Supermarket Date

In Bloom

 

As Kyungsoo lazily unshuttered his eyelids and blinked away the afternoon glare, he felt his muscles hum with a satisfied ache. He lay stretched out on the summer-warm grass, and while most of his body felt languid, every nerve on the right side of his body was hyper-sensitized to Jongin's close proximity. Where the skin of their knuckles and upper arms touched, there was an almost unbearable need to push closer. 
 
He felt a sudden stirring to his right and then a sleep-tinged, chocolatey voice said softly, "Hyung, do you have anything on tonight? I mean do you have any plans?"
 
Kyungsoo turned to look at Jongin, who was already facing him as he reclined on his side, his head cradled in his palm, and elbow propped on the ground. Jongin's lips were curved in a warm but slightly tentative smile - like he was still unsure about how Kyungsoo would react to him suggesting they should spend more time together. Jongin's shyness and his warmth,  combined with his complete lack of awareness about how attractive he was - they were qualities that Kyungsoo found both moving and intoxicating.
 
Jongin's soft, midnight hair hung down in a silky curtain - spilling sensually across the back of his hand. Kyungsoo loved how Jongin's hair was soft where his was coarse, and how Jongin was tanned where he was fair and ... Abruptly, he realized he was staring and hastily averted his eyes as if the action would somehow dispel his overwhelming need to touch Jongin. 
 
"No plans. We could ... get dinner?"
 
"Actually, I was thinking ... since we both like sundubu jjigae, I could make some at home. We just need to stop at the supermarket to get some fresh ingredients."
 
"Homecooked sundubu jjigae? No man could say no to homecooked sundubu jjigae."
 
"Hyung, you're so cheesy." Jongin grinned.
 
"I know, Jongin, I know. I also have no self control when it comes to homecooked food."
 
"Don't expect too much ok? I'm not exactly the world's best cook."
 
"I don't care."
 
Then Kyungsoo and Jongin were startled as two voices yelled, "GET A ROOM!" in unison. To their mutual horror, Jongdae and Luhan realized they'd both shouted the same thing at exactly the same time. They were practically shuddering as they glared askance at each other.
 
"You guys are made for each other, you know that, right? No offense, Xiumin." Lay commented mischievously.
 
"None taken. Whatsoever." Xiumin chuckled and Luhan hit his arm quite deliberately, "What's that supposed to mean?!" He glared at his boyfriend as if to say, "You just wait till we get home!" Not the least bit intimidated, Xiumin just evaded his hold and flashed Luhan a cheeky smile. Luhan let his arms drop to his sides in resignation as he watched Xiumin with what looked a lot like exasperated affection. It was an interesting dynamic, Kyungsoo observed. Bossy Luhan's boyfriend was not "boss-able", and that didn't seem to bother Luhan one bit.
 
Meanwhile, Jongdae was so outraged he had been rendered speechless for the first time in known history. His friends couldn't stop laughing and spent the next five minutes hazing him about it - Yixing in particular.
 
"That's the most preposterous thing I've ever heard!" Jongdae finally found his tongue minutes after Yixing had dropped his little Luhan-and-Jongdae-were-made-for-each other bomb. Everyone burst into fresh rounds of laughter. 
 
* * *
 
"Hmm .. do I prefer spinach or bean sprouts?" Kyungsoo said contemplatively as he leaned over the shopping cart to watch Jongin as he picked up pack after pack of vegetables. "I must say this is a lot healthier than shopping for chips at 7-eleven," Kyungsoo chuckled.
 
"Hyung, I'm serious," Jongin poked Kyungsoo's arm urgently.
 
"Spinach then," he relented and Jongin immediately began sorting through bunches of spinach, quickly settling on a bunch which seemed to look fresher and greener than the rest. He could feel the weight of Kyungsoo's eyes on him but he tried his best to ignore it. He had a meal to cook and it was already 4.30 pm so he couldn't afford to be distracted - as tempting as it was.
 
"Do you usually cook dinner for your dates?" Kyungsoo's tone was teasing rather than invasive but Jongin couldn't help feeling just a touch self-conscious anyway.
 
