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"Wise men say only fools rush in,” Elvis sings through their shared earphones. His deep voice has always been one of Kyungsoo’s favorites since that time he bought an imported, old vinyl when he was younger. It has been one of his greatest acquisitions, even if at that time he wasn’t quite sure of how a vinyl was played, or what it was even.
Kyungsoo had to admit he used to agree with those wise men , whoever they were. As a matter of fact, love is a complex term, ambiguous and difficult to understand. Or rather, impossible. It makes sense anyone should think about a lot of things before getting into it.
But the problem here is: not a single one of those wise men had ever been in love.
“Shall I stay?”
By all means.
“Would it be a sin?"
Kyungsoo isn’t sure of what exactly Elvis is singing about. At this point, it’s pretty difficult to understand the differences within Elvis' earth and Kyungsoo’s. Or at the very least, know them all. As far as he knows, in Elvis’ time, skin only glowed figuratively. Mainly in songs and literature.
“Darling, so it goes.”
Jongin finally makes the slightest move, scrunching his nose a little bit, nuzzling closer to his pillow. If Kyungsoo had known he would fall asleep after the second track, he wouldn’t have used earphones in the first place. Kyungsoo stretches a bit, fixes his earphone, and keeps his eyes on Jongin, who doesn’t move an inch for the rest of the song.
///
The first time Kyungsoo sees Jongin, he isn’t even looking for him.
He had been busy the whole day, driving from here to there to take enough pictures for his portfolio since Chanyeol wanted something different, quote ‘no more food or dog snaps’. In short, he had stripped Kyungsoo from his favorite muses, but the latter would eventually avenge that. Chanyeol’s position as the new editor of the digital magazine gave him a certain authority, but that would never erase the fact they have been best friends since diapers.
It has always been difficult for Kyungsoo to find something that catches his eye. Photography is merely his job, not a vocation, and unlike his other coworkers, he has problems finding inspiration in a bowl full of fruits.
“Take snaps of yourself,” Chanyeol suggested as he stroked his own glinting face. All these years and Kyungsoo still doesn’t get used to his prismatic skin cracking for the split of a second when he does so. “Make it look natural.”
More like, 'expose yourself'. Kyungsoo is one of the few of his kind left in the world –with soft glow coming from his chest in different colors according to what he is feeling at the moment. Blue for sadness, green for disgust, purple for wonder, red for embarrassment, black for anger, and so on. But even if it looked appealing for the virtual magazine, he wouldn’t do it, not in this or the next millennium.
Hence, he ends up in a small pub bar that Friday night, still looking for something to take snaps of. He is about to go, already tired of the bartender joking around and trying to flirt with a good-looking man whose skin is similar to Chanyeol’s –to almost everyone else on the planet. Yet, when he turns to the nearest exit, he finds him.
Truly one of his kind. Considerably tall, with sun-kissed skin that glows almost marigold, as if the light is hovering around him, and tousled hair that resembles untamed fire. Shy eyes that turn away the moment Kyungsoo lies his own on them, plump and fleshy lips that he nervously bites down, a clean cut face which Kyungsoo isn’t sure about calling handsome, gorgeous or beautiful. Without a shred of doubt, it must be the three and even more.
Just as Kyungsoo, he is using black clothes –probably to hide the fact that he glows, but shamelessly failing at it. Kyungsoo must have a better time hiding his own glow, which is probably shining with purple. The man licks his lips in another nervous gesture before looking at Kyungsoo again, who is still dumbfounded at the sight.
The most wonderful and disconcerting thing must be that said man had his eyes on Kyungsoo way before. And Kyungsoo might stand up for himself and be confident about looking decently attractive, but not enough to catch his attention.
Unless… unless Kyungsoo’s was glowing heavy green a few minutes ago and his clothes aren’t thick enough to hide it. Instinctively, he turns down to take a look, the purple glow is so barely visible, it gets confused with the bar lights.
When he raises his eyes again, the man is laughing –smiling widely, with his eyes forming crescents and slightly scrunching his nose. Kyungsoo doesn’t miss a second to stand up, take the drink the bartender just prepared for his catch, and walk directly towards the man.
Amidst the crowd, the man keeps his eyes on Kyungsoo with a playful, but at the same time shy, gaze.
///
Jongin likes to use tailored clothes, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be fond of oversized sweaters in a cold weather like this one. His constant glow gleaming through some types of fabric has never been a problem –unless it brings unwanted attention. Which only has occurred a few times since his kind is pretty common around. Which Kyungsoo can’t believe since he never saw someone like Jongin.
Kyungsoo has encountered people that glow blue, green, white even, but not someone whose light was a combination of warm shades, like sunrise and sunset blended in one.
With that thick grey sweater, Jongin’s skin glows rather opaque. But that might be because he is at ease and it’s raining. His glow depends on the warm he is fed with, after all. It’s almost not visible, but the shade tends to change just a bit depending on his mood as well, Kyungsoo has noticed. Its intensity also deviates, hence, if he is sleepy, it will tone down. When he is happy, filled with excitement, it will be a bright dandelion. If he feels down, it will be an opaque apricot.
Maybe, on another day, he will be awake enough to listen ‘Love me tender’. But for now, Kyungsoo takes away both earphones, winds the cord, and saves his music player for later.
When he returns to bed, Jongin has taken almost all the blanket for himself, but Kyungsoo grabs another one from the closet instead of fighting for it. This is routine, he isn’t surprised anymore. Jongin might only occupy half of the bed, leaving enough space for Kyungsoo, but every morning, he has the blanket and pillows on his side. Not mentioning he also brings Kyungsoo closer to him.
Jongin glows but doesn’t burn. However, it is striking for Kyungsoo to wake up with a bright light blinding his sight. It’s also dizzying and not really healthy when his eyes are tired. To avoid that, Kyungsoo usually sleeps looking at the other side, and if he feels like cuddling, he plays the part of the small spoon.
///
Kyungsoo never imagined, not even for a second, that he would get that close to someone who could beam as a sun, not only at first sight but with everything that Jongin is.
Jongin likes any type of weather, any type of food, any type of music as long as it doesn’t irritate him. Some days he prefers them bright, loud, and full of things to do. He likes to go out, eat, take pictures of anything he might find interesting, go to amusement parks, be outside. Most of the days, he likes it better when they are simple, peaceful, with enough time to sleep and wander around the house in cozy clothes.
In a sense, he is similar to Kyungsoo. That’s why the latter doesn’t find it surprising when Jongin invites him to his house for their second date.
Unsure if he got the right outfit, or even the right place, he rings the doorbell of the apartment complex. It’s rather rustic, with brownish and bluish shades, old fashioned doors and windows. When he gets inside, it feels like traveling to an unknown past; he actually likes it.
Jongin is there to greet him by the door, with a big smile and simple clothes, just as Kyungsoo’s. The apartment doesn’t feel like one. It feels like a small, tiny home designed for two or three that could share a bed, a table, a few chairs. It’s not fancy, or something Kyungsoo is used to see, it’s better. It has all the commodities of his own home, but smaller, more homelike and domestic.
It makes everything easier: to spend a nice afternoon talking with Jongin at the dinner table, and then taking it to the living room.
If Kyungsoo needs to point out a characteristic of Jongin right now, it would be warm. And then maybe contagious, or funny, or full of life, or charming, or daydreaming. It doesn’t matter which by the end of the day.
///
When Jongin mumbles, with his shoulders and back tensing lightly, it means he is about to wake up. Kyungsoo, who has been spending all this time trying to sing old songs to heart, needs to take the chance. He scoops closer, sneaking his hands under Jongin’s sweater.
Jongin is warm in contrast with the cold surrounding them, probably in contrast with Kyungsoo’s fingers as well. Jongin squirms a bit but doesn’t back off. Carefully, Kyungsoo traces the lines of his abdomen, which once was soft and slim, before following his waistline towards his lower back, bringing himself closer.
The light of his skin is starting to look more vibrant, thus, Kyungsoo closes his eyes and tries to bury his face on the pillows –balmy, soft and with a slight mandarin scent. Jongin must perceive his movements, since he adjusts himself a bit, drawing out one hand from under the pillows to circle Kyungsoo. His arm is slightly heavy, meaning he isn’t awake yet.
In days like this one, cold and rainy, he might as well sleep the whole morning. Jongin can sleep for hours and hours, way more than what Kyungsoo usually does. But Kyungsoo can be quite patient when it comes to waiting for him to wake up.
It’s a pretty view, one of his favorites, and the main reason why he tends to spend more time in bed than needed. Up close, if Kyungsoo pays attention, he can see how the glow in Jongin’s skin is enhanced gradually, at the same pace of his breathing. He can trace Jongin’s features, which stretch slowly, quietly until his eyelids begin to flutter. Then, his eyelashes bat a few times before fully opening his eyes. Which Kyungsoo could swear brings light to the room, no matter the hour of the day.
His pupils might be dark, but his eyes are shiny, reflecting the blazing glow and making Kyungsoo feel as if he is watching a sunrise over and over again. It always leaves him awestruck, bashing him with the same feelings of the first time he realized he was in love.
///
When Kyungsoo gives a kiss, he means it. A kiss has been merely a simple gesture after the first one he ever gave, but that doesn’t imply they don’t mean something. He has given kisses to a few people, that’s true. He gives a few to Jongin after their first dates, that is also true.
The first one is a small goodbye kiss, something Kyungsoo craved, but it wasn’t really unexpected. Maybe because he initiated it. The second one is a bit more eager, unexpected, and slightly awkward at first. At the third one, he already has an idea of where everything is going.
A few more and he is already head over heels for Jongin. Three more after that, he believes he already knows how to, where to, and when to kiss him.
But there comes the first morning they spend together –which is completely unexpected. It was raining, really bad, and Jongin had no way to return home like that. It was midnight and both were so tired, they ended up sleeping on Kyungsoo’s bed while bickering over who should take the bed and who the couch. Kyungsoo’s bed is not that small, but not big enough for the both to sleep comfortably.
Even so, he doesn’t notice it. When the sun rises and he opens his eyes, he is alone in the room. After stretching and yawning, he stands up to find traces of Jongin. However, before he can come out of the room, Jongin shows up –eyes slightly closed, nose scrunched up, hair made a mess, and clothes full of wrinkles. His glow is slightly downcast, and the rain is still pretty heavy outside.
“Where is the coffee machine?” he mumbles. It sounds trivial, but it isn’t. Jongin, a not morning person who despises coffee, is always claiming it tastes like poison. The only reason he might be looking for the coffee machine is that he knows how much Kyungsoo does like it.
It’s a tiny thing, actually, but those little actions of him are what show how caring and thoughtful Jongin can be.
Kyungsoo’s heart flutters, really fast, and it only lasts around five seconds, but that’s enough. When he reaches for Jongin’s cheeks to give him a kiss, it feels different. The kind of different that makes his chest warm and his toes curl, that makes him feel there is no storm outside. With two more kisses, he is finally lazily embraced, and from there, kissing Jongin is not the same, and it will never be.
///
Jongin is waking up, Kyungsoo knows it by the way he brings him even closer, nuzzling his neck and brushing his lips over his collarbones. In Jongin’s mind, those are lazy kisses.
“Good morning,” he mutters and yawns. Then he stretches a bit but doesn’t change his position –lying on his left side, one arm under the pillow, the other one over Kyungsoo’s waist, and his legs tangled up with the blankets.
Then, he opens his eyes. And even when he is blinking as if he was about to fall asleep again, the sunrise is already there, gazing back at Kyungsoo. A bit hazy, but still a heartwarming sight.
Kyungsoo smiles and with his hands back to Jongin’s abdomen, he places a small kiss on his lips. “Good morning,” he replies after pecking his nose. Then, he brings his hands up, right to Jongin’s chest, which he squeezes a bit before settling on his collarbones. It’s always lovely to trace them, from the middle of his shoulders, teasingly pulling the hem of his sweater before reaching his nape to play with his scalp.
“What time is it?”
“Last time I checked, it was midday.”
“And so I slept...?”
“Twelve hours, but you were awake earlier for around ten minutes, so it doesn’t count.”
“Damn it,” Jongin chuckles with that raspy morning voice. “When will I beat my record, Soo?”
///
There is something in Jongin’s laughter that Kyungsoo can’t get enough of. He is not sure what it is exactly, it could be how his cheekbones stand out, or how it comes from his chest and increases until he is breathless, or how easy is to bring it out.
Whatever the reason might be, Kyungsoo can’t stop himself from smiling when Jongin covers his mouth because he can’t stop laughing.
“Stop it,” Kyungsoo says, trying to control his smile because he was talking about something serious a second ago. He doesn’t mean it, though, he would gladly spend the next hours with Jongin smiling, but this is something relatively important. “Jong–,” he contains a chuckle. “Jongin, I’m serious.”
"I'm sorry," Jongin lets the last bit of his laughter die between his words. "Where were we, again? At you being the new celebrity photographer?" he teases.
