kyungsoo bites his nails too much so his mom makes him get a manicure
i've seen countless pics of ksoo biting his nails in real life and it slightly bothers me because i love doing my nails so why not make a oneshot out of it lol
words: 2k
warning: lots of trash because i wrote this when i was supposed to be studying

Kyungsoo stares at the TV with wide eyes, lips stretching into a small smile as he watches Dwight stab a CPR dummy on The Office. He chuckles to himself, finger resting on his lip as he gnaws on his nail.

“Kyungsoo, are you biting your nails again?!”

The boy jumps at the sudden shout and he turns around to see his mom red in the face. He lowers his hand from his mouth and shyly answers, “No?”

The woman sighs and she puts her hands on her hips. “Didn’t I tell you to stop biting your nails? It’s unhealthy and it makes your nails look like a mess.”

He looks down at his hands and inspects his nails. “They look fine to me,” he mutters under his breath.

She shakes her head and says, “Okay, I think I have a way of getting you to stop biting your nails. Get dressed because you’re gonna go out with me.”

“What? Where are we going?” He asks, nudging his glasses up his nose.

“We’re going to get our nails done. I have an appointment at two so hurry up or else I’ll be late.”

Kyungsoo looks at his mom with a horrified expression. “You’re making me get a manicure?” He asks in disbelief.

“I think it would be a great way to get you to stop biting your nails. Once you see how nice they look, you won’t want to bite them because they’re too pretty. Not that you have to get them painted but just get them done. It might help you stop biting your nails,” his mom explains.

Kyungsoo let out a sigh of defeat, knowing how strongly his mom feels about him biting his nails and nails in general. If she could only be able to afford one luxury for the rest of her life, she would choose mani-pedis in a heart beat.

“Fine but just this once,” he grumbles as he slips off the couch and slinks to his room to get changed.

“Hurry up or else we’ll be late!” She shouts after him.

The mother-son duo drive out into the city to SM Nail Salon, Kyungsoo grumbling all the way there. His mom walks into the shop with a skip in her step and she happily greets the receptionist. “Wendy, it’s been a while since I’ve last seen you! You look great. Is Seulgi ready for me?”

“She’s finishing up with a client so are you okay with waiting for five minutes? Oh, who did you bring with you? Is that your son?” Wendy asks politely.

Kyungsoo meekly waves as his mom happily introduces him. “Yes, this is my son, Kyungsoo. Isn’t he the cutest thing?”

“Mom!”

“Is there anyone available to take care of him? He keeps on biting his nails and I want him to fix up his nails,” his mom sighs.

The receptionist flips through her book of appointment and smiles. “Jongin is free right now. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Kyungsoo, go and get ready.” His mom slaps his shoulder.

Kyungsoo groans, “Do I really have to?”

“We’re here already so just go get your nails done.”

He rolls his eyes but trudges forward regardless because he knows his mom would literally force him into a chair to get his nails done. That’s the kind of woman she is.

Kyungsoo follows after Wendy, turning his head around to see him mom hug Seulgi, her regular nail tech. He twists his lips to the side as he sits down in front of a clean white manicure table. 

“Jongin will be out in a moment so just wait for a minute.” Wendy smiles.

Kyungsoo dips his head and watches the blonde girl walk back to the receptionist desk. He starts to hum a random tune to himself as he looks around the nail shop. He has to admit, his mom has nice taste in places to get her nails done. The interior was very simple and modern with a slight elegant hint to it.

“Hi, I’m Jongin. Are you Kyungsoo?”

The boy turns his head and chokes on his saliva because holy crap this guy is hella hot. Standing before him was a tall handsome man dressed stylishly with sun kissed skin, plump lips, and a mop of coffee colored hair tousled just the right way. He was probably the most handsome man Kyungsoo has ever seen.

Jongin blinks and Kyungsoo snaps out os his daze, a blush creeping up on his cheeks. “O-Oh yeah, I’m Kyungsoo,” he stutters.

“I figured. So, is there anything in particular you would like done on your nails?” Jongin asks with a smile as he sits down across from him.

“Well, I’m only here because my mom forced me to come along. She said getting my nails done would prevent me from biting them but I doubt it.”

“You’re here with your mom? Is your mom Mrs. Do?” Jongin inquires while pulling out some supplies from one of the table’s drawers.

Kyungsoo lets out a sigh. “The one and only."

The other man laughs and he reaches out for Kyungsoo’s hands. “Mrs. Do is such a sweet woman. She comes nearly every month and she’s such a pleasure to have.”

Kyungsoo jumps when Jongin’s warm hands come into contact with his and his cheeks flare up. “S-Sorry.”

