Kibum was almost too on edge to fall asleep after Jinki did. He hadn’t been lying. The other man did make him feel comfortable, but there was something about sharing his bed that felt almost taboo. Even though they were just sleeping and there were layers of fabric between them. His heart racing fast in his chest, he smiled all the same and traced his fingertips over Jinki’s hand around his waist. The sleeper shifted slightly but didn’t wake and Kibum breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want to disturb him preemptively.

                His relief turned to abject panic though when the door eventually slid open to reveal someone in the doorway. Kibum closed his eyes tight to pretend to be asleep and tried to will his body to relax. He wasn’t sure how successful he was, but the observer didn’t actually enter or say anything. There was a quiet exhale like a laugh and then the door slid shut again, leaving the two alone once more. He hadn’t gotten a good look before he’d closed his eyes so he really had no clue who it was. The backlighting had obscured them from his sight. But they hadn’t said anything so… he guessed it was okay?

                That, more than anything else, let Kibum finally relax. Taking a breath, he sighed and closed his eyes to go back to sleep until Jinki was ready to get up.

 

                Their late breakfast wasn’t half as awkward as it could have been. Hajoon and Doyun were both gone while Daejung was apparently playing games in the den. Siwoo was the only one still at the kitchen table, picking at the last tidbits of her meal, and Mr. Lee was watching the holoscreen in the living room. Kibum didn’t know where Mrs. Lee was but Jinki didn’t seem to be worried so he wasn’t either. Though he couldn’t help but wonder if she had been the one to check on them earlier or not.

                Distracted, he picked at his food, nibbling on the fruit bits scattered on the plate and tearing tiny pieces off the single pancake. He kept giving Jinki covert looks out of the corner of his eye, trying to see if he was looking too or not. But that was also when he realized that Siwoo was watching him, her dark eyes blinking slowly. Kibum forced a smile and sat up straighter on his chair. “What’s up?” he asked, hoping it might prompt some kind of conversation.

                Siwoo looked between them with slightly narrowed eyes. “Are you two dating?”

                Kibum nearly choked and even Jinki coughed once into his hand, pounding on his chest when the question caught him completely off guard. “Oh, that went down the wrong pipe,” he groaned, clearing his throat forcefully.

                “Are you okay?” Kibum asked, reaching out to pat Jinki on the back, a worried laugh escaping despite his being flustered by Jinki’s sister.

                “I’m good,” he promised, raising a hand to reassure him and then coughing once more to finish clearing his throat.

                “I guess so,” Siwoo commented with a nod as she shrugged her shoulders and went back to picking at her food, a half-hidden smirk tugging at one corner of .

                “Erm…” Kibum trailed off, not sure what to say.

                “Siwoo,” Jinki chided, giving her a cross look. The single laugh dispelled any actual irritation he might have felt.

                “You didn’t say no,” she shrugged again, not looking up from her food.

                Without responding yet, Jinki reached down and grabbed Kibum’s hand, loosely threading their fingers together. Then he looked over with a hesitant smile. He didn’t say anything, but the question was there, hanging in the space between them.

                Kibum pursed his lips, fighting the knee-jerk urge to pull his hand away. He didn’t really want to, but the thought that he shouldn’t let anyone else know how he actually felt about Jinki reared up and made him afraid. His hand twitched anyway though, and he saw the tiniest of winces on Jinki’s face. The other man’s grip loosened further, their fingers unthreading as he looked back towards Siwoo. Kibum’s gut twisted and fearful guilt kicked him in the chest.

                “That’s still not a-” Jinki started to say before he stopped with a flinch.

                Kibum jerked his hand and gripped Jinki’s harder than he intended, not letting the contact break. He pulled Jinki’s hand into his lap and cradled it with both of his before meeting Jinki’s eyes with a careful smile. Kibum nodded once, a barely perceptible motion, but he knew Jinki saw it. There was no way he didn’t with how his eyebrows rose high on his forehead, mouth forming a silent, ‘Yeah?’

                ‘Yeah,’ he mouthed back after a brief pause, feeling his heart hammer against his chest and wondering if Jinki could feel it too.

