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His fingers are still gripping the guitar strings as his comrade strides forward to give him his phone back. Kyungsoo tucks the guitar under his armpits and presses Play on the video his comrade just recorded for him. For military standards, they are quite close, and Kyungsoo is happy that his soldier friend offered him to teach him how to play the guitar. It’s November and by now, Kyungsoo is used to seeing himself in the camouflage uniform. Watching himself on camera remains embarrassing though, so he decides to send the video to the EXO group chat after seeing 10 seconds of it.
It takes some time until he gets the first notification, with his members probably being in the middle of practice right now. But the moment the first notification arrives, the others follow in one-second intervals.
Park Chanyeol
sounds great already! what model is that?
but you have to be careful to not damage your fingers too much
ah i’m excited to teach you when you come back
Byun Baekhyun
the guitar is bigger than you HAHAHAHA
Kim Junmyeon
Great job 👍
….
Kim Jongin
sounds really good, hyung
can't wait to hear it live
❤️
Can't wait to hear it live... because he's taking a furlough soon. Kyungsoo’s heart can't help but skip a beat at the thought of being home again. Home.
He has been able to go out a couple of times a month, be it just for one day or for three. He’s also lucky that he’s in the Fierce Tiger Division stationed close to Seoul, so he can hop between places comfortably. He's used to being away from family and friends, especially during filming periods and schedules, but lately he wishes he could come home more often. Jongin’s in the middle of comeback preparations at the moment and from when he peeks into the group chat, he knows that things have been stressful lately. And the EXO comeback isn’t even the only responsibility Jongin has - he’s occupied with work for SuperM, Gucci and magazines as well. He has to fly all around the globe and is basically always travelling and working. And Kyungsoo feels bad. Jongin is grown up and responsible, Kyungsoo reminds himself, he still can’t help wanting to take care of him.
Honestly, it’s just him wanting to give back to him. When he was struggling with balancing acting and being an idol and Jongin wasn’t as busy, he would be his pillar. Helping him out with choreography late at night, buying take away or solely physical comfort. There’s no one (apart from Moonkyu maybe) that knows better how Jongin tries to look unbothered in front of others than him.
Only this day in the kitchen has to pass before he can jump into the SUV again and be chauffeured home. Apart from finally seeing the people closest to you again, Kyungsoo is excited to be able to do what he wants again and to just laze around. He’s been best friends with the big kitchen ladle for some months now. Moreover, things became more peaceful after he finished his basic training and had time to educate himself - in his case he’s been working on not only playing the guitar but on improving his English). He enjoys not being in the spotlight for once, but some people at his base are annoying him, although it’s understandable that their rotten attitude comes out since none of them fancy being in the military to begin with.
In general, he’s just happy to rest before he has to do the dreaded 30km walk in the winter.
When he finally sees Seoul’s landscape rushing past him in the car again, he decides to meet up with Chanyeol in his studio. He knows Jongin is spending his time in the dance studio anyways. They catch up, the older teaches him guitar playing techniques and they even compose something little together. Kyungsoo leaves sooner than expected, MQ coming by so him and Chanyeol can work on the next NNG video together - but not without a gift from his fellow member: a unique guitar pick.
Arriving at home feels nice. He changes into something more comfortable than the military winter fashion collection and looks around . He can't help but inspect the apartment for traces of being used since Jongin, honestly speaking, isn't the best at keeping an apartment tidy. He puts away his dishes and throws out the trash but normally there's cables and clothing covering the floor and the bed is unmade the entire day. He doesn't make the biggest fuss out of it since Jongin is still in the top quarter of the members who keep everything clean and organized.
But everything is completely tidied up this time. Jongin seems to not really spend time there anymore and it's understandable - he only needs room for one and doesn't have to drive to the practice room anymore.
Because he doesn't really have anything to do, he takes a look at the pictures on the wall Jongin has put up after he enlisted. There are pictures of Rahee and Raeon, playing around and kissing Jongin on the cheek. On one of them even Kyungsoo is being seen because he picked them up from kindergarten together with Jongin multiple times too. Those times made him daydream about their future.. with kids and everything.
Of course there are some solo shoots of Jongin, some of him with his family and one or two of them together. If he's being honest, it looks like the apartment is owned by Jongin only and he is just an appendage in his little world.
But then he reminds himself of how he never was the type of person to propose taking family pictures or something along the lines in the first place. Thinking about it now, it makes him sad but he doesn't really have a right to complain about that and blame Jongin for excluding or neglecting him in any way.
There's no need to cry over spilt milk. As soon as he speaks about it with Jongin, everything is going to be fine again. Because Jongin is Jongin, and Jongin is nice and kind.
