title: matching everythings.
rating: pg-13.
pairing:Â kai/d.o.
summary: jongin comes home late with an unconventional present for kyungsoo.
He's late.
Kyungsoo tilts his head and watches quietly as Jongin walks into the room, throwing his bag in a random corner. Even when he tells him to move it elsewhere, preferably their room where their bags actually belong, there is still a wide, satisfied smile on his face.
"What happened?" he asks, raising a brow.
"What do you mean?" is his evasive answer as he sits down across from him at the kitchen table.
"You're obviously in a good mood."
"Nothing has to happen for me to be in a good mood, you know."
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and huffs. "Yes, I know that," he says. "But I know something happened which caused such a dopey smile to stick on your face. And I know you want to tell me. So. Out with it."
Jongin's grin widens at the words. "Hyung knows me so well," he coos, and Kyungsoo scoffs even as his cheeks turn the slightest pink.
"Shut up," he mumbles, then goes back to expectantly staring.
Jongin stares back, smile wide and full of glee, before sighing and relenting. He wordlessly unbuttons the cuff of his collared shift, rolling it up to reveal a bandage wrapped thickly around his wrist.
Kyungsoo furrows his brows, reaching out to grasp the forearm. "What happened? Did you get hurt? Did you get into a fight?" he inquires worriedly, turning his arm this way and that to inspect the bandage.
The younger rolls his eyes. "Neither," he answers. "Just...take it off."
Cue another raised brow.
"Do it, hyung."
Letting loose a large sigh, Kyungsoo acquiesces and peels off the tape with his nails, then begins unwinding the bandage carefully. He wonders what he will see hiding beneath. He expects a scar or a wound, but it doesn't make sense--why would Jongin want him to see it? Why would he be smiling about it?
Anticipation slowly seeps into his bones, and he hates surprises, so Kyungsoo begins to quickly unwind the bandage until it falls onto the wood of the table and exposes what lies underneath on Jongin's sun-kissed skin.
There is dried blood covering it, but it's not too difficult to make out. Kyungsoo's breath catches in his throat.
"It's--" he begins, but finds himself unable to finish the thought.
"--a tattoo," Jongin says quietly, his megawatt grin now a small, gentle one. His eyes twinkle much like the stars they would often point out to one another as they sat outside with cups of tea or hot chocolate in their hands depending on the weather, shoulders brushing and elbows bumping.
"You tattooed my name on your skin," he whispers, and finds that as he reaches out to touch the skin around it, his fingers are shaking. "Wh-when...?"
"During my break between classes," Jongin answers. "It was kind of impulsive, but I had the idea in mind for a couple weeks. I just...felt like doing it today, I guess."
"It's beautiful," he says, and he means it.
The tattoo isn't anything too flashy. Just his first name in hangul, looking more beautiful than it ever had on written out on paper and as if something one had drawn on in pen with broad, confident strokes. He wants to run a thumb over the individual characters but knows that the skin is irritated; best not to touch it for a few days so it doesn't get infected.
"Do you like it?" Jongin asks, voice suddenly hesitant and small.
Kyungsoo looks up and stares into his eyes. they are full of emotions. His lover is an open book, as always. It's his eyes that he fell for first, he thinks. Right from when they had first met. They were warm and open and honest and full of a sparkle that Kyungsoo himself had lost after years of being subjected to the world and all of its cruelty. Jongin, however, was still full of wonder and hope and love--everything Kyungsoohad once lost. Everything he now fought to protect in him.
He should tell him it was stupid of him to ink his name along his wrist, above veins and sinew and skin. As if he, Kyungsoo, is what he needs to survive; as if he is just as vital to him as the blood that runs through him right now. After all, they are only in college. A lot can happen in these years. They could fall out of love and go their separate ways. One of them could die of a disease or in a car accident or shot in an alley with no one around to hold their hand as they painfully take their last breaths.
Maybe Jongin or Kyungsoo will no longer feel the same. and then what will come of his wrist that so lovingly reads his name? Jongin will feel remorse over having taken such a step when he was young and naive--maybe find a way to take it off so he can never be reminded of him again.
But for now, kyungsoo thinks, he is content seeing his name inked into his lover's flesh. Perhaps one day they will grow apart, but today they are together and the sun is shining and the stars are living in Jongin's eyes and Kyungsoo's heart is beating at a significantly faster pace.
So he manages a choked, "I love it," and Jongin's shy smile widens until his eyes are significantly smaller, and it is impossible for him not to lean across the kitchen table, splay a hand over his neck, and kiss him deeply.
