First Story, chapter 2, still very excited
Title: Key to the City- ch (2/?)
Author: Me
Rating: pg 15
Pairing: multiple
Summary: A mix of Disney's Robin Hood, dinner theater and College boy. Nuff said.
Kibum struggled with the toggle buttons on his cable knit sweater while he backed out of the employee entrance.The alley it opened up into usually gave him the creeps, when he had half a mind to be paying attention. However, he had put the toggles on his sweater himself, since he thought they looked more nautical, and his loops were a little tight to fit through. Therefore, all of his concentration was on them, and not the fact that there were shadows stretched across the mouth of the alley, shadows which quickly became very real, very solid people.
“Excuse you! Guess you really can’t see can you?”
Trying to catch his balance, and breath, Kibum looked up from the hand gripping his arm and into the smirking face of Jonghyun.
“What are you doing, trying to kill me or something?!”
He wrenched his arm free and noticed that the entire foursome was present, and they were all staring at him with hesitant smiles. Jinki decided to take the lead and explain.
“We asked our waitress where you had gone and she told us you were probably leaving soon and that you always take the alley exit. You mentioned heading back to the dorms, and attending SU, and as we do too we thought we would escort you back. Make sure you would not become disoriented or lost.”
“And why, exactly, would I become so lost and disoriented I would need your help to return to my dorm?”
“You lost your contact? It is obviously messing with your vision; you did not even see us standing right in front of you!”
Lost a contact? What the hell was he talking…? Oh! That damn excuse he came up with to cover up his eavesdropping! So they thought he was an invalid and needed to be escorted?
“I would rather you killed me and left me in the alley.”
He shoved past but was stopped short at the sight of Taemin, staring wide eyed and shivering. He did not even have a coat on!
“Yah, you idiots standing out here while poor Taemin-ah freezes to death! Snow on the ground and you do not even have the sense to wear a thick sweater, let alone a coat!”
He grabbed Taemin’s hand and began dragging him toward the subway station, leaving the others to hurry up behind them. He was still muttering under his breath about boys who thought it looked manly to bare their arms in winter, and how manly was pneumonia, when they reached the platform for the train. He turned to face his ragtag group and opened his mouth to speak, before he was interrupted.
“You sound just like a harried Umma, you know.”
No surprise, it was Jonghyun’s still smirking lips that had issued the statement.
“Better to sound like a concerned Umma than to act like an arrogant, self-important, all-encompassing pri..”
He was cut off quickly by Jinki, once again attempting to find peace.
“Kibum, I fear we, well some of us, may have started out on the wrong foot with you. I, we all, wish to start over and hope you will leave us with a favorable disposition. When were you born? None of us wish to speak rudely to you.”
He stared at the four of them and sighed, closing his eyes tight and counting to five. When he opened them again he formed his most indulgent smile, the one he almost exclusively reserved for his mother when she was going on and on about this girl or that girl she would love to call daughter one day, and decided to play nice.
“The summer of 91, and you?”
Taemin answered first, informing him that both he and Minho had been born later the same year, and Jinki said he was older by a year. Jonghyun smiled and winked.
“You can call me Hyung, Kibum-goon.”
Thankfully the train arrived at this time, and Kibum’s reply was swallowed up in the mêlée of people boarding and exiting. If the red and surprised faces of those swarming around him were any indication, however, it was a very colorful and detailed response.
Kibum found himself sandwiched between Minho and Taemin while Jonghyun and Jinki stood at the pole in front of them. He pulled out his cell phone and began texting, trying to ignore them. However, he could not help but notice that at every turn or lurch of the train, Jinki managed to lose his grip or balance and slam into the pole or stumble around. After he bumped into the same woman next to him for the third time, Kibum stood up.
“Aigoo, here, take my seat before you bruise that poor woman or your ego any more.”
Jinki tried in vain to protest, but at the hopeful look he caught in the woman’s eyes, he agreed and sank down. Kibum now found himself both unable to distract himself with his cell phone, and holding onto the same pole as that irritating basta… Hyung. He really was getting much better at censoring himself since he started spending his free time around children.
“Do you come here often?”
