replaymods
Summary: Wherein Jonghyun frowns and Taemin smiles. And Jinki manages to fall over.
-----
"I still don't see why I had to come with you," Jonghyun mutters under his breath, hauling his bags away from the rented car and toward their new apartment.
"You came with me," Kibum replies loudly, "Because you're my best friend and it's your duty to make sure I don't have to go through this trying time alone."
Jonghyun snorts. "Trying time? Your parents made you come down here to visit your grandma. And because of that, I'm not spending Christmas with my family. Thanks for that, by the way."
"Yeah, but I have to spend Christmas with my grandma."
"Shut up. You love your grandma more than you love me."
Kibum laughs breathily, heaving his suitcase up the second flight of stairs. "That's true."
When they finally reach the fourth floor, Kibum fumbles with the keys his parents had given him, pushing open the little red door.
"Welcome to your new home!" Kibum trills as he throws his designer suitcase to the wooden floor.
As Jonghyun watches one of the shelves clatter to the ground due to Kibum's exuberant welcome, he can't help but wish that the Christmas season was already over.
--
"Hey, hey Minho," Taemin calls to his co-worker, pushing his hair out of his face, "Have you got the key to the break room? Krystal was supposed to leave it under the mat, but I can't find it." He squats down again, careful not to rest his knees in a nearby puddle, lifting the threadbare welcome mat again, seeing if he could have somehow missed the tell-tale glint of a key.
Minho rummages in his bag from behind the counter and pulls out the key with a triumphant smirk. "Here you go," he says, tossing it to his friend. "I found it earlier on the floor. I think she must have dropped it."
Taemin pushes the door open, flicking the lights on and making a cup of coffee for Minho and a warm cup of apple cider for himself.
After dumping his bag on the small, discolored couch, Taemin takes the two mugs back out, handing the coffee over the counter. He watches the older boy grimace. "How can you drink that stuff so early in the morning? Wait, let me rephrase that. How can you drink that stuff at all?"
Taemin laughs as he pushes the front door open, the sky still stained the pale blue of early morning, breath coming out in soft white puffs. He shivers in his fleece before bringing the cup to his lips, relishing the taste of apple and cinnamon.
"C'mon Minho," he says, "It's nearly Christmas! How can you not have a warm cup of cider in the morning?"
"Easily," Minho mutters. "Now, open up the till. People are gonna start arriving soon. It's the first day of Christmas vacation."
Taemin claps his hands in excitement, placing his mug on the counter before hopping over it.
Pulling his beanie and gloves on (it could get pretty cold while waiting for customers), Taemin makes sure that all the ice-skates are in their little cubby-holes, the till is open and the coffee machine is brewing another batch of hazelnut coffee. Then, with a smile, he high-fives his friend. "Okay," he yells, "Let's get the Christmas season started!"
Minho rolls his eyes, but Taemin can see the smile on his lips.
--
"Grandma! Grandma, are you in here?" Kibum calls through the letter box, trying to peek into his grandmother's small bungalow.
"Ah, Kibum!" a strong, happy voice replies, "There you are. Come in, come in. The door should be open."
Kibum hitches his duffel bag higher onto his shoulder, pushing the door closed behind him.
"We're in here," his grandmother calls from the living room. Kibum cocks his head. 'We'?
Poking his head around the door, he notices his grandmother sitting with a young man, his age, maybe younger, watching the television and sharing small snacks.
Kibum bows uncertainly to the stranger. "Um, hello," he says, fixing his eyes on his grandmother. Brightening, he bounds to her side, dropping his bag to the floor. Taking her hand, he leans down to peck her on the cheek. "Hey Grandma! I haven't seen you since Dad's birthday. How have you been?"
His grandmother smiles, a wide, happy smile. "I've been fine, darling. I told your father you didn't have to come down to visit me this year." She frowns. "I didn't want to trouble you. Jinki has been taking good care of me."
Kibum's smile is just as wide. God, he's missed his grandma. "It's fine. I wanted to come down. And I got Jonghyun to come down and stay with me. You remember Jonghyun, right?" His grandmother nods.
Kibum turns to the young brunet in the room. Holding out his hand, he introduces himself. "I'm Kibum. You must be Jinki."
The young man returns his handshake, the corners of his eyes crinkling endearingly. "Hey." He pauses, chewing on his snack. He holds the jar out to Kibum, "Peanuts?"
