I Wish
Rating: PG
Warnings: minor swearing
Word Count: 6K
Summary: Genie!au Where Jongin finds Kyungsoo by accident (thanks, Chen). He doesn’t really know what to wish for though.
AN: Originally written for http://kaisooaufest.livejournal.com/
Jongin really should have known better. His puppy, Chen, was one of Baekhyun’s 12. His friend had initially said they were going to be given away to his cousins, so Jongin has tried his very best not to get attached to any of them when he visited, but that didn't stop Chen from getting attached to him. And after what Baekhyun called the “loofah” incident, he gave up and delivered the pup to Jongin personally. Jongin himself doesn't know what the incident was exactly. Baekhyun never talks about it.
The point is, Chen came from Baek, a magician, and was supposed to be given to his cousins, a whole clan of magicians. He knew that they had the art passed down to them from generations of magical families and which can probably date back to the beginning of time. Jongin should have known that nothing from Baek is exactly what it seems to be.
This time, it wasn't exactly Chen per se, it was more about what the pup has brought in. They were having a good walk, and it was one of those good days where the weather was great, and Jongin has plenty of time to smell the flowers, watch the little kids play soccer, have a good glance at the cute boys jogging, and generally enjoy himself while Chen tugs him here and there to sniff at each corner they pass. He doesn't entirely know when it happened, because he may have been distracted by the smell of food from somewhere, but the next time he looked down at the puppy, he noticed something that was not there before.
“Chen, what do you have there in your mouth?”
His puppy, of course, said nothing, but continued to wag his fluffy tail.
“Let me see that,” he says, bending down and trying to ease the object out from between Chen’s teeth.
He can see now that it was a light bulb. It was quite big, and the glass surface was intact, so there's no risk of it hurting Chen at the moment.
“Where in the world did you get this thing?”he wonders, tugging a little harder when Chen wouldn't give.
“Chen,” he uses a stern voice this time, “drop it.”
Normally, the dog was very well-behaved for a puppy, as Baekhyun had promised, so Jongin was shocked when instead, Chen slips out of his grip and runs back towards the park. Having let go of the leash, Jongin scrambles to get back up and give chase before anything happens to him.
“Chen, wait!!!! STOP!!!”
He reaches the open space quickly, prepared to squint to find his rogue pet, but Chen has not run very far, now smiling at Jongin after placing the light bulb on the ground seemingly having sniffed and prodded the lamp to his content. Jongin approaches carefully, afraid that running to him will only startle Chen. He was close, so close, when Chen decides to pounce on the object like he would to a ball.
Only it’s not a ball. It is a dusty, glass object that can crack any moment now, and Jongin can only watch in horror as Chen’s paws make contact with the bulb, his mind going a mile a minute thinking about glass shards and bandages and, oh god, blood.
“Chen!!!”
CRACK
He’s moving before he can even process it and only when he reaches the puppy and drops to his knees does he notice something. Gently lifting the small animal, he realises that Chen seems fine, as well as the glass bulb.
Had I imagined that cracking sound then? Jongin thinks absently as he checks Chen for any indication of pain, even bringing his two front paws up closer to his face. Nothing.
He squints at the light bulb suspiciously. It seems so innocent, just a broken piece of old rubbish that anyone could find in any old pile of junk. Jongin picks it up, promising himself to put it where it should be, and scrutinized the object. He turns it this way and that, and tries to figure out if it was one of those things that only looks like glass, but is really just fancy plastic? But then again they don't really make light bulbs with plastic do they?
Chen is wagging his tail excitedly beside him, probably hoping Jongin will throw it for him to fetch. Jongin knocks a knuckle against the surface of the bulb testily. It certainly feels like glass. He rubs his finger across the bulb to feel it, and gets a very dirty finger for his troubles.
But that’s when the weirdness starts.
Suddenly, despite the sunniness around him, fog descends. Strangely enough, Jongin felt as if this particular veil of condensation came from the light bulb, Which now happens to be glowing! Chen barks, though he sounds more excited than scared. Jongin hugs him closely; worried that he will make another dash. He was just about to walk away from the peculiar sensation when a figure-no a person-materialised right in front of him.
This boy looks young, with large round eyes and a chubby face, but when he opens his mouth, it was with a deep voice that he says, “You have awaken the genie of EXODUS, congratulations. I am Kyungsoo, and I’m here to grant you three wishes.”
Jongin's mouth was wide open. He looks at the light bulb that was forgotten in his hand, up to Kyungsoo, who seems to be floating, down to Chen, who was back on the ground, trying to jump up and lick Kyungsoo, and back to the light bulb. His brain seems to be missing some connections somewhere, because what did this boy say??? A genie??? Wishes??
He tries to verbalize a reply, preferably one that will get him an answer from the… Genie??
“Uh….” was what came out of his mouth.
He still isn't sure how to pick his jaw back up.
Kyungsoo visibly rolls his eyes, and Jongin swears he hears him mumble, “Not another damn moron,” before going on to say a much more civil reply of:
“Well, let me know when you’ve racked your tiny brain and figured out what it is that you wanted. I’ll be here, alright?”
Jongin misses the insult and sarcastic smile that Kyungsoo gave him as he gawks at the way Kyungsoo fucking shrinks into the light bulb, and all the fog disappears. The empty park is now looking as if nothing of any importance has happened, because of a damn light bulb out of all the things in the world. He looks at Chen who is now still again, eyes trained at his owner, as though he hasn't picked a magical fucking genie light bulb out of nowhere.
“I… He… Wh……… What???”
Jongin should really have known better by now.
His first course of action was, naturally, to get Baekhyun. He sounded very amused at Jongin’s utter confusion on the phone, and now that he is here on the flesh, Jongin can see that he is definitely amused.
“Well, where is he then?” were the first words he uttered once he has settled himself on the sofa as if he owns it.
Jongin would really love to kick him, but he probably shouldn’t yet. He still wants answers. He reaches to the table where he last put the dirty light bulb, and raises the object rather sheepishly.
“Here?”
“What, are you telling me that dumb light bulb is a genie?”
“Of course not, he’s … shrank? Disappeared? It sounds so crazy, but he was there and then he wasn’t, but I swear it has to do with this light bulb, and I know it sounds stupid, but genies are supposed to be in lamps right? And this is a light bulb so it came from a lamp somewhere, and it makes sense that the boy.. Genie... is inside?”
“Is it?”
“Well, don’t you think so? I mean all those stupid stories…“ Jongin trails off as he looks up to his friend and realises how he was teasing him from the telltale smirk he has on his face.
Jongin kicks his laughing friend on the side.
“You’re supposed to tell me what to do Baek!! Chen won’t let me throw the stupid thing away, and he said he’s a genie, but what if he wasn’t?? What if he was a ghost haunting a light bulb?? What if I come home one day and he possessed Chen???? What if he possesses me in my sleep???”
He hates giving Baekhyun reasons to tease him, but these are important issues here, and he wants answers. Thankfully, Baek seems to understand as he collects himself and places a hand on his chin in a thinking position.
“Well, there is one way you can find out,” he said calculatingly.
“How??”
“I’ll tell you, but you’ll have to follow my instructions properly.”
Jongin nods eagerly.
“Okay, good.”
Five minutes later, Jongin is standing on one foot in the middle of his living room, a wiggling Chen on top of his head as he keeps the puppy there with one hand, the light bulb in his mouth (he ran it under the tap first of course, Jongin has hygiene standards), and a glass of water laid on the palm of his other hand. It’s difficult to keep his balance because Baekhyun has also instructed him to close his eyes. Apparently if a genie is residing in the lamp (or in this case, light bulb), doing this will force him to materialise in front of Jongin.
Jongin tries his best to concentrate his inner soul or whatever it was Baek said, but it’s a little hard when he’s balancing three objects and himself. Oddly enough, the living room became really quiet. Jongin thinks he might be getting somewhere with getting the genie to appear when a suspicious thought invades his mind.
