Ninety Years From Now 3/12
Title: Ninety Years from Now 3/12
Pairing: JongKey
Genre: History!au, romance, drama, humor
Rating: NC-17 (overall)
Summary: Kim Kibum lives in 1920s Korea under the strict rule of Japan. After an unfortunate collision with a wall, he finds himself in...2014?
( 1, 2)
“When was this movie created?”
“The ‘80s. Even though it’s older, it’s awesome. It’s a classic,” Jonghyun supplies as he settles on his stomach, digging into a bag of popcorn, the room dark to help better illuminate the little box perched on the man’s dresser. Electricity here is so much brighter and more convenient...the future really is a...well, futuristic place.
“The ‘80s,” muses Kibum as he mimics Jonghyun’s position, grunting at the slight discomfort of it, eyes on the screen in front of him. Back in 1920, Kibum never had the chance to really get into cinema. The Japanese had sometimes given the Koreans benefits to things that fell under the entertainment category; however, those options had been limited, and Kibum never really saw the appeal.
But now...looking at these sorts of movies, Kibum can see what he is missing out on. He watches the beginning of the movie with wide, enchanted eyes, occasionally munching on Jonghyun’s popcorn, smitten with the buttery, savory taste.
“See, that guy is Marty McFly. He uses a time machine to go into the past and future, but he doesn’t mean to. Just like you.”
“I didn’t use a machine to get here, though,” Kibum mumbles, mesmerized by the movie and how fluid the picture’s quality looks, not to mention the fact that it has sound. “I just...ran into a wall and now I’m here.”
“Well,” ponders Jonghyun, digging in his mouth at one of his molars, apparently focused on getting something that is wedged back there out, “building a time machine is out of the question. So maybe if we try different techniques used in time travel movies, we can get you back home.”
Kibum nods eagerly, infinitely on board with the idea. “Good!” he chirps around a mouthful, gulping down his popcorn, then pulling a face of discomfort as an ache settles in his chest. “This popcorn stuff is really delicious and everything, but why are there those hard little balls in there? They don’t taste good at all.”
Jonghyun stares at him through the darkness, the movie’s image reflecting off his bottomless eyes. “You aren’t supposed to eat the kernels, Kibum-ssi.”
“If you’re not supposed to eat them, then why are they in there?” Kibum asks, genuinely mystified. “You made these yourself, right? So why add the kernels in?”
“No, I didn’t make them myself,” sighs Jonghyun, smiling tolerantly, “they just come like that. I bought them like that. All I did was warm them up and make them pop.”
“In the...um, what was it…”
“Mmm…” Jonghyun hints, prodding Kibum’s shoulder encouragingly.
“Microwave!” guesses Kibum, chipper.
“Correct!” the older man sings, laughing and patting Kibum on the back. “Look at you, you’re catching on quicker than ever.”
Kibum smiles proudly, turning his attention back to the screen, surprised by the outlandish fashion the actors within this movie have. “Does everyone still dress like this?”
“No, the style has changed a lot,” Jonghyun chuckles, chewing thoughtfully on a handful of popcorn. “Though I have seen some stuff from the ‘80s coming back into style every now and then. ‘20s, too, but it’s more of a Western ‘20s.”
“Wow,” breathes Kibum, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe people actually revisit the clothes from when I live. That’s strange,” he remarks, watching the movie onscreen, but not understanding a thing.
“Well, it happens a lot, to be honest. Style comes and goes. That’s just how fashion works.”
“How do you know so much about this?” Kibum asks, curious. He looks at Jonghyun and the other man laughs sheepishly.
“Well, I’m majoring in it in college. Fashion, I mean.”
“Major?"
Jonghyun purses his lips. “You know what college is, right? Just another name for school. And major just means...well, basically it’s just the thing you’re studying the most. It could be music or science or English. But in my case, it’s fashion.”
“Fashion,” Kibum parrots, enticed. “So you’re an expert in fashion?”
“Well...I wouldn’t say expert,” Jonghyun murmurs, flattery clear in his voice despite Kibum’s words being clueless and not intentionally complimentary. “But I know more than the average guy. I spend a lot of time researching current trends and going to local fashion shows,” he reveals, shrugging, then letting out a rather embarrassed laugh. “Besides, there’s quite a lot of eye candy at those shows.”
“Eye candy?” doubts Kibum, cracking a kernel with his teeth despite Jonghyun’s warning to not eat them. “What is eye candy?”
“It’s like...good-looking people. You know, candy is sweet and the people look...sweet to your eyes, I guess?”
Jonghyun is not making any sense whatsoever. “I don’t understand.”
“Do you know what candy is?”
“No.”
“Do you know what sugar is?”
“Of course. Although, it’s quite a rarity for my family. I don’t get to eat it often.”
“Well…” Jonghyun continues, intent with the conversation, “Candy is basically just...all sugar. Lots of people think it tastes really good, though. There’s all kinds of different candies. Lollipops, gumdrops, jelly beans, and, oh,” he pauses, his eyebrows shooting up, “Pixy Stix. If you’re looking for sugar, that’s definitely what you’d wanna eat.”
