bus rides
Bus rides
Onew/Key
3036 words, r
Bus ridesi keep remembering the first time i saw you walking towards me,
and stole a corner of my heart without me noticing.
- the name i loved, onew
Jinki always takes the 7:13AM bus to school. Sometimes he sees familiar faces, sometimes he doesn't, and this intrigues him. People-watching becomes one of his hobbies, and he learns to spot people whom he's seen before - this suit-wearing man was on the same bus the day before yesterday, this old man is here every first Monday of the month, this little girl takes this bus everyday too.
Today there is a new face, and for some reason, he draws Jinki in like no other person has had before. He has hair streaked in two or three colors, and headphones are clamped over his head. His uniform is tucked out and altered, but for some reason on this boy it looks cool instead of tacky.
The boy gets off the bus. Jinki just continues staring blankly at the spot where the boy had been standing, until he winds up in an unknown place and finally realizes that he'd missed his stop a long time ago.
-
"But you're never late," Jonghyun says. He gives Jinki a weird look. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Jinki purses his lips, nods furiously. "Yep. I've never been better," he insists cheerfully. Jonghyun still looks suspicious, so he offers him a grin.
The rest of the day goes by as usual. Jonghyun starts falling asleep halfway through their physics lesson, so Jinki nudges him awake. Jinki is taking notes and asking questions and being his usual hardworking self. Nothing much has changed, except Jonghyun catches Jinki doodling a terrible sketch of the boy on the bus in the morning.
Jonghyun tilts his head, squints at the grotesque figure on Jinki's notebook. "Please don't say that's me," Jonghyun pleads.
Jinki tugs the notebook back, flushing. "It's not you," is the only thing he says, and Jonghyun raises his eyebrows and gives him a lecherous grin.
"Pay attention," Jinki says out of the corner of his mouth. Too late, though, since the teacher immediately starts shrieking at Jonghyun for talking in class and distracting Jinki. Later, Jonghyun sits down sulkily, grabs Jinki's notebook, and scrawls, why the hell am I the one distracting you and you're the poor, helpless victim? This sucks. When is she going to stop picking on me?
Stop failing and you might have a chance, Jinki writes. Jonghyun is glaring at him, so he adds a smiley-face at the end of his sentence. You know, just to be nice.
-
The next day the boy isn't there. Not the next day, or the day after that, either. Jinki starts wishing he'd gotten the chance to ask for the boy's name, or that he'd at least been smart enough to check the school-badge pinned to the front of the boy's uniform.
It takes one whole week before the boy appears again. This time the bus is unusually crowded, and Jinki can barely see the top of the boy's head, much less get a chance to ask for his name. Halfway through the ride, a girl near Jinki starts crying.
"Stop it," she is saying through her tears, trying to move further away from a middle-aged man who has his hand pressed against her waist.
"Look, it's really crowded here," the man tells her. "I don't have space, what do you want me to do?"
This is starting to feel like a scene out of a drama. The girl is really pretty, too, and Jinki narrows his eyes. "Excuse me," he says to the people around him, then starts making his way towards the girl and the man.
"You," he begins, and both pairs of eyes flick to him. Actually, practically the entire busfull of people are staring at him, and Jinki feels his face starting to flush. He has an entire speech planned out in his head, ready to reprimand the man for being a pervert and taking advantage of young girls, but then the bus jerks and Jinki promptly stumbles into an old lady, causing her to drop her bags of fruits.
"What he wanted to say," a voice cuts in smoothly, and Jinki glances up to see the boy standing with his arms crossed and headphones slung around his neck, leveling the man with a cool look. "Is that you should stop being a desperate pervert and taking advantage of young girls. Also, please think of a better excuse should you want to try this again next time."
The bus doors slide open, and the boy steps out without so much of a backwards glance. Go, Jinki's brain commands him, and Jinki finds himself tripping and stumbling his way out of the bus as well.
"Hey," Jinki says, but the boy is still walking, his hands tucked into his pants pockets. "Hey!" Jinki repeats, louder this time, and the boy pauses, turns around.
