Hide and Seek (12/17)
Title: Hide and Seek (12/17)
Genre: Fluff, Drama, Romance, High School AU
Paring: JongKey
Rating: PG-13 to be safe
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything just the plot and my imagination.
Summary: Life can be a bitch sometimes.
Word count: ~5,500
a/n: this chapter is soooo long again. so sorry OTL
Part 12: Twinkle, twinkle little star
- - -
He pulled the covers tighter to himself as he shifted on his bed. It was really cold even with the heater running and he was wrapped into a cocoon with his duvet and had a thick jacket on and the fact that he was coming down with a fever was not even helping. Who was there to blame but himself? He got out of the house without his jacket and stayed there for a while. When he got back, he got himself a cold shower hoping that the hotness of his cheeks would somehow disappear. But his immune system couldn’t make it somehow. He went out the bathroom with a slight head ache, shivering and sniffing.
It’s not my fault! It’s Kim Jonghyun's fault! He fought back with his innerself.
Well, true enough. If not for what the singer did, maybe Kibum won’t be standing out in the cold without a jacket and wouldn’t be feeling that knots in his stomach and Kibum could really go on. But his phone vibrated on his night stand, cutting his list of “It was Kim Jonghyun's fault and not mine!”
A muffled “Yoboseyo?” came out of his mouth because of his cold and the quilt covering his entire head and body.
“Hey, you okay?” the caller asked.
“Yeah.” But a sudden sneeze betrayed Kibum right away.
“You’re sick.” It was not a question, and the dancer’s caller was sure of his statement. “I’ll just talk to you tomorrow, neh? Take a rest now.”
“...”
“Sleep tight. Dream of me, Babe.” And he chuckled after that. “Good night.”
“I can’t sleep.” Kibum whispered, but still loud enough for the other to hear him. Oh, how he felt like a little boy asking his mom to tell him a bed time story before going to bed.
“Aaaaw~ my poor baby.” Kibum wanted to snort or say something smart but with the pounding in his head he just managed a whine. And that made the other chuckle. “What do you want to do then?” the other asked as he shifted on his own bed.
“Sing me a lullaby.”
There was no reply from him and just the sound of covers as he shifted on a sitting position. Then he sang their song. The pureness of his voice without the piano accompaniment was so soothing. Not long after, Kibum's eyelids became heavy but he fought sleep.
Must be those stupid meds. Kibum thought. How he hated those capsules.
Ironic, wasn’t it not? He was actually complaining that he couldn’t sleep earlier and now he was doing his best to stay awake. But he lost that battle. His hold on his phone loosened and his eyelids finally gave in.
He knew that Kibum was already asleep but he continued the song ‘til the end. He smiled from the other end just imagining how the younger slept.
“Good night princess.”
- - -
His head was still pounding when he woke up late the next day. His vision swirled when he sat up and he heard a crash when he tried to reach for his clock. He let his head fall back on his pillows and waited ‘til his ceiling was not fuzzy-wuzzy anymore.
According to his clock, it was passed ten am already. It was way, way beyond his “Chunhee wakeup call” which was usually at eight in the morning. He assumed that his mom told her not to disturb him since he was not feeling well. He carefully sat up, to avoid another round of vertigo and checked what fell a while ago.
“Oh no! No! No! NOOO!” he whined, more of groaned with his voice stuck in his dry throat.
Kibum saw the familiar back of the picture frame that was sitting on his bedside table. Together with it were shards of broken glass. The precious picture of him with his lovely Prince! He moved to the edge of his bed and wore his slippers, picked up the frame and moved the shattered glass away from the photo. He decided to call ahjuma and ask her to clean the mess. The sick dancer kept the photo in his drawer and made his way out his room and to the stairs.
Kibum was lucky that ahjuma was just about to make her way to the second floor so he didn’t really have to look for her. When he reached the living room, he heard Chunhee talking to someone and her voice seemed to come from the kitchen.
“Appa! I wanna cook too~ please, please~?” she said.
Appa? Her dad is here? That’s new! Kibum thought as he continued walking. He saw her sitting on the counter while trying to look over the direction of the stove. Then someone picked her up and carried her. Whoever it was, Kibum was not able to see because of the indoor plant in that area. I knew it! Putting that plant there is a stupid idea!
“What are you doing here?” Kibum asked when he finally reached the dining area and was able to identify who the guest was.
Chunhee and her Appa both turned their heads on his direction. The little girl beamed at him.
“Ki umma~ you’re awake now! Halmoni said you are sick that’s why I didn’t wake you up…” she called Kibum's mom halmoni even if she was, in reality, her aunt because Kibum was her umma. The guy let her down and she went to Kibum who was sitting on one of the chairs. “Hyun appa came over and he said that he will take care of you!”
Kibum picked her up and sat her on his lap. It took him a while to let the idea sink in.
“He is what?!” he blurted out, which made Chunhee jump a little.
“Bummie, just sit there and chill okay? This soup is almost done.” Jonghyun said from the other side as he stirred the soup.
“That’s right Ki umma~ Hyun appa cooked something for you. And it is soooo yummy!!!”
There was a clutter of utensils and porcelain and the wafting smell of mushroom soup which Kibum really loved overwhelmed his nostrils. Jonghyun placed the bowl on the table and sat beside Kibum.
“Eat.” He said simply as he looked at Kibum with that endearing smile.
“Is that even safe to eat?” Kibum said as he looked at the food with dislike on his face.
Chunhee, who was still on Kibum's lap, leaned towards the table and inhaled the appetizing aroma as she closed her eyes comically.
“Mmmmmm~ smells sooooo good!!! Hyun appa, daebak!!!” she raised two thumbs up to Jonghyun and smiled. But before she could praise Jonghyun some more, ahjuma called her because it was already time for her SpongeBob show. “Bye Ki umma, eat well okay? Bye Hyun appa, take care of umma for me, ne?” she said as she hopped of off Kibum's lap and ran to her room.
“C’mon Bummie, eat this now. It won’t taste good if it is already cold.” Jonghyun said as he stirred the soup.
“What if you put something in here and something weird happens to me, huh?”
“Like what? Poison? You know I would never do that.” And he scooped a spoonful, brought it toward his mouth and blew on it gently. “Open your mouth, aaaah~”
But Kibum still refused. Jonghyun put the spoon back into the bowl and leaned back on his chair.
“Aish Bummie, you’re really a baby sometimes.” Jonghyun mumbled under his breath which Kibum didn’t hear. “I’ll eat some first so you can make sure that it’s safe. Then you eat the rest, deal?”
“Deal.”
Jonghyun swallowed the spoonful that he got for himself and nothing happened. He scooped another and held it towards Kibum's lips. Kibum reached for the spoon and fed himself.
“What can you say? It’s delicious right?” Jonghyun said as he leaned closer to Kibum, his eyes twinkling.
“It’s just typical. Nothing special.” He replied and tried to stop himself from pinching Jonghyun's cheeks when the other pouted.
“You’re always mean.” Jonghyun whined, but he recovered right away. “Anyways, you finish that okay? I’ll ask ahjuma to prepare a warm bath for you.” He stood up and walked to the same direction that Chunhee took. “Don’t go anywhere until there is not even a single drop of soup in that bowl.”
