Kyungsoo hummed a tune to himself as he stacked away the last plate before hanging the towel over the oven's handle to dry.
It was a late Sunday afternoon, and he had it all to himself. Chanyeol and Jongin had went out on Friday, something about volunteering at a pet shop. Kyungsoo hadn't pestered either of them with questions, just asked Chanyeol if they had fun per text message afterwards - only to receive a flurry of excited texts in return.

Kyungsoo had always picked himself as a rather possessive and, quite frankly, jealous person. Seeing Chanyeol interact with Jongin, knowing they might be intimate when he wasn't around... it did do things to him, but not exactly in a way he would have expected it. He wasn't sure whether the idea made him happy for them or not. He was definitely not , but he wasn't worried either. Chanyeol's affection seemed unwavering and true as ever. If anything, the overgrown puppy seemed more free and easy in expressing it, now that Jongin was an official part of their relationship.
Yes, things were mostly confusing at this point. Kyungsoo wasn't very good at analyzing himself, but this had been going on for weeks, and he was starting to suspect that he didn't feel threatened as Chanyeol's lover because Jongin was aual. That would be bad though, right? It would mean that he didn't see Jongin on the same level as them. He scrunched his brows into the lightest frown, made a decision and padded into his bedroom, going through his drawer without haste.

It was difficult to see Jongin on the same level though, because the boy had a habit of making himself look smaller. Kyungsoo got that it was more of a compulsive habit and less a result of bad intentions. Recently, Jongin seemed keen on crawling out of his shell. It just obviously gave him much more trouble than he seemed to have when it came to Chanyeol. The results showed sporadically at best, and made things rather confusing, to be honest. Sometimes Jongin would be pleasant and reserved for long stretches of time, only to throw in a surprisingly biting remark out of nowhere. Kyungsoo wanted to make things easy for him, but he was suffering from the permanent threat of getting whiplash from the sudden change in attitude. He'd pondered being more confrontational, verbally, but seeing as Jongin was already trying - and this was the best he could come up with, at the moment - this didn't seem to be a good idea.
With a fresh towel over one arm and a bundle of clothes stacked on top, he wandered off to the bathroom with a small yawn. Jongin was so complicated.

With a soft thump, the clothes were dropped on the narrow row of tiles bridging what would otherwise be a small gap in between the bath tub and the wall. Kyungsoo's bathroom was tiny and cramped, as everything about his apartment was - the narrow room was mostly filled by a regular-sized bathtub squished in between two walls to his left, leaving barely enough space to walk and reach the toilet. Kyungsoo didn't mind. Strangely enough, it felt more cozy like this.
He had just opened the tiny cupboard beneath the sink, when his phone vibrated. With a good-natured sigh, Kyungsoo let go of the plastic bottle he'd already found, deciding that this had priority. The signature sound of this particular app could only mean that it was Chanyeol texting him. That silly boy couldn't survive a day without him, after all, huh?
To his surprise, it wasn't Chanyeol. It was Jongin, asking whether he was free.
For awhile, Kyungsoo just looked at the little speech bubble on the screen. Then he had an idea, shrugged to himself and typed a reply.

When the doorbell rang not too long after, Kyungsoo opened it to a sheepish-looking Jongin. There was no reason to look like that, but he was becoming used to it being the default look on Jongin, who seemed a little guilty over any second he took from Kyungsoo's supposedly precious time.
"Hello," he said almost meekly, and Kyungsoo huffed in amusement.
"Hey. Come in."
Jongin followed the invitation with a fleeting smile that looked more eager than he probably planned on letting on. Kyungsoo only shook his head at the other's demeanor and went for the kitchen.
"I'll get you something to drink. Orange juice is fine?" he asked over his shoulder, already reaching for a glass.
"Y-yeah. Of course!"

Ever since that fateful coke incident, Kyungsoo had made sure to always pick up some juice at the next trip to the grocery store. He wasn't a bad host, and if he were to expect Jongin over ever so often, there was no reason not to buy something he liked. Kyungsoo didn't mind. It was a much healthier choice, anyway.