Thinking the asinine question had came from said irritating Hyung, Kibum was surprised when he flicked angry eyes up from his shoes and saw, not Jonghyun’s sharp, angular features, but the rounder ones of a middle aged man wearing a rumpled and slightly stained button up half un-tucked from a pair of moss green corduroys. Fashion fail aside, the man was old enough to be Kibum’s father and leering in a way that brought to mind the fictional strangers of parents’ warnings to avoid vans and free candy.
“Pardon, Ajhussi-ah, I am not comfortable conversing with strangers on the subway.”
He smiled meekly and hoped that the polite rebuttal would be enough to douse the others interest, but no such luck. He stood from his seat and pressed closer to Kibum, making him step back and into the wall, trying to avoid jostling the woman who he had stood to help in the first place.
“Well, if you won’t talk to strangers on a subway, how about we get off on the next stop and… get to know each other?”
Ok, polite was obviously not going to cut it with this one.
“Judging by both your well-fed physique, and the gold glinting on your sausage finger, I am going to say that you have a wife at home who is either too scared or too stupid to leave you. I am not interested in getting to know any more.”
As he had spoken, Kibum had stepped forward from the wall and began poking the man in his chest to further emphasize his irritation. He had reached his breaking point with pushy, over-confident pricks who thought they knew what he would want better than himself. Unfortunately, this specific prick was not a level headed man, nor was he one to take very kindly to being told off by a boy in eyeliner and second-skin jeans. He grabbed Kibum’s arm and twisted him up against his chest.
“Yah, someone should really teach you some manners.”
“Please unhand my boyfriend and return to your seat before I lose my temper.”
Both Kibum and the man whipped around and stared incredulously at Jonghyun, of all people, standing in a wide legged stance with a tight smile on his lips and one hand on the strangers shoulder. When he knew he had their attention, Jonghyun flexed his muscle and dug into the man’s shoulder, enough to cause him to wince and release Kibum.
“Fine, hey, no hard feelings, I was just trying to be friendly. You may wanna get a muzzle for your bitch though. That bark is gonna piss someone off enough to bite.”
Bitch?! A muzzle?! Oh hell no, Kibum was not about to let this pig get away with that terrible canine pun. However, he found his outrage muffled by the cloth of Jonghyun’s jacket, who had pulled him close into himself as he cooed sweetly and patted his head, staring the man down till he wandered to the other end of the car. Only after he saw him sit down, well out of ear shot, did Jonghyun release Kibum and allow his words to be heard.
“.. dare you! Saying you’re my boyfriend, and then letting that man call me a bitch and saying nothing to him! Not even letting me defend myself! If you were my boyfriend, this would certainly be a defining moment in our relationship! Where do you get off, butting into my own personal problems..”
“Butting in! I saved your life! You have no idea what that guy could have done to you! Your mouth really is going to get you in trouble one of these days, and no one is going to be there to flex their muscles and save your ungrateful hide!”
Kibum whirled around to face the three sitting down and demanded someone move and take his spot next the “insufferable asshole”. Jinki jumped up at once, but Minho pulled him back down and bowed towards Kibum, waving at his seat as an offering.
“Hyung, are you ok? That was very scary; I do not think I could have stayed as composed as you!”
Kibum glanced up at Taemin’s creased face and suddenly felt bad. Composed may not be the correct word. Jonghyun had only been trying to diffuse the situation as quietly and painlessly as possible, and had quite possibly saved him from being a headline in tomorrow’s paper. He smiled quickly at Taemin and told him it was no big deal. He then turned forward and stared at Jonghyun until he finally made eye contact.
“While I could have handled it on my own, and will not apologize for the way I spoke to him, I do appreciate both your concern and your aid. Just know that I will not require your services in the future.”
Jonghyun stared at him for a moment before throwing his hands up and laughing loudly, causing even more people to turn towards their group and whisper amongst themselves.
“I suppose that is as close to a Thank you, I am sorry as I am going to get. You are welcome, and I am sorry too, for what it’s worth. We will see about the future though, yeah?”