Silence rung through the kitchen, Kibum sighed and reached for the spoon. He started eating in silence, there were thoughts running in his head but he couldn’t sort them out. He continued eating and before he knew it, the soup was almost gone.
“Aw, my baby is eating well.” Jonghyun said as he came back and stood behind Kibum. “Should you get a price for that? Hmmm?” he thought out loud.
“Oh, yey~ I get a price.” Kibum said with fake enthusiasm. Then he turned his head to the right and came face to face with a smiling Jonghyun.
“Sure, you do Babe.”
Kibum didn’t flinch when Jonghyun leaned closer. He didn’t know where the guts came from, maybe he just felt like teasing the older. Or maybe he was just curious on what that price would be. Yes. Let’s choose the second option, since Kibum could be a kid sometimes and ‘a price’ would mean his favourite ice cream with cherry and sprinkles on top.
And by the way, have you ever heard of the phrase ‘Curiosity killed the cat’? Well, no, not really. But you see, when Jonghyun's lips touched his and his heart kind of skipped a few times while he also forgot how to breathe and felt like a stiff plank of wood like that of the chair he was sitting on at the moment made Kibum feel like he just… died. Not to mention that it lasted way, way shorter than that of last night (refer to: peck).
God, Kibum! You are an over acting bitch! His inner-self said as he smacked Kibum's head imaginarily.
But Jonghyun's chuckles brought him back to life, erm to earth I mean. So! Kibum snapped his head to look -or rather glare but since his eyelids were a bit heavy all that while and looking at the other was all he could manage-at Jonghyun who was standing by his right side. He had that stupid-but-really-really-angelic smile of his again and Kibum was really wondering if his fever was the cause of the warm feeling creeping on his cheeks.
“C’mon, your bath is ready. My dad said the Lavender and Chamomile extracts would make you feel better.” Jonghyun said as he reached for Kibum's hand and pulled him up from the chair. “Hey, can you walk or do you want me to carry you?”
“Mister Kim Jonghyun, just so you know, I only have a fever. I am not disabled.” Kibum hissed. Really, what’s wrong with this guy?
“Oh sorry.” He scratched the back of his nape and smiled sheepishly at the younger. “It’s my first time to take care of another person.”
Yeah right, you are the son of a doctor anyways. Kibum wanted to say but acted against it with an audible sigh. “Whatever. I’ll just go take a bath. You take care of Chunhee.” He said as they made their way up the stairs.
“Ne~ take your time in the water, it would feel nice.” Jonghyun added before going inside Chunhee’s room.
When he was inside the bathroom, he smelled the relaxing aroma of lavender and chamomile, it was inviting. He shivered when he took off his clothes but felt better when he dipped in the warm water. It sure was relaxing. Maybe he would follow what the older told him; take his time.
- - -
The credits rolled and SpongeBob was over. Chunhee moved from her spot on the carpeted floor to her Hyun appa’s lap.
“Hyun appa, what can we do now? SpongeBob is already away and Ki umma is not here too.” She said as she poked Jonghyun's cheeks.
“Wut chu wunt to do dem?” Jonghyun said as Chunhee pushed his cheeks forming a fish face.
Chunhee giggled. She often did that with her Ki umma and playing with Hyun appa was fun too.
“Let’s play, Hyun appa.” she skipped of his lap and pulled him towards her toys. Then Jonghyun remembered something.
“Chunhee-ah, I have something for you in my car. We could play with that instead.” He said as Chunhee was setting up her little cups and saucers.
“Kyaaa~! Really??? Can we get it now Hyun appa?” she asked as she raised both hands towards Jonghyun. He picked her up in her arms and they made their way to the garage.
Jonghyun arrived before Kibum's mom left and she was more than enthusiastic to let him in. And since both of Kibum's parents would be gone, she told Jonghyun to park in there instead of leaving the car by the road.
A soft beeping sound was heard and Jonghyun opened the passenger’s door. He still had Chunhee on his arms as he grabbed his present for the little girl.
“What is this Hyun appa?” she asked when he handed it to her as they made their way back to her room.
“Stars.”
“Stars? Stickers?”
“Nope. Real stars that shine during the night.” He said as he put her down on floor. She handed it back to Jonghyun for him to open it and indeed it contained stars. Glow in the dark stars.
“Do you like it, Chunhee-ah?”
“Ne, Appa!!!” and she went to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her head on his shoulder. Jonghyun was a little taken aback with the action, but he sure could get used to that. “Kamsahaeyo, Hyunnie Appa~” she said happily.
“You are welcome, little princess.” He replied as he hugged her back. “Should we set them up now?”
“Ne!!!”
They tied the strings on the stars as they played around, making silly faces with each other. When they were done, Jonghyun asked her where she did she want to put the stars and she pointed on the ceiling above her bed. And he smiled.
“Ah, but, Hyun appa can’t reach that. Chunhee-ah should help.”
They put the stars in a bag and Jonghyun put Chunhee on his shoulders. They played for a while, Jonghyun going around her room as she pretend to fly. When they stopped, Jonghyun stepped up on the bed and Chunhee reached for a star. She extended her little arms up, up, up until the first star dangled successfully on her ceiling.
After they hanged the last star, the fell on the bed with their arms spread out, tired with all the reaching up thingie. They stared at the star-filled ceiling and hi-fived at their accomplished work. Jonghyun closed his eyes after that and was a little surprised when he felt a sudden weight on his stomach and found Chunhee sitting there.
“Thank you, Hyun appa~” she said lovingly as she hugged the boy who hugged her back.
“You are very welcome darling.” He replied.
They have just started to play that airplane game when Kibum came in calling them for lunch.
- - -
Kibum's head lolled to the side and he opened his eyes again. He was wrapped around a blanket again, huddled beside Jonghyun on the corner of the sofa as they watched “Tangled” in the entertainment room*. His temperature rose up again after they ate lunch so he had to take those ‘stupid meds’ again. Chunhee was sprawled on the floor with her pink teddy bear enjoying how Rapunzel used her hair to escape from the cave. Jonghyun, whose arm was resting on the back of the sofa, shook Kibum lightly when the younger’s head rested on his shoulder. Kibum opened his eyes and raised his head to look at Jonghyun.
“You’ll hurt your neck if you sleep like that. Lie down properly.” Jonghyun said as he adjusted and placed a throw pillow on his lap.
Kibum mumbled some incoherent words before sprawling on the longer side of the sofa, head on Jonghyun's lap. He dozed off immediately after that.
Jonghyun was starting to nod off too when he heard a shriek from Chunhee. He snapped back to wakefulness and looked around to see what was going on. Oh yeah, Rapunzel and her prince charming. He sighed and checked on his own princess. Kibum was still sleeping soundly, not aware of the death defying adventures on the screen. Jonghyun traced Kibum's facial features with his eyes, admiring how the younger looked so peaceful in his sleep. The irony of life, he thought, how could you be so angelic when you are sleeping but sinfully gorgeous when you are awake, oh? His eyes landed on the younger’s slightly parted lips…
“Hyun appa… what are you doing?” Chunhee called, the credits were rolling and she was then looking at her umma and appa on the couch. Jonghyun's arm was comfortably placed on Kibum's waist and his other hand was caressing the younger’s hair. He just placed his index finger on his lips, telling Chunhee to keep it down. The little girl got what her appa was saying and she zipped her lips. Jonghyun just smiled at her. She grabbed the remote control first and turned the projector and the player off before walking towards the couch.
