[F09] IN UN'ALTRA VITA
Prompt Code: F09
Title: in un'altra vita
Rating: PG
Side Pairings (if any): implied Chanyeol/Baekhyun, implied Yixing/Junmyeon
Warnings: platonic!kaisoo, friendship!kaisoo
Word Count: 6k
Summary: because in another life, they could have been; because in another life, they would have made each other stay, and in this world they had nothing to lose.
AN: I don't know whatever I did here but a huge thank you to the mods for their patience, kindness, and inspiring words! Song lyrics incorporated to this were a mix of Dionne Warwick’s and my playing with a few words. To everyone, I have never written Kaisoo in my whole life hence this is my very first and I tried and did my best so I hope you like it.
“As a man, casting off worn out garments taketh new ones, so the dweller in the body, entereth into ones that are new.”
― Epictetus
Kyungsoo’s almost halfway done with his first year in college. It has been nothing but a total wreck for him. He was more than glad to finally graduate and move away from his hometown to a city miles away with a mind filled with thoughts of determination but uncertainty. No one told him college was just hell levels higher (or hotter) than the inevitable high school he’s recently endured.
So it was just quite an ordinary day in the life of a miserable student when the doors to the classroom open five minutes after the bell rings, an equally miserable professor walking in without a care expected by everyone but in comes a stranger instead, hair tousled and chest heaving.
Everyone watches as he makes his way towards Kyungsoo and watches as he drops himself on the chair beside the wide-eyed boy looking at him incredulously but with curiosity. He gives him a shy smile, extending his hand out for a handshake.
“I hope this seat isn't taken?” The stranger asks in a sultry voice girls would probably have fallen for. Kyungsoo shakes his head and accepts the outstretched hand. “I’m Kim Jongin. You?”
“Do Kyungsoo.”
“Nice to meet you, Kyungsoo.” Jongin says giving the former another smile. Kyungsoo nods and turns to the commotion in front of the classroom, students shifting their attention from Jongin, seeing the professor tumbling in and muttering excuses and nonsense that Kyungsoo feels utterly exhausted once again.
“Say, Kyungsoo,” Jongin speaks up, startling him. “I’m new and basically know nothing about this school. I don't know anyone else since this is my first class for the day so would you mind showing me around?”
“Was that the reason why you were late today?”
Jongin’s expression turns into sheepishness and Kyungsoo chuckles before dismissing the question as a joke. “The professor’s way later than you anyway, so you’re still good. I’ll definitely be glad to show you around considering I’m probably going to be seeing you often too.”
Jongin’s lips curve into a smile, eyes forming into little crescent shapes. “Thanks! And yeah, you definitely will.”
“Kyungsoo hyung! Kyungsoo hyung!” The Music major turns to where his name was being called, spotting Jongin rushing towards him, backpack aggressively swinging behind him and papers in hand. Kyungsoo’s eyes narrow as Jongin comes to a stop before him, taking note of Jongin’s wind blown hair and disheveled appearance.
“Woke up late again, Jongin?”
“Hey, I got here in record time,” Jongin wheezes out, crumpling the papers in his hand as he bends down to catch his breath.
“Jongin, we’re like three months away to getting to second year. Drop the habit of staying up late, will you? Your eyebags are darker than the pits of Tartarus.”
“Well aren't you feisty today.” Jongin laughs, swinging an arm over Kyungsoo’s shoulders as they walk to their classroom. “I’m a late enrollee, remember? It’ll take some time before I catch up with you.”
“Honestly Jongin, are you so sure about this?” Kyungsoo asks, fingers clutched tight on the straps of his backpack. “I really do think you should focus more on Dance. Isn't that what you say you're majoring at?”
“Yeah, but if I wanted to get into a record company, a background in music and composition would be a big advantage to securing a spot.” Jongin replies.
“Nonsense,” Kyungsoo snorts. “your dancing is enough to convince them to let you in.”
“You haven't even seen me dance, hyung.” Jongin teases, nudging Kyungsoo with his shoulder.
“I know you dance well, Jongin.”
“And how would you know?”
“I just do.” Kyungsoo smiles up at him, reaching a hand out to ruffle Jongin’s already messy hair. “You should feel more confident about yourself, you know?”
