Dancing In The Mirror & Singing In The Shower
Title: Dancing In The Mirror & Singing In The Shower
Pairing:Kai/D.O
Genre: Ramance, College!AU
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2.8k
Summary: Wherein Jongin sings and Kyungsoo dances.
A/N: Just thought I'd do something a little different to the norm.
(...crossposting from AFF but I kinda forgot my LJ password so it took a while.....)
Title from Becky G song; Shower. (Thought it was an apt name haha)
♦ ♦ ♦
Jongin knew this was a bad idea before he even walked into the dance studio. And he knew it was a bad idea before his best friend, Sehun, even dragged him to said dance studio. And he really knew it was a bad idea before said best friend even opened his mouth to suggest dragging Jongin to already aforementioned dance studio. All in all, it was a horrible idea.
It all began when Sehun suggested he and Jongin go to the newly opened studio complex at the edge of their college campus because “we can learn to dance together, check out the hot girls and be total studs”. To which Jongin’s immediate reply was;
“No. Hell no.” Jongin had felt a great sense of foreboding at the question, wary of the glint of mischief he saw in his friend’s eyes.
“Oh come, on! We have to go look! Is it ‘cause I said ‘hot girls’? It’s okay, I’m sure there’ll be hot guys there for you too, man.” Sehun was clearly not understanding Jongin’s hesitance because it had nothing to do with wether or not there were attractive people there.
“No, stupid, I don’t care about that. I don’t wanna go because of the thing…you know…”
“…What thing?” Sehun was, of course, being ever the erudite person he is. Jongin had sighed and made a garbled noise when he said,
“Ugh! The thing where I can’t dance! Like, at all! I’m gonna suck and everyone’s gonna laugh at me. Thatthing!!” Jongin was slightly angry but mostly embarrassed at having to admit this to Sehun, again. “I just stick to singing for a purpose; it’s the only thing I’m good at.”
“Oh yeahhh…I remember, now. We’ll just go in the back, then! It’ll be fine.” Jongin was even more enraged now because why would he go to a dance class when he couldn’t even dance at all?! Sehun just didn’t get it; Jongin didn’t dance nor liked to dance for a reason. He did not dance because he had no rhythm, no full control of all of his gangly limbs, and absolutely no grace or finesse that dancing required.
“No, it’s not fine! I’m shit at dancing and I’m not going!” Jongin definitely felt that his foot stomp was necessary to emphasize his point.
“Look, dude, we’ve both never taken a class before. Why can’t we just go to this one, learn some moves, find some ladies, well, dudes in your case, to pick up, and we never have to go again if you don’t like it,” Sehun insisted, clearly not realizing Jongin’s inner turmoil. When he doesn’t get a reply, he goes on,
“I’ll even do your laundry and physics homework for a week! And let you drag me to karaoke even though you always make me look bad ‘cause you’re so much better than everyone else.”Damn Sehun for knowing his biggest weaknesses. Still doubtful, Jongin slowly thought the offer over.
“Three weeks. I only go once, we stay in the back the whole time, and never mention it again.”
“Deal.”
♦ ♦ ♦
And this is how Jongin finds himself (and Sehun, but really, who cares about him at this point) in the back of a dance studio with mirrors lining all the walls - on a Friday night, waiting for the dance instructor to arrive. He notices that everyone else is stretching their muscles and warming up a bit for the class so he thinks it’s a good idea to follow along and pretend he knows what the hell he’s doing. There’s a popular pop track playing in the background that Jongin enjoys belting at the top of his lungs in the shower, so he decides that singing along at a moderately medium volume (loud as fuck if you asked Sehun, but Jongin’s pretending he doesn’t exist right now) while he’s stretching is perfectly acceptable. He doesn’t even notice when the dance teacher walks into the room because he’s so into the song that all he feels are the high notes in his soul and the stretch in his calves as he touches his toes. But Jongin definitely notices when the music stops and a raucous applause erupts around him, so he quickly shoots back up to standing, surprised at the circle of people gathered around him. He bashfully smiles and flaps his hands in front of himself shyly, not intending to attract so much attention.
“Well, now that all of your attention is stolen, I guess there’s no point in me being here,” an unknown voice from the back of the crowd says. Everyone chuckles tastefully as a petite, red-haired male makes his way to the front of the room. Jongin blushes and bows from the back in apology, but the guy at the front just waves him off.
“I’m sorry I can’t sing as well as that guy, but I hope my dancing is up to par with him. My name’s Do Kyungsoo, I’m twenty-one years old, and I’ll be your instructor for the next hour. I’m relatively new here so I hope we can all try to be friends,” Kyungsoo throws everyone a dazzling smile and Jongin thinks he’s slightly starstruck.
