fic: light 'em up

[apaixono]

light 'em up
kyungmyeon • g • ~3.8k • neighbors au
Kyungsoo is having a bad enough day as it is; he doesn't need his apartment complex to (almost) catch on fire.



There are many ways to say it-he is burnt out, his legs are jelly, his picture is right next to the word on a dictionary-but they all point to the same conclusion: Kyungsoo is tired.

It all started with his alarm acting up that morning. Now, that shouldn't be a problem, since his body clock wakes him up at around eight anyway. However, he pulled a massive all-nighter last night to cram a preliminary paper on a novel he barely read, and went to bed at around four in the morning. His body clock was useless, and apparently, so was his phone-for some reason, it didn't ring. Cue a flustered Kyungsoo scrambling around the flat to take a shower, make a decent breakfast, fix his satchel, and go to school, all within half an hour. Luckily, he arrived in the lecture hall with a minute to spare-only to be welcomed by a pop quiz. It all went downhill from there-a surprise graded recitation during his next class, his usual deli shop ran out of both his favorite sandwich and his power smoothie, someone spilled coffee on his jeans, his social loafer of a group mate didn't show up again on the day of their report, and he brought home twice as much homework as compared to when he arrived. Then the bus decided to be late, just when a light drizzle decided to fall on the day that Kyungsoo forgot his umbrella and gave up his spot in the waiting shed for an equally unlucky old lady. He managed to catch a jam-packed bus after what felt like eons, and the only space for him to sit on was in between a stinky, sweaty middle-aged man and a bratty teenage girl who makes a fuss whenever someone brushes against her arm. When he finally, finally alighted the hellish bus and reached the apartment complex, he couldn't find his keys and had to dig through his satchel for them. Then just as he was about to reach the third floor, someone all but zooms down the staircase, almost knocking him over the banister. He managed to steady himself just in time, but he dropped his keys on the second floor and had to double back for them.

All in all, his day was horrible, he is tired, and all he wants is to hide under his covers.

And hide under his covers he did. With a long-suffering groan, Kyungsoo unlocks his flat and all but jumps into his bed, burying his face in his pillows. All he needs in life is his bed. Thank God for beds, and for warm sheets and soft pillows, and for bringing down a piece of heaven in a form of mattresses. He all but kicks off his shoes-he can fix them later-and crawls under his covers, making a Kyungsoo burrito out of the sky-blue sheets. He should really brush his teeth, or change into something more comfortable (and less coffee-smelling), or wash his face....but, eh.

He has just started drifting off, slowly feeling himself lose consciousness, when a shrill noise loudly goes off and disturbs the entire apartment complex. What the hell. Kyungsoo lets out a loud groan that is barely audible amidst the shrieking contraption and buries himself under his covers. He was planning to wait it out, having heard weirder things in his lifetime, but then someone starts shouting above the din.

"Fire! Fire! It's a fire alarm!"

Jesus have mercy on his soul.

With a yawn, he kicks off his covers and stuffs his socked feet in his slippers before shuffling out of his apartment with little sense of urgency. He's already dead deep inside; getting burnt wouldn't make much of a difference.

In the hallway, the noise is shriller and louder, making his ears ring. Their doorman is ushering the stream of tenants towards the fire exit, and Kyungsoo lets out another yawn as he trudges down the narrow, slightly dank stairwell. Surprisingly, he's one of the first ones to evacuate, with only a handful of students milling around the backyard, blinking confusedly at their complex. He spots a familiar and equally exhausted face and makes a beeline for his dongsaeng , who is still clutching a thick textbook to his chest.

"Hey, Jongin," He says, reaching up to ruffle the taller boy's sleep-mussed hair. "You were napping, too?"

"Yeah," Jongin mumbles sleepily, rubbing his eyes from behind his glasses. Unlike Kyungsoo, he had already changed into much more comfortable sweats, but he's obviously not geared up to sleep just yet. "I was reviewing and I fell asleep. I'm so tired, hyung. College sucks."

