151231

Kyungsoo’s most grave mistake is indirect.

It’s December 31st.

Christmas came and went, but not without sprinkling Santa’s jolly spirits upon them to last throughout the rest of the holiday season. Even after his flunked anniversary attempt, Kyungsoo’s optimism remained at a high. Jongin mirrored, and it was as if the past half year of torment had never happened. At least, it would be if it wasn’t for the sneaky brushes Kyungsoo and Yifan snuck each other under table tops at work. Virtually, nothing was out of place.

But perhaps Kyungsoo should have contemplated the fact more intensely before inviting a certain Kim Minseok to their New Year’s Party.

“Kyungsoo, help me hang these streamers up!” Chanyeol calls from the main leisure area.

Said person stalks his way into the living room, crosses his arms, and narrows his eyes at the elder atop the sofa.

“Is that supposed to be an attempt to demine me?”

Holding back obvious laughter, Chanyeol coughs out in between wheezes, “What ever are you talking about, dear friend? What reason do I have to degrade you?”

Kyungsoo revels in the mental imagery of an eyebrowless Chanyeol. Oh, the lavishing beauty of it.

“Shut up, Chanyeol. You know I can’t reach up there.”

Finally busting free from his restraining handcuffs of self-control, the giraffe chokes on unflattering guffaws. They distort his face with mountainous wrinkles and crevices never known to exist before.

“You’re so ugly, ew,” Kyungsoo comments and scrunches his nose in distaste. “And boy, get your filthy, unsocked feet off my couch cushions! Stop messing around, we’ve got people coming in a couple hours.”

Chanyeol rolls his eyes (which somehow always seem to be protruding as if he were high on some nice and not just on a caffeine-induced hype).

“What a hypocrite. You’re telling me I’m messing around? Kyungsoo, you haven’t done squat.”

“You don’t know that,” he retorts.

“I know that all you’ve been doing is slipping your erted hands into poor Jonginnie’s slacks while he’s trying to put together our food. That, my friend, is not being productive at all. If anything, you’re only deterring his work ethic.”

“Chanyeol, quit acting like you know everything.”

“Shut up, Kyungsoo. You know I’m the guru here if anyone is.”

“Whatever you say, age doesn’t equal intelligence,” the younger sasses back and trots to the kitchen.

“Hey! What happened to helping with the decorations!”

Scoffing, Kyungsoo flips imaginary locks of hair, “You lost your chance a long time ago.”

Chanyeol sputters.

“But!”

“No buts! Should have thought about it before poking fun at my height.”

“Fine then! I’ll just do it alone.”

“Fine!”

“Fi-”

A thunderous slam resounds like a bomb within the walls of the room.

The two dweebs’ heads fly to look at the other’s.

.

“What the is going on here?” An enraged Jongin storms out of the hallway, hands on hips and eyes on fire.

Chanyeol and Kyungsoo don’t move an inch.

A mad Jongin is a scary Jongin.

“Well? Anyone care to explain or am I going to have to not only castrate, but cook both your juniors?”

“Jongin! It’s all a misunderstanding!”

“Yeah!” Chanyeol hooks an arm around his younger companion’s neck. “We’re the best of buds!”

“I’m not stupid like you two. I know what was going on.”

Kyungsoo shoves the limb off his shoulder and spits in his face.

A harsh glare from his fiance stops his antics from going further.

“Listen, because I’m going to make this very clear.

Tonight we have guests coming at nine. Nine as in four hours.

Let that sink in, alright?

Four hours.

Four hours to twist streamers onto the ceiling, four hours to polish up the living room, four hours to find a good New Year’s channel, four hours to make an appropriate playlist for the occasion, four hours to run and buy alcohol, four hours to whip up some kind of food, four hours to confirm who is showing up, four hours to shower and get ready, and the list goes on.

Now, dear best friend and face fiance, are we going to behave accordingly?”

“Yes, Jongin!” The two salute, fearing for their lives.

“That’s what I thought.”