                Jinki’s smile was magic, a mouthful of straight teeth in a wide grin and his eyes nearly disappearing in his face. He gave Kibum’s hand a little squeeze in reassurance and turned to focus on his youngest sister again. “That’s still not a good habit of yours, but for your information, yes,” he stated proudly, not an ounce of doubt in his voice.

                “Oh!” Siwoo giggled, looking up so that her eyes could dart between the two of them. She looked behind them and her grin got bigger. “Dad! Jinki’s dating Kibum now!”

                Kibum gasped.

                Jinki scolded, “Siwoo!”

                And Mr. Lee hummed while the comment registered before responding, “Congratulations.” Then his attention was back on the news of the holoscreen. Something about the grav jumping tournament so far – Hajoon’s team was going to the finals this year too.

                “Dad!” Siwoo pouted, clearly disappointed by his lack of reaction to the revelation.

                “Siwoo,” Jinki chided again, giving her a worthy glare as he kept his hand wrapped tightly around Kibum’s.

                “I’m gonna go tell Daejung,” she announced just as suddenly, jumping up and running off to the den before anyone could think about stopping her.

                “Brat!” Jinki shouted at her back, obviously still glaring before he turned to focus his attention back on a slightly panicking Kibum. “You okay?” he asked, raising his free hand to cup Kibum’s cheek in his palm.

                No. Not really. Everything in him said he should not have agreed. Especially since Siwoo wouldn’t have reacted like that if he hadn’t. His feelings for Jinki would be safely locked away in a space where they shared it but no one else did. And he wouldn’t have to worry about his trust already being tested. It was clear he couldn’t trust Siwoo not to be a herald. That was obvious but at least understandable. But could he trust Jinki not to… The question in his head died out just as quickly as his panic when he finally looked into Jinki’s eyes and really felt the hand on his cheek.

                “Kibum?” the other man wondered, looking between both eyes carefully.

                Kibum swallowed and nodded, leaning into the contact with a small smile. “Yeah,” he whispered in response, still holding to Jinki’s hand under the table.

                They both jumped in surprise when Mr. Lee cleared his throat nearby. Jinki’s hand fell away and he turned to focus on his father, though his other remained where it was. “Your mother’s sleeping after her shift but she wanted me to remind you that you’re housebound today.”

                “Yes, sir,” Jinki nodded in agreement, rubbing at the back of his head in embarrassment. “But what about Hajoon and Doyun’s practices? Hajoon has another practice match before the championships tomorrow and Doyun the day after.”

                “Housebound,” Mr. Lee reiterated firmly, a breathy laugh escaping his nose.

                Kibum recognized the sound. It was the same one he’d heard from the doorway earlier this morning. He pursed his lips and flushed lightly when he looked at Mr. Lee. A very bemused smile was tugging at his lips, though it was hard to say if it was for Kibum or Jinki.

                “And Kibum,” he called, switching his attention with ease.

                “Sir?” Kibum blurted, sitting up straight in his chair again.

                “Feel free to stay as long as you like,” he offered, nodding once. His attention drifted once more before Kibum could answer. “I’m going to be in my study. Call me if you need anything, alright?”

                “Yes, father,” Jinki agreed, waving at the older man as he walked off. He jerked to the side in surprise when Daejung and Siwoo came pelting out of the den, nearly running into him.

                Daejung gasped with wide eyes. “I knew it!”

                “See?!” Siwoo pointed, grinning happily at his response, clearly pleased with herself.

                “Ugh…” Jinki groaned, smacking his face with his palm.

                It was all so silly in that moment. Kibum had to laugh, a genuinely amused sound.

                “What?” the younger siblings asked in unison, sharing confused glances.

                “It just feels like something out of a drama,” he explained, grinning hard at Jinki who turned to share an equally bemused look.

                “No it’s not!” Siwoo pouted, apparently mildly offended by the comparison.

                “Maybe a little,” Jinki agreed, looking over his shoulder to wink at her.

                “Jinki!” she grumbled, crossing her arms and turning around to stalk back into the den on her own.