“Show me what they are,” commands Kibum, eyes agleam.
“Well...I don’t have any right now, but I can buy some. Oh!” he brightens, scrambles off of his bed, then proceeds to delve his movie collection, which Kibum has discovered is quite large and, as Jonghyun had claimed ‘filled with variety’. “There’s this great scene from The Breakfast Club that has Pixy Stix in it. I’ll show you.”
After a couple minutes of Jonghyun setting everything up and using a magical rectangular device to somehow speed the movie up, Kibum witnessing the scene with total fascination, he lets the movie play on a particular part.
One of the actresses in the movie pours what looks to be a stream of pure sugar from a thin packet, thoroughly bathing her meal in the substance. As she bites into her very customized food, Kibum grows incredibly jealous.
“That looks amazing!” he exclaims, pointing furiously at the screen. “I want to eat it! Can I eat it?”
“I’ll buy you some,” negotiates Jonghyun, smiling affectionately.
“Yes! Wait, are they really expensive?” Kibum wonders instantly, not wanting to be rude to his hyung.
“Hardly,” the older man laughs, shaking his head. “They’re very inexpensive, don’t worry. Anyway…” he stands up, the otherworldly box turning to black as Jonghyun clicks a button on his magical rectangle. “Would you like to take a shower?”
“Yeah, I’d like to,” nods Kibum, smiling cutely.
Jonghyun nods as the room is filled with brightness again, right on cue when the man flips up the little switch next to his door. “Then, let me show you to the bathroom,” he offers, gesturing for Kibum to follow as he leaves the room. The younger obediently accompanies Jonghyun, feeling like this man is the only anchor he has in this time period--or alternate reality, as far as Kibum is concerned.
The bathroom is just as high-class as everything else around here. The room is an even harsher white than all the previous ones Kibum had visited.
“So...go crazy,” Jonghyun chuckles, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
Kibum looks around, unsure of where to start. The shower here is much different from the ones he'd heard about. He is used to baths, not showers. Also, why is there a bathroom inside? He’s accustomed to traveling out to his backyard. Everything is so stupefyingly convenient in the future.
There is a strange knob protruding from the inside of the shower. It looks sort of like the things attached to the doors here. Kibum sheds his clothes (well, Jonghyun’s clothes) and steps into the porcelain shower, glancing around warily. He hesitantly twists the knob, and a stream of water comes out. Kibum smiles in accomplishment, turning the knob further. The water flows out at an even heavier momentum and Kibum gasps, delighted.
The only problem is...how is he supposed to wash his body with the water coming out only near his feet? Do people in the future only clean their feet? Kibum tries turning the knob as far to the left as it will go, but the water does not at all rise. He huffs, then blinks as he spots a little circle sticking out of the faucet and pushes it. Nothing happens. He pulls it, lifts his head, and then a downpour of blistering water (hotter than any day of labor Kibum’s ever experienced) shoots right onto the poor, oblivious man. He screams.
It only takes a couple seconds of shrill yelling before Jonghyun is bursting through the unlocked door, pausing in the doorway, his chest heaving. His eyes grow perhaps three times in size when he sees Kibum cowering beneath the spray of his shower’s water, whimpering and attempting to shield himself from the heat. Jonghyun rushes over, tugging on Kibum’s arm. The younger manages to stumble out, immediately clinging to the slightly shorter man, his breathing erratic.
Jonghyun instinctively nudges Kibum off, his eyes wide in terror. “K-Kibum-ssi! What...what are you doing?”
“I didn’t want to bother you so I turned the shower on by myself but there’s something wrong with it! The water is hot, hyung!” Kibum cries, hugging himself protectively, his lower lip quivering. His normally-milky skin is now stinging with a vivid red, clearly affected by the searing water.
Jonghyun gives Kibum a pathetically apologetic expression, hurrying over to the shower to turn it off. When he looks at the younger again, the latter is standing there, cradling himself pitifully, fingers drawing circles against his elbows.
Jonghyun stares at the ceiling pointedly, clearing his throat. “Um...Kibum-ah, I…I’m sorry I left you to figure this out on your own, but can you please...um, there are towels in the hallway closet, I’ll go get one,” he announces, zipping past the younger to retrieve said towel.
Kibum stands there, shivering, his eyes catching his reflection in the nearby mirror (another object that is much grander than he’s used to). He frowns at the obvious reddening of his flesh, delicately massaging the skin of his neck. Jonghyun returns seconds later, extending what seems to be an oversized rag. It’s soft and fluffy and Kibum gratefully accepts it, pressing it against his chest. It soothes the sharp pain a little.
“Well, if that’s all you need, I’ll be going--”
“Wait!” Kibum pleads, reaching for Jonghyun’s arm, clinging to it. Jonghyun bites into his lip, eyes on the ceiling as if begging the Lord to get him out of this. “You have to show me how to work the shower. I’ve only used cold water before.”
