The Compatibility of Signs and Staring Habits
Pairing: Kyungsoo/Jongin
Rating: G
Length: 6980w
Genre: fluff, romance
Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Jongin nor Do Kyungsoo. All I own is the storyline.
Summary: Where Kyungsoo is a Capricorn, and Jongin has an interest for the zodiac.
A/N: click for music.
Mondays are the worst.
At least that’s what Kyungsoo thinks. He stares at the clock above the blackboard in front and it’s two minutes before lunchtime. Just two more fucking minutes.
Kyungsoo finds the time unbearably slow today, slower than the rest of the two minutes he’s experienced in class. It’s not that he hates going to school and studying, in fact, he’s one of the top notchers in his batch. He watches the hand of the clock move clockwise; it’s like he can almost hear the tick that it makes per second, and that causes him to get a bit more impatient.
He doesn’t know why this irks him to the bone when it’s never been a problem.
But then he feels it, something at the right corner of his eye. He slowly turns his head and shoot. From the far end of the room, someone is looking, no, staring at him.
Kyungsoo shouldn’t have looked too fast and refrained from eye contact, but he did, of course he did, because that’s what people do when they want to see.
And that someone who was staring at him wasn’t just anyone. That someone was a tall and tan male with a slim figure, that guy who was always staring, and it just so happened that every time Kyungsoo sees him, he would always, always be looking at him.
He doesn’t really know him, but he’s in most of his classes. Kyungsoo also doesn’t know his name, but he finds him extremely attractive. He has that charisma of a typical bad guy, but also the aura of an innocent boy next door, and he wonders how that could be possible.
But it’s always that one look in his eyes that drives Kyungsoo a little insane, those eyes which are always intense. Hence, the nickname ‘intense eyes’.
Kyungsoo’s already caught him, but Intense Eyes doesn’t back down. He removes his gaze from him for a while, but when he looks back, nothing’s changed. He’s still staring.
Kyungsoo doesn’t tell him to stop. He doesn’t bother to.
Truth be told, Kyungsoo doesn't hate it. He likes it actually, because who doesn’t like a gorgeous man staring at you, completely undressing you with his eyes (or so he wishes)? The only reason why he doesn’t like this situation is for the fact that it’s disturbing in a way that he clearly cannot screw up and embarrass himself when Intense Eyes is around, which is most of the time.
So Kyungsoo stares back at him, but it’s more like he tries to. He holds his gaze for half a minute and he wonders why it feels like time has gone slower. They maintain eye contact, as if they were trying to see who would break first. It gets to a point when Intense Eyes tilts his head to the side to provide a better view of his protruding jawline, and oh. There’s a hint of a smirk on his lips that wasn’t there before, and it makes Kyungsoo cry internally.
The bell rings just in time when Kyungsoo finally pulls his gaze off Intense Eyes.
He stands and quickly packs his stuff, struggling with shaky hands because in the midst of students moving around the classroom and making their way out, he could still feel his eyes on him. As soon as he’s done, he spots the exit and walks straight ahead, making sure he doesn’t spare another glance before-
“Hey.”
He stops right in his tracks and shit, shit, SHIT, since when did this classroom turn empty?
“H-Hey.”
Kyungsoo turns on his heels; he knows that the first meeting was bound to happen. He was bound to meet him at some point, but not the kind which only involved him and Mr. Intense Eyes himself, in all his handsome glory, calling him, almost as if he was seducing him with his low and husky voice.
Now Kyungsoo is the one staring, but how can he not when he’s never really seen him this close, eyeing him in a way that makes him want to be thrown out the window because he just feels so awkward. Adding up to his awkwardness, Kyungsoo looks from his left to right, finding no one else to witness his embarrassment but the man walking towards him with that little smirk appearing on his face once again.
Kyungsoo feels like crying and doesn’t know what to say, that is if he would even be able to speak. But before Intense Eyes takes another step, Kyungsoo speaks up.
“Don’t.”
He stops within arm’s reach in front of him, a confused look coming into sight on his face.
“Don’t wha-”
“You did it first!” Kyungsoo cries out with a pointing finger. “You were the one staring at me first, okay? I- I was only looking at you because I caught you staring at me! So-don’t you even dare accuse me of staring at you when you’re the real culprit!”
Kyungsoo happens to lose his breath from explaining himself, but what for? What was he trying to prove?
The taller pauses, unsure of how to react. There’s a brief period of croo croos, but then he smiles, and Kyungsoo thinks that maybe he’s already taken his breath away before he even got the chance to speak.
“But I wasn’t going to accuse you of anything though.” He simply says, the smile and stare never leaving his face.
There are moments when Kyungsoo wishes to be swallowed by a black hole, and this was definitely one of them. He feels like laughing at his own misery and breaking into tears because he didn’t intend for this to happen, really.
“Oh,” is all Kyungsoo says and drops his hand. He’s ready to turn away and hide himself inside the janitor’s room when he hears him say, “I’m Jongin.”
Intense Eyes, now known as Jongin, extends a hand and waits for Kyungsoo to shake it and he does, almost too eagerly that he happens to squeeze Jongin’s hand in the process. The other says nothing about it, just smiles and stays completely amazing in Kyungsoo’s eyes.
Kyungsoo says his name as well, but it doesn’t quite sound the same when Jongin says Do Kyungsoo; it sounds like a symphony that he doesn’t mind listening to nonstop.
A few seconds pass and he’s still holding onto Jongin’s hand, almost as if he was holding onto dear life. Kyungsoo liked the warmth and soft texture of Jongin’s hand, and it also made his stomach twist in a strange way.
“Uhm,” Kyungsoo starts, pulling his hand away and dropping it to his side, feeling like a complete fool for holding Jongin’s hand for too long. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he casually answers back, slowly mirroring Kyungsoo’s action with a soft grin and he looks lovely.
“So, uh, is there anything I can help you with, Jongin?” He asks, not knowing how this conversation will turn out.
Jongin then avoids eye contact and places a hand at the back of his neck, a common gesture that means he’s nervous. But why would Jongin be nervous?
“Well, yeah, I… I just thought it was finally time I introduced myself.”
Kyungsoo didn’t see the point in Jongin finally introducing himself or didn’t exactly know what he meant.
“It’s just that I see you in all of my classes, “ Jongin explains, “and I’ve never really gotten the chance to greet you and stuff, and.. maybe I just want to get to know you better?” Jongin laughs at himself for fumbling with his words and Kyungsoo wants to melt in a puddle of goo because he thinks he’s gorgeous this way.
Kyungsoo isn’t the type to quickly judge people, but with Jongin’s uncertainty, he finds it hard to see what his true intentions are. Without knowing it, he quirks a brow at him, but finally returns a smile.
“You want to know me better? How?”
“I don’t know, you just seem… nice.”
“Nice?”
“…yeah.”
Jongin’s staring at his shoes and still unsure of his words, but Kyungsoo thinks it’s weird how his aura screams so much confidence, but when it comes to actually talking to him, he turns into someone so shy. That doesn’t mean he likes him less, in fact, Kyungsoo finds himself more attracted to him.
“Do you mind if I follow you around today?” Jongin suddenly asks with serious eyes staring straight at him.
“I mean, only if you want me to.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes turn into full moons. He knew there was something different about the situation he was in right now, and as the type of person he is, he wouldn't tolerate something illogical.
But Kyungsoo likes to ponder about things, about Jongin, and he would be lying if he didn't want to be followed by him.
“I guess you can,” Kyungsoo says then assumes, “That is, if you don’t have any other plans.”
Jongin doesn’t try to avoid his eyes this time. He’s doing that stare again, the one that makes him feel weak on the knees.
“You can be my only plan for today.”
Kyungsoo’s knees officially turn to mush.
Monday’s gotten quite better.
~~
They walk to the library with a little bit of awkwardness, and Kyungsoo feels Jongin’s eyes boring at him the whole time. They stay at the second floor inside the Literature section of the library where there’s not much students.
Kyungsoo wants to ask why Jongin chose to stay at a place slightly intimate but he doesn’t because it’s the literature section and he loves literature.
Kyungsoo reads a collection of poetry when they settle down at a table with four chairs, with Jongin sitting in front of him while he’s seated behind a shelf of books. While scanning the pages, Kyungsoo comes across a writer he’s never seen before, but when he tries to sincerely read one of his poems, he can’t get past the first paragraph.
His peripheral vision doesn’t let him because Jongin has an elbow propped up on the table and a chin resting on his hand, and Kyungsoo knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows, and it’s beginning to annoy him.
Kyungsoo looks up to meet soft and gentle eyes, and it annoys him all the more because he’s supposed to be irritated, he’s also supposed to want to punch him in the face for being so quiet when his eyes speak thoughts he wants to know.
“Do you always do that?” Kyungsoo asks. “Just stare at people?”
“Not all the time, but lately, it’s become a habit.”
“I can see that.”
“It’s hard not to look when it’s you.”
“..I’m sorry?”