“Appa, Chunhee is also sleepy.” She rubbed her eyes with one hand while the other was holding the teddy bear’s hand.
“Okay. Shall the three of us sleep together in your room then?” he asked as he patted her hair softly.
She just nodded after a yawn. Jonghyun smiled at her again before shifting to pick Kibum up and just carry him to the room. But the sick dancer opened his eyes and sat up; rubbing his eyes the way Chunhee did earlier.
“Bummie, can you walk? Chunhee wants to sleep together in her room.” Jonghyun asked as he stood up and stretched a little.
Kibum nodded after a yawn, stretching his arms towards Jonghyun to pull him up from the couch.
- - -
“Chunhee sleeps in the middle.” The little girl said when Kibum found his place on Chunhee’s bed.
“Of course, little princess.” Jonghyun said as he smiled and walked to the other side of the bed. He laid down and pulled the covers on the three of them. The afternoon sun peeked through the floor-length curtains giving them a warmer feel.
“Good night Ki umma… good night Hyun appa.” She said before pulling Kibum's and Jonghyun's arm to hug her.
“Good night Baby.” Kibum mumbled, eyes already closed as he lied on his side hugging Chunhee closer.
“G’night Chunhee-ah.” Jonghyun replied. I could really get used to this, he thought with a smile on his lips before he followed the other two in dream land.
- - -
“Appa… Hyun appa~”
Jonghyun cracked an eye open and saw a tuff of brown hair leaning on his shoulder. He remembered about their afternoon nap but was still too sleepy to get up. Playing with a hyper-active kid and taking care of a sick diva felt like the last bit of his energy was drained out of him. So he just hugged the figure closer, eyes closed again, humming lightly for the little girl to continue. But instead, he heard giggles from his other side-that other side which was supposed to be vacant. He shot up from his position and the sudden movement made the other male on his side groaned and shifted in his sleep.
“Yah, Chunhee-ah! What are you doing there?” he asked quietly, careful not to disturb Kibum.
The little girl sat on the end of the bed, a sweet smile plastered on her lips. “Chunhee woke up to pee. Then when she returned, Ki umma and Hyun appa…” her giggles were muffled as she covered her mouth with her hands.
Jonghyun didn’t need Chunhee to continue on her little story because he kinda knew it already. He thought Kibum was Chunhee. So when he felt someone pressing closer to his body, he just pulled him-in Jonghyun's head it’s a her- closer against his body.
“Ki umma just needs a hug because he is feeling cold.” Jonghyun tried to explain and he was lucky that the little girl seemed to buy it quickly. He pulled the covers off of him and got off the bed. Chunhee stretched her arms up to him and he picked her up. They were on the stairs when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll go get it.” Jonghyun said as he made his way towards the gate-monitor with Chunhee still in his arms. She pressed the button and they heard the people coming in.
“Jonghyun hyung?”
“Hey lover boy, you are here!”
They greeted when he opened the door.
“What are you guys doing here?” Jonghyun asked when they were all settled in the living room. Chunhee was sitting on his lap playing with his fingers.
“We should ask you that.” Amber said as she grabbed an apple from the fruits basket that they brought.
“That’s right. We’re here because ahjuma said that Kibum was sick when we called earlier and since we are his friends, we came over.” Sulli answered.
“So hyung, why are you here?” Taemin asked again.
“Hyun appa is here to take care of Ki umma~!” Chunhee answered for him earning shocked faces from the three visitors.
“Uhm, Chunhee-ah, go check if your Ki umma is awake now.” Jonghyun said, placing the little girl down and sending her upstairs.
“Did that little angel really called you Hyun appa or I was hearing things?” Amber asked, the apple forgotten in her hands.
“You’re not the only one who heard it noona.”
“What did you told her to call you that? And she seemed close to you too!” Sulli commented, her round eyes scanning Jonghyun as if he told them that he was a secret agent of some elite department.
“Yah! What did I do? Chunhee-ah was the one to call me that when I arrived this morning. She was actually calling me Hyun oppa yesterday-“
“What happened yesterday?” Sulli cut through him.
“It’s a long story.” Jonghyun tried to reason out.
“Then make it short, duh.” Amber said then she turned on her apple again.
“We met at the mall yesterday. I saw Chunhee first, she was lost and yes, I was the one who found her and it turned out that she was Kibum's cousin. And that’s it!”
“You are leaving parts out, hyung.” Taemin said as he narrowed his eyes on Jonghyun.
“What? You said I make it short!” that earned him more glares and he sighed. “Okay! I went around the mall with them. And I dropped them home.”
“What did you do in the mall?”
“Ate ice cream, played in the arcade, ate dinner and watched a movie.”
“You are lying.” Taemin finally said after a moment of silence wherein the three of them recovered from their shock.
“No, he is telling the truth.” Kibum said as he joined them in the living room.
“Oh, umma! How are you feeling now? You look kind of paler than usual.” Taemin noted as Kibum sat on the space opposite Taemin.
“Just a little headache now, the fever is gone. I guess.”
“Hm. Seems like your husband is doing a good job.” Amber said which Sulli agreed as she nodded her head.
“Shut up.” Jonghyun and Kibum said in unison, making them both look away.
“By the way, don’t you think we should schedule our own Christmas party? Let’s go to a norebang!” and Kibum was glad that Amber changed the topic for him.
“Yes umma! It’s been a long time since we went to one.” Taemin said, his index finger tapping lightly on his cheeks as he thought about it.
“And we can invite Jonghyun oppa too!” Sulli exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.
“And Minho hyung too!” that earned Taemin weird glances but they just dropped it off when he added that coming to a norebang with the whole band would be fun.
“Yeah whatever. Just schedule it before the twenty-second. We will be spending Christmas with almoni in Daegun.” Kibum said.
“Hey you didn’t tell me about that.” Jonghyun said as he turned to get a better view on Kibum who was sitting beside him.
“Well you didn’t ask.” The younger replied, shrugging his shoulders and plucking a grape from the basket.
“But they didn’t ask either!” Jonghyun whined.
“You’re bickering like a married couple again.” The trio said in chorus followed by a round of laughter.
The three stayed for a little more but decided to leave before dinner. In the end, they agreed to go to the norebang at the seventeenth which was two days from now. Taemin said he had some projects to finish so that he would be free on the seventeenth. Amber said that her mother wanted her to run some errands. And Sulli just made a lame excuse so as not to be left together with Kibum and Jonghyun. And with that, they were both alone again.
“I think I should go too.” Jonghyun said breaking the dragging silence as the were enjoying the hot choco that ahjuma gave them. Chunhee was in her room totally fascinated with the stars that they put up earlier.
“NO!” Kibum said, a little too loud than what he meant it to be. “I mean, aren’t you gonna wait for mom before going?”