Some time later, he will take Jongin to the bathroom and carefully clean off the tattoo of blood and whatever else there is, using the first aid kit to disinfect it just like an online website instructed, and tut over him spending money over something like this. But Jongin will insist it is worth it, of course it is, and Kyungsoo's hands will not stop shaking the entire day.
And maybe a week later Kyungsoo too will find himself driving to a well-known tattoo parlour to get the characters in Jongin's name inked onto his skin as well. Because couples tend to have matching everythings, so tattoos should be no different.
.
author's note: so, while i am technically still working on a late valentine's day oneshot, i quite suddenly had an idea for this and had to write it out. this only took a few minutes and while i don't think i'm satisfied with it, i decided to go ahead and post it up. hope you guys enjoyed reading!
Are you open about a request with F.T. Island? Or maybe you prefer BTS?
I am so sorry, lovely anon, but unfortunately I have no idea how to write F.T. Island or BTS as I donât really know anything about the two groups.
At the moment, I think Iâm going to more or less stick with SM Town artists as well as Infinite, as I know them well. If you have any requests that youâd still like to make, please do so! If not, I am terribly sorryâmaybe you could request at a later date, when I know BTS and possibly F.T. Island better?
Thank you for wanting to request, and sorry once again!
â brighter than the sun ; part three [ chanyeol ]
title:Â brighter than the sun.
rating:Â pg-13.
pairing:Â chanyeol/reader.
summary: a single mother, you have to go through a lot of trouble, having to put down your aspirations to pay the bills being one of the biggest. but soon he landed in your path, unwilling to move out of the way, and your life began undergoing drastic changes. changes you did not approve of but just may grow to accept.
part one
previous part
.
"Ugh, this shift has been dragging on for forever," bemoaned Soonkyu stationed at the register next to yours. You smiled to yourself at her overdramatic behaviour, as it never failed to amuse you.
Soonkyu was one of the many teenagers who worked at the supermarket alongside you, though she had to be one of the few respectful ones. She was lively in everything she did, every pleasantry leaving her lips emitted with a bright chirp. Even when she was saying something negative, be it a whine or a complaint such as the one she uttered now, there was always some type of dramatic flair to it. That was probably why her friends, whenever they visited the place, called her Sunny.
"There's still an hour left," you reminded her, "so you better suck it up."
Another groan left her lips. "But there's no one even here," she whined. "Can't we close up a bit early?"
"An hour early?"
"Exactly what I said. AÂ bit."
You rolled your eyes. "You know the manager is still here, right? She'll kill us for even suggesting it." With that, you go back to sneakily reading a random gossip magazine you had picked up from near your register. It was too artificial for your tastes but there was nothing else to read so you might as well.
Soonkyu let loose a heavy sigh. "You're right," she muttered. You noticed her shift a little in her seat but thankfully not another peep was heard from her. With that, you focused your attention back to the magazine and resumed your reading in peace and quiet.
That is, until she suddenly began frantically whispering again. "Hey, hot customer at nine o'clock!" she hissed, then seemed to think it over. "Well, he's hot, but in a kind of weird way? I don't really know how to explain it--but he's got a guitar case with him! So he's definitely hot! You think he knows how to play it?"
You laughed, not even looking up to glance at whom she was speaking of. The boys she ogled were always much too young for you to ogle (though you must admit that Soonkyu had good taste when it came to the opposite sex). "If he has it with him, he's probably had some practice, yeah."
"What if it's just for show, though? You know, to pick up chicks."
"At the supermarket?"
A grudging silence fell. "...you know what I mean," she finally replied lamely.
Chuckling, you turned the page. "No, I really don't."
"Oh, whatever!" she huffed, falling silent. And then-- "Do you think I should go over? You know, to see if he needs any help?"
"Pretty sure you're on register duty, Soonkyu-ah--not hot guy duty," you joked.
"I could be on both!" was her cheeky response. "I don't mind working overtime. If you know what I mean."
"No, I really don't."
"That's your default answer for everything!"
"Still makes you laugh," you said. And then the conversation fell flat once more. You continued on with your reading and Soonkyu most likely tried yet failed to get another good glimpse of the boy she was so enamoured over. It would fade the moment he walked out the automatic sliding doors, you knew. Teenagers were fickle and hormonal like that--and you spoke from experience.
Too much experience, you couldn't help think, and soon began to frown to yourself. Trying to extricate the thought from your mind, you did your best to focus only on the gossip presented to you and ignored Soonkyu when she began frantically whispering your name.