Jongin smiles and it’s hard to breathe again. “I like looking at you.”
“Um…”
“Is that alright?”
“Don’t you think you’re going a little bit too fast?” Kyungsoo asks all of a sudden as if the walls were suffocating him. Of course he was overreacting, Because when Jongin speaks it’s quick and smooth, and Kyungsoo feels his heart beat at a pace that isn’t exactly normal.
“I’m not asking for your hand in marriage, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Jongin explains casually with a shrug of his shoulders. “But ever since those eyes of yours looked at mine for the first time, I’ve never looked away.”
Kyungsoo is left speechless in his seat, poems and literature long forgotten. For someone he’s just met, he’s clueless as to why Jongin said things that made his brain suddenly malfunction while he remained calm and collected. Kyungsoo likes to think that Jongin’s just too nice to him, but deep down he knew there was something more.
“So, what do you really mean?” Kyungsoo asks with a hint of hesitation to his voice.
Jongin stares straight into his eyes. “I guess, what I really mean to say is, I like looking at you, because I like you. And I think we’d be a pretty good match.”
Kyungsoo’s brown owl eyes turn into orbs larger than life at the sound of Jongin’s last sentence.
“I don’t, I-“
“I think I’ve made myself really clear,” he probes. “It’s either you’re not interested or you just don’t believe me.”
He raises a brow at him. “Well, you’ve placed me in a really strange position, inside this very intimate section of the library, complimenting and confessing to me when we’ve just met less than an hour ago, so I’m not gonna lie and say that I wasn’t caught offguard.”
“Are you saying you’re not interested?” Jongin asks, a pout almost appearing in his face. Kyungsoo doesn’t know if he wants to smack him with his fist or with his lips.
“I’m saying I don’t think I can believe how you say that we’re a good match when we’ve only had a five minute conversation.”
“I know,” Jongin says. “And I believe you, since that’s really how capricorns think.”
Kyungsoo takes a moment to look at Jongin in confusion. “Wha-“
“You’re a capricorn, aren’t you?” Jongin asks.
“How did you-“
“I’ve been studying horoscopes for awhile now. I’ve also been observing people and trying to read them just by identifying their zodiac signs through their personalities, and luckily, whenever I ask them, I’m always right.”
Kyungsoo feels a bit disheartened at his words with the thought of being just another person Jongin studies, and it has him mentally banging himself on a wall.
Jongin continues talking. “As far as I can see, you really hate erroneous explanations, such as my own right now if I may say. You dislike people who beat around the bush. You want a straight explanation to things, and that’s a common trait to capricorns.”
“So is this what this is?” Kyungsoo asks, a little angry. “Just an experiment while I’m just a zodiac sign?”
Jongin’s eyes soften with a hand suddenly reaching his chin, thumb swiping tenderly on his skin, then quickly retreating in its place.
“You’re more than that,” Jongin speaks gently. “You’re different. You’re my favorite zodiac sign.”
Kyungsoo is quick to hide his shock, although he doesn’t easily recover from Jongin’s touch. Instead he distracts himself by saying, “I still don’t see how we’re a good match.”
“You’ll just have to think like me,” Jongin answers quickly.
“Think like you, huh?” Kyungsoo repeats and gives Jongin a short hum. “I don’t even know your sign.”
And that’s when Jongin inches forward, his head moving close, so close to Kyungsoo’s face with a smirk plastered on his face. Kyungsoo doesn’t understand how the shy Jongin he met minutes, maybe even an hour ago has now turned into someone so confident. He can feel butterflies dancing in his stomach and the increase of his heart beat when he meets Jongin’s intense eyes.
“Then you’ll have to make a wild guess.” He whispers.
Kyungsoo doesn’t, because the bell suddenly rings and he is quickly getting up from the table.
“I have to go.” Kyungsoo says but then remembers that when he leaves, Jongin will have to come with him. “We both do.”
Jongin understands what he’s trying to say and obeys in silence, and they find themselves walking out the library the same way they entered.
When they’re inside the classroom and on their way home, Kyungsoo and Jongin remained how they used to be, meters apart and stares away.
Only Kyungsoo doesn’t see Jongin stare just a little bit longer at the view of his back when he leaves, wishing he could say more than eyes could to his capricorn.
~~
“So, I didn’t see you during break yesterday.”
“Something came up.”
“I see.”
“I was busy.”
“Of course you were.”
“Are you angry?”
It was a day after Jongin and Kyungsoo’s library hangout that he realized he forgot to let his friends know that he was “occupied” and wouldn’t be with them for lunch, so for tuesday’s lunch break, Baekhyun made it a point that he should be guilty for it.
“Me?” Baekhyun asks sarcastically as he points the apple he was holding at himself. “Of course not.”
“Okay, I get what you’re doing, alright? I’m sorry for not having lunch with you yesterday,” Kyungsoo says, “But something did happen.”
Kyungsoo asks himself why he was apologizing for having a life of his own and how Baekhyun needs to be overly sensitive to such things.
“Oh, I bet that something was tall, dark-skinned, and delicious, perhaps someone named Kim Jongin-“
“Wait,” Kyungsoo stops Baekhyun from talking. “You know Jongin?”
“Everyone seems to,” a voice interrupts next to Kyungsoo’s ear causing him to jump in his seat, then realizes it’s Luhan when he sits right next to Baekhyun in front of him and lays his tray on the table. “He’s been talked about in this school for awhile now, and I’m not surprised you don’t know that, since you’re pretty much always in your own world.”
“And right now, I’d say he’s in your world, which is why you’ve decided to completely ditch us yesterday.” Baekhyun grumbles.
“Look, I didn’t ditch you guys,” Kyungsoo tries to explain. “He went up to me after class and asked if he could follow me around, and I couldn’t think of any other place so I just somehow ended up in the library with him.”
“If I’m being honest, I don’t really mind,” Luhan tells him with a smile on his face. “We even saw him walk up to you so we didn’t try to bug you. Baekhyun’s only being a bitch because you never shared to us the deets between you two.”
“Or maybe just because I’m really a jealous bitch,” Baekhyun grins. “But, yeah. You ain’t sharing.”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at him. “There’s really nothing to share. We’ve only just met yesterday.”
“Didn’t look that way though,” Baekhyun says. “I wasn’t born yesterday, just so you know. I mean, have you seen the way he’d always look at you? It’s like he’s known you for years, like he’s memorized you like his favorite song-“
“But it’s also that kind of look as if he’d want you for breakfast, lunch and dinner-“
“You can stop now,” Kyungsoo tells them, almost pleading his friends while reaching for a breadstick to take a bite.
He knows exactly what look Baekhyun and Luhan are talking about. It’s that engaging look in Jongin’s eyes, those piercing eyes that Kyungsoo thinks could penetrate his soul and see right through him.
“So, are you finally gonna tell us the real deal between you two?” Luhan asks in excitement.
Kyungsoo remembers Jongin at the library admitting that he likes him, the words slowly resonating in his ear and causing him to shiver. He also remembers Jongin’s thumb on his chin and the stomach twists he got from that simple gesture. But they didn’t really mean anything, Kyungsoo thinks. It was nothing committed. There could be something, but unless it’s anything official, Kyungsoo decides not to divulge any information.
“I’m telling you, it’s nothing. We just hung out, that’s all.” Kyungsoo mutters, hiding a small smile that badly wants to appear.
“Oh, look. Chanyeol’s coming,” Luhan grins and nudges Baekhyun’s shoulder, to which the latter does nothing in response but freezes.
Long legs and faded brown poodle hair stop in front of their table with a friendly toothy smile in greeting.
“‘Sup, fellas.” A deep and low voice comes out from the tall male while the two males greet back with a nod. “Hey, Baek. You ready for the gig later?”
They wait for a response, but Chanyeol gets nothing decent from Baekhyun but short and quick glances, followed by a “Uh, yeah, of course.”
Chanyeol stays oblivious but smiles at him. “Great. I’ll see you later then!” He finishes with a wave of his hand and walks away.
Baekhyun pounds his head on the table and stops moving.
“What the hell was that?!” Luhan asks aggravated. “He was trying to make a conversation with you and you just blew him away like that!”
“What else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t even look at him,” Baekhyun lifts his head from the table with a pout on his face. “If I look at him I’m afraid I’ll die.”
“You’re exaggerating, Baekhyun! You’ve been bandmates for two years. I don’t understand why you haven’t told him yet.”
“And now I know why you’re a jealous bitch.” Kyungsoo comments while Baekhyun sticks his tongue out at him.
“Time is wasting, Byun Baekhyun. You better confess before I tell him myself.” Luhan probes.
“I GIVE UP, OKAY! I CAN’T DO IT!” Baekhyun screams, and Kyungsoo silently thanks god the cafeteria has always been a noisy place. “You’re all a joke, and because I have class in ten minutes and there is no hope for all of us, I’m leaving!”
He stands with the tray in his hands and glares at the two before angrily strutting away.
