Ninety Years from Now 7/12
Title: Ninety Years from Now 7/12
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 3 4 5 6)
A week passes. Kibum continues to brush up on his knowledge of the current era, not to mention methods of getting back home to 1920. Brushing up meaning watching Jonghyun’s collection of movies, studying each and every film that has anything to do with time travel for some sort of hint or clue on how to return back home. He takes notes in the middle of one of Jonghyun’s sketching notebooks, figuring he probably won’t mind.
So far, all of the schemes seem pretty unrealistic, but hey, Kibum got here by slamming his face into a wall, so...he’s feeling pretty lenient with the impractical means of time travel.
Here and there he sort of gets off track...lots of Jonghyun’s non-time travel-related movies are interesting, too. And although Kibum is not supposed to watch these things for entertainment purposes, purely for research, he cannot help branching out a little and taking time to view a couple of...more or less irrelevant movies. But...they’re really good and they’re helping him learn! So it isn’t completely pointless!
Scouring the newspaper for jobs is hard, Kibum finds. None of the jobs really apply to his talents. He’d be good at moving heavy things, but the only ad he’s encountered that involves that is a construction worker. He’s seen those construction workers in the city when Jonghyun had pointed them out. No way in hell is he putting his life at risk and taking on a job that requires working in high places.
By the time evening rolls around, the front door clicking open, Kibum perks up like a neglected puppy. He skids out of Jonghyun’s bedroom, approaching the older man with plain enthusiasm. “Welcome home, honey!”
Jonghyun laughs as he dumps armfuls of grocery bags on the kitchen counter. “Excuse me?”
“Isn’t that what people in this time plane say to greet each other when someone comes home?”
Jonghyun raises an eyebrow as he begins unpacking food, setting some items in the pantry and others in the refrigerator. He routinely sets a handful of Pixy Stix off to the side and Kibum automatically scoops one up, ripping open the top and downing the sugar easily. “What movie taught you that?”
“Not movie. Shows!” Kibum announces excitedly, tapping the opened side of his stick against his tongue, not letting one grain of the candy go to waste. “I’ve been watching I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners and--”
“You do know those are from the ‘50s, right?” Jonghyun asks as he finishes putting everything away, stuffing the leftover plastic bags under his sink for reuse.
“Oh,” Kibum wilts. “That would explain why they’re in black and white.”
“Yeah,” chuckles Jonghyun, straightening up again. “Well, I’m gonna go change.”
“Okay,” Kibum croons in a mirthful tone, relieved to have company here again after so many hours alone. He’d forgotten what it’s like to be left alone considering he’d always be with his grandma or mother. Even if he’d been alone in the house somewhere, his father’s shouting had always reassured him that he definitely wasn’t by himself.
What makes it worse is that Jonghyun works five days a week so he sometimes doesn’t return home until even later than normal. Jonghyun closes the door to the bedroom as he changes and Kibum stares impatiently at the barrier between him and his friend, leaning against the kitchen counter. The younger has grown used to Jonghyun wanting to be alone when he changes clothes. It’s just in his shy nature, he guesses.
When the door reopens, Jonghyun clad in a t-shirt and sweatpants, Kibum perks up all over again. “Hyung, can we watch movies?”
“Sure,” Jonghyun smiles. “But I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner yet. Is it cool if I make some ramyeon real quick?”
Kibum nods, folding his arms over the kitchen counter, watching Jonghyun press buttons on the microwave. “How was your day?”
“Stressful,” Jonghyun sighs, digging his fingers into the corners of his eyes as he waits for his instant noodles to finish cooking. “How about you? Any luck in job-hunting?”
Kibum looks down, blameworthy. “No...not yet.”
“That’s okay,” Jonghyun replies immediately, his smile light. “Don’t worry about it too much. Just...if you see something that looks like you could do, I’ll take you there to apply, okay? I’d be happy to help you.”
“Thanks, hyung. I’m sorry it’s taking a long time.”