“I think it’s enough that you’re confident in me.” Jongin tells him, a warm smile gracing his features as he wraps his arm tighter around the smaller boy, with a slight intention of never letting him go.
Jongin doesn't go to class the following week, worrying and irritating Kyungsoo enough to grumble while struggling to write notes on the music theories Jongin’s missed.
He leaves the room as soon as the bell rings, feet dragging behind him as an uncomfortable feeling settles in, a feeling brought about by the absence of heavy arms around his shoulders and constant whining in his ear. He was in short, missing Jongin terribly, his texts to the younger boy unreplied and calls unanswered.
He knows however where Jongin could have easily been, feet already keeping up and leading him to the 11th floor, a horde of students dressed in leotards and ballet shoes greeting him as he exits the elevator. He navigates his way through the ruckus until he reaches the room at the end of the hallway, knocking on the door before opening and peeping in.
The lights are out except for one faint yellowish light on the middle of the dance studio. Below it is a student lying on the floor, chest rising in heavy stuttering motions. Kyungsoo walks silently towards him, sitting down by Jongin’s head.
“Maybe, you should drop the minor, Jongin.” Kyungsoo tells him, moments after he runs a hand through sweaty hair. “We both know it's all you think about these days.”
“I’m not gonna have this conversation with you again, Kyungsoo.” Jongin soon lets out, eyes opening into small slits before they close once again. “I won't leave you alone.”
“Is this what it's all about?” Kyungsoo asks him. “You're worried about leaving me alone?”
“Exactly. If I leave you, who’ll be there to save you from your tormentors?”
“Jongin, they're just bullies who haven't gotten down from whatever pedestal they stood up on in high school. Their threats are empty, they don't scare me anymore.
“But I’m scared for you.” Kyungsoo confesses, looking down at Jongin. ”You're exhausted, Jongin. Don’t deny it. Your body doesn’t clearly lie.”
“It's worth it, though.” Jongin tells him.
“What is?” Kyungsoo asks and Jongin gets up, sits on crossed legs and grins a grin making his features look youthful, so boyish and relieved of the stress and exhaustion from bending over books and dancing through sleepless nights.
“Practicing how to play the piano with you and for you, working on my poor vocals, struggling with studies, and what else…” Jongin trails out, a thoughtful look on his face before it lights up once again. “oh yeah, and spending time with you.”
Kyungsoo snorts and rolls his eyes before he is attacked with pokes on his sides, letting out laughter that fill the empty studio. “You are such a baby, you couldn't survive without me nagging you like a mother.”
“And I wouldn't have made it this far if you didn't.” Kyungsoo laughs again and counterattacks Jongin’s numerous attempts at making him burst into louder laughter.
“And if it were so I would never stop,” Kyungsoo declares with finality, receiving a blinding smile in the end.
“That’s my Kyungsoo.”
Kyungsoo walks through the crowded hallway, murmurs and giggles heard from both his sides. He knows they're talking about him and he knows it's best he ignore them but it's becoming increasingly difficult to fend off those who resort to physical damage to get their points across.
He internally sighs. Freshman year. It’s a transition year, as they say. Either people get rid of their persons from high school or use it to their advantage. For Kyungsoo, it was the latter. It's difficult for Kyungsoo to wiggle out of every single confrontation, a curse he’s sure he's been bestowed with due to his offhand personality, height and small stature. Which is why Jongin took it to himself to act as a shield, a bodyguard for his best friend. He claims to be bigger, stronger, and tougher. He claims it’s why fate brought them together in the first place, he would tell him with a soft smile.
“It’s so I could protect you.” But Jongin was not with Kyungsoo that particular day.
He waits for the blow of a punch when a few more seconds later, it does not arrive and he sees another boy standing in front of him, petite body tense.
“Byun,” One of them sneers, face turning red as he eyes the newcomer. “get out of the way.”
“I don't think so. ‘Small pretty boys’ like big eyes and I here need to stick together to avoid being taken advantage of by boys like you.” The boy called Byun calmly says, eyebrow raised up in amusement as he watches the other boy before him splutter excuses and other gibberish, the rest of the crowd speaking to each other in faster and hush tones.
“What the hell are you talking about, Byun?” He scoffs, laughing aggressively to hide his discomfort at the questioning looks he’s getting.
