Bestfriend [13/?]
Title: Bestfriend
Author: lolexi
Pairing: JongKey
Genre: high school!au, romance, angst, fluff
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Rule to Having a Bestfriend #1: Never, ever- under any circumstances, fall in love with your bestfriend. It was the most important rule, and the only one Kibum had broken.
“So, you said you'd go? Why would you do that? Do you even like Junghee? Since when are you straight?” Amber interrogated cruelly at Kibum who was sitting on the edge of his bed, his hands fidgeting in his lap, and his eyes fixated on the hardwood flooring of his room. Amber was pacing back and forth, arms flailing wildly, only stopping in her tracks to send him a glare over her shoulder. He liked Junghee, yeah. Not like, no. But Junghee is pretty, she's nice, she seems smart, she's everything a parent would want for their son, it wouldn't hurt to go to the dance with her, would it? They were just friends after all, she knew that, didn't she?
“Amber, I thought she was gonna cry. You had to see her face, it was awful. I couldn't say no,” Kibum said in a hushed tone, like he was embarrassed to admit it. “What else could I have done?”
His eyes shifted over to the window to ignore the glower the girl was giving him. He gazed past the glass at the depressing gray sky. It was such a dull Tuesday, Kibum wondered how he managed to talk himself out of bed on a day like this. The entire day seemed to drag on for years, the chilly weather not helping his already exhausted mood. On top of the bouncy Junghee who seemed more annoying than usual, failing his English test, and having to run extra laps in gym class, Jonghyun hadn't said a word to him at school that day. Was he purposely ignoring him? Was he too busy with Hyekyo to acknowledge him? Maybe he was just as bummed out much like Kibum and talking just felt like a chore. Kibum wasn't sure, but what he did know was that Jonghyun's pace quickened whenever the blonde tried to walk beside him in the hallway earlier that day, had waved him off when Kibum tried to strike up a conversation. Kibum had shrugged those two off though, figuring it was no big deal. But then when lunch period came around, his stomach began sloshing with nervousness. As soon as the blonde took his usual seat next to Amber at their lunch table, Jonghyun had stood up with trey in hands, murmured an excuse, and trudged off to the music room where he would eat his food in solitude. His face was unreadable, completely passive as his sneaker clad feet shuffled over the white linoleum like a zombie, lifelessly. It left him more confused than ever. Obviously, Amber was too because as soon as the older boy disappeared from their view, they exchanged glances, both wondering the same thing:
What the hell did Kibum do?
Did Kibum say something? Do something? Maybe he was just overthinking this, it wasn't him at all. Jjong was just having a bad day, that's it. Unfortunately, Kibum couldn't convince himself that was the reason... he had to be it. Why else would Jonghyun so obviously avoid only him? Then suddenly, it popped into his mind unwanted and left his eyes wider than plates. His jaw dropped and he could feel the color draining from his face. What if Amber told? What if Kibum's secret accidentally slipped past her lips? She's always been the type who's mouth works faster than her brain. Shit. Shitshitshit.
No, Amber couldn't do that, wouldn't do that. Stop being rediculous, Kibum. You're just overthinking it. Just forget about it. He's just having a bad day. Luckily, Amber's angry voice pulled him from his trance.
“What else could you have done?” Amber echoed, freezing in her spot to look at Kibum dead-on. “Well, let's see... you could've told the bitch no. Yeah, that's a good one.” She rolled her eyes and settled down on to the bed next to the blonde. “You are so stupid. Why am I friends with you...”
“It's just one dance. It's not like I'm agreeing to marry the girl. Jesus,” he grumbled. “Why are you making such a big deal out of this?”
Amber peered up at the ceiling, searching for an answer. She opened her mouth a few times, but all that came out were a few broken syllables, then she'd close it again, obviously struggling to spit out the words but her lips wouldn't let her. Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned to look at the boy with slightly downturned eyes, stuttering before finally settling on, “What about Jjong?”
Kibum frowned, his heart skipping a beat at just the mention of his name. “What about him?”
“Don't you like him?”
His frown deepened, his eyes downcast and a light blush spreading across his cheeks. “That doesn't matter.”
Amber scoffed. “It doesn't matter. Psh. Like hell it doesn't matter.”
“Amber, he has a girlfriend. He's not gay,” Kibum argued, clapping his hands together for emphasis. “Do you know how small of a chance there is of us ever being together? It's never going to happen,” he murmured and swallowed the lump in his throat.