Jonghyun waves the younger man off, shaking his head as the microwave beeps. He once again tells Kibum not to worry about it, tucking a pair of chopsticks into his bowl before nodding toward his bedroom. Kibum happily follows behind Jonghyun, pleased that they’re able to share a movie night tonight. He always likes watching new movies, but it’s way more fun when Jonghyun is here to give him commentary on behind-the-scenes facts, and also to hear him make the occasional joke about the films.
“My family would love this,” Kibum comments as Jonghyun sets his empty bowl on the floor, thoroughly enjoying the movie Gone With the Wind. “Especially my grandma.”
Jonghyun hums, head cushioned on his folded arms, gazing at the man beside him. Kibum kicks his legs behind himself. They’d sort of adapted to a permanent position for watching movies, which was both of their heads at the foot of the bed, stomach-down, Kibum on the right and Jonghyun on the left.
“I’m sorry,” the older man says after a moment. Kibum meets his eyes, chin propped on his hands. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to have all of your family with you for one day and then just...have them disappear the next. I’m really sorry.”
Kibum sighs, turning his eyes back to the screen. “Yeah...I...honestly don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll find a way back for you,” Jonghyun whispers, hesitantly stroking the slope of Kibum’s spine. “We will.”
Kibum sighs, eyes suddenly downcast. “Yeah.” He shifts to lay on his side, propped on an elbow this time instead. “Can you tell me about you now? I want to know.”
Jonghyun becomes sheepish. “I...well, I’m really not interesting, Kibum.”
“I want to know,” Kibum repeats.
Jonghyun gives in, turning the volume down on the television before gazing off at the wall a little distantly, chin on his folded hands. “Well, I have a mom and dad and a sister.”
“A sister?” Kibum smiles in interest. “What’s her name?”
“Her name is Sodam. She’s my big sister. I don’t see her very often since she’s busy with school and so am I. We’re very good friends.”
“That’s nice. I wish I had a sibling.”
Jonghyun shrugs, tilting his head, smiling playfully at Kibum. “I don’t think your parents would be able to handle two Kibums. Much less a girl version of you.”
“Yah! Are you insulting me?”
“I would never,” Jonghyun teases, pinching the shell of Kibum’s ear. The younger man huffs, swatting Jonghyun’s hand away, forever-ticklish by his petty touches.
“Tell me more about you.”
Jonghyun hums monotonously, lazily blinking. “Okay, here’s a story for you. One time, I had this guy I liked. I was about sixteen years old. He was an older guy, but I really wanted to impress him. So...I let him come over to my house.” He takes a pause, struggling for words, never once meeting Kibum’s eyes despite the younger resolutely staring at him. “And...well, one thing led to another.” He laughs nervously. “And we started...y'know, doing stuff on my bed."
“Stuff?” Kibum blinks.
Jonghyun groans, burying his face in his arms. “Kibum, I swear, sometimes talking to you is like talking to a five year old.”
Kibum pouts apologetically. “I’m sorry…”
“No, it’s okay.” When Jonghyun lifts his head again, he’s smiling uncomfortably, plainly embarrassed. “Just...we were about to have sex on my bed, okay? That’s what I meant by ‘stuff’.”
Kibum stares unwaveringly. “And?”
“I...gave him my virginity,” Jonghyun shrugs, coughing as he attempts to smooth out a wrinkle in the sheets, resulting in more wrinkles and folds. “And right afterward...my dad spoke to me through the door. He’d gotten home early and heard everything.” His eyes turn to the ceiling, blinking a couple of times as if to fight off tears, exhaling harshly through his nose.
“After the guy left...we never spoke to one another again. He didn’t care for me at all and I just handed my virginity over to him without any hesitation whatsoever,” Jonghyun says, hostile laughter in his voice. “And that was how I unintentionally came out to my dad. It was absolutely horrible. He was so ashamed,” he chokes out, pressing his head against his forearm, his breathing frazzled. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Kibum’s eyebrows pull together as he lays a hand on Jonghyun’s back, rubbing slow circles. “Don’t apologize.”
“I’m sorry,” he says again anyway, shoulders trembling. Kibum strokes his back in silence.
