doesn’t have anything to do today.
“Now?” He asks dumbly, already rolling off the bed. He kicks his towel aside, standing in front of his wardrobe stark-naked as he rakes his gaze over the display of presentable clothes.
“Yes, now,” Jongin sounds a little uncertain, “unless you’re not free?”
“No, no, I’m free!”
He thinks he hears a small sigh of relief but he’s too distracted with trying to choose a shirt to think about that.
“That’s great,” Jongin says, “I’ll text you the address of the cafe. Meet you in twenty minutes?”
“Okay, great! See you, Jongin.”
Kyungsoo grabs a sky-blue button down shirt. No more white.
“See you too, Kyungsoo.”
The line goes dead.
“Jesus,” Kyungsoo mutters to himself, pulling a pair of skinny jeans off the rack. “I’m mad. I’m going crazy.”
It’s too out-of-character for him to do something like that, but earlier, when he was on the phone, Kyungsoo really didn’t want Jongin to hang up. He still feels crazy about this whole meeting, especially since he doesn’t even know who the hell Jongin is. He might be an obese kid with horrible acne and bad breath, but deep down, somehow, Kyungsoo knows he isn’t.
(And Kyungsoo has a feeling that this Jongin is adorable.)
He jumps into his pants, grateful he’s still able to fit. He hasn’t worn this pair of jeans in a long time. He walks over to the mirror, squirting cologne on his shirt and expertly styling his hair to get that out-of-bed look.
He gazes at the clock again, taking one last look at his reflection in the mirror before his phone beeps, signalling a text message.
Kyungsoo takes in the address and the smiley face Jongin had added behind and he’s off, out of the door.
Off to meet Jongin.
-
The cafe is only ten minutes away by foot and Kyungsoo stops right before the entrance, his heart speeding up all of a sudden.
He still has a chance to turn away and run now. He does a quick survey of the cafe from outside. It’s contemporary with lots of framed paintings and only a few patrons, aiding Kyungsoo in finding what he’s looking for.
He really doesn’t know how, but he has a feeling that the guy sitting at the corner table is Kim Jongin, even though his back is to him. He has broad shoulders and Kyungsoo swallows before pushing open the door. The person at the counter flashes him a smile but he returns it with a small one. Then he walks towards the corner table, heart slamming against his ribcage. He still feels crazy.
“Jongin?” He squeaks when he gets near. The man turns around and Kyungsoo’s eyes widen because boy, he is very good looking. Jongin has dark hair and heavy-lidded eyes, along with high cheekbones and plump lips (like his).
Jongin’s eyes widen as well and he stands up instantly.
“Hi,” he blurts, and Kyungsoo bursts into laughter. Jongin just watches him with wide eyes, until Kyungsoo waves his hand at him.
“You look so scared!” He chuckles, moving over to sit down. Jongin settles back down as well, but he’s still watching Kyungsoo with nervous eyes.
Kyungsoo stops laughing to spare Jongin and studies his face carefully. He’s even more attractive up close and he does look a little familiar, but Kyungsoo can’t exactly remember where and when he’s seen Jongin.
“I’ve seen you before,” he says carefully, and doesn’t miss the way Jongin’s eyes light up.
“Really?”
Kyungsoo nods slowly. “I think so. I just can’t remember where and when.”
Jongin’s face falls, but only ever so slightly.
“Ah,” he replies thoughtfully, taking a sip of his coffee before remembering Kyungsoo. He looks up at him with wide eyes again. “Do you want coffee?”
Kyungsoo just waves dismissively at him.
“I’m treating, remember?”
Kyungsoo has never been much of a social butterfly, but he doesn’t feel the awkwardness he always does around strangers with Jongin. He wonders why. To clear his mind, he gets up and goes over to the counter to place his order. Jongin has his hands clasped together when Kyungsoo returns with a cup of steaming coffee, but for starters he doesn’t look so nervous anymore.
“So, how was last night for you?”
Jongin gives an exaggerated sigh that makes Kyungsoo smile.
“It was crazy,” he says, before his eyes are on Kyungsoo and Kyungsoo swears he felt a jolt of electricity. “How was it for you?”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “You already know, Jongin.” He is starting to really like how Jongin tastes on his tongue.
Jongin chuckles. “Right, it was horrible for you.”
“So…” Kyungsoo starts to finger the rim of his cup. “About the chibi…”
He sees Jongin stiffen.
“Yeah, um, I’m glad you liked it.”
“Do you like drawing?”