"Yeah, thanks," Kibum replies with a quirk of his lips.
Dipping his hand into the jar, he wasn't to know that this was the start of a beautiful friendship.
--
When Kibum returns home, he finds Jonghyun exactly where he left him, sitting on their couch, watching television, in his boxers.
"Oh my God, have you not moved all day?" he asks in disgust, throwing his bag at the other man.
"Of course I have," Jonghyun replies defensively, "I got up to pee. Twice."
"Oh well done," Kibum sneers. "Now, get up and shower. We're going out tonight. I met this guy and he's really nice and he's invited us out. I really don't want to be stuck in this apartment, but I am not going with someone who looks like a hobo." He steps closer to Jonghyun, only to recoil. "And smells like one too. Jesus, Jonghyun. Go. Shower. Now."
"Fine, fine," Jonghyun mutters sulkily, pushing himself reluctantly to his feet. "I'll go shower so we can go hang out with your stupid new friend." Running a hand through his hair, he gives Kibum a hesitant look. "Wait. Where did you meet this guy? Weren't you with your grandma all day?" He slips off his sock as he hops over to the bathroom. "How is she, by the way?"
"She's doing great," Kibum answers, "And I met Jinki at her house. He's been visiting her every day as part of some kind of volunteer program. My grandma really likes him, so he can't be too bad. And he invited us to join him at the ice-skating rink. How cute and small-town is that?"
Jonghyun rolls his eyes. "Fucking ice-skating? It's too cold, Kibum. Why do all these stupid small-town hicks feel the need to include me in their stupid fucking activities?" he complains, slamming the bathroom door shut.
"Shut up," Kibum replies, throwing a cushion at the closed door. He pauses for a moment, before adding, "And don't you dare use my shampoo!"
--
"I hate winter," Jonghyun whines softly as he and Kibum hurry towards the ice-skating rink, "Remind me again why we're here."
"Because I said so," Kibum reminds him imperiously, pushing his bangs from his eyes with an impatient flick of his hand, cursing the incessant wind.
They can already hear the cheesy Christmas carols echoing inside, and Jonghyun mutters, "Christ," ignoring the glare that Kibum throws at him.
As they step inside, a young brunet spots Kibum and waves. "Hey, Kibum," he greets him, making his way over to them from behind the counter, "Glad you could make it." He looks at boy beside him. "And you must be Jonghyun. It's nice to meet you."
He holds out his hand, which Jonghyun grasps quickly before sticking it back under his armpit because, goddamit, it's cold.
"Do you work here too?" Kibum asks in disbelief. "You're still in university, right? Where do you find the time?"
Jinki laughs, waving a hand dismissively. "No, no. My, uh. Well, my boyfriend works here." He looks at Kibum uncertainly, but relaxes into a smile when Kibum only nods in understanding. "I'll go get him."
He leans back over the counter and yells into the back, "Minho! Get your butt out here. I want you to meet my new friends."
A tall, handsome boy with short black hair appears, pecking his boyfriend on the lips before waving at the two newcomers. "Hi."
Jonghyun snorts quietly. Clearly a man of few words.
Kibum slyly pinches him in the side, causing Jonghyun to wince and growl, before waving back, pulling Jonghyun over to the counter by the arm. "Hey. I'm Kibum, and this is my friend Jonghyun."
Jinki makes his way back around the counter, where Minho casually slings an arm over his shoulder, but even Jonghyun can read the movement loud and clear.
He's mine.
"It's nice to meet you," Minho replies, "I'm Minho. And Taemin's in the back. I'll introduce you guys when he comes out."
"Oh great," Jonghyun mutters under his breath, "Another person I have to pretend to be interested in."
Or, that is what he would have said. If he hadn't choked on his words as a lithe brunet with a shock of wavy hair skipped up to the counter from behind a row of cubby-holes.
Jinki stares at the young boy beside him. "Has anyone ever told you, you have freakishly good timing?"
The boy shrugs, more interested in the two newcomers. "It's a gift." He stretches out a hand. "I'm Taemin. It's nice to meet you guys. Where're you from? How come you're in town? The weather's cold today, isn't it?" He finishes with a bright grin.
"Breathe, Taemin," Jinki jokes.
Kibum shakes Taemin's proffered hand with a look in his eyes that makes Jonghyun want to curl up and die. He knows that look. He's been on the receiving end of that look. He knows that, by the end of the night, Kibum and this Taemin guy will be the best of friends.
