Kyungsoo was annoyed. Sure, that wasn't a completely uncommon occurrence, but usually, his annoyance was directed at something or someone, meaning he could fight against the source. Today, though... today was just a really bad day. Just thinking of all the little and big things grating on his nerves today made Kyungsoo feel an upcoming headache. He'd slept terrible the night before, forgot his lunch at home, and the company's menu has been awful that day. Then there was this stupid new secretary who kept giving him a speech about wrongdoings he wasn't ing responsible for, and then he got drenched from head to toe on his way home after work, meaning he had to take a shower before hurrying off again, because they had promised to meet up over at Chanyeol's place, meaning he had no time to sit down and relax, either.
He was in a ty mood, and he knew it, and neither Jongin nor Chanyeol deserved to be on the receiving end of this.

Currently, he was standing in Chanyeol's kitchen, taking an unnecessary long time to pour himself a glass of water.

With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes and leaned against the kitchen counter, with his back facing the door. His head wasn't pounding anymore, but there was this distinct little knot of annoyance in his stomach, making him feel cramped up and, well, annoyed. He'd just left when Chanyeol's bellowing laughter made him flinch from the sudden noise. Today, he just wasn't capable of looking at anything with kind eyes, and the mere fact alone ticked him off even more. He should have stayed home, but he didn't want to deny the other two. What a stupid move he could now pay for.

He'd just stay another hour or two, and then leave them alone.

With these thoughts in mind, Kyungsoo returned to the living room (slash bedroom, because there was really not a lot but this single room in Chanyeol's fancy loft), only to find the other two somewhat wrestling on the couch for the wireless mouse. To anyone else, it might have looked intimate, but Kyungsoo was wiser than that. And also he just really wanted a place to sit.

"Are you two done yet?" he asked in the most neutral voice he could muster. Chanyeol looked up at his voice, and sneaky Jongin used the chance to snatch the mouse, and thereby control over the movie menu on screen.

"Hah!"

"That wasn't fair!" Chanyeol whined loudly, pawing at Jongin's unrelenting, protective grip over the mouse.

"Yes it was-"

"Was not!"

"Then we can always let Kyungsoo choose the movie-"

"The only thing I want right now is a place to sit," Kyungsoo cut them off, and forced himself in between them. "Just choose any movie, I don't care."

He got a glimpse of Chanyeol's eyes widening in guilt, and damn if it didn't instir more guilt in him, for turning his partner into a kicked puppy. Under normal circumstances, Kyungsoo would have apologized, but today, no words wanted to leave his lips after that. He hoped they'd just turn on a movie and leave him be. He felt pretty ugly right now.
 

The other two seemed to catch up on it, and after turning up an easy sci-fi film, they got unusually silent. But the ugliness knew no end and even that annoyed Kyungsoo. The fact that they were walking on eggshells now, the lack of Jongin's snark and Chanyeol's fawning... They were all just silently sitting there, with Jongin barely touching his right side, and Chanyeol leaning into his left. And Kyungsoo was still pretty unhappy with the whole situation.
 

He was looking at the screen alright, but his mind was too busy to focus on it. He kept thinking about Chanyeol and Jongin. About the three of them. They still had a long way to go, but even in his annoyed state, he couldn't deny that everything was going so unexpectedly... well. They were professional at work, they met up after work. They met up with two people as much as they met up together, all three of them. Jongin and Chanyeol seemed to always work together well enough, while Chanyeol and him felt more like actual lovers with every passing day, and Jongin was growing onto him as well, albeit in an unusual fashion. They seemed to take a route over physical attraction first, feelings later, which was certainly a path Kyungsoo had never seen himself taking before, but with Jongin, it felt natural. Even now he was all but cuddled up into his side (when had that happened?), with a soft grip on Kyungsoo's lower arm.

Was it really that easy, being in a relationship with two people at once? Would the jealousy hit later, and then ruin it all, just when it would hurt for real? He was just having a bad day, and that alone made him feel like everything was so frail between them. Kyungsoo felt like a bit of an idiot for only really considering these things now. It was obvious now, why Chanyeol had been so hesitant about this. He probably thought about all this way earlier than him, because Chanyeol was good when it came to people. If even he’d had his doubts-
 

A spark went up his body, and Kyungsoo blinked away the haze, looking down at where Jongin's hand had somehow found its way to the inside of his right leg, tracing out the inner seam of his soft pants. For a moment, all his thoughts blanked out. What was he doing? This wasn't a collegial, simply affectionate touch, not even by Jongin's standards. The movements were too deliberate for that. And with every , they wandered higher. And higher.
 

