TROIS 

 The curse words are still there when he wakes up the next morning. Jinki is gone on an errand according to the post-it on the refrigerator. Kibum stares at the mirror and traces the lines that are no longer as bright red as they were yesterday. They’re still wounds, however. He sighs. How come he didn’t notice when they got marred onto his skin? He barely remembers running into someone and it makes absolutely no sense to him. Yet the evidence is there on his neck, just like the scars on his chest and around his ankle are blaring evidence that he has been cursed by fate to have not only one but three soulmates.

He dresses in a turtleneck so he can conceal it to the outer world. Maybe he can at least forget it if he can’t see it. In the end, he doesn’t know who this new soulmate is. As cruel as fate usually is, maybe this time, it will realize that it made a mistake, granted him a soulmate he shouldn’t have and keep them from each other. 

The curse words are also there when he gets home from work and violently pulls the neck of his shirt down. He sighs as he stares in the mirror. The apartment is empty, Jinki is working and Kibum goes to find something he can eat in the kitchen. Soyou texts him to remind him of Nicole’s upcoming baby shower and Kibum sends a confirmation text back; he’ll be there.

Then he goes on to eat a cup of ramen before he turns on the TV and slumps on the couch. He has fallen asleep when Jinki arrives home to turn off the TV and carry him to bed.

Kibum doesn’t expect the other voice when he enters their apartment the next day. He knows Jinki is home because the other is off today but he wasn’t expecting the deep voice that talks to Jinki in the living room. It has his heart beating in his rib cage and he considers turning around and leaving the apartment for 30 seconds before Jinki peeps into the hallway and smiles.

“Welcome home,” he says and Kibum hates himself a little when he reciprocates Jinki’s smile. He wishes they were alone. If they were, today would have been good but they’re not and Kibum knows exactly why they’re not, even if Jinki doesn’t say it. Minho is sitting on the couch and Jinki disappears back into the kitchen.

“Hey,” Kibum says and Minho looks up. The eye contact makes Kibum’s heart flutter and he bites his lower lip slightly out of habit. Minho nods his greeting. Jinki hums from the kitchen. In some way, Kibum would wish they were somewhere private, just him and Minho. He also knows that if they were the only two, he would never say sorry or talk to Minho so maybe it’s for the better. He still can’t believe Jinki has actually invited Minho over though. They sit in silence until Jinki enters the living room and sighs at them.

“Food’s ready,” he says and Kibum hurries from the couch and into the kitchen. He wants to take Jinki’s hand so badly, wants a little comfort but he knows that what he is going to tell Minho, what he needs to tell Minho, is not exactly something Jinki wants to hear either. He can see it on the older man, how his shoulders are tense and his eyes downcast even when Minho compliments the French meal he’s been cooking.

Dinner is awkward to say the least and Kibum just wishes he could go back to the time where he was only Jinki’s fiancé and soulmate. The time where he didn’t love Minho or Minho, maybe, possibly wasn’t in love with him.

But with Yoojin’s angry outburst the day she came to visit him at the clinic and with Jinki inviting the other over, Kibum is absolutely certain that this is all arranged so he can finally step into unpredictable territory and tell the other man that maybe he’s in love with Minho too. He sighs and puts his fork down before he looks up.

For someone with so little courage, Kibum feels awfully challenged when he asks Minho if they can talk in the bedroom. Jinki eyes them with a nervous tapping on the dinner table as Minho nods and follows Kibum into the bedroom. The two men are not looking at each other.

“Yoojin came to see me at the clinic a couple of days ago,” Kibum starts. His voice is low, it’s shaky but it makes Minho look up in surprise.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I’ll tell her that it’s not okay. I hope she wasn’t causing any trouble.”

He keeps going with apologies until Kibum stops him with a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay, it’s not Yoojin…” He takes a look at the bed before he sits down and Minho sits down beside him. “She … told me that you have been hurting.” Minho blinks confused. “Well, no, technically she hit my chest and told me it was for hurting you and her.”