“No one should have to go through something like that,” Kibum says quietly, watching sadly as Jonghyun wipes his eyes, lifting his head again. Kibum isn’t used to seeing people cry. “That guy didn’t deserve you.” Kibum isn’t used to two men being involved with one another. Things feel sort of...awkward. “I’m sure he regrets treating you that way.”
Jonghyun laughs brokenly and shakes his head, sniffing as he presses the heel of his palm into one of his eyes, once again trying to get rid of his tears. Kibum scoots closer, unsure of how to respond. Tentatively, he offers his shirt for Jonghyun to blow his nose on, but Jonghyun only laughs and shakes his head again. Luckily, this laugh sounds a little more genuine.
“I hardly doubt he regrets it,” Jonghyun finally responds. “He never cared about me. I was stupid to trust him with something so important.”
Kibum waits until he’s sure his friend has sufficiently calmed down before removing his hand from the elder’s back. “What happened with your dad?”
“He yelled at me,” Jonghyun says simply. “He...said that that kind of behavior is disgusting. We’re on good terms now, but ever since then, our relationship is kind of...different. It just sucks knowing that when I have someone I wanna marry, it’ll be a man. I’m not going to suddenly become interested in women,” he explains bitterly. “And...I’m afraid he won’t approve. I’m afraid he won’t attend my wedding and will break all ties with me...oh god, I’m rambling, aren’t I?” He forces another one of his lighthearted laughs, but really, he isn’t fooling Kibum no matter how naive the younger may be.
Same-sex marriage, Kibum thinks to himself, returning his hand to Jonghyun’s back when the other man goes back to quietly sniffling.
The future is weird.
Job-hunting becomes less and less of a concern to Kibum. He tries, truly, but...there just aren’t any jobs in the future that seriously apply to him. He doesn’t understand most of them, and a lot of the part-time stuff sounds too complicated for his 1920s mindset to comprehend.
As the weeks go by, Kibum and Jonghyun try different means of time travel. Predictably, nothing works. Jonghyun informs Kibum at one point that sometimes people in movies have to discover something about themselves to return home safely. Kibum isn’t sure where to start. What is he supposed to find out about himself? He already knows everything there is to know, so he isn’t quite sure how that little theory of Jonghyun’s works.
Every now and then, Kibum will cry himself to sleep. Sometimes he thinks about Yongju, sometimes about his parents, sometimes his grandmother. It varies, but no matter who he thinks about, his crying fits are quite violent. He tends to thrash around in Jonghyun’s bed and fight the other man off when the elder attempts to lock him in a hold, caging him in his big arms. No matter how much Kibum struggles, it always ends the same; he ultimately finds himself lax against his friend, bushed. He falls asleep in his arms and in the morning Jonghyun is gone at university or work, a small, thoughtful sticky note left in his place.
Kibum tends to eat more now that he knows he can. He has privileges, and as time goes by, he takes advantage of them. He’d never known the definition of the word ‘lazy’ until now. Without work to do and families to take care of, Kibum sees just how divine doing nothing can be.
It’s just little things. Eating more than he should. Forgetting to put Jonghyun’s Blu-ray discs back in their case, leaving them out to collect dust. Never cleaning up after himself.
This habit of laziness begins to catch up with him, regrettably. One night as Kibum is lounging on Jonghyun’s bed, a bowl of ramyeon in his lap, watching live TV for a change, the front door slams shut. Kibum blinks. Jonghyun has never made such a loud entrance before, and his lack of greeting tells the younger something is not right.
Setting his bowl on the bedside table, Kibum pads into the other room. Jonghyun’s back is toward Kibum as he stands uselessly in the middle of the kitchen, his bag dumped at his feet. His hair is disheveled and Kibum can tell he’d been running his hands through it.
“Hi,” Kibum says cautiously. “Are you okay?”
Jonghyun turns to Kibum, letting out a heavy sigh. “Yeah.” He pauses. “No...no, Kibum. No, I’m not okay.”
“What...what’s wrong?” the younger asks with a bit of hesitance, somewhat defensively crossing his arms as if to cradle himself. He feels as though Jonghyun is angry with him.
“I’ve just...had a seriously stressful day,” the elder sighs again, proving Kibum’s theory correct as he runs a hand through his hair. He stands there for a while, not saying anything, idly twirling one of the studs in his ear.
