EXO'LUXION ERA

From Kyungsoo
I’ll be back for good in two weeks.
Wait for me.

Jongin reads the message every day. His heart beats a bit faster each time, but his brain chides him and tries to formulate a plan for how to actually react once the beautiful boy returns. He stares at the singer’s empty bed across from his: neatly made, with sheets smoothed out and corners crisply tucked in, reflecting Kyungsoo’s meticulous perfectionism. He knows he can’t continue the way he was at the last two concerts, just avoiding Kyungsoo whenever he’s around. He’s going to be there, RIGHT THERE, in just one more day. He’s already sick of Chanyeol’s concerned looks and Junmyeon asking him if everything’s alright. He thinks the leader has even harassed Sehun to talk to him more, to remind him he has other friends in the group, but heaven help him, Sehun never has any idea what to say. Jongin actually takes pity on his awkward attempts to start conversation and ends up suggesting they go practice dancing (much to Sehun’s relief). Any further distance from Kyungsoo when he returns is going to spark suspicions.

He’s going to have to at least be friendly.

‘You can do this. You were friends for years before anything more happened… not to mention you switched back to friends for a while, too.’ He lies to himself that it’ll be an easier transition than he thinks. Deep down he knows it’s different this time. He’d called Kyungsoo ‘jagi,’ and reveled in the way Soo’s rich voice whispered ‘baby’ at him amid stolen kisses. How, after all these… feelings… they’d had for each other, were they supposed to return to just friends?

That final night before his return, after checking that Chanyeol is fast asleep, Jongin allows himself one more moment of lingering in the dark by Kyungsoo’s bed. His nightly routine here is a private indulgence he’s allowed himself every day the boy has been gone, even after their break up in Beijing. He closes his eyes and pretends the older boy is there. It used to be easier, when the singer’s intoxicating scent still clung to the fabric, but that’s long since dissipated after months of disuse. He lets his fingers drift across the pillow, tracing where Kyungsoo’s raven hair will once more lie. As a tear rolls down his cheek, Jongin leans forward and lightly kisses the pillow where heart-shaped lips will be, parted slightly as the older boy breathes softly while sleeping.

As he climbs into his own bed, Jongin says goodbye to this comforting habit, knowing he can’t continue it. He lies awake going over all the possibilities of how to respond to Kyungsoo coming through the dorm’s front door in the morning.

Chickening out, he decides that avoidance, even with obnoxious questions from members, will be easier than trying to be friends.

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Kyungsoo’s not making that plan easy on him.

Almost like he knew Jongin might try to hide, Kyungsoo starts giving each and every member a hug shortly after putting his shoes away in the front entrance. If Jongin declines one or leaves the room without it, it’s going to look super suspicious. He holds his breath and closes his eyes right before the shorter male wraps him arms around him, as if minimizing the number of senses that are exposed to Kyungsoo will somehow help reduce the yearning from within to hold on and never let go.

“Hey. I need to talk to you.” Kyungsoo says this just a touch louder than his normal volume, almost like he wants to make sure everyone hears him. Jongin panics: normally that’d be a phrase that they might whisper to each other to avoid attracting attention. If the singer’s move was purposeful, it worked. Everyone is looking at them right now.

“Um, maybe later,” Jongin immediately evades. “Sehun and I are just about to head over to dance practice.”

The maknae’s head whips up so fast, his long hair flops comically straight up and then back down in his eyes, causing the boy to blow his bangs back off to the side. “We are?” Junmyeon shoots him a meaningful glare, and Sehun chokes down his last bite of cereal. “I mean, we are. I just need to go get a hat, then I’m ready.”

Jongin winces at how obvious they’re being but tries to keep a straight face when he turns back to Kyungsoo.

“Okay,” the older boy says, with understanding but unwavering eyes. “When you’re ready.”