Jongin’s gaze is intense. Really intense. Kyungsoo’s not used to it, but he wouldn’t mind getting used to it.
“I do,” Jongin replies, “I really like drawing. I want to be a cartoonist.”
“That’s interesting,” Kyungsoo says sincerely, and Jongin’s eyes light up again. This time, the sparkle doesn’t die.
“You think so?”
Kyungsoo nods slowly, slightly confused by Jongin’s reaction.
Jongin just bites down on his bottom lip, but his wide grin is contagious. “I’m really happy you think so. People always look at me like I’m mad when I tell them about my dream. They think it isn’t going to get me anywhere. They tell me to dream big and earn big bucks in the future, but I’m not going to give up on my dreams.”
Something in Kyungsoo melts. Subconsciously, he leans forward, closer to Jongin.
“Those people -- ” he starts, gesturing for Jongin to come closer. Jongin does, and a faint pink spreads across his cheeks. “ -- are idiots.”
The pink turns crismon.
Conversation is easy after that, words flowing out naturally without much thought and Kyungsoo thinks it’s incredible how they clicked just like that. Jongin is a year younger than him, a junior, but he’s easy and nice to talk to and Kyungsoo finds himself voicing out his worries for his future, the fear of disappointing the people around him, the uncertainty and self-doubt. He also manages to find out Jongin is on the soccer team and Kyungsoo wonders if that’s where he had seen him. Maybe he had seen Jongin’s face when he went to watch Minseok’s practices with Luhan. They chat, and Jongin offers to draw for Kyungsoo once again.
Kyungsoo smiles with all the sincerity in the world. “I’d love it,” he says.
“I had a great time,” Jongin mumbles quietly as they walk out of the cafe together. He turns to look at Kyungsoo hopefully. “Let’s do this again?”
Kyungsoo really does feel the sparks as he tilts his head back to look into Jongin’s eyes. They’re a dark brown and Jongin is absolutely dazzling under the sunlight.
“Definitely,” Kyungsoo mutters back, and suddenly, the booze, the embarrassment, and the horrible hangover were worth it.
Jongin was worth it.
-
“Staring at your phone isn’t going to make Jongin text you.” Luhan informs Kyungsoo kindly.
Kyungsoo gives him a long glare before he stretches his body across the couch, feet hanging off the edge. Luhan and Minseok were both acquainted with Jongin, seeing that they were all in the same soccer team, but they were not close to him. According to Minseok who was a lot more helpful than Luhan was, Jongin was a little dreamy but a nice guy to be around. He was funny despite his quietness, and had a kind of humor he thought Kyungsoo would appreciate.
“I’m not waiting for his text,” Kyungsoo lies, sweeping his bangs back. He drops his phone onto his chest. “Nope, I’m definitely not.”
“We know you well enough, Kyungsoo, how long has it been since you dated anyway?”
“I haven’t met anyone I’m interested in...” Kyungsoo agrees absently, voice trailing off as he tries to think of the meeting with Jongin last week. “I’m not interested in Jongin, I just -- “
“All I hear is blah blah blah.”
Minseok leans over the table to give Luhan a high-five. They end up laughing, while Kyungsoo glares harder. He needs to reevaluate his choice of best friends.
“Anyway!” Minseok drawls, crawling towards the couch. He strokes Kyungsoo’s hair when he’s close enough, smile playful and teasing. “Just text him. You should ask him out on a date.”
“But -- “
“He’s right.” Luhan nods, a grave expression on his face.
Kyungsoo groans. “Will you guys just stop interrupting me?”
Minseok rests his head on the arm of the couch. “But love,” he says in a sweet voice, “we have no time for your self-denial bullshit.”
Kyungsoo closes his eyes. He goes back to the cafe in his mind, trying to conjure up the image of Jongin’s face and his shy smile, anything to keep his mind off his best friends who are definitely not helping.
Kyungsoo isn’t going to deny that he’s sorely disappointed because it’s been a week since they first met and Jongin hasn’t texted him, but his ego is stopping him from texting Jongin first. That is until he hears a vibration, and he opens his eyes to see his phone clutched in Minseok’s hand. He snatches it over, a wave of panic rushing through his veins at the sight of his best friend’s evil grin.
It is from Jongin.
From: Jongin
Hey, I’m fine :) how are you doing?
Kyungsoo narrows his eyes, lifting his head to glare at Minseok who is smiling innocently at him. Luhan tries to muffle his giggles from across the table.
“What did you send him?”
Minseok pouts. “Scroll up and check your chat history.”