                “Wait up, Woo!” Daejung called, trotting after her. “Are you going to be player one or two?”

                Jinki laughed again and shook his head before he noticed the tray still on the table. A small frown appeared and he began to turn, mouth open, “Si-”

                “It’s okay,” Kibum interrupted, tugging on Jinki’s arm to make him turn back around. Everyone was finally gone and he much preferred when it was just the two of them right now, what with this new fragile thing between them.

                “She knows better,” Jinki grumbled with a frowning face, but then he laughed once and waved it off.

                Kibum smiled but his lips, hesitant to speak at first. “Did you really mean it?” he wondered at last, glancing at where Siwoo had been earlier.

                “About dating you?” Jinki asked, brows arching when he mirrored Kibum.

                Kibum nodded mutely.

                “If it’s alright with you,” he confirmed, reaching under the table to wrap his other hand around Kibum’s. “I was going to ask you sooner or later anyway but…” His voice trailed off as he nodded his head towards the empty side of the table.

                Kibum was quiet for a second, his brow furrowing. “Are you sure? I’m-”

                “Yes,” Jinki interrupted him, hand squeezing hard enough to make him pause.

                Uncertainty flickered across Kibum’s face even as joy tried to take root in his heart. “But I’m-”

                “Kibum.”

                The single word made him flinch and pause again as he dared to look up to meet Jinki’s eyes. “Yes?” he asked cautiously, fingers digging in harder than they needed to.

                “Will you go out with me?” he asked, making it official with a smile and all his attention focused on the other man.

                It was a question that made Kibum’s heart thump and his stomach do a flip. He wanted to say yes immediately, but a crushing sense of uncertainty weighed on him. “But why me?” he mumbled, looking down at the hand held between his, suddenly hyperaware of how his nails were pressing harder than they needed to into Jinki’s hand. “I’m…” he hesitated, not even sure how to describe himself. The phrases: broken, a failure, a mess, floated through his mind but none surfaced.

                Jinki’s quiet sigh was all too loud in the silence. “I know you probably won’t believe it yourself right now, but would you just trust me when I say that I think you’re amazing?” he asked, carefully freeing his hands to wrap Kibum in his arms and hold him close. Kibum snorted in immediate denial, but Jinki shook his head and held tighter. “Stubborn and annoying and frustrating sometimes, but inordinately amazing all the same,” he promised, cupping the back of Kibum’s head.

                Kibum felt the very foundations of his self quake and he swallowed hard, fingers twisting into the fabric of Jinki’s shirt. “You’re such a liar,” he mumbled, the statement utterly weak in its conviction.

                “We both know that’s not true,” Jinki laughed, a breathy sound that washed over Kibum’s back.

                He was right though. Kibum didn’t believe Jinki yet. Didn’t agree that he was amazing at all. Seriously. He was such a ed-up mess, it wasn’t even funny. But Jinki had asked and Kibum wanted what he offered, no matter how unworthy he thought he was. A tiny whimper of sound escaped his throat when he shifted to hug Jinki harder, practically ready to climb in his lap just to be closer if the other man would let him. But that might have been a bridge too far so he stayed where he was and held on, taking one shaky breath after the next. “Yes,” he finally answered, the response a mere breath of sound on his tongue.

                But Jinki heard him. His arms tightened around Kibum and soft lips pressed against his neck, sending a lightning bolt of electric feeling branching up to the top of his head and down to the tips of his toes, an army of skittering crawling things that raced over his skin and disappeared in the next breath.      Kibum inhaled sharply and pushed back, just enough to create space between them, his heart hammering painfully in his chest and his gut twisting into knots.

                “Sorry,” Jinki apologized immediately, relinquishing his hold, though he shifted his hands to grab Kibum’s again.

                “It’s okay,” Kibum explained with a shake of his head. Well, yes, it was, but no, it wasn’t, and he had no good way to explain it so he defaulted to the more acceptable answer.

                “Hey,” he called gently, giving Kibum’s hands a little squeeze. “I will never ask for more than you’re ready to give, okay?” he questioned, making sure to meet the younger man’s eyes to be sure he understood.