“Will he be okay?” Kyungsoo asks Luhan, a little concerned about his friend.
“He’ll be fine,” Luhan answers with a comforting smile. “He’s just facing another day without telling Chanyeol he’s in love with him. No big deal.”
“Wow,” Kyungsoo says, “so tell me, how great is your love life?”
“What love life? I’m perfectly fine by myself, thank you.” Luhan says proudly.
“Sure,” Kyungsoo can only nod at him, trying to understand as he continues to nibble on his breadstick in silence. He dwells upon Baekhyun’s personality, and Kyungsoo then remembers how Jongin talked about zodiac signs and was challenged to think like him.
“Hey, Lu.” Kyungsoo calls casually.
“Yeah?”
“Do you know Baekhyun’s sign?”
“You mean zodiac sign?” Luhan asks. He takes a huge gulp of his coke and answers after swallowing. “Baekhyun’s a Taurus. I am too. Why?”
“No reason.” Kyungsoo answers and keeps a mental note to himself to search the internet for zodiac references.
~~
After a trip to the library alone and a few research, Kyungsoo has discovered that stubborness is a common trait for the Taurus sign. He’s also discovered that a Taurus is also most likely to have extreme emotions, to which Kyungsoo confirms with Baekhyun indeed having these traits. He thinks It’s possible that Luhan possesses the same stubbornness and emotions (which he hasn’t seen firsthand), but mostly it’s Baekhyun who screams Taurus to Kyungsoo.
And now that he’s studied a bit of the zodiac, he still wasn’t convinced with zodiac signs as much as Jongin was. But because of him, he’s determined to learn more about it.
When classes were done, Kyungsoo makes his way out the school building in a flash to avoid students coming out all at once. He walks down the stairs and towards the gate but slows down as soon as he sees Jongin there with eyes already locked and approaching him, and suddenly Kyungsoo feels a surge of heat surround him.
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo breathes shakily and mentally punches himself for sounding like a fish out of water. “Uhm, hi.”
“Hey,” Jongin smiles. Kyungsoo was too preoccupied with studying for quizzes today that he wasn’t able to even catch a glimpse of his face. Now is definitely a pretty good time.
“What are you doing here?” He asks him. “Aren’t you going home?”
“Yeah, but I was actually wondering if you have any plans tonight?”
“I usually stay home on weeknights, but there’s this movie I’m planning to see tonight.”
“Are you going with someone?” Jongin asks, a little too quick.
“Nope,” Kyungsoo answers with a small smile. “Just me.”
“Well, would you like me to join you?”
“Oh,” Kyungsoo pauses. “…Oh.” He’s faced with another surprise by Kim Jongin, and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.
“Would you like to join me, Jongin?” He asks because he can’t ask anything else.
Jongin answers with a wide smile and Kyungsoo thinks that’s all the answer he needs and leads the way while Jongin trails behind him.
~~
The movie Kyungsoo wanted to see turned out to be Gone Girl, a movie that Jongin was also particularly interested in, so they agreed to buy a ticket to the seven p.m. show and grab nachos and popcorn at the snack counter. Jongin wanted to pay for everything but of course, Kyungsoo didn’t let him.
He didn’t want to think this was a date, only because Jongin’s never mentioned it to be one; he just wanted to tag along, right?
Kyungsoo would be lying if he didn’t want it to be.
“So, do you usually go out alone?” Jongin asks him as they walk towards the movie theater.
“Not really.” Kyungsoo says. “I hang out with Baekhyun and Luhan a lot, but I don’t mind being alone either.”
Jongin hums in response, and when Kyungsoo turns to him, he sees him smiling at himself.
“What?” Kyungsoo asks.
“Nothing it’s just,” he laughs a little then continues, “I kind of guessed that you thought that way.”
“Because that’s how Capricorns think, right?”
Jongin smiles at him in admiration. “Exactly.”
“Wow, you really do have this weird zodiac obsession.” Kyungsoo laughs with his eyes turning into crescents.
“And you’re really cute.”
Kyungsoo looks up to see Jongin’s eyes still trained on him with a soft grin on his face, and then he feels his cheeks burn and resorts to hiding by biting on his plastic cup of sprite and retrieving their tickets in his back pocket. All conversation stops when they sit on their seats and the trailers appear on the movie screen.
It’s twenty minutes into the movie and Kyungsoo’s finished his nachos. He’s still hungry, and he’s been eyeing the tub of popcorn Jongin keeps in his hand. It’s dark, but Kyungsoo can see the outline of Jongin’s face and eyes glued to the movie they were watching.
Kyungsoo takes this as a cue to dip his hand inside the tub and grab a handful of popcorn, but when he feels a sudden warmth cover his, the popcorn slowly slips from his fingers.
It’s soft, and Kyungsoo can feel the barbecue powder stick as their fingers intertwine, but it’s Jongin’s hand in his and his own heart beating quick. He doesn’t dare to look at him, so Kyungsoo keeps his eyes on the movie screen and his hand entangled in Jongin’s inside the tub of popcorn.
What was happening was entirely unsanitary; Even the movie they were watching was anything but romantic, but Kyungsoo and Jongin wouldn’t like things otherwise.
~~
Kyungsoo doesn’t know if it counts as anything, but ever since that movie ‘date’, Jongin ends up following him everywhere else. He would follow Kyungsoo to lunch with Baekhyun and Luhan, but neither of the two complained, except Luhan always had to shut Baekhyun up before he says anything else besides just kiss already. In fact, sometimes they would transfer tables and leave them alone (which Kyungsoo preferred than take the risk of further embarrassment from his friends).
Time comes when Jongin brings his own friend, Oh Sehun, to join their table, and nobody has a problem with it, especially Luhan. Kyungsoo and Jongin secretly called their meeting a meeting of ‘love at first sight’. They liked to think it was perfect setting them up together, seeing Luhan and Sehun jive so instantly as if they’d been looking for each other since forever. Jongin explains this relationship through zodiac, saying that the Aries and Taurus signs make a good combination because of their contrasting personalities. Kyungsoo would think to himself and wonder if their signs could be the same, but when Jongin would stare at him with a gleaming smile that makes his whole day better, he thinks maybe it wouldn't matter.
There are times when Jongin would walk Kyungsoo home after class or take him to the bus. When Kyungsoo would ask Jongin to come inside, he would turn shy and politely decline. Kyungsoo would feel a little disappointed, but maybe it’s safer that way (they won’t be able to do.. things).
Sometimes, Jongin and Kyungsoo would go out and watch movies together with a tub of popcorn as their usual choice of snack, but maybe it was only because there was a reason for their hands to touch.
Weeks pass and Jongin holds his hand anyway, like at the library free from disturbance, leaving Kyungsoo with rosy cheeks.
There were no words exchanged when they were together, only the silence between them that couldn’t be explained, a kind of silence that they’ve grown comfortable with. It didn’t matter that they didn’t share many words, their actions could speak louder.
They were subtle, and Kyungsoo liked subtlety; he liked Jongin more, very much so.
Although Kyungsoo didn’t know what relationship he and Jongin had and if he could even call it a relationship, but he wasn’t in a rush to find out.
After all, he still has a zodiac sign to predict.
~~
Jongin doesn’t meet him on Thursdays, so after class , Kyungsoo decides to become the one to do the following and invite him to his house. Thanks to Kyungsoo’s eavesdropping skills, he learns that Jongin is part of an extra-curricular dance troop and has training until six. He passes two more doors until he hears music playing and peeks into the last door on his left that has a Dance Studio label on it.
Inside the studio are people in front of mirrored walls (one of them being Sehun) dancing while one person at the side instructs. Before he can study more what they were doing, the door opens in front of him, meeting eyes that reflect his own shocked face.
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin calls. “Hi. Uh,” he clears his throat, not knowing what to say.
Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to say either because Jongin is sweaty and tired in a plain white v-neck shirt, sweatpants and worn out shoes but damn,he could dress like this all day and still look really beautiful in a masculine way.
Kyungsoo’s hormones however, has lost all masculinity.
“Hi,” he says, fighting back a squeal. “I hope I’m not disturbing you or anything.”
“No, of course not,” Jongin says laughing sheepishly. “We were just about to finish. I didn’t know you knew I was a part of this.”
“Yeah, I, um, heard.” He tells him, distracting himself from looking at the way Jongin’s shirt sticks to his drenched chest. “Hey, I was wondering if you’d like to maybe come to my house today. I could maybe make you a sandwich if you want.”
Kyungsoo’s nervous, and he can’t read Jongin’s face, nor does he give anything away. There are a million things in his mind right now:
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that way.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything at all.
Maybe I was too pushy.
Maybe I sounded like I was begging.
Jongin on the other hand, was doing his usual habit, only this time his gaze slides from his face to his torso, to his legs until his toes. Jongin was also too close, inches away just like their first encounter at the library.
“I’d really like that a lot.”
“You would?” Kyungsoo asks.
“Yes. I can’t wait to taste you-“ he pauses as his eyes go wide in panic. “I mean, shit, I meant your food. Oh god,” Jongin covers his face with his hands in embarrassment.
It was cute, although Kyungsoo can’t stop thinking about what he just said. If only he would.
Before Jongin could say anything else, he’s called for one last run, inviting Kyungsoo to watch.
Kyungsoo of course, doesn’t turn down the privilege of watching Jongin move his body in front of him.
And boy does his body move.
Kyungsoo’s seated on the floor leaning on the mirrored wall, astounded at the boy in front of him dancing so elegantly, moving as if his limbs were disconnected from him. If Jongin’s body waves were a tsunami, there’s not a doubt that he would gladly swim in them. His flawless dancing has him whirling and drowning in another million thoughts, thoughts of only Jongin and how his body would fit perfectly with his.
Kyungsoo snaps out of these thoughts when the music stops and a body drops down right next to him.
“Man, I’m exhausted,” Jongin breathes as he lazily rests his head on his shoulder, with Kyungsoo’s heartbeat already speeding up.
They were the only ones remaining in the room, and Kyungsoo wonders if it was just a coincidence that people always disappear in these situations. They both wait for Jongin to regain his normal breathing in silence before the dancer gets up from the floor.
“You were staring a lot, you know,” Jongin speaks out of the blue.
Kyungsoo blushes in surprise. “No I wasn’t.”
“I saw you. You were staring at me while I was dancing the whole time, and that’s an accusation,” he teases. “And do you know what they say about Capricorns when they stare?”
“What?”
Jongin offers his hands to help him up, but when Kyungsoo takes them, he hauls him up too fast that he’d stumble over if Jongin hadn’t already caught him in his arms.
Kyungsoo doesn’t remember how his hands ended up in his chest, or how Jongin’s hands ended up around his waist, but their faces are too close for comfort with their foreheads already touching each other.
“They say,” Jongin starts in almost a whisper, “That when Capricorns stare, there a lot of things running through their minds.”
Kyungsoo looks up to anticipating eyes looking back at him, as if waiting for something to happen.
“Am I on yours, Kyungsoo?”
He can hear his heart beating in his chest and suddenly the heat surrounds him in a different way, like a firework slowly being ignited.
A punch to Jongin’s gut is the key to Kyungsoo’s escape, for the meantime.
~~
Jongin tells Kyungsoo he makes the best sandwich. The other says he does an even better kimchi spaghetti, and promises to make some on his next visit. They’re sitting on the grass in Kyungsoo’s garden behind his house and no one else is there to witness them.
“So, have you figured out my sign yet?” Jongin asks after taking a last bite of his sandwich, leaving nothing but crumbs and dusts it off with a shake of his hands.
“Not yet,” Kyungsoo answers. “I’ve read just too little of the zodiac. Can’t you just tell me?”
“Is it not obvious enough?”
“Not to me,” he tells him. “You, Kim Jongin, are anything but obvious to me. I’m not one who claims anything unless I’m sure of it.”
He gives him a look and before he says anything, Kyungsoo beats him to it by asking, “Are you going to tell me that what I just said was very Capricorn?”
Jongin smirks. “What if I do?”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “You happen to know a lot about Capricorns in particular. I’ve never heard you talk about any other sign.”
“I told you, Capricorn is my favorite sign.”
“Are there any other insights you’d like to share about your ‘favorite’ sign?” Kyungsoo questions as if he was mocking him, but fails miserably because Jongin is laughing and it’s the most wonderful thing.
“Plenty,” Jongin says, “like how my ‘favorite’ sign enjoys deep conversations: talks about life and such. My favorite sign is also a really passionate one. Capricorns are really passionate about what they love to do, and when they do something they love, they’ll make sure to do it for a long time.”
“Like how you’re passionate about dancing, right? You were really amazing by the way, at the dance studio earlier.” He flushes, but praises him because he means it.
It was Jongin’s turn to blush. “I’ve been dancing since I was a six years old, and I can say that I really do enjoy it. Although I’m still a work in progress. I’ve learned so much over the years, but I happen to not always be contented with what I do, so I still need a lot of practice and improvement.”
He smiles at awe from listening to the way Jongin speaks, from hearing the words come out from his mouth in a way that is so him, just so Jongin. It’s almost like he’s rediscovering similar parts of him that he sees in the man in front of him.
Kyungsoo thinks that maybe he could fall in love with Jongin, and Kyungsoo wants to kiss him, but that would be irrational.
“What are you passionate about?” Jongin suddenly asks, eyes gazing at him with enthusiasm.
It takes a while for Kyungsoo to answer from the many thoughts racing quickly in his head, but when he does, Jongin’s ears are all his.
“Movies.” Kyungsoo starts, “I like a lot of things actually, like music and books, but I’m just a big fan of the silver screen. It’s not just about the pleasure of watching movies, you know? it’s about seeing the world in different people’s eyes, it’s about different people living completely different lives.”
Kyungsoo doesn’t realize he says more than needed, but he continues eagerly with twinkling eyes. “I like looking at the characters and how the actors play their parts, how they throw their lines and how they show a certain emotion. I don’t think I can express enough how much I feel for movies and acting, but Jongin, I love-“
It was the grip at the back of his neck he feels first before the swift force of Jongin’s hand, and the pounding of his own heart before the touch of soft and thick lips covering his own.
If Kyungsoo was in the right mind, he would run away and never see him again, not wanting to be left with questions, questions and more questions. He didn’t like these complicated things.
At the back of his mind, Kyungsoo knows that he is a logical person.
However today, Kyungsoo learns that he really doesn’t care.
~~
All Kyungsoo can think about is Jongin dancing and hips gyrating with the grace of his arms and legs as they move, thoughts drifting to his lips and the way it felt on his, his smile and stare that he can never forget. Those simple but tiring thoughts were enough for Kyungsoo to fall asleep to and follow him in his dreams.
~~
It wasn’t hard to notice that Jongin was shying himself from Kyungsoo. The moment he enters the classroom for their first class he could see the hesitation in his body movement. The stares were still present, but there was also a hint of hesitation, a hint of maybe I shouldn’t have.
He must be thinking as much as he was, but Kyungsoo doesn’t approach him. He’s too focused on his plan on getting him later.
~~
When Kyungsoo approaches him, it’s inside the library at the literature section, the same place where Jongin first followed him. Jongin was reading a book in silence when hands suddenly slam on the table.
“I know why we’re a good match.”
Jongin slowly lifts his gaze to Kyungsoo, all embarrassment and bashfulness in his eyes gone and replaced with eyes full of interest.
“Baekhyun’s a Taurus,” Kyungsoo starts, “Chanyeol, some guy my friend is interested in, is a Sagittarius. Taurus is an earth sign, and the other is a fire sign. Now, these two may have different lifestyles and may not agree on most things, but Baekhyun likes Chanyeol nevertheless. They have two completely opposite personalities, two different traits and it doesn’t matter. It applies to Sehun and Luhan, too. Different signs, different personalities, but it doesn’t matter. It never did right?”
“You told me you liked me and you said that we were a good match, but you never told me that you liked me because we were a good match. And I feel like I’ve been betrayed trying to figure out the zodiac signs when in all honesty, they never did matter, because even if I am a Capricorn and no matter what sign you are, I will still be so attracted to you that all rationality I have will disappear.”
Jongin’s standing now, an inch apart from the smaller male, and Kyungsoo feels the heat surround him again, along with a certain kind of longing.
Kyungsoo’s hand find purchase of Jongin’s shirt, pulling him closer and closer with determination, until their noses touch and he whispers, “And you know what? I’ve never really believed in signs.”
The meeting of their lips bruised a little, but it was plump against gentle ones, soft and slow licks inside mouths, and Kyungsoo can only feel the fire in his skin as Jongin’s lips pressed into his own and it was magical.
When they finally pull away, there’s a tiny smirk on Jongin’s glowing face.
“I can’t believe it took you this long to get you to kiss me like that.”
“What I can’t believe is you trying to hit on me with zodiac signs when you could have just said that you wanted to date me.” Kyungsoo retaliates.
“The signs are pretty accurate though.”
“How are you even sure?”
“How ‘bout you let me kiss you again and I’ll show you?”
“Boy, you’re really just on a roll aren’t you?” Kyungsoo laughs and leans his head on Jongin’s chest, slightly embarrassed.
“But do you?” Jongin asks with a serious look on his face. “Do you want to date me?”
Kyungsoo looks up at him. “What do you think?”
“I think,” he answers, “That I’d really like you to date me.”
“Then I guess we’ve come to a decision.”
Jongin leans his head close about to kiss him but is stopped by a finger on his mouth.
“You still haven’t told me your sign.” Kyungsoo tells him.
“Oh baby, have I mentioned that a Capricorn’s best match.. is also a Capricorn?”
Jongin is rewarded with a painful punch to his stomach, but Kyungsoo also apologizes with a long and hard kiss.