Ooh, the actor Kim Bum was apparently spotted with a mystery girl. And then there was a sexy picture of the model who went by Kai from another racy photoshoot that sparked debate over whether he should be showing so much skin for a nineteen-year-old--
"Kim Kai! I love him! I'm his number one fan, you know," said a deep voice that was too familiar for your liking.
With a flinch, you straightened up in your seat to see, lo and behold, none other than Chanyeol, the teacher's assistant. Your eyebrows raised at the sight of him, cheeks flushing pink as you remembered the humiliating scene he had witnessed between yourself and Minjung.
Not even a week had passed since Minjungâs outburst upon having seen you in her classroom and the two of you were âback to normalâ, so to speak.
Yes, you had been quieter than you usually were for a day or so, and as had your daughter. But you decided enough was enough; how long would you stay mad at her, truly? Life was too short to keep grudges, you knew. You knew all too well, actually. So you decided to speak to her again, to pretend that you hadnât been hurt by her harsh words.
Minjung followed your lead without much preamble, though you believed that she was more hesitant around you as of late. You thought it best not to bring this up, as you had a feeling she wouldnât like it too well if you did, and instead gave her the space she constantly requested.
Because, really. If there was only one thing youâve learnt as a mother, it would be that it was impossible to stay upset with your daughter.
"C-Chanyeol-sshi, what are you..." you stammered, clearing your throat unnecessarily as you quickly stuffed the gossip magazine away. Chanyeol frowned at the action, having been scanning the article concerning Kai while leaning rather awkwardly over the partition between the two of you.
"Well, buying stuff!" he said cheerily, sweeping a hand over the items he had placed on the conveyor belt. "What else do you do at a supermarket, right?"
"Right," you mumbled. But couldn't he have gone to another cashier instead of you? It appeared he had come to you purposefully though you had no idea why that could be. Best to ignore it, you supposed, and you began scanning the items he was purchasing without much preamble. It wasn't too difficult to see Soonkyu flailing from behind Chanyeol, pointing at him then you and gesturing as if asking how the two of you knew each other.
You looked up swiftly to glare pointedly at her before looking away. Chanyeol, at the sight of you doing so, turned around to look at Soonkyu, who immediately resumed what she felt to be a casual position.
"Hey," he greeted warmly.
"Oh, uh, hello," she said in a calm voice, very much unlike herself. You rolled your eyes at her antics.
Turning away, Chanyeol began drumming his fingers idly against the conveyor belt. "So, uhm, come here often?"
You looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I...work here," you said slowly, though tried your hardest to sound at least a little respectful. It didn't work too well.
"Yeah, right, of course!" he said nervously, chuckling. "Sorry. Just trying to...make conversation, I guess."
"There's no reason for you to do that," you said, glad to note that you had begun scanning the last of the items.
It wasn't exactly that you disliked him. That wasn't the reason you were being short with him. To be honest, it was just extremely embarrassing to see him again. He had seen your child yell at you and be generally disrespectful: who knows what kind of image that came off to him as? You were an unfit parent in his eyes, no doubt. It wasn't anything new for you, to be honest, but still. And now he knew you worked at a supermarket, which was a lowly job only teenagers with no other place of work in mind worked at.
He might be nice to you now but there was no telling what he thought of you on the inside, safe in the recesses of his mind. This knowledge, or lack of knowledge, was enough to make you squirm where you stood.
That's when you realized you had been mindlessly bagging his things without asking him. "Erm, would you like bags?" you asked sheepishly, resolving to looking at his forehead rather than his eyes.
"Uh, um, yeah!" he said over-enthusiastically, nodding his head vigorously. You could faintly hear Soonkyu giggling and fought not to make an ugly expression of disdain.
"Alright," you murmured, then placed the last bag atop the other conveyor belt beside you, where the customers took their purchases. Looking at the computer, you read off the price and accepted the bills he gave you, opening the register to hand him the exact change.
As you did so, you tried to fill the awkward silence with a soft, "Quite a lot of junk food you got there."
Chanyeol seemed to flinch in surprise before laughing, a hand running through his hair. "Yeah. I, uh, am pretty unhealthy, I'll admit. But I have friends coming over! So I'm kind of justified! You know, this one time."
You grinned as you handed him his receipt and change. "Of course. What's a get together with only healthy snacks?"
He looked taken aback by your sudden good humour but soon the blank look of shock was replaced by a bright grin. "Exactly!" Then, after grabbing the receipt and change, said, "Thank you!"
You bowed respectfully, as was customary. "You're welcome." Granting him a small grin, you tipped your head once more and waited for him to leave after taking his bags.
He did take his bags, holding all of them securely with one hand, though hesitantly continued to stand and not make a move to leave. After a few seconds, he seemed to busy himself by shoving the receipt and money into the pocket of his coat, but then continued to stand and shuffled seemingly nervously.