"I've never actually cooked for anyone other than my mom and my family, and well Tao and Kris. My mom and I used to cook dinner together mostly, when we lived in the suburbs. She taught me everything I know about cooking. But about cooking for my dates, um ... I don't know how to break this to you, hyung, but I'm not really the dating type."
 
"But I'm sure you've had dates, right?  I mean look at you," Kyungsoo commented speculatively,"You're nice and sweet - stop making that you're-so-cheesy face, you're definitely sweet, I don't care what you say. Now where was I? You're nice and sweet, and good looking - maybe a little shy but considering everything you have to offer, how could someone like you not date? I don't understand. Sorry if I'm prying - it's not really what I do. I mean I don't usually ask people personal questions unless they want me to but I really, really want to understand you, Jongin. Does that make any sense? And if you don't want to talk about it then we'll just pretend I never asked, ok? But I hope you'll tell me, anyway."
 
"I've only ever really dated one person. His name was Seung Ho and we were both 16 and six months later, he moved away and I was sad for a while and that was it. No one else since."
 
"But that was almost 10 yrs ago!" Kyungsoo cried in disbelief.
 
"I guess I've gone on 4-5 blind dates over the years. But blind dates don't count, right? Luhan made me go out with a couple of florists, one librarian, and ... there were two Engineering students - back in college. I don't remember what any of them look like but I can tell you exactly what I had to eat on each blind date because I spent the whole time staring at my food." Jongin chuckled as he made his last statement and Kyungsoo had to laugh too - even as he accused Jongin of exaggerating his shyness. 
 
"I wish I were, hyung. But I really fail at social interaction. And when it's a stranger, it's six thousand times worse. You remember what I was like at first. At the office. It takes a lot for me to ... like relax enough to start a conversation with someone let alone ask them out."
 
"But surely there have been people along the way since high school that you've been attracted to? And I'm sure there have been people who asked you out? Because look at you!" Kyungsoo was gesticulating now as they stood in front of the fresh fruit aisle. Jongin's eyes scanned the area nervously and he sighed with relief - there were only a few customers around and they were too far away to realize that Kyungsoo and he were having a heart-to-heart right in front of the summer peaches and nectarines.
 
"Yeah, some guys and even girls tried asking in the past - back in college and there were some people at the growers' market. But I mostly avoid talking with people other than my friends so it hasn't happened much. I guess there have been two guys I've found attractive? But I've only been interested enough in one guy to actually make some kind of move." Jongin could feel his cheeks reddening. He'd said too much.
 
"Do you mean me?" Kyungsoo asked him quietly.
 
"I need to find some leeks and onions for the stew," Jongin turned abruptly and started walking briskly in the direction of the aromatics section. Abandoning the shopping cart, Kyungsoo ran off in pursuit.
 
"Jongin, wait! Is it me?" Kyungsoo finally managed to catch up with him at the far end of the fruit aisle. The shorter man trapped the taller one with his arms so that Jongin was awkwardly leaning back, caught between a towering pile of robust, dark green watermelons and a not-so-towering mound of pale green cantaloupes. 
 
"Is it me?" Kyungsoo repeated urgently.
 
Cheeks now a burnt shade of rose, Jongin whispered reluctantly, yes.
 
"I -" Kyungsoo began and then fell silent. Their faces were so close together that Jongin could feel Kyungsoo's hot breath ghost across his cheeks, and he swore he could feel the heat of the other man's arms where they touched his hips. He could feel the burn of Kyungsoo's skin through the cotton fabric of the loose black shorts he wore. 
 
Jongin's heart habitually sped up when Kyungsoo was in his personal space but mild-mannered Kyungsoo's sudden show of assertiveness had ratcheted up his heart rate even more than usual. Being physically confined in the melon section was turning out to be a strangely arousing encounter for Jongin, and he felt himself drowning in Kyungsoo's intense, dark almond eyes. Was Kyungsoo going to kiss him right there in the fruit aisle? Jongin said a little prayer of apology to the three little old ladies browsing in the berries section - hoping they wouldn't be too shocked by the sight of two young men kissing amongst the melons. Then soft as the flutter of butterfly wings, his eyelids flickered shut in almost reverent anticipation. 
 
