Human iPod [part I]

[sharoooney]

Shären 030313 - 120415

A/N: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE CRAPPY FORMATTING BUT LJ IS A BITCH. T-T

Title: Human iPod
Band: Exo
Pairing: main!KaiSoo (Jongin/Kyungsoo), minor!HunHan (Sehun/Luhan)
Genre: Romance, fluff, drama... y'know, the usual. AU
Rating: PG-13

Warning: None except for excessive Kyungsoo-feels and Sehun!snark.
Length: Oneshot, 18.3k words
Disclaimer: This is fanfiction. I own nothing but the plot and formulations. Credit to all the songs mentioned in this story goes to their respective owners.
Summary: As repayment for breaking his iPod, Kyungsoo becomes Jongin's little jukebox in human form.

Please don't stay in my heart once you're gone

I still want you

Don't dwell in my ears

Because I wanna listen, I wanna listen to your sound.

Kim Sunggyu - Because

PART I

Kim Jongin's most precious property was his iPod. It had taken several weeks of working long overtime hours at the convenience store and only eating instant noodles every second day, until he had finally scraped enough money together to buy the expensive electronic device. The convenience store where he jobbed was located just down the road of the flat he shared with his co-worker and best friend Oh Sehun. The two young men were struggling to pay for food and their monthly rent and tried to jazz up their income by giving dance classes to children in the dance studio at the local music school.

Music was the only way for Jongin to calm down his usual slight hyperactivity; whenever he wasn't dancing or listening to music, his knees just wouldn't stop bouncing and his foot wouldn't stop tapping the floor. It had driven everyone around him nearly mad and not only Jongin was happy, when he finally got an iPod he could absentmindedly listen to all the time and he was able to tone down his constant fidgeting to a minimum. This was why Jongin brought his iPod around everywhere he went and handled it with kid gloves. Even at work behind the till he always had at least one earplug in his ear.

~*~

It was a chilly late afternoon in October, with the sun sending a few last desperate rays of warmth, before it was about to set behind Seoul's rooftops, and the wind blew already coldly through the streets, when Jongin was on his way from the dance studio to the convenience store. It was one of the pupils' birthday and the little girl had invited the other kids to her birthday party, leaving with all of them half an hour before the usual end of the lesson. Otherwise they wouldn't be at the cinema in time when the movie they had planned to watch started. So Jongin had agreed to make an exception just for today and ended his class earlier than usual.

With the little bit of spare time at hand, Jongin decided to drink a coffee at the café, called EXO, which he always passed on his way from one workplace to the other but never had the chance to enter yet, though it looked rather cosy from the outside.

The small bell above the entrance tingled, when Jongin opened the door and he hadn't been wrong about his first impression. The café was indeed warm and elegantly decorated without being too tawdry and the pleasant scent of freshly baked muffins wafted through the shop. Jongin found a nice corner at the window and sat down on the comfortable armchair with a contented smile, glad that he took the chance to enter the café.

Being in a good mood, he offered the waiter who took his order a smile, but didn't notice that the young looking guy's already large eyes grew even slightly wider and his cheeks tinged a light pink.

When the waiter scurried off to bring his latte macchiato, Jongin took his iPod out of his jacket pocket and placed it on the table. He put the earplugs in and listened to the music while looking out of the window to his left at the people walking outside and the big building of a music company across the street. Maybe one day he could dance well enough to pass one of their biannual castings and then he'd become famous, popular and rich, the opposite of what he was now.

Jongin looked up when he sensed sudden movement to his right but when he finally realised that his latte macchiato wasn't supposed to fly into his face, it was already too late. The hot drink splattered all over his face and clothes and - the worst! - also over his precious iPod, still situated on the table in front of him. He gasped and hurriedly tried to pick up the iPod to clean off the coffee but the waiter, who was still trying to regain his balance from when he had tripped on his way to Jongin's table, instinctively reached out to the table's edge but missed it by only a few millimetres. Instead his fingers caught the iPod's wire and with a yelp and a crashing sound both the waiter and the iPod went tumbling down to the floor. To put the cherry on the cake, the empty glass from the latte macchiato rolled off of Jongin's lap and fell right onto the iPod, smashing its display so the coffee stain on it could seep through the cracks into the casing. With a nasty short sizzle the display first flickered a few times in several colours and then went completely black.