                Kibum looked down, his hands tightening on Jinki’s. “What if…” he started to say, giving up halfway on the question. But Jinki jostled him gently to make him look up without saying a word. So he continued, “What if… I’m… never ready?” It took everything he had to finish the question. The admittance of some possible flaw in him that could potentially ruin everything. And his heart quailed at the possible answer.

                But Jinki just smiled and freed one hand to cup his cheek again, a hauntingly beautiful smile on his face. “Then we’ll just cross that bridge when we get there,” he explained, leaning close enough to press his forehead against Kibum’s, meeting his eyes evenly.

                “You…” Kibum exhaled breathily, sniffing once as he felt emotion well up within him. It should have been impossible for him to find someone like Jinki. There was no reason for someone like him to be interested in someone like Kibum. And yet… Here he was. And as much as Kibum didn’t entirely believe him, he also didn’t want to completely discredit the miniscule possibility that it could be real. He feared it as much as he desired it, and that was enough to give him something to go on. For now at least.

                “Am hopeless, I know. My sisters remind me often enough,” he teased with a wink and a smile that should have been illegal.

                That at least conjured the ghost of a laugh from Kibum. “Your sisters are wrong,” he grumbled, reaching out with his free hand to grab the front of Jinki’s shirt.

                “Well, thank you for saying so,” he smiled, sighing in contentment. Kibum just nodded in response, but when something obviously seemed amiss, Jinki asked, “What’s wrong?”

                He was reluctant to answer. It was mildly embarrassing. But under Jinki’s steady, unjudgmental gaze, he finally murmured, “I feel like I’m too far away.”

                “Hmm,” Jinki hummed, his bottom lip so he could nibble on it contemplatively. “Would this be better?” he hesitantly asked, reaching out to encircle Jinki in his arms, drawing him close and bodily lifting him onto his lap despite Kibum’s surprised gasp.

                But now seated sideways on Jinki’s lap instead of on the stool, that did seem to solve the issue, even if his cheeks and ears burned in response. “Yes,” he mumbled, ducking his face into Jinki’s shoulder and hugging him tighter. “Thank you.”

                “You’re welcome.”

                There was no question of why. Just simple acceptance of his gratitude and strong arms holding him close. He lost track of the time that he spent relishing in the contact from the other man. But eventually, he felt a need to see where they were, especially since Siwoo hadn’t returned to clean her plate and no one else had come back from the den or the study. “What are you going to do today?” he asked softly, worrying at the possible answer.

                Jinki’s smile was obvious in the way his cheeks moved while pressed against Kibum’s head. “Stay home and rest. That’s the plan.”

                “Can… can I stay too?” he questioned at last, biting his bottom lip nervously.

                “If you want to, sure.” It was such a simple answer with no hesitation. It felt wrong to be that easy, but Jinki left no doubt.

                “I do,” he whispered, hugging Jinki harder.

                “Okay then,” the other man responded, rubbing a hand up and down Kibum’s back. “Anything you want to do?”

                He had no idea… Anything would have been fine by him, really. He just wanted more of… this, whatever this was. With a negating sound, he shook his head.

                “Want to watch a holovid then?” Jinki offered, rocking back and forth gently.

                Kibum nodded after taking a minute to think about it. “Sure.”

                “Okay. Let’s go then,” Jinki encouraged, shifting Kibum off his lap so that they could stand up and head back to the room hand in hand. He murmured something about someone taking care of the dishes left behind – eventually – and then guided them back to his room. At least that way they wouldn’t be interrupted by his siblings randomly.

                It took them a little while to choose on a vid they were both interested in, but eventually, Kibum settled into the circle of Jinki’s arms, relaxing completely. For now, gone was the specter of worry and concern and fear. In this moment, there was only the vid and Jinki, both of which captured Kibum’s focus fully.

 

                News of their relationship status in their immediate circle landed with a pitifully small splash, much to Kibum’s chagrin.

                “So it’s finally official?” Ercite asked upon their first meeting after Jinki’s collapse previously.