To: Jongin
how r u
Kyungsoo buries his face in his hands, kicking at the floor childishly.
“You guys can’t do this to me!” He whines. “I don’t even type like this!”
“At least say thank you, asshole.” That was Minseok.
“No thanks for making me appear desperate. Besides, who the hell even still uses how are you to start a conversation? I would have simply said hey.”
“And what if he had replied with hey? You wouldn’t have known how to reply to that.” Luhan points out and Kyungsoo begrudgingly admits he has a point.
He sighs loudly. “Okay, fine, what do I do now?”
“Ask him out!”
“Keep on talking to him!”
Luhan and Minseok glare at each other before they come to a mutual agreement.
“Ask him out so you can keep talking to him,” Minseok suggests, and leans over to high-five Luhan again.
Kyungsoo sticks out his tongue in concentration, fingers flying across his keypad. He types, erases, types, erases, trying to come up with something cool. Talking to Jongin via text is like playing a game of chess. He can’t mess up.
To: Jongin
bored, haha
From: Jongin
the amount of assignments and projects lately have been overwhelming, sry for not texting you earlier
Jongin texts again before he can reply.
From: Jongin
hope you’re not mad! :( besides, i didn’t know if you wanted to see me again
A smile finds its way onto Kyungsoo’s face and he’s not there anymore, not on his couch, but somewhere happier. He hasn’t felt like this for a long time.
To: Jongin
i wanna see you again
Kyungsoo is so deeply engrossed in texting Jongin he doesn’t even notice Luhan behind him, reading his messages over his shoulder until the Chinese male shrieks loudly. He moves away instantly, hiding his phone behind his back.
“You’re so cute with him!” Luhan shrieks loudly. “You’re like a completely different person.”
Minseok perks up. “What did he say?”
Luhan’s grin is annoying. “He said, I wanna see you again.”
His phone vibrates again. Kyungsoo reads it quickly and locks it before Luhan can peek, and disappears into his bedroom. Fifteen minutes later, he’s dressed in a graphic T-shirt and ripped jeans, keys and wallet in his hand as he shoots his friends murderous looks.
“Don’t set my house on fire,” is all he says before he leaves.
-
Kyungsoo somehow finds it cute that Jongin is at the exact same table as the first time and he strolls over with a lot more confidence. The younger male has papers strewn over the table, his cup of coffee dangerously close to the edge of the table. He barely notices when Kyungsoo sits down.
“Hey,” Kyungsoo greets him gently, not wanting to be rude. Jongin’s head snaps up and he breaks into a grin.
“Hey!” He replies a little too excitedly, as though he’s been dying to see Kyungsoo again. “You’re fast.”
“It’s not very far from my house,” Kyungsoo replies with a laugh. He slouches in his chair. “What are you doing?”
“My house is right beside this cafe actually.” Jongin admits, nose scrunched up cutely. “I come here to study all the time. And these are all research materials for my project.”
Kyungsoo just sighs happily, glad this phase is over. “You look like you’re having a hard time.”
“I am. Do you want coffee?”
Jongin glances up from his papers and Kyungsoo feels all the breath in his chest get knocked out. It’s as though Jongin had grown even more attractive since the last time he saw him.
“I’ll get it myself,” he mutters, already rising from his seat. He doesn’t want Jongin to see him blushing so he rushes off to the counter, giving himself time to cool down. When he returns, Jongin is once again buried in his assignments, and Kyungsoo can’t exactly say that he’s disappointed because Jongin’s intense gaze does things to him -- things he’s not completely comfortable with.
But Kyungsoo is quite wrong about the lack of attention because Jongin raises his head and pins him in place with that intense gaze.
“You weren’t the one who texted me, right?”
He chokes on his coffee, and the queasy feeling in his stomach should have been enough to prompt him to place his cup further from the edge, because they both watch with wide eyes as the cup tilts and falls right into Kyungsoo’s lap.
“Fuck,” Kyungsoo utters, face twisted in pain. The coffee is scorching hot. Jongin jumps up to his feet and is on his knees beside Kyungsoo in less than a second, hands hovering above his thighs.
“Shit,” he mutters when he takes in Kyungsoo’s expression. “Let’s get you to my house, you need some ice and a change of pants.”
All Kyungsoo can do is nod, standing up. His face is flushed again and he feels embarrassed, half-wishing this meeting had never taken place. Only a fool like him would spill coffee on himself in front of someone he felt something towards.
Jongin gathers his papers and hugs them to his chest, and he seems to hesitate before he reaches out to grab Kyungsoo’s wrist gingerly.