“You know what I’m talking about, Jung.” Byun replies. “Your staring at my rear end is nothing but obvious. We’ve been classmates in all programs, do you think I wouldn’t notice?”
The boy’s jaw drops and his friends look at him in disbelief before bursting in angry confused shrieks. He hurriedly walks away, his friends towing behind him squawking in volumes until it fades away.
The crowd disperses in loud chatter having another business to talk about and the Byun boy turns to face Kyungsoo, smiling so wide his eyes disappear into adorable crescents. “Do Kyungsoo, right? I'm Byun Baekhyun. We had General Education last semester.”
“It's nice to meet you,” Kyungsoo tells him bowing slightly. “and thanks for saving me back there.”
“No problem!” Baekhyun exclaims. “Those self-proclaimed homophobes are not who they say they are, so keep away for your safety. Okay?”
Kyungsoo nods, absently following the boy to wherever he’s going. Baekhyun looks back and smiles kindly at Kyungsoo, walking slow to let Kyungsoo catch up with him. “You're surprisingly alone. Shouldn't Kim Jongin be all over you right now?”
“You know Jongin?”
“Everybody knows at least the majority in Music. We’re quite a small community.” Baekhyun explains, swaying from side to side. “And yet you’re usually seen around the Dance major.”
Kyungsoo’s cheeks warm up at the thought of everyone knowing his activities with the younger boy. No wonder everyone talked about him. Baekhyun senses Kyungsoo’s inner turmoil as his steps slow so he speaks up, “Ignore them, Kyungsoo. They’d talk about anything as long as it isn't them. Besides, people find it cute of Jongin to fend those bullies off himself.”
Kyungsoo smiles and Baekhyun is shocked at the sudden warmth present in his eyes, a warmth that could only be brought out of the seeming indifferent Music major by Jongin and Jongin solely. Then he sees the strong bond he once doubted ever existed between the two when the Dance major himself catches Kyungsoo’s eye, prompting him to bid Baekhyun a ‘see you around’ before jogging towards the blonde boy whose outstretched arms pull Kyungsoo strongly against his chest despite the little squeaks of protest from him.
Baekhyun smiles at the scene. If he didn't know better, he would've mistaken the two as a couple in a loving relationship. Maybe they were, he muses; maybe they just didn't know it yet.
Kyungsoo taps his pen against his temple, mind clearly filled of anything else but the project on his table. It was a collaboration with Jongin but he was currently out on a date on a chilly Saturday evening. He decides to start on his part without the other boy, knowing it’ll let them finish in time for the deadline.
He doesn’t realize it’s striking eight in the evening when his stomach grumbles in hunger. The microwave timer’s down to 12 seconds when knocks on his front door startle him. He is shocked to see Jongin on the other side, eyes casted down and a nasty looking cut on his cheek.
Kyungsoo immediately pulls the silent boy in. He starts treating the cut moments later, eliciting a hiss from the injured boy, the first that’s ever come out from his mouth since he came knocking on his door.
“What happened, Jongin?” Kyungsoo asks him, dabbing the cut with disinfectant. “I wasn’t expecting you ‘till ten o’clock.”
“She slapped me,” Jongin murmurs, to which Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at.
“I know, idiot,” Kyungsoo tells him. “the cut’s as long as the earth’s distance to the sun. The real question is why?”
“I honestly don’t know myself. We were having a good time and was heading out to grab dinner when we met this other girl I knew from class on the way. She stopped to have a quick talk.”
“Apparently, it mustn't have been quick enough and maybe a bit too friendly for her comfort.”
“Are you gonna stitch me up?” Jongin asks, voice rising and thinning in nervousness. “Do you even know how? That needle looks rusty!”
“Shut up,” Kyungsoo growls, pulling Jongin back who started scooting farther away from him who at all of a sudden looked sinister wielding a sharp needle in one hand and thread in the other. “of course I would know. I wouldn’t kill you through badly done stitches and a ‘rusty’ needle. That would be too gentle for me.”
Kyungsoo ignores the cries of ‘too gentle?’, ‘really? You’re gonna kill me in more drastic ways?’, and ‘I thought you cared for me!’ as he starts on his task trying to drone out the whimpers coming out from Jongin. He bites his lips, too affected by his friend’s reactions to pain, his whimpers akin to a puppy’s go louder and more pathetic, his eyes squeezed tightly shut and hands clutched tightly closed into fists.