He winked again and Kibum unfortunately found himself thinking it was more rakish and cheeky than pompous and arrogant. Those studies that showed people bonded over near-death experiences must have some accuracy to them. The rest of the barely twenty minute ride was uneventful, and the five spent it getting to know more about one another.
Minho was attending SU on a soccer scholarship and majoring in sports broadcasting. Taemin was an arts student, double majoring in dance and drama, though he readily admitted that dancing was way more fun. Jinki and Jonghyun were both second year students, and both were music majors. Kibum listened politely and informed them he was undecided and was just enjoying the variety of classes offered, trying to make up his mind. He found himself laughing at some of the jokes Jonghyun made and reveling in the easy camaraderie they shared with one another.
Suddenly, Kibum realized that they were no longer sitting on a cramped subway, but where instead walking across the campus quad, heading to the student dorms. He had not even noticed they had gotten off, though he did notice that Minho had his jacket unzipped and wrapped around Taemin, who was curled up into his side. He was glad that the tiny dancer was being kept warm.
“Well, this is where we leave you wittle freshman to head to your first year dorms. I certainly hope Jinki-Hyungs wish came true and we are parting in better dispositions.”
Kibum grinned and rolled his eyes at Jonghyun, agreeing that yes, they were all the best of friends now and wasn’t it a lovely world after all. He lead the way to the dorms, and left Minho and Taemin on the first floor. He let them know he was on the fifth floor, room 516, and they were welcome to visit at any time. He pinched Taemin’s cheeks and made him promise to visit soon, and to begin dressing appropriately for the weather.
Opening his door, he was suddenly hit with the over powering smell of perfume and disinfectant spray. His face broke into a huge grin as he stepped into the room and sought out his best friend. The girl sprawled across his bed, flipping idly through a magazine while twirling a piece of her dark, sleek bob bounced up at his hello and they both said, at the same time,
“You will never believe the night I had!”
A/N: Still working through some things, being new to Live journal and all, so continue to bear with me! I hope you liked this chapter! I am obviously taking many liberties with birthdays and majors etc. but this is my world and I can do what I want! lol. As always, comments are welcome, and feedback much appreciated!
Author: Me
Rating: pg 15
Pairing: multiple
Summary: A mix of Disney's Robin Hood, dinner theater and College boy. Nuff said.
Kibum struggled with the toggle buttons on his cable knit sweater while he backed out of the employee entrance.The alley it opened up into usually gave him the creeps, when he had half a mind to be paying attention. However, he had put the toggles on his sweater himself, since he thought they looked more nautical, and his loops were a little tight to fit through. Therefore, all of his concentration was on them, and not the fact that there were shadows stretched across the mouth of the alley, shadows which quickly became very real, very solid people.
“Excuse you! Guess you really can’t see can you?”
Trying to catch his balance, and breath, Kibum looked up from the hand gripping his arm and into the smirking face of Jonghyun.
“What are you doing, trying to kill me or something?!”
He wrenched his arm free and noticed that the entire foursome was present, and they were all staring at him with hesitant smiles. Jinki decided to take the lead and explain.
“We asked our waitress where you had gone and she told us you were probably leaving soon and that you always take the alley exit. You mentioned heading back to the dorms, and attending SU, and as we do too we thought we would escort you back. Make sure you would not become disoriented or lost.”
“And why, exactly, would I become so lost and disoriented I would need your help to return to my dorm?”
“You lost your contact? It is obviously messing with your vision; you did not even see us standing right in front of you!”
Lost a contact? What the hell was he talking…? Oh! That damn excuse he came up with to cover up his eavesdropping! So they thought he was an invalid and needed to be escorted?
“I would rather you killed me and left me in the alley.”
He shoved past but was stopped short at the sight of Taemin, staring wide eyed and shivering. He did not even have a coat on!
“Yah, you idiots standing out here while poor Taemin-ah freezes to death! Snow on the ground and you do not even have the sense to wear a thick sweater, let alone a coat!”
He grabbed Taemin’s hand and began dragging him toward the subway station, leaving the others to hurry up behind them. He was still muttering under his breath about boys who thought it looked manly to bare their arms in winter, and how manly was pneumonia, when they reached the platform for the train. He turned to face his ragtag group and opened his mouth to speak, before he was interrupted.
