Behind the Sex - Chapter 31
Title: Behind the Sex
Fandom(s) : U-KISS
Pairing(s): KeMaru
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, Romance
Warnings: Awful!English
Author's Notes: My second NaNoWriMo, and a rather bold decision, if I might say :)! Hopefully doesn't contain too much inaccuracies, and if it does, please ignore it? >_>?
Prologue :: Chapter 1 :: Chapter 2 :: Chapter 3 :: Chapter 4 :: Chapter 5 :: Chapter 6 :: Chapter 7
Chapter 8 :: Chapter 9 :: Chapter 10 :: Chapter 11 :: Chapter 12 :: Chapter 13 :: Chapter 14 :: Chapter 15
Chapter 16 :: Chapter 17 :: Chapter 18 :: Chapter 19 :: Chapter 20 :: Chapter 21 :: Chapter 22
Chapter 23 :: Chapter 24 :: Chapter 25 :: Chapter 26 :: Chapter 27 :: Chapter 28 :: Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Ten days into the fifth month meant there was only about fifty days left till the end of the project. It seemed like he knew all of Kevin’s past from the only time he met the younger when he was seven, since that was the greatest thing that shaped Kevin this way. He was thus confident on completing the project, and yet, Kevin unexpectedly became distant.
If he knew everything in the past, then was this a new turmoil sprouting out?
In fact, Kibum knew very well that he could stop his project right at this moment. His professor doesn’t know Kevin, how would he know what changes had happened? He had unravelled Kevin’s past, and even if he never knew Kevin before, there was a great possibility that the younger would have told him.
He had never actually let Kevin knew that he was the other boy at the scene fourteen years ago, and Kevin hadn’t heard him that time he accidentally let the information slip. Despite not knowing, Kevin had indirectly of why things had turned out this way with unguarded speech. If so, he could grab onto that sole information of Kevin’s turmoil, his inability to fully move on, and treat that as his case study without researching anymore.
But this time, it wasn’t for any project work, for any grade. It was for himself, and Kibum knew it well.
With money in his pockets, because that was the only way to ensure Kevin wasn’t going to escape, Kibum waited for Kevin at the brothel’s car park once more.
After the sex a couple of days ago, the younger man returned to his indifferent state, albeit there were awkward greetings exchanged every morning. Kibum decided that sex wasn’t the way to solve problems, because then Kevin would have two extremes to play around with. Either treat Kibum like a stranger, or cling onto him. And the usual way for Kibum to deal with such double standards was to blur the line.
They were going somewhere, anywhere, and he was going to request for something special. With Kevin’s time slot being bought, he would most likely not refuse, especially when not grasping the situation yet. Planning everything even to the slightest details, Kibum decided that sex was out of bounds. This forced the younger into a situation where he cannot use lust as a façade and moan his way out, nor ignore him blatantly and treat him like a stranger.
It might start off a little rocky, but Kibum was sure it would work.
“Good morning.” Kevin smiled faintly, hands hooking around Kibum’s arms almost naturally. This subtle movement only meant that Kevin knew who he was going to be with for the next few hours. A pity that things ended up this way, with money as the centre focus. While it lasts, though, Kibum has to exploit it.
“Morning.” Kibum nodded, then explaining the situation as he walked to the car. “Today, we’re going out on a date.”
“A date?” Kevin paused, breath caught in his throat.
“I want you to act like you’re my boyfriend, because I’ve always wanted to try leading dates.” Kibum confidently nodded, tone without the slightest bit of indecision. He eyed the younger’s response, watching the younger stare down at the floor reluctantly.
“Haven’t we gone out before? Ate lunch, watched movies…” Kevin ranted away, realising he wasn’t in the position to be saying such things when he was the one stopping such casual hangouts from happening anymore. Stopping short, he then fidgeted slightly as they sat in the car, waiting for Kibum to pick up the silence.
“But those are too friendly. I want to try a more loving sort.” Kibum shrugged, igniting the engine. The midpoint between lust and nothing was love, not friendship. Friendly interactions wouldn’t blur the line, only giving Kevin a third option. “So we’ll come up with pet names first.”
“Huh?” Kevin hurriedly exclaimed, whining quietly to himself.