He was just screwing the lid back on the package of juice, when Jongin started rambling – or rather butchering what was probably a well-prepared speech.
He did that a lot, so it was no surprise at this point.
"I know it's Sunday and you probably wanted to relax, so I thought we could maybe just, I don't know, watch a movie? Unless you're kinda sick of that, of course. In that case we could also play some games, or you just do you and don't mind me at all, that would be fine, too-"
"I was about to take a bath when you texted me," Kyungsoo interrupted him nonchalantly. It was almost comical to see Jongin's expression fall into a pit of uncertainty.
"Oh," he muttered unintelligently, and, quite frankly, a little crestfallen. "That's okay. I can just watch some TV in the meantime-"
"Wanna join me?"
"What?"
Jongin looked like Kyungsoo had just proposed them to rob a bank. Shocked, sort of scandalized, and like he assumed Kyungsoo was joking. Now, against his public image, Kyungsoo did do jokes - his deadpan attitude was suited perfectly for them. But he wasn't utterly insensitive to timing, and this certainly was neither a time nor thing to joke about. So he only looked him in the eye and shrugged ever so slightly.
"Why not? Sitting in a hot tub is certainly more relaxing than the couch. I think it's obvious that I'm not gonna jump you, and you don't swing that way anyway, right?"
Jongin slowly closed his mouth, blinking dumbly.

Admittedly, it was a rather bold statement, but essentially true. Jongin was aual and therefore not planning on ever having with him, anyway. So with all the possibly ual intentions out of the way, taking a bath together wasn't such a big deal anymore, right?

"You can always say no if you're uncomfortable with that," Kyungsoo simply offered, watching Jongin's face closely. The boy seemed like his brain had stopped working and was now quickly rebooting.
"Uhm," he stammered, eyes flitting through the room as he seemed to consider the offer earnestly. Kyungsoo waited patiently, taking the time to store away the orange juice.
"If... if it doesn't make you uncomfortable... I guess it's alright?" he said slowly, hesitantly, and Kyungsoo shot him an amused look.
"That's what you're worried about? I offered it, after all. Either way, I should switch off the water."
He passed by Jongin, who only followed him with obvious caution. The bathroom was already rather damp from the amount of hot steam filling the tiny room.
"The worst that could happen would be me getting a ," Kyungsoo casually said as he tested the temperature - which was pleasantly hot - and turned off the stream of water, "and that would most likely make you more uncomfortable than me, so..."
"You're so blunt," Jongin said from the door frame, sounding both astonished and still mildly scandalized. Kyungsoo only hummed, drying his hands on a towel.
"And you aren't?"
He looked up to see Jongin biting his lips, and added a light "That's right, only towards Chanyeol, huh?"
"That's- it's not because I don't like you, it's just-"
"I know," Kyungsoo cut him off softly, saving him from further embarrassment as he brushed past him once again, "you can go in first, I'll get you a towel and stuff. Do you need pajamas or anything?"
"If it's okay for me to stay overnight? I didn't bring a toothbrush though..."
Assuring him that it was fine, Kyungsoo slowly made his way to the bedroom. He purposefully took his time, to the point that he first checked his phone for messages and then flat-out stopped and just stared at the pile of fresh towels for awhile, listening to the faint sounds of rustling clothes. Then he reached for Chanyeol's pair of sleepwear. Chanyeol had brought it one evening and Kyungsoo had definitely missed reminding him to take it back home the next day, cause he may or may not enjoy the thought of his lover having a spare set of clothes at his place a little too much (while Chanyeol was evidently not thinking much into it).
He considered undressing in the bathroom, to show Jongin that he was really alright with this, but it wasn't like he wanted to give him a show, either. It could always backfire. Jongin still seemed sort of terrified by anything that could be interpreted in a ual way; the last time an innuendo had slipped his lips, Jongin had all but ran away.
Kyungsoo couldn't deny the fond little grin that was tugging at his lips while he slipped out of his clothes. It had been sort of adorable, how Jongin had tucked himself into Chanyeol's side in an attempt to hide away. Really, Jongin was so strange...