Frozen with shock, Jongin could only stare in disbelief at what had happened to his beloved iPod. The waiter stopped groaning and clutching his forehead where it had collided with the table's edge during his fall and sat up while desperately pressing the iPod's buttons and gently tapping against the display to make it come back to life. But to no avail, the iPod was broken.

“Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I'm so, so, so sorry! Oh my god, no. No, no, no, no, no. Please, don't be broken, oh my god, I'm so sorry! Oh god, no...” the waiter started to whine and apologise profusely. “This was very expensive, right? Oh damn it, I'll have to pay for it, oh no... Tell me, sir, how much did it cost?” he asked Jongin who had finally snapped out of his shocked state at the sound of the waiter's voice.

“Yes, it was indeed very expensive! Man, this can't be true... you don't imagine how much I had to save up just to buy it...” Jongin huffed with increasing frustration, as it dawned on him what exactly had happened. He gingerly took his dead baby in his hands and held it to his face, eyeing it closely, desperate to maybe find a way to repair it. He winced when he found none.

The waiter in front of him looked like a drowned rat. “Well, the thing is... I'm afraid I won't be able to pay for it, since I don't earn enough. At least I won't right away, but maybe if you wait a few... weeks? I don't know... Then I could save up some money to repay you...” he said miserably. “B-but let me at least treat you to food or something! As kind of a deposit! I'm so sorry that's all I can offer to you right now, but please, I definitely will make up for the damage in the end, I promise! Please, don't call the police, I don't want to go to jail, I'm sorry! I will repay you, I'm so sorry...” he began rambling with tears forming in his eyes when he saw Jongin looking angry at the thought of having to wait again for weeks until he would have a new iPod.

But seeing the poor little guy cowering desperately in front of him and nearly bursting into tears, Jongin couldn't bring himself to not feel pity for him. “Okay, fine!” he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I'll accept the deposit. Just stop crying already. And stop exaggerating, as if you'd have to go to jail for this... So what's your name?” he asked the waiter, whose head had shot up, visibly relieved at Jongin's words.

“Thank you! And my name is Do Kyungsoo! Where and when you want to eat is up to you, since it's me treating you and all...” he said with a genuinely happy smile. It was so cute that Jongin felt a bit taken aback. Kyungsoo's eyes formed into little crescents and the teardrops in his eyes' corners rolled down his cheeks in tiny streaks.

“Yeah, alright... I'm Kim Jongin, by the way. I will think of a place and time and let you know about it when I decide, okay? And I said you should stop crying,” Jongin mumbled and looked away.

“Oh? Y-yes, of course,” Kyungsoo said while hurriedly wiping his cheeks with his sleeves and standing up. “I-I'll bring a piece of paper to write down my contact information, so you can just call me when you decided,” he said and scurried over to the café's counter to bring a pen and a paper.

Jongin realised then that his clothes were still covered in latte macchiato and with a sigh he picked up a few napkins from the table and began dabbing at the stains. But he reckoned he would have to jog home anyway to change because there was no way he could show up at work in dirty clothes. He would have to call Sehun to ask him to put his name on the shift's list for him so his tardiness wouldn't be too obvious later.

Kyungsoo returned to his table with the piece of paper and another glass of latte macchiato in his hand, saying this would be of course on the house. But when Jongin replied that he'd have to go anyway now to hurry home to change his clothes, he nodded and walked back to the counter to quickly transfer the beverage into a cardboard cup. Jongin pocketed the paper strip with Kyungsoo's name and phone number and took the cup from him. When he was at the door, Kyungsoo called “I'm sorry again! And thank you again!” from the counter. Jongin gave a short nod in reply, turned around and walked out of the door, his thoughts about wondering why things like that always seemed to happen to only him accompanied by the tinkling of the bell above the door.