But to his disappointment, all Jongin felt were fingers, brushing featherlight across the knuckles of both his hands. And then Kyungsoo was reluctantly stepping back, dismantling the makeshift cage he'd made with his arms. 
 
"Thank you."
 
"Thank you?" Jongin felt as disorientated as he sounded.
 
"For liking me enough to make a move, Jongin."
 
Jongin didn't know how to respond to that so he just nodded and looked down, keeping quiet.
 
"Okay, we'd better get the rest of the ingredients. Leeks and onions, then." Kyungsoo took Jongin's elbow with his left hand and pushed the shopping cart with his right. It was good that Kyungsoo had decided to take him in hand because Jongin's knees felt decidedly shaky, and he was pretty sure it wasn't due to over exerting himself playing paintball.
 
Both of them tried to act as if they hadn't almost kissed just minutes ago - chatting and joking companionably as they selected the rest of the ingredients they needed for dinner. Finally, Jongin declared that they had gotten everything they needed, and Kyungsoo suggested that they should pick a wine to go with dinner. 
 
As they strolled through the deserted aisle lined with bottles upon bottles of wine and beer, Jongin let the elegant foreign names roll over his consciousness, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, which he enjoyed ... Shiraz which Jong Ho liked best ... and sweetish Riesling which had been his mother's favorite. Then, as he was trailing his fingers across the dry papery surface of a label that read: Pinot Gris 2009, two warm hands linked together around his waist. Jongin stilled, absorbing the sensations of Kyungsoo's exhaled breaths tickling his right ear, and reveling in the pressure of Kyungsoo's chest against his back. 
 
"Hyung, what if someone ...?"
 
"Shhh ..." Kyungsoo turned him semi-circle so they stood face-to face, then he reached up and crashed his lips urgently against Jongin's in a brief but passionately heated kiss. Both of them were breathing a little heavily as they pulled apart from each other. But as much as they wanted to extend the stolen kiss, neither one of them wanted to scare any unsuspecting, little old ladies who might wander into the liquor aisle.
 
Kyungsoo was the first to recover, and he slung his arm around Jongin's narrow waist, saying wolfishly, "We've had makgeolli and soju kisses. What should we try next?"
 
"Hyungggg! You're so cheesy!"
 
 
A/N Ok, so this chapter was still a challenge to write but at least I was mostly only wrestling with 2 demons here rather than 12! It's a low-key and super slowwww chapter after all the paintball madness but I hope you guys don't hate it. I thought kaisoo needed some fluffy downtime. And OMG C.25 is so fluffy and cheesy I'm more than a little embarrassed to press 'update chapter' but here goes nothing ... 
 
 
 
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Thank you!
LotusK
Thanks also for all the congratulatory messages - I won't be able to reply them all but I read every single one and they all mean a lot to me;;;

Comments

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shonwanigop
#1
🥰
aseulmonsta
#2
❤️❤️
baekhyunsbutt #3
Chapter 23: Aww Sehun is so cute :'(
baekhyunsbutt #4
Chapter 22: Sehun liking Baekhyun first glance ^_^
Dokairm
#5
Chapter 7: OMG for sure i'm going to love this fic my favorite kaisoo and my favorite band nirvana in the same fic it's too much bless lol
and for pearl jam my other favorite for sure kyungsoo favorite song is Black :D
E_L_F13
#6
Chapter 39: Such a beautiful, well-writing story! I had a blast reading it. I’m in awe at how cute Kaisoo’s relationship is and the other ships as well. I love how you managed to write about all the members. Thank you for this<3
Miraez69
#7
Chapter 37: What a great story!!! I love everything about it.... Every chapter gets better and im dying to know the ending..... Thanks for writing this authornim ❤
Dinaakyungsoo
#8
Chapter 38: This story is so amazing. I'm in love with it. They're just so cute and I like it when jongin kiss kyungsoo in his neck. So ADORABLE !
Thank you authornim for writing this story <3
Heelina #9
Chapter 15: Re read. Still amazing❤