Kibum looks towards the floor.

“I don’t get it,” Minho says and Kibum sighs. Then he looks up, gets eye contact with Minho and leans in and presses his lips softly to Minho’s. The taller man gasps and pulls away, staring at Kibum with an expression Kibum can’t read. Kibum hates it. His heart is beating faster every second and the silence only grows heavier and heavier.

“I’m in love with you,” Kibum confesses. “I know I shouldn’t be because I also love Jinki and it’s all a mess but I’m sure we can work it out together somehow, I don’t know, I just know I’m in love with you.”

There’s silent between them again before Minho curses.

“, how do we do this? I can’t … I mean, I can’t ruin your relationship with Jinki, I know I can’t, it’s wrong!”

Kibum takes his hand and it quiets the other down.

“Just tell me, are you in love with me too?”

There’s silence and hesitation before Minho gets up from the bed and walks towards the door before he turns around and stalks back to Kibum, one hand holding his head before their lips mold together. It has Kibum sigh as his ears are filled with the sound of his blood pumping through his veins and how his body is lit on fire. It’s nothing like kissing Jinki with fireworks and the feeling of home. It’s hungry, it’s angry, it’s passionate, it’s everything he’s ever wanted, everything he’s ever needed and Kibum clutches to the front of Minho’s sweater and pulls him closer, closer, closer until there is nothing more between them.

When Minho pulls away he looks slightly surprised and very frightened with his own response. Kibum sends him a smile.

“Yes,” Minho whispers but he still looks like he can’t believe he just kissed Kibum. “I fell in love with you too but how can this be when you’re engaged to Jinki?”

It hits Kibum with a feeling of guilt. He’s just been kissing Minho in the bedroom he shares with Jinki. That’s not fair to the older man but Kibum doesn’t want to give Minho even more reason to pull away now that he’s finally aware that the other loves him too. He can’t lose Minho because he’s too scared of hurting Jinki.

“We’ll work it out! I promise. I cannot lose either of you.”

Then it hits him that he needs to tell Jinki this too. Kibum gets up from the bed, grabs Minho’s hand and drags him through the apartment until he finds Jinki in the work room, headphones on, hiding him from the reality of things. Kibum knows he’s hiding because he doesn’t want to hear about Minho. He doesn’t want to share even though he promised he would try. This is just as difficult for him as it is for the rest of them. Kibum lets go of Minho’s hand and gently leans down so he can kiss Jinki’s cheek and slowly pull the headphones away from his ears.

“I love you,” he says into the room. It’s to both of them. “I love you both and I can’t lose either of you. I’ll do whatever you want me to, just … I can’t lose both of you and it’s selfish and I’m sorry you have to go through this because of…” he points towards his body as if to indicate that it wasn’t exactly his choice. “But now that I have you, I can’t let you go. I need you both to survive.” There’s silent when he finishes as the two men turn their head to look at Kibum who stands in the middle of them. “I really can’t lose you.”

Kibum wants to elaborate, wants to bear his heart so they know that he speaks the truth when he tells them he loves them but he has no other way but his words. Neither of them says anything and Kibum suddenly grows insecure.

“Please say something,” he whispers into the room but then Jinki sends him a bright smile and a nod.

“We’ll work it out. I promise.”

Minho puts his hand on Kibum’s shoulder and sends him a small smile. It’s a lot less promising than Jinki’s but Kibum wants to believe him as he nods and promises that he’ll try to make it work as well.

They’re interrupted by Minho’s cell phone and as his face morphs from relief to confusion and then to anger while he’s on the phone Kibum knows something is terribly wrong.

“I have to leave, it’s … It’s Yoojin,” he says and lifts the phone from his face quickly before he places it against his ear again. “I’ll be back home soon, honey, I promise. Yoojin, sweetheart, calm down.”

He nods towards the door, leans towards Kibum, only to hesitate, lean back and turn around and leave the room. Kibum hurries after him but only catches up with him as he puts on his jacket and pockets his phone.

