Gilded sunbeams streamed into Jongin's room through the large plate glass window, drenching his bedsheets in a soft blonde glow. Meanwhile, minute, gold-tinged dust motes floated lazily to the ground, illuminated by the shafts of natural light. But Jongin didn't register any of the beauty that surrounded him - his attention was focused solely on his sleeping companion. His right arm was draped loosely around Kyungsoo's slim form as he watched the other man sleep. Slightly parted, Kyungsoo's lips emitted a gentle low snore which Jongin found deeply endearing. Relaxed in slumber, Kyungsoo's features were even more boyish than usual, harboring a kind of distilled innocence. 

 

The borrowed shirt was far too large for him and left one slender shoulder exposed to the morning air. Jongin hesitated for all of three seconds before his fingertips gently caressed the pale skin. As Kyungsoo began stirring and the sleep sounds ceased, Jongin planted a lingering kiss on the other man's shoulder. 

 

Kyungsoo turned to lie on his back, facing Jongin as his eyelids flickered open tentatively, "'Morning," he smiled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with the back of his hands in a gesture that was surprisingly childlike.

 

"'Morning, hyung." Jongin kissed his forehead and as Kyungsoo pulled him into a tight embrace, he asked, "Did you sleep well?"

 

"You know I did." Kyungsoo brushed the stubborn strands of Jongin's straight hair out of his eyes, "I love how soft your hair is."

 

"Soft hair is only nice when it's not your own. I spend half my life pushing it out of my eyes."

 

"You should get it cut more often then?" Kyungsoo suggested reasonably.

 

"But that would mean going to the hairdresser more often. And well, you know me and strangers, hyung."

 

"Strangers are just people we don't know, Jongin. But anyway, I like your hair a little long. It gives me an excuse to touch it all the time. Like this," and Kyungsoo's fingers played with Jongin's fringe again as he brushed it away from his forehead only to have it cascade down once he removed his hand.

 

"See? Soft hair ." Jongin grumbled. They lay there unspeaking for a while before Jongin said, "Hyung? Thanks for staying. Waking up with you was ... nice, and you look much better in my Crong t-shirt than I do." Jongin couldn't resist trailing his fingertips over Kyungsoo's shoulder as he mentioned the shirt and Kyungsoo laughed, swatting his hand away.

 

"You know my schedule is terminally screwed because of you, right? I'm pretty sure waking up together is only supposed to happen five weeks after meeting someone I like." Kyungsoo shook his head wryly.

 

"Schedules are made to be broken." Jongin insisted as he cuddled Kyungsoo spoon-fashion. 

 

"No they're not. Schedules are good - they give life structure."

 

"But spontaneity is good too, hyung."

 

Kyungsoo grunted, sounding unimpressed. Not that it stopped him from rubbing his nose against Jongin's neck and inhaling the faint scent of vanilla, lavender mint, and the more tantalizing scent of sleepy Jongin - not at all concerned that he was five weeks ahead of schedule ...

 

* * *

 

"What do you want to have for brunch?" Jongin asked lazily as he drew circles on Kyungsoo's collarbones. 

 

"I haven't had porridge in a while. What about we have juk in Koreatown? I haven't been there for a while."

 

"Juk sounds great, actually." Jongin agreed and switched patterns as he began tracing hearts on the fine angles of Kyungsoo's collarbones.

 

"There, you're drawing those other shapes again. But they don't feel like stars, Jongin."

 

"They're not stars."

 

"They weren't stars last night either, were they?" Kyungsoo asked quietly as he made soothing circles on Jongin's back with his palm.

 

"Hearts. They were hearts." Jongin admitted shyly before burying his face in the pillow in embarrassment. Kyungsoo chuckled as he tried to tear him away from his bedding, "I can't believe you lied to me, Kim Jongin!"

 

Jongin mumbled, "You would have lied too if you were me. So embarrassing." But it came out more like, "Yeisnk sbkslsl sllsjdvd kdlshhyegiek" as Jongin's face remained determinedly smothered in his feather pillow. 

 

"Why hearts, Jongin?"

 

But before Jongin even had the chance to deflect the query, his phone vibrated and sang from its resting place on the bedside table:

 

 

"Third Eye Blind? Who?" Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow curiously.

 

"Junmyeon hyung. I wonder what he wants." Jongin answered the call - relieved to escape Kyungsoo's interrogation. 