Jonghyun placed his cup on the coffee table and patted Kibum's hair. “You can just ask me to stay longer. But okay, I won’t go home yet.” Kibum pouted, obviously defeated. The older chuckled and was not able to resist himself from pecking Kibum's pouty lips. That made Kibum back away in surprise. It was a good thing that the hot liquid in his cup was almost finished and if it wasn’t, it might have spilled over the both of them.
“Sorry, I-”Jonghyun was not able to finish because Kibum's lips silenced him. But it was gone as soon as he felt it.
“Truce.” The younger said as he smiled, his dimples showing. I can get used to this.
“Aegyo~!!!” Jonghyun poked Kibum's dimples and Kibum flailed his arms trying to shoo the other away.
- - -
“Amber-ssi, you didn’t tell us that you are really a great rapper!” Jinki said after the score was flashed.
“Yah! Jinki-ah, you can just call me Amber. It feels weird with the formalities and we are partying here.”
They all laughed. Taemin was right that it was more fun if they invited Jonghyun, Minho and Jinki. They were really enjoying themselves singing songs of famous Kpop and foreign artists. Sometimes they would even dance to certain songs. They also had a contest where the person to get the lowest score would have to do a certain dare.
“Why do I feel like this happened before?” Jonghyun asked when the dare was finalized. Kibum slapped his arm at that, knowing full well that the lead singer was talking about their class’ Christmas party. “What?!” he asked Kibum innocently.
“Whatever.”
In the end, it was Jinki who got the lowest score. “And you call yourself a singer, hyung?” Minho teased.
- - -
“Kibum hyung, can I borrow your phone? Mine’s dead. I’ll just text my mom that I’ll be later than usual.” Taemin said from across the little space that they were in. Kibum just nodded and pointed towards his bag on the sofa.
“Go find it there.” He said and went to reach for the glass of iced tea.
When Taemin just declared that he saw found it, Kibum chocked in his beverage. “Wait! Wait!” he said between his coughing fit. They all stopped, even Sulli who was singing. “Give that to me first.” Taemin handed the phone to Kibum, confused.
When it was given back to Taemin, it already showed the message screen. That made him more confused and curious. He knew how to navigate through that phone, so why would Kibum do that? He typed the message and was about to send it when Kibum called him again.
“Let me send it. I have a different name for aunty there.”
And if it was an anime series, Taemin might have sprouted cat ears and a tail. Something is up.
That’s why when everyone else were dancing and singing to Seaside, he slipped beside Minho and whispered something in his ear.
“Now that you mentioned it, Jonghyun hyung did the same when Jinki hyung tried to play with his phone yesterday.” The tall drummer said. “I think there is really something up.”
The youngest males exchanged glances when Kibum and Jonghyun went out of the room to order more food. Taemin grabbed Kibum's bag immediately and rummaged for the silver phone. Minho already got Jonghyun's phone because the singer left it on the table.
“What are you doing, Taemin? Kibum oppa wouldn’t like that!” Sulli said. They all knew that Kibum didn’t allow anyone to touch his stuff without his consent.
“I found it Minho hyung!” the young dancer said, ignoring Sulli’s warning.
Amber and Jinki would have stopped them, if only they didn’t know what was going on. They were also curious of the ‘over protectiveness’ of the pair with their phones. So when Taemin tapped the screen and when Minho flipped the other phone, they were a little surprised to see a picture of Jonghyun, with his weird habit of sleeping with his eyes half open as Kibum's wallpaper. It was the same in Jonghyun's phone, only, Kibum was the one sleeping.
Even in that state of mild shock, they managed to put things back before the pair returned. They all knew that it won’t really be pretty if they got caught. And when Jonghyun and Kibum finally came back with more snacks and drinks, they acted as if they knew nothing. Because in reality, they really had no idea what was happening between the two, aside from what they could see.
For the rest of the evening, the five noticed that the other two acted different with each other. Different, as in, they were much closer than before because when Jonghyun tried to make Kibum eat corn chips, which the younger called evil food, he declined but end up opening his mouth and munching on the chips. They also noticed how Jonghyun would whisper something on Kibum's ears and Kibum would giggle.
- - -
It was a busy night in the Kim’s house in Daegun. Members of the family were going here and there doing some last minute preparations for Christmas Eve. Kibum was helping his almoni in the kitchen. He was mixing colors for the icing while the choco-marble cake was in the oven. Chunhee was watching him ‘magic’ blue and yellow for green.
When the timer dinged he got pot holders and pulled the cake out. He turned it over on the revolving tray to cool down a bit before putting on the icing.
It was just a quarter passed ten in the evening when they finished all the cooking and cleaning. They decided to call it a night and just wake up again at midnight. Out of habit, Kibum just sat on the sofa in the living room, the tv was on but he was not watching. Since he learned that Santa was his dad, he didn’t sleep while waiting for midnight. His reminiscing was cut off when his phone rang.
“Yoboseyo?”
“You’re still awake?”
“No. Maybe I’m sleep talking.” Kibum answered sarcastically. He received a chuckle from the other line.
“Don’t tell me you are camping out, waiting for Santa?”
“No, Chunhee is doing that.”
And they continued to talk about random stuffs from Santa to the falling snow to how the night sky was so clear at that moment.
“Hey, can you see the moon from where you are?”
Kibum looked outside the window but there was no moon in that angle. He stood up and walked to the window and sat on by the windowsill. “Yes I can see it now. Then what?”
“Can you see the bright star to the left?” Kibum nodded but realized that the other won’t see him so he said yes again. “Look at that star, I’m also looking at it now. Imagine that we are just sitting side by side.”
Kibum didn’t notice the time so he was surprised when the other person stopped mid-sentence and sing.
♪♫Ulmyeon andwae
Ulmyeon andwae
Santahalabeojineun uneun aiegen
Seonmuleul an jusindae
Santahalabeojineun algo gyesindae
Nuga chakan aenji nabbeunaenji
Oneulbame danyeogasindae
Jam jal ddaena ileonal ddae
Jjajeungnael ddae jangnanhal ddaedo
Santahalabeojineun modeun geoseul algo gyesindae
Ulmyeon andwae ulmyeon andwae
Santahalabeojineun uneun aiegen
Seonmuleul an jusindae♪♫
“Merry Christmas, Bummie.”
Kibum laughed.
“Yah! Why are you laughing?”
“You are so cheesy, Jjong!” he replied, still laughing. But deep inside, he was touched.
Jonghyun was still whining on the other end when Kibum heard Chunhee squeal when she saw a big present with her name under the tree.
“Merry Christmas too, Jjong.”
- - -
- 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11a - 11b - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 -
a/n: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! LOL! So yeah…I was talking about this way way waaaaaaaaaay before…uhm…this chapter is so lo~ng again and I can’t really cut it because…well February is almost over and I’m still talking about Christmas stuff /killself
btw. All my fics are un-betad so there are always errors…please be forgive me~
m(_ _)m
the next update will most probably be next month because I have tons of homeworks and school stuff and Super Show 3 is next week and I still have to prepare (gaaaaaaaaaah!!! I still don’t know the dance steps and fanchats and my support stuff are not yet ready!!! TT^TT)
uhm…ENJOY? ♥
credits to: emagasia for the lyrics
photo by:DexterousDamsel@deviantart
Genre: Fluff, Drama, Romance, High School AU
Paring: JongKey
Rating: PG-13 to be safe
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything just the plot and my imagination.