“Let’s go,” he says, pulling them away from the table and out of the cafe.
They don’t speak on the way to Jongin’s apartment because Kyungsoo is busy biting down on his lip, feeling stupid, whereas Jongin seems lost in thoughts, a faraway look in his eyes. Maybe this is what Luhan and Minseok said about being dreamy. Kyungsoo kind of likes it, though. He kinds of likes everything about Jongin despite this being their second meeting. One thing that doesn’t change is that Jongin keeps his fingers curled around Kyungsoo’s wrist, gently guiding them to his apartment.
Jongin looks at his pants when they’re in the lift and Kyungsoo tries to keep himself under control. He just keeps his eyes fixated on the handle, thinking of everything else but Jongin’s eyes on his pants.
His apartment is bigger and cleaner than Kyungsoo had expected. He follows Jongin into the living room, stopping when the younger male disappears into his bedroom to grab some pants for Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo slyly peeks into Jongin’s room, surprised to see a cabinet filled with books and a mini fridge right beside his bed.
When he finally notices the scratching noise, Jongin is back out with a pair of blue shorts in his hands. He grins sheepishly.
“We have to apply ice on your burn so I figured out shorts would be better, although I don’t know if you’d fit…”
Jongin’s eyes are on his waist this time and Kyungsoo gulps nervously. He receives the shorts shyly.
“I’m sure they will.”
The scratching noise gets louder, more persistent, and this time there’s a soft whine. They both turn towards the only closed door down the hallway and Jongin touches the back of his neck, looking worried. Panic sets in again as Kyungsoo takes another step back, pupils dilated.
What if Jongin is a serial killer? What if there’s someone behind the door trying to get help?
Jongin doesn’t seem to notice Kyungsoo’s trouble expression as he walks over to the door. He glances at Kyungsoo again before opening the door, and a small puppy rushes out to meet him. The puppy latches itself on to Jongin’s leg. Kyungsoo releases the breath he had been holding.
“This is Jongsoo,” Jongin says quietly, and Kyungsoo knows he isn’t imagining the deep blush on Jongin’s face. “You’re not afraid of dogs, right?”
Kyungsoo shakes his head, lips easing into a smile. Jongin smiles back, bending down to lift the puppy into his arms. He approaches Kyungsoo, grabbing one of Jongsoo’s tiny paws to wave at Kyungsoo.
“He’s only five months old,” Jongin says when he right in front of Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo leans down so he can pat the puppy’s head, surprised at the softness of its fur.
“He’s cute,” he says.
Jongin’s smile grows wider. “He’s a darling, but he still makes a wreck out of my house sometimes so I lock him in his room.”
Kyungsoo gasps. “He even has a room?”
Jongin’s shoulders lift in a casual shrug. “It’s the perks of living alone in a two-room apartment. But he sleeps with me most of the time.” His expression changes into a horrified one, jaw dropping. “Go and change! The bathroom is right there. I’ll get the ice-pack ready.”
Kyungsoo lets himself get shoo-ed into the bathroom, smile never leaving his face. A sudden crazy thought crosses his mind -- what if Jongin had named the puppy after them? Jong from Jongin, Soo from Kyungsoo? Then he shakes his head, pulling Jongin’s shorts up. It’s impossible. Kyungsoo balls up his jeans before leaving the bathroom, feeling naked. Jongin is seated on the couch, Jongsoo on his lap, and as promised, an ice-pack on the table before him. He lifts his head when Kyungsoo steps out and their eyes lock, and for a second they just stare at each other, unmoving. Then Kyungsoo breaks out of the trance and walks towards Jongin, hoping the heat in his face goes unnoticed.
“It’s not very bad,” Jongin comments as Kyungsoo sits down beside him. “It’s just red, but it doesn’t look very serious.”
“I’m okay,” Kyungsoo confirms. “It’s nothing, don’t worry.” Nevertheless, he grabs the ice-pack from the table and places it on the red patch on his thigh. Then he turns back to Jongin, heart softening at the look on his face.
It’s one of concern and adoration, and Kyungsoo doesn’t know why he’s feeling like this, or why he suddenly really wants to kiss Jongin’s lips.
Jongsoo lets out a soft whine and the moment is broken. They turn to the puppy, now struggling in Jongin’s hold. Jongin lets go, and they both gasp when he scrambles over to Kyungsoo, nestled in the small space between them. He puts his paws on Kyungsoo, careful not to touch the ice-pack, and Kyungsoo’s reaction is automatic when he lets his fingers wrap around Jongsoo’s tiny body. Then he looks at Jongin for permission, and Jongin gives him a nod. That’s all it takes for Kyungsoo to leave Jongsoo up into the air.
“He’s so cute,” Kyungsoo coos, bringing Jongsoo closer to his face. Jongsoo’s head dips forward to lick his nose and he scrunches it up, laughing.
“He likes you,” Jongin remarks, smile identical to Kyungsoo’s.
“I bet he does,” Kyungsoo laughs, cooing at Jongsoo for a little while more before the puppy gets bored and starts to struggle in his arms. Kyungsoo sets him down on Jongin’s lap and Jongsoo is more than contented to sprawl out on his owner’s thighs.
They look up, catching each other’s eye and laugh again.
Kyungsoo’s tongue darts out to moisten his lips and he doesn’t miss the way Jongin’s gaze drops to his lips for just a second, before he’s staring through his soul again.
“So,” Kyungsoo says breathlessly, desperate to break the tension. “You live alone?”
“Yeah, it’s just me and Jongsoo.” At that, he flips the puppy over and starts to tickle his belly. Jongsoo just sticks out his tongue, staring up at Jongin.
“I live alone too,” Kyungsoo mutters, “but Minseok and Luhan come over most of the time.”
“They’re really good at soccer,” Jongin perks up, “Luhan is really nice. He teaches me a lot.”
“They said the same thing about you,” Kyungsoo blurts, eyes going wide when he realizes his mistake. But by then, it’s already too late. He just tries to play it cool. “I mentioned your name to them and they told me you’re a nice guy, good at soccer and a little dreamy sometimes. They also told me you’re quiet.”
Jongin looks slightly pleased at that.
“That’s nice to hear, I’ve never been so sure of my soccer skills.”
“I’m sure you’re good,” Kyungsoo replies instantly. “I’ve been to watch soccer practices and I haven’t seen anyone with horrendous skills -- well, Chanyeol is pretty bad -- but otherwise you’re fine, since I didn’t notice you.”
“Chanyeol’s my best friend.”
“Oh, shit, sor -- “
Jongin shakes his head, laughing again. “It’s okay, he really isn’t good at soccer. But he’s a nice guy.”
Of course he is, Kyungsoo thinks as he studies Jongin’s smiling face, he must be a nice guy if Jongin considers him to be his best friend.
“I’m going to go wash your jeans and then put them in the dryer so you can get home,” Jongin interrupts his train of thoughts, already rising from the couch, Jongsoo in his arms. “Just stay here. You can look around for a bit if you get bored, but I’ll try to make it fast.”
Kyungsoo gives him a reassuring smile. “Okay,” he says, and Jongin sets Jongsoo onto the ground before he takes Kyungsoo’s jeans and disappear into the bathroom. The sound of water gushing out from the tap drifts to his ears and Kyungsoo decides he’s done with the ice pack. He grabs it and sets it back on the table. There’s still a big red patch on his thigh, but at least it isn’t hurting or tingling anymore. He starts to explore Jongin’s living room with Jongsoo close to his heels.
In the end, Kyungsoo gives in and bends down to pick the puppy up. He kisses Jongsoo’s head.
“You’re cute,” he tells him. Jongsoo just makes a small noise.
Jongin’s living room is very simply furnished -- a couch, a television, a small (presumably studying) desk and some framed photographs. But that’s enough too, considering that he’s only a high school student and already living alone. Kyungsoo wants to ask him about his family, his parents, but he has a feeling Jongin will tell him if he wants to and when the time is right, so he pushes that to the back of his mind and sets out to explore instead.
His first stop is the row of framed photographs right beside the desk. It’s like watching Jongin’s life story, looking at him grow up. The first photograph is of child Jongin at a beach, grin wide and shades even wider. The second one is of adolescent Jongin with a taller male beside him, arm thrown loosely around his shoulder. Their smiles are wide and Kyungsoo doesn’t know why, but he just has a feeling that the unidentified male is Chanyeol. He’ll ask Jongin about it later on. The third one is a photograph of the current Jongin, but Jongsoo is in the frame as well and Kyungsoo lifts Jongsoo up to the photograph.
“That’s you and Nini,” he coos, before looking around to see if Jongin had heard his embarrassing nickname for him. It just sort of popped up in his mind. Fortunately, the coast was clear. The tap was still turned on.