Baekhyun is being quiet, too quiet.
Jongin cracks his eyes open, just a little. The first thing he sees was the back of a phone, and Baekhyun shaking with mirth as he tries his best to hold back his laughter with a hand on his mouth.
“Son of a-”
His friend didn’t let him finish the sentence before scrambling away from Jongin’s rage. He was very close to reaching the safety of the door when Jongin pounces on him, and he goes down with a wild screech. Jongin is taller, and Baekhyun is extra ticklish, so it really did not take a while before he gets his hands on the phone to erase the offending video.
When the deed was done, Jongin continues to sit on Baekhyun’s middle in revenge.
“God, you suck. I wish I was smart enough in first year and made friends with Taemin instead,” he says grouchily.
“Is that your first wish?”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!!!”
Jongin has promised himself he will stop screaming when people sneak up on him because it just doesn't look cool, but he thinks his scream is justified this time around because the genie, or ghost, or whatever is standing right behind him, leaning a little to speak closer to his ear casually, as if he has been standing there for a while. Has Baekhyun’s trick worked?
“See? I told you it’ll work,” Baekhyun winks at him as if he read his mind.
Jongin flicks him on the forehead. Hard.
Definitely not, he thinks to himself.
Meanwhile, the entity-Kongsu, was it?-is tapping his foot on the floor in an impatient gesture.
“Weeell??” he says with a hard glare, and Jongin shrinks a little despite the boy’s form being much smaller than himself.
“Um… No?” Jongin answers timidly. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Baekhyun stifles a giggle despite his uncomfortable position, “Awwww Jongin, so you DO love me after all.”
Jongin slaps the chest he is sitting on.
“Hell no, you're annoying as fuck. I just don't want it to backfire on me,” Jongin defends himself with a pout.
The entity scoffs, “What? Are you questioning my ability as a genie? Is that it?”
Oops, Jongin kinda forgot he was still there.
“Jongin spent the entire morning wondering if you're a real genie actually,” Baekhyun pipes out.
Jongin shifts his weight to face the boy behind him, taking delight in Baekhyun's groan about his weight.
The now floating entity huffs in annoyance.
“Look, I can prove it to you if you can make at least one damn wish,” he crosses his arms testily. “Something you've been wanting to have or whatever. You’ll still have two more anyway.”
Oooh, that sounds like a good idea. What should Jongin ask for? A burger? That massive sundae he had last month? No wait, how would he figure out if it was safe to eat? No food or drink then. Maybe he should go for something more materialistic? A new laptop?
“Oh my god, just hurry up!”
“Okay, okay, sorry. Um… I want my laptop to be as good as new?”
“There. Not so hard is it?” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, “It's the one on the table, yes?”
“No no, it's the one kept in my house!” Baekhyun yells from behind Jongin's back.
Kyungsoo eyes between Baekhyun and Jongin warily, waiting for a confirmation.
“Ignore the shit,” Jongin says, getting a shrug back from the genie.
“Done.”
“Wait, that's it? No hocus pocus? None of that mysterious mist of fairy dust from the park?”
“I grant wishes, not put on a damn show. Go check your precious laptop if you don't believe me.”
Jongin took a couple of seconds debating the merits of getting off of Baekhyun before deciding that that he probably wouldn't like a completely flattened friend anyway. He’s creepy enough as he is. Taking care to step on other available body parts of his groaning best friend as he gets up, Jongin walks across the floor towards his closed laptop.
It looks the same as it has been for the last couple of days after his other friend Kris managed to spill a whole jug of water on it. He squints suspiciously at Kyungsoo, who is now staring down unamused at Baekhyun, as he presses the power button. The screen was dark and still.
“Nothing happened. I knew it! I knew you were a fraud! What are you really then huhh?? A gho-”
Jongin’s words were cut off by the familiar jingle of his laptop coming to life, and he looks down to be greeted by the bright logo. Right before his eyes, he sees tabs being opened back to his research as if nothing has happened last week when he tried multitasking socialising with friends and writing an essay. He clicks the word document in disbelief and types a few words in, eyes widening even more when he realises his previously sticky keyboard is now perfectly fine.
“You were saying?” Kyungsoo says, sounding smug as he floats closer so Jongin can see the raised eyebrow on his expression.
“THANKYOU!!!! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!! OH MAN, YOU ARE THE BEST I AM SO SORRY I EVER DOUBTED YOU PLEASE TAKE MY SINCERE APOLOGY YOU SWEET SWEET CHILD.”
Kyungsoo staggers under Jongin's weight, having not anticipated his grateful rant and sudden hug. Jongin wasn't even sure if he could touch the genie, let alone hug him, but thank first, genie-physics later.
Jongin releases the other after Baekhyun reminds him of his existence and the genie huffs lightly as he dusts his clothes to try and look nonchalant.
“You're welcome, or whatever. Do you have another wish?”
Jongin's mind is too busily occupied by thoughts of his precious coming back to life so that's a no.
“Not right now,” he says.
Kyungsoo sighs, “Well, when you make up your mind, you know where to find m-”
“Hang on,” he looks around in confusion before he could finish his own words. “Where is my lamp?”
“You mean the broken lightbulb?” Baekhyun chirps out of nowhere.
“It's NOT just a broke-”
Just as Jongin looks up from his teary reunion with his laptop to see what stopped the genie from his words, Kyungsoo lets out a loud screech.
“WHY ARE YOU LETTING A DOG SLOBBER ALL OVER MY LAMP???!!!?!?!?”
He lands himself right in front of a wagging Chen and sternly addresses the dog.
“Put that down!!” he says, pointing his small finger at Chen.
Jongin was about to suggest swapping the lamp with a treat because that’s the only way he can get the puppy to let go of his attachment with the stupid bulb, but Chen proceeds to amaze him. The pup carefully lets go of the light bulb obediently, and decides to lick the finger in front of his nose.
The genie scrunches his face at the thought of more slobber, but his face seems to soften at the sight of Chen’s puppy eyes.
“Well, I’m putting this somewhere he can’t touch.”
Kyungsoo is still huffing and grumbling lightly as he relocates his light bulb to the top of the fridge and shrinks as he did at the park. So in mere seconds, the apartment went back to its ordinary semi-peacefulness.
“Classic Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun chuckles.
“Are genies always this grumpy?”
“Nah, they all have their different personalities really. Little Soo acts all rude and tough because he's tiny, but really, he's a cutie. He kept coming back to chat with my grandad for years after he finished his wish. Apparently he did that to most of the people who found him.”
“Huh,” Jongin muses at Baekhyun's words before it dawns on him.
“Wait- So you KNEW he was-- This entire morning you made me…. And you- GODDAMMIT BAEK!!!”
This time, Jongin didn't hesitate to kick Baekhyun.
It wasn't until weeks later-having kept busy with assignment season, work, and trying to fit some time for socialising in between-that Jongin was reminded about the genie’s existence. His wifi has just crashed for the fifth time in the week, and he didn't notice until now, which is only 10 minutes before his essay is due.
All sorts of profanities were flying from his mouth as Jongin stumbles around the house, trying to put on clothes to be decent enough to go outside and relocate himself to a place with better wifi, but his panic was winning this battle. He was sitting in front of the door with a shirt and a jacket both halfway on, and trying to fit his foot into the wrong shoe when Kyungsoo surprised him once more.
“FUCK!” Jongin yells as he realises the laced boot was on the wrong foot. “Why can't I just have the good connection I paid for when I fucken need it the most?!?!!!”
“You can if you wish for it.”
Jongin managed not to scream this time, although he did flinch pretty hard.
“Can I really?” he says after a minute of silence.
“What? The laptop wasn't a good enough evidence?”
Jongin glances at the mentioned object haphazardly sitting in his unzipped bag. Although Jongin is still wary about using his wishes on modern objects, he has to admit that the genie’s first magic hasn't failed him yet. Plus, Jongin is desperate not to fail this unit.