“Well, warm water feels the best,” Jonghyun mutters, followed by an edged ‘ahem’, a hint Kibum is too dense to take, subtly trying to pull his arm away.
Kibum only latches on tighter. “Please, hyung, you have to help me,” he implores, unconsciously pouting, ushering Jonghyun over to the shower and pointing to the knob, holding his towel at his side. “Fix it.”
Jonghyun doesn’t make eye contact, nodding silently as he hunches down enough to turn the water on, placing his hand under the tap to check the temperature. His movements are so careful and Kibum wonders why.
“You know, I gave you that towel so you can wear it, Kibum-ssi,” Jonghyun prompts, not looking at Kibum as he straightens up, the shower regulating just as it had before. Kibum curiously reaches out, brightening noticeably when he finds the water is pleasantly warm now.
“Wow! How did you do that?”
“Please,” Jonghyun mumbles, covering his eyes with a hand, an evident crimson crawling up his neck, “just...put the towel on, please.”
Kibum holds the towel up, eyebrows tucked in as he examines it. “How do I wear it? I’ve never worn a towel before.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” grumbles Jonghyun, stomping out of the room and closing the door. “Just shower already, okay? Don’t mess with the knob! And be careful!”
Kibum peers at the door in confusion, but obeys wordlessly anyway, stepping into the shower once again and relaxing as the warm water drums against his back.
Kibum doesn’t bother with trying to wear the towel Jonghyun had given him despite that the older man had previously asked him to. He uses it to dry his body, then pulls on the clothes Jonghyun had generously offered him before. After such a long shower, his body feels very relaxed. He’d never experienced bathing in such a nice temperature. It’s like all the tension in his body from working all day in the field has vanished, at least briefly. His back feels nice and slack, a loose sensation he hasn’t had the pleasure of encountering in a long time.
“Thank you for letting me clean up, hyung,” Kibum bows upon seeing Jonghyun in the long seat from before, ducking down a whole ninety degrees.
Jonghyun waves him off. “C’mon, what did I tell you about being formal? It’s really not a big deal.” The elder looks beyond relieved to see Kibum fully clothed. “Would you like to sit down?”
“Yes,” Kibum stands again, approaching Jonghyun, then pausing. “What is this?”
“What is what?” Jonghyun raises his eyebrows in query.
“What you’re sitting on. Is it a soft chair?”
“Well...basically,” snorts Jonghyun, looking amused. “It’s called a couch.”
“Couch,” Kibum repeats, as if a child who’d just been taught a new word. But it isn’t new, Kibum had seen couches before. Just...never quite this lavish...
“Mhmm. It’s kinda like a chair. Not quite a bed. Couch,” he concludes, stretching back against said object, arms raised above his head as he yawns.
Kibum sits down beside Jonghyun, yawning, too. “I was thinking…”
“Yeah?”
“Earlier, when you were talking about ‘eye candy’...I think I understand what it means now.”
Jonghyun looks half-intrigued, half-entertained. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yes,” assures Kibum. “It means that the person who is eye candy is someone who is very pleasant to look at.”
“Exactly!”
Kibum grins proudly. “Right. So I wanted to ask you: who do you consider your eye candy?”
Jonghyun’s amused smile drops instantly. “Uh…”
“What?” Kibum prods, smiling cluelessly.
“Well…” Jonghyun rubs the back of his neck, his laughter weak. “I guess my eye candy would fall under...slimmer guys...if they have a good sense of fashion, that’s a plus. I kinda like them on the taller side, too, with just the right amount of femininity and masculinity…”
Kibum cocks his head, eyes blank. “Guys?”
“Guys,” Jonghyun confirms, his Adam’s apple nodding.
“How?” Kibum wonders, undoubtedly stunned.
“What do you mean ‘how’?” Jonghyun mumbles, looking more insecure than before as he turns his face away, picking at a loose piece of fuzz on his lap. “I just like them.”
“But isn’t that out of the question?” Kibum had heard of same-sex relationships before, but...only one person in his town had ever been like that. He’d been executed at once.
“Maybe where you come from, but things are a little different around here, kid,” teaches the older man, sighing as he gives the carpet a stony look.
Kibum scrutinizes his expression. “Why are you frowning like that? You’re making your forehead all wrinkly.”
Jonghyun’s face softens shortly after the younger’s observation, a conciliatory smile curving the edges of his thick lips. “Sorry. It’s just...well, even though that sort of thing is more common here in the future...it’s looked down upon. I mean, you won’t die because of it, but there will definitely be people out there who think you should. It’s a little more lenient over in the West, but Korea is still very close-minded about it. It’s just hard to accept the fact that when I finally get a boyfriend that I really like...hardly anyone is going to accept me. They’re going to think I’m disgusting.”
“I don’t think you’re disgusting,” Kibum pipes up, eyes innocent.