~*~

When Jongin finally arrived at the convenience store, thankfully only fifteen minutes late since his flat was only down the road, Sehun looked up at him from where he was sitting on a folding stool, flipping in a gossip rag underneath the cashier's counter. They weren't allowed to touch the goods for sale but if nobody knows then nobody cares.

“Why exactly are you late again? All I could make out of your panting into the phone was that you were gonna be late somehow and that I should already enter your name on the list. That's what I did, but I didn't get why you made all the fuss. So what happened?” Sehun drawled. To people who didn't know him, Sehun often seemed constantly bored of his surrounding. Sometimes, when he was sleepy and his eyelids drooped, he even came off as annoyed or unfriendly. But as his best friend, Jongin was able to read him without misunderstanding his facial expressions and the calm posture in which Sehun was seated at the counter told Jongin that the other wasn't really angry at him, but rather concerned.

“My iPod got broken,” Jongin moaned and pulled out another folding stool from the closet behind the counter. Sehun looked up from the magazine in his hands with his eyes widened in surprise. “What?! But how?” he asked.

Jongin sighed again. “One of the waiters at EXO... you know, that little café across the street from the music company, accidently broke it. The café is actually very neat and I wanted to visit for quite a while now to drink a nice cup of tea or something, but never had had the time for it. But today it was Sunny's birthday and she wanted to watch some kind of 'Finding Nemo' rip-off or something with the other kids. So I let them out of class a little earlier than usual. That's why I walked into the café, right into the miserable end of my precious baby... And I was in such a good mood when I entered!” Jongin whined dramatically and slouched tiredly against Sehun's shoulder.

Sehun patted Jongin's hair sympathetically. “I'm sorry to hear that,” he said and pressed one hand on Jongin's already annoyingly wiggling knee.

“You're only sorry for yourself,” Jongin said teasingly and pouted.

“How could you say that?! I hereby give my deepest expressions of condolence to the next of kin. May Kim iPod rest in peace,” Sehun teased right back with mock hurt and a miniature smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth. “But really, didn't I tell you to buy a protective case?”

“Are you really gonna be so cruel and say 'I told you' now?”

“Yes. Because I told you.”

“You are cruel and I hate you.”

“I love you, too, my little bundle of joy.”

Jongin sighed again but the little bickering had already lifted his mood a bit. Quietl for a moment, he listened to the annoyingly loud buzzing sounds emitted by the chest freezer and the refridgerated shelves. The shop's speakers broke a couple of months ago, and ever since, Jongin's and Sehun's boss had promised to repair them. However, as of yet, these promises had turned out to be empty ones and so Jongin couldn't even relish in the music which usually played in convenience stores. He could try and bring a radio to work the next day, except that he currently wasn't sure about the radio's exact location in the flat... Damn.

“Well, anyway," Jongin said after the surrounding machines' whirring sounds breaking the silence became unbearable for him. "This guy said, because he apparently can't repay for the iPod right away, he would treat me to food instead. As some sort of deposit until he got the money. So he gave me his phone number and said I should call him when I decided when and where I want to eat.”

“Oh that's actually an original way to get someone's phone number, don't you think? This guy seems to be quite clever,” Sehun remarked casually. He had gone back to studying the paparazzi-shots of the latest minor celebrity scandal.

“Don't be ridiculous,” Jongin mumbled. “He was really on the brink of tears. You should have seen his face when he thought he'd have to go to jail for breaking my iPod...” Jongin chuckled quietly. “But do you think I should make him treat me to expensive food in a fancy restaurant or rather like fastfood?” he asked, still slumped on Sehun's shoulder.

Sehun glanced at Jongin. “And you're asking this the cruel person whom you hate? Are you sure?” Sehun deadpanned again, before dodging Jongin's finger attempting to poke into his side. “No, but seriously. It's up to you. It just depends on which kind of restaurant you want to hold your first date in, you know?”

“Oh shut up, will you?” Jongin grumbled. He gave a light shove to the smirking Sehun when he felt his cheeks warming up slightly and stood up to pick up one of the can-filled cartons lying on the floor, quickly walking into the aisle with instant meals. He pointedly ignored his best friend's giggles.