He scouts Chanyeol’s wallet from the bowl on the table.

“Go buy your liquor.”

“Gladly,” the tallest whistles and waltzes to the door. “Have fun hanging those streamers up, midget.”

With a mocking slam of the door, he’s gone and Kyungsoo’s fury threatens to burn the clothes off his skin.

“Soo.”

Relaxation unfurls the angry barrier grasping his heart at the soothing sound of Jongin’s voice calling his name.

He hums.

“Come with me, let’s put these up,” he persuades with the paper decorations in hand. There is no dosage of teasing in his tone. “It needs to get done either way.”

A brilliant idea pops into Kyungsoo’s Einstein brain like a bright lightbulb.

“What if instead I use them to tie you up. Sound fun?”

The spark in Jongin’s eyes and a curl of his finger brings the older nearer to him.

They get closer, closer, closer until Jongin can whisper into his lover’s ear.

“Let me tell you something,” he smirks.

His lithe fingers trail up Kyungsoo’s spine as if they have minds of their own.

“You. Are. So."

For good measure, he breathes heavily and moans just a tiny bit.

Whack!

 

“Stupid.”

Caught off guard, yet still , Kyungsoo’s bodily mechanisms seem to fail on him and he can only stand in place with his mouth agape and eyes glazed over. The miniscule pinch of pain on the back of his head reminds him what just happened, but he doesn’t care about anything but the heat in his pants.

“Jongin!” He whines childishly. “You flirt!”

“Whatever, you moron. I already told you what’s on our to do list.”

“But, Nini!”

The younger rolls his eyes, but smacks his lips against Kyungsoo’s in a quick kiss.

“That will have to suffice, okay? Maybe later we’ll commemorate 2017 with some fun, but for now you’ll have to wait, you big baby.”

“I love you.”

Lie.

“Of course you do. I love you too, Soo.”

Fortunately for Jongin and the rest of his party, all things eventually get checked off the to do list within minutes of the deadline.

They aren’t expecting too many people, since only Minseok and a couple others responded to the invitation via text.

The doorbell rings, and Jongin immediately perks up to answer with a dominant, “I’ll get it!”

Kyungsoo, from his spot on the couch, watches him go with a slight chuckle and a smirk.

“Jongdae! So glad you could make it!”

Inwardly, Kyungsoo groans. Not Jongdae.

“I was psyched when you hit me up, it’s been awhile since we’ve hung out!”

“There’s a reason for that,” the college junior mutters into his hand.

It’s not that their neighbor is the devil - his name isn’t Oh Sehun. But Jongdae is one word: loud. When he and Baekhyun would get together for some voice project, the boy would be exceptionally talented when singing, but when he wasn’t he would be obnoxiously voluminous.

“I’ve missed you!”

“Yeah, well if it weren’t that little grump over there,” he waves with a Chesire Cat grin at a sulky Kyungsoo in the corner. “We could have met up!”

Jongin and Jongdae share a common sense of hilarity and laugh together.

“Oh, no. It’s starting already!” He whimpers as he slaps hands to his head. “If you’re going to come over, why don’t you bring a pair of earmuffs?”

“No,no, no. You’re not taking my precious ear plugs. You obviously don’t know how loud you two are. Seriously, it’s been okay lately, but before! Man, Kyungsoo, you must have so great hips or something. Jongin here is a screamer! Better than any of the chicks I’ve brought home,” Jongdae wolf whistles with a hand to his forehead. “How does Chanyeol deal with it, I swear.”

As if on cue, the said man walks in with a beer bottle in his possession.

“I promise you, I don’t deal with it. They don’t know this, but every time they go at it, I take the liberty of taking a nice long walk down to Junmyeon’s apartment.”

Jongdae blushes at the mention of his now graduated senior.

“How is he?” He asks, starstruck.

“He’s fine and dandy. Can’t say he talks about you as much as you him though.”

“Tragic! He told me I was the best underclassman he ever tutored!”