Jonghyun reaches over to pat the other man’s leg fondly, his smile somehow saddening a bit. “Thank you, Kibum-ssi. I really appreciate that.”
“What are you even saying?” whispers Kibum in a childishly urgent voice, clinging to Jonghyun’s bigger hand with both of his. “You shouldn’t thank me for anything. I...I realize now that everything I’ve said probably sounds really stupid...and I’m sorry for being difficult and confusing. It’s just very foreign here,” he looks around for effect, surveying the ambience. “So I don’t really understand much. But you didn’t throw me out of your home or anything. So thank you,” he finishes, patting Jonghyun’s hand.
Jonghyun hesitantly draws his hand back, nodding, his fingers wringing and fumbling awkwardly for a moment before he finally settles on folding them over his knee. “It’s no problem. I wanted to help you. You were hurt really badly. How does your head feel, by the way?”
“Oh, it’s alright,” Kibum shrugs, reflexively reaching up to rub at the bandage around his head. “I thought that it might come off in the shower, but you wound it around pretty tightly and it’s still up there.”
“Well…” Jonghyun looks a little pale, his laughter forced. “Like I said, you were bleeding badly. I had to apply enough pressure to the wound.”
“I understand,” Kibum nods, remembering from before that Jonghyun doesn’t handle this kind of talk very well. “Do you mind if I take it off now, though? I think I’m okay.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Jonghyun seems uneasy.
Kibum nods and shifts closer. “Yeah. Can you take it off for me, please?”
Jonghyun nods wordlessly, lifting his hands. As he works on untying the overlapping bandage, clearly having some trouble bearing in mind how snugly it’s wound, Kibum studies the other man’s ears.
“What are those things on your ears?”
“Hm?”
“Those shiny things. What are they? Do they help you hear or something? Can people not hear well in the future?”
Jonghyun stares emptily for a total of five seconds before his face lights up with humored recognition. “Oh! You mean my earrings.”
Kibum cocks his head, leaning in closer to examine said ‘earrings’. Jonghyun’s breath hitches briefly in his throat before he resumes working on freeing Kibum’s wound, movements hastier. The younger man counts the abnormal objects called earrings on each ear. There are five in all.
“What are they for?”
“They just look cool,” Jonghyun shrugs, lowering his hands slowly as Kibum’s head is unveiled, bandage wholly unwrapped.
“Strange,” comments Kibum, raising a finger to daintily trace the outline of the little triangular-shaped earring attached to Jonghyun’s lobe, causing the elder man to go still.
“How do they stick to you like that?”
“They have needles in them. See?” Jonghyun demonstrates as he unfastens the back of the earring, breaking it apart to reveal a tiny hole in his flesh. Kibum curtly slaps a hand over his mouth, fighting off the urge to vomit, though failing to censor a repulsed gag.
“Oh my goodness,” he whispers, shielding his eyes next. “Why would you do that to yourself?”
Jonghyun snickers, sliding the needle of his earring into the hole again, securing the back on. “What do you mean? It didn’t hurt to get it pierced.”
Kibum shakes his head, lowering his hands as well as his gaze. “That’s sickening. You can handle getting a needle jabbed through your ear and having a permanent hole, but you can’t handle a little bloody cut?”
Jonghyun’s eyes drift to Kibum’s forehead as the latter glances up. “They’re a lot different, Kibum-ssi. Speaking of your cut, it doesn’t look near as bloody anymore.” The older man smiles, seemingly satisfied. “It’s just a bit red. It’ll scar, but it’ll heal up quickly, I think.”
Kibum reaches up to rub at it, but Jonghyun grabs his hand to coax it back down.
“Don’t touch it. If you mess with it, it’ll get infected. Luckily, I already put some medicine on it before I bandaged you up. And, even more luckily,” he stands, stretching out again and this time earning cracks from his joints, “you were out while it happened. I can only imagine how much you’d whine if I did it while you were conscious.”
Kibum’s lips turn down into a soft, offended frown. “A cut like this is nothing. I’ve experienced pain much worse than this.”
Jonghyun hesitates before shifting his weight. “Like?”
“Working in the fields all day. Being beaten by my father when he becomes extra-mad.” Kibum pauses, eyes downcast and suddenly heavy with dreariness. “Seeing Yongju taken away from me.”
Jonghyun stiffens at the mention of the name. “Would you like to talk about it?”
Kibum searches Jonghyun’s eyes, sniffs, and then nods.
A/N: here we go! chapter three!
wish i would have uploaded this earlier. i intended to update this story on a schedule but i always lose track of time. the writing part is easy, it's just the actual posting process that i'm too lazy to do orz
well, op wanted a shower scene so here it is! once i saw the idea i found it very cute and didn't want to cut it, so yeah, i tried my hand at writing it. it's not really steamy or sexy or anything, but hopefully it's entertaining enough. lol
oh and if you've never seen the breakfast club, (here) is the sandwich that kibum wants to eat. in case you're interested XD
i guess that's all for now! are any of you kids going to kcon? i'm so excited. c;
thanks for reading ♥
Pairing: JongKey
Genre: History!au, romance, drama, humor
Rating: NC-17 (overall)
Summary: Kim Kibum lives in 1920s Korea under the strict rule of Japan. After an unfortunate collision with a wall, he finds himself in...2014?
