(09) According to Plan – 1,663

Think. Think! Jongwoon screamed at himself because he doesn’t know how this could have happened! It’s been a while since he sang anywhere else but the shower, so he thought that he would record himself a few times in the studio. Only a few weeks have passed since his return and Super Junior just finished their latest promotion performances so it would be awhile before their new recording sessions with forced mushed schedules. He didn’t mind. He was trying to get back into the uneven sleeping times anyway.

And while it wasn’t in the middle of the night, he didn’t think that it would result in him and Kyuhyun being stuck in the studio together.

The staff that was supposedly burning the midnight oil was in the main agency. The president, Lee Soo Man, had an announcement, probably concerning the next company inter-group release and event. He couldn’t believe it. Somewhere deep down, Jongwoon was sure he planned this.

Still no signal. Jongwoon thought to himself, switching his cellphone to sleep mode again. He’d been trying to contact the managers to tell them that he was still in the freaking studio with freaking Kyuhyun and that they were stuck inside.

In the middle of the storm.

Jongwoon wanted to face palm at the cliché of it all. He’d read about these things in manhwas and mangas. The main protagonist couple being stuck in a room for a certain amount of time, in the dark and then things begins to get… interesting.

He doesn’t remember why he didn’t inform the managers why he was in the studio in the first place. It wasn’t like his singing practices were a secret. All the idols under SM Entertainment were allowed to walk in and out of the studios freely at any time for practice and recording. So he didn’t quite think about going there to record and listen to himself.

In retrospect, the clouds were already dark and ominous.

“Do you think we have food?” Kyuhyun asked so suddenly that Jongwoon’s thoughts snapped in two.

“Huh?” He could only reply dumbly.

Kyuhyun looked at him from where he was seated on the couch of the recording booth. His one ankle on his other knee, his arms spread out at the back of the sofa. He looked like the epitome of a lazy bum. His fangirls might cry, Jongwoon thought to himself silently.

Abruptly, he stood up and rummaged the mini refrigerator they had. He bent over seeing that it was practically less than half his height. Jongwoon felt his cheeks redden at the obscene view and he turned away. It wouldn’t do well for things to happen now.

Damn it, Kyuhyun! Jongwoon cursed, eyes forcibly looking away but his blush didn’t lessen. His heartbeat was loud in his ears that he feared Kyuhyun would be able to hear it. He bit his bottom lip to distract himself. His breathing became haggard. He tapped his chest a few times, begging his heart to slow the down.

The cold sensation of a can had him screaming loudly. He jumped and his back rammed against the door and his lower back hitting the doorknob. He in a breath as the pain crawled up his spine. Kyuhyun watched with wide eyes and cans hanging in midair. Jongwoon bent down in a squat, a hand holding the small of his back in an attempt to ease the pain.

“,” he hissed, the pain not subsiding. Slowly, he saw Kyuhyun squat in front of him. He didn’t move until he was sure that Jongwoon was aware that he was there. When he caught Jongwoon’s eyes, he moved swiftly, reaching for his back with the can still in his hand. He pressed it lightly. Jongwoon flinched at the coldness. Kyuhyun didn’t force the can and moved it back and forth gradually, getting Jongwoon used to the feeling. Once he was, Kyuhyun pressed it hard enough to act like a cold compress. It eased the pain a bit to a dull tingle. He grimaced and relaxed.

Slowly, he stood up and dragged himself to the couch where Kyuhyun let him lie down to straighten his back. He bit his bottom lip at the strain it left him. His back stretched, the feeling of his muscles being pulled was more irritating than painful. When he opened his eyes, Kyuhyun sat by his side. The lights began to flicker and Jongwoon remembered that there was a storm just outside.

“So do we have food?” He asked, startling Kyuhyun a bit.

“Someone left a bottle of kimchi.”

“I see.” The conversation ended abruptly, the awkward silence filling the room again. He didn’t understand why it felt so awkward. It wasn’t like they weren’t in the same room alone before!

Jongwoon blinked and turned his head to look at Kyuhyun. He observed him, eyes cast down but his grip never wavering as he was still holding the drinks that were beginning to drip at the room temperature and his body heat.

Now that he thought about it, he and Kyuhyun had never really been in a room with just the two of them. The dorms always had at least two or three members present. Outings were always just dinner outside because Ryeowook or Sungmin couldn’t be bothered to cook. Whenever they were recording, it was always either solo or by chorus so there were always at least five of them in the booth. During KRY recordings, it was always individual recordings. Even during their duet, the manager, their vocal coach and their producer was there so they weren’t technically alone.