"What?" The boy wants to know. He gives Jinki a once-over. "Shouldn't you be getting to your school?"
Right, Jinki's thoughts agree. I really should. "Um," Jinki says. "Thanks for, you know. Just now."
"I didn't do it for you," the boy says, sounding really incredulous. Or maybe he's just wondering which planet Jinki hails from. Both options do not sound really good to Jinki. "I was just helping a poor, innocent girl."
"I know," Jinki blurts. The boy's expression clearly says then why are you still saying it if you know, and Jinki feels the heat creeping up his cheeks. "Just... what's your name?"
Jinki half-expects the boy to walk away, whereas his other half thinks the boy will just want to know why he's asking. "Kim Kibum," the boy says instead, then smiles.
-
"And you're late again," Jonghyun sighs. "The worst part is, you didn't even get scolded. Why, Lee Jinki, why?"
"Why what, Kim Jonghyun?" The teacher snaps, glaring at Jonghyun. The look on Jonghyun's face freezes, and he shuts his mouth.
"This is why," Jinki whispers, and promptly earns a kick from Jonghyun.
-
From up-close, Jinki realizes that Kim Kibum's hair is more brown than black. He has multiple piercings, and seems a lot warmer now that he is actually sitting next to Jinki. He's still giving Jinki looks that question his sanity, though, so Jinki just shuts up and stares down at his hands.
"You are truly the most ridiculous person I've ever met," Kibum says fondly after Jinki does his duck impression. Jinki's not sure if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult, since Kibum's tone doesn't match his words.
The bus stops, and Kibum gets up, turns to flash a smile at Jinki. "Bye, Lee Jinki," Kibum says, and disappears off the bus.
When Jinki reaches school, he sits down dazedly beside Jonghyun, who presses the back of his hand against Jinki's forehead. "You're not running a fever," Jonghyun says. "What's wrong, then? Do you have a cold or something?"
Jinki just blinks. Jonghyun sighs, exasperated. "Come on," he says. "Talk to me, Jinki."
Jinki turns to him jerkily. "He knows my name," he says. "How does he know my name?"
"You're nuts," Jonghyun informs him. Jinki doesn't even respond.
-
"I'll treat you to ice cream," Jonghyun is saying, slinging an arm around Jinki's shoulder as they head out of school. "You've always been weird, Jinki, but this time even I'm creeped out by you."
Jinki stops walking abruptly, and Jonghyun tilts his head to stare at him, confused. "Kim Kibum," Jinki says, the name slipping from his mouth, and Jonghyun whirls around.
Kim Kibum is there, hands tucked into his pockets as he leans against a whitewashed wall, hair a little messier than usual. "Hey," Kibum says.
Jonghyun looks from Kibum to Jinki, then back again. "Jinki?" He asks. "Do you know him?"
"I'm Kim Kibum," Kibum says. An easy smile slides its way onto his face, and he sticks out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Kim Jonghyun."
Jonghyun's mouth falls open, and he turns to Jinki, a wordless question hanging in the air.
"Why are you asking me?" Jinki says. "I still haven't figured out how he knows my name."
"Easy," Kibum answers, still smiling. "I'm a genius, haven't you figured that out?"
Jonghyun snorts. Kibum wraps fingers around Jinki's wrist. "Come on," he says, and Jinki is momentarily blinded by the brightness of Kibum's eyes. "I'll treat you to ice cream."
Jinki just follows, oblivious to Jonghyun's dropping jaw and foot-stomping.
-
Kibum is two years younger than Jinki. Kibum has really bright eyes. Kibum's smile is positively blinding. Kibum's hands looks like they'd be really nice to hold. Jinki discovers all this things as he eats his ice cream, listening to Kibum ramble and rant while waving his hands around.
When Jinki finishes his ice cream - he even licks his spoon after he's done -, Kibum announces that they're going shopping. He is dragged around by Kibum to try on clothes and to give critique, and helps Kibum hold a few shopping bags. Kibum buys Jinki a cap, and places it on Jinki's head. "Be a little more badass," Kibum says, and smiles.