Kyungsoo pulls Jongin in close to whisper behind his hand, “Wasn’t he the only student he ever tutored?”

“Shush, he doesn’t need to know that.”

“Well, perhaps you can inquire about your oh so disastrous disappointment when he gets here.”

“No one told me he’s coming!”

“Told you who’s coming?"

Miraculously getting the door unlocked - or maybe just because Jongin forgot to shut the door in the midst of hype - Junmyeon enters the scene.

“Myeon!”

“Dae!” He returns through gritted teeth and false excitement, alarmed eyes shot towards Jongin. “No one told me you were going to be here!”

“Soo, be my human shield. Junmyeon’s glare is piercing through my soul!” Jongin shrieks.

“Come with me, Myeon! We need to have a long chat!”

Dragged off and away to the snacks resting innocently on the countertop, Junmyeon has no choice but to give himself up to Jongdae’s will.

In the living room, the original trio anticipate their next guest after shaking off their older friends’ oddities.

“I say it’s Taemin.”

“You invited him?”

“No. Jongin. You did not invite him.”

“What’s wrong with Taemin?”

Kyungsoo flops his arms around bonelessly.

“He’s creepy! An actual snake, I tell you!”

“How dare you insult him!”

“Kyungsoo is right, Jongin. Taemin is a bit… on the supernatural side of things.”

“Hush, you two. Everyone deserves love. I am accepting Taemin for his flaws and shortcomings. No one else ever even tries to hold a decent conversation with him!”

Right away, three slow knocks come tapping at wood.

“ this , I’m out!” Chanyeol hops off the sofa with legs of a jackrabbit.

Jongin’s arm flies out to catch him by the waist.

“Answer the door.”

“No!”

“Answer it.”

“Jonginnie!”

“Chanyeol, answer the door.”

Kyungsoo struggles to keep his giggles from spilling in the forgotten corner of the room, “Yeah, Chanyeol! Answer the door!”

“I hate you, Do Kyungsoo.”

A twist of the knob and Lee Taemin is bared to their sight.

“Sssalutationsss, citizensss and friendsss of Jongin,” he practically hisses, his consonants heavy.

“Uh, hey!” Chanyeol tips his hat, being the gentleman he so naturally is inclined to be.

“Let our guest in, Chanyeol.”

“Ah, Jongin,” Taemin comments, heading to his dance history classmate.

“Oh, dear Satan, he actually slithers.”

Deadly daggers are delivered directly to Kyungsoo through Jongin’s fatal glare.

“Taemin! Nice to see you this evening.”

“Of courssse. It isss an absssolute pleasssure to be here.”

Jongin offers a pat to his back and leads him to the refreshments.

“There’s food here on the table and alcohol in the cooler! Help yourself to anything else, got it? I’ll be here if you need me!”

Another guest arrives, and the notification on Jongin’s cell tells him it’s Minseok. Again, the youngest scurries to greet his friend and welcome him in.

“Minseok!”

“Thank God, it isn’t some weirdo off the streets,” Chanyeol and Kyungsoo fuss to each other.

“Hey, Jongin! I’ve missed you at the cafe!”

“Yeah, I don’t want to bother Kyungsoo at work! We need the money, and I’m willing to sacrifice a few hours away from him. He’s so earnest; I’m lucky to have him."

Jongin’s eyes are so filled with hope and adoration that it kills Minseok to know what’s going on behind his back.

“No, Jongin. It is Kyungsoo who is lucky to have you,” he points out, reiterating what he’s told the other times before with an increase of his volume. “You obviously love the trainwreck enough to marry him!”

The other barista chuckles nervously, “Hah, you’re so funny, Minseok. A real knee slapper right there!”

“Anyways, let’s catch up! I don’t think we’re expecting anyone else.”

Hours pass, and most everyone drinks to their death. Only Jongin remains sober, being the designated driver even if the gathering is held at his own home. He’d always had negative opinions about the effects of alcohol. The fact that once it's coursing through your body it could mess you up real bad had never appealed to him. His father taught him about different drunks when he was younger, as a cautious warning about how people stimulate major transfigurations when under the influence. There are the flirts, the down in the dumps, the withdrawns, the venters, and the list goes on and on. From years of being observant, he’s come to recognize and remember what types his acquaintances are.

