Work Text:
"Hey." Jinyoung leans against the doorframe, smiling at him, dressed in a large striped sweater and dark jeans. His arms are crossed over his chest, made even broader by the thick fabric of his top, and his hair's styled artfully, a swoop of hair curling over his forehead.
It's the crack of dawn, there's an air of sleepiness about him, yet Jinyoung looks as handsome as ever.
Jackson levels a gentle smile at him as he reaches out in the space between them, handing Jinyoung a warm thermos.
Jinyoung takes it wordlessly, smile still on his face. He unscrews the cover, the warm, sweet scent of coffee filling the air, at which his eyes light up. He then brings the flask to his nose, inhaling deeply, before taking a careful sip.
Jackson fiddles with the straps of his duffel bag, filled to the brim with snacks and other items, patting at his pockets, trying to fight the grin on his face at Jinyoung's reaction.
When he looks back up, it's to see Jinyoung's eyes on him, eyes much brighter than when he'd first knocked. "You ready?"
There's somethin' bout the way
The street looks when it's just rained
There's a glow off the pavement
You walk me to the car
And you know I wanna ask you to dance right there
In the middle of the parking lot
Jackson looks up as they step out of his apartment building - the sky's still dark, but the blacks have lightened to dark blues, and there's the hint of warmth just above the horizon. There isn't a drop against his skin, but beneath him the pavement's wet, and the air smells like the aftermath of rain. It casts a glow on the scene before him, a thin veil over the buildings and streets, turning everything slightly hazy. It's pretty.
Jackson turns to his side, about to comment about how he hadn't noticed the rain from his room, only to see Jinyoung already looking at him, a soft grin tucked at the edges of his mouth.
Jackson tries not to dwell on how his chest sings, how his pulse quickens at the way Jinyoung's looking at him. Settle down, you traitor he thinks, of which his heart pays him no mind, as it had been doing the past years around Jinyoung. "Where'd you park?" he asks, voice unshaking, giving away no indication of his internal predicament.
Jinyoung purses his lips at somewhere behind Jackson. "Just right there, near the light post." Jackson doesn't turn around to look, instead adjusting the bag strap on his shoulder before grinning up at the man before him. "Lead the way then."
He expects Jinyoung to stalk off, to head towards the car. Instead, he falls into step beside him, placing a careful hand against the small of his back, and Jackson feels his heart stutter.
Shut up .
He tilts his head at Jinyoung, a questioning look on his face. Jinyoung's staring straight ahead, avoiding his eyes, and it might be the light, but there seems to be a tinge of pink to the tips of his large ears. "It's wet," Jinyoung succinctly explains. "I didn't want you to slip."
A traitorous smile grows across Jackson's face, which he doesn't try stopping this time. "Thanks, Jinyoungie."
We're drivin' down the road
I wonder if you know
I'm tryin' so hard not to get caught up now
But you're just so cool
Run your hands through your hair
Absent mindedly makin' me want you
The car cruises down the highway. There aren't many other cars on the road, most preferring to leave the city at a later time, but they hadn't seen Jaebeom and Mark in so long, and they'd wanted to make the most out of the day.
Jackson leans back in his seat, taking a look outside the window. The sun's risen, and his eyes take in the sparse buildings dotting the sides of the highway, interspersed with tracts of green land. There's the sound of chill, acoustic music playing through the speakers, and Jackson feels a warmth and ease settle over him in the moment.
His stomach gives a rumble, reminding him that he hasn't eaten anything for the day yet. He glances at his phone's lock screen - a silhouette of him and Jinyoung by the beach, arms around each other, heads thrown back in laughter - it's almost eight.
"Are we going to get any breakfast?" he asks Jinyoung, looking at him from the passenger seat. Jinyoung has one hand on the wheel, the other fiddling with his phone on the dashboard, held in place by the phone holder Jackson had gotten for him over a year ago.
"There's a stopover a few miles away," Jinyoung responds, bringing his other hand back on the wheel. He glances at Jackson out of the corner of his eye, grinning at him. "We'll be there in around fifteen minutes."
Jinyoung's focus returns to the road ahead of him, even though it's nothing but an endless stretch of pavement, with not much to look out for. Jackson takes advantage of Jinyoung's distraction to get a better look at him.
The gentle sunlight streaming through the windows frames him beautifully, his features made even more handsome by the light. There's a classic air to his beauty, a regal one, even. Jackson's gaze roves over the planes of Jinyoung's face, his strong brows, down the gentle curve of his nose, his plump lips, and the ears that stick out, slightly too large for his face but which only serves to make him even more endearing.