“So, I thought I’d show you some basic steps, then a short routine, and I’ll break it down and you can split into groups and dance for each other. And don’t worry about being self-conscious or about your dancing abilities! We’re all here to have fun - this is a judgement free zone. If you walk out of here without having enjoyed yourself, then I’m not doing my job right.” Kyungsoo’s deep but soft voice was unbelievably reassuring to Jongin, who felt about a million times better about his lack of dancing skill in a room full of dancers. He feels a nudge from Sehun beside him (oops Jongin forgot he existed) as he stage-whispers,
“Hey, Kyungsoo’s kinda cute? Is he your type?” Jongin rolls his eyes and ignores Sehun (again) but in his head, he’s thinking, yeah…Kyungsoo is definitely my type.
The next hour consists of Kyungsoo and his hip-hop class doing just what he said they’d do; he shows everyone some basic moves that they later incorporate into a small routine. Jongin finds himself feeling less and less self-conscious the longer the class goes on and more and more into the rhythm and style of the dancing. He’s also paying special attention to the way Kyungsoo teaches the moves so passionately and enjoyably, in awe at the pure and raw talent he sees before him. He doesn’t even feel discouraged when Sehun ends up being a better dancer than him because he keeps catching Kyungsoo giving him these quick winks when he finally gets a part down (which basically makes up for anything bad that’s happened in Jongin’s life, like, ever). By the end of the class, he’s sitting in the back and panting with exhaustion, but satisfied with dancing to his heart’s content. Even if he must have looked ridiculous with his flailing lanky limbs and off beat stomping, Jongin feels fulfilled and more excited now at the prospect of dancing, now (and he thinks that it may have something to do with a certain dainty, pretty-eyed dance teacher). Jongin tries to catch his breath, but feels a little short on oxygen again when he remembers all of Kyungsoo’s suave dance moves and probably illegal hip thrusts. He’s so busy daydreaming about big brown eyes and fair skin that he doesn’t even notice the real Kyungsoo standing in front of him, tapping his foot rhythmically.
“Hey singing boy, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself today,” Jongin looks up to see the pretty dance teacher smirking playfully down at him.
“Uh yeah, I had a great time, actually. Dancing’s not really my forte, but I’m glad I came today,” Jongin shyly confesses, feeling better when Kyungsoo’s smile widens. The singer quickly looks away, thinking he must look slightly pink, and notices that everyone’s already left, except for Sehun who’s dawdling by the entrance.
“It’s nice to see you again, Sehun,” Kyungsoo calls out to Sehun by the door, who smiles and nods back in return. Jongin briefly wonders how they know each other, but doesn’t dwell on it much.
“You too, and I finally convinced Jongin to come with me! Which is a real accomplishment because he’s hatesdancing, but that’s mostly ‘cause he sucks,” Jongin doesn’t understand why Sehun felt that that was necessary to share because now he’s feeling even more humiliated than before.
“Well, I didn’t think so. I can understand if you’re not comfortable with dancing, but I’m glad you at least tried.” Kyungsoo was so kind and warm to him that Jongin felt completely elated.
“Thank you,” he shyly mumbles in reply.
“Well, I guess we have to go to karaoke now since I owe you, Jong.” Sehun felt it was necessary to butt in. And as if he just had an epiphany, “Hey, why don’t you join us, Kyungsoo! Of course, you’ll never be able to surpass this guy’s skills here, but it’ll be fun!” Jongin feels slightly panicky because how dare Sehun invite the most beautiful person ever to watch them sing and drink themselves silly?
“Sure! That sounds good! Lemme just lock up and I’ll join you,” Kyungsoo runs around to do just that whilst Jongin and Sehun wait outside for him.
“How do you know him?” Jongin curiously whispers to his best friend.
“He’s new in my physiology class and he didn’t know anyone so I made friends. He told me he teaches dance so here we are,” Sehun answers with a shrug. “Aren’t you glad I invited him? You totally have the hots for him, it’s so obvious.”
“Ugh no this sucks! I don’t want him to see me make a fool of myself!”
“Oh, relax. I can tell he’s kinda into you too, dude. Come on, it’ll be fun!” Jongin was back to his rage-mode as he thought about how Sehun arranged it so that Kyungsoo would have to witness him embarrass himself all night. He didn’t have time to dwell on it much, however, as the dancer himself walks out of the studio. With a bright grin that could probably melt even the coldest of hearts, Kyungsoo exclaims,
“Let’s go!”
♦ ♦ ♦
Going to the karaoke bar with Kyungsoo ends up being a lot more fun than Jongin had previously anticipated. The trio enjoy singing and drinking themselves silly for the better part of the night in a private karaoke room, and Jongin even forgets that he and Kyungsoo had previously been strangers. He also can’t help but blush abashedly every time Kyungsoo compliments his singing, or says anything for that matter. Actually, he feels like just the dancer’s mere presence is making him feel permanently hot under the collar. (Though he tries to pretend it’s just the alcohol.)