“You sound just like a harried Umma, you know.”
No surprise, it was Jonghyun’s still smirking lips that had issued the statement.
“Better to sound like a concerned Umma than to act like an arrogant, self-important, all-encompassing pri..”
He was cut off quickly by Jinki, once again attempting to find peace.
“Kibum, I fear we, well some of us, may have started out on the wrong foot with you. I, we all, wish to start over and hope you will leave us with a favorable disposition. When were you born? None of us wish to speak rudely to you.”
He stared at the four of them and sighed, closing his eyes tight and counting to five. When he opened them again he formed his most indulgent smile, the one he almost exclusively reserved for his mother when she was going on and on about this girl or that girl she would love to call daughter one day, and decided to play nice.
“The summer of 91, and you?”
Taemin answered first, informing him that both he and Minho had been born later the same year, and Jinki said he was older by a year. Jonghyun smiled and winked.
“You can call me Hyung, Kibum-goon.”
Thankfully the train arrived at this time, and Kibum’s reply was swallowed up in the mêlée of people boarding and exiting. If the red and surprised faces of those swarming around him were any indication, however, it was a very colorful and detailed response.
Kibum found himself sandwiched between Minho and Taemin while Jonghyun and Jinki stood at the pole in front of them. He pulled out his cell phone and began texting, trying to ignore them. However, he could not help but notice that at every turn or lurch of the train, Jinki managed to lose his grip or balance and slam into the pole or stumble around. After he bumped into the same woman next to him for the third time, Kibum stood up.
“Aigoo, here, take my seat before you bruise that poor woman or your ego any more.”
Jinki tried in vain to protest, but at the hopeful look he caught in the woman’s eyes, he agreed and sank down. Kibum now found himself both unable to distract himself with his cell phone, and holding onto the same pole as that irritating basta… Hyung. He really was getting much better at censoring himself since he started spending his free time around children.
“Do you come here often?”
Thinking the asinine question had came from said irritating Hyung, Kibum was surprised when he flicked angry eyes up from his shoes and saw, not Jonghyun’s sharp, angular features, but the rounder ones of a middle aged man wearing a rumpled and slightly stained button up half un-tucked from a pair of moss green corduroys. Fashion fail aside, the man was old enough to be Kibum’s father and leering in a way that brought to mind the fictional strangers of parents’ warnings to avoid vans and free candy.
“Pardon, Ajhussi-ah, I am not comfortable conversing with strangers on the subway.”
He smiled meekly and hoped that the polite rebuttal would be enough to douse the others interest, but no such luck. He stood from his seat and pressed closer to Kibum, making him step back and into the wall, trying to avoid jostling the woman who he had stood to help in the first place.
“Well, if you won’t talk to strangers on a subway, how about we get off on the next stop and… get to know each other?”
Ok, polite was obviously not going to cut it with this one.
“Judging by both your well-fed physique, and the gold glinting on your sausage finger, I am going to say that you have a wife at home who is either too scared or too stupid to leave you. I am not interested in getting to know any more.”
As he had spoken, Kibum had stepped forward from the wall and began poking the man in his chest to further emphasize his irritation. He had reached his breaking point with pushy, over-confident pricks who thought they knew what he would want better than himself. Unfortunately, this specific prick was not a level headed man, nor was he one to take very kindly to being told off by a boy in eyeliner and second-skin jeans. He grabbed Kibum’s arm and twisted him up against his chest.
“Yah, someone should really teach you some manners.”
“Please unhand my boyfriend and return to your seat before I lose my temper.”
Both Kibum and the man whipped around and stared incredulously at Jonghyun, of all people, standing in a wide legged stance with a tight smile on his lips and one hand on the strangers shoulder. When he knew he had their attention, Jonghyun flexed his muscle and dug into the man’s shoulder, enough to cause him to wince and release Kibum.
“Fine, hey, no hard feelings, I was just trying to be friendly. You may wanna get a muzzle for your bitch though. That bark is gonna piss someone off enough to bite.”
