~+8 days~ Maybe
Countdown
Kibum was happy for Minho. He’d have liked to have slept more that night, but he was definitely happy. He’d have liked it if Minho hadn’t scared the bejeezus out of him when Kibum had woken up in the middle of the night to a huge, elated figure towering over him. But, certainly, he was happy for Minho. And Minho was happy. Boy, was he happy! Kibum had never really thought that Minho had really had any romantic interest in Jinki, or even thought that Jinki might have been Minho’s soulmate (well, maybe he thought it was possible after Minho’s countdown had appeared, but he hadn’t wanted to get his hopes up), so the current, constant bounce in Minho’s step was both amusing and slightly confusing. The entire next day, Minho had almost skipped pretty much everywhere, which made keeping up with him a bit of a challenge. But by the 2nd day, the relief (that must be what he’s really happy about, Kibum reasoned) had worn down a bit and settled in and Kibum could stop threatening to trip Minho every time they went anywhere.
The week had passed and Kibum was excited to spend a whole day with Minho, doing two of his favorite things: window-shopping (with maybe some light actual shopping mixed in) and dressing up Minho! To say that Minho was a good clothing model would genuinely be an understatement. Kibum would even admit that no matter how hard he worked at his own body, he would never have the right proportions to make those clothes look THAT good. He, of course, did very well with his own style, knowing now after years of practice how to make every piece of clothing drape perfectly over his figure to give off just the right look for his daily themes.
He was also frugal, hence the loving of window-shopping. It’s not like Kibum had exorbitant amounts of money just lying around to throw away however he chose, but he wasn’t exactly poor either. He’d worked enough odd jobs and part-time jobs to have a little savings of his own, plus the allowance his parents gave him. And he knew that maybe some day he’d need his savings for something more important than the latest designer bag. So, he owned a few basic items with a good number of accessorizing pieces to switch out. And he was always on the lookout for ways to modify his current wardrobe as the trends changed, so he never really worried about his clothes that much. But it was fun to get out of the house and soak in the atmosphere and styles and try to guess where trends would go next.
So you can imagine that Kibum was a little bit thrown off when Minho mentioned to him on the bus on the way to the shops that they’d be meeting up with Jinki for coffee first. And also that he was seeing a movie with Jinki at 7 that night, so Kibum would be out of luck after 6:30 or so. Not to worry, Kibum was more than willing to hang out with Jinki for a little while and to give up his evening plans (none of which were set in stone anyway, he liked to be open to spur of the moment ideas) so that Minho could spend time with his soulmate. It made Kibum’s chest hurt a little bit when he thought of how lucky Minho was, but he pushed it into a small corner of his mind and followed Minho into the small café.
He trailed slightly behind the younger man, taking in the aesthetic of the room. This would be a good place to come on a rainy day. It was open, but had a warm and cozy feel to the colors and décor used. He liked it and smiled softly to himself. In the back of his mind he heard Minho order drinks for them both and then followed him absentmindedly over to a table.
When he happened to glance at the table to greet Jinki, he stopped short. Jinki wasn’t alone. There beside him sat Jonghyun, glaring at him. Before Minho could sit down opposite Jinki, Kibum pulled on his sleeve, still staring at his soulmate. Minho followed his gaze and then leaned to whisper in his hear. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was coming. I promise we won’t stay long.” As Kibum nodded, he watched Jonghyun’s eyes flick between Kibum and Minho and narrow slightly. His sharp jaw was tightly clenched and Kibum swore he could see his nostrils flaring.
‘Just get through this’, Kibum thought to himself. ‘It’s only for a little while.’ He sat down stiffly in front of Jonghyun, who continued to glare at him, sipping his own drink silently. Kibum instead turned his focus on Jinki and Minho and took the drink offered to him.
To say that Jinki was smitten with Minho would have basically been an insult. Kibum had never seen someone personify the heart-eyes emoji so well. Minho’s reaction back wasn’t quite the same. He was obviously pleased to be with Jinki, leaning forward with both forearms on the table, looking into Jinki’s eyes and talking animatedly about whatever he hadn’t mentioned already to him this week. Jinki had his chin propped up on one hand while the other draped across the table, his fingers lightly touching the sleeve of Minho’s jacket, his drink sitting forgotten on the table before him. Kibum could practically feel the connection between them, the aura that these two soulmates gave off and it really made him happy. It was like watching a super sappy movie, but it has your favorite characters so you don’t even care how cheesy it is.