Summary: Life can be a bitch sometimes.
Word count: ~5,500
a/n: this chapter is soooo long again. so sorry OTL
Part 12: Twinkle, twinkle little star
- - -
He pulled the covers tighter to himself as he shifted on his bed. It was really cold even with the heater running and he was wrapped into a cocoon with his duvet and had a thick jacket on and the fact that he was coming down with a fever was not even helping. Who was there to blame but himself? He got out of the house without his jacket and stayed there for a while. When he got back, he got himself a cold shower hoping that the hotness of his cheeks would somehow disappear. But his immune system couldn’t make it somehow. He went out the bathroom with a slight head ache, shivering and sniffing.
It’s not my fault! It’s Kim Jonghyun's fault! He fought back with his innerself.
Well, true enough. If not for what the singer did, maybe Kibum won’t be standing out in the cold without a jacket and wouldn’t be feeling that knots in his stomach and Kibum could really go on. But his phone vibrated on his night stand, cutting his list of “It was Kim Jonghyun's fault and not mine!”
A muffled “Yoboseyo?” came out of his mouth because of his cold and the quilt covering his entire head and body.
“Hey, you okay?” the caller asked.
“Yeah.” But a sudden sneeze betrayed Kibum right away.
“You’re sick.” It was not a question, and the dancer’s caller was sure of his statement. “I’ll just talk to you tomorrow, neh? Take a rest now.”
“...”
“Sleep tight. Dream of me, Babe.” And he chuckled after that. “Good night.”
“I can’t sleep.” Kibum whispered, but still loud enough for the other to hear him. Oh, how he felt like a little boy asking his mom to tell him a bed time story before going to bed.
“Aaaaw~ my poor baby.” Kibum wanted to snort or say something smart but with the pounding in his head he just managed a whine. And that made the other chuckle. “What do you want to do then?” the other asked as he shifted on his own bed.
“Sing me a lullaby.”
There was no reply from him and just the sound of covers as he shifted on a sitting position. Then he sang their song. The pureness of his voice without the piano accompaniment was so soothing. Not long after, Kibum's eyelids became heavy but he fought sleep.
Must be those stupid meds. Kibum thought. How he hated those capsules.
Ironic, wasn’t it not? He was actually complaining that he couldn’t sleep earlier and now he was doing his best to stay awake. But he lost that battle. His hold on his phone loosened and his eyelids finally gave in.
He knew that Kibum was already asleep but he continued the song ‘til the end. He smiled from the other end just imagining how the younger slept.
“Good night princess.”
- - -
His head was still pounding when he woke up late the next day. His vision swirled when he sat up and he heard a crash when he tried to reach for his clock. He let his head fall back on his pillows and waited ‘til his ceiling was not fuzzy-wuzzy anymore.
According to his clock, it was passed ten am already. It was way, way beyond his “Chunhee wakeup call” which was usually at eight in the morning. He assumed that his mom told her not to disturb him since he was not feeling well. He carefully sat up, to avoid another round of vertigo and checked what fell a while ago.
“Oh no! No! No! NOOO!” he whined, more of groaned with his voice stuck in his dry throat.
Kibum saw the familiar back of the picture frame that was sitting on his bedside table. Together with it were shards of broken glass. The precious picture of him with his lovely Prince! He moved to the edge of his bed and wore his slippers, picked up the frame and moved the shattered glass away from the photo. He decided to call ahjuma and ask her to clean the mess. The sick dancer kept the photo in his drawer and made his way out his room and to the stairs.
Kibum was lucky that ahjuma was just about to make her way to the second floor so he didn’t really have to look for her. When he reached the living room, he heard Chunhee talking to someone and her voice seemed to come from the kitchen.
“Appa! I wanna cook too~ please, please~?” she said.
Appa? Her dad is here? That’s new! Kibum thought as he continued walking. He saw her sitting on the counter while trying to look over the direction of the stove. Then someone picked her up and carried her. Whoever it was, Kibum was not able to see because of the indoor plant in that area. I knew it! Putting that plant there is a stupid idea!
“What are you doing here?” Kibum asked when he finally reached the dining area and was able to identify who the guest was.
Chunhee and her Appa both turned their heads on his direction. The little girl beamed at him.
“Ki umma~ you’re awake now! Halmoni said you are sick that’s why I didn’t wake you up…” she called Kibum's mom halmoni even if she was, in reality, her aunt because Kibum was her umma. The guy let her down and she went to Kibum who was sitting on one of the chairs. “Hyun appa came over and he said that he will take care of you!”
Kibum picked her up and sat her on his lap. It took him a while to let the idea sink in.
“He is what?!” he blurted out, which made Chunhee jump a little.
“Bummie, just sit there and chill okay? This soup is almost done.” Jonghyun said from the other side as he stirred the soup.
“That’s right Ki umma~ Hyun appa cooked something for you. And it is soooo yummy!!!”
There was a clutter of utensils and porcelain and the wafting smell of mushroom soup which Kibum really loved overwhelmed his nostrils. Jonghyun placed the bowl on the table and sat beside Kibum.
“Eat.” He said simply as he looked at Kibum with that endearing smile.
“Is that even safe to eat?” Kibum said as he looked at the food with dislike on his face.
Chunhee, who was still on Kibum's lap, leaned towards the table and inhaled the appetizing aroma as she closed her eyes comically.
“Mmmmmm~ smells sooooo good!!! Hyun appa, daebak!!!” she raised two thumbs up to Jonghyun and smiled. But before she could praise Jonghyun some more, ahjuma called her because it was already time for her SpongeBob show. “Bye Ki umma, eat well okay? Bye Hyun appa, take care of umma for me, ne?” she said as she hopped of off Kibum's lap and ran to her room.
“C’mon Bummie, eat this now. It won’t taste good if it is already cold.” Jonghyun said as he stirred the soup.
“What if you put something in here and something weird happens to me, huh?”
“Like what? Poison? You know I would never do that.” And he scooped a spoonful, brought it toward his mouth and blew on it gently. “Open your mouth, aaaah~”
But Kibum still refused. Jonghyun put the spoon back into the bowl and leaned back on his chair.
“Aish Bummie, you’re really a baby sometimes.” Jonghyun mumbled under his breath which Kibum didn’t hear. “I’ll eat some first so you can make sure that it’s safe. Then you eat the rest, deal?”
“Deal.”
Jonghyun swallowed the spoonful that he got for himself and nothing happened. He scooped another and held it towards Kibum's lips. Kibum reached for the spoon and fed himself.
“What can you say? It’s delicious right?” Jonghyun said as he leaned closer to Kibum, his eyes twinkling.
“It’s just typical. Nothing special.” He replied and tried to stop himself from pinching Jonghyun's cheeks when the other pouted.
“You’re always mean.” Jonghyun whined, but he recovered right away. “Anyways, you finish that okay? I’ll ask ahjuma to prepare a warm bath for you.” He stood up and walked to the same direction that Chunhee took. “Don’t go anywhere until there is not even a single drop of soup in that bowl.”