                “Well…”

                “Yes,” Jinki confirmed, his hand firmly wrapped around Kibum’s as they waited to order food at the restaurant they were meeting in after Jinki’s mom-imposed isolation.

                “Finally,” Larad huffed with a glance before turning his attention towards the menu floating above them instead.

                Only Henry seemed put off by the ‘sudden’ announcement. “You didn’t tell me first!” he bemoaned, clearly offended by this omission.

                “But you knew,” Jinki defended, at a loss.

                This of course made Kibum annoyed and he glared rather spectacularly at Henry. “If you didn’t remember, that’s on you.”

                Taken aback by the comment, Henry blinked in surprise and then laughed, reaching out to clap Jinki on the shoulder. “Nice,” he commented, leaving it at that.

                “What does that mean?” Kibum asked, confused when the other man shuffled closer to Larad and Ercite to discuss his order.

                “It’s a good thing,” Jinki soothed, pressing a reassuring kiss on the side of Kibum’s head in response.

 

                Among Jinki’s other sisters, it landed with a veritable whisper and utter lack of surprise. Granted, it didn’t hurt that both were otherwise busy and distracted with the final rounds of training and matches.

                “Weren’t you as good as dating anyway?” Hajoon asked when she came home from her latest practice session, a confused expression on her tired, still sweaty face. Pre-championship match practices were absolutely brutal…

                “Hah. At last!” Doyun grinned as she popped out from behind Hajoon like some sneaky shadow to dance around the pair. In direct opposition to her sister, she was thoroughly excited by the announcement. Off-season training was tough but far less strenuous than anything her older sister had to deal with.

               

                At Kibum’s work, it made waves as in only the way pseudo parents could draw attention to something. “Oh! Our little boy is growing up!” Jackson teased, poking fun at Kibum as he got ready for his next show. He was unusually slow in putting his makeup on since he kept watching Kibum in the mirror and making awful romantic faces at him. At least until Passeri stepped in anyway.

                Already presentable, Passeri stood behind the pair and then swatted at Jackson with a snort. “He has long since been grown up. Now he can seek to build his nest,” she preened, carding inhumanly long fingers through his hair with all the air of a mother’s pride and affection.

                Coming from her, Kibum didn’t mind the affection, but he was almost obliged to complain all the same. “Passeri!” he bemoaned with a semi-embarrassed glance down. He was vocally annoyed, though on the inside his heart soared at the thought. Building a nest. He’d never even really thought about it before.

                They all jumped in surprise though when Garum stuck his head into the back, blue hair bright against the dark fabric. “So long as that nest is here for the time, I’ll have no complaints,” he teased with a light wink, his voice dour but his expression playful.

                As one, the trio shouted, “Garum!” Unable to withstand the concentrated focus of their vocal attack, Garum barked a laugh and promptly removed himself, his ed chuckle haunting them from the other side of the fabric as he left.

                “Oh, that man,” Passeri huffed, placing her feathered hands on sleek hips before she visibly calmed herself with a quick all over shake. It had the effect of ruffling her feathers so that she looked fluffier than normal and it made Kibum laugh. “Huh?” she chirped in confusion, catching his eye in the mirror before seeing a similarly amused expression from Jackson. “What?” she wondered as her feathers continued to settle naturally into place.

                “Nothing,” Jackson immediately responded, fixing his attention on his image in the mirror.

                Kibum couldn’t help but grin. “It’s not often we see the fluffy version of you,” he winked, leaning away from her preemptively in case she opted to smack him.

                Her large eyes widened further, the thin strip of her dark gold iris more noticeable than usual around the coal black pupil. “Oh.” Her beaked mouth cracked open to release a delighted giggle. She stepped close enough to wrap her arms around Kibum’s chest from behind in a very loose hug. “I know he doesn’t mean anything by it, but I want you to be free to choose what you want to do, love,” she explained sincerely, staring him dead in the face in the mirror.

                It was almost unnerving. Almost. “Thanks, Passeri,” he grinned back, grateful to have such support. He patted her hands with one of his and reassured, “If nothing else, I’ll at least stick around until I finish university anyway. Guess you’ll just have to deal with me until then,” he added with a nonchalant shrug.