“Oh. Well, maybe a movie night will--”
“No, Kibum.” Jonghyun brushes past the younger to enter his bedroom, not even bothering to close the door as he begins undressing. “No movie night tonight.”
“But...dinner--”
“What dinner?” Jonghyun sort of laughs, facing Kibum with a look of incredulity, already shirtless. “You ate everything in the apartment. There isn’t anything left.”
Kibum hesitates. “Well, you could go to the store.”
“And use what money?” stresses Jonghyun, pointedly grabbing Kibum’s emptied bowl of ramyeon, taking it into the kitchen to dump the leftover noodles in the trash, tossing the plastic in the sink. “Kibum, would it kill you to clean up after yourself every once in a while?”
Kibum’s mouth hangs open a little, eyes blank. He has never heard Jonghyun speak this way before. He isn’t sure how to take it.
“Goodnight,” the older man grumbles when he receives no answer, shedding his jeans and then retiring to his bed in only underwear and socks. Kibum has never seen him sleep in so little. He’d always been too self-conscious.
Who is Jonghyun to tell Kibum what to do? He’s the one that had said he didn’t have to worry and he could take his time! So why is he blowing up in his face now?
Huffing, Kibum closes Jonghyun’s bedroom door, then kicks it. “Fine! Goodnight!” he shouts, making damn sure Jonghyun hears him, immaturely stomping his way toward the couch. He snatches the afghan draped over the back of the sofa and curls up with it, glaring hard at Jonghyun’s door, wanting the other man to feel his enraged aura.
But no matter how furious he is, Kibum just ends up crying himself to sleep again. It’s hard without Jonghyun’s arms to soothe him and help give him something to fight against to wear him down into slumber. It’s just him this time, and he hates it. He hates the future and how everything works. He wants to be with the people who actually understand what he’s going through.
He wants to go home.
A/N: awww poor kibum. :// another angst-sprinkled chap. yes.
oh but happy birthday to key today \o/
my fave chapters are coming up real soon so i hope you stay tuned <3
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 3 4 5 6)
A week passes. Kibum continues to brush up on his knowledge of the current era, not to mention methods of getting back home to 1920. Brushing up meaning watching Jonghyun’s collection of movies, studying each and every film that has anything to do with time travel for some sort of hint or clue on how to return back home. He takes notes in the middle of one of Jonghyun’s sketching notebooks, figuring he probably won’t mind.
So far, all of the schemes seem pretty unrealistic, but hey, Kibum got here by slamming his face into a wall, so...he’s feeling pretty lenient with the impractical means of time travel.
Here and there he sort of gets off track...lots of Jonghyun’s non-time travel-related movies are interesting, too. And although Kibum is not supposed to watch these things for entertainment purposes, purely for research, he cannot help branching out a little and taking time to view a couple of...more or less irrelevant movies. But...they’re really good and they’re helping him learn! So it isn’t completely pointless!
Scouring the newspaper for jobs is hard, Kibum finds. None of the jobs really apply to his talents. He’d be good at moving heavy things, but the only ad he’s encountered that involves that is a construction worker. He’s seen those construction workers in the city when Jonghyun had pointed them out. No way in hell is he putting his life at risk and taking on a job that requires working in high places.
By the time evening rolls around, the front door clicking open, Kibum perks up like a neglected puppy. He skids out of Jonghyun’s bedroom, approaching the older man with plain enthusiasm. “Welcome home, honey!”
Jonghyun laughs as he dumps armfuls of grocery bags on the kitchen counter. “Excuse me?”
“Isn’t that what people in this time plane say to greet each other when someone comes home?”
Jonghyun raises an eyebrow as he begins unpacking food, setting some items in the pantry and others in the refrigerator. He routinely sets a handful of Pixy Stix off to the side and Kibum automatically scoops one up, ripping open the top and downing the sugar easily. “What movie taught you that?”
“Not movie. Shows!” Kibum announces excitedly, tapping the opened side of his stick against his tongue, not letting one grain of the candy go to waste. “I’ve been watching I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners and--”
“You do know those are from the ‘50s, right?” Jonghyun asks as he finishes putting everything away, stuffing the leftover plastic bags under his sink for reuse.