Silence rung through the kitchen, Kibum sighed and reached for the spoon. He started eating in silence, there were thoughts running in his head but he couldn’t sort them out. He continued eating and before he knew it, the soup was almost gone.
“Aw, my baby is eating well.” Jonghyun said as he came back and stood behind Kibum. “Should you get a price for that? Hmmm?” he thought out loud.
“Oh, yey~ I get a price.” Kibum said with fake enthusiasm. Then he turned his head to the right and came face to face with a smiling Jonghyun.
“Sure, you do Babe.”
Kibum didn’t flinch when Jonghyun leaned closer. He didn’t know where the guts came from, maybe he just felt like teasing the older. Or maybe he was just curious on what that price would be. Yes. Let’s choose the second option, since Kibum could be a kid sometimes and ‘a price’ would mean his favourite ice cream with cherry and sprinkles on top.
And by the way, have you ever heard of the phrase ‘Curiosity killed the cat’? Well, no, not really. But you see, when Jonghyun's lips touched his and his heart kind of skipped a few times while he also forgot how to breathe and felt like a stiff plank of wood like that of the chair he was sitting on at the moment made Kibum feel like he just… died. Not to mention that it lasted way, way shorter than that of last night (refer to: peck).
God, Kibum! You are an over acting bitch! His inner-self said as he smacked Kibum's head imaginarily.
But Jonghyun's chuckles brought him back to life, erm to earth I mean. So! Kibum snapped his head to look -or rather glare but since his eyelids were a bit heavy all that while and looking at the other was all he could manage-at Jonghyun who was standing by his right side. He had that stupid-but-really-really-angelic smile of his again and Kibum was really wondering if his fever was the cause of the warm feeling creeping on his cheeks.
“C’mon, your bath is ready. My dad said the Lavender and Chamomile extracts would make you feel better.” Jonghyun said as he reached for Kibum's hand and pulled him up from the chair. “Hey, can you walk or do you want me to carry you?”
“Mister Kim Jonghyun, just so you know, I only have a fever. I am not disabled.” Kibum hissed. Really, what’s wrong with this guy?
“Oh sorry.” He scratched the back of his nape and smiled sheepishly at the younger. “It’s my first time to take care of another person.”
Yeah right, you are the son of a doctor anyways. Kibum wanted to say but acted against it with an audible sigh. “Whatever. I’ll just go take a bath. You take care of Chunhee.” He said as they made their way up the stairs.
“Ne~ take your time in the water, it would feel nice.” Jonghyun added before going inside Chunhee’s room.
When he was inside the bathroom, he smelled the relaxing aroma of lavender and chamomile, it was inviting. He shivered when he took off his clothes but felt better when he dipped in the warm water. It sure was relaxing. Maybe he would follow what the older told him; take his time.
- - -
The credits rolled and SpongeBob was over. Chunhee moved from her spot on the carpeted floor to her Hyun appa’s lap.
“Hyun appa, what can we do now? SpongeBob is already away and Ki umma is not here too.” She said as she poked Jonghyun's cheeks.
“Wut chu wunt to do dem?” Jonghyun said as Chunhee pushed his cheeks forming a fish face.
Chunhee giggled. She often did that with her Ki umma and playing with Hyun appa was fun too.
“Let’s play, Hyun appa.” she skipped of his lap and pulled him towards her toys. Then Jonghyun remembered something.
“Chunhee-ah, I have something for you in my car. We could play with that instead.” He said as Chunhee was setting up her little cups and saucers.
“Kyaaa~! Really??? Can we get it now Hyun appa?” she asked as she raised both hands towards Jonghyun. He picked her up in her arms and they made their way to the garage.
Jonghyun arrived before Kibum's mom left and she was more than enthusiastic to let him in. And since both of Kibum's parents would be gone, she told Jonghyun to park in there instead of leaving the car by the road.
A soft beeping sound was heard and Jonghyun opened the passenger’s door. He still had Chunhee on his arms as he grabbed his present for the little girl.
“What is this Hyun appa?” she asked when he handed it to her as they made their way back to her room.
“Stars.”
“Stars? Stickers?”
“Nope. Real stars that shine during the night.” He said as he put her down on floor. She handed it back to Jonghyun for him to open it and indeed it contained stars. Glow in the dark stars.
“Do you like it, Chunhee-ah?”
“Ne, Appa!!!” and she went to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her head on his shoulder. Jonghyun was a little taken aback with the action, but he sure could get used to that. “Kamsahaeyo, Hyunnie Appa~” she said happily.
“You are welcome, little princess.” He replied as he hugged her back. “Should we set them up now?”
“Ne!!!”
They tied the strings on the stars as they played around, making silly faces with each other. When they were done, Jonghyun asked her where she did she want to put the stars and she pointed on the ceiling above her bed. And he smiled.
“Ah, but, Hyun appa can’t reach that. Chunhee-ah should help.”
They put the stars in a bag and Jonghyun put Chunhee on his shoulders. They played for a while, Jonghyun going around her room as she pretend to fly. When they stopped, Jonghyun stepped up on the bed and Chunhee reached for a star. She extended her little arms up, up, up until the first star dangled successfully on her ceiling.
After they hanged the last star, the fell on the bed with their arms spread out, tired with all the reaching up thingie. They stared at the star-filled ceiling and hi-fived at their accomplished work. Jonghyun closed his eyes after that and was a little surprised when he felt a sudden weight on his stomach and found Chunhee sitting there.
“Thank you, Hyun appa~” she said lovingly as she hugged the boy who hugged her back.
“You are very welcome darling.” He replied.
They have just started to play that airplane game when Kibum came in calling them for lunch.
- - -
Kibum's head lolled to the side and he opened his eyes again. He was wrapped around a blanket again, huddled beside Jonghyun on the corner of the sofa as they watched “Tangled” in the entertainment room*. His temperature rose up again after they ate lunch so he had to take those ‘stupid meds’ again. Chunhee was sprawled on the floor with her pink teddy bear enjoying how Rapunzel used her hair to escape from the cave. Jonghyun, whose arm was resting on the back of the sofa, shook Kibum lightly when the younger’s head rested on his shoulder. Kibum opened his eyes and raised his head to look at Jonghyun.
“You’ll hurt your neck if you sleep like that. Lie down properly.” Jonghyun said as he adjusted and placed a throw pillow on his lap.
Kibum mumbled some incoherent words before sprawling on the longer side of the sofa, head on Jonghyun's lap. He dozed off immediately after that.
Jonghyun was starting to nod off too when he heard a shriek from Chunhee. He snapped back to wakefulness and looked around to see what was going on. Oh yeah, Rapunzel and her prince charming. He sighed and checked on his own princess. Kibum was still sleeping soundly, not aware of the death defying adventures on the screen. Jonghyun traced Kibum's facial features with his eyes, admiring how the younger looked so peaceful in his sleep. The irony of life, he thought, how could you be so angelic when you are sleeping but sinfully gorgeous when you are awake, oh? His eyes landed on the younger’s slightly parted lips…
“Hyun appa… what are you doing?” Chunhee called, the credits were rolling and she was then looking at her umma and appa on the couch. Jonghyun's arm was comfortably placed on Kibum's waist and his other hand was caressing the younger’s hair. He just placed his index finger on his lips, telling Chunhee to keep it down. The little girl got what her appa was saying and she zipped her lips. Jonghyun just smiled at her. She grabbed the remote control first and turned the projector and the player off before walking towards the couch.