Jinki's never thought of being badass. He's always been hardworking, second in class, filial, polite, helpful Jinki. Badass Jinki sounds awkward and wrong, but when Kibum smiles, Jinki feels as if he can do anything and everything.
"I'm just joking," Kibum says, and Jinki's smile fades a notch. "But you look really great with the cap, by the way."
They go drinking at night in a playground. Kibum sits on the swing and Jinki sits on the ground, a few bottles of soju littered around them. "Do you know," Kibum says, offhand. "I think guys who do well in their studies are really cool."
Jinki blinks up at him. Kibum's eyes look like the stars from here, even though there are never any stars in Seoul's nightsky. "I'm second in class," Jinki says.
Kibum laughs. "I know."
Jinki struggles to stand up. "Woah," he says, flailing a little bit, and Kibum laughs even more. "You," he says, pointing at Kibum, tripping a little over his own feet. "How do you know so much about me?"
"Research," Kibum says, gives Jinki a what can you do about me look.
"Do you know," Jinki says, stumbling closer to Kibum. He pulls at Kibum's shirt until Kibum leans forward, and then Jinki presses his mouth against Kibum's ear. "I think I like you."
Kibum pulls back, and Jinki, off-balance, sits back down on the ground. "I know," Kibum says, and Jinki is about to ask why Kibum knows everything, but then Kibum is leaning over him again and then the stars are gone because Kibum has shut his eyes. They come back again, though, flaming and sparkling behind his eyelids like fireworks, and Jinki kissing Kibum back is quite possibly the most daring thing he's ever done in his entire life.
But it's okay, because Kibum is special and makes Jinki's heart toss in strange ways. Because Kibum is worth the risk. Because Kibum is worth everything, sort of.
-
"Why didn't you tell me you got a boyfriend," Jonghyun says, his lower lip jutting out. "We're supposed to be best friends, Jinki, you're supposed to tell me everything."
"He's not my boyfriend," Jinki says, a knee-jerk reaction.
Jonghyun raises an eyebrow. "And I'm supposed to believe that?" He questions. "Lee Jinki, you're not getting off that easily."
Jinki turns away. "My head hurts, I don't want to talk about this," he says, but he's smiling despite himself, even though his head really does feel like it's going to explode any moment.
"You are such a loser," Jonghyun says under his breath. Jinki just ignores him - he's not going to let his wonderful day get ruined by Jonghyun's brattiness.
-
Jinki almost blurts out this is happening too fast, but then he realizes that if he says it out loud Kibum will either laugh in his face or stop, and this feeling is too amazing for Jinki to voluntarily let go of. They are not the least graceful going about it, though. It is Jinki's first time, and when he tells Kibum this, Kibum just laughs - Jinki's not surprised - and says, "I know, it's obvious."
Jinki opens his mouth to ask how about you, but Kibum successfully shuts him up by sliding his arms around Jinki's neck and kissing him until Jinki's version blurs at the edges and the world is off its axis and he feels his heart literally expanding. But then Kibum manages to tear a button off Jinki's shirt and Jinki nearly trips as Kibum attempts to tug his pants off, and everything is just so ridiculous that Jinki wants to crawl into a hole and never show up in front of Kibum ever again.
"It's okay," Kibum says, but his mouth is twitching a little, and Jinki's not sure if Kibum is angry or just thinks everything is hilarious. Neither option is particularly appealing to him. Jinki has so many questions that are ready to spill out of his mouth, but Kibum's hands find their way to Jinki's cock, and all of Jinki's questions scatter away and are replaced by gasps, because this is the first time Jinki's ever felt like this. When Kibum slides in, Jinki chews on his lower lip and clenches his fist tight, because he's not about to ruin this when Kibum's whispering God, Jinki, you feel fucking amazing, because the pain is starting to slowly but surely fade away and the fireworks are back.
When it is over, Jinki scrambles for his pants and shirt, while Kibum just sits there cross-legged, hair all tousled and a lazy smile working its way onto his face. It's not the first time Jinki registers the large, almost scary, difference between the two of them, and he feels a little dizzy and nauseous, because why would Kim Kibum want to stay with someone like him?