Kibum was a customer, and so Kevin couldn’t refuse even if he wanted so badly to, giving a weak smile and very unwillingly consenting. Acting like lovers when he practically dreamt of it every night, was crazy, downright crazy. Today was going to be difficult, because Kevin wouldn’t know what was acting and what might possibly be real on Kibum’s side anymore, and he wouldn’t know whether or not if he had crossed the line appearing too concerned, too loving, on his own side.
“Honey.” Kibum pondered a little, even though he had thought of it a few hours ago while planning even Kevin’s part of the conversation in his head. “I’ll call you honey, because you’re as sweet as that.”
Kevin flinched. He wouldn’t admit that he had secretly wanted pet names with someone just so he could feel cosy inside, no, not to Kibum. And that cheesy explanation for the pet name only made the younger man’s heart beat faster.
He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but Kibum was staring at him, waiting for a response. What? What was he supposed to come up with? “Erm…I…but-“
“Did you say Bummie? Hm, I don’t get that a lot but I guess if you really wanted to.” Kibum cut in, one hand searching for Kevin’s to interlock with. “Honey, do you have anywhere you really want to go?”
“N-No.”
“Sorry?”
“No.”
“I can’t seem to hear you. Say it again.”
“No…Bummie.” Kevin bit his lower lip, blushing too furiously to realise the older man was grinning away.
The day already looked like fun.
-
Kibum drove them both downtown, to a place where they weren’t familiar with, making exploring possible. The central business district was pretty crowded since it was a Sunday, with families window-shopping and having cosy meals at any of the various restaurants in sight. Kevin watched people from different walks of life enjoy the breeze and blend together into the bustling city scene from inside the car, Kibum then turning round a corner into a car park, leaving the view behind.
The older man must have drove into a car park with expensive rates, seeing as parking lots were almost everywhere on such a day. Kevin then hesitantly turned to the older man, who paid him no attention, fully concentrating on reversing the car into the parking lot perfectly.
It wasn’t that he had never noticed before. It was just that he usually didn’t see the older park a car, or when he did, he was half-asleep at the early hours of the morning. Watching the older man reverse the car once, then switching gears to drive forward a little to adjust the car’s position, Kevin could only admire how swift Kibum’s hands were. He himself could never drive, once trying at one of his customer’s personal garage and almost crashing the car’s boot into the wall due his lack of control with the accelerator.
Reversing once more, Kibum then switched the gears to park, pulling out the car keys while turning to look at Kevin. He caught the younger’s gaze, to which Kevin quickly shunned, face turning red in embarrassment.
“We’ve reached, honey.” Kibum smiled, pinching Kevin’s cheeks gently before heading out of the car.
Kevin bit his lip and hurried unbuckled the seatbelts, still in admiration that Kibum only needed to adjust the car once. Stepping out, his awe intensified while looking at the uniform border surrounding the car, the four white corners drawn on the floor perfectly framing it up like a picture.
Kibum raised his eyebrow, heading towards Kevin when the younger man hadn’t moved away from his spot. Circling his arm around Kevin’s waist, Kibum then gently tugged the man, eyes searching for the other’s as if to find out the cause of his state. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Kevin distractedly nodded, shifting slightly to make himself more comfortable in the older man’s hold. It had happened too naturally, and even Kevin couldn’t tell if it was because he had forgotten how awkward their relationship had became. To cover up his action, he tried coming up with something to say when nothing went to his head. “I…”
Kibum frowned, turning Kevin to face him. Faced with concern, Kevin’s eyes darted around, feeling his knees turn wobbly. The older of the two held Kevin’s shoulders, before raising Kevin’s chin slightly to direct the gaze towards himself. “Honey, you sure you’re okay?”
“Oh God.” Kevin mumbled, his own hands reaching for Kibum’s shirt, curling his fingers around the fabric before twisting it. His eyes watched how the shirt became tighter around the older man’s form, wanting nothing but for them to just have sex in the car park if that could make Kibum stop with all these lovey dovey acts. “Stop it…”
Cutting off Kibum’s words in case he said something like “Oh honey, what’s wrong?” by kissing him, Kevin tugged the shirt Kibum was wearing closer towards him and tilted his head to remove any gaps between their faces. His eyes fluttered close, concentrating as he pressed his lips against Kibum’s, tongue slipping between the spaces to meet the other’s. Kibum held onto Kevin’s sides to return the sudden kiss, seeing through Kevin’s act of affection as his habit kicking in.