“Alright, please,” he asks nicely, already unpacking the laptop from his bag.
“You have to wish for it. Otherwise, I can't do anything. Genie rules”, Kyungsoo informs him boredly.
“Alright, um. I wish I have good internet connection… Forever?” He says, unsure if Kyungsoo will object to the time constraint.
“Okay,” was all the genie says before Jongin receives a barrage of panicked Skype messages on the laptop screen.
“THANK THE LORD!”
Once Jongin finishes sending his essay and replying to the desperate messages, he decides to lie around in both relief and celebration, right where he was. He didn't notice Kyungsoo was still around until he felt an unnatural breeze behind his back, and he smacks his chin on the hardwood floor in surprise when he sees the genie peering at his screen.
“Ow,” Jongin whines. “Er... Can I help you?”
“Yes,” Kyungsoo floats down to mimic Jongin's position. “What's your third wish?”
“Oh, well. I don't have one... just yet?”
Kyungsoo groans out loud, “Seriously? Nothing at all? Absolutely none? No food you want? No amount of money? Nothing?”
“Those would be nice, but I’m not exactly desperate for them, you know? And shouldn't I take my time to think for my last wish? It's not like I have any other chances after that, right?”
“But you took so long just to figure out your second one! No. You didn't even do that. I had to suggest it to you!” Kyungsoo grumbles, rolling on the floor, and Jongin has to smile at how cute it looks.
“You probably forgot about me and the wishes and you weren't even trying to think up a second wish.”
Well, he wasn't wrong. Jongin was a little too busy to remember all the genie business.
“Ugh, how terrible. I'm gonna be left hanging until the day you die,” Kyungsoo claims dramatically before proceeding to shrink himself back into his bulb.
And so Jongin was left alone on the floor chuckling amusedly at the genie’s antics.
Jongin thought Kyungsoo would stay dormant in his light bulb for another couple of weeks until he's in desperate need again, but he thought wrong. It seems that Kyungsoo would really not appreciate being left hanging ‘till the day Jongin dies, because he has taken it to himself to appear every time Jongin even mentions the word “wish”.
So far, he appeared once in the apartment when an exhausted Jongin offhandedly wishes to be a dog, twice in midst of his friends when he wished that he has a motorcycle and money to buy them all motorcycles (both done in sarcasm), and at least 5 different times during a lecture when he joked about wishing different things for his lecturer with Kris.
Jongin has to start filtering out his sentences because it was getting hard to explain why a boy suddenly appeared next to him to the people watching. His friends, on the other hand, are very amused about the whole situation, and has started to bait Jongin into using the word “wish” even more.
“Hey Jongin, you’ve been eyeing that waiter for a while, are you wishing for your food to come out?” Sehun started.
“No, no, Jongin’s single. I bet you he’s wishing for some nightly companion in his bed,” Chanyeol adds.
“You guys, stop being so mean to Jongin,” Jongin is grateful for Minseok’s general existence in his friend group. “He just wishes that you’d all shut your trap.”
Jongin groans out loud, “Can’t you just stop with all the wishi-”
“And your third one is?”
By this time, Jongin wasn't even surprised.
“I didn't even say I wanted something this time,” he tells the genie in exasperation.
Kyungsoo shrugs, “I thought I’d come and suggest something anyway.” He says, sitting down on the table and casually stealing a fry.
“Uh…” was all Jongin could say as he shifts in his seat. He isn't quite sure what is the protocol about a genie joining their lunch.
“Ooooh, he's smaller than I thought he would be,” Chanyeol says. “He’s cute.”
“Yeah, well, so is your dick,” the genie replies without missing a beat.
Sehun bursts into laughter at how Kyungsoo manages to surprise Chanyeol into a momentary silence.
Kyungsoo, indifferent to the sulking male, turns to face Jongin, “Anyway, don't you wish you have more fries, Jongin?”
“Did you just eat all of my fries?”
“Yup.”
“That's cheating! You can't just eat my stuff and make me wish for more!!”
“Have fun being hungry then.”
“I like him. He's sassy,” Minseok says, grinning at the genie and getting a grin back. That was the first time Jongin sees him sporting an expression that isn't somewhere between mildly annoyed and grumpy. Chanyeol was right.
“See if you still thinks the same after he ate all your well-earned fries”, Jongin grumbles, “I worked hard today!”
“You also ate 3 burgers and finished your large milkshake. Your stomach will burst, you should thank him. Besides, weren't you trying to watch your calorie intake?”
“Ah! So you wish to look fit?” Kyungsoo presses.
“Do you know how many hours I spent in the dance room just today?? And I work out, Kyungsoo. Thank you very much.”
“Weren't you just complaining about the university's gym just earlier?” Chanyeol says.
“People are annoying, but that does not mean I’d like to own my own gym,” Jongin replies, narrowing his eyes at Kyungsoo who was about to open his mouth.
“You don't have to own one. You can just wish that you'd be able to work out in peace,” Kyungsoo retorted anyway.
“No, thanks,” Jongin says quickly, making Kyungsoo sigh.
Sehun, who has been busy wiping his tears of laughter, speaks up, “Oh man, he's a gem. Can we keep him?”
Kyungsoo drags his chair away from Sehun.
“What about him?” he gestures to the boy. “He seems pretty annoying. Don't you wish you can replace him with someone better?”
“Throw Chanyeol in the deal and I’ll have to consider that wish.”
Minseok laughs, “I’ll second it if you agree.”
“Hey!” Chanyeol complains. “He can't do that!”
“.... Can he?” Sehun asks.
Baekhyun isn't around to give them answers, and Kyungsoo's smirk looks somewhere between mischievous and creepy.
“You’ll just have to see when Jongin wishes for it.”
“ If Jongin wishes for it. If ”
“Nah, I like the use of when.”
Jongin must admit that he likes the sight of Kyungsoo laughing, a lot.
After that day, Kyungsoo seems to be around more. Not necessarily just popping up whenever wishes are mentioned, but he would sometimes appear on the table when Jongin is eating with friends, or in the library as he studies, and a lot at Jongin's apartment (because Jongin doesn't really have a life and spends most of his time there unless absolutely necessary).
It was all a little weird at first, but nowadays it feels somewhat comforting to see the genie lying around watching cooking channels late at night as he finishes up an assignment. Even his yelling at the TV and constant commentary to get Jongin to wish it all away was starting to help ease his occasional panic. It's nice to have someone around for the banter.
It was on a night like this when Jongin notices something.
“Hey Kyungsoo, aren't you a little… Transparent?”
“If you're talking about how I'm being obvious, then I sure hope so. How else am I gonna get you to make the last wish?” was his reply.
Jongin rolls his eyes, “No, I meant literally .”
“Oh,” Kyungsoo sits up to examine himself. “Huh, I didn't notice anything.”
“I didn't know you could do that. Can you walk through walls like that?” Jongin says, typing away as he keeps up the conversation.
“I’m not doing this by my own will if that's what you're talking about,” he says, settling himself back after being satisfied by what he sees.
“Then what's happening? Are you going through genie puberty or something?”
Kyungsoo threw a pillow at his direction. “Genies don't have puberty, idiot. I'm probably fading.”
“Well, I wouldn't know, seeing as how you look the way you are,” Jongin grins.
Kyungsoo glares at him, but he has run out of objects to throw.
Jongin takes the time to snicker at him before going back to his work.
“What do you mean by fading though?” he asks again with genuine curiosity.
“Fading as in… Just... Fading, I guess. Kinda like washing a shirt. The colour gets washed off until you're just left with white,” Kyungsoo explains.
“So... you're saying that you're going to get more and more transparent until, eventually, you’re just... What? A voice in the dark?”
“No. I'll just be gone.”
Jongin stops working and crinkles his forehead as he tries to grasp the concept.
“That sounds a lot like dying,” was what he could conclude.
Kyungsoo tilts his head, seemingly to ponder his words.