 

"What's up, hyung?" 

 

"Jongin-ah, I need a favor. I kinda asked Chanyeol out for brunch but I need numbers. Kris and Tao have agreed to join us - can you come too? Because Chanyeol knows you and that'll, I don't know, make him feel more comfortable?"

 

"But why are you asking a whole bunch of us along? Don't you guys want to be alone and get to know each other better or whatever it is people who aren't me do on first dates? Wait, didn't you guys go out last night?"

 

"Noooooo. Chanyeol had some family barbecue last night he couldn't get out of. So I suggested Sunday brunch but then I thought he seems kinda introverted so maybe he'd like you along for moral support and then I thought that would seem really obvious and so I asked Kris and Tao along too. And ... I'm babbling. I'm nervous, can you tell? So can you join us, kiddo? Please?"

 

"Can I bring Kyungsoo? He's kinda with me."

 

"Hell yes, bring Soo! Just be there, ok? You can hitch a ride with the guys. They should be calling you any minute now, actually."

 

"Calm down, hyung," Jongin laughed, "We'll be there. But we need to shower and brush our teeth first, ok?"

 

"Brush your ...? But I thought you said Soo was with you? Ohhhhhh ... Oh I see." Jongin could almost picture the surprise on Junmyeon's perfect features. Then Junmyeon said, more seriously, "Be good to him, kiddo, ok? Kyungsoo is about the nicest person I know - other than you I think - and I don't want either of you getting hurt. Have you told him you're not actually a delivery guy?"

 

"On Wednesday. I'll do it on Wednesday, I promise."

 

"That's good. So I'll meet you guys at Imperial Treasures in Burbank Street at 10.30? You know the restaurant where we usually have dim sum with Kris and Tao?"

 

"Yes, hyung. We'll be there." Jongin hung up and looked at a bemused Kyungsoo, "I guess our juk will have to wait. Junmyeon hyung just sent out a distress call. I hope you like dim sum."

 

"I do. In fact I like dim sum almost as much as I like you," Kyungsoo teased and Jongin groaned at his cheesiness. Then they fell back on the bed together and cuddled and kissed ears and necks and jaws and collarbones - everything but lips because they were both too embarrassed to kiss each other with morning breath. 

 

"Why hearts, Jongin?"

 

"Because I like you a lot more than I like dim sum." Jongin admitted as he forced himself to shed some of his usual self consciousness - playing with Kyungsoo's springy black hair as the other man looked down at him, propped up on his elbows in bed.

 

"Well, we're perfect for each other then. And yes, I know that was cheesy! Deal with it," Kyungsoo leant down to kiss Jongin on the forehead. "Ok, it's quarter to ten - we'd better get showered and washed up. I have a Top Ten Best Flavors list to compile. We've had makgeolli, soju, and Gewürztraminer kisses ... Time for some Colgate kisses."

 

"Hyunggggg! STOP!"

 

"You know you love my cheesy side. Besides, I'm a Math geek and an accountant. I have a pathological need to quantify things. Like how many kisses I can squeeze in before my shower ..." Kyungsoo laughed just before he dove into the crook of Jongin's neck to take long and not-so-subtle sniffs of his favorite scent in the whole wide world ...

 

* * *

 

"So what did Jongin cook for you last night?" Tao asked conversationally as they watched the poker-faced waitress pour steaming hot amber liquid into four petite porcelain teacups. 

 

"He made soft tofu stew and rolled omelette. The food was fantastic." 

 

"Noooooo, not sundubu jjigaeeeee?" Kris groaned theatrically, "Jongin, you haven't made that for us in ages. Now I'm craving it, dammit."

 

"Bring some to Thursday dinner - and make sure it's sundubu jjigae or Kris will make my life hell with his whining."

 

"I. Do. Not. Whine." Kris stated forcefully.

 

"Of course you do, ge. Incessantly. Kyungsoo, you're invited too. We try to eat together every Thursday night - unless Kris and I are both out of town. We cook two dishes and Jongin brings one over." Tao explained to Kyungsoo, while completely ignoring his boyfriend's protest and ferocious (mock) glare.

 

"Thanks for the invitation. I'll definitely be there unless I've got urgent deadlines on Friday. Is it ok if I bring dessert?" 