The habit that he has when he was in a situation that left him helpless, doing the best he could to hopefully distract the other.
When they pulled away after what felt like eternity. Kevin wished his method worked. Kibum sighed, and the younger man then realised that his method never worked with this special customer.
“Is it the pet names? If you’re that uncomfortable with them, I’ll drop them.” Kibum offered, hand reaching for Kevin’s before leading him towards the lift that would bring them to the mall.
“I’m sorry.” Kevin guiltily looked down at the floor, half apologetic that he couldn’t do what he was requested to do. Since Kibum had taken a step back, it was only fair that Kevin did compromise his side of the deal too. “You’re older than me, right? I-Is it okay if I call you hyung then?”
The older man halted in his steps, looking at Kevin as if for confirmation. A shy nod from Kevin placed a smile back on his features.
-
“Hyung.” Kevin squeaked, slightly uncomfortable with informal speech. They had been browsing the different items every shop offered, and even though the many items were nice to look at, Kevin started feeling hunger bite the insides of his stomach.
“Yes, Kevin?” Kibum paused, placing the cartoon t-shirt back on the shirt racks when the size didn’t fit Kevin’s thin figure. “You don’t like this?”
“I’m hungry.” Kevin said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Can we get something to eat?”
They soon found a fast food restaurant in sight, and Kevin requested that they went inside since he hadn’t ate unhealthy fast food in a long time. Kibum chuckled, then ruffling his hair before searching for a seat inside the crowded area.
“Tell me what you want, I’ll go buy the food.” Kibum suggested, leaving Kevin at the table so others knew it was taken. He then left to queue for a simple lunch, deciding to buy some add-ons as side dishes for them both.
Kevin sat in silence, thinking back on the past few hours. The name “Kevin” might be comfortable for him to hear, a lot better than “honey”, but today was a different sort of session. Kibum had said that he wanted to try leading dates, and if the older man was calling him the way every other man called him, despite Kevin addressing him differently, nothing much changed. Hearing “honey” one more time could kill him, and so Kevin decided to find a certain name he would be fine with hearing.
A certain name that only Kibum could call.
After Kibum set both their meals on the table and sat down opposite Kevin, the older man reached for something in his pocket. Kevin pressed his lips together and wondered if now was a good time to suggest something like this, since Kibum wouldn’t be the one asking, not knowing Kevin’s intentions.
“Hyung…” Kevin took in a deep breath, focusing on removing the plastic wrapper around his burger halfway. “You can call me Sunghyun instead of Kevin.”
Kibum blinked, taking in the information slowly, as if unable to understand. “What?”
“Honey is too much, but Sunghyun is fine…” Kevin tried to explain a little more confidently, his real name foreign to his mouth as he let those syllables slipped off the tip of his tongue. “I really don’t mind.”
Was Kevin putting his past behind him?
More importantly, no one else had addressed him as Sunghyun ever since he was six. What did it mean for Kevin to let Kibum call him this way? Kibum tried not to read too much into it, only dumbly agreeing for the time being. He needed some more time to let the whole reality sink in, though, unsure if he should trust instincts or analysis.
Kevin then busied himself with taking bites from the burger.
“Sunghyun.” Kibum tested the name with a low voice, fingering the object in his hand that had been in his pocket previously.
With wide eyes and food in his mouth, Kevin looked up at the older man innocently, burger slightly blocking his chin. A click was all Kevin heard, before registering that Kibum had taken a picture of him so abruptly. The younger man didn’t protest, didn’t ask to look at the picture, didn’t say a thing. All the unspoken words were caught in his throat as he saw Kibum smile proudly at the picture displayed on the camera screen.
-
Lunch then went by, with occasional heart-fluttering actions like Kibum using his fingers to clean off the mayonnaise by the sides of Kevin’s lips. After washing their hands clean so they could intertwine them once more, Kibum brought Kevin out of the mall for a walk, enjoying the afternoon sun along with the many clouds present.
Passing by a fountain, the two saw many young children already crowding around it, playing with water and sometimes splashing messily about. The area around was thus wet, along with a few relaxed parents watching their kids play with others their age.
“They’re so cute, aren’t they?” Kevin asked, giggling when a little boy scooped water with his hands to throw it towards his younger sister. The girl quickly retaliated, happily laughing when her brother got wet. “Hyung?”
“Yeah?” Kibum chuckled, showing the younger man the picture he just took of the two siblings. “The girl doesn’t have teeth yet.”
Kevin laughed, punching the older man’s shoulder for being mean while fingering the screen slightly to observe it quietly. With a smile, Kibum then silently took back his camera, leaning his lips against Kevin’s ear. “Sunghyun-ah, do you mind if we take a picture together right now?”
Kevin tried to hide the obvious shudder, nodding with a smile that slightly trembled. Kibum’s eyes probably didn’t register the subtle flinch, moving to find a passer-by to help take a picture instead. Otherwise, the older man would never have let go of this opportunity to tease him. While the other’s back was still facing him, Kevin quickly whipped out his phone and checked his hair, hoping nothing would ruin the first photo he has with Kibum in proper daylight.
“Smile!” Kevin whispered, checking his teeth and expression before swiftly hiding the electronic device. Kibum was still explaining where the zoom buttons were and how to focus on the image with the shutter-release button when the younger man was done, much to Kevin’s relief.
“Ready? I’ll count from three.” The man amiably spoke, steadying his own position. Kibum then made a short jog towards his position beside Kevin, hearing the man start the countdown. “Three, two-”
No wonder something felt off.
Kibum snaked his arm around Kevin’s waist, gently tugging him closer. The sudden move caused Kevin to squeak a bit, but instincts plastered his best smile over his face once more. Kibum chuckled at the high-pitched sound, hearing the final word leave the man’s lips.
“One. Ah, it came out nicely. You both are really good looking.” The man praised, then passing the camera over while dismissing Kibum’s and Kevin’s gratitude with a gentle pat on their backs. “No problem at all.”
Checking the picture with high expectations, since the sunlight was optimal and the background was beautiful, Kibum laughed when Kevin peeked over his shoulders. They both then waited for the picture to load, both in awe of how pretty the scene looked.
“I like his way of taking pictures.” Kibum nodded, more to himself than Kevin. “Some people tend to focus more on the background, some more on the subject. He grasped the middle really well.”
“Yes, yes, Mr Photography! I know you’re good, you’re in university studying that afterall.” Kevin half teased. “But I always thought you guys don’t take this type of normal photos.”
“It’s basic.” Kibum answered calmly despite himself. He had somehow thrown his fake profile out of his mind somewhere along the journey that he forgotten what he had told Kevin at least a good hundred days ago. Lingering too long on this subject might let the cat out of the bag, considering the edge he couldn’t keep out in his voice, thus he needed a distraction. Waving the camera before Kevin, he completed the disguise with a warm smile. “I’d keep this well.”
-
“It’s time.” Kibum spoke, dropping his hand back to his side after checking the time. He would only be able to tell, after his last minute was up, whether he broke down whatever barriers Kevin had built, closed up on whatever distance Kevin had left. Looking to the younger man who had stopped in his steps too, Kibum then smiled, stroking his head fondly. “Time for us to drop the names too, Sunghyun-ah.”
Kevin didn’t mind, didn’t mind one bit if it was Kibum calling him this way. But it was only best for the both of them to stay within their boundaries, and so he returned the smile. “Yeah, hyung.”
Kibum hadn’t hinted a thing, only looking into Kevin’s eyes a little longer than usual. The younger then closed his eyes, feeling instincts control the way he held onto Kibum’s shoulders. He felt the distinct soothing scent neared him, a welcoming warmth embracing him as strong arms supported his back. Gently, Kibum then pressed their lips together, mentally counting how long Kevin held his breath for - undoubtedly, the same length he held his own for.
Kevin stayed in his position, carefully exhaling as Kibum inched away, eyes adjusting once more to the evening sun. They had been so nervous, each then breaking out into a smile when their gazes met.
So nervous that they didn’t realise how naturally the kiss happened.