Rating: G
Length: 6980w
Genre: fluff, romance
Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Jongin nor Do Kyungsoo. All I own is the storyline.
Summary: Where Kyungsoo is a Capricorn, and Jongin has an interest for the zodiac.
A/N: click for music.
Mondays are the worst.
At least that’s what Kyungsoo thinks. He stares at the clock above the blackboard in front and it’s two minutes before lunchtime. Just two more fucking minutes.
Kyungsoo finds the time unbearably slow today, slower than the rest of the two minutes he’s experienced in class. It’s not that he hates going to school and studying, in fact, he’s one of the top notchers in his batch. He watches the hand of the clock move clockwise; it’s like he can almost hear the tick that it makes per second, and that causes him to get a bit more impatient.
He doesn’t know why this irks him to the bone when it’s never been a problem.
But then he feels it, something at the right corner of his eye. He slowly turns his head and shoot. From the far end of the room, someone is looking, no, staring at him.
Kyungsoo shouldn’t have looked too fast and refrained from eye contact, but he did, of course he did, because that’s what people do when they want to see.
And that someone who was staring at him wasn’t just anyone. That someone was a tall and tan male with a slim figure, that guy who was always staring, and it just so happened that every time Kyungsoo sees him, he would always, always be looking at him.
He doesn’t really know him, but he’s in most of his classes. Kyungsoo also doesn’t know his name, but he finds him extremely attractive. He has that charisma of a typical bad guy, but also the aura of an innocent boy next door, and he wonders how that could be possible.
But it’s always that one look in his eyes that drives Kyungsoo a little insane, those eyes which are always intense. Hence, the nickname ‘intense eyes’.
Kyungsoo’s already caught him, but Intense Eyes doesn’t back down. He removes his gaze from him for a while, but when he looks back, nothing’s changed. He’s still staring.
Kyungsoo doesn’t tell him to stop. He doesn’t bother to.
Truth be told, Kyungsoo doesn't hate it. He likes it actually, because who doesn’t like a gorgeous man staring at you, completely undressing you with his eyes (or so he wishes)? The only reason why he doesn’t like this situation is for the fact that it’s disturbing in a way that he clearly cannot screw up and embarrass himself when Intense Eyes is around, which is most of the time.
So Kyungsoo stares back at him, but it’s more like he tries to. He holds his gaze for half a minute and he wonders why it feels like time has gone slower. They maintain eye contact, as if they were trying to see who would break first. It gets to a point when Intense Eyes tilts his head to the side to provide a better view of his protruding jawline, and oh. There’s a hint of a smirk on his lips that wasn’t there before, and it makes Kyungsoo cry internally.
The bell rings just in time when Kyungsoo finally pulls his gaze off Intense Eyes.
He stands and quickly packs his stuff, struggling with shaky hands because in the midst of students moving around the classroom and making their way out, he could still feel his eyes on him. As soon as he’s done, he spots the exit and walks straight ahead, making sure he doesn’t spare another glance before-
“Hey.”
He stops right in his tracks and shit, shit, SHIT, since when did this classroom turn empty?
“H-Hey.”
Kyungsoo turns on his heels; he knows that the first meeting was bound to happen. He was bound to meet him at some point, but not the kind which only involved him and Mr. Intense Eyes himself, in all his handsome glory, calling him, almost as if he was seducing him with his low and husky voice.
Now Kyungsoo is the one staring, but how can he not when he’s never really seen him this close, eyeing him in a way that makes him want to be thrown out the window because he just feels so awkward. Adding up to his awkwardness, Kyungsoo looks from his left to right, finding no one else to witness his embarrassment but the man walking towards him with that little smirk appearing on his face once again.
Kyungsoo feels like crying and doesn’t know what to say, that is if he would even be able to speak. But before Intense Eyes takes another step, Kyungsoo speaks up.
“Don’t.”
He stops within arm’s reach in front of him, a confused look coming into sight on his face.
“Don’t wha-”
“You did it first!” Kyungsoo cries out with a pointing finger. “You were the one staring at me first, okay? I- I was only looking at you because I caught you staring at me! So-don’t you even dare accuse me of staring at you when you’re the real culprit!”
Kyungsoo happens to lose his breath from explaining himself, but what for? What was he trying to prove?
The taller pauses, unsure of how to react. There’s a brief period of croo croos, but then he smiles, and Kyungsoo thinks that maybe he’s already taken his breath away before he even got the chance to speak.
“But I wasn’t going to accuse you of anything though.” He simply says, the smile and stare never leaving his face.
There are moments when Kyungsoo wishes to be swallowed by a black hole, and this was definitely one of them. He feels like laughing at his own misery and breaking into tears because he didn’t intend for this to happen, really.
“Oh,” is all Kyungsoo says and drops his hand. He’s ready to turn away and hide himself inside the janitor’s room when he hears him say, “I’m Jongin.”
Intense Eyes, now known as Jongin, extends a hand and waits for Kyungsoo to shake it and he does, almost too eagerly that he happens to squeeze Jongin’s hand in the process. The other says nothing about it, just smiles and stays completely amazing in Kyungsoo’s eyes.
Kyungsoo says his name as well, but it doesn’t quite sound the same when Jongin says Do Kyungsoo; it sounds like a symphony that he doesn’t mind listening to nonstop.
A few seconds pass and he’s still holding onto Jongin’s hand, almost as if he was holding onto dear life. Kyungsoo liked the warmth and soft texture of Jongin’s hand, and it also made his stomach twist in a strange way.
“Uhm,” Kyungsoo starts, pulling his hand away and dropping it to his side, feeling like a complete fool for holding Jongin’s hand for too long. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he casually answers back, slowly mirroring Kyungsoo’s action with a soft grin and he looks lovely.
“So, uh, is there anything I can help you with, Jongin?” He asks, not knowing how this conversation will turn out.
Jongin then avoids eye contact and places a hand at the back of his neck, a common gesture that means he’s nervous. But why would Jongin be nervous?
“Well, yeah, I… I just thought it was finally time I introduced myself.”
Kyungsoo didn’t see the point in Jongin finally introducing himself or didn’t exactly know what he meant.
“It’s just that I see you in all of my classes, “ Jongin explains, “and I’ve never really gotten the chance to greet you and stuff, and.. maybe I just want to get to know you better?” Jongin laughs at himself for fumbling with his words and Kyungsoo wants to melt in a puddle of goo because he thinks he’s gorgeous this way.
Kyungsoo isn’t the type to quickly judge people, but with Jongin’s uncertainty, he finds it hard to see what his true intentions are. Without knowing it, he quirks a brow at him, but finally returns a smile.
“You want to know me better? How?”
“I don’t know, you just seem… nice.”
“Nice?”
“…yeah.”
Jongin’s staring at his shoes and still unsure of his words, but Kyungsoo thinks it’s weird how his aura screams so much confidence, but when it comes to actually talking to him, he turns into someone so shy. That doesn’t mean he likes him less, in fact, Kyungsoo finds himself more attracted to him.
“Do you mind if I follow you around today?” Jongin suddenly asks with serious eyes staring straight at him.
“I mean, only if you want me to.”
Kyungsoo’s eyes turn into full moons. He knew there was something different about the situation he was in right now, and as the type of person he is, he wouldn't tolerate something illogical.
But Kyungsoo likes to ponder about things, about Jongin, and he would be lying if he didn't want to be followed by him.
“I guess you can,” Kyungsoo says then assumes, “That is, if you don’t have any other plans.”
Jongin doesn’t try to avoid his eyes this time. He’s doing that stare again, the one that makes him feel weak on the knees.
“You can be my only plan for today.”
Kyungsoo’s knees officially turn to mush.
Monday’s gotten quite better.
~~
They walk to the library with a little bit of awkwardness, and Kyungsoo feels Jongin’s eyes boring at him the whole time. They stay at the second floor inside the Literature section of the library where there’s not much students.
Kyungsoo wants to ask why Jongin chose to stay at a place slightly intimate but he doesn’t because it’s the literature section and he loves literature.
Kyungsoo reads a collection of poetry when they settle down at a table with four chairs, with Jongin sitting in front of him while he’s seated behind a shelf of books. While scanning the pages, Kyungsoo comes across a writer he’s never seen before, but when he tries to sincerely read one of his poems, he can’t get past the first paragraph.
His peripheral vision doesn’t let him because Jongin has an elbow propped up on the table and a chin resting on his hand, and Kyungsoo knows exactly what he’s doing. He knows, and it’s beginning to annoy him.
Kyungsoo looks up to meet soft and gentle eyes, and it annoys him all the more because he’s supposed to be irritated, he’s also supposed to want to punch him in the face for being so quiet when his eyes speak thoughts he wants to know.
“Do you always do that?” Kyungsoo asks. “Just stare at people?”
“Not all the time, but lately, it’s become a habit.”
“I can see that.”
“It’s hard not to look when it’s you.”
“..I’m sorry?”
Jongin smiles and it’s hard to breathe again. “I like looking at you.”
