first kisses

Lee Jinki is not a gossip. Kim Jonghyun, on the other hand, is. The subject of Jonghyun’s gossip is mostly the gorgeous mystery that studies sculpting, a man neither Jinki nor Jonghyun has ever really spoken to. Jinki usually just humours his best friend, lets him talk without really listening. Jinki doesn’t really need all the rumours.

It is true that Key is beautiful, confident and has an air of superiority, but that’s also the only thing Jinki has any interest in confirming. He doesn’t have anything to do in the Arts department, anyway, because he studies Philosophy.

“I heard he slept with Professor Hwang to get the highest grade in History of Korean and Eastern Sculpture,” Jonghyun says and Jinki hums. He doesn’t think that’s how it works because Professor Hwang is a nice woman who is happily married but he lets Jonghyun talk anyway.

Jonghyun continues his spiel and Jinki nods and hums in all the right places to make sure Jonghyun believes he’s listening. If truth is to be told, they probably both know that Jinki doesn’t give a about the rumours.

He’s focused on the assignment they have just received in Existentialism and he doesn’t notice when someone sits down beside Jonghyun. It isn’t until a large hand squeezes his shoulder hard, that Jinki blinks and returns to the cafeteria where his friends sit.

“I can’t believe you just stopped listening,” Jonghyun says disappointed and Jinki sends him a small smile.

“Sorry?” he says although he’s not apologetic at all. Jonghyun just rolls his eyes and Jinki hears the low chuckle from beside him.

When he turns, he gets eye contact with a boy with large eyes and soft brown hair.

“Hey Minho! Did you hear Jonghyun has new gossip about the mysterious sculptor?” Jinki asks and Minho snorts a little.

“That’s cute, but I’m not interested in the guy.”

To this, Jonghyun snorts and mumbles about incompetent friends and leaves them to find someone else that will listen to him. Minho lifts an eyebrow before he shrugs and reaches out to take Jinki’s last kimbap. Jinki just lets him.

Jinki walks through the empty corridors of the humanities building. He has been working late in the library and he’s on his way back when he turns a corner and hears a faint sound that cannot be anything but crying. He tilts his head and slowly moves towards the sound and when he 30 seconds later finds himself in front of an empty staircase he raises an eyebrow in confusion.

The sobbing is still there, however, their breaths ragged as if they have been crying for quite some time. Jinki turns around, hoping to find an empty classroom with a door slightly open close by but there is nothing. The only thing is the stairs and the stairs can’t possibly be crying.

A harder look reveals a person underneath the stairs, knees pressed against their chest.

“Hello,” Jinki tries in a soft voice. The other person startles so much they bang their head agains the wall and groans in pain.

“I’m fine,” they say reflexively and Jinki seriously doubts that so he doesn’t leave. Instead he crouches down and sends the other person a small smile.

“You don’t look like you’re fine,” he says and the other person sighs a little and crawls from the darkness. Key looks at him from underneath blond hair, eyes red and bloodshot and he sniffles a little as he dries the tears on his cheeks with elegant fingers.

“It’s nothing,” Key says and Jinki begs to disagree. “Goodbye.”

With those words, he seems to collect himself, back straight and confident strides down the hallway as if he hasn’t just been crying seconds prior. Jinki watches him leave with a weird feeling.

“I know,” Jonghyun says and Jinki groans.

“Not now,” he says and tries to write down his thoughts so he doesn’t forget them. Jonghyun hmprfs and continues anyway.

“As I was saying, I know Taemin and Jongin are going to have a party next weekend and you, my best friend, are also going.”

Jinki looks up from his papers and towards Jonghyun.

“Jonghyun,” he whines. Jonghyun doesn’t look towards him. “You know I’m busy with Existentialism.”

Jonghyun still ignores him. Jinki throws his pencil towards the smaller man but Jonghyun dodges and Jinki gives up. Party next weekend it is.

The bass is pounding and Jinki is too busy trying to figure out what Sartre really means in Being and Nothingness and if he can understand it so well that he’ll be able to write it down in an essay. He really doesn’t want to be here tonight, but Jonghyun is persuasive and Jinki doesn’t exactly hate it either. He just has other things.

Minho sends him a kind smile. It’s not a big party at all and Jinki knows that Taemin and Jongin keep a count of how many enters. Neither of them want their apartment ruined.

It does surprise him when he finds Key in the middle of it all, however. Key’s body moves in ways Jinki has never seen any body move, not even Taemin or Jongin’s. It’s magnetic in a strange way, a pull towards the other that exudes confidence even though all he’s doing is having fun. He laughs to the girl that dances with him and Jinki tears his eyes away.

As the evening goes, the music is turned down, the alcohol gets stronger and people come together in small groups to play games. Jinki, having only had two beers, decides to head to the bedroom and open the window and just spend a moment on his own. He’s not alone in the bedroom, though.

At first he thinks it’s a couple having but he doesn’t recall anyone missing from the living and as he gets a closer look, he notices that it’s only one person.