When he entered the bathroom, loosely holding a towel around his waist, Jongin was sitting at the far end of the tub, knees drawn up high as he peeked up at him with slightly wide eyes.
You were serious about this, right?, he seemed to ask. Kyungsoo pretended not to notice the way Jongin's eyes flickered down his exposed upper body, placed aside the spare clothes and took off the towel with purposefully calm motions. Though he'd be a fool to deny that he was avoiding Jongin's eyes as he slowly stepped into the hot water, giving his skin a little time to adjust to the temperature. The water had the characteristically bright green color Kyungsoo had come to associate with his favorite bath gel - not to mention the distinct fragrance of horse chestnut that was already calming him down tremendously. He sighed involuntarily when he sat down, fully dipping into the water until it reached just above his chest, blessing him with a wave of heat that his body mistook for cold for a second.
"You like your water scorching hot, huh?" Jongin asked, and his voice had a dull echo to it. Kyungsoo leaned back a little to bless the rest of his goosebumps-ridden skin with hot water.
"Too hot?"
Jongin lightly shook his head.
"I'm good."
With a hum, Kyungsoo wriggled until he got comfortable.
"I didn't take you for the type to take lengthy bubble baths," Jongin suddenly burst out, and by the look on his face, he obviously regretted the statement already. Kyungsoo raised a brow in question.
"Why not? What's there to say against lying in a hot tub, reading a book and just relaxing?"
"N-nothing," Jongin immediately said, making a dismissive hand gesture that sent a few bubbles flying. "I guess... I just really don't know you all that well."
Kyungsoo shot him a little grin.
"You literally just saw every inch of me."
"I didn't look!"
"Sure you didn't," Kyungsoo hummed, touching a few bubbles that burst with the tiniest sounds between the pads of his fingers.
"Okay, I did," Jongin admitted immediately, "but I didn't really see anything, I swear."
"Why are you even worrying about that?" Kyungsoo asked lightly. "If we three are a thing, you'll probably see me sooner or later, anyway, no matter whether you're involved in or not."
Jongin stared at him, and now he reminded him of a little boy seeking an answer to a question so blatantly obvious that he'd never really asked it.
"I guess..." was all he could ultimately come up with, and Kyungsoo couldn't help but ask.
"Are you scared of the topic? Are you scared Chanyeol or I might try to talk you into sleeping with either of us?"
"No!"
The reply came surprisingly quickly and firm, going by Jongin's standards. Realizing this, the boy his lips and tried again.
"No, that's not it. I know you wouldn't. Neither of you would."
He was still thinking, eyes lingering on the sea of white bubbles, when Kyungsoo spoke up before he could.

"Would you mind turning around?"
Jongin blinked at him in question, and Kyungsoo only made an encouraging turning motion with his hand. Jongin followed warily, turning only his head and then, on Kyungsoo's insistence, his whole body.
"Okay. Come here."
"Huh?"
Kyungsoo leaned forwards and stretched out his arm to graze the other's back. Jongin initially flinched, but still followed the gentle pressure on his shoulder and scooted towards Kyungsoo. He was being bold again, but why stop now, Kyungsoo thought to himself as he spread his legs to make room for Jongin, who advanced until only a hand width of space was separating them, and Kyungsoo's thighs were all but bracketing him.
"See - now you can stretch out your legs."
For awhile, Jongin just sat there, before stretching his legs out almost mechanically. Kyungsoo eyed his , watched the subtle dips and grooves of his shoulder blades, spine and muscles until a barely audible whisper broke the silence.
"What are you trying to accomplish right now? Test whether I'm as ace as I'm making myself out to be?"