 

"Dessert would be excellent." Kris said just before his phone buzzed. "Hmm ... Junmyeon just texted me. He just picked Chanyeol up so they'll be ten minutes late." Kris consulted his watch, "It's only 10.25 now so that gives us ... fifteen minutes to browse at the bookstore next door. I need to get a new novel  - I'll be out of town for two days next week." Kris announced. 

 

"I'm all right, Kris. Just going to sit here and drink my jasmine tea." Jongin took a cautious sip of blisteringly hot tea from the fragile white cup the waitress had upturned just minutes earlier. Kyungsoo said he'd pass too - he was having enough trouble finishing his latest Malazan read.

 

"Well, I could do with some photography magazines, actually. See you guys in fifteen." Tao stood up, joining Kris. The two tall, broad-shouldered men cut a swathe through the restaurant as they strode elegantly to the exit.

 

 

 

Kyungsoo could sense that Jongin was a little tense as waiters, waitresses and random restaurant patrons skittered past their table in a more or less continuous stream. He gripped Jongin's knee reassuringly, "They're just people, Jongin."

 

"I know, hyung." Jongin placed his palm over Kyungsoo's, "I think I'm getting better at this whole eating in public thing. At least that's what Jongho told me last Friday."

 

"I'm glad. You'll be okay on your own, right? Because I really need to use the men's. I knew drinking two cups of coffee before we left was a really bad idea." Jongin laughed and said of course he'd be fine, what a silly hyung. Kyungsoo supposed he'd deserved that for asking a 25 year old if he'd be all right on his own while he went to take a leak. Smooth, Kyungsoo, very smooth.

 

He walked purposefully to the opposite end of the crowded restaurant - trying his best to avoid knocking into human traffic. Imperial Treasures was a popular eatery which was habitually heaving at the seams with customers, and today was no different. 

 

Kyungsoo's bladder practically gave a sigh of relief when he saw the sign with the little man just twenty feet away. As he was passing through the area at the back of the restaurant with four to five secluded booths, he caught a glimpse of a very familiar set of dimples. Yixing swept his overlong fringe out of his eyes as he spoke intently to his companion. Kyungsoo couldn't see the other person at all but his meticulous eye for detail noticed that the unseen man's ankles were touching Yixing's. Their ankles were discreetly entangled, but entangled they were.

 

Yixing hadn't mentioned seeing anyone recently and Kyungsoo knew he must have had his reasons for keeping quiet about it. If he could have found another way to get to the toilet, he would have but he really had no choice but to walk past Yixing's table. 

 

Kyungsoo took a deep breath and strode past as quietly and swiftly as he could, hoping they wouldn't notice. By some miracle, he managed to get past them undetected - so engrossed were they in their conversation. Coming out of the toilet would be just a tricky but with any luck, Yixing's companion wouldn't recognize him at all. And so Kyungsoo walked out of the toilet, trying to appear as nonchalant as possible, only to find himself staring at a face he knew only too well.

 

"Kyungsoo? Erm ... hi. Who are you here with?"

 

Loose Lips. It was Kim Loose Lips and he had a really guilty look on his face. Kyungsoo's eyes were telling him it was Jongdae but his brain just refused to listen. Zhang Yixing had been playing footsie with Kim Jongdae? What on earth ...?

 

 

 

A/N: Erm, wow I completed this update way faster than I expected! I must have been really motivated by all the comments you guys made on fluffy C.28! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts - love you all to bits! I really enjoyed hearing from first time commenters and commenters who haven't said anything for ages. I just love hearing from my readers so I hope more of you will drop a comment sometime ;)

 

Thanks also to the readers who voted for this fic - 7 votes for the last update which is like unheard of for me and no I'm not complaining because I love votes and it inspires me to write when people like my fic enough to vote for it <3333.

 

So this chapter is a combination of fluffy Kaisoo and interactions with Suho, Taoris and well, the discovery of ChenLay?ChenXing? Is that even a ship?! Anyway I didn't want those two to be forever alone so if any of you have anxiety issues over the forming of this pairing (cough cough yes, Jenni I mean you) - I'm sorryyyyy otl.

 

Hope you guys enjoy this update :) and a special shout out to GDKEYTOPbias and cherrylisa for sticking with this fic for so long!

 

PS: In case any of you are curious, this is sleepy, floppy-haired Jongin in the morning - erm, minus the leather and chains (zomg that sounds soooo baaaad) and minus Chanyeol lol: