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To avoid overthinking, which Kyungsoo knows he does despite Minseok’s insistence he doesn’t, Kyungsoo puts on a black t-shirt and sweatpants and doesn’t let himself change. It’s not a date. It’s hanging out. Jongin never said it was a date. It’s hanging out.
Kyungsoo rolls his neck and shakes out his hands, he’s getting worked up. He can tell. It’s not a date, but it’s close, he’ll admit that. It’s close to a date. It’s like a preliminary date, and man, does Kyungsoo feel that pressure all the same. Kyungsoo’s not in full crush-mode, but he’s close enough that he can’t stop psyching himself out.
This could go so badly, so, so badly that Jongin never talks to him again. It’s a bit extreme, but it’s something Kyungsoo would do, has done, without hesitation, so it’s in the realm of possibility. As to what Kyungsoo could possibly do during a binge session of Stranger Things to make it so that Jongin never talks to him again? Anything, literally anything.
“Kyungsoo, please, I can hear you thinking from over here. Just go over to the boy’s house and watch the TV show,” Mrs. Do pleads from over on the couch. She’s been watching her son walk into the living room, stand there, and then leave only to walk back in again 3 minutes later.
“I don’t want to be early.”
“What time did he say to come over?”
“Any time I want,” and Kyungsoo cringes at his own answer before his mom sighs heavily. He can’t believe he said that. He can’t believe he’s being so weird about this. It’s just hanging out. It’s just hanging out.
“Kyungsoo, go over there and get this out of your system.”
Kyungsoo nods. His mom’s right. Once he gets over there and sees what he’s up against, he can calm down. “Alright, I’m going over there. I’ll be back for dinner.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”
“Mom!” Kyungsoo squawks. There’s nothing that’s going to require him staying over past dinner. It’s just hanging out. It’s their first time hanging out of school. Nothing’s going to happen. He'll be back for dinner.
“You interpreted that very differently than what I meant. Should I be concerned? I don’t know the lingo anymore. Does watching something with someone stand for something else?” Her voice is teasing, but Kyungsoo's too wrapped up in his own head to realize it.
“No, no, not at all. I’m going to go and watch Stranger Things with Jongin and that’s it. Nothing else. Bye,” Kyungsoo can’t get out of the door fast enough. His voice was way too pitched. He can’t help it though. Sure, like any teenager he likes talking about sex, but that’s always in the abstract. It’s completely different to talk about sex in relation to himself. Especially when nothing is going to happen. It’s just hanging out.
Jongin only lives five minutes away from Kyungsoo, which doesn’t give Kyungsoo enough time overthink it. Kyungsoo’s sure this is the reason that he ends up knocking on the door immediately instead of dithering in front of it for five minutes. But when Jongin opens the door, Kyungsoo wishes he’d overthought the issue.
Jongin’s not dressed for a binge-watching session. He’s dressed for a catalog shoot in his skinny jeans, cashmere sweater, and hair artfully swept hair to the side. It’s the most unsettling combination of softness and hotness Kyungsoo’s ever witnessed.
God! He didn’t even put in contacts. What was he thinking?
Jongin’s broad smile reaches his eyes when he sees Kyungsoo. “Hey! You made it! Please come in!” Jongin’s so happy; Kyungsoo can practically see the exclamation points.
“Thanks for having me over. I’m really excited to watch the show. It’s gotten great reviews.” Kyungsoo has to physically bite his tongue to stop himself from talking. There’s a reason he doesn’t do small talk. He’s terrible at it.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, same. I’ve got to tell you though that my mom and dad are using the TV in the living room, so we’ll have to watch up in my room. Is that okay?” Jongin looks so nervous when he’s speaking that Kyungsoo instantly replies “it’s fine” just to put him at ease. A second later Kyungsoo’s mind catches up with him, and he curses himself. This just went from a low-pressure to a high-pressure situation.
“Oh hello, Jongin didn’t tell me he had a friend coming over,” says one of the most beautiful people Kyungsoo has ever seen. She has to be Jongin’s mom. Those high cheekbones had to come from somewhere.
“Hello, I’m Kyungsoo Do.”
Mrs. Kim’s friendly smile turns delighted. “Ah yes, Jongin’s talked about you. It’s nice to formally meet you. I’m Mrs. Kim, Jongin’s mom.”
Kyungsoo’s brain isn’t in good enough form to deal with the fact that Jongin’s talked about him, so he blows right past it and responds with, “It’s nice to meet you too.”
Jongin, completely red in the face, cuts in quickly. “We’re going to watch Stranger Things upstairs. Is that okay?”
Mrs. Kim looks between the two of them with a knowing smile. Kyungsoo’s not sure how more of this he can take. “Of course, have fun. Oh, and Jongin,” Mrs. Kim curls a finger in Jongin’s direction. Jongin leans in and Mrs. Kim whispers something to him. Kyungsoo’s not really concerned with what she whispers to Jongin until he blushes beet red. That’s all it takes for Kyungsoo’s mind to plunge itself in the gutter.
Jongin leans back violently. “Mom!”
Mrs. Kim laughs lightly. “I’m just making sure. It was very nice to meet you, Kyungsoo.”
Kyungsoo mumbles a goodbye as she walks away leaving just him and Jongin in the hallway. Jongin scrubs at his cheek and waits until his mom is completely in the living room. He smiles, embarrassed, at Kyungsoo. “Do you want to go up now?”
Kyungsoo can only find it in himself to nod. This is his first time in this situation, but he thinks it’s going terribly awkwardly.
Jongin’s room is the first door on the left, up the stairs, and it’s a very eclectic room. Kyungsoo could choose to look at the basketball posters, the anime DVD collection or even the bookshelf full of philosophy books, but his focus is completely, inescapably on the bottle of lotion and tissue box sitting on the bedside table.
Jongin, quick to notice where his guest’s focus is, slides across the room and slaps both of the offending items across the room into the recesses of the closest. They can only stare at each other, frozen.
Jongin eventually coughs and rubs at his face, blush rising slowly up his face again. “I forgot to clean up before you came.”
Kyungsoo ignores the unfortunate word choice and just nods. What else can he do?
Jongin takes the response for what it is and gestures to the open laptop sitting at the foot of the bed. “I’ve got it queued up.” It’s not phrased as a question, but Kyungsoo nods dumbly all the same. His brain is short-circuiting again. It didn’t occur to him when Jongin first said it, but watching Stranger Things in Jongin’s room means watching Stranger Things on Jongin’s bed. Jongin’s bed where he sleeps and does other questionable things.
Jongin perches cautiously on the bed. “You can sit down if you want.”
“Okay.” Kyungsoo mechanically moves to sit on the bed. He sits as far on the right side as he can without falling off. Jongin watches where he sits before settling down more fully. He grabs the laptop and places half of it on his thigh. He gestures helplessly. “It’ll be easier for both of us to see if we balance it between us.”
Kyungsoo’s heart beats wildly when it dawns on him what Jongin’s suggesting. He moves slowly closer the center, stopping when he thigh presses against Jongin’s. Jongin gently lowers the laptop down, fingers brushing slightly against Kyungsoo’s thigh. The touch burns so softly and Kyungsoo can’t help but find it comforting. He didn’t think his crush was all that serious, but maybe he needs to reconsider.
Jongin presses the spacebar to play the show.
They don’t talk and Kyungsoo, despite his heightened awareness of Jongin right next to him, manages to relax enough during the first episode that he slumps down and lolls his head against the headboard. It’s a silent victory for him that he doesn’t flinch when his shoulder touches Jongin’s. The more he relaxes though, the more annoyed he gets by the glare of the lamp on the screen.
Jongin, who’s sat with his arms crossed the entire time, taps the spacebar again when the second episode begins to play. “The light’s bothering me. Is it okay if I turn it off?”
“Yeah,” Kyungsoo agrees. The theme of the day seems to be not thinking because once again, it occurs too late to Kyungsoo that he is between Jongin and the lamp and Jongin’s not getting up.
Jongin lifts his hand tentatively and Kyungsoo, again without thinking, moves his head forward so that Jongin has to reach behind him to turn off the lamp. The little click of the switch sounds deafeningly loud and time seems to slow as Kyungsoo feels Jongin’s arm behind him slowly drop down onto his shoulders. Time slows to a stop. Kyungsoo can’t feel anything but the heat of Jongin’s arm seeping into his skin.
Neither of them move.
An eternity must pass before Kyungsoo speaks. “Let’s watch the second episode. I’m already hooked.” Kyungsoo can see Jongin’s head bobble as he presses the spacebar to resume the episode. His arm stays put.
Halfway through the episode, Kyungsoo finally scrounges together enough courage to lean into Jongin’s side. Neither of them say anything, but Kyungsoo feels Jongin’s arm drop heavier against his shoulders.
He ends up not making it home in time for dinner.