"I know," Kyungsoo chuckles, letting the younger lean against his shoulder. He met Jongin through Junmyeon, who was a year higher than the tan boy. Junmyeon was assigned to be Jongin's tutor in one of their major classes, and Jongin knocked on the wrong door on their first day. Kyungsoo was cooking then, and Junmyeon wasn't around yet, so he took him in and made him dinner. Nevertheless, they've been close ever since. Jongin's one of his few dongsaengs so he dotes on him a lot, and he's Jongin's favorite hyung, much to Junmyeon's chagrin.

"What the hell," Baekhyun exclaims angrily, stomping over to them. His hair is wet, water running in rivulets down his neck and disappearing under the collar of his tightly-knotted, fluffy robe. "I was in the middle of a shower, and the doorman almost knocked my front door down because I haven't evacuated yet. Can't a man shower in peace?"

"Please tell me you're wearing something underneath that robe," Kyungsoo says, eyeing the relatively thick bathrobe warily. "It's windy out here, don't tell me you're going to give everyone a show?"

"Of course I'm wearing shorts underneath," Baekhyun huffs, hitching up the hem of his robe to proudly show his ratty Spongebob shorts. "They're cute shorts, too."

"Real classy, hyung," Jongin snorts, straightening up. "I'm sure it'll bring all the boys to the yard."

"I think the fire alarm did that, not his shorts," Kyungsoo snickers, earning him a high-five from the biology major.

"Har, har. Funny," The music major rolls his eyes, running a hand through his still-wet hair. "Is there actually a fire? Or just a smoke alarm?"

"No one knows yet. Everyone has just finished evacuating," Kyungsoo nods at the direction of the building, where the firemen are locking the doors. "But from the visible lack of smoke, there's no fire."

Baekhyun promptly bursts into a tirade of expletives, and while he knows the younger is a fully functional adult, Kyungsoo feels the need to reach over to cover Jongin's ears as Baekhyun blows off steam. Baekhyun can be...extreme, sometimes, the kind that'll make nuns faint then shove a bar of soap in his mouth. This is why Kyungsoo doesn't really like angering him.

"Anyway," The music major finally breathes, apparently satisfied with his rant, "You two look like roadkill. Rough days, both of you?"

Jongin holds up his textbook in lieu of a reply, and Kyungsoo simply shrugs. "You could say that," He says, not really up for small talk. "I just really want to rest, but this happened."

"Poor baby," Baekhyun coos, patting him on the cheek fondly. He doesn't have the energy to shrug him off. "Well, if what you've said is right and the lack of visible smoke indicates the absence of actual fire, then we'll be able to go back in soon."

"I sure hope so," He says gloomily. "I don't know how long can I last before I keel over in exhaustion."

"Same," Jongin replies mournfully, going back to leaning on his shoulder. They probably look funny-Baekhyun in a bathrobe, Kyungsoo looking like death in a polo and flipflops, and Jongin, in all his six-foot glory, leaning sleepily on his short hyung-but Kyungsoo's life is a big joke anyway, so he doesn't quite care. He tunes out Baekhyun's overzealous tales about one of Jongin's professors as he tries to fall asleep while standing up. He fails, the noise and dimming sunlight not really helping him lull back to blissful unconsciousness, but he's not that surprised.

"All clear," The doorman suddenly booms after what seems like forever, and Kyungsoo almost cries out of relief as all of the tenants burst into cheers at the sight of the brave firemen exiting. Finally, sleep. Sleep.

"Ah, great, I can finally finish my shower," Baekhyun pumps his fist as the tenants disperse, most of them going up the stairwell while some heading out to grab a bite. "It's getting a bit chilly out here."

"Yeah, hyung, some people can't stop staring at you, too," Jongin says around a yawn. "Especially that tall guy from the fourth floor with big ears and silver hair."

"What?!" The music major screeches, jumping to hide behind Jongin. It doesn't really help, but the younger indulges him anyway. "The tenant in 408? My moon and stars? Oh my god, Jongin, why didn't you tell me?"

"How was I supposed to know that you didn't know?" Jongin complains. "It was pretty obvious!"

"And it's pretty much a given that if you go out of your apartment in a bathrobe and Spongebob shorts, people will stare," Kyungsoo adds dryly as they watch Baekhyun's crush go back into the building. "And no, that's not a compliment."

"Oh my god, my image," Baekhyun mourns, burying his face in his hands. "He must think I'm a weirdo."