“Appa, Chunhee is also sleepy.” She rubbed her eyes with one hand while the other was holding the teddy bear’s hand.
“Okay. Shall the three of us sleep together in your room then?” he asked as he patted her hair softly.
She just nodded after a yawn. Jonghyun smiled at her again before shifting to pick Kibum up and just carry him to the room. But the sick dancer opened his eyes and sat up; rubbing his eyes the way Chunhee did earlier.
“Bummie, can you walk? Chunhee wants to sleep together in her room.” Jonghyun asked as he stood up and stretched a little.
Kibum nodded after a yawn, stretching his arms towards Jonghyun to pull him up from the couch.
- - -
“Chunhee sleeps in the middle.” The little girl said when Kibum found his place on Chunhee’s bed.
“Of course, little princess.” Jonghyun said as he smiled and walked to the other side of the bed. He laid down and pulled the covers on the three of them. The afternoon sun peeked through the floor-length curtains giving them a warmer feel.
“Good night Ki umma… good night Hyun appa.” She said before pulling Kibum's and Jonghyun's arm to hug her.
“Good night Baby.” Kibum mumbled, eyes already closed as he lied on his side hugging Chunhee closer.
“G’night Chunhee-ah.” Jonghyun replied. I could really get used to this, he thought with a smile on his lips before he followed the other two in dream land.
- - -
“Appa… Hyun appa~”
Jonghyun cracked an eye open and saw a tuff of brown hair leaning on his shoulder. He remembered about their afternoon nap but was still too sleepy to get up. Playing with a hyper-active kid and taking care of a sick diva felt like the last bit of his energy was drained out of him. So he just hugged the figure closer, eyes closed again, humming lightly for the little girl to continue. But instead, he heard giggles from his other side-that other side which was supposed to be vacant. He shot up from his position and the sudden movement made the other male on his side groaned and shifted in his sleep.
“Yah, Chunhee-ah! What are you doing there?” he asked quietly, careful not to disturb Kibum.
The little girl sat on the end of the bed, a sweet smile plastered on her lips. “Chunhee woke up to pee. Then when she returned, Ki umma and Hyun appa…” her giggles were muffled as she covered her mouth with her hands.
Jonghyun didn’t need Chunhee to continue on her little story because he kinda knew it already. He thought Kibum was Chunhee. So when he felt someone pressing closer to his body, he just pulled him-in Jonghyun's head it’s a her- closer against his body.
“Ki umma just needs a hug because he is feeling cold.” Jonghyun tried to explain and he was lucky that the little girl seemed to buy it quickly. He pulled the covers off of him and got off the bed. Chunhee stretched her arms up to him and he picked her up. They were on the stairs when the doorbell rang.
“I’ll go get it.” Jonghyun said as he made his way towards the gate-monitor with Chunhee still in his arms. She pressed the button and they heard the people coming in.
“Jonghyun hyung?”
“Hey lover boy, you are here!”
They greeted when he opened the door.
“What are you guys doing here?” Jonghyun asked when they were all settled in the living room. Chunhee was sitting on his lap playing with his fingers.
“We should ask you that.” Amber said as she grabbed an apple from the fruits basket that they brought.
“That’s right. We’re here because ahjuma said that Kibum was sick when we called earlier and since we are his friends, we came over.” Sulli answered.
“So hyung, why are you here?” Taemin asked again.
“Hyun appa is here to take care of Ki umma~!” Chunhee answered for him earning shocked faces from the three visitors.
“Uhm, Chunhee-ah, go check if your Ki umma is awake now.” Jonghyun said, placing the little girl down and sending her upstairs.
“Did that little angel really called you Hyun appa or I was hearing things?” Amber asked, the apple forgotten in her hands.
“You’re not the only one who heard it noona.”
“What did you told her to call you that? And she seemed close to you too!” Sulli commented, her round eyes scanning Jonghyun as if he told them that he was a secret agent of some elite department.
“Yah! What did I do? Chunhee-ah was the one to call me that when I arrived this morning. She was actually calling me Hyun oppa yesterday-“
“What happened yesterday?” Sulli cut through him.
“It’s a long story.” Jonghyun tried to reason out.
“Then make it short, duh.” Amber said then she turned on her apple again.
“We met at the mall yesterday. I saw Chunhee first, she was lost and yes, I was the one who found her and it turned out that she was Kibum's cousin. And that’s it!”
“You are leaving parts out, hyung.” Taemin said as he narrowed his eyes on Jonghyun.
“What? You said I make it short!” that earned him more glares and he sighed. “Okay! I went around the mall with them. And I dropped them home.”
“What did you do in the mall?”
“Ate ice cream, played in the arcade, ate dinner and watched a movie.”
“You are lying.” Taemin finally said after a moment of silence wherein the three of them recovered from their shock.
“No, he is telling the truth.” Kibum said as he joined them in the living room.
“Oh, umma! How are you feeling now? You look kind of paler than usual.” Taemin noted as Kibum sat on the space opposite Taemin.
“Just a little headache now, the fever is gone. I guess.”
“Hm. Seems like your husband is doing a good job.” Amber said which Sulli agreed as she nodded her head.
“Shut up.” Jonghyun and Kibum said in unison, making them both look away.
“By the way, don’t you think we should schedule our own Christmas party? Let’s go to a norebang!” and Kibum was glad that Amber changed the topic for him.
“Yes umma! It’s been a long time since we went to one.” Taemin said, his index finger tapping lightly on his cheeks as he thought about it.
“And we can invite Jonghyun oppa too!” Sulli exclaimed as she clapped her hands together.
“And Minho hyung too!” that earned Taemin weird glances but they just dropped it off when he added that coming to a norebang with the whole band would be fun.
“Yeah whatever. Just schedule it before the twenty-second. We will be spending Christmas with almoni in Daegun.” Kibum said.
“Hey you didn’t tell me about that.” Jonghyun said as he turned to get a better view on Kibum who was sitting beside him.
“Well you didn’t ask.” The younger replied, shrugging his shoulders and plucking a grape from the basket.
“But they didn’t ask either!” Jonghyun whined.
“You’re bickering like a married couple again.” The trio said in chorus followed by a round of laughter.
The three stayed for a little more but decided to leave before dinner. In the end, they agreed to go to the norebang at the seventeenth which was two days from now. Taemin said he had some projects to finish so that he would be free on the seventeenth. Amber said that her mother wanted her to run some errands. And Sulli just made a lame excuse so as not to be left together with Kibum and Jonghyun. And with that, they were both alone again.
“I think I should go too.” Jonghyun said breaking the dragging silence as the were enjoying the hot choco that ahjuma gave them. Chunhee was in her room totally fascinated with the stars that they put up earlier.
“NO!” Kibum said, a little too loud than what he meant it to be. “I mean, aren’t you gonna wait for mom before going?”