“Whoever you were on a date with is a monster,” Kyungsoo says jokingly, trying to distract Jongin from the tension and pain he’s feeling. “her nails must be claws. They cut deep through the skin.”
“Well, she’s gonna have a hard time getting rid of her new nail polish then.” Jongin says, Kyungsoo bursting out in laughter at the morbid thought of it.
“At least that’s the last she’ll ever see of you ever.” Kyungsoo tells him, patting Jongin’s other cheek comfortingly. “That’s done. Don’t smile or frown too much, the stitches might open up.”
“Can I smile as big as I can right now?” Jongin asks, proceeding to smile so wide despite Kyungsoo’s protests. Jongin’s eye twitches at the pain and he could feel the stitches against his skin, still sensitive and uncomfortable but he couldn’t care less right now. He’s got a reason to smile tonight and it's a reason characterized by heart-shaped lips, doe eyes, and a laugh like wind chimes swaying in the breeze.
Kyungsoo and Baekhyun have been spending time quite often now, ever since Jongin dropped his music program and focused on his major. It’s been lonely for Kyungsoo at first-his time with Jongin incredibly reduced due to recitals and night-long practices-but he’s managed with the help of new friends whose chatty personalities clash against his but keep him grounded.
He was just leaving classes with a dimpled boy named Junmyeon in tow when he was suddenly dragged away from him and into a warm chest, shirt smelling of a husky scent and something distinctly Jongin. Kyungsoo gives him a bright smile, wrapping his arms around Jongin’s waist.
“Jongin!” Kyungsoo squeals, hugging his best friend tighter. He hasn’t seen Jongin in days; whatever people might’ve thought about the suggestive position they were in, he didn’t care. He’s missed him badly.
“Kyung!” Jongin equally squeals back, almost carrying Kyungsoo off his feet.
“How are your classes? Are you doing fine? Have you been eating well?” Kyungsoo babbles on, Jongin chuckling all the while.
“Of course, I am.” Jongin tells him. “I’m sorry I couldn’t meet you sooner. I was fixing a few more requirements.” He eyes Junmyeon with a mild furrow of his eyebrows, not too menacing but unpleasant enough to have the boy fidgeting and looking awkward. “Who are you with, Kyung?”
“This is Junmyeon,” Kyungsoo introduces. “He’s friends with Baekhyun too.”
“I see.” Jongin curtly says, nodding at Junmyeon who only smiled widely back, despite the rather cold treatment he received from Jongin.
“I heard so much about you.” Junmyeon says. “Kyungsoo wouldn’t shut up about you.”
“He talks about… me?” Jongin asks, baffled at the sudden fact. Kyungsoo was not very open about his relationships with others, even if it were about his relationship with his pet dog. So it came as a shock to Jongin that Kyungsoo would in a short amount of time, just after he decided to part ways with his minor.
“Sure, he does!” Junmyeon cheerfully replies. “Don’t worry about Kyungsoo, Jongin. Baekhyun and I are looking after him. No one’s tried anything funny on him.”
“You talk about me.” Jongin states bluntly and Kyungsoo nods in confusion.
“Yeah, I do. Should I not?” Jongin grins wide back, shaking his head in amusement tinged with giddy glee.
“No, keep going.”
Jongin doesn’t let go of Kyungsoo that day, rough dry hands held in small soft ones. Jongin treats Junmyeon better afterwards, as much as letting the boy come with on their activities even if Junmyeon felt encroaching on something intimate. But Junmyeon could only look from the sideline. His little friend looked so blissful and comfortable, so different talking animatedly beside the taller one. He could only hope it stayed like that.
Kyungsoo goes to class bleary eyed and body nearly collapsing in exhaustion. He’s been up all night working on his recitals, head pounding irregularly from all the frustration of coming up with the lyrics to Chanyeol’s composition he made for their collaboration. Chanyeol with his tall frame and long legs helpfully drag the small sloth to their respective seats, eyes observing in worry.
“How did it go?”
Kyungsoo responds with a groan, slamming his head down on the table with an audible bang loud enough to turn heads from fellow classmates. Chanyeol politely grins at them before nudging Kyungsoo awake, receiving another groan.