"Or he thinks you were taking a shower when the fire alarm went off," Jongin points out helpfully, but Baekhyun pays him no mind as he squawks and flees the backyard, embarrassed. They both watch him disappear into the stairwell, white robe billowing in his wake.

"Why do you even bother," Kyungsoo shakes his head. "Scratch that, why do I even bother. Honestly."

"Some questions are better left unanswered, I think," Jongin chuckles, which quickly turns into a very contagious yawn. "Ugh, I'm really pooped. I think I'll take a nap first before going back to reviewing."

"You go do that. Good luck, Jongin," Kyungsoo smiles sleepily, ruffling the younger's hair once more. "I'll go up as well, I'll probably collapse from exhaustion soon."

"Don't overexert yourself, hyung," Jongin chides gently as they both make their way towards the fire exit. "You deserve to rest, too."

"Jongin's right, you know," A cool voice pipes up, and they both turn to see Junmyeon standing behind them, smiling. "Hello."

"Hi, hyung," Kyungsoo smiles back, sincere but hesitant. They didn't really bring up the cabinet accident (and their awkward conversation after), but they're still a bit on the edge with each other. For some reason, Junmyeon always turns pink whenever they see each other in the hallway-and outside of it too, he notes as the elder's cheeks flush slightly. It's adorable, sure, but unnerving all the same.

"You look dead on your feet. Rough day?" Junmyeon asks as they all trudge up the narrow staircase. "You seem busy these days."

"I just had a really long day," Kyungsoo answers tiredly. "And I wanted to sleep at first, but the fire drill happened, so."

"Ah," The elder's smile turns sheepish, much to his surprise. "I'm afraid I'm the one at fault for the fire drill."

Jongin and Kyungsoo stop climbing the stairs to stare at him-the former exasperated, the latter disbelieving. Junmyeon recoils a bit, probably at the brunt of both their glares, mumbling a soft apology timidly.

"Why am I not surprised, hyung," Jongin sighs as they reach the second floor. "You know what? Don't even tell me what happened. I don't think I want to know. I need a nap."

"I'll make it up to you?" Junmyeon tries, wincing when Jongin simply shakes his head at him and disappears behind the door. "Jongin?"

Okay. Deep breaths. Patience, Kyungsoo. "What happened, hyung?" He asks. "Did something burn? A pan, perhaps?"

"I was trying to make this recipe I found on YouTube," Junmyeon explains as they continue their trek up to their floor. "A one-pan skillet lasagna, or something like that. And it said to cook the beef first, which I did-well, tried to. But I ran out of bacon, so I added red wine to flavor the beef. It's something I learned from another cooking show. And when I poured it in-like a splash or two, I'm just cooking two servings-my pan just went... Fwoosh."

"...Fwoosh?" Kyungsoo repeats, unimpressed.

"Yeah. Fwoosh." Junmyeon puffs out his cheeks and mimes flames going up, and he would've found it cute if he wasn't so tired. "And my extra touchy smoke alarm somehow detected it, and the apartment's fire alarm picked up the signal, and...yeah."

"But hyung," He says slowly as they reach the third floor landing, "Wine doesn't make your pan flame up. Even if it's a really hot pan."

"It doesn't?" The elder asks, blinking confusedly.

"Yeah. If you did just add a few splashes, it doesn't have enough alcohol to do that. It shouldn't have flamed up," Kyungsoo runs a hand across his face, exasperated. What a hopeless hyung. "What did you do?"

"I don't know! I really don't know," Junmyeon cries, hiding his face in his hands. "I'm sorry!"

"It's fine," He shrugs resignedly, pushing open the door. The hallway is empty and quiet, a far cry from the pandemonium earlier. "What's done is done. And I don't think your food's going to be burnt beyond repair, so that's something to look forward to."

"That's good to hear, because I don't think I can save it if it is," The latter chuckles. "Guess I should stick to basic recipes, huh?"

Maybe it's the exhaustion that made him a little softer than he wants to be, the faint self-deprecating undertone of the elder's laugh that makes his heart clench, or the stupid little crush that he's still harboring despite everything-mixed signals, controversial bookshelves, weird reactions, faulty smoke alarms, and all-but for some reason, Kyungsoo finds himself sighing, "Do you want me to take a look at it? I can probably figure out the recipe and save your dinner."