The water was still very much hot, but he could also feel the heat radiating off Jongin.
"Do you have that little faith in me?"
He heard the water splash as Jongin presumably played with the surface.
"No. Just. What else would it be?" he asked, voice so small that if he weren't so close, he would have clearly missed it.
"Don't be silly. If you tell me your ual preferences, I can only believe you. How would I know them better than you?" Kyungsoo gently asked right back at him, reaching out slowly to grace Jongin's shoulder with a fleeting touch, testing his reactions. He didn't flinch again, but the way his muscles tensed up was perfectly visible on his .
"I just wanna know what you're comfortable with," Kyungsoo quietly said, not moving his fingertips.
"I don't care about online definitions," he began, fingers skidding over his skin to the other shoulder.
"they don't tell me what you want and what not..."
His second hand joined the spot where his fingertips had just been, slowly coming to a full rest, palming his shoulder.
"...what upsets you and what makes you feel good."
With this, his free palm came to a rest on Jongin's other shoulder. The skinship had fleetingly increased, and while Jongin didn't swat at him, the tension was still there.
Kyungsoo waited, while Jongin was obviously thinking. Maybe he was trying to muster up the courage to get out of this situation. Maybe he considered just how much he trusted Kyungsoo.

"It's okay."
It were just these two words breathed out into the sea of sizzling bubbles.
"This is okay?" Kyungsoo asked for confirmation, applying the tiniest pressure on his shoulders. The muscles in his back relaxed almost reflexively at that, caving into the touch, accommodating.
"Yes."
Kyungsoo started out slow, rubbing his thumbs into the tanned skin, watching and feeling the tension seep in and out.

"You're really something," Jongin muttered.
"Because of this whole situation?" he asked lowly, concentrated on feeling up the muscles, getting a feeling for Jongin's body. He felt it when Jongin huffed.
"That, too. No, I mean... the way you assume I might have things I want, even though I'm... me."
"But it's true, isn't it?" Kyungsoo asked right back, sliding his palms up the sides of his neck, and back down over the curve of his shoulders and down his arms, until he dipped into the water. A thin sheet of water was left when he back-tracked, serving as a poor excuse for the goosebumps crawling up Jongin's upper arms.
"Maybe. Maybe it's true."
Jongin leaned into his touch ever so slightly, and it didn't go unnoticed.
"It's not like I hate touches. I'm not all that different actually, you know?"
Kyungsoo let him talk, only throwing in a hum as he explored the area around his nape, always keeping his touches symmetrical in location and pressure.
"I get when I touch myself. I can have , too. The pressure, the , it's all there. I even wake up with morning wood occasionally."

His palms wandered from the shoulder blades downwards, just a little lower. Just enough to dip back into the water and cup his sides. Jongin shuddered, and Kyungsoo felt himself twitch, an unexpected spark that caught him off guard.
"There's just a tiny part in my head that's missing, something that's broken," Jongin said thoughtfully, and the sound of swirls drawn into the water trailed off. "And that's the part making me want it. Or actually enjoy it, really."
Kyungsoo huffed out a small laugh and carded his wet fingers into the dry curls, wetting them slowly, but thoroughly.
"You're not broken," he argued, a tinge of amusement shining through, "it's a feature. Following your logic, we'd all be broken. I'd be broken, for not being into s."

"Since when did you know?" Jongin asked with a sudden focus, turning his head, though it was more a symbolic gesture than him trying to get a look at Kyungsoo.
"Hm? Always," he replied, scooping up more water to wet the other's hair and massage his scalp in the progress. "I just knew. Maybe I didn't always consciously know, but liking girls was never an option."
"And you didn't get for that? Did people know all along, too?"
"Who knows. I didn't bother telling it to many people, cause there was never a real reason for it. You'd be surprised at how little attention people really pay to those around them. You might think your downfall is their priority, but most of the time, you're worrying for nothing. Sure, you get a few half-assed jabs here and there, but why care?"
Jongin hummed, sounding pensive and a little down.
"Right. Of course you'd be unfazed. I used to think there's nothing that could affect you or bring you down... but that's not true either, right?" he continued, voice raising with curiosity. "What would manage to shake you up?"
He actually turned his head to meet Kyungsoo's gaze with an almost playful one of his own.
"What are you uncomfortable with?"