As much as it hurt to say it, he knew he was being realistic. Jonghyun is his bestfriend, they're practically brothers, for crying out loud.
“So you're just gonna give up because of Hyekyo? Just because of some chick he's been dating for a month?”
Kibum pondered on her words for a moment, tapping his forefinger against his chin, then nodded his head with a shrug. “I can't wait forever, right?”
Amber glared at him for the nth time that afternoon, her eyes narrowing. “...And you supposedly 'love' him?” She questioned with air quotes, brutally.
Kibum's lips downturned at the corners. “You don't know what I feel for Jonghyun,” he hissed through clenched teeth, mirroring the girl's glower.
“Then what are you doing?-going to the dance with Junghee?”
Kibum's back flopped down on the mattress in defeat as he massaged his eyes with the pads of his fingers. Amber was right. He inwardly groaned. “I don't know,” he groaned.
The bed creaked as Amber's weight lifted off it. She got to her feet and sighed, stretching her arms to the ceiling. “Grab your coat.”
Kibum sat up, a look of confusion washing over his features. “Why?”
“You can't show up to a formal in a t-shirt and jeans, now can you?”
--
“You're lucky I'm doing this,” Amber said as she stuffed her hands into her pockets, stepping through the same double doors that Kibum had just walked through a few days ago.
“Amber, I'm perfectly capable of picking out my own clothes, thank you,” Kibum replied as he followed suit, stepping inside the mall.
The familiar sound of the fountain water crashing was heard off in the distance, and Kibum smiled inwardly. He had a weird attachment to the fountain, it just brought back nice memories.
“Well, I had plans with Krystal, but she bailed because she forgot she had to babysit her neighbor's kid. So I have nothing else to do.” Amber shrugged, her eyes wandering around the mall at all the different stores.
Oh, yeah, Krystal. Kibum had forgotten about their relationship. To be honest, he didn't even know they had a relationship. Amber seemed like the type to avoid talking about her social life, or maybe it was Kibum's fault for never asking her. “Oh, about that-how's it going?-with Krystal, I mean,” Kibum asked as he turned to face Amber who's eyes instantly focused on the floor.
Her cheeks burned a bright pink as she muttered under her breath, “Shut up.”
Kibum chuckled, he had never seen Amber blush before. He secretly felt accomplished because for once, he wasn't the embarrassed one. “Why? You never tell me anything about your girlfriend. Hell, I don't even know her last name,” he continued, nudging the girl with his elbow.
“It's Jung. Her last name is Jung, okay,” Amber huffed, rolling her eyes though the flush was still obvious on her face. “And she's not my girlfriend. We... It's weird. We hang out all the time, we talk on the phone till really late at night, sometimes I think she could like me more than a friend because she always touches me and hugs me, but then... why would she, you know?”
“So what you're saying is that you're in the friend-zone? Like me?” Kibum questioned, sparing a second glance at a store that seemed promising.
“Well... ish. But I'm planning on asking her to the dance. So, we'll see,” Amber mumbled, suddenly becoming shy which was really, really weird.
Kibum smiled, nudging Amber for the second time. “Good luck, I hope it works out with you two.”
The girl glanced up from the floor, staring ahead of her. “Yeah, me too.” She sighed. “And I hope things work out with you and Jjong soon.” Amber wrapped her arm around Kibum's shoulder, pulling him into her side.
The blonde boy scowled and shoved her away, prying her grip off him. “Okay, stop with the sappiness. This is already creepy enough.”
Amber chuckled and shoved her hands back into her pockets, flicking her black hair out of her eyes so she could scope out the mall more clearly.
A few more minutes of silent walking and urging Amber away from the video game store she just had to explore, Kibum found the one place he was searching for. It was the same place Jjong and he had bought Hyekyo's dress. Like he said before, it had amazing clothes. No doubt he would find a quality suit for a reasonable price in there.
“Hey, Amber, over here!” Kibum called, cupping his hands over his mouth to gain Amber's attention who was peering in through a display glass.
When she didn't answer, he groaned and rolled his eyes as he stomped toward the awestruck girl. He grasped her arm borderline-violently, shaking her from the trance-like state.
“Amber, we're here for me, remember?”
She ignored him and continue staring with starry eyes. She pressed her palm flush against the window, her breath fogging up the glass. “Look at it, Kibum. We have to go in there.”
Kibum looked over through the window. It was a hat store. It was filled with nothing but hats of all shape and sizes and colors and designs and fabrics. Hats. And Amber was practically drooling at the sight.
“Look at all those hats. I'll never have to wear the same one again.”
“We'll go in later, I promise. Let's just go get my suit,” he said as he pulled on Amber's hand.
Luckily, she came along without much resistance... though her eyes stayed locked on the store till it was out of sight. He yanked her to his destination, giving a polite wave to the cashier lady as they passed her. He pulled Amber to the men's section.
“You look over here, I'll look over there. If you find something you deem worthy, let me know.”
Amber nodded and Kibum gave her an encouraging shove to the nearest rack of khaki pants. He glanced over his shoulder as he walked away, watching for a moment as she rummaged through the rack with not nearly as much expertise as Kibum did. His feet came to a halt a few racks over when he saw that it was filled with a variety of button-ups. He pulled one out, liking the peachy color of the shirt and studied it from collar to sleeve. He felt the fabric between his thumb and forefinger, deciding it was too thin, and he didn't like the vertical stripes either. Kibum continued on with this routine till he felt his mobile phone vibrating in the back pocket of his jeans. He pulled it out, slightly frustrated, growing even more so when he noticed the call was from Junghee.
“Hello?” he nearly barked into the receiver, holding the cell in bewteen his cheek and shoulder. A task like this needed two hands.
“Oh, hi!” Junghee chimed, sounding as cheerful as ever. “What are you doing?”
“I'm actually looking for a suit. You know, for the dance Friday,” he replied dully.
Kibum could practically hear Junghee smile from the other line. “Oh, good!” she exclaimed, and he could hear the faint noise of her habitually clapping her hands. “About Friday. I called to tell you, you don't have to come to hapkido. You wouldn't want to show up at the dance all sweaty, would you?” she giggled.
What she actually meant was, “I don't want my date to stink of B.O. So, don't come to hapkido.”
“I guess not.” He shrugged though she couldn't see him. “But there are such things as showers.”
“The dance starts just thirty minutes after class ends, you would have hardly any time to get ready. And I want my date to look good.”
“Right,” Kibum said nonchalantly. “About that, what does your dress look like? I think it'd look cute if we kind of matched.”
Junghee squealed her approval. “Ooh, good idea!” she yelled. “Well, it's strapless and it's black lace with purple silk underneath. I don't wanna give it all away, I want it to be a surprise, you know. You'll like it on me a lot, I know you will.”
I doubt that.
“Mm, Junghee, you know we're going just as friends, right?” Kibum said in a monotone voice as his hands danced along the hangers of the shirts, still searching for The One. He kind of felt bad, though, when he heard the disappointed sigh from the other line.
“Yeah,” she replied, unconvincing. “Of course I know that.”
Kibum hummed. “Okay, just wondering.”
“Did I seem like I didn't? Because I do. Why would I ask you to be my date date? I've barely known you for a month, and...”
“Just curious,” Kibum cut her off, sparing a glance over at Amber who was still scoping through the racks speedily, he noted with an approving smile.
Junghee didn't reply and it grew slightly uneasy.
“Hey, Junghee, I gotta go. I'll talk to you tomorrow or something. Bye,” he said to end this prolonged silence.
“Okay... bye, oppa.”
Click.
Thank the fucking lord.
--
Half an hour later, Kibum and Amber walked out of the mall, both with at least one shopping bag in hand. Amber just had to buy a copy of Modern Warfare 3 because she lost her old one, and also puchased probably a month's worth of hats. Where she got all this money, Kibum had no idea. He only bought a lavendar colored button-up shirt, with a pair of well fit khakis. He had a pair of brown leather loafers back at home that would go perfect with the outfit.
“Thanks for lending me money. I'll pay you back, promise,” Kibum said as he closed the door of Amber's car.
“No big deal,” Amber replied as she twisted the key in the ignition, the car roaring to life.
“How did you pay for all this anyways?” He questioned out of curiosity.
“It truly is a good life when you have two parents, both with college degrees and get won out the ass.”
Kibum wondered what that was like, to have so much money you didn't know what to do with it. His mother only made enough to pay for bills and to put food on the table-and sometimes clothes which seemed like a luxuray item more than a neccessity, especially when it was name brand. But he does have a pair of generous grandparents who like to shower him with fancy things on holidays.
Kibum was pulled out of his thoughts as soon as he noticed the car had just zoomed past his neighborhood.
“Whoa, where are we going? We just passed my house,” Kibum said as he gave a panicked glance to the back window.
“I'm hungry,” Amber replied with a shrug. “So we're gonna go eat. Is there a problem?”