“Chanyeol, I’m sorry.” Kyungsoo croaks out, the shame and guilt in his eyes. “I really haven’t made progress. The recitals is two weeks away and I’m barely finished.”
“There’s still so much time for you to finish it though.” Chanyeol says, patting him softly on the back. “No need to rush. Besides, I could always help you out!”
“No, no!” Kyungsoo says, his eyes going wide. “You did the composition, I promised to write the lyrics. I’ll finish it by this week, Chanyeol. I promise.”
“Well…” Chanyeol trails off, seeing Kyungsoo plead at him with his watery doe eyes and lips in a slight pout. He sighs and nods. “All right. But only if you promise to get enough sleep as well.”
“I promise.”
“You know you don’t have to try so hard making up the lyrics.” Chanyeol eventually tells him. “There’s a lot of things you can write about. It shouldn’t be anything big.”
“That’s the problem!” Kyungsoo says. “There are a lot of things I can write about. But they just aren’t good enough.”
“Why don’t you choose the one you’re most comfortable with then?” Chanyeol suggests. “If you do, writing the lyrics would be just a blur.”
Kyungsoo remains silent, mind going through different scenarios, different moments that happened in the past. He’s come to realize that most of them always involved one particular boy, hair blonde and skin sun-kissed mostly even as he twirls around the dance floor. His eyes are sharp but they sparkle when he sees him and his loud guffaw echo in his ears whenever Kyungsoo does something relatively embarrassing. But the same voice would whine and whimper when he seeks for his attention to which Kyungsoo would not even hesitate to give.
That’s when he realized what he’s missed. What he’s supposed to focus on, to write about. He hastily pulls out paper and pen from his bag, surprising Chanyeol beside him. His pen works fast against the paper, inking phrases and rhymes that mattered. Chanyeol reads the scrawny letters over Kyungsoo’s shoulders and he smiles once he understands and pats Kyungsoo on the head, letting the boy write as much as he can in peace.
It’s the smiles, Kyungsoo thinks. It’s the laughter, the hugs, the little gestures. It’s what he and Jongin had between each other that he could sing about. Love songs are nothing compared to what they had. Love songs don’t make sense and so he would write their own song.
His nerves rattle in nervousness. It’s time for recitals. The others have already finished, immediately going home with satisfied smiles on their faces. If only Kyungsoo could feel the very same after he and Chanyeol perform their own. And when they’re called up the stage, his whole frame shakes and Chanyeol pulls him along setting him in front of the microphone.
Chanyeol gives him an encouraging smile, guitar already on his lap. He mouths ‘ready when you are’ to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo nods and faces the panel before him, mouths set in tight thin lines and eyes waiting. Kyungsoo scans the theater, a small crowd seated all over, waiting for him to start as well. He sees Junmyeon nod at him and Baekhyun give him a thumbs up, along with a few glances to Chanyeol. Kyungsoo breaks a small chuckle at that. Kyungsoo doesn’t see Jongin, not that it surprised him. Jongin had his own recitals to ace and Kyungsoo couldn’t ask much of him to go.
But just when he opens his mouth and Chanyeol strums out the first chords does a rattle distracts him. In comes running Jongin, appearance as it always was when he’s running late for class. Jongin ignores the glares from the panel, making his way to the front seats and smiling up at him excitedly. Kyungsoo gapes at Jongin who was still dressed in his costume before smiling back. His body stops shaking and goes lighter in weight as if something so burdensome has been lifted off his shoulders. He stands more confidently on stage and belts out the song in ease.
I will love you endlessly,
With a love that’s only ours,
Ours to keep, ours to share,
A love that will always be there.
Keep smiling, keep shining,
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
I’ll be on your side forever more,
Isn’t that what I was made for?
Kyungsoo sings the remainder of the song with raw emotion and soul poured into it that he doesn’t notice the satisfied faces from the panel nor the amazement of the crowd for the small boy with the big voice. He doesn’t notice the brightening smile Jongin has on his face either; it was a shame, but that same smile makes its way to Kyungsoo when he spots him backstage and tackles him into a hug. Kyungsoo laughs, eyes wild from frenzy performing but it softens when Jongin tells him, “You did well. Let’s go home.”