Key is sleeping on Taemin’s bed and it looks so soft that Jinki can only retreat, closing the door behind him.

That should really be the only two encounters Jinki has with Key, but it isn’t. They run into each other often and even though Jinki is busy and he would rather not admit it, he does start to fall for the other man, his aura just simply impossible to ignore and his appearance enchanting.

Having a crush on Key, however, is less good because that means that he actually does start to care about the rumours. It’s not that Jinki wouldn’t be with someone who has had before; those things don’t matter to Jinki.

It’s mostly because he cares about what is being said and he finds it unfair. He doesn’t want people to think of Key the way they do, he wants them to see the enchanting person he sees. And maybe he is projecting his dreams onto Key, creating an image he can’t escape but whatever it is, Jinki doesn’t like the rumours. Key doesn’t seem to mind them any more than usually. Jinki finds him admirable and falls even harder.

So it surprises Jinki when Key suddenly strikes up a conversation with him. They’re outside on the large field, the football team is playing against some neighbouring university and Jinki couldn’t have been less interested.

Key sends him a smile and just starts talking like it’s normal, but Jinki’s heart is beating against his ribcage and it’s stupid, it’s utterly ridiculous, because they don’t know each other and Key is just another guy. Jinki answers his question and the conversation is pleasant but the gazes that fall upon them are distracting him.

“You!” Jonghyun says and pokes Jinki’s chest. Jinki winces.

“It was just one conversation!”

Jonghyun looks at him confused and shakes his head.

“Not that,” he says and Jinki looks confused as well. “Why didn’t you tell me you were in love?”

Jinki swallows a gulp and takes a deep breath.

“I,” he says but Jonghyun interrupts him.

“What kind of best friend tells Minho first?”

Jinki blinks confused.

“What the are you talking about?”

Jonghyun stops and looks at him with big eyes.

“Luna,” he says and his eyes turn to slits. Jinki starts laughing. It comes as such a relief that it’s the only way he knows how to react.

“Jonghyun, I’m gay. I told you when we were 15.”

Jonghyun blinks a little before he realises Minho has fooled him and he stalks around towards the taller man while Jinki chuckles.

If anyone had told Jinki that he would be close to Key, he would have laughed at them. Yet here he is, talking to the other man like it’s the most normal thing, sitting on the staircase where he had first found Key crying.

Key hasn’t mentioned the incident, Jinki is pretty sure he has forgotten about it and Jinki doesn’t consider it important. At least not so important that he needs to know what had happened.

He does get to know Key pretty well, however, and he learns things he’d never thought he’d know. Key has so many stories to tell and time flies when they hang out together. So Jinki’s crush only grows into love and although he tries his hardest, it becomes so difficult for him to conceal.

Jinki is talking to Key one evening in May. They’re sitting under the big oak on campus and the stars are shining above them, the air hot enough to keep the warm without a lot of clothes. Key smiles and laughs carefree and Jinki’s heart burst with love like was it spouting fireworks. So he does what he does best - he s up.

“Can I kiss you?” he asks and then immediately covers his mouth. “I mean …”

He doesn’t get to continue, however, before Key nods, a small red dusting his cheeks.

“Yes, you can kiss me.” Jinki blinks.

“What?” he asks in a daze and Key laughs a little.

“You don’t want to?” he asks and Jinki only needs to hear that once before he leans over and connects their lips.

The kiss is inexperienced. It’s lips against lips and it feels soft but hesitant. There’s something about it that speaks of innocence and shy giggles in closed rooms and Jinki feels like this is a secret that must be preserved.

They kiss for a few seconds before he withdraws and looks at Key with a small smile. Key lifts his fingers to his lips before he smiles too.

“Kiss me again,” he says and Jinki does so. The second kiss is less hesitant but still as inexperienced. It’s trying, exploring the press of the lips. Jinki presses a little closer, making the kiss firmer. Key complies, lets Jinki take control and becomes pliant under Jinki’s fingers as they work their way through his hair. Jinki doesn’t prod at him, he doesn’t deepen the kiss. It’s just a firm press of lips but it’s perfect.

When they part, Key sends him a small smile.

“Want to know a secret?” Key asks and Jinki nods a little. The stars above them are hidden by clouds and the air is a little colder. They’re still under the oak and the campus is still silent in the night. “That was my first kiss.”

Jinki’s eyes widen with surprise and Key laughs a little.

“No way,” Jinki whispers and Key nods.

“Yes way. Now kiss me again. If I knew it felt this good, I would’ve done it sooner!”

Jinki leans down to press his lips against Key’s again.

author's notes

A small something I was prompted to write on tumblr so - I wrote it. First kisses in either high school and college, so yeah. Cliché Key being super innocent even though there are a million rumours about him. 

Jonghyun is not a bad friend! He likes talking, he needs to talk all the time, silence what's that? So he usually listens in on gossip and tells Jinki because he knows Jinki doesn't care for so everything he tells Jinki will stay with Jinki and be forgotten. So he's not really spreading gossip, he just needs to tell someone about all the things he has heard throughout the day. ^^