~*~

Three days later, Jongin was standing in front of the mirror in the tiny bathroom of his and Sehun's flat. He scrutinised his reflection while plucking irritatedly at his styled up hair-ends. He had already spent nearly an hour in front of the mirror, testing several hairstyles only to be dissatisfied with the result again and starting all over again. Frustrated, he stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to where Sehun was lounging on the couch, busy texting on his phone while commercials blared from the TV.

“What do think, is this okay?” Jongin consulted his flatmate. He was dressed in a blue jeans jacket over a dark gray t-shirt with cloth trousers in a slightly lighter tone. His hair was swept to the side but his endlessly restless hands kept fluffing it up every ten seconds.

Sehun stared up at him with his fingers still poised over his phone's keyboard and gave Jongin a long surveying look from head to toe. “Stop fiddling with your hair,” he said and shrugged. “You look dashing,” he added dryly before turning around to face the screen of his phone again.

While Jongin was still contemplating whether Sehun had been sarcastic or not, his glance swiped the clock on the wall and with a start he realised that he was already running late. He spun around, grabbed his purse, phone, keys and jacket, stumbled into his boots and ran out the door, hollering “See you later, Sehun!” over his shoulder on his way out.

He had to jog to get the bus but luckily he still caught it and sat inside, looking out the window at the city over which dusk was just beginning to fall.

Half a day before, Jongin had finally decided on a place to eat: a not too fancy, but still very decent Italian restaurant. So he had called Kyungsoo's number today during lunch break in the convenience store's small concreted backyard, where he kept kicking around the dirty cigarette stubs of his older co-workers. He had blamed his accelerated heartbeat on the fact that he generally didn't like phoning anyone for the very first time.

After what seemed like half an eternity (but was actually just about four or five rings) Kyungsoo had answered the phone. Jongin had to quickly remember why he was even calling in the first place but when he suggested meeting up at 7 pm that night in front of the restaurant, Kyungsoo eagerly agreed.

Unluckily for Jongin, Sehun had overheard his short conversation with Kyungsoo, and Jongin had spent the entire following shift with the younger male, repeating over and over that it was not a date to a smirking Sehun. Just to be told on their way home that his bratty best friend had just wanted to annoy him. Jongin had just huffed.

It was really not a date for Jongin. At least not in the romantic way whatsoever. Just because he thought that Kyungsoo was admittedly kind of cute and certainly not a bad person, it didn't mean that Jongin had any real interest in the other. He just tried to appreciate Kyungsoo's good manners and his intentions regarding the refund of Jongin's iPod, by agreeing to his offer. And besides, Jongin never said no to free food.

That was what was going through his mind when he descended the bus and walked the few metres to the restaurant's entrance.

Kyungsoo was already standing there, wearing a coat and a thick, red, woollen scarf and puffing warm air over his gloveless fingers while watching the passengers on the pavement. When he spotted Jongin approaching, he lowered his hands, smiled at him and as the taller male reached his side he cheerily greeted him despite clattering teeth.

Jongin stared for half a heartbeat before he mumbled a greeting back, swiftly pressing Kyungsoo through the restaurant's doors into the warmth.

After Kyungsoo told the waiter his name, they were lead to the reserved table and handed the menu cards.
“Just order whatever you want, since it's my treat and all,” Kyungsoo said and began flipping through his own menu card. Jongin shortly contemplated ordering the most expensive dish on purpose, but when he looked up at the good-humoured male sitting in front of him, he decided against it and just ordered some pasta with cheese sauce.

As soon as the waiter had finished taking their orders and disappeared, a slightly uncomfortable silence settled between them. Jongin hurriedly wracked his brain for a possible smalltalk-topic and after a few minutes he finally blurted out, “Well, Kyungsoo-ssi, tell me about... um, your job. Where do you work?”

Kyungsoo looked surprised at first but then replied with a smile, “I work at EXO, the café where we met, as a waiter.” Jongin mentally slapped himself because figures! “I usually also bake some of the cakes and muffins we sell there. So I'm kind of a baker as well, I guess,” Kyungsoo continued, sheepishly scratching his neck. “And what about you, Jongin-ssi?”