But, as he takes Taemin's hand, Jonghyun can't bring himself to get annoyed by it.
Without even waiting for a few answers, Taemin immediately begins drilling them for their shoe sizes, pulling the appropriate ice-skates to the counter. He gives Minho an excited smile. "C'mon, we've got a break now too. Krystal and Sulli just got in."
Minho laughs at his coworker's eagerness and leads Jinki around the counter by his hand, and the five pull on their skates.
Jinki leads the way, much to Minho's and Taemin's apparent amusement.
"Let's get going, guys!" he shouts jubilantly. "Hey, hey, Kibum. Have you and Jonghyun ever gone skating in the city?"
Jonghyun snorts. "No. Normally, Kibum drags me around the shopping district during the Christmas season."
Kibum lets it slide, because at least now Jonghyun's talking to the other three, and he's not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. When Jonghyun gets into one of his moods... Well, let's just say even he was impressed by the level of bitchiness the smaller man could achieve.
Jonghyun steps on to the ice hesitantly, keeping a death grip on the side of the rink. "This is supposed to be fun?" he mutters darkly, edging around the rink.
"Pretty much, yeah," Kibum teases, walking on carefully, before gliding past his friend. He'd always visited his grandma when he was little, and his parents had taken him skating more than once.
Jinki steps on to the ice next, falling down straight away. Jonghyun slides to a slow halt as he looks at the other boy, wide-eyed, before bursting in to laughter. "I thought you townies were supposed to be good at this sort of thing," he manages to splutter between guffaws.
Minho glowers at him, gliding gently towards his boyfriend and helping him up, pulling him along by the hand. Gaining his balance, Jinki sails past Jonghyun, waving as he does so.
Jinki's other friend, Taemin, makes his way to Jonghyun's side. "Hey, d'you wanna hold my hand?" he asks, holding out a mitten.
Jonghyun turns his head and continues to inch his way around. "No, I'm fine, thanks."
Taemin shrugs and skates around the rink a few times, before asking Jonghyun again.
"No, I'm still fine, thanks," Jonghyun mutters sullenly. His feet are aching and his nose is numb, and Jonghyun's determined not to enjoy himself. But Taemin's primary-colored beanie and the way his eyes scrunch up at the corners are making it very hard.
Taemin continues to skate alongside Jonghyun, keeping his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Then..." he begins casually, "How about you give me your number?"
Jonghyun slides to a halt, losing what little momentum he had built. "You want what?" he chokes. His hands grip the side of the rink even tighter, and he pretends it's just because he doesn't want to slip and fall over and not because he isn't sure what to make of request. It isn't because he's scared and unsure. What did a boy like this, so bright and happy and carefree, want with grumpy, waspish him?
Yeah, that's not the reason.
"Your number. In case you fall over while I'm doing something else. Or! Or!" Taemin exclaims, his face brightening as he thinks of more ideas, "In case someone accidentally stabs you with their foot, and you need me to get an ambulance for you! Or if you get frostbite and you need me to carry you to a chair. Or... in case you're hungry sometime and you want some company during dinner?"
Jonghyun smirks. "Are you asking me out on a date?"
Taemin splutters, and it's the first time during the whole evening Jonghyun has seen him lose his cool.
"Well! Maybe. What. No. Actually. I just felt sorry for you," he stutters.
Jonghyun holds out his hand and lets a small smile flit across his face. Just because he's stuck in this stupid town for Christmas doesn't mean he can't enjoy it.
Taemin grasps his hand hesitantly, an eyebrow raised.
Jonghyun laughs. "Teach me how to skate."
--
As evening approaches, the five boys bundle into a small restaurant—Taemin and Minho's shift is finished—shivering and laughing as they order drinks and food.
Kibum doesn't fail to notice the way Jonghyun's eyes light up when he looks at Taemin, nor the way both of their hands stay under the table.
Hand-holding. Honestly. It's sickening.
He turns back to Minho and Jinki, laughing at Jinki's antics and Minho's fond exasperation. After a few minutes, they share a knowing look, and Kibum turns, confused, toward Jonghyun.
Only to see his and Taemin's heads bent together, whispers being thrown back and forth, secret smiles playing on lips. Kibum groans and calls the waiter over. He's way too sober for this.