“It’s fine. It’s your first time getting your nails done so I completely understand. But don’t worry, I don’t bite. Unlike you,” Jongin teases, grin spreading on his face and eyes crinkling.

The shorter boy gapes at him. The nail technician chuckles as he holds Kyungsoo’s hand in his. “Oh wow, you’re quite the biter. How often do you bite?”

“Every day, I guess? I bite when I’m bored during lecture or if I’m thinking or if I’m spacing out. It’s just a really bad habit of mine,” Kyungsoo confesses.

Jongin shakes his head in disapproval. “Biting your nails is really bad for you. There are a lot of bacteria under your nails and you biting them just calls for more bacteria. Plus, it can ruin your teeth. How long have you been biting for?”

“Since middle school so for nearly ten years?”

The taller man gasps in horror. “Oh god, that’s really bad. Well, I guess it’s up to me to break that bad habit of yours.”

“Before you start, can I just ask what you’re going to do to my nails? Sorry, I’m a noob when it comes to nails since I never really cared for mine,” Kyungsoo quickly jumps in.

Jongin smiles gently and nods. “No problem. I’m just going to start off with clipping, filing, and buffing your nails. Then I’m going to soften your cuticles with some oil and push them back. Next is exfoliating your hands to replenish the moisture and to get rid of any dead skin cells. And since I don’t think you really want any color on your nails, I’ll just use a simple nail strengthener and then finish it off by moisturizing your hands with some lotion. Sound good?”

“I guess…”

“Hey, it’s nothing to be scared of. A lot of guys come in and get their nails done. Obviously our store is more popular with the ladies but there are still a few guys who come in once in a while. So just relax and let me do what I do best, okay?”

Kyungsoo’s breath hitches at the man’s soothing voice and soft smile and he nods absentmindedly. Jongin smiles and he gets to work on his nails.

“So, what high school do you go to?” Jongin asks, trying to make conversation as he clips at the boy’s uneven nails.

“I’m actually going to be graduating from college soon,” Kyungsoo replies, watching Jongin cut his nails carefully.

“No kidding? I thought you were still in high school.”

“I get that a lot. I’m getting a degree in history and I’m gonna go to grad school to get my master’s so I can be a historian. Or maybe I’ll teach, who knows?”

Jongin looks up at him in surprise. “Wow, I never pegged you as the history type. That’s really cool. I hope school goes well for you.”

Kyungsoo shyly grins. “Thanks. How old are you? You don’t seem that much older than I am.”

“Why thank you,” Jongin graciously dips his head as he finishes cutting his nails. “And I’m twenty seven, making me six years old than you?”

The man gasps. “Holy . Pardon my French but I did not expect you to be that much older than me.”

Jongin laughs and Kyungsoo swears it’s like music to his ears. He then looks worried when he sees a file and a buffing block appear on the table and he asks, “Does filing and buffing hurt?”

“Oh, not at all! It’s actually one of my favorite things about doing others nails and doing my own. Filing helps even out your nails as well as create the shape you want. I’m assuming you don’t want them to be round or almond shaped so I’m just going to keep it natural. Buffing helps make the nail surface more consistent and shiny.”

Kyungsoo nods and stares at Jongin’s large hands as they start to carefully file his nails. “I hope you don’t mind me asking but why did you become a nail technician?” He asks out of nowhere.

Jongin looks up in surprise, eyebrows shooting upwards. “Wow, I’ve never had a client ask me why I chose this as a profession. I guess to put it simply, I’ve always had a fascination with nail polish and nails in general. I grew up with two older sisters and being the baby of the family made me their guinea pig when it came to testing out new polishes. I thought it was super cool how they were able to paint my nails and even make simple designs on them so I decided to delve more into it when I got older and here I am.”

He quickly finishes filing his nails and moves on to buffing. Kyungsoo stares in amazement at how neat and clean Jongin’s nails were. “That’s really cool. Have you ever thought of opening up your own nail shop?”

“This is my nail shop,” Jongin chuckles.

Kyungsoo’s jaw drops and he stutters, “S-Seriously? That’s amazing! It’s so nice here and to be honest, I wouldn’t mind coming back again to get my nails done. I’ll probably just ruin them again once I get home.”

“I doubt that when I’m done with you.” Jongin smirks and the younger’s heart stops at the sight. He suddenly jumps when he feels cool liquid being rubbed into his cuticles and Jongin quickly apologizes. He shakes his head and shyly admits that the oil feels and smells really nice.

The process went on without a hitch and it was coming to an end soon.

“This,” Jongin starts as he holds up a little bottle with clear polish in it, “is a nail strengthener. Like the name, it helps your nails grow stronger and it’s perfect for you since you always bite them and it’s also going to give your nails a glossy look to them.”