Kyungsoo smiled, flicking a bit of water at him, which Jongin took with a wrinkled nose, quickly turning back to the front. He reached for the nearby plastic bottle behind him, squeezing a bit of red gel out and began to lather it on the wet hair, rubbing it in until it turned to rose-colored foam. Only then did he speak up again.

"It's a little specific and hard to put into words," he began, and Jongin hummed in a way that reminded him of the purr of a content cat, "but I guess if someone wants to take the lead, and I let them... if I pass over the handle. And the person uses that trust to turn on me. That sort of stuff really irks me."
He tugged at Jongin's shoulder, silently asking him to lean back so he could rinse his hair. Jongin followed without a hitch, eyes closed at the welcome sensation of Kyungsoo carefully working his fingers over his scalp.
"Not necessarily because I'm hurt, but because I'm getting angry at myself. I could have prevented that, if you know what I mean."
Jongin's eyes blinked open, seeking his.
"Did something like that happen before?"
Kyungsoo shrugged.
"Not really, I guess."
He watched Jongin's expression tug into one of mild confusion.
"Then why...?"
Why? That wasn't something he had ever put much thought into.

"I don't know?" he asked honestly, and when Jongin sat up again, he turned towards Kyungsoo, who took this chance to awkwardly rearrange his legs before he'd suffer from a cramp.
"You never thought about that? Why you feel like this?"
When Kyungsoo only shot him a questioning look, shaking his head a little, Jongin seemed positively incredulous.
"Really? You don't think about stuff like this at all? I mean," he hurried to take it down a notch, because face to face discussions were obviously harder for him, "it's just such a strange concept to me, since I know myself inside out. I know exactly which experiences cause me to think or feel or act the way I do. I can't not watch, analyze or judge myself."

"Oh really?" Kyungsoo asked, looking at his face that was rosy from heat. "Isn't that tiresome? Depressing?"
Jongin shook his head, leaning his back against the tub with his knees drawn up, leaving just enough wriggle room for Kyungsoo to stretch out his legs which bumped into the small of his back.
"Actually not. It's... reassuring? Knowing my inner workings gives me a feeling of safety."
His eyes dropped to the remaining suds on the surface, cheek mashed against his knees.

"I usually know what's going on inside myself, or at the very least I can trace it back to understand. There is only one thing that came completely out of nowhere, and I only noticed it when it was all up in my face."
"Chanyeol," Kyungsoo said, and an almost bitter grin spread tugged at Jongin's generous lips.
"Totally. Maybe not Chanyeol, but my... affection. Yes. It just came out of nowhere. One second it was all good, the next I felt like dying when I realized."
Kyungsoo actually snorted at this.
"Wow, aren't you positive."
"It was all messy enough already, okay?!" Jongin defended himself, but the faint grin was still there, putting Kyungsoo at ease. "Crushing on this giant idiot was the last thing I needed in my life, seriously."
"Or maybe it was just what you needed," Kyungsoo argued with a smile. "Time will tell-"

A clicking noise from somewhere had Jongin tense up, eyes widening in shock. Kyungsoo was quick to shut his worry down with a calm look.
"It's okay, it's probably just-"