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Between all the broadcasts and Exo’luxion tour stops the group is doing, Jongin manages to keep making excuses for another week to avoid being alone with Kyungsoo. He had figured by now that Kyungsoo would have gotten the hint and given up. Well, to be fair, the older boy was clearly wise to his evading tactics, unable to contain not-so-subtle sighs when Jongin would invite another member over to sit at their table at a meal or when Jongin would pretend to be asleep in the van if Kyungsoo sat next to him.

But he hadn’t stopped trying.

Jaehyuk is now informing the group about their Second Box DVD recordings. “Aside from the usual group activities, we’re going to have you do interview questions in pairs. We’re calling them ‘couple talks,’ and while we can’t pair everyone with everyone, you’ll each do two. Okay, first pairs… Sehun and Chanyeol, Kai and D.O,…”

Jongin stops listening to the pairings. He’s going to have to do a couple talk, on screen, with Kyungsoo. This is a disaster waiting to happen. It violates multiple tenets of his official “avoidance plan” he’s been strictly adhering to since the singer’s return. He pulls Jaehyuk to the side of the group after he’s done announcing.

“Um, are the couple pairings set in stone? Because I’d like to request—“

“No!” Jaehyuk cuts him off, waving his hands frantically. “No requests! Do you have any idea how hard it was to figure out the right way to rotate 9 people through 2 couples and make sure it worked out properly? I nearly hired a consultant to do the math because I kept screwing it up.”

“But, hyung,” Jongin tries his aegyo.

“No buts. Besides, ‘the Jong brothers’ has a nice ring to it, and goodness knows we got so many requests for you and Kyungsoo to do it together.”

Jongin’s eyes widen. “What?”

“Yeah, our social media team has had countless complaints lately that there isn’t enough ‘Kaisoo’ or ‘Kadi’ or whatever the hell the fans call you guys. You’re rarely paired up in our official interviews or reality shows, and apparently you’ve been ‘distant’ during the concerts of late. At least one fan must have gotten ahold of our filming schedule, too, because she was explicitly requesting more interactions between you two for our second DVD shoots.”

Upon hearing this, Jongin narrows his eyes in suspicion and sneaks a peek at Kyungsoo, who’s standing conspicuously close by. The boy meets his gaze head on and gives him the smuggest smirk Jongin has ever seen before turning away. The singer’s shoulders shake lightly, and the dancer knows he’s giggling. GIGGLING.

‘He stole my move! He’s stooped to pretending to be a fan to push us closer together.’ Jongin’s heart can’t decide whether he’s annoyed at getting a taste of his own medicine or totally flattered at Kyungsoo’s unflappable determination to get them talking again.

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The filming went surprisingly well. Almost too well. Kai adores D.O, and he can’t help but express it when asked direct questions like that. Jongin still can’t bring himself to really look at Kyungsoo, though, worried his defenses might break down at any moment. The older boy’s deviousness knows no bounds, as he even manages to get him to promise to do a meal date sometime in the future at the restaurants they discuss. ‘Smooth er,’ Jongin curses internally, knowing he’s slowly weakening toward the other.

Kyungsoo must sense it, too, because he’s relentless in following Jongin afterward, trying to keep up the momentum of them talking again. The set is outside on what has been a gorgeous day. They end up on a pair of fairly secluded lounge chairs in a shady grove. Little flecks of orange light from the approaching dusk filter through the leafy canopy, giving everything a warm glow. The singer’s only discussing mundane, easy topics, like the mosquito nest that seems like it might fall on Jaehyuk or how the catered food display looks a bit like Minseok’s apple hair style.

Just as the dancer finds himself relaxing and actually laughing at some of the elder’s observations, Kyungsoo transitions to a serious voice matched with an equally heavy gaze. “I really miss you, Jongin.” There’s a beat of silence, and Jongin’s not sure how to fill it. The singer continues, “I’ve thought a lot about what you said, and I need you to know that I—“

“Don’t.” Jongin cuts him off, walls going up defensively. He keeps his eyes trained on the trees above him. He can’t look over at the boy’s perfect features (though his peripheral vision picks up his sharp jawline tensing up). If he does, he knows he’ll get right back into everything that’s captivating about the singer: those pupp