Jongwoon blushed at the thought of this being their first time alone. He lowered his arm to cover his face, trying hard to hide how much of a tomato he was sure he looked like.

“This is actually the first time it’s just been the two of us, huh,” Kyuhyun commented and Jongwoon resisted the urge to kick him for saying it out loud. Now that it was out in the open, the room was a lot stuffier and they were both awfully aware of each other. Jongwoon turned to his other side to face the couch, concealing his face from Kyuhyun’s view.

“I really thought you hated me until now.” Jongwoon’s eyes snapped open, the flush now gone at the solemn tone. He sat up and stared at Kyuhyun confusingly.

Kyuhyun refused to see him, eyes stubbornly cast down with his fringe lightly covering them. His eyelashes are long… Jongwoon couldn’t help but think before realizing that it was completely inappropriate and that it really wasn’t the time or place!

“What gave you that idea?” Jongwoon asked, willing his brain to stop thinking about how long Kyuhyun’s eyelashes were.

“You kind of always avoided being alone with me.” Kyuhyun admitted.

“I did—” Jongwoon fell silent. He didn’t have much of an excuse. It wasn’t like he was avoiding Kyuhyun. There just weren’t any opportunity to be just the two of them. That’s all it was. He was pretty sure that’s all it was. But the lump on his throat told him otherwise.

“Even earlier, you tried looking for the producer or at least someone else to help you with the recording.” Kyuhyun looked at him now, his eyes strong but fear was evident, Jongwoon noted.

“I didn’t… mean it that way.” And that was the truth.

“Really?” Okay, so maybe not. Jongwoon was accused more than once that he was oblivious and dense. That he should learn to notice everyone that surrounded him more and that there was something else that meets the eye. He wasn’t as oblivious to everything as everyone said because he understood these things. He’s been through these before. The fleeting glances, praying that they would look back but shyly glancing away as quick as they could and pretending that it didn’t happen in the first place. The softest touch that made their heartbeat loud enough to drown out a war drum beat. He’s experienced all of that before, so he knew what it meant when those happened.

And he knew that those happened. At the dorms, during recording, when they were performing, in Mouse Rabbit… he knew that Kyuhyun, at the very least, liked him.

“I just—” he began. “I just didn’t know how to react.” Jongwoon confessed, the blush rushing back up to his cheeks. He couldn’t hide them now as it was useless. Kyuhyun was staring at him, eyes wide and cheeks just very lightly pink. Jongwoon stubbornly kept his gaze down, their positions switched this time. He felt his heartbeat pounding against his chest that it felt unnatural to listen to it. He didn’t know if it was even his anymore when Kyuhyun began to lean closer.

“I… might have taken advantage of you being alone today, hyung.” Jongwoon flinched when Kyuhyun cradled his face, the cold seeping through his skin. Kyuhyun leaned his forehead against Jongwoon’s, the close proximity making Jongwoon want to pull away but Kyuhyun’s hands held firm. He could feel Kyuhyun’s breath on his skin. Kyuhyun’s hands had warmed up and it was starting to feel too hot.

Kyuhyun tilted his head and inched his lips closer. Jongwoon knew what to expect and he didn’t have the strength to fight back.

“JONGWOON-HYUNG!!” The door slammed open and Jongwoon and Kyuhyun jumped back. They blinked towards the previously locked door. They were met with the worried faces of Donghae and Ryeowook, while Jungsoo stood there with the keys hanging midair. Heechul wore a scowl, glaring at the younger two as if he wanted to beat the out of them. Hyukjae, Donghee and Youngwoon stood there, forehead against their palms, both disappointed and embarrassed. Way behind them, Sungmin and Siwon were talking to the security guards but they were too far for Jongwoon to understand.

Well, it was that or his heartbeat was loud enough to overwhelm the sound of the storm.

A/N: I let my creative freedom run free here... and I only have ONE MORE to go! I feel both sad and relieved. ;u; It’s a very weird feeling.

By the way, I’ve said before that I’m going to do the Haunted Mansion story after this, but if there were anything that I’ve written under Love Stories that felt a bit short, like a cliffhanger or you’re just curious as to what happened, I’m open to writing them? If I get a few, I’ll post them as a new story.

Well, I’m going to move on a bit after this. I tried to keep it within canon time-wise. Now, I kind of want to write an Alternate Universe. >u<