-
This chapter goes out to eftsoon for completing her NaNoWriMo 2012 that I never got around completing (;~;)! <3
Haha, you guys are able to get this Christmas update thanks to her :P
Have a merry Christmas, folks! You know how to do it~, get more people! :D
Fandom(s) : U-KISS
Pairing(s): KeMaru
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, Romance
Warnings: Awful!English
Author's Notes: My second NaNoWriMo, and a rather bold decision, if I might say :)! Hopefully doesn't contain too much inaccuracies, and if it does, please ignore it? >_>?
Prologue :: Chapter 1 :: Chapter 2 :: Chapter 3 :: Chapter 4 :: Chapter 5 :: Chapter 6 :: Chapter 7
Chapter 8 :: Chapter 9 :: Chapter 10 :: Chapter 11 :: Chapter 12 :: Chapter 13 :: Chapter 14 :: Chapter 15
Chapter 16 :: Chapter 17 :: Chapter 18 :: Chapter 19 :: Chapter 20 :: Chapter 21 :: Chapter 22
Chapter 23 :: Chapter 24 :: Chapter 25 :: Chapter 26 :: Chapter 27 :: Chapter 28 :: Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Ten days into the fifth month meant there was only about fifty days left till the end of the project. It seemed like he knew all of Kevin’s past from the only time he met the younger when he was seven, since that was the greatest thing that shaped Kevin this way. He was thus confident on completing the project, and yet, Kevin unexpectedly became distant.
If he knew everything in the past, then was this a new turmoil sprouting out?
In fact, Kibum knew very well that he could stop his project right at this moment. His professor doesn’t know Kevin, how would he know what changes had happened? He had unravelled Kevin’s past, and even if he never knew Kevin before, there was a great possibility that the younger would have told him.
He had never actually let Kevin knew that he was the other boy at the scene fourteen years ago, and Kevin hadn’t heard him that time he accidentally let the information slip. Despite not knowing, Kevin had indirectly of why things had turned out this way with unguarded speech. If so, he could grab onto that sole information of Kevin’s turmoil, his inability to fully move on, and treat that as his case study without researching anymore.
But this time, it wasn’t for any project work, for any grade. It was for himself, and Kibum knew it well.
With money in his pockets, because that was the only way to ensure Kevin wasn’t going to escape, Kibum waited for Kevin at the brothel’s car park once more.
After the sex a couple of days ago, the younger man returned to his indifferent state, albeit there were awkward greetings exchanged every morning. Kibum decided that sex wasn’t the way to solve problems, because then Kevin would have two extremes to play around with. Either treat Kibum like a stranger, or cling onto him. And the usual way for Kibum to deal with such double standards was to blur the line.
They were going somewhere, anywhere, and he was going to request for something special. With Kevin’s time slot being bought, he would most likely not refuse, especially when not grasping the situation yet. Planning everything even to the slightest details, Kibum decided that sex was out of bounds. This forced the younger into a situation where he cannot use lust as a façade and moan his way out, nor ignore him blatantly and treat him like a stranger.
It might start off a little rocky, but Kibum was sure it would work.
“Good morning.” Kevin smiled faintly, hands hooking around Kibum’s arms almost naturally. This subtle movement only meant that Kevin knew who he was going to be with for the next few hours. A pity that things ended up this way, with money as the centre focus. While it lasts, though, Kibum has to exploit it.
“Morning.” Kibum nodded, then explaining the situation as he walked to the car. “Today, we’re going out on a date.”
“A date?” Kevin paused, breath caught in his throat.
“I want you to act like you’re my boyfriend, because I’ve always wanted to try leading dates.” Kibum confidently nodded, tone without the slightest bit of indecision. He eyed the younger’s response, watching the younger stare down at the floor reluctantly.
“Haven’t we gone out before? Ate lunch, watched movies…” Kevin ranted away, realising he wasn’t in the position to be saying such things when he was the one stopping such casual hangouts from happening anymore. Stopping short, he then fidgeted slightly as they sat in the car, waiting for Kibum to pick up the silence.
“But those are too friendly. I want to try a more loving sort.” Kibum shrugged, igniting the engine. The midpoint between lust and nothing was love, not friendship. Friendly interactions wouldn’t blur the line, only giving Kevin a third option. “So we’ll come up with pet names first.”
“Huh?” Kevin hurriedly exclaimed, whining quietly to himself.