“Is she okay?” he blurts out as he grasps onto Minho’s sleeve and the other man turns around.

“She’s upset. Kibum, I have to get home to her.”

Kibum nods and leans up to kiss Minho’s cheek.

“I get it. I’ll see you later.”

Minho sends him a small smile that has Kibum blushing slightly before he rushes out the door. Then he hears Jinki chuckle behind him and turns around to glare at his fiancé.

“Jinki!” he says but the other just tilts his head.

“You never blushed with me,” he says and Kibum pouts. That’s a lie, Kibum blushed with Jinki before and Jinki certainly also blushed with him. But he won’t tell Jinki because the other is clearly having fun over this. Instead, he walks closer and presses his lips against Jinki’s nose while he wraps his arms gently around Jinki’s waist.

“You know I love you too, right?” Jinki nods to that but doesn’t say anything. “I promise, it’ll be okay, we can work it out. Don’t run away ever again.”

Jinki just leans up to press his lips gently towards Kibum’s in answer.

“I’m glad you finally told him,” he says when he lets go and sends Kibum a smile. Kibum reciprocates. He’s happy too. The words were absolutely awful to say but now that he has said them, he’s more than relieved. Kibum is happy Jinki had the strength to accept Minho. Their situation may be unique but he’s absolutely sure he’ll be able to do it now. Jinki lets his fingers fumble with the collar of Kibum’s turtleneck and the younger gently pries his fingers away.

“Don’t. Please don’t. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to this up.”

Jinki sends him a small smile before he lets go completely and leaves Kibum in the hall.

The wind is strong as people hurry throughout their last Halloween shopping before the weekend. Kibum pulls his trench coat further around him and pockets his hands. He’s on his way home from the clinic as he decides he wants to go through the park. It’s a couple of weeks after his confession to Minho and although they’re still trying to make it work, Kibum is growing more and more confident that they will eventually succeed. Most of the time he doesn’t show his love while they’re both around, he doesn’t want to hurt any of them so he keeps it on the low. On the other hand, Minho and Jinki have started talking more.

Minho and Yoojin have been invited over for dinner more than once and Jinki even brought Yoojin home to cook one day while Minho was working overtime. Kibum is just happy they get along. He finds a bench in the park and sits down, crosses his leg and leans back. It’s cold but the wind is fresh and he doesn’t want to return home. For some reason, it’s clearing his mind. Then he overhears someone talk behind him.

Kibum doesn’t open his eyes, just lets the not-so-subtle whispers filter through his mind. It sounds like a man and a woman, the woman angrily hissing back to her companion. When he does open his eyes after what feels like a couple of minutes, he sees the back of a dark-haired woman with a bob-cut in a feminine white maxi-dress and a light jacket. Her taller companion is dressed in a big woolen coat and looks like he freezes a lot more than her. Kibum smiles as he gets up from his seat on the bench and starts his walk home.

He isn’t expecting it when he comes home to a kitchen filled with smoke. Jinki rarely s up in the kitchen and even the times he does, it has never been this bad. The fire alarm is beeping loudly and someone curses loudly. Kibum hurries inside to open the windows to let the air out when he hears a girl scream before something crashes.

It takes him a couple of seconds where he wonders whether or not he stepped into the wrong apartment before he recognizes Minho’s curses and Yoojin hurries from the kitchen to the bathroom. Kibum hurries into the kitchen where he finds a pan whirling black smoke towards the ceiling. It has been removed from the offending hob to another but the thing that was once on the pan, looking like food, is now coal.

Minho is on the floor, his ankle swelling rapidly as he curses. He doesn’t get to say anything before Yoojin hurries past him and kneels before her father to put a wet towel on his ankle. Minho winces. Kibum reaches up to turn the fire alarm off and then clears his throat and gets the attention of both father and daughter.

“What on Earth happened here?” he asks, looking from Minho to Yoojin and back to Minho. Minho tries to move but has to stay put when he grimaces in pain.