“Oh,” Kibum wilts. “That would explain why they’re in black and white.”
“Yeah,” chuckles Jonghyun, straightening up again. “Well, I’m gonna go change.”
“Okay,” Kibum croons in a mirthful tone, relieved to have company here again after so many hours alone. He’d forgotten what it’s like to be left alone considering he’d always be with his grandma or mother. Even if he’d been alone in the house somewhere, his father’s shouting had always reassured him that he definitely wasn’t by himself.
What makes it worse is that Jonghyun works five days a week so he sometimes doesn’t return home until even later than normal. Jonghyun closes the door to the bedroom as he changes and Kibum stares impatiently at the barrier between him and his friend, leaning against the kitchen counter. The younger has grown used to Jonghyun wanting to be alone when he changes clothes. It’s just in his shy nature, he guesses.
When the door reopens, Jonghyun clad in a t-shirt and sweatpants, Kibum perks up all over again. “Hyung, can we watch movies?”
“Sure,” Jonghyun smiles. “But I didn’t get a chance to eat dinner yet. Is it cool if I make some ramyeon real quick?”
Kibum nods, folding his arms over the kitchen counter, watching Jonghyun press buttons on the microwave. “How was your day?”
“Stressful,” Jonghyun sighs, digging his fingers into the corners of his eyes as he waits for his instant noodles to finish cooking. “How about you? Any luck in job-hunting?”
Kibum looks down, blameworthy. “No...not yet.”
“That’s okay,” Jonghyun replies immediately, his smile light. “Don’t worry about it too much. Just...if you see something that looks like you could do, I’ll take you there to apply, okay? I’d be happy to help you.”
“Thanks, hyung. I’m sorry it’s taking a long time.”
Jonghyun waves the younger man off, shaking his head as the microwave beeps. He once again tells Kibum not to worry about it, tucking a pair of chopsticks into his bowl before nodding toward his bedroom. Kibum happily follows behind Jonghyun, pleased that they’re able to share a movie night tonight. He always likes watching new movies, but it’s way more fun when Jonghyun is here to give him commentary on behind-the-scenes facts, and also to hear him make the occasional joke about the films.
“My family would love this,” Kibum comments as Jonghyun sets his empty bowl on the floor, thoroughly enjoying the movie Gone With the Wind. “Especially my grandma.”
Jonghyun hums, head cushioned on his folded arms, gazing at the man beside him. Kibum kicks his legs behind himself. They’d sort of adapted to a permanent position for watching movies, which was both of their heads at the foot of the bed, stomach-down, Kibum on the right and Jonghyun on the left.
“I’m sorry,” the older man says after a moment. Kibum meets his eyes, chin propped on his hands. “I can’t imagine what it’s like to have all of your family with you for one day and then just...have them disappear the next. I’m really sorry.”
Kibum sighs, turning his eyes back to the screen. “Yeah...I...honestly don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll find a way back for you,” Jonghyun whispers, hesitantly stroking the slope of Kibum’s spine. “We will.”
Kibum sighs, eyes suddenly downcast. “Yeah.” He shifts to lay on his side, propped on an elbow this time instead. “Can you tell me about you now? I want to know.”
Jonghyun becomes sheepish. “I...well, I’m really not interesting, Kibum.”
“I want to know,” Kibum repeats.
Jonghyun gives in, turning the volume down on the television before gazing off at the wall a little distantly, chin on his folded hands. “Well, I have a mom and dad and a sister.”
“A sister?” Kibum smiles in interest. “What’s her name?”
“Her name is Sodam. She’s my big sister. I don’t see her very often since she’s busy with school and so am I. We’re very good friends.”
“That’s nice. I wish I had a sibling.”
Jonghyun shrugs, tilting his head, smiling playfully at Kibum. “I don’t think your parents would be able to handle two Kibums. Much less a girl version of you.”
“Yah! Are you insulting me?”
“I would never,” Jonghyun teases, pinching the shell of Kibum’s ear. The younger man huffs, swatting Jonghyun’s hand away, forever-ticklish by his petty touches.