“Well, yeah I guess, in human terms, it's like dying, probably”
“So you're going to DIE!??!!??” Jongin raises his voice unconsciously, turning around only to see that the genie looks unfazed by the thought.
“I’m going to fade ,” Kyungsoo replies in deadpan. “See, this is why you should probably make your last wish before I’m completely gone.”
Jongin watches as Kyungsoo moves around to find a better position on the sofa. His face is lit up by the television and he seems to be drinking in the sight of a creme brûlée coming to completion, yet he seems completely unperturbed about the news he has just dropped.
Jongin's mind is racing in order to attempt to bring logic into the situation for him to understand. He knew Kyungsoo wasn't going to be permanent, he knew Kyungsoo will leave somewhere once he used up his wishes, but didn't Baekhyun say he was supposed to come back to hang out some more? Didn't Baekhyun mention it happening for years? And now Kyungsoo just cooly mentions that he’ll be gone? Permanently??
Kyungsoo must have felt Jongin's gaze on him as he turns around to face Jongin.
“What?” he asks impassively.
He seems genuinely confused about how Jongin is still staring at him with an expression so fully laden with emotions that he couldn't pick one apart.
“Wha- I… Don't you…” Jongin gestures wildly with his hands in order to try and express what he really meant.
“Go on…”
For once, Kyungsoo is being patient with him.
“Well… I don't know… Don't you have people to visit? A family somewhere?? Friends?? Before you fade???!?”
“We don't really have families,” Kyungsoo explains calmly. “We do tend to flock with our own kind, as you humans do, but there's not many of us around anymore. I think I might be one of the last. I haven't seen or heard of another genie in a while.”
“Oh…”
Seeing as Jongin is deep in his own thoughts, Kyungsoo turns around to immerse himself back into the show. He hears the tap-tapping of the keyboard resume, and stops again almost immediately.
“Is it lonely?”
Jongin knows Kyungsoo heard, because the words rang in his own ears, but he didn't answer. He seems to have turned his face away, and Jongin can't see his expression anymore. Even though it was starting to become the usual setting for the two of them, the air feels somewhat heavier that night.
Two days have passed since that night, and Jongin feels restless. Now that he knows what to look out for, he can clearly see that Kyungsoo is fading more with each passing day. The worst thing is, the genie doesn't seem to mind. Not one bit. The only change in his demeanor is that he now uses the fact that he is fading as another reason for Jongin to make his wish, and he doesn't seem to realise that it's only making Jongin feel sadder. Because yes, Jongin is upset at the mere thought of Kyungsoo simply fading away into nothing, forever. Yet, the genie's listless attitude about everything is not making it easy for Jongin to speak his thoughts.
Hence, Jongin's current restlessness.
He finds himself worrying about coming home to an old broken light bulb and no Kyungsoo. Especially on days like today, where he has to leave the apartment early, and go back late. He has spent the entire day fidgeting and looking over his own shoulder as if he could find the genie appearing that way. As he was walking home, anxious and worried, he managed to think up a possible solution for Kyungsoo's current situation. It may not work, because he's no genie expert, but for Kyungsoo, Jongin should at least suggest it.
Taking a deep breath as he unlocks his door, Jongin walks into his apartment.
“I'm back! Did you miss me?” he calls out.
Chen comes running to lick his hand, and he can hear the television running, but other than that, the space is quiet.
“Soo?” Jongin says as he puts his shoes away.
“Soo?!?!!” he calls with more urgency as he hears no reply.
“Finally thought up a wish?”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!”
Kyungsoo snorts, “And here I thought you said you were immune to my surprises.”
Jongin ignores the genie's chuckles in order to calm his now erratic heart.
“You suck,” he says with a pout once his breathing went back to normal.
He looks up to where Kyungsoo is currently perched at the top of the fridge where his light bulb was still situated. His heart gave another stutter as he notices how ghostly the genie looks, nearly transparent enough for him to see through clearly. If he were to look from the corner of his eyes, the broken lamp in Kyungsoo's hand would seem to be floating.
This is it. Jongin takes a deep breath.
“Look, Kyungsoo… I'm… I mean… Um…” he trails off, completely forgetting his pre-rehearsed speech.
“You… Have another wish?” Kyungsoo completes his sentence hopefully.
“Well… Yeah.”
Kyungsoo looks surprised about being right.
“Seriously??” he says coming down from the fridge. “Well, what are we waiting for then?”
“The thing is… I… Just… I don't know if it will work out.”
Kyungsoo's excited expression immediately reverts back into the grumpy face he would normally wear.
“Are you still doubting my genie abilities?” he says, both hands on his hips and leaning forward as if ready to scold. Jongin was forced to take a step back in case of a genie tantrum. It was even harder to focus on Kyungsoo's face up close. His eyes would occasionally slip to the pictures on the fridge instead.
“No no, it's not like that,” he defended himself, putting both hands up in surrender. “I just… Well, the wish kinda needs your agreement?”
“What?” Kyungsoo looks confused. At least he has stopped looking like he would murder Jongin for doubting him the third time.
The rain decides to start pouring at that moment. It was as if the weather was reflecting all his unease for the past few days. The swirling of his worries and the anxious thundering of his heart are all unleashed on the same storm. And in the dim lights of the room, Kyungsoo seems to be losing more transparency.
He seems to have felt it this time as he looks down on himself before telling Jongin, “You should probably hurry with the wish, it doesn't look like I have much time.”
Feeling the pressure made it even harder for Jongin to move his mouth and form the words he needs to say, so he bravely takes Kyungsoo's hand to try and remind himself that he is still there. It makes him feel better when Kyungsoo didn't make a move to snatch his hand back.
“Look, my wish is-”
He was interrupted by a loud thunder. Chen, startled and scared, ran across the floor to his owner for comfort and slid on the wooden floor, and bumps into him instead. Chen is still small, but Jongin was surprised enough to lose his balance and trips himself onto the fridge. He feels the object shudder. As he tries to right himself, he catches movement from the corner of his eyes.
He turns his head and right before his eyes, as if it was on slow motion, was the dirty light bulb, falling. He threw himself sideways to catch it, and instead of feeling the smooth surface on his hand, he hears a loud crash.
His eyes went wide as in the split second of a lightning, he sees the light bulb in pieces.
A sudden darkness enveloped the room.
“I WISH YOU CAN STAY WITH ME AS A HUMAN IF YOU WANTED IT TOO!” Jongin yells out without thinking.
Seconds tick by, and then some more. The only thing Jongin could hear was the sound of his own breathing.
“Kyungsoo?” he calls out when he couldn't bear the silence any longer. The hand that he grabbed has slipped out and he doesn't know if it was because of the confusion or if his fears had come true.
“KYUNGSOO!!!!” Jongin no longer cares about the volume of his voice. He feels himself unfreezing from the spell of his own mind. His hands are now reaching out frantically to find the drawer with the candles, or Kyungsoo’s hand or Chen or just anything.
“Whoa whoa, calm down, I think there's pieces of glass in here,” came a voice that wasn't foreign, but not entirely familiar either.
Jongin stops in confusion.
“Kyungsoo?” he asks in a small voice, afraid that he would only be disappointed.
“Nope, this is your kitchen ghost,” answered the voice in a deadpan.
At that moment, the electricity came back on. And in midst of the miniscule voices of his appliances coming back on, illuminated by the kitchen light, is a boy, who looks younger than himself, small build but with large round eyes and a chubby face, wearing an expression that looks completely done with Jongin.
Jongin probably shouldn't have, but he couldn't have stopped himself from tackling the other even if he wanted to.
///
“So, what now?”
“I'm kinda hungry. Celebration food?”
“Can I cook? I'm pretty sure I can make something decent by now.”
“Just because you’ve been watching cooking shows, doesn't mean you can actually coo- OUCH! Kyungsoo!!”
(Jongin lets him anyway, and Kyungsoo was right.)