“Um…”
“Is that alright?”
“Don’t you think you’re going a little bit too fast?” Kyungsoo asks all of a sudden as if the walls were suffocating him. Of course he was overreacting, Because when Jongin speaks it’s quick and smooth, and Kyungsoo feels his heart beat at a pace that isn’t exactly normal.
“I’m not asking for your hand in marriage, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Jongin explains casually with a shrug of his shoulders. “But ever since those eyes of yours looked at mine for the first time, I’ve never looked away.”
Kyungsoo is left speechless in his seat, poems and literature long forgotten. For someone he’s just met, he’s clueless as to why Jongin said things that made his brain suddenly malfunction while he remained calm and collected. Kyungsoo likes to think that Jongin’s just too nice to him, but deep down he knew there was something more.
“So, what do you really mean?” Kyungsoo asks with a hint of hesitation to his voice.
Jongin stares straight into his eyes. “I guess, what I really mean to say is, I like looking at you, because I like you. And I think we’d be a pretty good match.”
Kyungsoo’s brown owl eyes turn into orbs larger than life at the sound of Jongin’s last sentence.
“I don’t, I-“
“I think I’ve made myself really clear,” he probes. “It’s either you’re not interested or you just don’t believe me.”
He raises a brow at him. “Well, you’ve placed me in a really strange position, inside this very intimate section of the library, complimenting and confessing to me when we’ve just met less than an hour ago, so I’m not gonna lie and say that I wasn’t caught offguard.”
“Are you saying you’re not interested?” Jongin asks, a pout almost appearing in his face. Kyungsoo doesn’t know if he wants to smack him with his fist or with his lips.
“I’m saying I don’t think I can believe how you say that we’re a good match when we’ve only had a five minute conversation.”
“I know,” Jongin says. “And I believe you, since that’s really how capricorns think.”
Kyungsoo takes a moment to look at Jongin in confusion. “Wha-“
“You’re a capricorn, aren’t you?” Jongin asks.
“How did you-“
“I’ve been studying horoscopes for awhile now. I’ve also been observing people and trying to read them just by identifying their zodiac signs through their personalities, and luckily, whenever I ask them, I’m always right.”
Kyungsoo feels a bit disheartened at his words with the thought of being just another person Jongin studies, and it has him mentally banging himself on a wall.
Jongin continues talking. “As far as I can see, you really hate erroneous explanations, such as my own right now if I may say. You dislike people who beat around the bush. You want a straight explanation to things, and that’s a common trait to capricorns.”
“So is this what this is?” Kyungsoo asks, a little angry. “Just an experiment while I’m just a zodiac sign?”
Jongin’s eyes soften with a hand suddenly reaching his chin, thumb swiping tenderly on his skin, then quickly retreating in its place.
“You’re more than that,” Jongin speaks gently. “You’re different. You’re my favorite zodiac sign.”
Kyungsoo is quick to hide his shock, although he doesn’t easily recover from Jongin’s touch. Instead he distracts himself by saying, “I still don’t see how we’re a good match.”
“You’ll just have to think like me,” Jongin answers quickly.
“Think like you, huh?” Kyungsoo repeats and gives Jongin a short hum. “I don’t even know your sign.”
And that’s when Jongin inches forward, his head moving close, so close to Kyungsoo’s face with a smirk plastered on his face. Kyungsoo doesn’t understand how the shy Jongin he met minutes, maybe even an hour ago has now turned into someone so confident. He can feel butterflies dancing in his stomach and the increase of his heart beat when he meets Jongin’s intense eyes.
“Then you’ll have to make a wild guess.” He whispers.
Kyungsoo doesn’t, because the bell suddenly rings and he is quickly getting up from the table.
“I have to go.” Kyungsoo says but then remembers that when he leaves, Jongin will have to come with him. “We both do.”
Jongin understands what he’s trying to say and obeys in silence, and they find themselves walking out the library the same way they entered.
When they’re inside the classroom and on their way home, Kyungsoo and Jongin remained how they used to be, meters apart and stares away.
Only Kyungsoo doesn’t see Jongin stare just a little bit longer at the view of his back when he leaves, wishing he could say more than eyes could to his capricorn.
~~
“So, I didn’t see you during break yesterday.”
“Something came up.”
“I see.”
“I was busy.”
“Of course you were.”
“Are you angry?”
It was a day after Jongin and Kyungsoo’s library hangout that he realized he forgot to let his friends know that he was “occupied” and wouldn’t be with them for lunch, so for tuesday’s lunch break, Baekhyun made it a point that he should be guilty for it.
“Me?” Baekhyun asks sarcastically as he points the apple he was holding at himself. “Of course not.”
“Okay, I get what you’re doing, alright? I’m sorry for not having lunch with you yesterday,” Kyungsoo says, “But something did happen.”
Kyungsoo asks himself why he was apologizing for having a life of his own and how Baekhyun needs to be overly sensitive to such things.
“Oh, I bet that something was tall, dark-skinned, and delicious, perhaps someone named Kim Jongin-“
“Wait,” Kyungsoo stops Baekhyun from talking. “You know Jongin?”
“Everyone seems to,” a voice interrupts next to Kyungsoo’s ear causing him to jump in his seat, then realizes it’s Luhan when he sits right next to Baekhyun in front of him and lays his tray on the table. “He’s been talked about in this school for awhile now, and I’m not surprised you don’t know that, since you’re pretty much always in your own world.”
“And right now, I’d say he’s in your world, which is why you’ve decided to completely ditch us yesterday.” Baekhyun grumbles.
“Look, I didn’t ditch you guys,” Kyungsoo tries to explain. “He went up to me after class and asked if he could follow me around, and I couldn’t think of any other place so I just somehow ended up in the library with him.”
“If I’m being honest, I don’t really mind,” Luhan tells him with a smile on his face. “We even saw him walk up to you so we didn’t try to bug you. Baekhyun’s only being a bitch because you never shared to us the deets between you two.”
“Or maybe just because I’m really a jealous bitch,” Baekhyun grins. “But, yeah. You ain’t sharing.”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at him. “There’s really nothing to share. We’ve only just met yesterday.”
“Didn’t look that way though,” Baekhyun says. “I wasn’t born yesterday, just so you know. I mean, have you seen the way he’d always look at you? It’s like he’s known you for years, like he’s memorized you like his favorite song-“
“But it’s also that kind of look as if he’d want you for breakfast, lunch and dinner-“
“You can stop now,” Kyungsoo tells them, almost pleading his friends while reaching for a breadstick to take a bite.
He knows exactly what look Baekhyun and Luhan are talking about. It’s that engaging look in Jongin’s eyes, those piercing eyes that Kyungsoo thinks could penetrate his soul and see right through him.
“So, are you finally gonna tell us the real deal between you two?” Luhan asks in excitement.
Kyungsoo remembers Jongin at the library admitting that he likes him, the words slowly resonating in his ear and causing him to shiver. He also remembers Jongin’s thumb on his chin and the stomach twists he got from that simple gesture. But they didn’t really mean anything, Kyungsoo thinks. It was nothing committed. There could be something, but unless it’s anything official, Kyungsoo decides not to divulge any information.
“I’m telling you, it’s nothing. We just hung out, that’s all.” Kyungsoo mutters, hiding a small smile that badly wants to appear.
“Oh, look. Chanyeol’s coming,” Luhan grins and nudges Baekhyun’s shoulder, to which the latter does nothing in response but freezes.
Long legs and faded brown poodle hair stop in front of their table with a friendly toothy smile in greeting.
“‘Sup, fellas.” A deep and low voice comes out from the tall male while the two males greet back with a nod. “Hey, Baek. You ready for the gig later?”
They wait for a response, but Chanyeol gets nothing decent from Baekhyun but short and quick glances, followed by a “Uh, yeah, of course.”
Chanyeol stays oblivious but smiles at him. “Great. I’ll see you later then!” He finishes with a wave of his hand and walks away.
Baekhyun pounds his head on the table and stops moving.
“What the hell was that?!” Luhan asks aggravated. “He was trying to make a conversation with you and you just blew him away like that!”
“What else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t even look at him,” Baekhyun lifts his head from the table with a pout on his face. “If I look at him I’m afraid I’ll die.”
“You’re exaggerating, Baekhyun! You’ve been bandmates for two years. I don’t understand why you haven’t told him yet.”
“And now I know why you’re a jealous bitch.” Kyungsoo comments while Baekhyun sticks his tongue out at him.
“Time is wasting, Byun Baekhyun. You better confess before I tell him myself.” Luhan probes.
“I GIVE UP, OKAY! I CAN’T DO IT!” Baekhyun screams, and Kyungsoo silently thanks god the cafeteria has always been a noisy place. “You’re all a joke, and because I have class in ten minutes and there is no hope for all of us, I’m leaving!”
He stands with the tray in his hands and glares at the two before angrily strutting away.
“Will he be okay?” Kyungsoo asks Luhan, a little concerned about his friend.