You raised a brow but didn't comment, waiting for him to speak up.
"I was wondering," he began uncertainly, "if you'd like to, maybe...get a cup of coffee together? Not right now, of course! It's pretty late and you're, uh, working. But whenever you're free?"
Shocked couldn't even begin to describe what you felt. He hadn't even seemed interested in you in such a way, so why the sudden question now? It didn't compute whatsoever. Not to mention that while you must admit he was good-looking in a weird way, much like how Soonkyu had described him, you certainly didn't feel...attracted to him in that way. Plus, you were sure you were older than him and you weren't exactly one of those noona types.
"I don't...I don't really..." you began hesitantly, unsure of how to let him down gently. Even when you were in high school there hadn't been many boys who actively sought your attention. It figured that you would be propositioned the one time you weren't desperately looking for love.
Soonkyu barely managed to contain her indignant shriek from behind Chanyeol, no doubt put off by your response, but neither of you paid her any mind.
Chanyeol furrowed his brows, before his eyes suddenly widened in alarm and he began to shake his head vigorously. "No, no! I-I didn't mean it like that!" he insisted. "I...there's something important I need to talk to you about. And I thought it would be best to discuss it somewhere...else?"
You narrowed your eyes, lips pursing in contemplation. Honestly, there was something definitely weird about how he looked so fidgety. What if he was lying to you? But why would he lie to you anyway? Maybe he really wished to go on a date with you but was trying to cover it up by making up some random, vague excuse to meet up? Though, truthfully, that was a bit far-fetched. Why would anyone want to go out with you that badly, after all?
Nevertheless, you opened your mouth to attempt and let him down gently once more, only for him to speak up seconds before you could.
"It's about...Minjung."
Those three words were enough for your mouth to fall closed. You didn't think about the situation for a second longer.
"When and where?"
Chanyeol raised his eyebrows at your response, as if having expected a fight, but began to fumble as he took out his phone. "Uh, could I get your phone number...?"
"I have a home phone," you informed him, embarrassment be damned.
He didn't look amused or full of pity at the reply, as most tended to. "That works," he simply said, and saved your number as you recited it aloud for him.
"Do you...need my..." he said awkwardly, gesturing at his phone.
"Just call me some time tomorrow," you said. "I can do any time. Whatever is fine by you."
"How does two o'clock sound to you? A bit early, but at four I have to--"
"It sounds perfect." You had a shift at the supermarket at one thirty, but it didn't matter to you all that much. Plus, as strict as your manager could be, you were a hard worker and so you knew she wouldn't mind you not coming in. The supermarket tended to be overstaffed most week days as it was.
"Yeah, yeah," he nodded his head. "I can--I can do that. For sure."
You smiled tightly. "That sounds good, then. Talk to you tomorrow, Chanyeol-sshi."
"Oh, uh, yes!" he stuttered, shoving his phone into his pocket. "Sounds good. Will do. Have a nice night."
"You as well," you said, then paused. "...Chanyeol-sshi."
Halfway to the automatic sliding doors, he turned back around. "Yes?"
"Is it...anything really bad? What you have to tell me, I mean?" You fidgeted in place, fingers playing with one another idly.
He was quiet for a few seconds, looking surprisingly serious for a change. "Nothing that can't be resolved," he said eventually, flashing you a careful smile.
You found it hard to do the same. "Okay. Thank you, and enjoy the party."
His smile became a grin then. "You're welcome! I'll try my best!"
With a deep bow, he left. You were thus left to stew in silence, and Soonkyu was kind enough not to start hounding you for details that you felt reluctant to give at the moment.
.
The next day couldn't come soon enough.
You dropped Minjung off at school on time, her customary kiss on the cheek doing nothing to warm you as it usually did, and went to your other place of work as quick as you could. The entire shift was spent with you absent-mindedly doing your job as you contemplating what it could possibly be that Chanyeol wished to tell you.
Worst case scenarios seemed to follow you like a dark cloud up until twelve, which was when your shift ended and you made your way back to the apartment in record time. You changed quickly and waited eagerly for the man's phone call. The phone rang at two--exactly on time.
You couldn't have picked up the phone quick enough.
There weren't any pleasantries in the phone call. You cut right to the chase, and were glad that Chanyeol would tell you were impatient and gave you the directions as promised. With a quick goodbye, you were off.
It didn't take him long. In what must have been minutes but to you felt like hours, the bell above the door chimed as the tall, lanky male entered and did a sweep of the place, his eyes brightening as they landed on you.