( 1, 2)
“When was this movie created?”
“The ‘80s. Even though it’s older, it’s awesome. It’s a classic,” Jonghyun supplies as he settles on his stomach, digging into a bag of popcorn, the room dark to help better illuminate the little box perched on the man’s dresser. Electricity here is so much brighter and more convenient...the future really is a...well, futuristic place.
“The ‘80s,” muses Kibum as he mimics Jonghyun’s position, grunting at the slight discomfort of it, eyes on the screen in front of him. Back in 1920, Kibum never had the chance to really get into cinema. The Japanese had sometimes given the Koreans benefits to things that fell under the entertainment category; however, those options had been limited, and Kibum never really saw the appeal.
But now...looking at these sorts of movies, Kibum can see what he is missing out on. He watches the beginning of the movie with wide, enchanted eyes, occasionally munching on Jonghyun’s popcorn, smitten with the buttery, savory taste.
“See, that guy is Marty McFly. He uses a time machine to go into the past and future, but he doesn’t mean to. Just like you.”
“I didn’t use a machine to get here, though,” Kibum mumbles, mesmerized by the movie and how fluid the picture’s quality looks, not to mention the fact that it has sound. “I just...ran into a wall and now I’m here.”
“Well,” ponders Jonghyun, digging in his mouth at one of his molars, apparently focused on getting something that is wedged back there out, “building a time machine is out of the question. So maybe if we try different techniques used in time travel movies, we can get you back home.”
Kibum nods eagerly, infinitely on board with the idea. “Good!” he chirps around a mouthful, gulping down his popcorn, then pulling a face of discomfort as an ache settles in his chest. “This popcorn stuff is really delicious and everything, but why are there those hard little balls in there? They don’t taste good at all.”
Jonghyun stares at him through the darkness, the movie’s image reflecting off his bottomless eyes. “You aren’t supposed to eat the kernels, Kibum-ssi.”
“If you’re not supposed to eat them, then why are they in there?” Kibum asks, genuinely mystified. “You made these yourself, right? So why add the kernels in?”
“No, I didn’t make them myself,” sighs Jonghyun, smiling tolerantly, “they just come like that. I bought them like that. All I did was warm them up and make them pop.”
“In the...um, what was it…”
“Mmm…” Jonghyun hints, prodding Kibum’s shoulder encouragingly.
“Microwave!” guesses Kibum, chipper.
“Correct!” the older man sings, laughing and patting Kibum on the back. “Look at you, you’re catching on quicker than ever.”
Kibum smiles proudly, turning his attention back to the screen, surprised by the outlandish fashion the actors within this movie have. “Does everyone still dress like this?”
“No, the style has changed a lot,” Jonghyun chuckles, chewing thoughtfully on a handful of popcorn. “Though I have seen some stuff from the ‘80s coming back into style every now and then. ‘20s, too, but it’s more of a Western ‘20s.”
“Wow,” breathes Kibum, shaking his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe people actually revisit the clothes from when I live. That’s strange,” he remarks, watching the movie onscreen, but not understanding a thing.
“Well, it happens a lot, to be honest. Style comes and goes. That’s just how fashion works.”
“How do you know so much about this?” Kibum asks, curious. He looks at Jonghyun and the other man laughs sheepishly.
“Well, I’m majoring in it in college. Fashion, I mean.”
“Major?"
Jonghyun purses his lips. “You know what college is, right? Just another name for school. And major just means...well, basically it’s just the thing you’re studying the most. It could be music or science or English. But in my case, it’s fashion.”
“Fashion,” Kibum parrots, enticed. “So you’re an expert in fashion?”
“Well...I wouldn’t say expert,” Jonghyun murmurs, flattery clear in his voice despite Kibum’s words being clueless and not intentionally complimentary. “But I know more than the average guy. I spend a lot of time researching current trends and going to local fashion shows,” he reveals, shrugging, then letting out a rather embarrassed laugh. “Besides, there’s quite a lot of eye candy at those shows.”
“Eye candy?” doubts Kibum, cracking a kernel with his teeth despite Jonghyun’s warning to not eat them. “What is eye candy?”
“It’s like...good-looking people. You know, candy is sweet and the people look...sweet to your eyes, I guess?”
Jonghyun is not making any sense whatsoever. “I don’t understand.”
“Do you know what candy is?”
“No.”
“Do you know what sugar is?”
“Of course. Although, it’s quite a rarity for my family. I don’t get to eat it often.”
“Well…” Jonghyun continues, intent with the conversation, “Candy is basically just...all sugar. Lots of people think it tastes really good, though. There’s all kinds of different candies. Lollipops, gumdrops, jelly beans, and, oh,” he pauses, his eyebrows shooting up, “Pixy Stix. If you’re looking for sugar, that’s definitely what you’d wanna eat.”