Jongin sits up his bed when he hears his apartment door bang close. His senses go into alert when he hears that familiar voice, usually melodic now strained and hiccupping in what ought to be cries. He rushes out his room to see a heartbreaking scene of Kyungsoo, tears flowing from his eyes and lips quivering as he throws himself at him, his cries muffled against him.
Kyungsoo talks moments and a pack of tissues later, saying with a hoarse voice, “He's with someone else.”
“Who?”
“Junmyeon.” Kyungsoo tells him, tissue being played between his fingers. “I really like him. At first, I thought I was attached to him because he was like you, a brother whom I can rely on. Turns out it was the exact opposite and when I was about to tell him, I found him-” Kyungsoo chokes before continuing. “holding hands with some Chinese transferee with dimples.”
“You mean Zhang Yixing?” Kyungsoo turns to him, eyes wide in surprise.
“You know him?”
“He's one of the best in Dance.” Kyungsoo’s lips quiver and tears threaten to fall down his cheeks as he bawls out in incredulity and exhaustion.
“Of course he would go out with someone perfect like him.”
“Kyungsoo, why are you doing this?” Jongin asks. “You're perfect the way you are.”
“He’s cute, that Yixing.” Kyungsoo continues on, ignoring Jongin’s question. “And he has a really nice smile. Junmyeon literally brightens when he sees it. He's never smiled that much with me.”
“You make me smile as big as I thought I couldn't.”
“Shut up, Jongin.”
“No, really,” Jongin tells him, bringing Kyungsoo’s hands in his clasping them tightly. “You make me happy and I know what makes you happy too.”
Kyungsoo finds himself cocooned against Jongin in his bed, his legs tangled with longer ones and hot breath steadily felt against his neck while arms wrap themselves securely around his waist bringing him in closer to the heat Jongin’s body emits. Kyungsoo smiles in the darkness of the room, tears already drying on his cheeks. He tugs the arms away, ignoring the surprised yelp coming from the other boy, and turns around to his other side and dives his face in Jongin’s arms.
His arms go around Jongin’s waist this time and he hears Jongin chuckle before pulling him closer, Kyungsoo hiding his head under the arms toned by dancing.
He hears a breathy whisper humming to a familiar tune and then the words said so lovingly.
Keep smiling, keep shining,
Knowing you can always count on me, for sure
I’ll be on your side forever more,
Isn’t that what I was made for?
His cheeks feel warm and maybe it was the heat brought about by thick comforters and the barely working AC in Jongin’s room. But he knows it's far from that. It's a heat brought about by Jongin’s cuddles and he agrees-Jongin does make him happy and his cuddles are worth more than any heartache caused by Chinese transferees and dimpled boyfriends.
Kyungsoo ignores the staring he’s received from Baekhyun the whole day, prompting himself to focus on the piece he’s trying to master come practicals. However, Baekhyun’s stares start to unnerve him and when Junmyeon excuses himself from the table, Baekhyun grins.
“So, I see you've moved on?” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes.
“It wasn't anything serious.”
“Uh huh and I supposed Jongin’s got something to do with that?”
“What do you mean?” He asks, just before the mentioned boy comes strutting and takes a seat beside Kyungsoo, wrapping an arm around him and squeezing his shoulders in greeting. Another tall skinny boy is with him, face void of emotions. Kyungsoo smiles at the newcomer who’s wrapped himself around Baekhyun. Baekhyun ignores the boy latched to him like a parasite, his eyes sparkling with knowing.
“Will you be coming by the apartment tonight?”
“When haven't I?” Jongin smiles, canines sparkly white.
“We can watch a movie. Can we bake a cake, too?”
“Cheesecake.”
Jongin’s smile widens. “Gotta go, though. I’m late for class. See ya.” And with a pluck of rice cakes from Kyungsoo’s lunch, he goes along with the other boy Baekhyun’s had difficulty getting off of him himself. Kyungsoo turns back to Baekhyun whose eyebrows were currently waggling in tease.
“Quit it, Baekhyun.”
“Are you sure you guys aren't really together?”
“I could ask the same thing to you and Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo laughs as Baekhyun squawks in defense but fails as the latter’s cheeks pink at just the thought of Kyungsoo’s lanky friend.