If Kyungsoo wasn't that into him, he would have probably left him there with that sly smile of his. But that's just another thing he has grown to like about Jongin. Besides, despite the topic and the usually crowded atmosphere, breakfast at Oh's is delicious and it would be a shame to leave.
"As I was saying," Kyungsoo takes a sip of his strawberry milkshake. "Chanyeol is the devil, he came in the form of a giant, friendly and clumsy man only to haunt me for the rest of my days."
"You are overreacting."
But Kyungsoo isn’t. Since he doesn't seem able to bring the kind of photos the virtual magazine needs anymore, Chanyeol has taken the issue into his own hands and assigned Kyungsoo a new chore.
It’s not the first time he does it, but Kyungsoo expected something different. Different like in last time, when he was sent to take pictures of ducks in a pond at a park, or that time when he had to spend a whole day waiting for a bird to come to his nest for the “perfect” shot. In short, he expected the kind of job that no one else wants to do because it takes time for only one picture.
Instead, Chanyeol gave him the worst kind of job he had never expected: to take the photos of the new section of the magazine. Every week, a past era is portrayed in it, meaning Kyungsoo has to spend his days taking pictures of people dressing up like in the old days –even as celebrities or important characters. It wouldn’t be that bad if the models weren’t incredibly noisy and unprofessional. Jongin might be laughing, but it’s because he hasn’t spent two hours trying to get everyone quiet and ready. The ducks and squirrels were never that troublesome.
It’s only for three months, but knowing Chanyeol, Kyungsoo will be sent to an even worst job after that if he doesn’t come up with a new muse. Preferably, one that is easy to photograph, can stay still, and is around him.
Now that Jongin has opted to eat after mocking him, Kyungsoo can’t help but watch him attentively. Jongin is that type of man that can be found in magazines, maybe modeling clothes or even underwear. It’s sure he could do that and make a life out of it. But he is also that man on the cover of home & gardening with a wide dorky smile, or on the fifth page of animals & pets, enjoying the company of around five dogs.
Scratch that. Jongin is the type of man in paintings and photographs Kyungsoo can’t take his gaze off. Not only because he is striking, but because he is genuine, graceful, and expressive. Probably, he could transmit whatever type of emotions only with his eyes. Which makes Kyungsoo wonder how no one has noticed it in the way he does.
Jongin could definitely be a muse, his muse. There is only one problem, that is Kyungsoo can’t take pictures of him. At best, not like the photos that the magazine wants. Kyungsoo has a folder with some pictures –blurry, out of focus, low quality, but most commonly too bright. It can probably be fixed, but Kyungsoo has found those too good to change a thing.
The first time he woke up before Jongin and with him at his side, it was a lovely view. Perhaps Jongin was sprawled over half of the bed, using the blankets as another pillow, with his hair and clothes made a mess. With a bit of his stomach and waist skin exposed. Unshaved by two days and snoring a little bit. But as soon Kyungsoo laid his eyes on him, and let his eyes wander through his frame, he felt the need to take a snap.
Silently, he got out of the bed, tiptoeing towards his drawer, and gripping his camera as fast as possible. There was a sharp click, and Kyungsoo was already regretting not thinking about the shutter before. However, Jongin didn’t move a sole inch.
From there, the number of pictures grew. Eventually, Jongin would smile for them and even silly pose.
///
The first thing Jongin does when waking up is heading straight towards the kitchen. He would start to prepare his breakfast before heading to the bathroom without a second thought. Sometimes, he even brushes his teeth while searching for something in the refrigerator, but that’s not the case today.
Today, he is crouched down in front of the refrigerator, still searching for something even when it’s pretty obvious is rather empty.
“This weather is nice,” he mutters.
Kyungsoo hums while he prepares his coffee –he doesn’t want to start again about how wonderful Jongin is for having a coffee machine in his apartment just for him, but he has one. Not to mention he got matching cups, even if he only drinks milk and juice with his.
“Do you, maybe, want to cook scrambled eggs this morning?”
“And you pay for dinner?”
“Deal,” Jongin chuckles as he reaches for Kyungsoo to stroke his hair fondly.
It doesn’t take him long to hug him from behind, laying his cheek over Kyungsoo’s shoulder as he cooks. Some days, Jongin stays pretty still, and other days, he likes to rock both from side to side, even when Kyungsoo complains about being distracted.