                “I feel like I should be able to make a joke here, but nothing’s coming to me,” Jackson laughed once, shrugging helplessly as he finished touching up his makeup.

                “Yeah, yeah. I’m sure you’ll think of something next time,” Kibum snorted with a practiced eye roll.

                Passeri tapped him lightly in gentle but mute chastisement and Jackson scoffed. “See. This is how I know he’s feeling better. Brat,” he laughed once, standing up and leaning close to peer at Kibum’s half-finished makeup. He deftly grabbed the auto-applicator stick from Kibum’s hand.

                “Hey!” he yelped in complaint.

                Jackson held it out of reach and swatted at him to calm down. “Easy. I just think we should try something like this tonight,” he grinned, overcoming Kibum’s objections as he leaned closer to give him a slightly different than usual look, the announcement of Kibum’s relationship status otherwise forgotten.

 

                Kibum knew their friends were aware of their dating already, but they were nothing but trolls for the first thirty minutes when they met up again for Hajoon’s championship match. It was taking place in their dome and since Jinki was sort of a manager on the team, he was able to get tickets for them all to attend in person, albeit a bit far from the actual ring. Their parents and siblings were closer to ringside as family members, but because Jinki chose to be with his friends, they weren’t so lucky.

                “I’m not a perfect magic worker,” he laughed with a shrug, half-heartedly trying to explain the seating arrangement.

                “Hah! I think you just want us to be further away so that your sister doesn’t try and launch someone at you during the match,” Henry taunted with a good-natured grin.

                “There is some merit to that possibility,” Larad chuckled, arms crossed over his chest while he looked at the pair out of the corner of his eye. “Couldn’t let anything happen to Kibum now, could we?” he asked rhetorically, grinning when Ercite pushed his head from their usual perch on his shoulder.

                “To be fair, that is what Jinki was doing the entire semester, wasn’t it?” they then added, much to Jinki’s embarrassment and Kibum’s amusement.

                Secure enough in that vein of conversation, Kibum stood up straighter and retorted, “Well maybe if you all pulled your weight to help him, he wouldn’t have had to do it alone.” For a second, he was afraid he had overstepped his bounds when he was greeted with mostly silence and Jinki’s hand squeezing his just a little harder.

                But then the tension broke when Henry hissed, “Ouch! But point taken,” he chuckled with a shake of his head, eyeing the younger man speculatively. “Wouldn’t hurt if somebody asked from time to time either, though.”

                “He shouldn’t have-” he started to quip before Jinki pulled him closer into a half-hug to cut him off gently.

                “That’s something I could work on too,” he conceded, nodding around the group before he smiled at Kibum and hugged him a little harder.

                “This new Kibum has a very sharp tongue,” Larad mused, tilting his head to the side in thoughtful amusement.

                “Boyfriend Kibum is delightfully protective,” Ercite grinned, giving him two thumbs up.

                Kibum flushed at the new name and the weirdly unexpected praise. The planes of his face hardened briefly as he looked at the group but then they grew soft once again when his eyes met Jinki’s. “Well, someone has to be. He’s otherwise terrible about taking care of himself,” he laughed with a single snort. Not that he was any exception, he knew, but he wasn’t the target at the moment.

                “Oh, we know,” Henry barked a laugh and nodded sagely. “But that’s what you’re here for now,” he added with a wink, obviously readying himself to hide behind Larad if he needed to.

                “That’s no excuse for you to slack off as his friends,” Kibum scolded, one finger literally shaking in Henry’s direction.

                “It is if we can get away with it!” he laughed, fleeing this time when Kibum did step in his direction like he was going to smack him.

                “Now, now children,” Ercite chided from above. Too far away to do anything, Larad was their hands and he grabbed both Kibum and Henry on one shoulder to keep them apart even as he brought them face to face.

                “Guys, come on,” Jinki urged, promptly rescuing Kibum from Larad’s hold. “We’re gonna be late if we don’t actually head to our seats now. And then we’ll never hear the end of it from Hajoon,” he reminded them.

                “This is true,” Larad agreed after a brief pause.

