THE LOST PLANET ERA

Jongin’s officially nervous. He’d chalked up Kyungsoo’s isolation from all the members to the sting of Yifan leaving, plus the stress of the concert reorganization and Overdose promotions (given the older male’s intense dedication to perfection). But it’s been weeks now, and Kyungsoo’s started mingling with some members more yet avoiding him. Jongin can’t help but feel déjà vu from the last time Kyungsoo suddenly dropped off the map and left a huge vacancy in his life, and it doesn’t hurt any less this time around.

‘Was it something I did to piss him off?’ Jongin wonders to himself while lying in bed. He can’t think of anything. ‘Maybe he’s just worried about being too close to anyone; we all saw how Tao fell apart…’ The dancer frowns, and feels a surge of protectiveness . ‘Surely he knows I’d never quit or leave him behind. Whatever it is, I’m not waiting around just hoping he’ll come back this time.’

He resolves to seek out his hyung and be direct with him. The next morning in the dorm, Jongin gets up early to catch Kyungsoo in the kitchen making breakfast. He arrives right as the singer is plating food onto four dishes. “Scrambled eggs? It smells delicious, hyung. May I have some?” Jongin asks politely with a hopeful smile.

Kyungsoo startles a little at his voice but doesn’t stop plating the food to look at him. “Yeah, you can take this plate,” the chef says, gesturing at the last one he fills. Kyungsoo carries the other three plates to the table where Luhan, Jongdae, and Junmyeon are sitting, sets them down, and starts to walk off.

“Hey, aren’t you eating with us, Kyungsoo?” asks Junmyeon.

“Yeah, weirdo. Get back here and join us – you said you were in the mood for eggs!” yells Jongdae as Luhan covers his ears mumbling something about it being too early for squawking.

Realizing Kyungsoo gave him his breakfast, Jongin’s heart drops for a moment. “Wait, I can get my own, hyung. Sit and eat.” But Kyungsoo’s already entering his room, turning his head only slightly to tell them, “It’s fine. I forgot I need to go over my lines once more before filming later today.” He starts to shut the door but Jongin’s followed him down the hallway and blocks the door from closing with his foot.

“Ouch! You have to eat breakfast, though,” Jongin tries to reason with him.

Kyungsoo sighs down at the floor, looking a mix of annoyed (for Jongin following him) and regretful (for smashing the boy’s foot). His head continues to hang low, and he keeps the door mostly shut as he speaks through the opening. “I’ll be fine. I need to diet anyway since I’m supposed to look like a vulnerable high school student in this drama.” He pauses, seeming to wrestle with his thoughts before saying authoritatively, “Don’t neglect your foot; sorry I didn’t see it. Go ice it – I filled the ice cube trays last night so there should be some for you in the freezer.”

Jongin steels himself, though, refusing to be shut out. “I’m not icing anything unless you eat this and let me in,” he states petulantly, staring at the other.

Kyungsoo scoffs at his pouting and finally looks him in the eyes. “Jongin, you’re our main dancer, you have to take care of your foot.”

“Well, seeing as how you’re the reason it’s throbbing, I think you should at least do me the courtesy of fixing an ice wrap for it.” Jongin hates that he’s being a brat when his initial intention was to be nice to get back in Kyungsoo’s good graces, but hey, he’ll use whatever he can to worm his way back into the elder’s life right now, even if it means taking advantage of Kyungsoo’s caring nature.

"FINE,” Kyungsoo opens the door wide and points agitatedly for Jongin to sit on the bed before huffing off to the kitchen. Jongin grins to himself and sits on the bed, trying to plot his next move. He sees the script for It’s Okay, That’s Love on the nightstand and gets an idea. Kyungsoo reappears with a bandage wrap and a bag of ice and starts unceremoniously strapping it onto Jongin’s foot.

“Thanks. You always take good care of me, Soo,” Jongin says softly. The older one stops his hasty wrapping for a moment and then continues, at a slightly more careful pace, mumbling quietly under his breath, “…just being a friend.”