“Show me what they are,” commands Kibum, eyes agleam.
“Well...I don’t have any right now, but I can buy some. Oh!” he brightens, scrambles off of his bed, then proceeds to delve his movie collection, which Kibum has discovered is quite large and, as Jonghyun had claimed ‘filled with variety’. “There’s this great scene from The Breakfast Club that has Pixy Stix in it. I’ll show you.”
After a couple minutes of Jonghyun setting everything up and using a magical rectangular device to somehow speed the movie up, Kibum witnessing the scene with total fascination, he lets the movie play on a particular part.
One of the actresses in the movie pours what looks to be a stream of pure sugar from a thin packet, thoroughly bathing her meal in the substance. As she bites into her very customized food, Kibum grows incredibly jealous.
“That looks amazing!” he exclaims, pointing furiously at the screen. “I want to eat it! Can I eat it?”
“I’ll buy you some,” negotiates Jonghyun, smiling affectionately.
“Yes! Wait, are they really expensive?” Kibum wonders instantly, not wanting to be rude to his hyung.
“Hardly,” the older man laughs, shaking his head. “They’re very inexpensive, don’t worry. Anyway…” he stands up, the otherworldly box turning to black as Jonghyun clicks a button on his magical rectangle. “Would you like to take a shower?”
“Yeah, I’d like to,” nods Kibum, smiling cutely.
Jonghyun nods as the room is filled with brightness again, right on cue when the man flips up the little switch next to his door. “Then, let me show you to the bathroom,” he offers, gesturing for Kibum to follow as he leaves the room. The younger obediently accompanies Jonghyun, feeling like this man is the only anchor he has in this time period--or alternate reality, as far as Kibum is concerned.
The bathroom is just as high-class as everything else around here. The room is an even harsher white than all the previous ones Kibum had visited.
“So...go crazy,” Jonghyun chuckles, leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
Kibum looks around, unsure of where to start. The shower here is much different from the ones he'd heard about. He is used to baths, not showers. Also, why is there a bathroom inside? He’s accustomed to traveling out to his backyard. Everything is so stupefyingly convenient in the future.
There is a strange knob protruding from the inside of the shower. It looks sort of like the things attached to the doors here. Kibum sheds his clothes (well, Jonghyun’s clothes) and steps into the porcelain shower, glancing around warily. He hesitantly twists the knob, and a stream of water comes out. Kibum smiles in accomplishment, turning the knob further. The water flows out at an even heavier momentum and Kibum gasps, delighted.
The only problem is...how is he supposed to wash his body with the water coming out only near his feet? Do people in the future only clean their feet? Kibum tries turning the knob as far to the left as it will go, but the water does not at all rise. He huffs, then blinks as he spots a little circle sticking out of the faucet and pushes it. Nothing happens. He pulls it, lifts his head, and then a downpour of blistering water (hotter than any day of labor Kibum’s ever experienced) shoots right onto the poor, oblivious man. He screams.
It only takes a couple seconds of shrill yelling before Jonghyun is bursting through the unlocked door, pausing in the doorway, his chest heaving. His eyes grow perhaps three times in size when he sees Kibum cowering beneath the spray of his shower’s water, whimpering and attempting to shield himself from the heat. Jonghyun rushes over, tugging on Kibum’s arm. The younger manages to stumble out, immediately clinging to the slightly shorter man, his breathing erratic.
Jonghyun instinctively nudges Kibum off, his eyes wide in terror. “K-Kibum-ssi! What...what are you doing?”
“I didn’t want to bother you so I turned the shower on by myself but there’s something wrong with it! The water is hot, hyung!” Kibum cries, hugging himself protectively, his lower lip quivering. His normally-milky skin is now stinging with a vivid red, clearly affected by the searing water.
Jonghyun gives Kibum a pathetically apologetic expression, hurrying over to the shower to turn it off. When he looks at the younger again, the latter is standing there, cradling himself pitifully, fingers drawing circles against his elbows.
Jonghyun stares at the ceiling pointedly, clearing his throat. “Um...Kibum-ah, I…I’m sorry I left you to figure this out on your own, but can you please...um, there are towels in the hallway closet, I’ll go get one,” he announces, zipping past the younger to retrieve said towel.
Kibum stands there, shivering, his eyes catching his reflection in the nearby mirror (another object that is much grander than he’s used to). He frowns at the obvious reddening of his flesh, delicately massaging the skin of his neck. Jonghyun returns seconds later, extending what seems to be an oversized rag. It’s soft and fluffy and Kibum gratefully accepts it, pressing it against his chest. It soothes the sharp pain a little.
“Well, if that’s all you need, I’ll be going--”
“Wait!” Kibum pleads, reaching for Jonghyun’s arm, clinging to it. Jonghyun bites into his lip, eyes on the ceiling as if begging the Lord to get him out of this. “You have to show me how to work the shower. I’ve only used cold water before.”