Bitch?! A muzzle?! Oh hell no, Kibum was not about to let this pig get away with that terrible canine pun. However, he found his outrage muffled by the cloth of Jonghyun’s jacket, who had pulled him close into himself as he cooed sweetly and patted his head, staring the man down till he wandered to the other end of the car. Only after he saw him sit down, well out of ear shot, did Jonghyun release Kibum and allow his words to be heard.
“.. dare you! Saying you’re my boyfriend, and then letting that man call me a bitch and saying nothing to him! Not even letting me defend myself! If you were my boyfriend, this would certainly be a defining moment in our relationship! Where do you get off, butting into my own personal problems..”
“Butting in! I saved your life! You have no idea what that guy could have done to you! Your mouth really is going to get you in trouble one of these days, and no one is going to be there to flex their muscles and save your ungrateful hide!”
Kibum whirled around to face the three sitting down and demanded someone move and take his spot next the “insufferable asshole”. Jinki jumped up at once, but Minho pulled him back down and bowed towards Kibum, waving at his seat as an offering.
“Hyung, are you ok? That was very scary; I do not think I could have stayed as composed as you!”
Kibum glanced up at Taemin’s creased face and suddenly felt bad. Composed may not be the correct word. Jonghyun had only been trying to diffuse the situation as quietly and painlessly as possible, and had quite possibly saved him from being a headline in tomorrow’s paper. He smiled quickly at Taemin and told him it was no big deal. He then turned forward and stared at Jonghyun until he finally made eye contact.
“While I could have handled it on my own, and will not apologize for the way I spoke to him, I do appreciate both your concern and your aid. Just know that I will not require your services in the future.”
Jonghyun stared at him for a moment before throwing his hands up and laughing loudly, causing even more people to turn towards their group and whisper amongst themselves.
“I suppose that is as close to a Thank you, I am sorry as I am going to get. You are welcome, and I am sorry too, for what it’s worth. We will see about the future though, yeah?”
He winked again and Kibum unfortunately found himself thinking it was more rakish and cheeky than pompous and arrogant. Those studies that showed people bonded over near-death experiences must have some accuracy to them. The rest of the barely twenty minute ride was uneventful, and the five spent it getting to know more about one another.
Minho was attending SU on a soccer scholarship and majoring in sports broadcasting. Taemin was an arts student, double majoring in dance and drama, though he readily admitted that dancing was way more fun. Jinki and Jonghyun were both second year students, and both were music majors. Kibum listened politely and informed them he was undecided and was just enjoying the variety of classes offered, trying to make up his mind. He found himself laughing at some of the jokes Jonghyun made and reveling in the easy camaraderie they shared with one another.
Suddenly, Kibum realized that they were no longer sitting on a cramped subway, but where instead walking across the campus quad, heading to the student dorms. He had not even noticed they had gotten off, though he did notice that Minho had his jacket unzipped and wrapped around Taemin, who was curled up into his side. He was glad that the tiny dancer was being kept warm.
“Well, this is where we leave you wittle freshman to head to your first year dorms. I certainly hope Jinki-Hyungs wish came true and we are parting in better dispositions.”
Kibum grinned and rolled his eyes at Jonghyun, agreeing that yes, they were all the best of friends now and wasn’t it a lovely world after all. He lead the way to the dorms, and left Minho and Taemin on the first floor. He let them know he was on the fifth floor, room 516, and they were welcome to visit at any time. He pinched Taemin’s cheeks and made him promise to visit soon, and to begin dressing appropriately for the weather.
Opening his door, he was suddenly hit with the over powering smell of perfume and disinfectant spray. His face broke into a huge grin as he stepped into the room and sought out his best friend. The girl sprawled across his bed, flipping idly through a magazine while twirling a piece of her dark, sleek bob bounced up at his hello and they both said, at the same time,
“You will never believe the night I had!”
A/N: Still working through some things, being new to Live journal and all, so continue to bear with me! I hope you liked this chapter! I am obviously taking many liberties with birthdays and majors etc. but this is my world and I can do what I want! lol. As always, comments are welcome, and feedback much appreciated!