Jonghyun placed his cup on the coffee table and patted Kibum's hair. “You can just ask me to stay longer. But okay, I won’t go home yet.” Kibum pouted, obviously defeated. The older chuckled and was not able to resist himself from pecking Kibum's pouty lips. That made Kibum back away in surprise. It was a good thing that the hot liquid in his cup was almost finished and if it wasn’t, it might have spilled over the both of them.
“Sorry, I-”Jonghyun was not able to finish because Kibum's lips silenced him. But it was gone as soon as he felt it.
“Truce.” The younger said as he smiled, his dimples showing. I can get used to this.
“Aegyo~!!!” Jonghyun poked Kibum's dimples and Kibum flailed his arms trying to shoo the other away.
- - -
“Amber-ssi, you didn’t tell us that you are really a great rapper!” Jinki said after the score was flashed.
“Yah! Jinki-ah, you can just call me Amber. It feels weird with the formalities and we are partying here.”
They all laughed. Taemin was right that it was more fun if they invited Jonghyun, Minho and Jinki. They were really enjoying themselves singing songs of famous Kpop and foreign artists. Sometimes they would even dance to certain songs. They also had a contest where the person to get the lowest score would have to do a certain dare.
“Why do I feel like this happened before?” Jonghyun asked when the dare was finalized. Kibum slapped his arm at that, knowing full well that the lead singer was talking about their class’ Christmas party. “What?!” he asked Kibum innocently.
“Whatever.”
In the end, it was Jinki who got the lowest score. “And you call yourself a singer, hyung?” Minho teased.
- - -
“Kibum hyung, can I borrow your phone? Mine’s dead. I’ll just text my mom that I’ll be later than usual.” Taemin said from across the little space that they were in. Kibum just nodded and pointed towards his bag on the sofa.
“Go find it there.” He said and went to reach for the glass of iced tea.
When Taemin just declared that he saw found it, Kibum chocked in his beverage. “Wait! Wait!” he said between his coughing fit. They all stopped, even Sulli who was singing. “Give that to me first.” Taemin handed the phone to Kibum, confused.
When it was given back to Taemin, it already showed the message screen. That made him more confused and curious. He knew how to navigate through that phone, so why would Kibum do that? He typed the message and was about to send it when Kibum called him again.
“Let me send it. I have a different name for aunty there.”
And if it was an anime series, Taemin might have sprouted cat ears and a tail. Something is up.
That’s why when everyone else were dancing and singing to Seaside, he slipped beside Minho and whispered something in his ear.
“Now that you mentioned it, Jonghyun hyung did the same when Jinki hyung tried to play with his phone yesterday.” The tall drummer said. “I think there is really something up.”
The youngest males exchanged glances when Kibum and Jonghyun went out of the room to order more food. Taemin grabbed Kibum's bag immediately and rummaged for the silver phone. Minho already got Jonghyun's phone because the singer left it on the table.
“What are you doing, Taemin? Kibum oppa wouldn’t like that!” Sulli said. They all knew that Kibum didn’t allow anyone to touch his stuff without his consent.
“I found it Minho hyung!” the young dancer said, ignoring Sulli’s warning.
Amber and Jinki would have stopped them, if only they didn’t know what was going on. They were also curious of the ‘over protectiveness’ of the pair with their phones. So when Taemin tapped the screen and when Minho flipped the other phone, they were a little surprised to see a picture of Jonghyun, with his weird habit of sleeping with his eyes half open as Kibum's wallpaper. It was the same in Jonghyun's phone, only, Kibum was the one sleeping.
Even in that state of mild shock, they managed to put things back before the pair returned. They all knew that it won’t really be pretty if they got caught. And when Jonghyun and Kibum finally came back with more snacks and drinks, they acted as if they knew nothing. Because in reality, they really had no idea what was happening between the two, aside from what they could see.
For the rest of the evening, the five noticed that the other two acted different with each other. Different, as in, they were much closer than before because when Jonghyun tried to make Kibum eat corn chips, which the younger called evil food, he declined but end up opening his mouth and munching on the chips. They also noticed how Jonghyun would whisper something on Kibum's ears and Kibum would giggle.
- - -
It was a busy night in the Kim’s house in Daegun. Members of the family were going here and there doing some last minute preparations for Christmas Eve. Kibum was helping his almoni in the kitchen. He was mixing colors for the icing while the choco-marble cake was in the oven. Chunhee was watching him ‘magic’ blue and yellow for green.
When the timer dinged he got pot holders and pulled the cake out. He turned it over on the revolving tray to cool down a bit before putting on the icing.
It was just a quarter passed ten in the evening when they finished all the cooking and cleaning. They decided to call it a night and just wake up again at midnight. Out of habit, Kibum just sat on the sofa in the living room, the tv was on but he was not watching. Since he learned that Santa was his dad, he didn’t sleep while waiting for midnight. His reminiscing was cut off when his phone rang.
“Yoboseyo?”
“You’re still awake?”
“No. Maybe I’m sleep talking.” Kibum answered sarcastically. He received a chuckle from the other line.
“Don’t tell me you are camping out, waiting for Santa?”
“No, Chunhee is doing that.”
And they continued to talk about random stuffs from Santa to the falling snow to how the night sky was so clear at that moment.
“Hey, can you see the moon from where you are?”
Kibum looked outside the window but there was no moon in that angle. He stood up and walked to the window and sat on by the windowsill. “Yes I can see it now. Then what?”
“Can you see the bright star to the left?” Kibum nodded but realized that the other won’t see him so he said yes again. “Look at that star, I’m also looking at it now. Imagine that we are just sitting side by side.”
Kibum didn’t notice the time so he was surprised when the other person stopped mid-sentence and sing.
♪♫Ulmyeon andwae
Ulmyeon andwae
Santahalabeojineun uneun aiegen
Seonmuleul an jusindae
Santahalabeojineun algo gyesindae
Nuga chakan aenji nabbeunaenji
Oneulbame danyeogasindae
Jam jal ddaena ileonal ddae
Jjajeungnael ddae jangnanhal ddaedo
Santahalabeojineun modeun geoseul algo gyesindae
Ulmyeon andwae ulmyeon andwae
Santahalabeojineun uneun aiegen
Seonmuleul an jusindae♪♫
“Merry Christmas, Bummie.”
Kibum laughed.
“Yah! Why are you laughing?”
“You are so cheesy, Jjong!” he replied, still laughing. But deep inside, he was touched.
Jonghyun was still whining on the other end when Kibum heard Chunhee squeal when she saw a big present with her name under the tree.
“Merry Christmas too, Jjong.”
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a/n: MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! LOL! So yeah…I was talking about this way way waaaaaaaaaay before…uhm…this chapter is so lo~ng again and I can’t really cut it because…well February is almost over and I’m still talking about Christmas stuff /killself
btw. All my fics are un-betad so there are always errors…please be forgive me~
m(_ _)m
the next update will most probably be next month because I have tons of homeworks and school stuff and Super Show 3 is next week and I still have to prepare (gaaaaaaaaaah!!! I still don’t know the dance steps and fanchats and my support stuff are not yet ready!!! TT^TT)
uhm…ENJOY? ♥
credits to: emagasia for the lyrics
photo by:DexterousDamsel@deviantart