As he’s cooking and hears the door unlock, he hurries to the hallway to greet his boyfriend. Jongin has a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and gives him a lazy smile. Kyungsoo gently tugs on his wrist to make space to close the door behind them. He stands up on his tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips that Jongin looks startled of afterwards.
“You’re already home? I thought you were still at Chanyeol’s.”, Jongin says flatly. He puts down his duffel bag and takes off his fur jacket.
Kyungsoo nods, “Yes, I left earlier because his friend came by.” The smaller points in direction of the kitchen, “I’m almost done with the samgyetang. If you cut up the kimchi and cucumbers we can go eat in like.. 10 minutes.”
“I’m not hungry.”, is all that Jongin responds. Kyungsoo immediately notices that Jongin is feeling all snappy again.
“Didn’t you practice all day? You need to eat. Aren’t you happy to see me?”, he responds softly and holds onto Jongin’s biceps lightly.
“I said I’m not hungry.”, Jongin bites, “I’m gonna take a bath.”
He doesn’t even dare to look Kyungsoo into the eyes and leaves the hallway. Kyungsoo sighs, but he’s not too mad. He knows his boyfriend’s rude behavior is just a product of his stress. Normally, Jongin is the levelheaded one in their relationship, but he throws his tantrums every now and then when it gets too much.
So Kyungsoo heads back into the kitchen and chops the kimchi and juliennes the cucumbers himself. When the chicken broth has absorbed all the flavor, he turns off the heat. He can hear the sound of water running as well as Jongin blasting his ballad playlist on his laptop in the bathroom. He washes his hands and then decides to try to talk to Jongin again. He knocks on the door and enters after Jongin asks him to come in.
The younger is laying in the spacious bath tub, a few centimeters of foam covering the water surface and Jongin’s body. His cheeks are slightly reddened from the hot water still pouring out of the tap.
“Listen, Soo, I’m sorry.”, Jongin says right away, “Of course I missed you and love you.”
“Stop talking and make space for me.” The water sloshes around in the tub as Kyungsoo undresses. When he slips into the tub, Jongin strokes his soft skin from the hip to his thigh.
He sighs contently when his skin meets the hot water, feeling his muscles relax already. He settles down between Jongin’s legs and leans back against Jongin’s chest, letting himself sink deeper into the water so that his head is on level with his boyfriend’s defined pecs. Jongin wraps both of his arms around his waist under the water and starts caressing the lean stomach with his thumbs. They haven’t fought properly in the first place but Kyungsoo still knows that this is Jongin’s way to make amends. Jongin is a sweet talker, but physical affection will always be his number 1 love language.
“You’re so thin now. I feel like I can’t even pinch your tummy anymore.”, he whines behind Kyungsoo. He presses Kyungsoo’s body even tighter against his own.
“I may be working in the kitchen but that doesn’t mean I can get a second serving. It’s the military after all. I have to do hard physical work too.”, he tugs Jongin’s arms forward so he can grasp the biceps, “But you, you can eat all the good food in the world and yet you’ve lost a lot of weight.”
“Well, I didn’t do it on purpose. I’ll eat a lot from now on, just for you. I’ll learn how to cook and then I can pamper you too.”, Jongin says with a smile and hoists Kyungsoo’s body up just enough for him to be able to kiss behind his ear.
“You smell like ginger.”, Jongin giggles.
“That’s because I put some into the soup together with the ginseng.”, the smaller points out and gives Jongin’s calf a playful slap, “You wouldn’t know.”
“Kyungsoo?”
“What?”
“Come here.”
“I’m already here.”
Jongin huffs out, “I mean turn around.”
The foamy water threatens to spill out of the bathtub as Kyungsoo turns around in the limited space, his soft chest now pressed against Jongin’s own. He can feel his and Jongin’s hearts starting to beat in sync as Jongin’s linked hands rest on Kyungsoo’s lower back. Kyungsoo lifts up his left leg to throw it over the younger’s and hitch it up so that he can lay more comfortably. The hot water feels like balm for his body and letting yourself soak after several months of lukewarm showers with feet resting on cold tiles sure does feel like bliss.
He lifts his chin to look at Jongin, eyelashes thick and black, to see him staring back at him. Kyungsoo removes the hand he had on Jongin’s smooth chest to grab onto a handful of that beautiful chestnut colored hair and kiss those pretty lips.
“Better?”, Kyungsoo asks with a cheeky smile as he draws back and settles his head on Jongin’s collarbones again.
“This is so nice.”, Jongin sighs out, hands wandering down to rest on the plump swell on his boyfriend’s back, “We haven’t done this in a while. Just taking a bath together.”