“Yoojin wanted to surprise you guys with dinner,” he says. Kibum just lifts an eyebrow.

“Where’s Jinki?”

Yoojin looks sheepishly to the floor before she gets up and looks at Kibum’s feet, too afraid to meet his eyes.

“I’m sorry!” Then something gives her courage and she looks up. “Dad fell from the chair!”

Kibum sighs when his heart feels sorry for the man.

“Can you stand?” he asks and kneels to help Minho up. The second Minho’s foot touches the ground he curses in pain. Then he looks back at Kibum, standing on one foot, before he shakes his head.

“It’s probably just a sprain, I just need something cold on it, it’ll be fine.”

Yoojin doesn’t seem to believe him as she stares at her father but Kibum lets him be. Then Jinki arrives home, notices the smoke that is still lingering in the apartment and hurries into his beloved kitchen.

“What…?” he says before he sees Yoojin and her father and greets them quickly with a nod. Then he turns back to his kitchen and tries to save his pan from whatever monstrosity Minho had tried cooking and when he finally gives up he looks back at the other three with a deep frown. “I told you not to start cooking before I got back home from the market,” he scolds and Yoojin starts crying while Minho winces as Kibum accidentally touches his foot in order to get to Jinki to calm him down.

“Hey, baby, they did it for us,” he tries but Jinki is still mad.

“They ruined my cast iron pan, Kibum. Now I have to order another one and it’ll take forever for them to customize it.”

“I’ll buy it,” Minho pipes up, pain still visible in his voice. Jinki glares at him.

“No, keep away from my kitchen.”

Then he leaves them in the kitchen. The bedroom door slams seconds later. Kibum gently pulls Yoojin closer to him in a hug and pets her hair softly.

“It’s okay, uncle Jinki just really loves his kitchen.” Yoojin sniffs and buries her head in his midsection and Kibum moves his gaze to Minho. “You sure you don’t want me to take you to the hospital?” he asks and Minho looks up to send him a small smile.

“You don’t have a car, Kibum. How will you take me to the hospital?”

Minho has a good point and Kibum bites his lower lip a little while he thinks it over. Jinki has a driver’s license and Minho has a car so it’s not impossible. He just needs to calm down Jinki enough to drive them to the hospital.

“Jinki can drive your car,” he says and Minho sighs.

“I’m not sure Jinki wants to drive me anywhere. I’m sorry about the kitchen, by the way. I didn’t know Italian cooking was so hard.”

Kibum widens his eyes.

“Why would you try Italian cooking?!”

Minho just shrugs and Yoojin pries a little away from Kibum to look up at him.

“Dad said he once tasted the best pizza in Italy so I wanted to make it for you guys. Jinki-ssi said he would help us but he needed to go to the market to buy something for something so that we should just be here but I convinced dad to start and it’s all my fault.”

She has teary eyes when she stops and Kibum squats a little so he can be on eye level with the 7-year-old girl.

“It’s not your fault, Yoojin,” he says as he gives her a last squeeze before he lets go of her. “I’ll talk to Jinki.”

He leaves the two in the kitchen and as he gently slips into the bedroom. Jinki is sitting on the bed, hands in his hair. He takes deep breaths and Kibum sits beside him without a word.

“I’m sorry, I crossed the line,” Jinki says immediately as he feels the dip of the bed and Kibum just pries his hands from his hair so he can let his fingers gently caress his knuckles.

“You’re forgiven,” Kibum says and Jinki turns to look at him.

“Are you sure?”

He still seems a little upset about what happened to his pan and the smoke in the apartment as the attempt at cooking hadn’t been successful but he’s a lot calmer now than he was in the kitchen. Kibum nods.

“Absolutely sure.” He halts for a short pause. “Will you let Minho pay for the pan?”

Jinki eyes him incredulously.

“Of course not. I’ll handle it. Maybe I can get discount through Acapella,” he says and then he smiles a little. Kibum is still caressing his hands when he stands up.