Kyungsoo nods and the elder rolls the bottle between his palms before opening it up. He brushes the excess on the neck of the bottle and then carefully starts painting the man’s nails. Kyungsoo shivers a bit because it feels cold but it also feels relaxing. He finally understands why Jongin fell for the charm of nail art.

Soon his ten fingernails had even coats of nail strengthener and all that was left was waiting for them to dry and then moisturizing his hands.

Kyungsoo couldn’t help but stare at the handsome man sitting before him while waiting for his nails to dry. There was just something about him that made him want to know more about him and to just talk more with him. He was interesting and he wouldn’t mind getting closer to him.

He drums his fingers on the surface of the table and Jongin looks at him, catching him staring at him. “Is everything okay?” He asks.

“Hm? Oh yeah, everything’s fine. I was just thinking,” Kyungsoo sheepishly says, looking away in attempt to hide his red cheeks.

“Kyungsoo, are you done yet?” His mom suddenly shouts from the other side of the store. She walks towards him in big strides, her hands carefully hanging in front of her. He sees the intricate designs and rhinestones on her blood red nails and stares in shock.

“Whoa, I didn’t know you could do that on nails,” he exclaims, eyes wide as he stares at Jongin.

Jongin chuckles and he nods his head in approval when he sees the set of nails done by Seulgi. “Yup and you can do much more if you wanted to. Your mother finished quite quickly but then again, Seulgi’s one of our best workers.”

His mother hovers over his shoulders and widely grins. “Look at how nice your nails looks! They looked so hideous before but now they’re all nice and clean and neat. Aren’t you glad you came out to get your nails done with me?”

Kyungsoo’s face flares up at his mom insulting his nails. “Hey! And yeah, it was actually pretty nice.”

The woman looks at Jongin and asks, “Is my sweet Soo done yet?”

The owner of the store chuckles at the cute nickname. “I’m almost done with Kyungsoo. It’ll just be a minute or two before I finish up.”

“Wonderful. I’ll be waiting out there so just come out when you finish, okay?”

“I got it so just go! You’re so embarrassing,” Kyungsoo grumbles.

Jongin grabs some lotion from a drawer and says teasingly, “Soo, huh?”

“Please, I’ve had enough embarrassment for one day,” he whines.

“It’s a cute nickname though. Soo? Soo. I like it,” Jongin smiles, rubbing his hands together to warm up the lotion. He reaches out for Kyungsoo’s hands and starts to massage the moisturizer on his forearms and hands.

It takes all of Kyungsoo’s energy to not let out a moan because god damn that feels really good. He lets out a cough and Jongin releases his hands. “Okay, we’re all done here.”

The man looks down at his nails and he stares with wide eyes. His once uneven nails were neatly trimmed and filed. His nails had a nice shiny finish to them and his hands felt nice and soft from the lotion.

“Wow, that’s crazy,” he mutters under his breath as he scrutinizes his hands.

Jongin chortles as he gets up. “Come on, your mom must be waiting.”

The two walk to the front of the store where Kyungsoo’s mom is chattering away with the blonde receptionist. She notices the two and she smiles. “Looks like he’s done. How much will everything be?” She asks as she pulls out her wallet.

Before Wendy answers, Jongin steps behind the counter and stops her from calculating the price. “Just thirty dollars for the two of you. Kyungsoo’s manicure is on the house since it was his first time.”

The blonde looks up at her boss with a confused look on her face and he gives her a look. She nods and Kyungsoo’s mom gasps. “Oh my, that’s very generous of you.”

Kyungsoo looks at Jongin with wide eyes and the elder winks at him. His breath hitches and he shyly looks away, turning his attention to his freshly manicured nails.

“Thank you very much, Jongin. Maybe I should drag Kyungsoo along with me more often for a discount,” his mom jokes as she pays for her session.

“I would love seeing Kyungsoo around more often,” Jongin says, eyes slightly dark as he looks at the younger.

“I’ll keep note of that. I’ll see you next time,” his mom giggles as she walks towards the door, oblivious to the signals Jongin is sending to her son.

Kyungsoo follows after but he stops when he hears Jongin say his name. He turns around and the elder holds out a card. 

Jongin bends down to his height and whispers in his ear, “If you ever want to make another appointment, call me.”

Shivers run down Kyungsoo’s spine and he looks down at the card. In neat writing, Jongin’s personal number marks the business card in black ink. He looks up at the elder and smiles. “I will,” he says softly.

The next time Kyungsoo goes back to SM Nail Salon, he looks for Jongin for another manicure and ends up with a date at the end.