“Well, warm water feels the best,” Jonghyun mutters, followed by an edged ‘ahem’, a hint Kibum is too dense to take, subtly trying to pull his arm away.
Kibum only latches on tighter. “Please, hyung, you have to help me,” he implores, unconsciously pouting, ushering Jonghyun over to the shower and pointing to the knob, holding his towel at his side. “Fix it.”
Jonghyun doesn’t make eye contact, nodding silently as he hunches down enough to turn the water on, placing his hand under the tap to check the temperature. His movements are so careful and Kibum wonders why.
“You know, I gave you that towel so you can wear it, Kibum-ssi,” Jonghyun prompts, not looking at Kibum as he straightens up, the shower regulating just as it had before. Kibum curiously reaches out, brightening noticeably when he finds the water is pleasantly warm now.
“Wow! How did you do that?”
“Please,” Jonghyun mumbles, covering his eyes with a hand, an evident crimson crawling up his neck, “just...put the towel on, please.”
Kibum holds the towel up, eyebrows tucked in as he examines it. “How do I wear it? I’ve never worn a towel before.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” grumbles Jonghyun, stomping out of the room and closing the door. “Just shower already, okay? Don’t mess with the knob! And be careful!”
Kibum peers at the door in confusion, but obeys wordlessly anyway, stepping into the shower once again and relaxing as the warm water drums against his back.
Kibum doesn’t bother with trying to wear the towel Jonghyun had given him despite that the older man had previously asked him to. He uses it to dry his body, then pulls on the clothes Jonghyun had generously offered him before. After such a long shower, his body feels very relaxed. He’d never experienced bathing in such a nice temperature. It’s like all the tension in his body from working all day in the field has vanished, at least briefly. His back feels nice and slack, a loose sensation he hasn’t had the pleasure of encountering in a long time.
“Thank you for letting me clean up, hyung,” Kibum bows upon seeing Jonghyun in the long seat from before, ducking down a whole ninety degrees.
Jonghyun waves him off. “C’mon, what did I tell you about being formal? It’s really not a big deal.” The elder looks beyond relieved to see Kibum fully clothed. “Would you like to sit down?”
“Yes,” Kibum stands again, approaching Jonghyun, then pausing. “What is this?”
“What is what?” Jonghyun raises his eyebrows in query.
“What you’re sitting on. Is it a soft chair?”
“Well...basically,” snorts Jonghyun, looking amused. “It’s called a couch.”
“Couch,” Kibum repeats, as if a child who’d just been taught a new word. But it isn’t new, Kibum had seen couches before. Just...never quite this lavish...
“Mhmm. It’s kinda like a chair. Not quite a bed. Couch,” he concludes, stretching back against said object, arms raised above his head as he yawns.
Kibum sits down beside Jonghyun, yawning, too. “I was thinking…”
“Yeah?”
“Earlier, when you were talking about ‘eye candy’...I think I understand what it means now.”
Jonghyun looks half-intrigued, half-entertained. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yes,” assures Kibum. “It means that the person who is eye candy is someone who is very pleasant to look at.”
“Exactly!”
Kibum grins proudly. “Right. So I wanted to ask you: who do you consider your eye candy?”
Jonghyun’s amused smile drops instantly. “Uh…”
“What?” Kibum prods, smiling cluelessly.
“Well…” Jonghyun rubs the back of his neck, his laughter weak. “I guess my eye candy would fall under...slimmer guys...if they have a good sense of fashion, that’s a plus. I kinda like them on the taller side, too, with just the right amount of femininity and masculinity…”
Kibum cocks his head, eyes blank. “Guys?”
“Guys,” Jonghyun confirms, his Adam’s apple nodding.
“How?” Kibum wonders, undoubtedly stunned.
“What do you mean ‘how’?” Jonghyun mumbles, looking more insecure than before as he turns his face away, picking at a loose piece of fuzz on his lap. “I just like them.”
“But isn’t that out of the question?” Kibum had heard of same-sex relationships before, but...only one person in his town had ever been like that. He’d been executed at once.
“Maybe where you come from, but things are a little different around here, kid,” teaches the older man, sighing as he gives the carpet a stony look.
Kibum scrutinizes his expression. “Why are you frowning like that? You’re making your forehead all wrinkly.”
Jonghyun’s face softens shortly after the younger’s observation, a conciliatory smile curving the edges of his thick lips. “Sorry. It’s just...well, even though that sort of thing is more common here in the future...it’s looked down upon. I mean, you won’t die because of it, but there will definitely be people out there who think you should. It’s a little more lenient over in the West, but Korea is still very close-minded about it. It’s just hard to accept the fact that when I finally get a boyfriend that I really like...hardly anyone is going to accept me. They’re going to think I’m disgusting.”
“I don’t think you’re disgusting,” Kibum pipes up, eyes innocent.
Jonghyun reaches over to pat the other man’s leg fondly, his smile somehow saddening a bit. “Thank you, Kibum-ssi. I really appreciate that.”