                “Don’t worry. Kibum will protect you,” Henry couldn’t help but throw in. He didn’t stick around long enough to see what anyone else would say or do before he jogged on ahead to be the first of their group into the stadium.

                “Childish,” Kibum huffed, one side of his lip curling as he watched the other man go.

                “All Terrans are at this age,” Ercite chimed in, looking from Henry’s back to Kibum’s surprised face.

                He blinked for a second as the words sank in. “I always forget you have so many memories to pull from,” he scowled before a laugh bubbled up.

                “Oh. Not mine specifically,” they reminded as if by rote.

                “Same difference, Ercite,” Jinki chuckled, already starting to guide Kibum towards the stadium with his arm around the other man’s waist.

                It was electrifying. Holding hands was one thing, but the arm holding him near, fingertips digging in just a touch… it felt possessive, protective, proud. For a moment, it was a struggle to string words together and yank his thoughts towards the event at hand. Shaking himself free of his stupor, he finally asked, “Do you think Hajoon’s team will win today?”

                “I hope so,” Jinki answered immediately, a nod accompanying the words.

                “The answer is yes,” Larad interjected, coming abreast of the pair with relative ease, longer legs and all.

                “I hope so,” he reiterated firmly, giving a mild glare to the taller Varium.

                Ercite made a small sound in the back of their throat. “You say that for diplomacy’s sake, but we also know you have confidence in your sister and her team.”

                They winked which made Jinki laugh and Kibum smiled to see the expression on his face. He really did have an unreasonable amount of faith in some people. Himself included. “Come on then! Let’s get to our seats before everything starts,” he encouraged, adding on a burst of speed and tugging Jinki along in the process. He didn’t see the giddy grin he got in response but he was already on a happiness high and he doubted much of anything would change that.

                Kibum had never actually watched a championship match before. He’d caught bits and pieces of them periodically throughout his life, but it was never a sport he’d been drawn to. Apparently, he’d been missing out if every match was like the one he had the opportunity to observe. The energy in the stadium was a living thing, breathing life into the most mundane of moments with spine-tingling intensity. After hours of watching training matches with Jinki and his siblings, Kibum had enough knowledge to understand the gist of what was going on, but even if he hadn’t, he would have been swept away by the unbridled excitement that thrummed through every attendee.

                Body checks and forceful expulsions were slowed down and zoomed in on so that everyone could see the replays on the massive holoscreen that floated above the ring. The occasional competitor did in fact get thrown towards the audience from time to time. Their saving grace was a dead zone of normal gravity and a standard protective barrier just in case, with landing nets at the bottom for the safety of the players.

                Hajoon was not perhaps the best player, but she shined whenever she was on the screen. And Jinki truly came alive in those moments. Kibum was mesmerized. Not by the sibling he cheered for, but by the absolutely unbridled passion and hope and pride that positively beamed from Jinki. And when he turned his exultant face to look at Kibum as well, his world just stopped, frozen in that instant as he was graced by the sheer authenticity of the other man. It made him want to be worthy of Jinki.

                Hand in hand with him, he joined in to cheer and shout and scream until he was hoarse. Until he was exhausted from the utter tension of a championship match that hovered within a one-point difference for the entirety of the game. Tit for tat and back and forth. One last minute timeout after another when they were exhausted at the end and penalties came easy in the hard-hitting contact arena.

                Several players on both teams had already been sidelined with injuries and exhaustion and they were down to the wire by the time the match was coming to a close. The audience was a vibrant roar of sound that bit at each other, back and forth, the home audience versus the opposing audience. A deafening cacophony of sound that somehow reached even higher heights when the deadlocked match started.

                A dizzying display of gravity acrobatics and speed, the final players were grace and power and endurance incarnate. Nothing was left but raw determination, skill, and the drilled-in impressions of muscle memory. One of Hajoon’s teammates got checked hard, rocketing out of the sphere, and the home-team audience groaned with them. A sudden reversal brought them back though. One of three, Hajoon assisted in an ambush and grappled the target who had the ball. A close-up on screen showed her using an advanced but risky technique to break the other Terran’s hold on the ball. It wouldn’t have worked with a Varium or Moladhi, but she managed to break their hold just enough for another teammate to swoop in and separate all three of them: the two players and the ball.