“Uh, no problem...” he said, hesitantly, glancing down at his stomach that he just now noticed was screaming for attention.
Kibum shut his mouth as he studied the neighborhood that began to grow more and more familiar as the ride progressed. The similar markets, apartments, and there... was the hapkido building. The same eagle logo printed on the door... and Kibum could see the group of yellow belt students lined up in rows, facing the front wall where he saw an elderly man with greying black hair and a scraggly beard leading them. That must be Junghee's father.
“Here we are, GaBaJa. This place is great. And plus, Jjong works here so you'll have some eye candy,” Amber said as she stepped out of the car, Kibum following suit.
Honestly, this was the last place Kibum wanted to be. He didn't want to see Jonghyun because he was almost sure Jjong didn't want to see him. He didn't want to tell this all to Amber though, he didn't want to trigger a false alarm.
Kibum pushed open the glass door and was welcomed by the warm, delcious scent that creeped up his nose. There were chandaliers dangling from the ornate ceiling, splotching mystical glows on the burgundy carpet, and lightening the deeper colored walls that were the shade of wine. The place was bustling with waitors, clad in the identical white button-up and black slacks. They were rushing back and forth from the kitchen with treys balanced on their flat hands, delivering steamy, fresh food to the eager customers. Over the clamor of the satisfied customers, Kibum could hear the soft, chocolate sound of a man singing, soaring high above the other's but not loud enough to scare, just loud enough for you to put down your chopsticks and wonder who that angelic tone belonged to. But Kibum already knew without spotting the face.
“Table for two, close to the stage if it's not too much to ask for,” Amber said to the hostess in a foregin polite voice.
The hostess nodded and gestured for them to follow. She lead them to the front and seated them at a booth with a table that matched the shade of coffee beans. Kibum sat down on the cushioned seat and took the menu that was offered to him.
The song Jonghyun was belting finally ended and a few scattered applause were heard throughout the dim room. Jjong went straight into the beginning chords of the next set without even a word of thanks, his fingers dancing along the neck of his guitar. When the urge to glance up grew too strong, Kibum gave in. He peered over his menu to see Jonghyun sitting on a stool, guitar balanced on his lap and lips pressed to a microphone that was angled just right. His brunette hair fell over his eyes and gave him a mysertious, shady look that made Kibum's heart flutter just slightly. His cheekbones hollowed with each pronounced syllable of the lyrics he sang out with so much confidence. He seemed so oblivious of his surroundings, like he was singing at home in his shower instead of at what seemed like a four-star restauraunt. Kibum wondered if Jjong even knew of his presence.
But then Jjong's chocolate eyes flickered around the room, scanning over the faces before settling on Kibum. The blonde instantly tensed in his seat, his back straightening to an uncomfortable degree. His heart stopped and the butterflies in his stomach began swarming as Jonghyun's eyes melted him into a puddle. Kibum managed an uncertain, nervous smile, his lips twitching at the corners. But Jjong didn't return it, instead, his eyes fell closed and he drowned himself in his own music. Kibum's grin saddened, his back slumping, his mood darkening. What was that supposed to mean?
As soon as Jjong's strumming slowed and his singing faded out, Kibum stood to his feet, Amber not even sparing a glance at him because she was too busy drooling over the menu choices. He trudged over to the platform where Jjong sat, and tried not to feel too uneasy underneath the questioning stare the older was shooting him. Kibum didn't even know what he was going to say, and he found his footsteps faltering, but he urged them forward. Finally, he stopped in front of the brunette.
“Hey,” Kibum muttered, low to try and keep from making a spectacle.
“My shift's over,” Jjong replied immediately, slinging the strap of his guitar over his shoulder. “Bye.”
He jumped off the platform with grace and Kibum stared holes into his back as he walked to the back room to clock out. He soon stepped back out, whistling a tune carelessly. Jjong extended an arm to push open the exit door, the other hand loosening the tie choking his neck. As soon as he stepped out on to the sidewalk, he glimpsed through the window to meet Kibum's saddening eyes. His face stayed frozen in an unreadable expression, even after he took a seat in his beat down Ford. The truck backed out of its parking space and skidded down the road, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.
Kibum felt like he should of thrown himself into the street, and let Jjong's oversized truck tires trample over his broken body.
A/N: Sorry for the sort of late update. *bows* I honestly... don't have an excuse. xD I've been rewatching A:tLA.
OTL OTL OTL OTL OTL
So, forgive me? *puppy dog eyes*
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