“Tell me more about you.”
Jonghyun hums monotonously, lazily blinking. “Okay, here’s a story for you. One time, I had this guy I liked. I was about sixteen years old. He was an older guy, but I really wanted to impress him. So...I let him come over to my house.” He takes a pause, struggling for words, never once meeting Kibum’s eyes despite the younger resolutely staring at him. “And...well, one thing led to another.” He laughs nervously. “And we started...y'know, doing stuff on my bed."
“Stuff?” Kibum blinks.
Jonghyun groans, burying his face in his arms. “Kibum, I swear, sometimes talking to you is like talking to a five year old.”
Kibum pouts apologetically. “I’m sorry…”
“No, it’s okay.” When Jonghyun lifts his head again, he’s smiling uncomfortably, plainly embarrassed. “Just...we were about to have sex on my bed, okay? That’s what I meant by ‘stuff’.”
Kibum stares unwaveringly. “And?”
“I...gave him my virginity,” Jonghyun shrugs, coughing as he attempts to smooth out a wrinkle in the sheets, resulting in more wrinkles and folds. “And right afterward...my dad spoke to me through the door. He’d gotten home early and heard everything.” His eyes turn to the ceiling, blinking a couple of times as if to fight off tears, exhaling harshly through his nose.
“After the guy left...we never spoke to one another again. He didn’t care for me at all and I just handed my virginity over to him without any hesitation whatsoever,” Jonghyun says, hostile laughter in his voice. “And that was how I unintentionally came out to my dad. It was absolutely horrible. He was so ashamed,” he chokes out, pressing his head against his forearm, his breathing frazzled. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Kibum’s eyebrows pull together as he lays a hand on Jonghyun’s back, rubbing slow circles. “Don’t apologize.”
“I’m sorry,” he says again anyway, shoulders trembling. Kibum strokes his back in silence.
“No one should have to go through something like that,” Kibum says quietly, watching sadly as Jonghyun wipes his eyes, lifting his head again. Kibum isn’t used to seeing people cry. “That guy didn’t deserve you.” Kibum isn’t used to two men being involved with one another. Things feel sort of...awkward. “I’m sure he regrets treating you that way.”
Jonghyun laughs brokenly and shakes his head, sniffing as he presses the heel of his palm into one of his eyes, once again trying to get rid of his tears. Kibum scoots closer, unsure of how to respond. Tentatively, he offers his shirt for Jonghyun to blow his nose on, but Jonghyun only laughs and shakes his head again. Luckily, this laugh sounds a little more genuine.
“I hardly doubt he regrets it,” Jonghyun finally responds. “He never cared about me. I was stupid to trust him with something so important.”
Kibum waits until he’s sure his friend has sufficiently calmed down before removing his hand from the elder’s back. “What happened with your dad?”
“He yelled at me,” Jonghyun says simply. “He...said that that kind of behavior is disgusting. We’re on good terms now, but ever since then, our relationship is kind of...different. It just sucks knowing that when I have someone I wanna marry, it’ll be a man. I’m not going to suddenly become interested in women,” he explains bitterly. “And...I’m afraid he won’t approve. I’m afraid he won’t attend my wedding and will break all ties with me...oh god, I’m rambling, aren’t I?” He forces another one of his lighthearted laughs, but really, he isn’t fooling Kibum no matter how naive the younger may be.
Same-sex marriage, Kibum thinks to himself, returning his hand to Jonghyun’s back when the other man goes back to quietly sniffling.
The future is weird.
Job-hunting becomes less and less of a concern to Kibum. He tries, truly, but...there just aren’t any jobs in the future that seriously apply to him. He doesn’t understand most of them, and a lot of the part-time stuff sounds too complicated for his 1920s mindset to comprehend.
As the weeks go by, Kibum and Jonghyun try different means of time travel. Predictably, nothing works. Jonghyun informs Kibum at one point that sometimes people in movies have to discover something about themselves to return home safely. Kibum isn’t sure where to start. What is he supposed to find out about himself? He already knows everything there is to know, so he isn’t quite sure how that little theory of Jonghyun’s works.