"What... are you trying to accomplish there?" he asked calmly, trying hard not to betray a thing. Jongin only hummed in a short 'who knows?' fashion, and that's when his fingers traveled up a bit too high, when his nails scraped over the fabric just where Kyungsoo was too sensitive not to twitch, even though he was mostly confused.

Really. This was such a bad timing to explore Jongin and his fun in ually riling other people up, and Kyungsoo had to tell him so, before he ruined something that could not be undone easily. He could feel Chanyeol's eyes on them, and even though the Southener stayed quiet, he was observing the scene play out more attentively than he usually looked at any screen.
 

"Jongin," Kyungsoo began, and when the other lightly, but nonetheless boldly cupped his crotch, Kyungsoo placed his own hand over Jongin's with determination. The way his bigger, slightly more calloused hand went limp under his touch immediately, did something to Kyungsoo. As if he was expecting - and accepting, maybe even waiting - for Kyungsoo to move his hand as he pleased. He was handing over the control with such ease, such trust. But this was far from what Kyungsoo was intending, and he slid their hands away and onto his thigh.

"I'm not really in the mood for your teasing," he announced as friendly as possible, "tomorrow, you can try me again, if you want. Sorry."

If this was Chanyeol, Kyungsoo was dead certain he'd have apologized and kept it down to cuddles, until Kyungsoo could fall asleep, and wake up refreshed. A part of him wondered how he could still be so foolish as to assume Jongin would be anything like that.
 

Because in a flash, Jongin's hand had slipped away and back to its previous position, digging his heel into Kyungsoo's crotch almost roughly, and he squirmed in a mix of shock and arousal. Jongin leaned in close, to mouth along the side of his face - a thing he hadn't ever done like this.

"I can stop teasing, too," he murmured, fingers tracing out his soon-to-be , if he kept this up. "Now that I have your attention."

Kyungsoo held his breath, the hand that wasn't trapped between Jongin and him unconsciously grabbing for support and settling on Chanyeol's thigh. This new, determined and ual version of Jongin was foreign, and he'd be a filthy liar to deny the interested spark he felt. But really, why today of all days-
 

"Close your eyes," Jongin mumbled, and his free hand flit up to brush down his forehead and over his eyes, temporarily taking away his vision. A brightly lit living room turned to darkness, warmth against his face and a strong grip him through his pants. His breath hitched involuntarily, and a soothing palm landed on top of his left hand - Chanyeol.
 

"Just lay back," Jongin hummed into his ear, lips tracing out his ear in a complete contrast to his rough movements. "You've been way too stressed today, you should loosen up a bit."
 

Oh.

...oh.

If Kyungsoo had voice this syllable out, it would have been embarrassingly breathy, but he didn't. Jongin had noticed just how stressed out he was, and this was his way of getting him to relax? By getting him off? This was so... unexpected, and yet so Jongin.

The other moved his hand, up and down, and again, Kyungsoo thought that the rough edge might be what he was needing indeed - it was strangely gratifying, tugging at his cramped up insides.

But was it a good idea? His body screamed yes, but the remaining sharp corners of his mind weren't all that sure. And if there was anything Kyungsoo was proud of, it was his self-control.

Jongin's nimble fingers were already working over his button and fly, when Kyungsoo grabbed his wrist, with his eyes still closed, and lips parted just a tiny bit.
 

"Stop."

For a second, their hands remained where they were, and Jongin evidently held his breath, too; he could feel it against the side of his face.

"But-" he began, doubts sprinkled into his voice, and Kyungsoo firmly guided his hand away. Jongin drew away, and with this, Kyungsoo's vision was clear again. He blinked against the bright room, only to focus on Jongin having dropped his gaze to their intertwined hands, regret all over his face. God, no.

Hurriedly, he squeezed Jongin's hand, willing him to look up.
 

"Hey. I appreciate this, I really do," he began, unusually uncoordinated and hesitant - Do Kyungsoo didn't usually hesitate; he prided himself in just saying what was on his mind. But currently, he wasn't so sure what he felt, and how he could achieve his goal of not upsetting Jongin, so he figured it out as he talked.

"It feels good, too. I never thought that I'd need this, but I can see it now, the appeal - so don't beat yourself up. Just..."

Jongin was looking at him now, all cautious questions and hesitation swimming in his eyes. Kyungsoo took a deep breath, unconsciously squeezing Chanyeol's hand, who squeezed back.

"I just thought we should save this for another time. When we're more comfortable. I mean... this is something you should do later, just. God, I'm talking nonsense, give me a second," he ended, figuring that making it up as he went would only turn him into Chanyeol. Jongin waited, and when Kyungsoo had a vague idea what his mind was even on about, he tried again.
 