“What are you even saying?” whispers Kibum in a childishly urgent voice, clinging to Jonghyun’s bigger hand with both of his. “You shouldn’t thank me for anything. I...I realize now that everything I’ve said probably sounds really stupid...and I’m sorry for being difficult and confusing. It’s just very foreign here,” he looks around for effect, surveying the ambience. “So I don’t really understand much. But you didn’t throw me out of your home or anything. So thank you,” he finishes, patting Jonghyun’s hand.
Jonghyun hesitantly draws his hand back, nodding, his fingers wringing and fumbling awkwardly for a moment before he finally settles on folding them over his knee. “It’s no problem. I wanted to help you. You were hurt really badly. How does your head feel, by the way?”
“Oh, it’s alright,” Kibum shrugs, reflexively reaching up to rub at the bandage around his head. “I thought that it might come off in the shower, but you wound it around pretty tightly and it’s still up there.”
“Well…” Jonghyun looks a little pale, his laughter forced. “Like I said, you were bleeding badly. I had to apply enough pressure to the wound.”
“I understand,” Kibum nods, remembering from before that Jonghyun doesn’t handle this kind of talk very well. “Do you mind if I take it off now, though? I think I’m okay.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Jonghyun seems uneasy.
Kibum nods and shifts closer. “Yeah. Can you take it off for me, please?”
Jonghyun nods wordlessly, lifting his hands. As he works on untying the overlapping bandage, clearly having some trouble bearing in mind how snugly it’s wound, Kibum studies the other man’s ears.
“What are those things on your ears?”
“Hm?”
“Those shiny things. What are they? Do they help you hear or something? Can people not hear well in the future?”
Jonghyun stares emptily for a total of five seconds before his face lights up with humored recognition. “Oh! You mean my earrings.”
Kibum cocks his head, leaning in closer to examine said ‘earrings’. Jonghyun’s breath hitches briefly in his throat before he resumes working on freeing Kibum’s wound, movements hastier. The younger man counts the abnormal objects called earrings on each ear. There are five in all.
“What are they for?”
“They just look cool,” Jonghyun shrugs, lowering his hands slowly as Kibum’s head is unveiled, bandage wholly unwrapped.
“Strange,” comments Kibum, raising a finger to daintily trace the outline of the little triangular-shaped earring attached to Jonghyun’s lobe, causing the elder man to go still.
“How do they stick to you like that?”
“They have needles in them. See?” Jonghyun demonstrates as he unfastens the back of the earring, breaking it apart to reveal a tiny hole in his flesh. Kibum curtly slaps a hand over his mouth, fighting off the urge to vomit, though failing to censor a repulsed gag.
“Oh my goodness,” he whispers, shielding his eyes next. “Why would you do that to yourself?”
Jonghyun snickers, sliding the needle of his earring into the hole again, securing the back on. “What do you mean? It didn’t hurt to get it pierced.”
Kibum shakes his head, lowering his hands as well as his gaze. “That’s sickening. You can handle getting a needle jabbed through your ear and having a permanent hole, but you can’t handle a little bloody cut?”
Jonghyun’s eyes drift to Kibum’s forehead as the latter glances up. “They’re a lot different, Kibum-ssi. Speaking of your cut, it doesn’t look near as bloody anymore.” The older man smiles, seemingly satisfied. “It’s just a bit red. It’ll scar, but it’ll heal up quickly, I think.”
Kibum reaches up to rub at it, but Jonghyun grabs his hand to coax it back down.
“Don’t touch it. If you mess with it, it’ll get infected. Luckily, I already put some medicine on it before I bandaged you up. And, even more luckily,” he stands, stretching out again and this time earning cracks from his joints, “you were out while it happened. I can only imagine how much you’d whine if I did it while you were conscious.”
Kibum’s lips turn down into a soft, offended frown. “A cut like this is nothing. I’ve experienced pain much worse than this.”
Jonghyun hesitates before shifting his weight. “Like?”
“Working in the fields all day. Being beaten by my father when he becomes extra-mad.” Kibum pauses, eyes downcast and suddenly heavy with dreariness. “Seeing Yongju taken away from me.”
Jonghyun stiffens at the mention of the name. “Would you like to talk about it?”
Kibum searches Jonghyun’s eyes, sniffs, and then nods.
A/N: here we go! chapter three!
wish i would have uploaded this earlier. i intended to update this story on a schedule but i always lose track of time. the writing part is easy, it's just the actual posting process that i'm too lazy to do orz
well, op wanted a shower scene so here it is! once i saw the idea i found it very cute and didn't want to cut it, so yeah, i tried my hand at writing it. it's not really steamy or sexy or anything, but hopefully it's entertaining enough. lol
oh and if you've never seen the breakfast club, (here) is the sandwich that kibum wants to eat. in case you're interested XD
i guess that's all for now! are any of you kids going to kcon? i'm so excited. c;
thanks for reading ♥