"Hey," he said somewhat breathlessly. "Sorry I'm a bit late. I ran as fast as I could."
"Hello. You weren't late, don't worry," you said. "Now--"
"Coffee, yes?" he finished with a grin, though that hadn't been what you had wanted to hear.
"I...I don't really want anything," you said, rubbing the back of your neck as you tilted your head to look at where the cash register was situated. Just above it was the menu. Everything look a bit pricey, in your opinion. You didn't like purchasing anything that you felt was unnecessary.
"It's on me!" he insisted, taking out his wallet as if to prove it. "You can get anything you like."
"No, really. It's fine, Chanyeol-sshi. You don't have to get anything for me."
"But I want to," was his stubborn response. His frown seemed to border a pout.
You sighed softly and acquiesced. "I'll just have a small coffee, then," you said, then rattled off other particulars concerning how you liked it.
He nodded eagerly and dashed off with a garbled, "I'll be back!" Any other time you would've grinned in amusement. However, at the moment, you felt too tightly wound to lift your lips up: it felt like too much of a hassle.
With nothing else to do, you watched as Chanyeol moved into line, though there was only one person in front of him. Thus, the line moved quickly, and it didn't take too long for him to give his order. It was clear and pronounced from where you sat, as he was quite loud even when he didn't have to be. It was likely he didn't even know he was, which could be seen as both endearing and annoying.
Your elbow landed on the table, holding up your palm as you watched him wait for the order to be handed to him. His feet kept bouncing, his body swaying, and he kept rearranging the baseball cap sitting proudly atop his head. All nervous ticks that looked amusing from so far away.
When he grasped the two cups of coffee and made his way back to you, you sat up straighter, allowed your elbow to fall flat on the table, and smiled as best you could as you thanked him.
You took a sip from yours as well, though noticeably quieter. He watched you silently as you did so, brows quirking. Your own raised, knowing that obviously he was waiting for something but not knowing what. It wasn't until he meaningfully glanced down at your coffee then back to you that you realization hit you.
"Oh!" you said. "It-it's good. Very good."
He grinned at the praise. "That's good to hear! I'll let Minseok know that he has satisfied yet another customer."
"Sounds like a nice guy," you said, beginning to drum your fingers on the table. You were anxious to get to the reason the two of you met today, though weren't sure how to breach it without seeming too rude or disinterested in the current conversation.
"If you'd like, I could always introduce you to him!" Chanyeol suggested, face brightening at the idea.
You shifted awkwardly in your seat. "Yes, I--that'd be great," you said hurriedly, "but could we...could we talk about why you asked me come here first? What is it about Minjung that you felt was important to tell me?"
At the words, Chanyeol seemed to immediately sober up. His shoulders straightened, back stiffened, and the smile that seemed to have been pinned on his face faded. He coughed into a fist before removing his cap, running a hand through his hair, and placing it carefully back on.
"Right," he murmured, rubbing his hands on his jeans. "I, uh...well, this hasn't really been a problem for me. It's been about a month since I've been the TA in Minjung's class and for the most part I think that the kids are an amazing bunch. It's just that...lately, I've been seeing a pattern crop up that Mrs. Jung--the teacher who is taking care of me--seems to either not notice at all or just...ignore."
Your brows puckered at the words and immediately you wondered what it could possibly be. Was Minjung causing too much trouble? Was she cheating on tests? Was she being disrespectful to classmates? Was she being disrespectful to the teacher?
"Minjung, she..." He sighed, licking his lips. "I have reason to believe that she's being bullied."
.
author's note: i have no idea if that was even a cliffhanger or surprised anyone or not, but there you are. i am so sorry that it has taken me so long to get this part up and for suddenly going MIA on you guys.
also, if some of you didn't read the note on top, i have tweaked a few things in part two. mostly the ending, as i felt that i wrote myself into a corner and it seemed rather out of character for both the reader and minjung, especially concerning the route i am trying to take with their relationship. you'll understand this better as the story progresses.
i didn't edit this to the best of my abilities, i'll admit (i'm so tired right now it's not even funny) so if you do notice any mistakes, i apologize! you can ignore them or let me know, really. either way, thank you so much for reading, and i promise that the next part will be out sooner than this one!
maybe we are the rebels, maybe we are the followers, maybe we are the quiet ones, maybe we are the ones who fix, maybe we are the dictators, maybe we are the sinners, maybe we are the polices;
but all of us are the judges who judge each other.
theartofmadeline
germansingergirl
andulkaphoto
discoholicmusic
turnnoffyourmind
janainaart
areudirty
romaincrisis