“Jongin’s like my brother.” Kyungsoo tells him. “Well, like my little brother even though he’s mostly the one doing the protecting and all.”
“I’d say that would be the first sign of being territorial.”
“And I’d say that is ridiculous.” Kyungsoo retorts.
“I’d say it's ridiculous too for you not to see just how your actions seem more daring than what we are used to.” Baekhyun retorts back. “Kyungsoo, you and Jongin are practically all over each other. Holding hands, exchanging smiles, and even cuddling for goodness’ sake! If that doesn't scream in love then I don't know what it is.”
“It's love,” Kyungsoo says. “you're right. I love Jongin. But not that way. Not the way you want it to be.”
“Don't you wish it could be more?” Baekhyun asks, the air suddenly feeling somber, Kyungsoo’s non-stop tapping on paper slowing in irregular beats. Baekhyun’s iced tea goes bland and conversations around them mix in volume.
Kyungsoo rubs a hand over his face. And when he looks up again at his friend, he gives him a smile of content, of finality, of a smile that says everything's fine, everything is just where it is. As he conveys these feelings to a friend who simply could not understand his actions towards Jongin are nothing more than platonic, puzzle pieces clack together repeatedly in his head. “I love him like you love Sehun, in a way a tree loves its fruits. Yours to nourish but not all yours to cherish. And I quote, ‘he was never mine to lose. Why regret what could not be?’”
It was a mild but windy day for a ceremony. Women squeal as their togas flutter up in the wind, the men laughing and grinning among each other. It's graduation day and so many has happened.
Kyungsoo fingers with his graduation cap, standing by the theater doors. His parents have made their way to their seats in excitement, leaving him alone with the people he’s spent four years with. They weren't all pleasant but today, they send him kind smiles and brief greetings of congratulations. He looks for Junmyeon and Baekhyun in the crowd of black robes but Kyungsoo knows he shouldn't. The former must be with Yixing (he did see the Chinese Dance major waiting idly by the gates) and the latter must be engrossed with keeping possessive Sehun away from a confused Chanyeol.
He suddenly feels a presence looming over him and something soft press against his cheek. He turns to see Jongin smiling and holding two bouquets of flowers.
“I got your mom one. She deserves it for having a son who's finally graduating.” Jongin gestures to the other one. “Of course, you deserve one too. Happy graduation day, Kyung!”
Kyungsoo smiles. He thanks him just before his professor shouts at them and the graduation march starts playing. “I’ll be right inside. I’ll see you later.” He disappears with a scent of roses, daisies, and carnations lingering in the air.
He's a free man now. He's graduated. Robes billow in excitement and caps are thrown in the air, gold and silver confetti fall down on them like snow and a kiss lands on his lips. Kyungsoo looks at Jongin in shock only to see Jongin give him a smile.
“Congratulations.”
“Jongin, why did you-”
“Honorable Mention, huh? Why didn't you tell me?”
Kyungsoo's distracted by the question and he snorts in response. “It's nothing, Jongin. There's like six of us who got it. It's no big deal.”
“Yes, it is. When are you gonna have so much faith in yourself?” Jongin tells him.
“You obviously have faith in me. I think that's enough.” Jongin grins a knowing grin.
“You love me.”
“Of course I do.”
“You're in love with me.” Kyungsoo’s mouth goes agape before he tells him,
“And we know that isn't true.”
“Then that kiss doesn't change anything between us, right?”
“But why?” Kyungsoo asks him, searching for answers in a pair of eyes that suddenly seem so cloudy to read. He's always been so easy to interpret but he became distant as if cautious.
“Kyungsoo, do you really think we are meant to be?” Jongin asks. Robes disappear from their line of sight, noises fade away, Kyungsoo’s parents are making their way towards them, and Jongin’s face goes into serene calmness as he waits Kyungsoo's answer.
Kyungsoo knows Jongin knows. They've only been together with each other for four years, people have speculated so much about them. That never did bother them but even their close friends attempt to change all that. Kyungsoo gazes at Jongin. He was so handsome with his sun-kissed skin and plump lips. He was maddening with his mesmerizing dancing and sharp calculating eyes. He was nothing but an angel with his youthful innocence and kind personality.