Kyungsoo, though not intoxicated too often, becomes a deadweight slump of sleep when he’s drunk. Luckily for Jongin, not too many negative impacts come with that.

The depressing, docile, downers include Chanyeol and Jongdae. Recently it isn’t safe to let the tallest touch the liquor stash, for Baekhyun-related purposes, and Jongin would rather not have to deal with a runaway partygoer. He’s the more seriously saddened person when inebriated. As for Jongdae, his drunk persona is a more comical front. With beer in his system, the boy sobs and slobbers all over the shoulders of whoever finds themselves unfortunate enough to be next to him. At their circle’s get togethers, it’s always Junmyeon, the misfortunate fellow.

Taemin is an interesting one, Jongin soon finds out. Unlike his day to day ghostly self, a simple sip of San Marino sugars him up. He goes from 0 to 100, from offender to , real quick. The dance student inside his heart bursts free from its disguise, and somehow the alcohol changes his physical appearance as he grinds up against various surfaces - kitchen appliance and spooked guests - throughout the house. Jongin vows he’ll make Chanyeol clean whatever bodily fluid mess Taemin leaves in the bathroom tomorrow morning, hungover or not.

Complications arise when Junmyeon is under the influence. Hardened into an impenetrable rock, his eyes often glaze over in some distant fairytale land eons away. According to Jongdae’s woes and worries recorded in his Drunken Diaries tapes, that very softness translates to love meant for some pretty woman with a shiny degree and a tolerable office job as a secretary or receptionist. With such implications in mind, the simpering sap wails himself into more and more Budlight. No one ever really knows what goes on in Junmyeon’s stern silence during these times, but he comes off a far cry from “in love”.

For being the oldest, most mature person in the group, Minseok does not represent his role very well at all. Unable to hold himself together with poison in his system, he turns into a giggly, gargling fit of confessions, drama, apologies, and endless other mishaps. He is what you could call “The Combo”. Synonymous to cheese, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, and olives fit snug onto one slice of pizza, Minseok claims every quality of a spacy drunkard. Not to mention he becomes clingy and impossible to unstick from.

By the time the clock chimes the half hour bell to midnight, Jongin has a lap full of an unconscious Kyungsoo. He engages himself in idle, but amusing conversation with the oldest in their group.

“You know, Jonginnie?” Minseok hiccups with a slow grin.

Sensing the lighthearted blackmail material, Jongin perks up.

“What is it?”

“When Junmyeon and I were back in university,” he garbles and laughs airily into his hand.

“What about it?”

“There was a rumor circulating in our legal services class that he was sleeping with the professor’s assistant to keep his A!”

He erupts in choking chortles that having him huffing so hard he begins to hack and cough everywhere but into his sleeve.

“He doesn’t really seem like the type to do that though. He’s an honest man,” Jongin’s empathy bubbles inside his chest. How could Minseok so freely disclose such information about their friend?

“I know! That’s what makes it so funny!”

At this, Jongin attempts to assure himself that it is only the alcohol talking. This ugly side to his senior is only coming out because of the alcohol. He is a kind, hard working, trustworthy person. This is not Minseok, this is Vodka speaking. Who knows? Maybe the gossip wasn’t true in the slightest. Maybe he got his memories mixed up in different files.

The solemn expression on the younger's face strikes curiosity in Minseok.

“What’s wrong? You didn’t like that?”

“No, Minseok. I didn’t like that,” he banters quietly, Kyungsoo’s hair in deep deliberation.

A few heavy sniffles come from his oldest friend and suddenly he resembles Jongdae with snot on his cheeks and tears springing forth from his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Jonginnie!I thought you would find it hilarious! I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay, Minseok. Just don’t tell anyone else that, okay?”