"I just don't want our first time doing this to be in such an unpleasant situation," he finally said, and yes, that made sense. "I don't want you to give and give, and me just being pissed for no reason and not really returning anything. It's not a nice way to start this off, don't you think so?"

Jongin nodded in vague understanding, and he didn't seem completely embarrassed anymore, so Kyungsoo patted himself on the shoulder for that.

"Okay," Jongin breathed out, barely audible, and Kyungsoo shot him an encouraging little smile.

"I'll take you up on the offer in the future."

There, that cleared out the last doubts on Jongin's face, and he shyly returned the smile.

"Okay."

Jongin was so odd, going from moody to very ual, and back to being a cautious introvert in a manner of seconds. It was still a little hard for Kyungsoo not to get whiplash, but a part of him liked it. Liked the exciting way Jongin's character was built, the way he'd catch him by surprise, and the way he was so different from Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo leaned in to press a soft kiss to Jongin's cheek, speaking of gratitude and lowly simmering affection. Then something plopped down into his lap, and the moment was broken as he flinched in shock.

A quick look told him that it was just Chanyeol, who had decided to nestle his head into Kyungsoo's lap, considerate enough not to rub against his half-hard bulge. He didn't say anything, didn't demand for attention or whined about them interrupting the movie - he simply mashed his cheek against Kyungsoo's thighs, eyes fluttering close. Kyungsoo felt an immediate, hot surge of affection for the tall guy who was trying so hard to be small, and curl up on the couch to fit his head onto his lap - being a part of them without intruding.
Without hesitation, he carded his hands through the silver strands, and Chanyeol relaxed visibly. Kyungsoo couldn't help a fond little smile as the other leaned into his touch.

You're one step ahead as always, aren't you?, he thought to himself. We're still trying to figure out how to cord a string while you're already braiding it.
Jongin, too, looked down at Chanyeol now, and his gaze was unusually soft. Chanyeol had told him the two had had a nice bonding session, and now Kyungsoo could see it. Jongin was much less hesitant to show affection, and albeit a little awkward, he reached out to carefully graze his silver hair as well.
 

In a manner of minutes, Kyungsoo had one hand buried in the hair of each of the two overgrown puppies in his lap, with Jongin squeezing on a small part of his thigh, so their foreheads touched. Chanyeol seemed completely blissed out, and while Jongin's eyes were still open, he looked a little like Kyungsoo felt - like he couldn't believe his luck, couldn't believe that he was allowed to have something like this.
 

And Kyungsoo? Kyungsoo was struck with the fact that they were an item, all three of them. He'd never felt it as clearly as he did now, and while it was still a little scary, the benefits outweighed his wariness by far. Like this, they didn't feel all that fragile anymore. He could see the appeal now, too, could understand why Chanyeol kept looking at them with such awe whenever they interacted, not even stepping in, in fear of breaking something. Looking at the way Jongin nuzzled his nose into the other's’ hair felt like an intimate, precious experience.  
 

Eventually, Jongin pulled himself further up on Kyungsoo's lap, until he could place a quick, soft peck on Chanyeol's lips. The Southener blinked in surprise, but didn't hesitate diving in for another kiss, despite the more than awkward angle. Kyungsoo watched him place a kiss on his chin instead, before catching his lips. Jongin huffed out a little laugh that had Chanyeol mewl in protest before peppering his face with little kisses, purposefully avoiding his lips. Kyungsoo only watched the way both their cheeks were dusted in a light shade of red, despite the playful attitude they displayed. It warmed his heart, but unfortunately also another part of him that he'd prefer stayed unexcited - since two people were already lying in his lap, squirming and never staying still, and he'd prefer none of them to notice.
 

"We should go to bed, since we're not watching the movie anymore," he began, and as they simultaneously looked up, they were greeted by nothing but the title screen. They'd even missed the credits.

Only much later, when Kyungsoo found himself in bed with two other people and one of them all but clinging to him (Jongin), did he notice. The tight knot of annoyance he'd felt... was long gone. There was nothing but the close, warm presence of Jongin hugging him from behind, and the occasional warm palm on his waist, whenever Chanyeol's hand s around Jongin. This was too warm, too nice and too exciting to be focusing on the insignificant regrets of a bad day.

Hello~

You’ll probably judge me for saying that I wasn’t even planning to update this fic atm - I was planning to finish Spring/Summer first, but real life happened (I almost got a fulltime job, wohoo), and even though I had deadlines, I HAD to write this, for my own sanity. It’s a little short, but… yeah. This story is still my favourite one ;_;

Love to all of you ♥