Kibum was a customer, and so Kevin couldn’t refuse even if he wanted so badly to, giving a weak smile and very unwillingly consenting. Acting like lovers when he practically dreamt of it every night, was crazy, downright crazy. Today was going to be difficult, because Kevin wouldn’t know what was acting and what might possibly be real on Kibum’s side anymore, and he wouldn’t know whether or not if he had crossed the line appearing too concerned, too loving, on his own side.
“Honey.” Kibum pondered a little, even though he had thought of it a few hours ago while planning even Kevin’s part of the conversation in his head. “I’ll call you honey, because you’re as sweet as that.”
Kevin flinched. He wouldn’t admit that he had secretly wanted pet names with someone just so he could feel cosy inside, no, not to Kibum. And that cheesy explanation for the pet name only made the younger man’s heart beat faster.
He wasn’t sure how long it had been, but Kibum was staring at him, waiting for a response. What? What was he supposed to come up with? “Erm…I…but-“
“Did you say Bummie? Hm, I don’t get that a lot but I guess if you really wanted to.” Kibum cut in, one hand searching for Kevin’s to interlock with. “Honey, do you have anywhere you really want to go?”
“N-No.”
“Sorry?”
“No.”
“I can’t seem to hear you. Say it again.”
“No…Bummie.” Kevin bit his lower lip, blushing too furiously to realise the older man was grinning away.
The day already looked like fun.
-
Kibum drove them both downtown, to a place where they weren’t familiar with, making exploring possible. The central business district was pretty crowded since it was a Sunday, with families window-shopping and having cosy meals at any of the various restaurants in sight. Kevin watched people from different walks of life enjoy the breeze and blend together into the bustling city scene from inside the car, Kibum then turning round a corner into a car park, leaving the view behind.
The older man must have drove into a car park with expensive rates, seeing as parking lots were almost everywhere on such a day. Kevin then hesitantly turned to the older man, who paid him no attention, fully concentrating on reversing the car into the parking lot perfectly.
It wasn’t that he had never noticed before. It was just that he usually didn’t see the older park a car, or when he did, he was half-asleep at the early hours of the morning. Watching the older man reverse the car once, then switching gears to drive forward a little to adjust the car’s position, Kevin could only admire how swift Kibum’s hands were. He himself could never drive, once trying at one of his customer’s personal garage and almost crashing the car’s boot into the wall due his lack of control with the accelerator.
Reversing once more, Kibum then switched the gears to park, pulling out the car keys while turning to look at Kevin. He caught the younger’s gaze, to which Kevin quickly shunned, face turning red in embarrassment.
“We’ve reached, honey.” Kibum smiled, pinching Kevin’s cheeks gently before heading out of the car.
Kevin bit his lip and hurried unbuckled the seatbelts, still in admiration that Kibum only needed to adjust the car once. Stepping out, his awe intensified while looking at the uniform border surrounding the car, the four white corners drawn on the floor perfectly framing it up like a picture.
Kibum raised his eyebrow, heading towards Kevin when the younger man hadn’t moved away from his spot. Circling his arm around Kevin’s waist, Kibum then gently tugged the man, eyes searching for the other’s as if to find out the cause of his state. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” Kevin distractedly nodded, shifting slightly to make himself more comfortable in the older man’s hold. It had happened too naturally, and even Kevin couldn’t tell if it was because he had forgotten how awkward their relationship had became. To cover up his action, he tried coming up with something to say when nothing went to his head. “I…”
Kibum frowned, turning Kevin to face him. Faced with concern, Kevin’s eyes darted around, feeling his knees turn wobbly. The older of the two held Kevin’s shoulders, before raising Kevin’s chin slightly to direct the gaze towards himself. “Honey, you sure you’re okay?”
“Oh God.” Kevin mumbled, his own hands reaching for Kibum’s shirt, curling his fingers around the fabric before twisting it. His eyes watched how the shirt became tighter around the older man’s form, wanting nothing but for them to just have sex in the car park if that could make Kibum stop with all these lovey dovey acts. “Stop it…”
Cutting off Kibum’s words in case he said something like “Oh honey, what’s wrong?” by kissing him, Kevin tugged the shirt Kibum was wearing closer towards him and tilted his head to remove any gaps between their faces. His eyes fluttered close, concentrating as he pressed his lips against Kibum’s, tongue slipping between the spaces to meet the other’s. Kibum held onto Kevin’s sides to return the sudden kiss, seeing through Kevin’s act of affection as his habit kicking in.