Warnings: minor swearing
Word Count: 6K
Summary: Genie!au Where Jongin finds Kyungsoo by accident (thanks, Chen). He doesn’t really know what to wish for though.
AN: Originally written for http://kaisooaufest.livejournal.com/
Jongin really should have known better. His puppy, Chen, was one of Baekhyun’s 12. His friend had initially said they were going to be given away to his cousins, so Jongin has tried his very best not to get attached to any of them when he visited, but that didn't stop Chen from getting attached to him. And after what Baekhyun called the “loofah” incident, he gave up and delivered the pup to Jongin personally. Jongin himself doesn't know what the incident was exactly. Baekhyun never talks about it.
The point is, Chen came from Baek, a magician, and was supposed to be given to his cousins, a whole clan of magicians. He knew that they had the art passed down to them from generations of magical families and which can probably date back to the beginning of time. Jongin should have known that nothing from Baek is exactly what it seems to be.
This time, it wasn't exactly Chen per se, it was more about what the pup has brought in. They were having a good walk, and it was one of those good days where the weather was great, and Jongin has plenty of time to smell the flowers, watch the little kids play soccer, have a good glance at the cute boys jogging, and generally enjoy himself while Chen tugs him here and there to sniff at each corner they pass. He doesn't entirely know when it happened, because he may have been distracted by the smell of food from somewhere, but the next time he looked down at the puppy, he noticed something that was not there before.
“Chen, what do you have there in your mouth?”
His puppy, of course, said nothing, but continued to wag his fluffy tail.
“Let me see that,” he says, bending down and trying to ease the object out from between Chen’s teeth.
He can see now that it was a light bulb. It was quite big, and the glass surface was intact, so there's no risk of it hurting Chen at the moment.
“Where in the world did you get this thing?”he wonders, tugging a little harder when Chen wouldn't give.
“Chen,” he uses a stern voice this time, “drop it.”
Normally, the dog was very well-behaved for a puppy, as Baekhyun had promised, so Jongin was shocked when instead, Chen slips out of his grip and runs back towards the park. Having let go of the leash, Jongin scrambles to get back up and give chase before anything happens to him.
“Chen, wait!!!! STOP!!!”
He reaches the open space quickly, prepared to squint to find his rogue pet, but Chen has not run very far, now smiling at Jongin after placing the light bulb on the ground seemingly having sniffed and prodded the lamp to his content. Jongin approaches carefully, afraid that running to him will only startle Chen. He was close, so close, when Chen decides to pounce on the object like he would to a ball.
Only it’s not a ball. It is a dusty, glass object that can crack any moment now, and Jongin can only watch in horror as Chen’s paws make contact with the bulb, his mind going a mile a minute thinking about glass shards and bandages and, oh god, blood.
“Chen!!!”
CRACK
He’s moving before he can even process it and only when he reaches the puppy and drops to his knees does he notice something. Gently lifting the small animal, he realises that Chen seems fine, as well as the glass bulb.
Had I imagined that cracking sound then? Jongin thinks absently as he checks Chen for any indication of pain, even bringing his two front paws up closer to his face. Nothing.
He squints at the light bulb suspiciously. It seems so innocent, just a broken piece of old rubbish that anyone could find in any old pile of junk. Jongin picks it up, promising himself to put it where it should be, and scrutinized the object. He turns it this way and that, and tries to figure out if it was one of those things that only looks like glass, but is really just fancy plastic? But then again they don't really make light bulbs with plastic do they?
Chen is wagging his tail excitedly beside him, probably hoping Jongin will throw it for him to fetch. Jongin knocks a knuckle against the surface of the bulb testily. It certainly feels like glass. He rubs his finger across the bulb to feel it, and gets a very dirty finger for his troubles.
But that’s when the weirdness starts.
Suddenly, despite the sunniness around him, fog descends. Strangely enough, Jongin felt as if this particular veil of condensation came from the light bulb, Which now happens to be glowing! Chen barks, though he sounds more excited than scared. Jongin hugs him closely; worried that he will make another dash. He was just about to walk away from the peculiar sensation when a figure-no a person-materialised right in front of him.
This boy looks young, with large round eyes and a chubby face, but when he opens his mouth, it was with a deep voice that he says, “You have awaken the genie of EXODUS, congratulations. I am Kyungsoo, and I’m here to grant you three wishes.”
Jongin's mouth was wide open. He looks at the light bulb that was forgotten in his hand, up to Kyungsoo, who seems to be floating, down to Chen, who was back on the ground, trying to jump up and lick Kyungsoo, and back to the light bulb. His brain seems to be missing some connections somewhere, because what did this boy say??? A genie??? Wishes??
He tries to verbalize a reply, preferably one that will get him an answer from the… Genie??
“Uh….” was what came out of his mouth.
He still isn't sure how to pick his jaw back up.
Kyungsoo visibly rolls his eyes, and Jongin swears he hears him mumble, “Not another damn moron,” before going on to say a much more civil reply of:
“Well, let me know when you’ve racked your tiny brain and figured out what it is that you wanted. I’ll be here, alright?”
Jongin misses the insult and sarcastic smile that Kyungsoo gave him as he gawks at the way Kyungsoo fucking shrinks into the light bulb, and all the fog disappears. The empty park is now looking as if nothing of any importance has happened, because of a damn light bulb out of all the things in the world. He looks at Chen who is now still again, eyes trained at his owner, as though he hasn't picked a magical fucking genie light bulb out of nowhere.
“I… He… Wh……… What???”
Jongin should really have known better by now.
His first course of action was, naturally, to get Baekhyun. He sounded very amused at Jongin’s utter confusion on the phone, and now that he is here on the flesh, Jongin can see that he is definitely amused.
“Well, where is he then?” were the first words he uttered once he has settled himself on the sofa as if he owns it.
Jongin would really love to kick him, but he probably shouldn’t yet. He still wants answers. He reaches to the table where he last put the dirty light bulb, and raises the object rather sheepishly.
“Here?”
“What, are you telling me that dumb light bulb is a genie?”
“Of course not, he’s … shrank? Disappeared? It sounds so crazy, but he was there and then he wasn’t, but I swear it has to do with this light bulb, and I know it sounds stupid, but genies are supposed to be in lamps right? And this is a light bulb so it came from a lamp somewhere, and it makes sense that the boy.. Genie... is inside?”
“Is it?”
“Well, don’t you think so? I mean all those stupid stories…“ Jongin trails off as he looks up to his friend and realises how he was teasing him from the telltale smirk he has on his face.
Jongin kicks his laughing friend on the side.
“You’re supposed to tell me what to do Baek!! Chen won’t let me throw the stupid thing away, and he said he’s a genie, but what if he wasn’t?? What if he was a ghost haunting a light bulb?? What if I come home one day and he possessed Chen???? What if he possesses me in my sleep???”
He hates giving Baekhyun reasons to tease him, but these are important issues here, and he wants answers. Thankfully, Baek seems to understand as he collects himself and places a hand on his chin in a thinking position.
“Well, there is one way you can find out,” he said calculatingly.
“How??”
“I’ll tell you, but you’ll have to follow my instructions properly.”
Jongin nods eagerly.
“Okay, good.”
Five minutes later, Jongin is standing on one foot in the middle of his living room, a wiggling Chen on top of his head as he keeps the puppy there with one hand, the light bulb in his mouth (he ran it under the tap first of course, Jongin has hygiene standards), and a glass of water laid on the palm of his other hand. It’s difficult to keep his balance because Baekhyun has also instructed him to close his eyes. Apparently if a genie is residing in the lamp (or in this case, light bulb), doing this will force him to materialise in front of Jongin.
Jongin tries his best to concentrate his inner soul or whatever it was Baek said, but it’s a little hard when he’s balancing three objects and himself. Oddly enough, the living room became really quiet. Jongin thinks he might be getting somewhere with getting the genie to appear when a suspicious thought invades his mind.