“Okay, I promise!”

“Thank you,” Jongin sighs tiredly and rubs his palm against his forehead.

“Oh no! Chanyeol, Chanyeol! Jongin hates me! Little Jonginnie hates me! He doesn’t want to be friends anymore! What do I do, Chanyeol? I don’t know what to do!”

Chanyeol, from the floor, holds a glass in hand as he shrugs noncommittally.

“No, no, no, Minseok! I don’t hate you, alright?” Jongin does his best not to roll his eyes at the other’s hypersensitive, alcohol-induced personality.

“You don’t?”

“Of course I don’t.”

“Can I say sorry?”

“You already did.”

“Will you forgive me if I tell you a secret?”

“Minseok, I don’t want you to tell me a secret.”

“But Jongin,” the barista begs with a glint in his eye. “It’s about Kyungsoo.”

Immediately, Jongin is interested.

“Kyungsoo?”

“Yes, Kyungsoo.”

While provoked, Jongin knows that it couldn’t be anything too serious. They tell each other practically everything… or at least, they used to. The irk to uncover whatever truth Minseok is hiding almost overwhelms him, but Jongin was always a trooper. He remains strong enough to resist.

“No, Minseok. If Kyungsoo doesn’t want me to know, there must be a good reason for that. I respect his wishes, and I would like it if you could as well.”

“But, Jonginnie. It’s important for you to find out!”

“I won’t say it again, Minseok. If he doesn’t want me to know, I don’t want to know.” Jongin persists, but only the reasonable side of himself genuinely wants to coerce him into not blurting Kyungsoo's secret out.

“I don’t care, I’m telling you! You have to know!”

“Minseok, don’t do it.”

The rest of the company and the newscasters on television announce the countdown.

“Ten!”

“Jonginnie, I’m sorry. But-”

“Nine!”

“You should know that-”

“Eight!”

Jongin’s heart palpitates in his chest, squeezing itself silly.

“Seven!”

“That Kyungsoo, he-”

“Six!”

Suddenly sick to his stomach at the possibilities, Jongin no longer wants to know.

“Five!”

His final plea, “Minseok, please no.”

“Four!”

“Jonginnie, he’s-”

“Three!”

In some kind of last attempt to shield himself from his horror, Jongin flattens his palms against his ears.

“Two!”

“I’m sorry, Jongin, but-”

“One!”

“Kyungsoo is cheating on you."

“Happy new year!”

Confetti cannons attached to strings are popped every which way, horns are honked at different deafening volumes, and people holler and shout their celebratory phrases.

All this commotion, yet Jongin only hears Minseok’s statement.

The first thing he thinks to do is deny it.

There’s no way the love of his life would betray him so horridly like that; it’s impossible! They’re on their way to being engaged, happy as ever! This is just another drunken lie! Jongin isn’t stupid enough to believe such a sickening sentence. He loves Kyungsoo with his heart and soul, and Kyungsoo loves him back just as powerfully - if not surpassing Jongin. He promised so many things on Valentine’s Day last year! They are fated to be together for life and more! Simple as that.

But then he regrettably recalls their turbulent summer months. The nights he wept alone with only the company of moonlight and empty sheets. The numerous times he was shut down with the flimsy excuse of work. The flippant wave of a hand to brush his sentiment and concern off every time he would try to initiate gentle sensuality between them.

A sob racks Jongin’s body.

Who was it?

Was it one person? Two?

When did it start?

Did the proposal mean nothing?

Was he just a puppet to be discarded?

Does Kyungsoo love him?

Was he not enough?

Question after question is shot at Jongin’s crowded mind with a military-class machine gun.

Somewhere in the background, he can vaguely decipher Minseok blubbering apologies that don’t reach his heart.

For the first time, Jongin wishes he were drunk.

Maybe then it wouldn’t hurt as much.

---

a/n: next chapter is the last chapter! buckle up friends, it's bumpy. ((and definitely not something i might actually go back and rewrite entirely whaaaaat???))