“He’ll be fine,” Luhan answers with a comforting smile. “He’s just facing another day without telling Chanyeol he’s in love with him. No big deal.”
“Wow,” Kyungsoo says, “so tell me, how great is your love life?”
“What love life? I’m perfectly fine by myself, thank you.” Luhan says proudly.
“Sure,” Kyungsoo can only nod at him, trying to understand as he continues to nibble on his breadstick in silence. He dwells upon Baekhyun’s personality, and Kyungsoo then remembers how Jongin talked about zodiac signs and was challenged to think like him.
“Hey, Lu.” Kyungsoo calls casually.
“Yeah?”
“Do you know Baekhyun’s sign?”
“You mean zodiac sign?” Luhan asks. He takes a huge gulp of his coke and answers after swallowing. “Baekhyun’s a Taurus. I am too. Why?”
“No reason.” Kyungsoo answers and keeps a mental note to himself to search the internet for zodiac references.
~~
After a trip to the library alone and a few research, Kyungsoo has discovered that stubborness is a common trait for the Taurus sign. He’s also discovered that a Taurus is also most likely to have extreme emotions, to which Kyungsoo confirms with Baekhyun indeed having these traits. He thinks It’s possible that Luhan possesses the same stubbornness and emotions (which he hasn’t seen firsthand), but mostly it’s Baekhyun who screams Taurus to Kyungsoo.
And now that he’s studied a bit of the zodiac, he still wasn’t convinced with zodiac signs as much as Jongin was. But because of him, he’s determined to learn more about it.
When classes were done, Kyungsoo makes his way out the school building in a flash to avoid students coming out all at once. He walks down the stairs and towards the gate but slows down as soon as he sees Jongin there with eyes already locked and approaching him, and suddenly Kyungsoo feels a surge of heat surround him.
“Jongin,” Kyungsoo breathes shakily and mentally punches himself for sounding like a fish out of water. “Uhm, hi.”
“Hey,” Jongin smiles. Kyungsoo was too preoccupied with studying for quizzes today that he wasn’t able to even catch a glimpse of his face. Now is definitely a pretty good time.
“What are you doing here?” He asks him. “Aren’t you going home?”
“Yeah, but I was actually wondering if you have any plans tonight?”
“I usually stay home on weeknights, but there’s this movie I’m planning to see tonight.”
“Are you going with someone?” Jongin asks, a little too quick.
“Nope,” Kyungsoo answers with a small smile. “Just me.”
“Well, would you like me to join you?”
“Oh,” Kyungsoo pauses. “…Oh.” He’s faced with another surprise by Kim Jongin, and he doesn’t know how to deal with it.
“Would you like to join me, Jongin?” He asks because he can’t ask anything else.
Jongin answers with a wide smile and Kyungsoo thinks that’s all the answer he needs and leads the way while Jongin trails behind him.
~~
The movie Kyungsoo wanted to see turned out to be Gone Girl, a movie that Jongin was also particularly interested in, so they agreed to buy a ticket to the seven p.m. show and grab nachos and popcorn at the snack counter. Jongin wanted to pay for everything but of course, Kyungsoo didn’t let him.
He didn’t want to think this was a date, only because Jongin’s never mentioned it to be one; he just wanted to tag along, right?
Kyungsoo would be lying if he didn’t want it to be.
“So, do you usually go out alone?” Jongin asks him as they walk towards the movie theater.
“Not really.” Kyungsoo says. “I hang out with Baekhyun and Luhan a lot, but I don’t mind being alone either.”
Jongin hums in response, and when Kyungsoo turns to him, he sees him smiling at himself.
“What?” Kyungsoo asks.
“Nothing it’s just,” he laughs a little then continues, “I kind of guessed that you thought that way.”
“Because that’s how Capricorns think, right?”
Jongin smiles at him in admiration. “Exactly.”
“Wow, you really do have this weird zodiac obsession.” Kyungsoo laughs with his eyes turning into crescents.
“And you’re really cute.”
Kyungsoo looks up to see Jongin’s eyes still trained on him with a soft grin on his face, and then he feels his cheeks burn and resorts to hiding by biting on his plastic cup of sprite and retrieving their tickets in his back pocket. All conversation stops when they sit on their seats and the trailers appear on the movie screen.
It’s twenty minutes into the movie and Kyungsoo’s finished his nachos. He’s still hungry, and he’s been eyeing the tub of popcorn Jongin keeps in his hand. It’s dark, but Kyungsoo can see the outline of Jongin’s face and eyes glued to the movie they were watching.
Kyungsoo takes this as a cue to dip his hand inside the tub and grab a handful of popcorn, but when he feels a sudden warmth cover his, the popcorn slowly slips from his fingers.
It’s soft, and Kyungsoo can feel the barbecue powder stick as their fingers intertwine, but it’s Jongin’s hand in his and his own heart beating quick. He doesn’t dare to look at him, so Kyungsoo keeps his eyes on the movie screen and his hand entangled in Jongin’s inside the tub of popcorn.
What was happening was entirely unsanitary; Even the movie they were watching was anything but romantic, but Kyungsoo and Jongin wouldn’t like things otherwise.
~~
Kyungsoo doesn’t know if it counts as anything, but ever since that movie ‘date’, Jongin ends up following him everywhere else. He would follow Kyungsoo to lunch with Baekhyun and Luhan, but neither of the two complained, except Luhan always had to shut Baekhyun up before he says anything else besides just kiss already. In fact, sometimes they would transfer tables and leave them alone (which Kyungsoo preferred than take the risk of further embarrassment from his friends).
Time comes when Jongin brings his own friend, Oh Sehun, to join their table, and nobody has a problem with it, especially Luhan. Kyungsoo and Jongin secretly called their meeting a meeting of ‘love at first sight’. They liked to think it was perfect setting them up together, seeing Luhan and Sehun jive so instantly as if they’d been looking for each other since forever. Jongin explains this relationship through zodiac, saying that the Aries and Taurus signs make a good combination because of their contrasting personalities. Kyungsoo would think to himself and wonder if their signs could be the same, but when Jongin would stare at him with a gleaming smile that makes his whole day better, he thinks maybe it wouldn't matter.
There are times when Jongin would walk Kyungsoo home after class or take him to the bus. When Kyungsoo would ask Jongin to come inside, he would turn shy and politely decline. Kyungsoo would feel a little disappointed, but maybe it’s safer that way (they won’t be able to do.. things).
Sometimes, Jongin and Kyungsoo would go out and watch movies together with a tub of popcorn as their usual choice of snack, but maybe it was only because there was a reason for their hands to touch.
Weeks pass and Jongin holds his hand anyway, like at the library free from disturbance, leaving Kyungsoo with rosy cheeks.
There were no words exchanged when they were together, only the silence between them that couldn’t be explained, a kind of silence that they’ve grown comfortable with. It didn’t matter that they didn’t share many words, their actions could speak louder.
They were subtle, and Kyungsoo liked subtlety; he liked Jongin more, very much so.
Although Kyungsoo didn’t know what relationship he and Jongin had and if he could even call it a relationship, but he wasn’t in a rush to find out.
After all, he still has a zodiac sign to predict.
~~
Jongin doesn’t meet him on Thursdays, so after class , Kyungsoo decides to become the one to do the following and invite him to his house. Thanks to Kyungsoo’s eavesdropping skills, he learns that Jongin is part of an extra-curricular dance troop and has training until six. He passes two more doors until he hears music playing and peeks into the last door on his left that has a Dance Studio label on it.
Inside the studio are people in front of mirrored walls (one of them being Sehun) dancing while one person at the side instructs. Before he can study more what they were doing, the door opens in front of him, meeting eyes that reflect his own shocked face.
“Kyungsoo,” Jongin calls. “Hi. Uh,” he clears his throat, not knowing what to say.
Kyungsoo doesn’t know what to say either because Jongin is sweaty and tired in a plain white v-neck shirt, sweatpants and worn out shoes but damn,he could dress like this all day and still look really beautiful in a masculine way.
Kyungsoo’s hormones however, has lost all masculinity.
“Hi,” he says, fighting back a squeal. “I hope I’m not disturbing you or anything.”
“No, of course not,” Jongin says laughing sheepishly. “We were just about to finish. I didn’t know you knew I was a part of this.”
“Yeah, I, um, heard.” He tells him, distracting himself from looking at the way Jongin’s shirt sticks to his drenched chest. “Hey, I was wondering if you’d like to maybe come to my house today. I could maybe make you a sandwich if you want.”
Kyungsoo’s nervous, and he can’t read Jongin’s face, nor does he give anything away. There are a million things in his mind right now:
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that way.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything at all.
Maybe I was too pushy.
Maybe I sounded like I was begging.
Jongin on the other hand, was doing his usual habit, only this time his gaze slides from his face to his torso, to his legs until his toes. Jongin was also too close, inches away just like their first encounter at the library.
“I’d really like that a lot.”
“You would?” Kyungsoo asks.