Every now and then, Kibum will cry himself to sleep. Sometimes he thinks about Yongju, sometimes about his parents, sometimes his grandmother. It varies, but no matter who he thinks about, his crying fits are quite violent. He tends to thrash around in Jonghyun’s bed and fight the other man off when the elder attempts to lock him in a hold, caging him in his big arms. No matter how much Kibum struggles, it always ends the same; he ultimately finds himself lax against his friend, bushed. He falls asleep in his arms and in the morning Jonghyun is gone at university or work, a small, thoughtful sticky note left in his place.
Kibum tends to eat more now that he knows he can. He has privileges, and as time goes by, he takes advantage of them. He’d never known the definition of the word ‘lazy’ until now. Without work to do and families to take care of, Kibum sees just how divine doing nothing can be.
It’s just little things. Eating more than he should. Forgetting to put Jonghyun’s Blu-ray discs back in their case, leaving them out to collect dust. Never cleaning up after himself.
This habit of laziness begins to catch up with him, regrettably. One night as Kibum is lounging on Jonghyun’s bed, a bowl of ramyeon in his lap, watching live TV for a change, the front door slams shut. Kibum blinks. Jonghyun has never made such a loud entrance before, and his lack of greeting tells the younger something is not right.
Setting his bowl on the bedside table, Kibum pads into the other room. Jonghyun’s back is toward Kibum as he stands uselessly in the middle of the kitchen, his bag dumped at his feet. His hair is disheveled and Kibum can tell he’d been running his hands through it.
“Hi,” Kibum says cautiously. “Are you okay?”
Jonghyun turns to Kibum, letting out a heavy sigh. “Yeah.” He pauses. “No...no, Kibum. No, I’m not okay.”
“What...what’s wrong?” the younger asks with a bit of hesitance, somewhat defensively crossing his arms as if to cradle himself. He feels as though Jonghyun is angry with him.
“I’ve just...had a seriously stressful day,” the elder sighs again, proving Kibum’s theory correct as he runs a hand through his hair. He stands there for a while, not saying anything, idly twirling one of the studs in his ear.
“Oh. Well, maybe a movie night will--”
“No, Kibum.” Jonghyun brushes past the younger to enter his bedroom, not even bothering to close the door as he begins undressing. “No movie night tonight.”
“But...dinner--”
“What dinner?” Jonghyun sort of laughs, facing Kibum with a look of incredulity, already shirtless. “You ate everything in the apartment. There isn’t anything left.”
Kibum hesitates. “Well, you could go to the store.”
“And use what money?” stresses Jonghyun, pointedly grabbing Kibum’s emptied bowl of ramyeon, taking it into the kitchen to dump the leftover noodles in the trash, tossing the plastic in the sink. “Kibum, would it kill you to clean up after yourself every once in a while?”
Kibum’s mouth hangs open a little, eyes blank. He has never heard Jonghyun speak this way before. He isn’t sure how to take it.
“Goodnight,” the older man grumbles when he receives no answer, shedding his jeans and then retiring to his bed in only underwear and socks. Kibum has never seen him sleep in so little. He’d always been too self-conscious.
Who is Jonghyun to tell Kibum what to do? He’s the one that had said he didn’t have to worry and he could take his time! So why is he blowing up in his face now?
Huffing, Kibum closes Jonghyun’s bedroom door, then kicks it. “Fine! Goodnight!” he shouts, making damn sure Jonghyun hears him, immaturely stomping his way toward the couch. He snatches the afghan draped over the back of the sofa and curls up with it, glaring hard at Jonghyun’s door, wanting the other man to feel his enraged aura.
But no matter how furious he is, Kibum just ends up crying himself to sleep again. It’s hard without Jonghyun’s arms to soothe him and help give him something to fight against to wear him down into slumber. It’s just him this time, and he hates it. He hates the future and how everything works. He wants to be with the people who actually understand what he’s going through.
He wants to go home.
A/N: awww poor kibum. :// another angst-sprinkled chap. yes.
oh but happy birthday to key today \o/
my fave chapters are coming up real soon so i hope you stay tuned <3