Kyungsoo hums in response and scoops up some water to pour over Jongin’s chest. The laptop perched on the toilet seat is playing “Melody” by Koji Tamaki* now and Kyungsoo feels himself slowly melting away in his boyfriend’s embrace. In return, Jongin takes the bottle of showering gel and squeezes some more into the water to swirl it around and create more foam. He fills his hands up with the white fluffy foam and continues to cover Kyungsoo’s upper body with it, making them both laugh.
“Your skin looks almost as tan as mine now.”, Jongin remarks when he looks down on their beautifully contrasting bodies, “Must’ve been from all the time you’ve been working in the sun.”
“Does it really matter though? It’s just skin.”, Kyungsoo says and caresses Jongin’s forearm, “I’m just glad I didn’t damage mine from the blazing sun.”
“I guess it doesn’t.”, Jongin says, “Of course you wouldn’t allow your skin to be damaged. You’re my little beauty queen.”
“Queen?”
“You can be my pretty baby boy too, I don’t mind.”, Jongin chuckles and leans in for another kiss.
“My pretty boy with his pretty, perfect ass.”, he adds and puts both of his hands on the round cheeks floating in the water to make them jiggle.
“...And the best personality.”, Kyungsoo carries on.
“And the best personality. I love you and your airhead.”, he grins.
They end up eating the samgyetang Kyungsoo cooked in peace, Jongin moaning about how much he missed his cooking although the other members complain about it being too salty all the time. It fits Jongin’s taste perfectly, and that’s all that matters. Kyungsoo asks him to do the dishes while he gets ready for bed and Jongin complies.
Jongin leaves the bathroom, all cleaned up - but didn’t shave his stubble because, to quote Kyungsoo a few minutes ago, “it looks sexy and you don’t have any schedules except for practice the next few days anyways”. Kyungsoo is already laying in bed, watching the last YouTube video for the day. It’s after midnight and only the night lamp next to Jongin’s side of the bed is providing any light. When Kyungsoo sees him walking in, he puts away his phone and lifts up the blanket so that Jongin can see his small figure on the bed. He’s wearing a long white shirt that covers his thighs and while he will always appreciate this sight, he wonders what’s so special about it. He climbs into bed, dressed in only a long pair of pyjama pants as always, breathing out contently when his back hits the soft mattress.
“Jongin.”, Kyungsoo says softly, his voice alluring like that of a Siren. His partner suddenly pushes up the long tee to expose himself wearing a pair of dusky pink lace panties. Kyungsoo rubs his thick thighs together as he ties the excess fabric into a knot at the front.
Jongin’s eyes are glued to the piece of see-through fabric in front of him. He grabs Kyungsoo’s waist.
“Listen, don’t get me wrong. These look very, very sexy. But-”, he uses one finger to trace the waistband, “these aren’t comfortable, are they?”
Kyungsoo shakes his head timidly, “Not at all. They itch like crazy.”
“See.”, Jongin says. He ducks his head down to plant a flat kiss on the fabric at the middle of his crotch. Then uses his hand to lift up Kyungsoo’s thigh and leave another kiss on its inner side near his pelvic bone. He gives him a little pat on the knee before looking up again, “Now take them off. When you’re comfortable, that’s when you’re the sexiest to me.”
They cuddle for a while, Jongin’s head tucked into Kyungsoo’s neck because the older always smells like everything good in the world. Eventually, Kyungsoo drifts into deep sleep, serene face visible in front of Jongin and hands curled up cutely under the pillows. He has always been able to sleep well and fall into slumber quickly - a direct contrast to Jongin who stays awake all night sometimes because he simply
thinks too much
.
Jongin stares holes into the bald head in front of him, tossing, turning and adjusting his own pillow as he revisits today’s events. After a while he decides he’s been awake for long enough today and that it’s time to fall asleep. He traces the shape of Kyungsoo’s eyelids, his eyebrows, his eyelashes and lips with his eyes. A gesture that has found its way into Jongin’s nightly habits a couple of years ago when life got more stressful and they began sharing one bed more often.
He kisses the shaved head, lips dragging over the short bristly hair and staying there for a few seconds.
“You’re so good to me.”, Jongin whispers before sinking into the pillow and closing his eyes.
They spend the majority of the next day without each other again, which is understandable since they’re not a married couple with kids binding them together for life (yet). Kyungsoo visits his parents and then goes to a restaurant with Seungsoo and his girlfriend while Jongin is trapped in the dance practice room once again.
Jongin comes back home at 7pm. Kyungsoo expects him to feel sluggish and tired, but he gets none of that. Instead, said dancer enters the room with a slight smile on his face and throws a bunch of clothes at him.
“Come on, hurry up and get dressed. I have a surprise for you.”, he says and vanishes as soon as he said it. Kyungsoo decides to just go along with it and changes into the black and grey Nike clothes Jongin has given him. He walks into the hallway to see Jongin dressed almost identically - unassuming, plain, sports slash casual wear. The younger puts on a face mask as well as a black scarf and a black beanie. He reaches out for another face mask, another scarf and a baseball cap for Kyungsoo to wear as well.