Three hours and a few too many bottles of soju consumed later finds Jongin and Kyungsoo leaning on each other on the karaoke-room bench, giggling hysterically with tears in their eyes and loud trot music playing in the background. Jongin has lost track of Sehun (as usual) but he’s pretty sure he’s passed out on the floor under the piles snack wrappers and trash they’ve collected during their time there.
Jongin thinks this might be the best night of his life, because for once, he feels completely free. He lets go of all his inhibitions, and spends the time enjoying Kyungsoo’s company and purposefully ignoring the fact that the red-head was obviously way out of his league. They laugh and joke and drink and sing and drink some more, and Jongin is so in deep in the entrancing charm that is Kyungsoo that he knows there’s no turning back at this point. What was that fact he read somewhere? That singing with people brings you emotionally closer to them? Jongin certainly hopes this is true and that he can steal Kyungsoo’s heart with his singing charisma because he’s sure his gauche disposition isn’t going to get him anywhere.
They’re still leaning on each other when they sober up from their laughing fit, and suddenly, Jongin realizes how close they are in proximity. He looks down into those gorgeous brown eyes and leans just the slightest bit closer, slow and cautious so as not to freak the other out.
“I’m so glad I came to the class tonight. And that you came here with me,” Jongin breathes, words drunkenly slurred but purposeful.
Kyungsoo blinks up at him prettily and smiles widely in return. Jongin stares at his heart-shaped lips with slowly blinking eyes, entranced.
“So am I, Jongin. Thank you for tonight. It was the most fun I’ve had in a while.” He returns softly, as if sharing a secret just for the two of them.
“I think I like you. Like a lot,” the vocal-major confesses truthfully.
“You barely even know me,” Kyungsoo replies, linking their hands together. Jongin takes this as a good sign and leans in to kiss him on the cheek, his lips lingering there. The loud trot song comes to an end but the lights in the room are still flashing sporadically.
“Then I guess we have to spend more time together; so I can get to know you,” Jongin leans in more to bring their faces impossibly close. But in a moment of clarity and doubt, he freezes there, unsure if this is actually what Kyungsoo wants.
It’s Kyungsoo who then surges forward and connects their lips, shocking Jongin into opening his mouth slightly. The simple press of lips quickly turns passionate and heavy; the red-head curling one hand around the other’s nape whilst Jongin curls one around his waist. Jongin’s pretty sure he moans embarrassingly loud a few times, but he’s too lost in Kyungsoo’s plush lips and heady scent to care. He can’t even believe he’s making-out with one of the hottest guys he’s ever met, so Jongin thinks his life is going pretty great right now.
They jump apart in shock, however, when Sehun unexpectedly pops out of the pile of trash on the ground (like a daisy, Jongin thinks in his hazy mind.)
“Ew! Were you two sucking face?! My poor, poor eyes!” Sehun emphasizes this by pretending to dry-heave all over himself, much to Jongin’s chagrin. He tries to signal to Sehun that he should most definitely high-tail it out of there, and for once his best friend seems to catch on.
“Anyway I’m too tipsy and tired for this. It’s been fun, but I gotta bounce. Later kids! And use protection!” And with that, Sehun’s out the door, leaving behind a red-faced Jongin and a very amused Kyungsoo.
The red-head turns to him and asks,
“Walk me home?”
Jongin grins impossibly wide and takes ahold of Kyungsoo’s hand again.
“Gladly.”
♦ ♦ ♦
The cool night breeze helps sober up the less-than-sober duo, who walk hand in hand down the town streets. They spend the time getting to know each other, sharing their interests and likes and chatting with each other comfortably. Jongin can honestly say that he feels like he’s known Kyungsoo his whole life, as they easily speak of what they have a lot in common, the biggest one being their interest in the performing arts. Making-out with Kyungsoo is fun, Jongin realizes, but it’s equally as fun to be able to laugh and joke with someone on the same wavelength as him. (And sure, Sehun’s good for that too, but c’mon, he’s no Kyungsoo.)
When they arrive in front of Kyungsoo’s apartment door, Jongin can’t help but feel disappointment at having to part with him.
“So were you serious about the ‘spending more time together thing?’” Kyungsoo asks, leaning against his front door with an uncharacteristically shy smile on his face.
“Yeah, I was hoping you’d agree,” the singer scratches at the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Then, I definitely agree. How does lunch next week sound?”
“That sounds perfect to me.” They both gaze at each other with rosy cheeks and smiles of complete elation on their faces.
Kyungsoo then leans forward and slides something into Jongin’s back pocket. He stands on his tip-toes and whispers in the taller’s ear;
“My card. So you better call me.” And with a quick peck on the lips and a, “good night, Jongin”, he slips into his apartment.
Jongin skips into the street with the brightest grin in the world on his face and the lightest heart in his chest. He quickly hails a cab and rushes home, excited to sleep so he can call Kyungsoo in the morning as soon as possible. He rolls down the car window and feels the icy wind rush through his hair, and Jongin thinks that he’s probably the happiest man in the whole, wide world.