"You would?" Junmyeon perks up, but immediately deflates after a beat. "But you're tired. I feel bad enough for keeping you up because of my smoke alarm."

"Nah, I'm good," He says, even if he really wasn't. Damn his soft heart (and this crush). "I wouldn't want you to starve."

"I have frozen pizza?" Junmyeon tries, laughing as Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at him. This time, it sounds much more genuine, less sad. "Alright, alright. I'd love some help. Thanks.”

"Frozen pizza requires an oven. I don't quite trust you with fire just yet," Kyungsoo snorts, and Junmyeon only laughs harder in reply as he opens the door to his apartment.

Junmyeon's apartment is...messy, for the lack of a better term. Clothes are strewn everywhere, mostly into random, unfolded piles. His bed is unmade, with more clothes, his laptop, and piles of paperwork carelessly thrown across the surface. His television set had DVDs and games stacked haphazardly around it, and his bookshelf-yes, that bookshelf-is crammed to the brim with books, folders, and other random things. His kitchen is also a mess; piles of dirty plates and plastic containers from takeout joints fill the countertops, and jars and plastic bags litter the dining table. It's a true bachelor's flat, and Kyungsoo tries his hardest to neither wince visibly nor start fixing Junmyeon's things. He must've not succeeded with the former, because Junmyeon immediately flushes pink (again) and scurries to tidy up.

"Uh, sorry for the mess, I haven't had the time to clean," He says sheepishly, gathering the old clothes from the couch into his arms. "Kitchen's that way, do and use whatever you want. I'll, um, tidy up a bit."

"Great," Kyungsoo replies, making his way towards the kitchen. The pan in question is still on the stove, although Junmyeon had blessedly turned off the burners. Upon inspection, the beef inside wasn't burnt, just a little overcooked. It wasn't bad either, just a little bland. Nothing a dash of salt and pepper couldn't fix. Guess Junmyeon isn't that hopeless after all. A few quick taps on his phone shows him the written recipe for skillet lasagna, which is much easier to follow than watching a video, and he gets to work.

Humming, Kyungsoo grabs a knife and dices the onions. Why the elder didn't do this before browning the meat is beyond him, but he doesn't bother nagging and instead goes to mince the garlic. He turns on the burners, dumps both ingredients in the pan, and let it cook down a bit while he listens to Junmyeon noisily try to make things presentable. In goes a can of crushed tomatoes, a spoonful of tomato paste-he has tomato paste and red wine but no bacon, honestly-and store-bought tomato sauce, together with dash of dried oregano and some water. Finally, he breaks up the lasagna sheets and drops them into the sauce, giving everything a quick stir before covering the pan. He roughly chops a few basil leaves and grates some cheese and sets them aside, both to be added later when the noodles are cooked. Done-and all without making a fuss.

"All done," He announces, wiping his hands on the dishtowel hanging on the oven door handle. "Cook the noodles for fifteen minutes, put the basil and cheese, cover for five, and it's good to go."

"Already?" Junmyeon looks up from his task of re-folding clothes on the couch. His bed is visibly neater, his papers and laptop resting on the coffee table, and the stacks of DVDs arranged in much neater piles. It's still cluttered, but not as messy as before. Baby steps, he supposes. "How did you do it without setting anything on fire?"

"I followed instructions," Kyungsoo snickers, taking a seat on one of the dining chairs and watches Junmyeon struggle with his task. He's folding all his clothes wrong, but Kyungsoo's too tired to point it out.

"Oh, ha ha, funny," The elder sticks out his tongue at him, setting another badly-folded sweatshirt aside. "Just you wait, I'll make myself an amazing and complex dinner one day."

"Try not to set the entire building into a frenzy again when you do," He quips, and dodges to avoid the balled-up shirt that Junmyeon throws at him. It hits him on the shoulder anyway, landing on his lap in a crumpled heap. "Hey!"

"Ye of little faith in my cooking skills," He grumbles. "And here I was about to invite you to share my dinner with me."

Kyungsoo opens his mouth to retort that technically, he cooked dinner, but what comes out instead is a huge yawn. The exhaustion, staved off by cooking, has come back with a vengeance. "Oh, sor-" He begins, but his apology is cut off by another yawn.