--
"Oh my God, someone's inside my skull Jonghyun. And they're trying to get out," Kibum rasps, rolling off of his bed with a moan. "Make it stop," he whimpers.
He hears a laugh, and peeks out from under his covers. Jonghyun comes into the bedroom with a cup of coffee and an omelet.
"Here you go. You and Jinki drank way too much last night. It was hilarious, trust me."
Kibum retorts with a few choice words, muttering, "I liked you better when you were miserable."
Jonghyun ignores him, places the food on Kibum's bedside table and pulls out his phone as it starts to vibrate.
"Taemin's wondering if we want to go out again tonight."
"No," Kibum deadpans. "Leave me here to die."
"Oh," Jonghyun murmurs, looking down at the floor. "Don't make me go by myself. Please, Kibum," he wheedles.
Kibum gives a weak yell of frustration. "Fine!"
He hears more than that sees Jonghyun skip from the room, yelling, "Thanks, Kibum, you're the greatest."
Despite the fact that his mouth tastes like dirt and his head is pounding, Kibum finds it hard to not smile.
--
Jonghyun sees Taemin that day.
And the next day. And the day after that.
He's finding it really hard to remember why he's been so grumpy recently. Especially when Taemin smiles at him just so, or runs on ahead of him and points at something excitedly in a shop window.
Hours blur, and Jonghyun isn't returning to the apartment until midnight, sometimes one in the morning.
And despite Kibum's snide remarks, they haven't even kissed.
But his heart still squeezes in a funny way when Taemin looks at him. And he's never spent this much time with someone he's barely known.
But, somehow, with Taemin, it feels right.
--
A week later, and Jonghyun pulls his scarf from his neck as he stumbles into the apartment.
"Hey Kibum," he calls out, setting the groceries on the table, "Taemin said Jinki wants to take us out tonight to celebrate Christmas Eve. There's supposed to be fireworks and stuff in the park and he said it's, like, a town tradition."
Kibum snorts in disgust as he looks at Jonghyun's flushed face and bright eyes. "I can't believe you and Taemin are buying groceries together. Groceries, Jonghyun. You're like an old married couple."
The flush spreads to Jonghyun's neck as he pulls off his coat, flustered. "We're not. We're. But we aren't." He coughs. "We're not going out."
Kibum bursts into laughter. "Yeah, I'm sure."
--
Taemin snickers as Minho and Kibum bicker and push each other as they make their way to the park, warmed by eggnog and mulled wine.
He sidles up to Jonghyun, linking their finger as he listens to him and Jinki discussing current musicians. Honestly. Band geeks, the both of them.
They stop by the main fountain, surrounded by other spectators, and Taemin smiles brightly as the air clouds in front of his face. Jinki and Minho wander off, arms wrapped around each other, and Kibum waves as he begins to weave through the crowd, looking for his grandmother and her friends.
Jonghyun collapses onto the edge of the fountain, pulling Taemin down next to him. He cocks his head to the side, looking at Taemin's profile.
"You realize you are completely responsible for me tonight? You dragged me out of my warm, comfy apartment, to spend Christmas Eve here with you, when I could be at home, on my own, sulking over the fact that I'm going to be alone for Christmas?"
Taemin laughs and rests his head against Jonghyun shoulder. "Well, I'm really sorry for being such an unfeeling loser and making you come out here and have fun." A little contented sigh escapes his lips. Jonghyun smiles.
"No, but. Seriously. It's freezing out here, and you didn't tell me I would need gloves!" Jonghyun whines, jostling Taemin teasingly.
Taemin huffs in exasperation before pulling Jonghyun's hands into his own and rubbing them vigorously. "I feel like your mother," he complains. "I'm the youngest. You should be looking after me!"
Jonghyun just hums vaguely, staring at their tangled fingers, his watch glinting off the lamplight.
"Taemin," he murmurs, catching Taemin's hands in his own, holding them steady. He watches Taemin's adam's apple bob nervously. And suddenly, the world shrinks in size, and it's just the two of them.
"Yeah?"
"Merry Christmas," he whispers before leaning over and pressing a sweet kiss to Taemin's waiting lips.
Jonghyun leans back, eyes expectant and hopeful.
He feels warm all over as Taemin's surprise morphs into a beautiful, radiant smile.
"Merry Christmas," he replies and, this time, he's the one to lean forward.
And as the two boys lose themselves in a world of bliss, fireworks race through the skies.