Without warning, Jinyoung runs a hand through his hair, making it fall back against his forehead, and Jackson's heart clenches at the gesture and just how good Jinyoung looks doing that.
"Sseun-ah, have I told you about what happened at work yesterday?"
"Nope," he says, trying to get his traitorous heart to slow down, "What happened?"
Jinyoung chuckles and repeats his earlier gesture of running a hand through his hair. But this time, he rests his elbow against the car window, keeping the hand in his hair.
Jackson't can't take his eyes off of him.
And I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me head first
Fearless
Jackson hangs back warily, choosing to observe from the sidelines. Jinyoung's crouched on the ground, petting at a duckling, his large hands almost covering the entirety of its yellow body. Next to him, Jaebeom and Mark have also crouched down to pet them, with Mark rattling off each of their names, acquainting all seven of them with the two visitors.
Jackson leans against the barn, nodding, keeping a good distance between him and the creatures. He's always been a bit frightened of ducks, especially after that time in the park where he, an unsuspecting kid, attempted to pet a duck while it was roaming around, and had gotten pecked because of it.
Jaebeom stands back up, brushing off the bits of soil and grass that have clung to his jeans. "Let's head over to the pond," he jerks his head behind him, hand coming to rest on Mark's shoulder. "Let them swim around for a bit."
Mark gets up off the ground, reaching out a hand to help Jinyoung up. He then steps beside Jaebeom, placing a hand at the small of his back. Mark turns to Jackson, smiling. "You should see them try to get in the water. They're so cute. Right, Beom-ah?"
Jaebeom nods at this, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "We can just watch them from the side, let them do their own thing." He gives Jackson a knowing smile, which Jackson gratefully returns.
"Lead the way, then," Jinyoung quips, stepping closer to Jackson, hand gentle against his back.
They watch as Mark and Jaebeom walk towards the pond, turning around every now and then to clap and call out to the ducklings, trying to get their attention. Jackson hears Jinyoung coo as they start to waddle towards their owners, slow, tentative at first, then increasing in their pace. Jinyoung tugs at him gently, and they slowly trail behind the ducks, leaving a good distance between them.
Jinyoung pats his waist gently, prompting his attention. "Scared?" he asks, voice tender, no hint of teasing in his eyes.
"A little," Jackson admits. Jinyoung's hand comes up to stroke his hair, to rest at his nape.
"We can pet them together, if it'll make you feel less scared," Jinyoung offers, his hand never ceasing in its movements. "If you want to, that is."
Jackson turns the offer over in his head. "How?" he asks. "They're barely the size of half your palm."
Jinyoung's hand skims back down to their sides, and his hand reaches for Jackson, interlacing their fingers together. He almost stumbles in surprise. "Like this," he says. "You can place your hand on top of mine, and we can pet them this way."
Jackson mulls it over. Jinyoung squeezes his hand gently, not letting go. Jackson's heart races. "But of course, if you don't want to, that's alright either." They're nearing the pond now, and Jackson can hear the Jaebeom and Mark cooing over the ducklings, can hear the splash of water, as the two try to coax the animals towards the water. "I thought maybe you wouldn't mind petting these ducks as much, since they've grown under Jaebeom and Mark's care."
Jackson nods, Jinyoung's logic making sense to him. "Yeah, you do have a point." They're greeted with a view of the pond, surrounded by trees on almost all its sides, and Jaebeom standing near the water, the ducks waddling around the edge of the pond, Mark with his phone out, recording the entire thing, his gaze fixed on where Jaebeom stands. "Yeah, I think that could work for me."
"Really?" Jinyoung stops in his tracks, turns to him, a grin on his face.
Jackson lets go of their hands to scratch at the back of his neck, a bit nervous. "You aren't going to suddenly let go, right?"
Jinyoung's face turns solemn. "Never," he shakes his head. "Not until you tell me to."
"Okay then," Jackson responds, shrugging, hands in his pockets. "I wouldn't mind trying to pet them."
Jinyoung's eyes light up, and he takes Jackson's hand in his, pulling him towards where the ducklings have gathered around Jaebeom.
And I don't know why
But with you I'd dance in a storm
In my best dress
Fearless
Jackson and Jinyoung stroll by the flower beds, Jackson with his phone out to take pictures of his favorite ones, Jinyoung waiting patiently beside him.
They'd offered to help out with lunch, but Mark and Jaebeom had insisted. When they wouldn't budge, Jackson even making his way towards the kitchen to lend a hand, Mark had all but tossed them out of the house, telling them to look around, wanting lunch to be a surprise.
He'd been about to protest, but Jinyoung had tugged on his arm, leading Jackson away from where Mark was grinning victoriously at them.