                “I taught her that!” Jinki howled with visceral pride, pointing at the screen as if her performance somehow vindicated him.

                Both her and her opponent got launched out in the next second, but the damage was done. Her team had the ball again and victory clenched tightly in their jaws. The captain, a striking female Varium of lean muscled body mass and savagery, feinted. She dropped the ball back to the Terran flying in her wake and claimed both incoming defenders in a tangled mess of limbs and dazed impact side-effects as they drifted out of the way on a curved arc.

                The following Terran continued to sling shot towards the goal. Gravity shifted at the last second and they had to activate some inordinately skilled alterations on the grav controls, but after a brief hiccup that sent them past the desired zone, they cranked the gravity controls and rammed through the zone, earning a tie-breaking point with four seconds left on the clock.

                The audience erupted in a frenzy of sound. It was a veritable wave of energy and vibrations that shook the air and deafened the ears. Jinki’s hand was bone-crushingly strong as it gripped Kibum’s, his other punching into the air victoriously. Kibum mirrored him, his blood thrumming through his body and howling in his ears. When he looked over to see Jinki, he saw the other man shadowing him, their eyes meeting at the same time.

                Grin for grin, they stared at each other, elatedly high and untouchable. Maybe that was what gave Kibum the courage to reach out and grab the front of Jinki’s shirt so that he could pull him close enough to kiss. Lost in the victorious euphoria of their win, Kibum and Jinki were little more than two people in the audience. But when Jinki let go of Kibum’s hand so that he could grab both sides of his face to kiss him back, he became the entirety of Kibum’s world. Everything else melted away and fell silent in that moment and Kibum swore he would do almost anything to experience it again. Almost.

                The afterparty to celebrate was a pale imitation of what he’d already felt with Jinki. But he never left his side during it. At least not for long. And when he came back, it was always to catch his hand again and stand side by side as if they belonged together.

                This man. If he was willing to give so much to Kibum and ask for nothing in return, he could do no less. It was a struggle to pay attention to the rest of the party, but a delightful one. The hardest part was actually separating for the evening.

                They shared one more sweet kiss in front of Kibum’s dorm room, the door a backdrop to their farewell in the hallway. “Sleep well and sweet dreams, Kibum,” Jinki smiled, pressing his forehead against the other man’s.

                “You too,” Kibum whispered, half wishing Jinki would say something to stay or maybe kiss him again. But neither happened. This time anyway.

                “See you tomorrow?” he asked hopefully, one hand clinging to Kibum’s in a gentle hold.

                “Definitely,” came Kibum’s easy response. He watched Jinki leave and stood in the hallway a bit longer than he probably should have, wistfully daydreaming about the other man returning after a brief moment. Truly, that was wishful thinking and Kibum had to laugh at himself before he went inside and threw himself down on his bed. “Oh Kibum. Kibum, Kibum, Kibum,” he sighed, chuckling under his breath. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” He nodded in silent agreement with his question. “Yes I do.”

                He didn’t know if it was cruel or a mercy, but his dreams were pleasantly silent, allowing him one of the best nights of sleep he’d had in a while.

 

(a/n: So this took me a little longer than anticipated. Got sidetracked and distracted recently, as occasionally happens, but I do hope you've enjoyed the latest update. They're certainly finding their footing. And I figured it might be a good idea to at least take a look at a grav-jumping match. lol Very briefly anyway. We'll likely see a bit more later in the future if and when Kibum decides to try but we'll see. For now, their relationship is moving along and we'll likely get to a summarizing chapter / time skip bit soon. Gotta get them through university and despite how much I adore them, I don't think it would really behoove any of us to detail the entirety of Kibum's three years until graduation... So yeah. Be ready for that, but then that means we can start broadening our horizons too. Woot! Finally. Potentially speaking. We'll have an opportunity to see more races and space-farers. Heh But anyway, thanks for reading and I do hope you look forward to the next update. Thank you!)