He was gorgeous and he was his but not all to call his own. He was Kyungsoo's Jongin; like Sehun was to Baekhyun-clingy, loud, a brother, never a lover. Everyone sees them as what they are not but it could happen, he muses in his head. It could, why not, when they were like a coat and tie, a pair of magnets that always find their way to each other, a simile and a metaphor combined together in the most unique and complex form?
“Maybe we were in our past lives, and maybe we are in other worlds. I could've fallen in love with you in some other time and I would fall in love with you over and over again.”
“We're perfect what we are today, right? No matter what they say, no matter what happens in the future.” Kyungsoo wraps his hand tightly with Jongin’s and nods firmly, a sweet smile gracing his face. They have this world to face and more challenges ahead of them to conquer but they'll conquer it together, just like this world’s destined it to be.
“Yes, we are.”
Because in another life, they could have been; because in another life, they would have made each other stay. And maybe, somewhere among dimensions, worlds, and alternate realities, they did.
-in a world sprung across seas of light and crust, there is always a tale to be lived-
He’s exhausted. His muscles ache and his whole body shakes as he is guided back to his cell. His guards offer him not one glance, not even when his legs threaten to buckle under him. His whole body screams after a whole day of pressure and torture.
And even yet, they haven’t discovered anything new about him, about who he is and what he is. The days forward on into months and soon enough years. They know nothing about him, he was too difficult to decode but one thing they are sure of is that he was dangerous and if they didn’t work fast enough, he’ll be a threat to their very existence.
There’s more like him-enhanced, gifted but in their case, cursed, damned and to an extent, the devil if not an angel of death. They were ambushed, taken in and tested on. Why even would they view them as such when their very world was crumbling at the edges, a barren wasteland stretching outside the walls of the small breathing dystopia which will eventually heave into nothing?
But he wanted to get out of there. He wanted to be free. He would not go without a friend, an ally, his lover who was sprawled on the bed of their shared cell, sleeping soundly and at ease like their world wasn’t bursting at the seams.
He’s pushed in and the metal doors click lock. He makes his way towards the sleeping boy, the floor softly vibrating under his feet. His power is again awakened at the mere sight of his one source of happiness and he rushes into the arms of the other, face burying against a neck he’s memorized from all the intimate caresses and nights of fondness they’ve made.
He hears his lover chuckle deep and he smiles, forgetting all about the troubles that await them outside their cell. He is pulled deeper into strong lean arms and he settles more comfortably, eyelids already wanting to close. He always liked cuddling. He always preferred his cuddles over the hugs his friend of fire give him doors away.
Just before he gives in to slumber, the air around him shifts, the bed seems to disappear. He feels suspended in air, a being floating effortlessly and in just a few seconds, everything stills. The air smells toxic and under him is something rough and sharp. He opens his eyes seeing the wasteland before him, the walls of his dystopian world only a few miles away. The arms around him disappear and he is carried back to his feet, the surprise more distinct than the pain he feels.
He looks questioningly at his lover whose panther eyes sparkle and crinkle at him.
“You… you never did this.” He breathes out. “They told me you lost the ability to.”
“I only made it appear so, so I can save all that energy to take the both of us away. We’re here now, we could make our own empire. Together. We can build our own army, find others like us, rule a society where people like us are safe, protected, cherished. Let’s do it together.”
“But what about the others?” He asks. “My friend who plays with fire, the one who can conjure up light wherever he goes, the healer, the airbender? They’re all so important. They’re going to die there. We have to save them.”
“We will. We must.” His lover tells him. “But not now, not when you’re still so weak. Not when there’s only two of us and so many of them. We will be stronger and when we finally are, we will take them all away.”
“You promise?” He asks, searching for honesty and the truth in the other’s eyes. They soften with a smile and a nod.
“I promise.”
They were never given names, they were just numbers on a list. His strength was registered as the 12th enhanced they’ve encountered. The teleporter was the 88th from a batch of other enhanced like them who unfortunately perished during intense sessions and experiments. He was one of the few survivors he never saw again.
But they all were survivors in a world that misunderstood them. They were particularly lucky for not only are they running away unscathed, they were lucky they had found the one thing they ever wanted with each other and it’ll only grow now that they are free.
With a searing kiss shared between them, they both disappear into thin air just before the alarms blare.