Then Kyungsoo moves on to the desk. It’s untidy but that’s forgivable because Kyungsoo’s desk is nowhere near being tidy and he sits down on the chair, placing Jongsoo on his lap. The little puppy is an absolute angel -- maybe he should get one too. He looks down at the papers on Jongin’s desk, chuckling to himself at the sight of the worksheets. Oh, Kyungsoo really is glad to be done with the high school bullshit. He’s just about to take Jongsoo and move back to the couch when a navy blue notebook at the corner of the desk catches his eye. Again, he turns around to make sure the coast is clear before grabbing the notebook.
It’s wrong, it’s rude, it’s not at all acceptable to flip open the notebook but that’s exactly what Kyungsoo does. He feels bad about it too, but there’s just this nagging feeling and his hands are trembling when he flips open to the first page.
His heart promptly explodes.
The first page is filled with chibi drawings, not just that, they’re all of Kyungsoo with various expressions. There’s some with him smiling, some with him frowning, some with him looking angry, and even one little version of him crying at the bottom. They’re all unbelievably cute, and its undeniably Kyungsoo himself because of those wide eyes and lips.
Then Kyungsoo flips to the second page. It’s basically the same thing, little chibi drawings of Kyungsoo. He flips, and flips, and flips, and the entire notebook is filled with him. He doesn’t want to read too much into it because he recalls Jongin having promised him he would draw for him again, but then there are dates written in black ink on the top left corner of every page and that changes everything.
He flips to the first page again. Nearly six months ago.
A noise from the bathroom brings Kyungsoo back to reality and he shuts the notebook, pushing it back to where he took it and flying back to the couch (taking Jongsoo with him, of course). He’s sitting on the couch with the most innocent expression he can manage when Jongin reappears with his jeans.
Jongin smiles at him. “It didn’t leave a stain, thank goodness.”
Jongsoo crawls off his lap and Kyungsoo stands up so he can take his jeans.
“Thank you,” he mumbles, and tries not to blush when their fingers brush.
His mind is full of thoughts when he enters the bathroom again, peeling Jongin’s shorts off and jumping into his own jeans. What can that possibly mean? Does it mean Jongin has had a crush on him since six months ago? He’s still thinking when he pushes the bathroom door open to see Jongin scratching Jongsoo’s belly, and the fact that Kyungsoo really doesn’t mind at all hits him like a freight train.
Instead, he feels relief and oddly happy, because as much as he’d hate to admit it, he does feel an attraction towards Jongin.
“I should get going,” Kyungsoo says reluctantly as he watches the exchange between Jongin and Jongsoo. “I have to fix dinner for Luhan and Minseok. Besides, I left them in my house and I don’t feel so safe about it.”
Jongin looks sad but that expression quickly fades away. “Sure,” he says, walking towards the door. Jongsoo follows after him, short little tail wagging.
Kyungsoo turns around to face him when they reach the door and for the second time that day, he gets the urge to pull Jongin in and kiss his lips. Jongin’s eyes are intense but it makes Kyungsoo feel good, it makes him feel as though Jongin only sees him in this entire world and it’s becoming what he really wants.
“I had a nice time today,” Kyungsoo says, “even though I spilled coffee on myself.”
“Me too, it was a nice break from studying.”
“Look, I want to hang out with you again, okay? So don’t be afraid to text or call me when you’re feeling stressed out. I’ll be glad to come over. And I really like this little guy.” Kyungsoo bends down so he can pat Jongsoo’s head. “See you soon, angel,” he adds in a smaller voice just for Jongsoo.
Jongin’s eyebrows are knitted when he straightens to full form, but even so he’s still half a head shorter than Jongin and it makes his heart thump loudly. Kyungsoo wonders if he should do it, grab Jongin’s shoulders and pull him in to kiss him, but looking at Jongin’s earnest face, he knows it isn’t the right time.
It’s quite obvious by now they have feelings for each other and he really wants to ask about the drawings in Jongin’s notebook, but Kyungsoo also knows he’ll get a chance to in the future, perhaps when they’re together and comfortable enough to really talk about everything.
“I’ll see you soon?” Kyungsoo asks, shyness laced between his words.
Jongin’s lips curl. “See you. I’ll call you.”
“Okay.”
He waves at Jongin one last time before he’s off, heading for the lift. Kyungsoo leaves Jongin’s apartment with a light smile and a lighter heart.
-
Kyungsoo has never been much of a social butterfly, so he doesn’t really mind when students from his high school stroll past without so much as a glance. He kicks a pebble out of his way, suddenly feeling overdressed.