Junmyeon's face immediately shifts from teasing to concerned. "On second thought, just go back and rest," He says. "I've kept you up long enough. Thanks for helping me cook dinner."

"Sorry hyung, it's just been a really rough day," Kyungsoo says apologetically. "I'm about to crash from exhaustion."

"Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. If anything, it's mine," Junmyeon smiles at him, gentle and sincere but with a hint of something he can't quite put a finger on. Resignation, perhaps? "Maybe next time."

"Of course," He agrees easily, taking the shirt from his lap and folding it immaculately. He stands up and places the folded shirt neatly on top of the mismatched pile. "Next time."

Junmyeon's still smiling that odd smile when he walks him out of the apartment, closing the door with a small wave when Kyungsoo steps out into hallway. He still can't figure out what's wrong with it, what's dimming the elder's usually bright grin. Did he say something offensive? Did his yawning offend him? Was he rude for unconsciously turning the invitation down? He worries about it as he steps into his own apartment, idly noting that the door is unlocked.

"Hey, you're finally back," Baekhyun pipes up from somewhere in the kitchen, and Kyungsoo jumps. "What took you so long?"

"Jesus, Baekhyun, you scared me," He gasps, clutching his chest. "Why are you in my apartment? No, wait, how did you even get in my apartment? I didn't give you the key."

"Soo, we weren't able to lock up our flats because of the fire drill. Remember?" Baekhyun tuts. "And I'm here because I'm a good friend, and I wanted to fix you up dinner because I know you'll crash when you go back up. Apparently, you're well enough to wander off. Where have you been?"

"Junmyeon hyung's apartment," Kyungsoo yawns, toeing off his slippers and crawling back to bed. "It was his smoke alarm that caused the pandemonium. I helped him fix up his dinner because he's hopeless."

"That's cute," The music major hums, going back to whatever he was cooking. Kyungsoo can't really tell, but the apartment smells like garlic and butter. "And then what?"

"Nothing. We were joking about sharing dinner, I yawned, he sent me home," He says. He really wants to sleep right now.

"Wait, he asked you out to dinner?" Baekhyun turns back to him, shock written all over his features. "And you turned him down?"

"He didn't ask me out, Baekhyun," Kyungsoo explains tiredly, rubbing his eyes. "He just wanted to share his dinner, since I technically cooked it."

"Soo, he was asking you out," Baekhyun groans. "God, you're hopeless. The guy of your dreams dangles a romantic dinner date opportunity in front of you and you reject it. Hell, you don't even acknowledge it."

"It wasn't a date, Baekhyun," Kyungsoo sighs. "He was just being nice."

"He wants to share a meal with you and you alone! The guy likes you! It's a damn date!" Baekhyun slams his hands on the counter, and immediately winces. "Ow."

"That's what you get," He snorts, amusedly watching the short man wave his hand around to alleviate the pain. "Get over it, Baekhyun."

"Whatever," Baekhyun grumbles, going back to his cooking. "For the record, it was definitely supposed to be a date."

"Good night, Baekhyun," Kyungsoo says loudly, burying his face in his pillows. Baekhyun can believe whatever he wants to believe, but it wasn't a date invite. Junmyeon was just being nice, as usual. He just wanted to share their combined efforts with him. Not a date. Not a date. Not a date.

He groans silently and covers his head with his blanket, unable to sleep with his mind trying to convince him that it wasn't, in fact, a missed date opportunity. It doesn't help that Junmyeon's smile resurfaces back in his memory, and the tinge of sadness there might be because Kyungsoo did unconsciously turn him down for a date. Not to mention the fact that somewhere, deep inside him, he did kind of want it to be a date, and he would've gladly taken up the offer if he wasn't dead on his feet.

Ugh. Crushes suck.

On this week's episode of Junmyeon Is A Hopelessly Smitten Nerd: we're at part three of this highly self-indulgent au, folks, and this guy still got no game. Dammit, Junmyeon. *throws peanuts*

Title is from My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark by Fall Out Boy bc I am unimaginative af, and this is the video that I mentioned. Please ignore my awful choice in titles and secret obsession with PopSugar Food videos. On a more positive note: I'm done with this hell of a term!!! Huzzah huzzah!!! Time to binge watch kdramas and try not to melt in this awful heat!!!