“Yes. I can’t wait to taste you-“ he pauses as his eyes go wide in panic. “I mean, shit, I meant your food. Oh god,” Jongin covers his face with his hands in embarrassment.
It was cute, although Kyungsoo can’t stop thinking about what he just said. If only he would.
Before Jongin could say anything else, he’s called for one last run, inviting Kyungsoo to watch.
Kyungsoo of course, doesn’t turn down the privilege of watching Jongin move his body in front of him.
And boy does his body move.
Kyungsoo’s seated on the floor leaning on the mirrored wall, astounded at the boy in front of him dancing so elegantly, moving as if his limbs were disconnected from him. If Jongin’s body waves were a tsunami, there’s not a doubt that he would gladly swim in them. His flawless dancing has him whirling and drowning in another million thoughts, thoughts of only Jongin and how his body would fit perfectly with his.
Kyungsoo snaps out of these thoughts when the music stops and a body drops down right next to him.
“Man, I’m exhausted,” Jongin breathes as he lazily rests his head on his shoulder, with Kyungsoo’s heartbeat already speeding up.
They were the only ones remaining in the room, and Kyungsoo wonders if it was just a coincidence that people always disappear in these situations. They both wait for Jongin to regain his normal breathing in silence before the dancer gets up from the floor.
“You were staring a lot, you know,” Jongin speaks out of the blue.
Kyungsoo blushes in surprise. “No I wasn’t.”
“I saw you. You were staring at me while I was dancing the whole time, and that’s an accusation,” he teases. “And do you know what they say about Capricorns when they stare?”
“What?”
Jongin offers his hands to help him up, but when Kyungsoo takes them, he hauls him up too fast that he’d stumble over if Jongin hadn’t already caught him in his arms.
Kyungsoo doesn’t remember how his hands ended up in his chest, or how Jongin’s hands ended up around his waist, but their faces are too close for comfort with their foreheads already touching each other.
“They say,” Jongin starts in almost a whisper, “That when Capricorns stare, there a lot of things running through their minds.”
Kyungsoo looks up to anticipating eyes looking back at him, as if waiting for something to happen.
“Am I on yours, Kyungsoo?”
He can hear his heart beating in his chest and suddenly the heat surrounds him in a different way, like a firework slowly being ignited.
A punch to Jongin’s gut is the key to Kyungsoo’s escape, for the meantime.
~~
Jongin tells Kyungsoo he makes the best sandwich. The other says he does an even better kimchi spaghetti, and promises to make some on his next visit. They’re sitting on the grass in Kyungsoo’s garden behind his house and no one else is there to witness them.
“So, have you figured out my sign yet?” Jongin asks after taking a last bite of his sandwich, leaving nothing but crumbs and dusts it off with a shake of his hands.
“Not yet,” Kyungsoo answers. “I’ve read just too little of the zodiac. Can’t you just tell me?”
“Is it not obvious enough?”
“Not to me,” he tells him. “You, Kim Jongin, are anything but obvious to me. I’m not one who claims anything unless I’m sure of it.”
He gives him a look and before he says anything, Kyungsoo beats him to it by asking, “Are you going to tell me that what I just said was very Capricorn?”
Jongin smirks. “What if I do?”
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes. “You happen to know a lot about Capricorns in particular. I’ve never heard you talk about any other sign.”
“I told you, Capricorn is my favorite sign.”
“Are there any other insights you’d like to share about your ‘favorite’ sign?” Kyungsoo questions as if he was mocking him, but fails miserably because Jongin is laughing and it’s the most wonderful thing.
“Plenty,” Jongin says, “like how my ‘favorite’ sign enjoys deep conversations: talks about life and such. My favorite sign is also a really passionate one. Capricorns are really passionate about what they love to do, and when they do something they love, they’ll make sure to do it for a long time.”
“Like how you’re passionate about dancing, right? You were really amazing by the way, at the dance studio earlier.” He flushes, but praises him because he means it.
It was Jongin’s turn to blush. “I’ve been dancing since I was a six years old, and I can say that I really do enjoy it. Although I’m still a work in progress. I’ve learned so much over the years, but I happen to not always be contented with what I do, so I still need a lot of practice and improvement.”
He smiles at awe from listening to the way Jongin speaks, from hearing the words come out from his mouth in a way that is so him, just so Jongin. It’s almost like he’s rediscovering similar parts of him that he sees in the man in front of him.
Kyungsoo thinks that maybe he could fall in love with Jongin, and Kyungsoo wants to kiss him, but that would be irrational.
“What are you passionate about?” Jongin suddenly asks, eyes gazing at him with enthusiasm.
It takes a while for Kyungsoo to answer from the many thoughts racing quickly in his head, but when he does, Jongin’s ears are all his.
“Movies.” Kyungsoo starts, “I like a lot of things actually, like music and books, but I’m just a big fan of the silver screen. It’s not just about the pleasure of watching movies, you know? it’s about seeing the world in different people’s eyes, it’s about different people living completely different lives.”
Kyungsoo doesn’t realize he says more than needed, but he continues eagerly with twinkling eyes. “I like looking at the characters and how the actors play their parts, how they throw their lines and how they show a certain emotion. I don’t think I can express enough how much I feel for movies and acting, but Jongin, I love-“
It was the grip at the back of his neck he feels first before the swift force of Jongin’s hand, and the pounding of his own heart before the touch of soft and thick lips covering his own.
If Kyungsoo was in the right mind, he would run away and never see him again, not wanting to be left with questions, questions and more questions. He didn’t like these complicated things.
At the back of his mind, Kyungsoo knows that he is a logical person.
However today, Kyungsoo learns that he really doesn’t care.
~~
All Kyungsoo can think about is Jongin dancing and hips gyrating with the grace of his arms and legs as they move, thoughts drifting to his lips and the way it felt on his, his smile and stare that he can never forget. Those simple but tiring thoughts were enough for Kyungsoo to fall asleep to and follow him in his dreams.
~~
It wasn’t hard to notice that Jongin was shying himself from Kyungsoo. The moment he enters the classroom for their first class he could see the hesitation in his body movement. The stares were still present, but there was also a hint of hesitation, a hint of maybe I shouldn’t have.
He must be thinking as much as he was, but Kyungsoo doesn’t approach him. He’s too focused on his plan on getting him later.
~~
When Kyungsoo approaches him, it’s inside the library at the literature section, the same place where Jongin first followed him. Jongin was reading a book in silence when hands suddenly slam on the table.
“I know why we’re a good match.”
Jongin slowly lifts his gaze to Kyungsoo, all embarrassment and bashfulness in his eyes gone and replaced with eyes full of interest.
“Baekhyun’s a Taurus,” Kyungsoo starts, “Chanyeol, some guy my friend is interested in, is a Sagittarius. Taurus is an earth sign, and the other is a fire sign. Now, these two may have different lifestyles and may not agree on most things, but Baekhyun likes Chanyeol nevertheless. They have two completely opposite personalities, two different traits and it doesn’t matter. It applies to Sehun and Luhan, too. Different signs, different personalities, but it doesn’t matter. It never did right?”
“You told me you liked me and you said that we were a good match, but you never told me that you liked me because we were a good match. And I feel like I’ve been betrayed trying to figure out the zodiac signs when in all honesty, they never did matter, because even if I am a Capricorn and no matter what sign you are, I will still be so attracted to you that all rationality I have will disappear.”
Jongin’s standing now, an inch apart from the smaller male, and Kyungsoo feels the heat surround him again, along with a certain kind of longing.
Kyungsoo’s hand find purchase of Jongin’s shirt, pulling him closer and closer with determination, until their noses touch and he whispers, “And you know what? I’ve never really believed in signs.”
The meeting of their lips bruised a little, but it was plump against gentle ones, soft and slow licks inside mouths, and Kyungsoo can only feel the fire in his skin as Jongin’s lips pressed into his own and it was magical.
When they finally pull away, there’s a tiny smirk on Jongin’s glowing face.
“I can’t believe it took you this long to get you to kiss me like that.”
“What I can’t believe is you trying to hit on me with zodiac signs when you could have just said that you wanted to date me.” Kyungsoo retaliates.
“The signs are pretty accurate though.”
“How are you even sure?”
“How ‘bout you let me kiss you again and I’ll show you?”
“Boy, you’re really just on a roll aren’t you?” Kyungsoo laughs and leans his head on Jongin’s chest, slightly embarrassed.
“But do you?” Jongin asks with a serious look on his face. “Do you want to date me?”
Kyungsoo looks up at him. “What do you think?”
“I think,” he answers, “That I’d really like you to date me.”
“Then I guess we’ve come to a decision.”
Jongin leans his head close about to kiss him but is stopped by a finger on his mouth.
“You still haven’t told me your sign.” Kyungsoo tells him.
“Oh baby, have I mentioned that a Capricorn’s best match.. is also a Capricorn?”
Jongin is rewarded with a painful punch to his stomach, but Kyungsoo also apologizes with a long and hard kiss.