They had started texting after the visit to Jongin’s apartment, and had arranged to meet again next Friday, which was today.
The chatterings and screeching from the other students are starting to dig into his ears and Kyungsoo feels like an old man all of a sudden. He just leans against the wall, hoping Jongin will show up soon.
When he does, Chanyeol is with him. He has his arm thrown loosely around Jongin’s shoulders, the both of them seemingly engaged in a deep conversation as they walk out of the gate. Something pricks at his heart and it makes him want to clench his fist and punch a wall. Nobody should be able to make Jongin smile like that. He wants to grab Chanyeol and kick his face, then push him against the wall --
“Hyung!”
Jongin shrugs out of Chanyeol’s embrace the instant he spots Kyungsoo and jogs over to him, his smile much happier. Kyungsoo can’t help but smile back.
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry, have you been waiting for a long time?”
Kyungsoo places his hand on Jongin’s shoulder. “No, I just arrived.”
“I’m gonna go now,” Jongin twists his neck to say to Chanyeol, and the taller male waves at them. His eyes raked over Kyungsoo’s face but Kyungsoo doesn’t give him any more attention as he grabs Jongin’s wrist and pull him away.
They make their way to a convenience store after Jongin’s complaints of “I’m hungry, I haven’t had lunch” where they settle down quite happily, seated closed enough for their arms to brush every now and then.
Jongin gets a cup of instant noodles and Kyungsoo watches for a while before he relents and gets himself a chicken flavored one. There they share peaceful silence and thoughtful smiles, basking in the strange feelings and attraction they felt towards each other. Kyungsoo doesn’t know if Jongin knows it is a mutual attraction, but he knows and it feels great to like someone who will catch him.
They decide to go to a comic book store after that because Kyungsoo wants to get the latest volume of Prince of Tennis, and they walk their way there with ice pops in their mouth. Jongin talks about his day -- long, dreadful lessons, tons of assignments and his upcoming soccerl match (to which Kyungsoo promised his attendance) -- while Kyungsoo just listened. The more he listened, the more he realized he really liked listening to Jongin talk. He likes his voice, his cute facial expressions and the way he phrases things. Jongin seems like a big child and Kyungsoo wants to take care of him.
Jongin, who has been to this comic book store countless of times, just sulks around the store while Kyungsoo carefully makes his choice. Now that he has all the time in the world, he can get a few more comic books. It doesn’t matter if he’s not able to afford it, at the very most, he’ll just borrow money from Minseok.
“What’s that?” Jongin asks curiously, bored of wandering around the store. He stays beside Kyungsoo faithfully.
“Prince of Tennis,” Kyungsoo replies, thrusting the book into his hands. “You should try reading it.”
“I tried reading it once and I didn’t like it very much…” Jongin admits in a small voice. “Do you like it a lot, hyung?”
Kyungsoo tries to hide his disappointment. He once swore he would only date someone who liked Prince of Tennis as much as he did.
“I like it a lot.”
Jongin looks at the book in his palms, a really thoughtful expression on his face. Kyungsoo ignores the way Jongin’s eyes flicker to him.
“I’ll try to like it too,” Jongin’s voice is barely audible when Kyungsoo chooses another book. He turns to the younger male.
“What?”
“I’ll try to read this again,” Jongin repeats, voice louder and firmer. He even looks more determined. “Because you like it, hyung.”
Kyungsoo has never felt this way before. He wants to kiss Jongin again, but he can’t find it in himself to do it with Jongin staring so intensely at him. In the end, he just stretches his arm and takes Jongin’s hand.
“Call me Kyungsoo.”
Jongin wraps his fingers around Kyungsoo’s and doesn’t let go for the rest of the day.
-
Minseok and Luhan’s only fault would be that they are way too comfortable around Kyungsoo, so Kyungsoo is baffled when the two of them start to behave suspiciously in front of him. As usual, they’re hanging out at Kyungsoo’s apartment, but instead of obnoxious jokes and annoying laughter this time, they’re really quiet. Apart from occasional nudges and giggles, they don’t speak much to Kyungsoo. It doesn’t take long for Kyungsoo to feel very left out.
“What the hell is wrong with the both of you?” he finally snaps.
Luhan tries his innocent look but it isn’t working on a pissed Kyungsoo. He knows that too, because he drops that look and turns to Minseok for help. Minseok just laughs nervously.
“We have something going on after this, Soo.”
“That doesn’t give you enough reason to be acting so damn weirdly.”
“We were acting weirdly?”
Minseok is a horrible actor.
“We were?”
Luhan is even worse.
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, rubbing his temples. He doesn’t want to argue with them. He’s still trying to tame his temper when the doorbell rings, missing the look Luhan and Minseok share before they both scramble to the door, grabbing their bags and shoes on the way.
“We’ve got something going on!”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow!”
Kyungsoo keeps his eyes shut. He’s expecting to hear the door slam shut, and good riddance to bad rubbish. But it doesn’t come, and when he cracks them open, he nearly pees his pants.
Jongin is standing at the door with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, looking very antsy.
“Hi,” he says.
Kyungsoo abandons his comfortable position on the couch and walks over to Jongin, the moment feeling very surreal. The boy he likes is standing at his door, flowers in one hand and a handful of T-shirt in the other. His attire is smart-casual but it wouldn’t have made much of a difference because with a face like that, he could have showed up naked and still manage to sweep Kyungsoo off his feet.
“What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo asks, and fortunately for him it doesn’t come out hostile. He just sounds curious.
Jongin fidgets, but he doesn’t step into his apartment.
“I have something to say to you.”
He offers Kyungsoo the flowers when he goes close and Kyungsoo takes it gratefully, lifting it to his face to take a whiff. A bouquet of roses. Typical, though it’s his first time receiving flowers.
“There’s something else…” Jongin pulls out a pocket-sized scrapbook and hands it over to Kyungsoo who takes it slowly, gauging his reaction. “Everything I want to say to you is inside, so just read it, and you don’t have to give me a reply immediately okay? Take your time. I’ll wait.”
This is a confession. It’s very obvious.
But Kyungsoo still flips open the scrapbook with shaky hands, tears pricking at the back of his eyeballs because no one has ever done this for him. The scrapbook isn’t very thick, about ten pages or so, but they’re all filled with little chibis of Kyungsoo and he wonders how long this had taken Jongin to do. He must have spent weeks trying to perfect this and his confession. At the very last page, however, is one sentence that makes fireworks go off in Kyungsoo’s head.
I want you to know something but I don’t quite know how to say it, so I’ll just let the first three words of this sentence say it for me.
Jongin’s eyes are hopeful and nervous all at the same time when Kyungsoo gazes up at him with teary eyes.
“Be mine?” he mouths.
Kyungsoo wants to reply to him, but he’s too busy choking over his tears, and Jongin takes that as a bad sign. His face falls.
“You don’t have to give me an answer right now, I’ll give you time. I know we haven’t met for long but I’ve known you for a long time. I’ve liked you for a long time, Kyungsoo, ever since I first set my eyes on you. Jongsoo’s name isn’t a coincidence. I named him after us. I’ll change his name if you mind it!” Jongin seems too eager to pacify him and Kyungsoo really wants to speak, but he doesn’t want to interrupt the younger male. “That night at the party you really did ask for my number and it made me hopeful, but then I realized you basically asked for everybody else’s numbers. You still called me anyway, and I think that’s fate. So will you choose to listen to the stars and be mine?”
The younger male’s cheeks are bright red.
“You’re so silly, Jongin,” Kyungsoo whispers, transferring the scrapbook to the hand holding the bouquet so he can pull Jongin’s collar and drag him in. “Of course I’ll be yours,” he says gently right before their lips touch.
If Kyungsoo had had any uncertainties, then the kiss broke everything, because Jongin’s lips are soft and warm against his and it feels like the missing puzzle piece in him is finally back in his hands again. Kyungsoo cups Jongin’s face, pulling away. Their smiles are shy.
“I knew about your crush on me,” Kyungsoo chuckles, “I saw your notebook.”
He really likes the warmth radiating out of Jongin’s face from underneath his palms.
“O - oh.”
“It’s okay, I think it’s adorable. Did you plan this with Minseok and Luhan?”
“I just told them to give me the space I needed.”
Kyungsoo kisses his lips again.
“Thank you,” he says sincerely, eyes locking with Jongin’s. “I’m not sure how this will turn out or if my attraction towards you now isn’t shallow, but I’m willing to give it a try with you.”
“And I’m willing to be heartbroken because of you.”
Kyungsoo pulls a face before he’s laughing again. “That was horrifically cheesy.”
Jongin just leans in to nose his cheek. “I like it though.”
Kyungsoo thinks for a long second before answering, cheeks brunching in a cute smile.
“Me too.”
He pulls Jongin into the house and hopes Minseok and Luhan leaves them alone for the rest of today, and for the rest of the week, because he wants to spend all his time with his new boyfriend.