Kibum was so caught up in how cute the couple beside him was that he forgot how hot his drink was. Taking a swig of his coffee, he quickly realized his mistake and forced the hot liquid down his throat. His whole mouth burned and he stuck out his tongue, fanning it feverishly with his hand. From across the table, he heard a snort and looked up. Jonghyun was still staring at him, arms folded across his chest and leaned back in his chair. His face held a pretentious smirk that made Kibum wish he could throw the rest of his lava coffee onto the jerk. He stood up.
“Kibum, are you okay?” Jinki questioned him, concern marking his features. He started to rise as well, but Kibum waved it off.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry.” He stepped back from the table and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. “I’m just gonna get some water. Does anyone else want anything?”
“You to leave.” Jonghyun mumbled under his breath. Kibum heard it, but he was pretty sure that was Jonghyun’s intention. He ignored it and continued looking at Jinki and Minho expectantly.
“I’m fine.” Minho smiled up at him. Jinki didn’t respond, instead looking at Jonghyun with a puzzled expression.
“Did you say something, Jjong?”
“No, Jinx. Don’t worry about it.” Jonghyun smiled at his friend.
When Kibum had returned to his seat with his bottle of cold water to relieve his irritated mouth, he found Minho talking to Jonghyun.
“So you’re into music, huh? How did you get to be friends with Jinki, then?”
Jonghyun chuckled. “You must have never heard him sing, huh?” His body language was different now. He had his chin propped on his hand like Jinki had before and was leaned forward, but slightly turned away from the couple beside him, and he was smiling. He looked much more comfortable and relaxed now, handsome even. It irritated Kibum.
“Jinki, you sing? You’re gonna have to serenade us sometime!” Kibum said coolly, sliding back into his seat and attempting to join in the conversation. Almost immediately, Kibum noticed Jonghyun lean back in his chair and fold his arms again.
“Oh, I don’t know if I could do that. I get a bit nervous.” Jinki’s words said one thing, but his smile didn’t fool any of them. And now Kibum had learned that compliments really brought a nice glow to Jinki’s cheeks.
“As if you’d be invited.” Jonghyun scoffed, not so quietly this time. The other three turned and stared at him. “Come on, if he hasn’t already sung for Minho, no way you’re hearing his voice anytime soon.”
“Jonghyun, what is wrong with you? I know Minho and Kibum aren’t your friends, per se, but they are mine. So, don’t be a jerk.” Jinki’s ears had turned a bit red now, either from embarrassment or from anger, Kibum wasn’t sure.
“Sorry, Jinx. Minho’s cool.” Jonghyun shrugged and pulled his drink closer to him.
“Jjong, you should apologize to them. They don’t know you, you can’t act like this around them and expect them to be forgiving like me.”
“Jinki, it’s fine.” Minho stood up, gesturing to Kibum to do the same. They both pulled on their coats as Minho continued. “I’ll see you later tonight, anyway. No big deal.” He reached out and squeezed Jinki’s shoulder, probably hoping to comfort him or get him to stop talking. It didn’t work.
“Wait, hold on guys. Jonghyun, I’m serious.”
“Sorry, Minho.”
“Jonghyun!”
“Jinki, I’m not going to apologize to him. It doesn’t matter.”
The more they bickered, the more frustrated Kibum became. If it had just been dropped immediately, he could have ignored it until he was alone later. But Jinki trying to force Jonghyun to do something he was obviously and adamantly not going to do was bringing greatly unwanted attention to Kibum, and he was beginning to have trouble keeping the tears from welling up in his eyes.
“Jonghyun, what is the matter with…”
Minho quickly leaned down and whispered something into Jinki’s ear that stopped him in his tracks. His mouth fell open and he gaped at Jonghyun until Minho broke the silence.
“We’re gonna head out. See you later, Jinki. Bye, Jonghyun.”
Minho took Kibum’s hand and pulled him out of the shop and into the cold winter air. A few meters down the sidewalk, Minho stopped and let go of Kibum’s hand.
“You can blame the cold air on why you’re crying.”
Kibum dropped his eyes and sniffed, bringing his hand up to wipe away the tears that still threatened to escape. “I’m not crying.”