Jackson stoops down to thumb at a peony. It's a light pink, the inner part of the petal several shades darker. "I don't get why they refuse to let us help."
"It's the principle of the matter," Jinyoung answers, looking around the property. "And I think they want to show us just how much they'd improved at cooking."
Jackson rolls his eyes, but there's a fondness to his next words. "Show-offs," he mutters.
He feels Jinyoung swat at his shoulder playfully. "It's because of you they're trying to show off!" Jackson straightens up from his earlier crouched position, looking at Jinyoung in mock offense. "You were the one who kept going on about how bad it must be for Mark to be stuck with only Jaebeom's cooking."
Jackson huffed petulantly. "It's true though!" he protests as he makes his way down the next row of flowers — roses, this time an assortment of colors: white, yellow, and deep red. "Who even puts mayonnaise on ramen?"
He turns around to see Jinyoung wrinkle his nose as he thinks it over. "Okay, you do have a point."
He turns back to the plants and is about to point out a particularly eye-catching rose, a vibrant shade of red, tinged crimson at the edges, when he feels a drop of water against his outstretched hand.
He blinks. He looks up at the sky and feels another drop land on his cheek.
"It's drizzling," Jinyoung observes, reaching out a hand to double check. He pulls it back towards him, wipes it against his pants. "Yeah, it is."
"We should probably head back before it gets worse," Jackson points at the sky where dark, gray clouds float about in the distance.
The rain's coming down in droplets, faster, not strong enough to be a shower, but definitely enough to be noticeable.
Jackson turns to see Jinyoung with a glint in his eye. "Race you back to the house?"
Jackson can feel his lips curl up into a smile, but before he can respond, Jinyoung takes off running.
"Hey!" Jackson protests, "That's cheating!" Jinyoung merely laughs, showing no signs of stopping, and Jackson has no choice but to run as well, trying futilely to close the distance between them.
So baby drive slow
'Til we run out of road in this one horse town
I wanna stay right here in this passenger seat
You put your eyes on me
In this moment now capture it, remember it
They're heading back to the city after a sumptuous lunch, an afternoon of catching up, an even more filling dinner, and what Jackson has officially dubbed as the "greatest apple pie he's ever tasted," topped off with some vanilla ice cream.
Time had practically flown, and it was nearing eight in the evening, skies dark, the chirping of crickets filling the air, when they'd gotten in their car, waving their goodbyes.
It's almost ten, and they've been out for more than half the day, but Jackson finds that the exhaustion has yet to settle in his bones - he's overflowing with joy, buzzing with delight at the day he's just had.
The car stops as the light turns red, and Jackson uses the car’s lack of movement to lift up the cover of the container balanced on his lap. The smell of the leftover apple pie Jaebeom made wafts through the car, and Jackson lets out a pleased hum. "It smells so good," Jackson sighs wistfully, bringing the container closer to him, sniffing at it.
"Yeah?" Jackson can hear the amusement in Jinyoung's voice. He turns to Jinyoung to respond, but the words die in his mouth as he takes in the fond expression on Jinyoung's face. It's dark, and Jackson can barely make out the details of Jinyoung's face, but despite this, he can make out the warm smile Jinyoung has on his face, the creases on the sides of his eyes, the slight scrunch of his nose as Jackson meets his gaze.
Even in low light, Jackson finds that Jinyoung still manages to take his breath away.
So handsome , he thinks. Jinyoung's eyes rove over his features, and Jackson feels his mouth go dry. He watches as Jinyoung opens his mouth, as if to say something, when his gaze flickers to his lips.
Jackson holds his breath. It's quiet, so quiet, that Jackson can hear his heart beating in the stillness of the night.
Jinyoung moves closer to him, lids heavy, voice hoarse. "Sseun-ah—"
The car behind them honks, and the moment is shattered. Jinyoung leans back in his seat, stepping on the gas pedal, and Jackson sets the container down on his lap, trying not to dwell on what's just happened.
Well you stood there with me in the doorway
My hands shake
I'm not usually this way
Jinyoung leans against the doorframe, arms crossed, the way he did this morning, except his eyes are bright, no trace of the tiredness that had been there earlier this morning, and that should be there after the day they'd had.
Jackson accompanies him, stands in the doorway, not ready for them to part despite spending the entire day together.
There's something different about how Jinyoung's looking at him now - a tenderness that he hasn't seen before, hasn’t ever really noticed. He wills the flush on his cheeks to go away.
"Today was great," he clears his throat, breaking the silence that's fallen over them both.
"Yeah, it really was." Jinyoung smiles ruefully, placing a hand underneath his chin as if mulling over something. "And I guess it was also nice seeing Mark and Jaebeom after so long."