Nonetheless, it’s a nice feeling when Jongin hums because of the smell and rushes to place the table for two.
///
There are a few shades of Jongin's glow Kyungsoo doesn’t like to see.
One is fire orange, vibrant fire orange enhanced on Jongin's face and if Kyungsoo didn’t know better, he would think it burns. It rises slowly, hesitant at first, but a sole word can fuel it in seconds. It's anger, which is not that common in Jongin's calm and patient persona, but it's still there sometimes.
Kyungsoo has been the cause for it a few times. No relationship is perfect and it doesn't help at all that he can't hide his own desperation. It’s almost as if his own glow feeds up Jongin’s and makes things worst.
Fights have happened, mostly because of misunderstandings or different opinions towards different things. Kyungsoo still remembers their first fights over pointless, mundane things they still needed to work on. Slowly, those discussions have been getting fewer and fewer as years go by.
There are other shades. Fear is low bronze. Worry is vibrant rust. Nervousness is rather ginger and disgust is kind of tricky. Guilt might be the lowest flaxen glow Kyungsoo has ever seen.
Sadness and pain must be the worst ones, though. Both look pretty similar, like a flame about to extinguish, glow low and almost cider.
In moments like those, Kyungsoo can only comfort him. Let him rest his head on his thighs, stroke and play with his hair, and listen carefully –trying to hide his own blue glow, which would only worry Jongin even more.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but as any other kind of emotion, it eventually fades into a different one. This far, through these six years of being together, Kyungsoo has seen them all and shared some. Eventually, he also learned to embrace each one, each shade –even the new ones that still take him by surprise.
At the end, it all goes back to Jongin’s glow turning into cheerful marigold, like in every morning.
///
“Here it says that it won’t stop raining for the whole week,” Jongin casually comments while reading the news on his phone. It’s another habit of him to read anything while having breakfast, even the cereal box –something he has developed for the past two years.
“Did you find your sweatshirt?” Kyungsoo asks before taking another spoonful of his scrambled eggs. He also takes the chance to pour more orange juice in Jongin’s cup.
“Thank you and yes, I did.” Good, because this kind of weather might not be bothersome for a few days. But if it keeps going on for a week, Jongin might even get sick with the flu, again. “This year has been pretty rainy, don’t you think?”
“It has been,” Kyungsoo still recalls past year where most of the days were sunny ones. “It wasn't like this for… five years, I think?”
Jongin nods while chewing his toast. “When the year started, I thought it was going to be even hotter than last year.”
“I remember,” Kyungsoo chuckles. It’s only when they have spent more than a couple of minutes discussing the weather that he notices it’s all pretty simple this morning. It has been like that for quite awhile, with easy, mundane conversations that used to be boring when they were younger, and now they seem to never end.
What hasn’t changed, though, is that no one is too old to play footsie under the table, or mutter small ‘I love you’ s under their breaths, even at breakfasts. Jongin still has that habit of entangling Kyungsoo’s ankles between his own and pulling towards him. Kyungsoo still reacts as the first time –startled and then playful.
And just when the breakfast is over, both will clean the kitchen between chuckles, or small conversations, or between kisses. At this point, it doesn’t matter much what they go for.
This particular morning, Jongin goes for kisses.
With each one, a small awareness rushes over Kyungsoo, that perhaps this is what happiness truly feels like. It’s calm, silent and light, but still fills him with excitement and serenity between seconds. The best part of it is that it lingers there, right over him and hopefully over Jongin as well.
///
When the work for the new magazine section is about to be over, Kyungsoo realizes he still needs to get a new muse, the new inspiration that will help his career not to fall into Chanyeol’s hands once again. After another debate, Chanyeol still has on his mind the idea of a change, and on the other hand, Kyungsoo promises not getting him a birthday present this year.
That slightly hurts him, but he remains firm about his decision. It’s annoying, but Kyungsoo can see where he is trying to head to. After all, Kyungsoo can’t make a living out of dog snaps, apparently.
Chanyeol wants him to explore new ideas and come up with something different –not exactly bold or innovator, because he knows Kyungsoo is not into that, but something that he hasn’t tried before. Which means a lot of possibilities, keeping in mind all his photos can be divided into three groups: dogs, food, and windows.
Windows have quite a charm to anyone that looks closer.