“I work before noon and in the evenings at a convenience store down the road where I live with my flatmate and in the afternoons I teach a bunch of little kids how to dance,” Jongin said.

“Really? So that means you are a dancer yourself, right?” Kyungsoo said with an interested expression.

“Yeah, well, it's still more of my hobby since I never got paid just to dance...yet,” Jongin added. When Kyungsoo looked at him questioningly, Jongin elaborated, “I plan on joining the big music company across the street from the café where you work one day by getting accepted as an official trainee through one of their castings. And then I'm gonna be rich and famous.” He sighed. “For now I'm managing my everyday life with my two little jobs... But maybe I'm just procrastinating.” He didn't know why he added that last part, so he shut up, looking away at the seams of the table cloth covering the neighbouring table.

“At least you still have a dream and are actually working for it to be fulfilled one day,” Kyungsoo quietly said to his hands in his lap.

Jongin looked up, “What's that supposed to mean?”

But Kyungsoo was dismissed of answering because just at this moment the waiter reappeared, carefully placing the plates with their food in front of them. Kyungsoo quickly used the distraction for a change of topic and began talking about his colleagues at EXO, Luhan and Minseok, and Jongin mostly just listened to Kyungsoo talking. The shorter male really had a pleasant voice, Jongin thought, and after his initial shyness had disappeared, Kyungsoo's animated manner of speaking made it nice to listen to even the most trivial anecdotes about his workplace.

“And did you know, we also have this little stage in the back of the café,” Kyungsoo chattered. “I'm not sure if you saw it last time because you sat just at the window, but anyways, since a few months ago we hold little musical live performances there. Amateur-singers, but nonetheless very talented people. Mostly friends of ours. They can use the opportunity to sing in front of an actual audience to gain stage experience, even if it's just in small format. Sometimes, when they're in a good mood, even Luhan and Minseok go on stage.

“At first nobody came to listen to the events and we almost cancelled the shows again after only three or four of them but then luckily a girl, who apparently became a fan of one of our performers almost since the start, told her friends about EXO. Since then more and more people came to listen, so we could even expand our programme by hiring more amateur-singers and hosting shows not only once a month anymore, but once every week! You should come sometime, too, Jongin-ssi! Every Friday evening, starting around six!” Kyungsoo told Jongin excitedly, when they were starting on their desserts.

“It's really cool,” Kyungsoo went on. “With the spotlights and the microphones and the whole atmosphere, almost like a real concert! Sometimes the singers even play the accompanying guitar or keyboard themselves! And when the performance is exceptionally well, it creates this special kind of magical moment between the performer and the audience! It's really amazing!”

Jongin didn't miss how Kyungsoo's round eyes visibly lit up at the last part. Curious, he asked, “Do you sing there as well?”

But Kyungsoo hurriedly shook his head. “No! No... I don't...” he trailed off.

“Why is that? It's so obvious that you'd like to,” Jongin said, wondering.

“It's just that I... I can't sing,” Kyungsoo said, hanging his head.

“Really? I would have sworn you were good at it! Your voice is so smooth and nice,” Jongin said, but before he could overthink whether he just made it awkward by making Kyungsoo too much of a compliment, Kyungsoo explained.

“I just can't sing in front of people. I tried once when I was in high school, but got overwhelmed by stage fright, so my voice cracked right at the beginning of the song. And since then, whenever I step on a stage with people anticipating me to sing, and to sing well, I just can't help but remember that incident until I go completely rigid or even start hyperventilating. Neither a pleasant feeling for me, nor a pleasant sight for them. I would like to sing to others than my shower head, too, but I guess... I just... can't...” Kyungsoo let his head hang again and stared sadly at his bowl, musingly swishing his already half-melted vanilla ice cream around with his spoon.

“So that was what you were referring to earlier? When you said that I'd at least still work for my dream,” Jongin said softly, remembering his cut-off question from earlier.

Kyungsoo nodded hesitantly and took a spoonful of ice cream, still without meeting Jongin's gaze.

They finished their desserts in silence until Jongin suddenly exclaimed, “Well, in this case I can't let this end here today!”

“Huh?” Kyungsoo's head shot up.