The habit that he has when he was in a situation that left him helpless, doing the best he could to hopefully distract the other.
When they pulled away after what felt like eternity. Kevin wished his method worked. Kibum sighed, and the younger man then realised that his method never worked with this special customer.
“Is it the pet names? If you’re that uncomfortable with them, I’ll drop them.” Kibum offered, hand reaching for Kevin’s before leading him towards the lift that would bring them to the mall.
“I’m sorry.” Kevin guiltily looked down at the floor, half apologetic that he couldn’t do what he was requested to do. Since Kibum had taken a step back, it was only fair that Kevin did compromise his side of the deal too. “You’re older than me, right? I-Is it okay if I call you hyung then?”
The older man halted in his steps, looking at Kevin as if for confirmation. A shy nod from Kevin placed a smile back on his features.
-
“Hyung.” Kevin squeaked, slightly uncomfortable with informal speech. They had been browsing the different items every shop offered, and even though the many items were nice to look at, Kevin started feeling hunger bite the insides of his stomach.
“Yes, Kevin?” Kibum paused, placing the cartoon t-shirt back on the shirt racks when the size didn’t fit Kevin’s thin figure. “You don’t like this?”
“I’m hungry.” Kevin said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Can we get something to eat?”
They soon found a fast food restaurant in sight, and Kevin requested that they went inside since he hadn’t ate unhealthy fast food in a long time. Kibum chuckled, then ruffling his hair before searching for a seat inside the crowded area.
“Tell me what you want, I’ll go buy the food.” Kibum suggested, leaving Kevin at the table so others knew it was taken. He then left to queue for a simple lunch, deciding to buy some add-ons as side dishes for them both.
Kevin sat in silence, thinking back on the past few hours. The name “Kevin” might be comfortable for him to hear, a lot better than “honey”, but today was a different sort of session. Kibum had said that he wanted to try leading dates, and if the older man was calling him the way every other man called him, despite Kevin addressing him differently, nothing much changed. Hearing “honey” one more time could kill him, and so Kevin decided to find a certain name he would be fine with hearing.
A certain name that only Kibum could call.
After Kibum set both their meals on the table and sat down opposite Kevin, the older man reached for something in his pocket. Kevin pressed his lips together and wondered if now was a good time to suggest something like this, since Kibum wouldn’t be the one asking, not knowing Kevin’s intentions.
“Hyung…” Kevin took in a deep breath, focusing on removing the plastic wrapper around his burger halfway. “You can call me Sunghyun instead of Kevin.”
Kibum blinked, taking in the information slowly, as if unable to understand. “What?”
“Honey is too much, but Sunghyun is fine…” Kevin tried to explain a little more confidently, his real name foreign to his mouth as he let those syllables slipped off the tip of his tongue. “I really don’t mind.”
Was Kevin putting his past behind him?
More importantly, no one else had addressed him as Sunghyun ever since he was six. What did it mean for Kevin to let Kibum call him this way? Kibum tried not to read too much into it, only dumbly agreeing for the time being. He needed some more time to let the whole reality sink in, though, unsure if he should trust instincts or analysis.
Kevin then busied himself with taking bites from the burger.
“Sunghyun.” Kibum tested the name with a low voice, fingering the object in his hand that had been in his pocket previously.
With wide eyes and food in his mouth, Kevin looked up at the older man innocently, burger slightly blocking his chin. A click was all Kevin heard, before registering that Kibum had taken a picture of him so abruptly. The younger man didn’t protest, didn’t ask to look at the picture, didn’t say a thing. All the unspoken words were caught in his throat as he saw Kibum smile proudly at the picture displayed on the camera screen.
-
Lunch then went by, with occasional heart-fluttering actions like Kibum using his fingers to clean off the mayonnaise by the sides of Kevin’s lips. After washing their hands clean so they could intertwine them once more, Kibum brought Kevin out of the mall for a walk, enjoying the afternoon sun along with the many clouds present.
Passing by a fountain, the two saw many young children already crowding around it, playing with water and sometimes splashing messily about. The area around was thus wet, along with a few relaxed parents watching their kids play with others their age.