Baekhyun is being quiet, too quiet.
Jongin cracks his eyes open, just a little. The first thing he sees was the back of a phone, and Baekhyun shaking with mirth as he tries his best to hold back his laughter with a hand on his mouth.
“Son of a-”
His friend didn’t let him finish the sentence before scrambling away from Jongin’s rage. He was very close to reaching the safety of the door when Jongin pounces on him, and he goes down with a wild screech. Jongin is taller, and Baekhyun is extra ticklish, so it really did not take a while before he gets his hands on the phone to erase the offending video.
When the deed was done, Jongin continues to sit on Baekhyun’s middle in revenge.
“God, you suck. I wish I was smart enough in first year and made friends with Taemin instead,” he says grouchily.
“Is that your first wish?”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!!!”
Jongin has promised himself he will stop screaming when people sneak up on him because it just doesn't look cool, but he thinks his scream is justified this time around because the genie, or ghost, or whatever is standing right behind him, leaning a little to speak closer to his ear casually, as if he has been standing there for a while. Has Baekhyun’s trick worked?
“See? I told you it’ll work,” Baekhyun winks at him as if he read his mind.
Jongin flicks him on the forehead. Hard.
Definitely not, he thinks to himself.
Meanwhile, the entity-Kongsu, was it?-is tapping his foot on the floor in an impatient gesture.
“Weeell??” he says with a hard glare, and Jongin shrinks a little despite the boy’s form being much smaller than himself.
“Um… No?” Jongin answers timidly. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Baekhyun stifles a giggle despite his uncomfortable position, “Awwww Jongin, so you DO love me after all.”
Jongin slaps the chest he is sitting on.
“Hell no, you're annoying as fuck. I just don't want it to backfire on me,” Jongin defends himself with a pout.
The entity scoffs, “What? Are you questioning my ability as a genie? Is that it?”
Oops, Jongin kinda forgot he was still there.
“Jongin spent the entire morning wondering if you're a real genie actually,” Baekhyun pipes out.
Jongin shifts his weight to face the boy behind him, taking delight in Baekhyun's groan about his weight.
The now floating entity huffs in annoyance.
“Look, I can prove it to you if you can make at least one damn wish,” he crosses his arms testily. “Something you've been wanting to have or whatever. You’ll still have two more anyway.”
Oooh, that sounds like a good idea. What should Jongin ask for? A burger? That massive sundae he had last month? No wait, how would he figure out if it was safe to eat? No food or drink then. Maybe he should go for something more materialistic? A new laptop?
“Oh my god, just hurry up!”
“Okay, okay, sorry. Um… I want my laptop to be as good as new?”
“There. Not so hard is it?” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, “It's the one on the table, yes?”
“No no, it's the one kept in my house!” Baekhyun yells from behind Jongin's back.
Kyungsoo eyes between Baekhyun and Jongin warily, waiting for a confirmation.
“Ignore the shit,” Jongin says, getting a shrug back from the genie.
“Done.”
“Wait, that's it? No hocus pocus? None of that mysterious mist of fairy dust from the park?”
“I grant wishes, not put on a damn show. Go check your precious laptop if you don't believe me.”
Jongin took a couple of seconds debating the merits of getting off of Baekhyun before deciding that that he probably wouldn't like a completely flattened friend anyway. He’s creepy enough as he is. Taking care to step on other available body parts of his groaning best friend as he gets up, Jongin walks across the floor towards his closed laptop.
It looks the same as it has been for the last couple of days after his other friend Kris managed to spill a whole jug of water on it. He squints suspiciously at Kyungsoo, who is now staring down unamused at Baekhyun, as he presses the power button. The screen was dark and still.
“Nothing happened. I knew it! I knew you were a fraud! What are you really then huhh?? A gho-”
Jongin’s words were cut off by the familiar jingle of his laptop coming to life, and he looks down to be greeted by the bright logo. Right before his eyes, he sees tabs being opened back to his research as if nothing has happened last week when he tried multitasking socialising with friends and writing an essay. He clicks the word document in disbelief and types a few words in, eyes widening even more when he realises his previously sticky keyboard is now perfectly fine.
“You were saying?” Kyungsoo says, sounding smug as he floats closer so Jongin can see the raised eyebrow on his expression.
“THANKYOU!!!! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!! OH MAN, YOU ARE THE BEST I AM SO SORRY I EVER DOUBTED YOU PLEASE TAKE MY SINCERE APOLOGY YOU SWEET SWEET CHILD.”
Kyungsoo staggers under Jongin's weight, having not anticipated his grateful rant and sudden hug. Jongin wasn't even sure if he could touch the genie, let alone hug him, but thank first, genie-physics later.
Jongin releases the other after Baekhyun reminds him of his existence and the genie huffs lightly as he dusts his clothes to try and look nonchalant.
“You're welcome, or whatever. Do you have another wish?”
Jongin's mind is too busily occupied by thoughts of his precious coming back to life so that's a no.
“Not right now,” he says.
Kyungsoo sighs, “Well, when you make up your mind, you know where to find m-”
“Hang on,” he looks around in confusion before he could finish his own words. “Where is my lamp?”
“You mean the broken lightbulb?” Baekhyun chirps out of nowhere.
“It's NOT just a broke-”
Just as Jongin looks up from his teary reunion with his laptop to see what stopped the genie from his words, Kyungsoo lets out a loud screech.
“WHY ARE YOU LETTING A DOG SLOBBER ALL OVER MY LAMP???!!!?!?!?”
He lands himself right in front of a wagging Chen and sternly addresses the dog.
“Put that down!!” he says, pointing his small finger at Chen.
Jongin was about to suggest swapping the lamp with a treat because that’s the only way he can get the puppy to let go of his attachment with the stupid bulb, but Chen proceeds to amaze him. The pup carefully lets go of the light bulb obediently, and decides to lick the finger in front of his nose.
The genie scrunches his face at the thought of more slobber, but his face seems to soften at the sight of Chen’s puppy eyes.
“Well, I’m putting this somewhere he can’t touch.”
Kyungsoo is still huffing and grumbling lightly as he relocates his light bulb to the top of the fridge and shrinks as he did at the park. So in mere seconds, the apartment went back to its ordinary semi-peacefulness.
“Classic Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun chuckles.
“Are genies always this grumpy?”
“Nah, they all have their different personalities really. Little Soo acts all rude and tough because he's tiny, but really, he's a cutie. He kept coming back to chat with my grandad for years after he finished his wish. Apparently he did that to most of the people who found him.”
“Huh,” Jongin muses at Baekhyun's words before it dawns on him.
“Wait- So you KNEW he was-- This entire morning you made me…. And you- GODDAMMIT BAEK!!!”
This time, Jongin didn't hesitate to kick Baekhyun.
It wasn't until weeks later-having kept busy with assignment season, work, and trying to fit some time for socialising in between-that Jongin was reminded about the genie’s existence. His wifi has just crashed for the fifth time in the week, and he didn't notice until now, which is only 10 minutes before his essay is due.
All sorts of profanities were flying from his mouth as Jongin stumbles around the house, trying to put on clothes to be decent enough to go outside and relocate himself to a place with better wifi, but his panic was winning this battle. He was sitting in front of the door with a shirt and a jacket both halfway on, and trying to fit his foot into the wrong shoe when Kyungsoo surprised him once more.
“FUCK!” Jongin yells as he realises the laced boot was on the wrong foot. “Why can't I just have the good connection I paid for when I fucken need it the most?!?!!!”
“You can if you wish for it.”
Jongin managed not to scream this time, although he did flinch pretty hard.
“Can I really?” he says after a minute of silence.
“What? The laptop wasn't a good enough evidence?”
Jongin glances at the mentioned object haphazardly sitting in his unzipped bag. Although Jongin is still wary about using his wishes on modern objects, he has to admit that the genie’s first magic hasn't failed him yet. Plus, Jongin is desperate not to fail this unit.