But then Kibum is tugging on Jinki's wrist and looking up at him with those bright, bright eyes and his smile is gone, replaced by a trace of raw panic in his eyes. "Don't go," Kibum says, and Jinki just nods mutely.
Jinki ends up sending a text message to his mom telling him he's studying overnight at Jonghyun's house, to which she responds with good luck, I love you. He feels a little guilty for lying, but Kibum wraps his arms around Jinki's waist and snuggles closer, and all his discomfort disappears.
-
The morning after is less awkward than Jinki expected. They take the same bus to school, and Kibum shares his earphones with Jinki. They sing along to the songs on Kibum's iPod and earn a few weird looks, but Jinki doesn't even really care since he's laughing and Kibum's laughing and they're having a great time.
"You're in a good mood today," Jonghyun comments, and Jinki grins. His phone vibrates, and it's a text message from Kibum. Do well in school today, the text says, and Jinki's grin just widens while Jonghyun rolls his eyes.
-
They go to the theme park on Kibum's birthday. It is sunny, the sky a gorgeous shade of blue, and with Kibum walking beside him, Jinki thinks this is quite possibly one of the most perfect days of his life.
Jinki wants to sit the viking and Kibum agrees. Only when the ship starts moving does Kibum confess his fear of heights, and then Kibum is clutching Jinki's hand so tight they are striped red and white even after they get off.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jinki demands, and Kibum mutters something under his breath, a dash of color appearing on his pale cheeks.
Later they go to the haunted house and it is Jinki's turn to shriek and grab at Kibum as they stumble their way past the ghosts and zombies. When they finally emerge into the sunlight, Kibum starts giggling at the look on Jinki's face, and Jinki promptly squats on the ground and declares that he's exhausted.
Ice cream is the perfect cure, though, and a hot-dog is a bonus. After that they go on the carousel, talking and laughing above the squeals of little kids, and Jinki discovers that Kibum's eyes sort of twinkle when he smiles.
They leave when the sun goes down, head to the playground where they'd gone a few months ago. They talk until the sun starts to come back up, and then they fall asleep curled up together on the slide. They wake up at five - Kibum pinches Jinki's nose until he struggles to breathe, and then he lets go and kisses Jinki, mouthing good morning against his mouth - and buy instant ramyun from the 7-11 nearby.
"I just realized," Jinki says, swallowing his mouthful of ramyun. "I forgot to wish you happy birthday."
"You just realized," says Kibum, and Jinki stares morosely into his cup of noodles. "It's okay, you dork."
Jinki glances back up, and Kibum is smiling and Jinki's never felt so relieved in his life. "Besides," Kibum continues, still smiling. "We have many more years to go, don't we?"
"We do," Jinki agrees, and Kibum winds his fingers around Jinki's, and Jinki thinks he would love it if time could stop at this very moment, thank you very much.
-
8 months ago
Kibum stalks to class with his eyes oddly bright and the beginnings of a smile curved on his lips. "What's up," Jinwoon greets, waving as he lounges on his chair.
"Hey," Kibum says. He picks up a pen from the desk, twirls it around a few times. "Jinwoon-ah. Do you know anything about Lee Jinki?"
Jinwoon wrinkles his nose. "No," he says. "But I can find out."
Kibum smiles, victorious. "Tell me everything you can find by the end of school," Kibum instructs, and Jinwoon nods, a little confused. Kibum spends the rest of school staring out of the window thinking about the boy from the bus with a nametag that said Lee Jinki pinned onto his uniform, the one with the infectious smile and clumsy movements.
Jinwoon tosses a sheet of paper onto Kibum's desk when the final bell rings, and Kibum picks it up, scans the page. "Best friend, Kim Jonghyun," Kibum reads, then glances up, gives Jinwoon a high-five. "Thanks, Jinwoonie."
Jinwoon shrugs. "Whatever," he says, watching as Kibum disappears out of the classroom with a gigantic smile.