“Why are we covering up like this?”, he asks, “Not even I can quite recognize you like this.”
Jongin doesn’t answer the question and just grabs the keys and locks the door behind them. They walk down the stairs and Jongin leads him to where his scooter is stationed.
“Hop on.”, Jongin says.
It should be weird for someone to feel this way just because someone wants to ride their scooter with them, but Kyungsoo feels touched in an odd way. Normally when they go out, one of them drives the car and the other sits in the backseat - because you’re more unlikely to be seen by others. Especially when you go out at night and the backseat is barely illuminated, which counts for about 80% of the time for them. Of course they can still talk like this and see each other, but at the same time Kyungsoo feels so far away from his boyfriend when he sits in the back and has to lean forward diagonally to be able to touch him with his fingertips.
It’s just nice to hear Jongin telling him to hold onto his waist tightly and enjoy the route Jongin has planned beforehand. He checks twice if he’s completely covered up (just to make sure) before he clings onto Jongin’s waist like a koala, informing him that he’s ready to go. Twenty kilometers an hour is not exactly fast, but the speed is still high enough to make Kyungsoo enjoy the breeze hitting him as Jongin maneuvers them through the streets of Apgujeong. It’s still busy outside and all the stopping lights are adding nothing to the chaotic city experience. The only advantage to it is that Jongin can wrap an arm around him at a particularly long red light.
They pass Hannam-Bridge and get off the traffic to change onto the less busy asphalt of the riverside parks. Kyungsoo’s arms are still secured around Jongin’s waist, his cheek resting on Jongin’s back as he looks at the reflection of the half moon in the glistening water. Whenever he adjusts his head or arms, Jongin turns his head to check if everything is fine. Kyungsoo has always been possessive, and it feels good to know that people seeing them on his scooter together like this will know they’re a couple, but no one knows who they are.
Jongin stops abruptly once he sees a vacant spot and they sit down on the scooter for a moment. It’s cold, so they don’t dwell there for too long.
“Do you like it?”, Jongin asks sincerely.
Kyungsoo nods. “Apart from the cold, that was really nice. We’ve never done something like this before. So I’m happy I can still experience so many new things with you.” He looks into the water wistfully.
“I would kiss you right now if I could but it probably looks stupid doing it through a mask.”, Jongin laughs and knocks his shoulder into Kyungsoo’s - a little bit harder than expected because the older falls off the scooter and meets the trimmed grass beneath him.
“Did you know that I did not just drive you around for no reason? We’re actually on our way to eat.”, Jongin says.
“Huh? Where are we headed?”
“A Michelin restaurant of course.”, Jongin smirks, “You never told me that you have to fill in a PDF document and all that just to go eat, though. But everything's organized.”
“Since when are you so enthusiastic about planning dates?”, Kyungsoo teases.
“I just want you to eat well now that you’re home…”, Jongin mumbles, “Also, I’m expecting you to do the same for me when I’m an old man like you and have to serve in the military.”
“Do you remember that text you sent me a couple days ago?”, Kyungsoo asks on the same night when they’re back home. A head shake.
“You told me you couldn’t wait to hear me play the guitar live. I could play now if you’d like.” Kyungsoo fiddles with his fingers. He worked so hard on growing his nails out just to notice that keeping them short is best for guitar playing.
“Hyung I love you, but I don’t want to listen to That’s Okay right now and cry.”, Jongin pouts.
“I have something else prepared for you.”
Jongin’s eyes widen slightly and he spreads himself out on the bed as Kyungsoo scurries away like a penguin to grab the guitar he picked out with Chanyeol’s help. Kyungsoo sits down on the edge of the bed with the huge guitar, the night lamp illuminating his face perfectly from the angle Jongin is watching him from. He’s laying on his stomach crosswise on the bed and has to crane his neck to look Kyungsoo into the fact, but he doesn’t mind. It’s comfortable like that.
“I’m sure you’re going to recognize it quickly.”, Kyungsoo says. The window is open and the wind blows into the room. The air feels refreshing. “You used to listen to this song all the time.”
As soon as Kyungsoo plays the first chords*, Jongin closes his eyes and dwells on the sound of guitar strings moving to create a beautiful melody. His head is resting on his folded arms. And when Kyungsoo starts to sing, Jongin feels like the world is at peace for the duration of the song.
내 곁에 잠들어있는 널 볼 때면 난 느껴
Whenever I see you fast asleep next to me, I feel it
지금이 꿈이 아닌 것이 너무나 난 기뻐
I’m so happy that it’s not a dream
…