“Alright, please,” he asks nicely, already unpacking the laptop from his bag.
“You have to wish for it. Otherwise, I can't do anything. Genie rules”, Kyungsoo informs him boredly.
“Alright, um. I wish I have good internet connection… Forever?” He says, unsure if Kyungsoo will object to the time constraint.
“Okay,” was all the genie says before Jongin receives a barrage of panicked Skype messages on the laptop screen.
“THANK THE LORD!”
Once Jongin finishes sending his essay and replying to the desperate messages, he decides to lie around in both relief and celebration, right where he was. He didn't notice Kyungsoo was still around until he felt an unnatural breeze behind his back, and he smacks his chin on the hardwood floor in surprise when he sees the genie peering at his screen.
“Ow,” Jongin whines. “Er... Can I help you?”
“Yes,” Kyungsoo floats down to mimic Jongin's position. “What's your third wish?”
“Oh, well. I don't have one... just yet?”
Kyungsoo groans out loud, “Seriously? Nothing at all? Absolutely none? No food you want? No amount of money? Nothing?”
“Those would be nice, but I’m not exactly desperate for them, you know? And shouldn't I take my time to think for my last wish? It's not like I have any other chances after that, right?”
“But you took so long just to figure out your second one! No. You didn't even do that. I had to suggest it to you!” Kyungsoo grumbles, rolling on the floor, and Jongin has to smile at how cute it looks.
“You probably forgot about me and the wishes and you weren't even trying to think up a second wish.”
Well, he wasn't wrong. Jongin was a little too busy to remember all the genie business.
“Ugh, how terrible. I'm gonna be left hanging until the day you die,” Kyungsoo claims dramatically before proceeding to shrink himself back into his bulb.
And so Jongin was left alone on the floor chuckling amusedly at the genie’s antics.
Jongin thought Kyungsoo would stay dormant in his light bulb for another couple of weeks until he's in desperate need again, but he thought wrong. It seems that Kyungsoo would really not appreciate being left hanging ‘till the day Jongin dies, because he has taken it to himself to appear every time Jongin even mentions the word “wish”.
So far, he appeared once in the apartment when an exhausted Jongin offhandedly wishes to be a dog, twice in midst of his friends when he wished that he has a motorcycle and money to buy them all motorcycles (both done in sarcasm), and at least 5 different times during a lecture when he joked about wishing different things for his lecturer with Kris.
Jongin has to start filtering out his sentences because it was getting hard to explain why a boy suddenly appeared next to him to the people watching. His friends, on the other hand, are very amused about the whole situation, and has started to bait Jongin into using the word “wish” even more.
“Hey Jongin, you’ve been eyeing that waiter for a while, are you wishing for your food to come out?” Sehun started.
“No, no, Jongin’s single. I bet you he’s wishing for some nightly companion in his bed,” Chanyeol adds.
“You guys, stop being so mean to Jongin,” Jongin is grateful for Minseok’s general existence in his friend group. “He just wishes that you’d all shut your trap.”
Jongin groans out loud, “Can’t you just stop with all the wishi-”
“And your third one is?”
By this time, Jongin wasn't even surprised.
“I didn't even say I wanted something this time,” he tells the genie in exasperation.
Kyungsoo shrugs, “I thought I’d come and suggest something anyway.” He says, sitting down on the table and casually stealing a fry.
“Uh…” was all Jongin could say as he shifts in his seat. He isn't quite sure what is the protocol about a genie joining their lunch.
“Ooooh, he's smaller than I thought he would be,” Chanyeol says. “He’s cute.”
“Yeah, well, so is your dick,” the genie replies without missing a beat.
Sehun bursts into laughter at how Kyungsoo manages to surprise Chanyeol into a momentary silence.
Kyungsoo, indifferent to the sulking male, turns to face Jongin, “Anyway, don't you wish you have more fries, Jongin?”
“Did you just eat all of my fries?”
“Yup.”
“That's cheating! You can't just eat my stuff and make me wish for more!!”
“Have fun being hungry then.”
“I like him. He's sassy,” Minseok says, grinning at the genie and getting a grin back. That was the first time Jongin sees him sporting an expression that isn't somewhere between mildly annoyed and grumpy. Chanyeol was right.
“See if you still thinks the same after he ate all your well-earned fries”, Jongin grumbles, “I worked hard today!”
“You also ate 3 burgers and finished your large milkshake. Your stomach will burst, you should thank him. Besides, weren't you trying to watch your calorie intake?”
“Ah! So you wish to look fit?” Kyungsoo presses.
“Do you know how many hours I spent in the dance room just today?? And I work out, Kyungsoo. Thank you very much.”
“Weren't you just complaining about the university's gym just earlier?” Chanyeol says.
“People are annoying, but that does not mean I’d like to own my own gym,” Jongin replies, narrowing his eyes at Kyungsoo who was about to open his mouth.
“You don't have to own one. You can just wish that you'd be able to work out in peace,” Kyungsoo retorted anyway.
“No, thanks,” Jongin says quickly, making Kyungsoo sigh.
Sehun, who has been busy wiping his tears of laughter, speaks up, “Oh man, he's a gem. Can we keep him?”
Kyungsoo drags his chair away from Sehun.
“What about him?” he gestures to the boy. “He seems pretty annoying. Don't you wish you can replace him with someone better?”
“Throw Chanyeol in the deal and I’ll have to consider that wish.”
Minseok laughs, “I’ll second it if you agree.”
“Hey!” Chanyeol complains. “He can't do that!”
“.... Can he?” Sehun asks.
Baekhyun isn't around to give them answers, and Kyungsoo's smirk looks somewhere between mischievous and creepy.
“You’ll just have to see when Jongin wishes for it.”
“ If Jongin wishes for it. If ”
“Nah, I like the use of when.”
Jongin must admit that he likes the sight of Kyungsoo laughing, a lot.
After that day, Kyungsoo seems to be around more. Not necessarily just popping up whenever wishes are mentioned, but he would sometimes appear on the table when Jongin is eating with friends, or in the library as he studies, and a lot at Jongin's apartment (because Jongin doesn't really have a life and spends most of his time there unless absolutely necessary).
It was all a little weird at first, but nowadays it feels somewhat comforting to see the genie lying around watching cooking channels late at night as he finishes up an assignment. Even his yelling at the TV and constant commentary to get Jongin to wish it all away was starting to help ease his occasional panic. It's nice to have someone around for the banter.
It was on a night like this when Jongin notices something.
“Hey Kyungsoo, aren't you a little… Transparent?”
“If you're talking about how I'm being obvious, then I sure hope so. How else am I gonna get you to make the last wish?” was his reply.
Jongin rolls his eyes, “No, I meant literally .”
“Oh,” Kyungsoo sits up to examine himself. “Huh, I didn't notice anything.”
“I didn't know you could do that. Can you walk through walls like that?” Jongin says, typing away as he keeps up the conversation.
“I’m not doing this by my own will if that's what you're talking about,” he says, settling himself back after being satisfied by what he sees.
“Then what's happening? Are you going through genie puberty or something?”
Kyungsoo threw a pillow at his direction. “Genies don't have puberty, idiot. I'm probably fading.”
“Well, I wouldn't know, seeing as how you look the way you are,” Jongin grins.
Kyungsoo glares at him, but he has run out of objects to throw.
Jongin takes the time to snicker at him before going back to his work.
“What do you mean by fading though?” he asks again with genuine curiosity.
“Fading as in… Just... Fading, I guess. Kinda like washing a shirt. The colour gets washed off until you're just left with white,” Kyungsoo explains.
“So... you're saying that you're going to get more and more transparent until, eventually, you’re just... What? A voice in the dark?”
“No. I'll just be gone.”
Jongin stops working and crinkles his forehead as he tries to grasp the concept.
“That sounds a lot like dying,” was what he could conclude.
Kyungsoo tilts his head, seemingly to ponder his words.