“You will sing for me. We're gonna go to karaoke. You and me, now. No! No back talk! I've hadn't had my daily fix of music today and it's your fault since you broke my iPod so you have to deal with the consequences as well!” Jongin reasoned and quickly stood up, taking the step over to a startled Kyungsoo and grabbed his hand to pull him up to his feet.

“C'mon, take your coat and come with me,” Jongin said with increasing enthusiasm, only listening to Kyungsoo's embarrassed struggling (“Jongin-ssi! Please let me go, the other guests are staring and they're getting the wrong idea, Jongin-ssi, please!”) and letting go of his hand when the shorter male whined about still having to pay for their dinner. Which Jongin couldn't deny.

Jongin agreed to wait outside for Kyungsoo.

When he finally stepped out of the restaurant, Jongin smiled at him and without much further thinking, took Kyungsoo's hand again and pulled him to the next underground station.

~*~

“I won't sing,” Kyungsoo said around twenty minutes later, when he unwrapped himself from his scarf and his coat inside the small karaoke-booth that Jongin had just paid for downstairs at the till.

“Yes you will,” Jongin replied from the floor in front of the karaoke-machine. He was currently crouching and squinting underneath it, in order to find the machine's remote. “Just go ahead and choose a song from the song list-book, Kyungsoo-ssi.”

Kyungsoo didn't move apart from frowning. “Jongin-ssi, I just told you that I can't sing with an audience,” he slowly said, as if talking to a six-year-old.

“Then just ignore me,” Jongin said off-handedly while standing up again, having found what he was searching for, and placed the remote on the table. He flopped down on the couch next to Kyungsoo. “Did you choose a song?”

Kyungsoo stared at him as if he was wondering whether Jongin's brain had some kind of malfunction. “I can't just 'ignore' you. I just said that I cannot sing in front of an aud-”

“Yes, I heard you. But I'm not an 'audience', simply think of me as 'just Jongin' and sing,” Jongin cut him off.

“Why don't you sing yourself, if you love it that much?”

“Oh no, you wouldn't want to listen to this. I honestly cannot sing. I can dance and all, but I can't strike a single right note, really.”

“I will sing if you do.”

“Then nobody would sing tonight.”

“I'm fine with that.”

“Oh come on, Kyungsoo-ya. Pretty please?” Jongin whined and pouted, not realising that he subconsciously had replaced the polite suffix with the informal one.

Kyungsoo gave him a doubtful look. “I also can't strike a right note,” he said defiantly.

“I don't believe you for a second.”

Kyungsoo glared at Jongin.

“Come on, Kyungsoo. I'm really curious about your voice,” Jongin said, suddenly much quieter and with a more serious expression. “I really won't laugh at you or anything, even if your voice breaks, though I doubt it will. But still, I promise. And besides, I wasn't lying when I said I was music deprived,” Jongin added with a shrug and a smile. He relaxedly leaned back on the couch, crossing his arms behind his head.

It took just one more encouraging smile until Kyungsoo threw his hands in the air and sighed exasperatedly. “Fine! I'll sing for you. Happy now?” Jongin gave a cheer in reply. “But only if you really promise not to laugh if I do a mistake,” Kyungsoo said irritatedly but with a tinge of insecurity.

Jongin promised again and together they bent over the song list-book to choose a song. Kyungsoo leaned in a bit over Jongin's side of the book in order to better read the small letters in the dim and flickering lights. So close up to the other, Jongin felt the karaoke-booth slightly warm up.

They decided on Hyeya, a solo-ballad by SHINee's Jonghyun.

After Jongin had punched the song's code number into the remote and the song started playing, Kyungsoo stood up on slightly wobbly knees, clutching the microphone nervously in both hands. Jongin remained seated and watched the shorter male attentively.

Jongin wasn't sure what exactly he had been expecting from Kyungsoo, probably a pleasant, strong voice singing down the lyrics which appeared on the screen. But he definitely wasn't prepared for this smooth audible velvet; the powerful notes vibrating through Jongin's bones, the gentle ones softly trickling down his ears. Kyungsoo sang with poignant emotion, making Jongin feel the music in his very core.