“They’re so cute, aren’t they?” Kevin asked, giggling when a little boy scooped water with his hands to throw it towards his younger sister. The girl quickly retaliated, happily laughing when her brother got wet. “Hyung?”
“Yeah?” Kibum chuckled, showing the younger man the picture he just took of the two siblings. “The girl doesn’t have teeth yet.”
Kevin laughed, punching the older man’s shoulder for being mean while fingering the screen slightly to observe it quietly. With a smile, Kibum then silently took back his camera, leaning his lips against Kevin’s ear. “Sunghyun-ah, do you mind if we take a picture together right now?”
Kevin tried to hide the obvious shudder, nodding with a smile that slightly trembled. Kibum’s eyes probably didn’t register the subtle flinch, moving to find a passer-by to help take a picture instead. Otherwise, the older man would never have let go of this opportunity to tease him. While the other’s back was still facing him, Kevin quickly whipped out his phone and checked his hair, hoping nothing would ruin the first photo he has with Kibum in proper daylight.
“Smile!” Kevin whispered, checking his teeth and expression before swiftly hiding the electronic device. Kibum was still explaining where the zoom buttons were and how to focus on the image with the shutter-release button when the younger man was done, much to Kevin’s relief.
“Ready? I’ll count from three.” The man amiably spoke, steadying his own position. Kibum then made a short jog towards his position beside Kevin, hearing the man start the countdown. “Three, two-”
No wonder something felt off.
Kibum snaked his arm around Kevin’s waist, gently tugging him closer. The sudden move caused Kevin to squeak a bit, but instincts plastered his best smile over his face once more. Kibum chuckled at the high-pitched sound, hearing the final word leave the man’s lips.
“One. Ah, it came out nicely. You both are really good looking.” The man praised, then passing the camera over while dismissing Kibum’s and Kevin’s gratitude with a gentle pat on their backs. “No problem at all.”
Checking the picture with high expectations, since the sunlight was optimal and the background was beautiful, Kibum laughed when Kevin peeked over his shoulders. They both then waited for the picture to load, both in awe of how pretty the scene looked.
“I like his way of taking pictures.” Kibum nodded, more to himself than Kevin. “Some people tend to focus more on the background, some more on the subject. He grasped the middle really well.”
“Yes, yes, Mr Photography! I know you’re good, you’re in university studying that afterall.” Kevin half teased. “But I always thought you guys don’t take this type of normal photos.”
“It’s basic.” Kibum answered calmly despite himself. He had somehow thrown his fake profile out of his mind somewhere along the journey that he forgotten what he had told Kevin at least a good hundred days ago. Lingering too long on this subject might let the cat out of the bag, considering the edge he couldn’t keep out in his voice, thus he needed a distraction. Waving the camera before Kevin, he completed the disguise with a warm smile. “I’d keep this well.”
-
“It’s time.” Kibum spoke, dropping his hand back to his side after checking the time. He would only be able to tell, after his last minute was up, whether he broke down whatever barriers Kevin had built, closed up on whatever distance Kevin had left. Looking to the younger man who had stopped in his steps too, Kibum then smiled, stroking his head fondly. “Time for us to drop the names too, Sunghyun-ah.”
Kevin didn’t mind, didn’t mind one bit if it was Kibum calling him this way. But it was only best for the both of them to stay within their boundaries, and so he returned the smile. “Yeah, hyung.”
Kibum hadn’t hinted a thing, only looking into Kevin’s eyes a little longer than usual. The younger then closed his eyes, feeling instincts control the way he held onto Kibum’s shoulders. He felt the distinct soothing scent neared him, a welcoming warmth embracing him as strong arms supported his back. Gently, Kibum then pressed their lips together, mentally counting how long Kevin held his breath for - undoubtedly, the same length he held his own for.
Kevin stayed in his position, carefully exhaling as Kibum inched away, eyes adjusting once more to the evening sun. They had been so nervous, each then breaking out into a smile when their gazes met.
So nervous that they didn’t realise how naturally the kiss happened.
-
This chapter goes out to eftsoon for completing her NaNoWriMo 2012 that I never got around completing (;~;)! <3
Haha, you guys are able to get this Christmas update thanks to her :P
Have a merry Christmas, folks! You know how to do it~, get more people! :D