“Well, yeah I guess, in human terms, it's like dying, probably”
“So you're going to DIE!??!!??” Jongin raises his voice unconsciously, turning around only to see that the genie looks unfazed by the thought.
“I’m going to fade ,” Kyungsoo replies in deadpan. “See, this is why you should probably make your last wish before I’m completely gone.”
Jongin watches as Kyungsoo moves around to find a better position on the sofa. His face is lit up by the television and he seems to be drinking in the sight of a creme brûlée coming to completion, yet he seems completely unperturbed about the news he has just dropped.
Jongin's mind is racing in order to attempt to bring logic into the situation for him to understand. He knew Kyungsoo wasn't going to be permanent, he knew Kyungsoo will leave somewhere once he used up his wishes, but didn't Baekhyun say he was supposed to come back to hang out some more? Didn't Baekhyun mention it happening for years? And now Kyungsoo just cooly mentions that he’ll be gone? Permanently??
Kyungsoo must have felt Jongin's gaze on him as he turns around to face Jongin.
“What?” he asks impassively.
He seems genuinely confused about how Jongin is still staring at him with an expression so fully laden with emotions that he couldn't pick one apart.
“Wha- I… Don't you…” Jongin gestures wildly with his hands in order to try and express what he really meant.
“Go on…”
For once, Kyungsoo is being patient with him.
“Well… I don't know… Don't you have people to visit? A family somewhere?? Friends?? Before you fade???!?”
“We don't really have families,” Kyungsoo explains calmly. “We do tend to flock with our own kind, as you humans do, but there's not many of us around anymore. I think I might be one of the last. I haven't seen or heard of another genie in a while.”
“Oh…”
Seeing as Jongin is deep in his own thoughts, Kyungsoo turns around to immerse himself back into the show. He hears the tap-tapping of the keyboard resume, and stops again almost immediately.
“Is it lonely?”
Jongin knows Kyungsoo heard, because the words rang in his own ears, but he didn't answer. He seems to have turned his face away, and Jongin can't see his expression anymore. Even though it was starting to become the usual setting for the two of them, the air feels somewhat heavier that night.
Two days have passed since that night, and Jongin feels restless. Now that he knows what to look out for, he can clearly see that Kyungsoo is fading more with each passing day. The worst thing is, the genie doesn't seem to mind. Not one bit. The only change in his demeanor is that he now uses the fact that he is fading as another reason for Jongin to make his wish, and he doesn't seem to realise that it's only making Jongin feel sadder. Because yes, Jongin is upset at the mere thought of Kyungsoo simply fading away into nothing, forever. Yet, the genie's listless attitude about everything is not making it easy for Jongin to speak his thoughts.
Hence, Jongin's current restlessness.
He finds himself worrying about coming home to an old broken light bulb and no Kyungsoo. Especially on days like today, where he has to leave the apartment early, and go back late. He has spent the entire day fidgeting and looking over his own shoulder as if he could find the genie appearing that way. As he was walking home, anxious and worried, he managed to think up a possible solution for Kyungsoo's current situation. It may not work, because he's no genie expert, but for Kyungsoo, Jongin should at least suggest it.
Taking a deep breath as he unlocks his door, Jongin walks into his apartment.
“I'm back! Did you miss me?” he calls out.
Chen comes running to lick his hand, and he can hear the television running, but other than that, the space is quiet.
“Soo?” Jongin says as he puts his shoes away.
“Soo?!?!!” he calls with more urgency as he hears no reply.
“Finally thought up a wish?”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!”
Kyungsoo snorts, “And here I thought you said you were immune to my surprises.”
Jongin ignores the genie's chuckles in order to calm his now erratic heart.
“You suck,” he says with a pout once his breathing went back to normal.
He looks up to where Kyungsoo is currently perched at the top of the fridge where his light bulb was still situated. His heart gave another stutter as he notices how ghostly the genie looks, nearly transparent enough for him to see through clearly. If he were to look from the corner of his eyes, the broken lamp in Kyungsoo's hand would seem to be floating.
This is it. Jongin takes a deep breath.
“Look, Kyungsoo… I'm… I mean… Um…” he trails off, completely forgetting his pre-rehearsed speech.
“You… Have another wish?” Kyungsoo completes his sentence hopefully.
“Well… Yeah.”
Kyungsoo looks surprised about being right.
“Seriously??” he says coming down from the fridge. “Well, what are we waiting for then?”
“The thing is… I… Just… I don't know if it will work out.”
Kyungsoo's excited expression immediately reverts back into the grumpy face he would normally wear.
“Are you still doubting my genie abilities?” he says, both hands on his hips and leaning forward as if ready to scold. Jongin was forced to take a step back in case of a genie tantrum. It was even harder to focus on Kyungsoo's face up close. His eyes would occasionally slip to the pictures on the fridge instead.
“No no, it's not like that,” he defended himself, putting both hands up in surrender. “I just… Well, the wish kinda needs your agreement?”
“What?” Kyungsoo looks confused. At least he has stopped looking like he would murder Jongin for doubting him the third time.
The rain decides to start pouring at that moment. It was as if the weather was reflecting all his unease for the past few days. The swirling of his worries and the anxious thundering of his heart are all unleashed on the same storm. And in the dim lights of the room, Kyungsoo seems to be losing more transparency.
He seems to have felt it this time as he looks down on himself before telling Jongin, “You should probably hurry with the wish, it doesn't look like I have much time.”
Feeling the pressure made it even harder for Jongin to move his mouth and form the words he needs to say, so he bravely takes Kyungsoo's hand to try and remind himself that he is still there. It makes him feel better when Kyungsoo didn't make a move to snatch his hand back.
“Look, my wish is-”
He was interrupted by a loud thunder. Chen, startled and scared, ran across the floor to his owner for comfort and slid on the wooden floor, and bumps into him instead. Chen is still small, but Jongin was surprised enough to lose his balance and trips himself onto the fridge. He feels the object shudder. As he tries to right himself, he catches movement from the corner of his eyes.
He turns his head and right before his eyes, as if it was on slow motion, was the dirty light bulb, falling. He threw himself sideways to catch it, and instead of feeling the smooth surface on his hand, he hears a loud crash.
His eyes went wide as in the split second of a lightning, he sees the light bulb in pieces.
A sudden darkness enveloped the room.
“I WISH YOU CAN STAY WITH ME AS A HUMAN IF YOU WANTED IT TOO!” Jongin yells out without thinking.
Seconds tick by, and then some more. The only thing Jongin could hear was the sound of his own breathing.
“Kyungsoo?” he calls out when he couldn't bear the silence any longer. The hand that he grabbed has slipped out and he doesn't know if it was because of the confusion or if his fears had come true.
“KYUNGSOO!!!!” Jongin no longer cares about the volume of his voice. He feels himself unfreezing from the spell of his own mind. His hands are now reaching out frantically to find the drawer with the candles, or Kyungsoo’s hand or Chen or just anything.
“Whoa whoa, calm down, I think there's pieces of glass in here,” came a voice that wasn't foreign, but not entirely familiar either.
Jongin stops in confusion.
“Kyungsoo?” he asks in a small voice, afraid that he would only be disappointed.
“Nope, this is your kitchen ghost,” answered the voice in a deadpan.
At that moment, the electricity came back on. And in midst of the miniscule voices of his appliances coming back on, illuminated by the kitchen light, is a boy, who looks younger than himself, small build but with large round eyes and a chubby face, wearing an expression that looks completely done with Jongin.
Jongin probably shouldn't have, but he couldn't have stopped himself from tackling the other even if he wanted to.
///
“So, what now?”
“I'm kinda hungry. Celebration food?”
“Can I cook? I'm pretty sure I can make something decent by now.”
“Just because you’ve been watching cooking shows, doesn't mean you can actually coo- OUCH! Kyungsoo!!”
(Jongin lets him anyway, and Kyungsoo was right.)