When the song eventually ended, Jongin found himself rendered speechless.

He only realised he had been gaping when Kyungsoo cleared his throat with a sheepish smile. “How... how was it? I think somewhere after the second verse I screwed up the breathing a bit. And I had to sing the bridge more softly than it's supposed to be because my throat suddenly started itching and-” Kyungsoo began rambling again, looking at his feet to hide the embarrassed blush creeping up his cheeks.

“It was amazing,” Jongin breathed out, an admiring smile stretching on his own face.

Kyungsoo's eyes immediately lit up. “Really?”

“Yes! God, Kyungsoo, you are immensely talented! How could you hide that from everyone for so long? The whole world should be able to listen to this voice of an angel!” Jongin called excitedly while he began gesticulating wildly.

Kyungsoo instead just stared at him through slightly watering eyes, looking completely overwhelmed by all the compliments. He bit his lower lip in an attempt to hide his growing smile. “Wow... Th-thank you,” he stammered. “I can't believe you liked it so much...?”

“How could I not love it? How could anyone not love it? This was truly amazing!” Jongin reassured him, still awestruck.

Now Kyungsoo didn't even try to hold back his blinding grin anymore. And Jongin couldn't help but smiling along those heart shaped lips.

~*~

Jongin and Kyungsoo stood next to each other, wrapped up in their respective jacket and coat, on the underground station's platform.

After the karaoke bar's employee had called to announce the approaching end of the paid time period, they had taken a look on the clock above the karaoke-booth's door. Realising that they both needed to hurry home as soon as possible, since they both got work early in the morning, they had quickly left and walked to the station.

The train arrived and without a second thought, Jongin followed Kyungsoo into the carriage.

“But Jongin-ah, don't you have to take the train in the other direction?” Kyungsoo asked surprised when they sat down on a bench together.

“I also live in this direction,” Jongin answered automatically.

“But I saw you coming from the bus station in front of the restaurant earlier, and this bus came from the direction we aren't currently going to,” Kyungsoo argued, his eyebrows scrunching up confused.

“I was coming from the convenience store.”

“Didn't you say the convenience store you work at is close to your flat?”

“Who said I was coming from my flat?” Jongin said quickly. “Now shut up and let me bring you home.”

Kyungsoo's eyes widened again but he didn't say anything anymore. Though he tried to conceal it with his thick scarf, the lightly pink tips of his ears gave his soft smile away.

Jongin pretended to stare ahead out the train's window but actually used the reflection caused by the dark tunnels outside to steal furtive glances at Kyungsoo next to him. Jongin thought about how he really had to admit that Kyungsoo was cute with his cute eyes and his cute lips and his generally cute face and his cute height and his especially cute smile and his amazing voice.

But Jongin knew that just because he might have a crush on the other, it didn't mean that the shorter male was interested in him as well. Hell, Jongin didn't even know if Kyungsoo was into men at all. So Jongin wanted to avoid getting his hopes up too high. Being friends wasn't so bad either, right?

They travelled the rest of the journey in tired silence but when they arrived at the door to Kyungsoo's block of flats, the shorter male turned around to Jongin. “Thank you for bringing me home,” he said with a smile.

“No problem. Thank you, too for the da-...y,” Jongin replied, catching himself only in the very last second before the word date would have slipped. Because it wasn't a date, at least not really.

Kyungsoo looked up at him shyly. “Thank you for taking me to karaoke... and for listening.”

“Thank you for singing.”

“Thank you for making me sing.”

They both grinned at each other stupidly, but then looked down and chuckled in embarrassment.

“Well, then...” Jongin said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Good night, Kyungsoo-ya.”

“Good night, Jongin-ah,” Kyungsoo said softly before he turned around and walked over to the front door through the small front yard. Jongin watched him fumble with his keys and returned Kyungsoo's final wave and smile before he disappeared inside the building.

On his way back home, sitting in the underground and bus, his knees involuntarily began twitching again. It was only then, that Jongin noticed that his body hadn't fidgeted for even a second the whole time he had spent with Kyungsoo.

>look here for part II<