“We need your help though. Minho fell, I’m not sure how, but apparently he hurt his ankle and it looks pretty bad. Can’t you get him to the hospital?”

Jinki gets up with Kibum as well and raises an eyebrow.

“Are you just using me to make sure your new soulmate is safe?” he says and Kibum widens his eyes in horror.

“No! Jinki, no!” He grabs Jinki’s hands and keeps him in front of him, holding eye contact. “I love you, baby. I’m not using you!” Then Jinki can’t hold his smile in anymore and Kibum glares at him. “Not funny!”

Jinki leans up to kiss him sweetly before he pulls out of Kibum’s hands and leaves him in the bedroom.

Jinki is helping Minho stand when Kibum finds them in the kitchen. Yoojin is sitting on the couch, knees pulled close to her chest. He promises to stay with Yoojin while the other two go to the hospital. Yoojin still isn’t convinced it isn’t her fault when Kibum sits down beside her on the couch but there is nothing that can bring laughter as a tickle fight.

When they have finally calmed down, Kibum asks her what she’s going to be for Halloween and she launches into a detailed description of her costume.

Minho and Jinki return home hours later. Yoojin is sleeping on the couch with her head in Kibum’s lap as the two men make their way through the front door. Minho’s foot has been put in a cast and he’s on crutches as he finds them in the living room.

“Fractured ankle,” he says and sighs and sits down beside Kibum before he gently kisses Yoojin’s forehead. Her nose wrinkles in her sleep. Jinki slowly slips into the kitchen to clean up what still needs to be cleaned. Kibum gently laces his fingers with Minho’s and sends him a smile.

“How are you going to get home?” he asks in a quiet voice as to not disturb the sleeping girl. Minho sighs again, this time deeper than before.

“I don’t know.”

Kibum doesn’t know why he suggests it but he does.

“You can sleep here,” he says and Minho shakes his head.

“It’s really nice of you but where would we sleep? In bed with you and Jinki?”

This time Kibum shakes his head.

“We have an ottoman you can borrow. It’s really not a problem.” Jinki enters the living room in passing just at that moment. “Right Jinki?”

The older man hums and turns towards them.

“What?” he asks and Kibum sends him a smile.

“Minho can borrow the ottoman so he doesn’t have to get home with a fractured ankle and Yoojin?”

Jinki shrugs.

“Of course, I’ll find it.”

Minho looks at Kibum like he doesn’t believe what just happened and Kibum sends him a wide smile.

5 minutes later the sofa table has been pushed to the corner, the ottoman is placed in front of the couch and Yoojin is sleeping gently on the couch while Minho is laying on the ottoman. Kibum slinks into the bedroom after he has brushed his teeth and curl into Jinki. The other is warm and Kibum can’t help himself when he softly hums and presses a kiss to Jinki’s shoulder.

“You know,” he whispers and turns his head to make sure the door is fully closed. Jinki hums to let the other know he’s still awake. “You’re hot when you get protective of your kitchen.”

Jinki turns around in his hold and lets his hand rest on Kibum’s chest, just above his own handwriting.

“You’re ridiculous,” he whispers back but Kibum knows he doesn’t mean it.

“Maybe.” Kibum nuzzles closer and kisses Jinki’s nose. “But you know I’m right.”

Kibum lets his fingers dance over Jinki’s chest and down his stomach until Jinki breathes out a chuckle.

“We can’t,” he says and Kibum pouts against Jinki’s chest, quickly turning it into kisses on his collarbones.

“Why not?” Kibum whispers and looks up from where he just pressed a kiss to Jinki’s pulse point.

“Your soulmate is sleeping in the living room,” Jinki says and Kibum just presses another kiss to Jinki’s pulse point.

“My soulmate is also in here and I want to cuddle.”

Jinki rolls his eyes and removes Kibum’s hands as they move a little too low.

“Goodnight baby.”

His voice speaks of finality and Kibum just wraps his arms around Jinki’s midsection so he can rest against Jinki’s beating heart. He slowly falls asleep, wrapped in love.