Jongin might be a muse, but there is no way Kyungsoo will deliver fifty pictures of his boyfriend –eating, dancing, sleeping, happy, playful, naked. Even when Jongin insists about posing covering his face so Kyungsoo can go back to his normal office. Jongin is quite a thoughtful sweetheart who can melt the toughest day into thin sugar.
Anyway, Kyungsoo spends an afternoon thinking about what to photograph, noting down all his ideas even when they are pointless. There is no way he will try the bowl full with fruits. Chanyeol has suggested it twice, but that’s enough.
“What about the sky,” Jongin comments while caressing Kyungsoo’s thighs in a slow, teasing pace. It’s a bit frustrating that he goes slower when rubbing his inner thighs, but that’s how flirtatious Jongin has always been.
“I like the sky, but… I don’t know.”
“You could take pictures of whatever, you know?” When Kyungsoo gets a bit desperate, he tries to bring his hips up to change positions, but Jongin only smiles before placing a hand over his stomach to keep him in place. “Just take a snap of anything and deliver it to Chanyeol.”
“He will know I’m cheating. That’s how good he is at his job, no matter how much I hate him.” Jongin hums before kissing him, tenderly, warm, but with double entendre. Kyungsoo can’t wait for his turn, to take control over the situation. “But can we stop talking about it? It kind of ruins the mood.”
“What mood?” Jongin chuckles and licks his lips.
“You are right,” Kyungsoo mutters between the afterglow, when Jongin is still on top of him, slowly falling asleep.
“About?” he yawns as well.
“Maybe I should just snap whatever I can and give that to Chanyeol.”
Jongin’s hair is soft. Unironically, it’s usually softer when it’s a mess –when Kyungsoo can lazily tangle his fingers in between and lost his way out. And Jongin’s skin is warm, especially when Kyungsoo rubs his back in soft, circular motion. Like that, he can feel whatever stress is left in Jongin fade away, melt under his touch as he falls asleep.
When he wakes up, Jongin has already occupied his respective side of the bed, and also has gathered all the pillows and blankets. It’s not the first time Kyungsoo sees it, but it has never failed to amaze him how stunning Jongin can look like that.
The thin blanket has never worked to hide his sunset glow, which illuminates and warms the whole room as tender fire. The gleam has always been quite alluring, with his little details and almost imperceptible changes, but at the end of the day, it would be nothing if it wasn’t for Jongin himself.
The light is pretty, the warm yellowish colors are astounding, but it’s Jongin who gives it meaning. The glow is part of him, part of his kind, born with it, but even if someday it faded away, Jongin would keep beaming. It wouldn’t be visible anymore but never gone –still making Kyungsoo's chest flutter and shine rouge pink.
It might be a reach, but perhaps that’s how the bowl with fruits work. It’s not about how it looks like, even if astounding, it’s about what it can mean to someone. And if that someone can catch that feeling through the lens.
The next time Kyungsoo grabs his camera to take a snap of the sky, of a landscape, of trees, of his bowl with fruits, he understands he has found a new muse. Someone that makes him look at the most unconventional but pretty details out there.
///
“Love me tender,” Elvis sings through their stereo. This time Jongin is more than awake, trying to close the window he just opened to feel the breeze. Of course he would regret it after the first cold drops started to land on his face. “Love me long. ”
Now that Kyungsoo remembers, Jongin would be the first one to run under the rain on days like these. To dance and laugh, dragging Kyungsoo with him. It has been long since the last time he did it so carelessly.
“Take me to your heart .”
It starts with the picture of Jongin dancing under the rain, followed by Jongin’s simple style of clothing, and then by small tantrums here and there. After so, comes the current picture of Jongin already sneezing by the window, with a more esthetic sense of fashion and the mature persona he has grown to be.
“For it’s here that I belong.”
From tiny details to big traits, from his personality to his body, Jongin is not the same man from six years ago. He can't be the exact same man that Kyungsoo found in that bar, looking at him. Jongin has changed.
And Kyungsoo has changed too.
Perhaps in a few more years, Jongin will be a completely different man, and so Kyungsoo will as well. It’s uncertain what could happen in the next years, but just as now, the feelings wouldn’t change. Or at least, they would never fade away.
Kyungsoo isn’t sure where that confidence is coming from, but it increases when Jongin is finally at his side, attentively listening to Elvis. The way he taps his foot rhythmically makes Kyungsoo smile. Jongin catches a glimpse of that and places a kiss on his cupid bow before smiling as well.
“For my darlin, I love you.”
“And I always will.”