“Since you’re doing me a favor in fixing my gravely injured foot,” Jongin sassily perks up, “I feel like I should return it with a favor of helping you go over your lines for the drama.” He waggles the script in front of him like a flag with a goofy grin on his face. And just like that, Kyungsoo’s eyes widen with indignant fire behind them.

“A favor??” Kyungsoo yelps incredulously. “You guilted me hard core into this! I thought you were actually hurt, you nitwit.” He’s reaching for the script, but Jongin is waving it in a figure 8 pattern and he misses. Kyungsoo grunts in frustration and bites his bottom lip as he reaches for it again, trying but failing to hold in a small smile.

The younger giggles at him, “ah, you’re still so cute when you get flustered.” Something in the atmosphere changes instantly, as Kyungsoo stops chasing the script and his face turns stony, lips pressed into a solid line as he stares at the wall to his right. When he turns back to meet Jongin’s gaze, the singer’s eyes are without a trace of playfulness.

“Give me that back and get out – I need to actually work,” he says coldly.

“Hyung, why are you being like this?” Jongin asks, vulnerability dripping from his voice.

“I told you, I have to film later and need to brush up on my lines.”

“No, not that…” His next words all come out in a rush. “Why have you drawn away from me? You’re avoiding me, and it’s not the first time it’s happened. What is it? Did I do something? What’s wrong?” As scared as Jongin is to get answers to these questions, he’s glad he managed to get them out there. His eyes are desperately trying to make contact with the singer’s to show him how sincere he is in wanting to understand.

Kyungsoo seems panicked, looking everywhere in the room except at Jongin. “I-I’m just worried about work, that’s all. I really want to do a good job on this drama.”

Jongin knows it’s a lie, but he’s already used up all his courage in probing these uncharted waters about their relationship, so he grabs for the nearest safe harbor that might still help them get closer. “Well… okay, let me help you then. Let me read lines with you.”

The elder opens his mouth as if he’s about to protest, but breathes out a sigh and relents instead, knowing there’s no good excuse not to, given his reasons. “Alright… let’s read.”

Jongin smiles warmly at the other and shuffles over so there’s space for him to join him on the bed. “Okay, so tell me about your character. What’s he like?”

“He, uh, he adores this one guy. Really looks up to him and wants to be liked by him, but, uh, in this scene, he’s feeling really abandoned by him because the guy is distracted with this girl he likes, so my character feels cast off and is really… miserable from not being accepted by him.”

“Sounds complicated. Can you pull off all those emotions at once?”

Kyungsoo makes an uneasy snort, and his next words almost sound sarcastic to Jongin. “Don’t worry… I’m a good actor.”

The two read lines for an hour, and by the end of it, Jongin’s happy because he’s managed to get a few laughs out of Kyungsoo, even if it’s because he’s botched the delivery on several occasions. The actor is smiling gratefully at him now, making the dancer’s heart feel light. “That was actually really helpful. Thanks, Jongin.”

“Geez, don’t sound so surprised,” Jongin counters, playfully. “I’m not a stellar acting talent like you, but maybe one day I’ll figure some of this out.” Kyungsoo blushes at the compliment, and Jongin can’t help but stare at the crimson glow contrasting with pristine, pale skin. The dancer’s smile fades slowly as he’s overcome with a yearning to touch him. His eyes flicker over to the older’s, trying to discern whether or not he should give in to the desire to caress his cheek.

Kyungsoo seems to pick up on his intentions and takes in a sharp breath, breaking eye contact and leaning slightly away. “Th-thanks, um, I should get ready to go.” As he starts to stand up, Jongin grabs his hand and gently tugs him back, causing him to sit closer than he had previously. Thighs snug against each other and their hands still connected, Jongin throws caution to the wind and reaches up with his free hand to Kyungsoo’s hair tenderly, letting a finger trace down his sideburn, across his rosy cheek, and along his sharp jawline, stopping at his chin. Gently, he tips the elder’s face toward him and tells him quietly, “I’ve missed you, Soo. Just, please… don’t run away from me again, okay?” Jongin presses his lips softly against the trembling heart-shaped ones in front of