"Hey Soo!" an all-too familiar voice boomed through the hallway, and Jongin looked horrified.
"Hey," Kyungsoo called back, looking not the least bit surprised, "take off your shoes and jacket."
"Yes, sir!"
"Did you know he was coming?" Jongin asked in a hushed whisper, already scrambling to cover himself up as good as possible, dipping his legs back into the water.
"Yeah, he asked me. Earlier, when I was getting you a towel and stuff."
"Soo? Are you talking to someone?"
"Yeah, Jongin is here."
"Oh, really?"
Jongin made an incoherent, whiny noise at that, and Kyungsoo shot him an alarmed look.
"Should I tell him to leave?" he asked quietly, earnestly, and while Jongin looked like an emotional mess, he shook his head, sending a few droplets of water flying. Kyungsoo soothingly rubbed his back as he turned to call out towards the entrance.
"Bathroom, Yeol."
Lowering his voice, he turned back to Jongin with a lowered voice.
"Don't you wanna see his face? Cause I do."
At the mix of wondrous confusion on Jongin's face, he couldn't help but smile.
"He'll be so envious."
"Why would you guys be in the bathroom-Oh."
Kyungsoo craned his neck to see Chanyeol towering in the doorway, looking a little ruffled from the wind that was howling outside. He was positively gaping.

"Hey," Kyungsoo offered simply, utterly casually. "Sorry, there's no more room for you. You'd be too tall for this tub, anyway."
Chanyeol spluttered, hands coming up to cover his mouth as he was talking.
"I-I wasn't expecting this- sorry if I came at a bad time- I didn't know-"
"Yeah, yeah, come down here," Kyungsoo ordered him with a good-natured lilt of exasperation. Chanyeol followed without thinking, knees bumping against the tiles noisily. A look told him that Jongin was trying not to meet the Southener's wide eyes that were trained on him. Kyungsoo tapped his cheek, pushing him away from Jongin and towards him instead.
"Hi," he said again, giving him a chaste, but lasting kiss. His lips were cold and slightly dry, causing him to melt against the complementary touch. He looked a little dazed when Kyungsoo drew away, eyes flickering back and forth between the two.
With a mock sigh, Kyungsoo pinched his cheek a little.
"Don't worry, you came right on time."
He leaned towards Jongin, causing the water to splash in protest. With one hand steadying himself on the frame of the tub, he had enough leverage to pull Jongin in with the other hand lightly pushing on his nape. Jongin's hands flew up to steady himself on Kyungsoo's shoulders to avoid slipping, and then they were already pressing their lips together. It was the exact same kiss he'd given Chanyeol - simple, chaste, but with a purpose. Unlike Chanyeol's lips, Jongin's were warm and moist. And just as soft as they looked like. Kissing Jongin was definitely a pleasant sensation, Kyungsoo concluded, as he drew away just enough to break the touch. He'd planned to play it off nonchalantly, but had to belatedly realize that the kiss had shaken him up more than he'd initially thought it would. Jongin's breath was lightly fanning over his lips when he whispered against them.

"You've been hard for awhile, but I swear it just got worse."
With an incredulous huff, Kyungsoo halfheartedly shoved him back by his shoulder.
"Take it as a compliment, you brat!"
Half-amused, half-embarrassed, he turned towards Chanyeol, who had his arms crossed over the tub's frame, chin resting on them as he stared at them in sheer awe.
"And you," Kyungsoo began in a challenging tone, "what are you looking at? You want in on this?"
"No!" Chanyeol all but yelled immediately, startling both of them, "I mean yes. But no! Don't mind me, you keep having your moment there, this was sort of amazing-"
His deep voice climbed up high for an undignified squeak when Kyungsoo downed a palm of water over his head, roughly rubbing it in.
"Tss, what a voyeur, I don't believe you."
He slung his other arm around Jongin's shoulders.
"Don't worry, I won't let the ert touch you," Kyungsoo reassured him in a perfectly dead-pan demeanor over Chanyeol's whines.

Jongin leaned into the touch without hesitation this time.



 

I've been itching to write this for awhile now~ ♥

The whole way they're going at this might look a little controversial, I get that. But while physical contact does mean something to Jongin, it is still different from what is perceived as the norm. I don't think I'll have to repeat this all the time, but just as anyone of us, Jongin is an individual with individual needs - auality has a ton of forms, and this is just my interpretation of one possible type.

Always ready to spread love and respect,
Sugar-and-Salt :3