Onew/Key
3036 words, r
Bus ridesi keep remembering the first time i saw you walking towards me,
and stole a corner of my heart without me noticing.
- the name i loved, onew
Jinki always takes the 7:13AM bus to school. Sometimes he sees familiar faces, sometimes he doesn't, and this intrigues him. People-watching becomes one of his hobbies, and he learns to spot people whom he's seen before - this suit-wearing man was on the same bus the day before yesterday, this old man is here every first Monday of the month, this little girl takes this bus everyday too.
Today there is a new face, and for some reason, he draws Jinki in like no other person has had before. He has hair streaked in two or three colors, and headphones are clamped over his head. His uniform is tucked out and altered, but for some reason on this boy it looks cool instead of tacky.
The boy gets off the bus. Jinki just continues staring blankly at the spot where the boy had been standing, until he winds up in an unknown place and finally realizes that he'd missed his stop a long time ago.
-
"But you're never late," Jonghyun says. He gives Jinki a weird look. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Jinki purses his lips, nods furiously. "Yep. I've never been better," he insists cheerfully. Jonghyun still looks suspicious, so he offers him a grin.
The rest of the day goes by as usual. Jonghyun starts falling asleep halfway through their physics lesson, so Jinki nudges him awake. Jinki is taking notes and asking questions and being his usual hardworking self. Nothing much has changed, except Jonghyun catches Jinki doodling a terrible sketch of the boy on the bus in the morning.
Jonghyun tilts his head, squints at the grotesque figure on Jinki's notebook. "Please don't say that's me," Jonghyun pleads.
Jinki tugs the notebook back, flushing. "It's not you," is the only thing he says, and Jonghyun raises his eyebrows and gives him a lecherous grin.
"Pay attention," Jinki says out of the corner of his mouth. Too late, though, since the teacher immediately starts shrieking at Jonghyun for talking in class and distracting Jinki. Later, Jonghyun sits down sulkily, grabs Jinki's notebook, and scrawls, why the hell am I the one distracting you and you're the poor, helpless victim? This sucks. When is she going to stop picking on me?
Stop failing and you might have a chance, Jinki writes. Jonghyun is glaring at him, so he adds a smiley-face at the end of his sentence. You know, just to be nice.
-
The next day the boy isn't there. Not the next day, or the day after that, either. Jinki starts wishing he'd gotten the chance to ask for the boy's name, or that he'd at least been smart enough to check the school-badge pinned to the front of the boy's uniform.
It takes one whole week before the boy appears again. This time the bus is unusually crowded, and Jinki can barely see the top of the boy's head, much less get a chance to ask for his name. Halfway through the ride, a girl near Jinki starts crying.
"Stop it," she is saying through her tears, trying to move further away from a middle-aged man who has his hand pressed against her waist.
"Look, it's really crowded here," the man tells her. "I don't have space, what do you want me to do?"
This is starting to feel like a scene out of a drama. The girl is really pretty, too, and Jinki narrows his eyes. "Excuse me," he says to the people around him, then starts making his way towards the girl and the man.
"You," he begins, and both pairs of eyes flick to him. Actually, practically the entire busfull of people are staring at him, and Jinki feels his face starting to flush. He has an entire speech planned out in his head, ready to reprimand the man for being a pervert and taking advantage of young girls, but then the bus jerks and Jinki promptly stumbles into an old lady, causing her to drop her bags of fruits.
"What he wanted to say," a voice cuts in smoothly, and Jinki glances up to see the boy standing with his arms crossed and headphones slung around his neck, leveling the man with a cool look. "Is that you should stop being a desperate pervert and taking advantage of young girls. Also, please think of a better excuse should you want to try this again next time."
The bus doors slide open, and the boy steps out without so much of a backwards glance. Go, Jinki's brain commands him, and Jinki finds himself tripping and stumbling his way out of the bus as well.
"Hey," Jinki says, but the boy is still walking, his hands tucked into his pants pockets. "Hey!" Jinki repeats, louder this time, and the boy pauses, turns around.
"What?" The boy wants to know. He gives Jinki a once-over. "Shouldn't you be getting to your school?"
Right, Jinki's thoughts agree. I really should. "Um," Jinki says. "Thanks for, you know. Just now."
"I didn't do it for you," the boy says, sounding really incredulous. Or maybe he's just wondering which planet Jinki hails from. Both options do not sound really good to Jinki. "I was just helping a poor, innocent girl."
"I know," Jinki blurts. The boy's expression clearly says then why are you still saying it if you know, and Jinki feels the heat creeping up his cheeks. "Just... what's your name?"
Jinki half-expects the boy to walk away, whereas his other half thinks the boy will just want to know why he's asking. "Kim Kibum," the boy says instead, then smiles.
-
"And you're late again," Jonghyun sighs. "The worst part is, you didn't even get scolded. Why, Lee Jinki, why?"
"Why what, Kim Jonghyun?" The teacher snaps, glaring at Jonghyun. The look on Jonghyun's face freezes, and he shuts his mouth.
"This is why," Jinki whispers, and promptly earns a kick from Jonghyun.
-
From up-close, Jinki realizes that Kim Kibum's hair is more brown than black. He has multiple piercings, and seems a lot warmer now that he is actually sitting next to Jinki. He's still giving Jinki looks that question his sanity, though, so Jinki just shuts up and stares down at his hands.
"You are truly the most ridiculous person I've ever met," Kibum says fondly after Jinki does his duck impression. Jinki's not sure if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult, since Kibum's tone doesn't match his words.
The bus stops, and Kibum gets up, turns to flash a smile at Jinki. "Bye, Lee Jinki," Kibum says, and disappears off the bus.
When Jinki reaches school, he sits down dazedly beside Jonghyun, who presses the back of his hand against Jinki's forehead. "You're not running a fever," Jonghyun says. "What's wrong, then? Do you have a cold or something?"
Jinki just blinks. Jonghyun sighs, exasperated. "Come on," he says. "Talk to me, Jinki."
Jinki turns to him jerkily. "He knows my name," he says. "How does he know my name?"
"You're nuts," Jonghyun informs him. Jinki doesn't even respond.
-
"I'll treat you to ice cream," Jonghyun is saying, slinging an arm around Jinki's shoulder as they head out of school. "You've always been weird, Jinki, but this time even I'm creeped out by you."
Jinki stops walking abruptly, and Jonghyun tilts his head to stare at him, confused. "Kim Kibum," Jinki says, the name slipping from his mouth, and Jonghyun whirls around.
Kim Kibum is there, hands tucked into his pockets as he leans against a whitewashed wall, hair a little messier than usual. "Hey," Kibum says.
Jonghyun looks from Kibum to Jinki, then back again. "Jinki?" He asks. "Do you know him?"
"I'm Kim Kibum," Kibum says. An easy smile slides its way onto his face, and he sticks out a hand. "Nice to meet you, Kim Jonghyun."
Jonghyun's mouth falls open, and he turns to Jinki, a wordless question hanging in the air.
"Why are you asking me?" Jinki says. "I still haven't figured out how he knows my name."
"Easy," Kibum answers, still smiling. "I'm a genius, haven't you figured that out?"
Jonghyun snorts. Kibum wraps fingers around Jinki's wrist. "Come on," he says, and Jinki is momentarily blinded by the brightness of Kibum's eyes. "I'll treat you to ice cream."
Jinki just follows, oblivious to Jonghyun's dropping jaw and foot-stomping.
-
Kibum is two years younger than Jinki. Kibum has really bright eyes. Kibum's smile is positively blinding. Kibum's hands looks like they'd be really nice to hold. Jinki discovers all this things as he eats his ice cream, listening to Kibum ramble and rant while waving his hands around.
When Jinki finishes his ice cream - he even licks his spoon after he's done -, Kibum announces that they're going shopping. He is dragged around by Kibum to try on clothes and to give critique, and helps Kibum hold a few shopping bags. Kibum buys Jinki a cap, and places it on Jinki's head. "Be a little more badass," Kibum says, and smiles.
Jinki's never thought of being badass. He's always been hardworking, second in class, filial, polite, helpful Jinki. Badass Jinki sounds awkward and wrong, but when Kibum smiles, Jinki feels as if he can do anything and everything.
"I'm just joking," Kibum says, and Jinki's smile fades a notch. "But you look really great with the cap, by the way."
They go drinking at night in a playground. Kibum sits on the swing and Jinki sits on the ground, a few bottles of soju littered around them. "Do you know," Kibum says, offhand. "I think guys who do well in their studies are really cool."
Jinki blinks up at him. Kibum's eyes look like the stars from here, even though there are never any stars in Seoul's nightsky. "I'm second in class," Jinki says.
Kibum laughs. "I know."
Jinki struggles to stand up. "Woah," he says, flailing a little bit, and Kibum laughs even more. "You," he says, pointing at Kibum, tripping a little over his own feet. "How do you know so much about me?"
"Research," Kibum says, gives Jinki a what can you do about me look.
"Do you know," Jinki says, stumbling closer to Kibum. He pulls at Kibum's shirt until Kibum leans forward, and then Jinki presses his mouth against Kibum's ear. "I think I like you."
Kibum pulls back, and Jinki, off-balance, sits back down on the ground. "I know," Kibum says, and Jinki is about to ask why Kibum knows everything, but then Kibum is leaning over him again and then the stars are gone because Kibum has shut his eyes. They come back again, though, flaming and sparkling behind his eyelids like fireworks, and Jinki kissing Kibum back is quite possibly the most daring thing he's ever done in his entire life.
But it's okay, because Kibum is special and makes Jinki's heart toss in strange ways. Because Kibum is worth the risk. Because Kibum is worth everything, sort of.
-
"Why didn't you tell me you got a boyfriend," Jonghyun says, his lower lip jutting out. "We're supposed to be best friends, Jinki, you're supposed to tell me everything."
"He's not my boyfriend," Jinki says, a knee-jerk reaction.
Jonghyun raises an eyebrow. "And I'm supposed to believe that?" He questions. "Lee Jinki, you're not getting off that easily."
Jinki turns away. "My head hurts, I don't want to talk about this," he says, but he's smiling despite himself, even though his head really does feel like it's going to explode any moment.
"You are such a loser," Jonghyun says under his breath. Jinki just ignores him - he's not going to let his wonderful day get ruined by Jonghyun's brattiness.
-
Jinki almost blurts out this is happening too fast, but then he realizes that if he says it out loud Kibum will either laugh in his face or stop, and this feeling is too amazing for Jinki to voluntarily let go of. They are not the least graceful going about it, though. It is Jinki's first time, and when he tells Kibum this, Kibum just laughs - Jinki's not surprised - and says, "I know, it's obvious."
Jinki opens his mouth to ask how about you, but Kibum successfully shuts him up by sliding his arms around Jinki's neck and kissing him until Jinki's version blurs at the edges and the world is off its axis and he feels his heart literally expanding. But then Kibum manages to tear a button off Jinki's shirt and Jinki nearly trips as Kibum attempts to tug his pants off, and everything is just so ridiculous that Jinki wants to crawl into a hole and never show up in front of Kibum ever again.
"It's okay," Kibum says, but his mouth is twitching a little, and Jinki's not sure if Kibum is angry or just thinks everything is hilarious. Neither option is particularly appealing to him. Jinki has so many questions that are ready to spill out of his mouth, but Kibum's hands find their way to Jinki's cock, and all of Jinki's questions scatter away and are replaced by gasps, because this is the first time Jinki's ever felt like this. When Kibum slides in, Jinki chews on his lower lip and clenches his fist tight, because he's not about to ruin this when Kibum's whispering God, Jinki, you feel fucking amazing, because the pain is starting to slowly but surely fade away and the fireworks are back.
When it is over, Jinki scrambles for his pants and shirt, while Kibum just sits there cross-legged, hair all tousled and a lazy smile working its way onto his face. It's not the first time Jinki registers the large, almost scary, difference between the two of them, and he feels a little dizzy and nauseous, because why would Kim Kibum want to stay with someone like him?
But then Kibum is tugging on Jinki's wrist and looking up at him with those bright, bright eyes and his smile is gone, replaced by a trace of raw panic in his eyes. "Don't go," Kibum says, and Jinki just nods mutely.
Jinki ends up sending a text message to his mom telling him he's studying overnight at Jonghyun's house, to which she responds with good luck, I love you. He feels a little guilty for lying, but Kibum wraps his arms around Jinki's waist and snuggles closer, and all his discomfort disappears.
-
The morning after is less awkward than Jinki expected. They take the same bus to school, and Kibum shares his earphones with Jinki. They sing along to the songs on Kibum's iPod and earn a few weird looks, but Jinki doesn't even really care since he's laughing and Kibum's laughing and they're having a great time.
"You're in a good mood today," Jonghyun comments, and Jinki grins. His phone vibrates, and it's a text message from Kibum. Do well in school today, the text says, and Jinki's grin just widens while Jonghyun rolls his eyes.
-
They go to the theme park on Kibum's birthday. It is sunny, the sky a gorgeous shade of blue, and with Kibum walking beside him, Jinki thinks this is quite possibly one of the most perfect days of his life.
Jinki wants to sit the viking and Kibum agrees. Only when the ship starts moving does Kibum confess his fear of heights, and then Kibum is clutching Jinki's hand so tight they are striped red and white even after they get off.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Jinki demands, and Kibum mutters something under his breath, a dash of color appearing on his pale cheeks.
Later they go to the haunted house and it is Jinki's turn to shriek and grab at Kibum as they stumble their way past the ghosts and zombies. When they finally emerge into the sunlight, Kibum starts giggling at the look on Jinki's face, and Jinki promptly squats on the ground and declares that he's exhausted.
Ice cream is the perfect cure, though, and a hot-dog is a bonus. After that they go on the carousel, talking and laughing above the squeals of little kids, and Jinki discovers that Kibum's eyes sort of twinkle when he smiles.
They leave when the sun goes down, head to the playground where they'd gone a few months ago. They talk until the sun starts to come back up, and then they fall asleep curled up together on the slide. They wake up at five - Kibum pinches Jinki's nose until he struggles to breathe, and then he lets go and kisses Jinki, mouthing good morning against his mouth - and buy instant ramyun from the 7-11 nearby.
"I just realized," Jinki says, swallowing his mouthful of ramyun. "I forgot to wish you happy birthday."
"You just realized," says Kibum, and Jinki stares morosely into his cup of noodles. "It's okay, you dork."
Jinki glances back up, and Kibum is smiling and Jinki's never felt so relieved in his life. "Besides," Kibum continues, still smiling. "We have many more years to go, don't we?"
"We do," Jinki agrees, and Kibum winds his fingers around Jinki's, and Jinki thinks he would love it if time could stop at this very moment, thank you very much.
-
8 months ago
Kibum stalks to class with his eyes oddly bright and the beginnings of a smile curved on his lips. "What's up," Jinwoon greets, waving as he lounges on his chair.
"Hey," Kibum says. He picks up a pen from the desk, twirls it around a few times. "Jinwoon-ah. Do you know anything about Lee Jinki?"
Jinwoon wrinkles his nose. "No," he says. "But I can find out."
Kibum smiles, victorious. "Tell me everything you can find by the end of school," Kibum instructs, and Jinwoon nods, a little confused. Kibum spends the rest of school staring out of the window thinking about the boy from the bus with a nametag that said Lee Jinki pinned onto his uniform, the one with the infectious smile and clumsy movements.
Jinwoon tosses a sheet of paper onto Kibum's desk when the final bell rings, and Kibum picks it up, scans the page. "Best friend, Kim Jonghyun," Kibum reads, then glances up, gives Jinwoon a high-five. "Thanks, Jinwoonie."
Jinwoon shrugs. "Whatever," he says, watching as Kibum disappears out of the classroom with a gigantic smile.