The implication of his words doesn't fly over Jackson's head. He splutters a bit, and Jinyoung's expression takes on one of concern as Jackson tries to get himself together. When his coughing's died down, he crosses his arms, keeping out of sight the slight tremble of his hands. "Anyways, thanks for the ride today," Jackson tries to inject a more playful tone into his words. "I'm sorry you ended up being my chauffeur for the day," he jokes.
Jinyoung shakes his head, smiling. "Are you kidding?" he responds, not giving Jackson a chance to answer. "That was the best part."
Jackson's heart gives a pause, before it resumes its beating, quicker and louder. He tells the voice in his head, analyzing Jinyoung's every word, to shut up and leave him be, not wanting to misconstrue Jinyoung's words for something else. And so he settles for another joke, another teasing remark. "What, waking up early and staying out late?" he chuckles.
Jinyoung's gaze bores into him, with an intensity Jackson's well-acquainted with, being Jinyoung’s best friend over the years. But this time, there’s something different about it.
"No," Jinyoung answers softly, voice barely a whisper. "Spending the day with you," he murmurs, the corner of his lips tucked into a soft smile.
But, you pull me in and I'm a little more brave
It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something, it's fearless
Jackson swallows, licks his lips, trying to formulate a response to what Jinyoung’s just said. His brain short circuits as Jinyoung’s hand ghosts over his side, settling on his hair, gently carding his fingers through it. When he speaks, his voice is tender. “Thank you, Sseun-ah,” he whispers. “This is one of the best days I’ve had.”
Jinyoung bites his lip, unsure, and Jackson’s eyes flicker to his mouth. When he looks back up, the uncertainty in Jinyoung’s face is long gone, and his hand skims its way down Jackson’s arm, settling at his waist, pulling him in.
Oh.
Jackson can’t stop the growing smile on his face.
“Yeah,” he murmurs, voice hoarse. He clears his throat and tries again. “Yeah, this was a great one.”
Jinyoung smiles, the corners of his eyes forming the creases Jackson’s always found endearing. His hands, without thinking, trace over the lines, touch feather-light, and he feels Jinyoung tense up underneath his fingers. This close, he can hear the hitching of Jinyoung’s breath, the slight intake of air, and it’s this that makes Jackson lean in and press their lips together.
'Cause I don't know how it gets better than this
You take my hand and drag me head first
Fearless
Jinyoung responds almost immediately.
It’s supposed to be a chaste kiss, a simple peck on the lips. I like you. A lot. But before Jackson can pull away, Jinyoung’s grip on his waist tightens and he tilts his head, deepening the kiss.
Jinyoung’s lips are warm and as soft as they look, and Jackson can feel the plush of it against his own. His hands fall from Jinyoung’s jaw to his broad chest, soft underneath the pads of his fingers, and Jinyoung pulls him even closer, their bodies separated only by the layers of clothing they wear. His tongue swipes against Jinyoung’s lips, to which he’s granted entrance almost immediately.
All too soon, Jackson has to pull apart for air. He’s barely taken a breath when Jinyoung tugs him back into a kiss, his large hand coming up to cradle the back of his head, and Jackson smiles against Jinyoung’s lips.
It’s all their shared glances, the intimate touches almost something more, the poignant silences, the affectionate gazes from earlier that day and even days, weeks, possibly months or years before.
Jinyoung nips at his mouth, before moving away, peppering kisses down his jaw, down the column of his neck. Jackson sighs dreamily, fisting Jinyoung’s sweater in his hands, pressing closer to him—
There’s a ding from the elevator down the hallway, then an explosion of chatter. A group of teenagers, laughing, slightly tipsy in the way they walk, make their way down the hallway, their voices carrying over each others’.
They break apart, panting heavily, though Jinyoung’s hand remains on Jackson’s waist. Jackson averts his gaze, but they pass him by without a glance.
When the group’s finally entered their room, shutting the door none too gently behind them, Jackson turns back to face Jinyoung, the spell broken. Jinyoung pecks him softly on the lips, carding his hand through Jackson’s hair. “I have to go,” he murmurs. “It’s getting late.”
Jackson wraps his arms around Jinyoung, nuzzling into his neck. “You could stay the night instead,” he mumbles. “So you don’t have to drive back.”
He feels Jinyoung nod. “Okay.”
“Really?” Jackson pulls back to get a better look at him, fighting the grin on his face.
“Yeah,” Jinyoung smiles. “That seems like a pretty good idea.”
Jackson laces their fingers together between them, feels something flutter in his chest at the sight. He hums, tugging Jinyoung into the apartment. “I think so, too.”