“I know.”
“It’s just cold.”
“I know.”
“And he just… realllllyyyy !”
“Yeah, I know.” Minho took a deep breath, before throwing his arm heavily over Kibum’s shoulders. “Whatcha think, ready to go?”
Kibum steadied himself, the new weight having nearly put him off balance. He straightened up, squared his shoulders and pointed ahead of them.
“Onward!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hours later, Kibum’s feet were beginning to ache and his cheeks, ears, and nose seemed to have plateaued into a cute shade of pink from going in and out of the cold all day. But he was happy and there was a sparkle in his eyes that really only spending time with his best friend could bring out. He felt so much more energized now after he and Minho had made each other laugh all day. They approached an area where Kibum could take the bus home and he decided to call it a day.
“Alright. I’m out. You have fun on your date.”
“What? But… it’s only 6:20. We could…” Minho’s eyes darted around, looking for something they could do for another 10-15 minutes. Kibum just smiled and patted Minho’s cheek.
“Don’t worry, babe.” He winked, eliciting an eye roll from the younger. “Youuuu…” he wiggled his finger at Minho, who looked away, shaking his head, “have a hot date! And I…” he now dramatically puffed out his chest and pointed at it, “am going home! I need to finish that… thing I haven’t finished yet.. you know?” he finished lamely.
A bemused smile played across Minho’s lips and he shook his head. “Weak! Come on, you’re better at making up fake excuses.” He shifted his weight, the one shopping bag they had accumulated over the entire day of together swaying softly.
Kibum shrugged. “Eh, I’m not really feeling it.” The bus pulled up alongside them, breaks squeaking sharply, making both of the boys cringe a little. They meet eyes and smile. “You had better have a blast tonight. I expect you to tell me all about it tomorrow.” He turned to climb onto the bus before pausing and turning back. “Just… maybe not at 2am again…”
Minho laughed and held up his hand in the okay sign. They waved at each other and Kibum walked onto the bus, settling into a seat by the window towards the back. When he looked out the window again, he saw Jinki approaching behind Minho. He waved and Jinki caught sight of him and smiled and waved back. Minho turned and greeted Jinki. Though silent to Kibum’s ears, he felt like he knew exactly what Minho was saying, as if he could produce roses with just his voice. Jinki’s already pink ears reddened up, and he ran his fingers through his hair, stopping to rub the back of his neck, his face lowered, but his smile shy and sweet. It was the kind of scene that Kibum couldn’t help but smile at, feeling himself fall in love with this couple and this moment.
The bus pulled away and Kibum lost sight of the couple. He shifted in his seat and focused forward. He noticed Jonghyun, standing near the front of the bus, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Maybe Jonghyun only when he was in front of other people. Maybe there was something he was hiding and if they were alone, maybe Jonghyun would be nicer. Kibum in a breath and mustered some courage, before slowly raising his hand and waving at Jonghyun. The older boy pretended not to notice, but Kibum already knew he was aware, so he didn’t let up. After a minute of feeling foolish and basically waving at nothing, he was about to give up when Jonghyun turned his head and stared straight at Kibum. It was an intense gaze and Kibum swallowed thickly, beginning to lose his nerve. He lowered his hand and gestured towards the empty seat beside him. Jonghyun didn’t react. He simply stared for a few moments longer, then almost robotically turned back to stare out the window again.
Kibum dropped his hand. He felt hollow. He’d never had someone look straight through him like that before, as if he didn’t exist. He didn’t know which was worse, the awful remarks to his face, or ignoring him, but he did know that he hated both. He sank down into his seat and rested his head against the window, staring out at the lights from cars and buildings streaking past. He was sad, but he was also annoyed that even after having a great day with Minho, this jerk can simply appear and make it all go down the drain. Why did his own soulmate have to be so… awful…
The bus came to another squeaky halt and the passengers shifted, some remaining, but a fair number getting up to depart. Kibum looked at each other their faces, wondering how their days had gone and if gaging their expressions now was a good way to tell about their whole day. Was he the only one who could go from happy and hopeful to kicked in the gut in a matter of seconds? Was anyone else as sensitive as he was? But of course, he couldn’t tell from just their faces.
New people began boarding the bus and Kibum tried the same guessing on them, soon noticing a familiar face. A stoic-faced Taemin got on, stopping to share a few words with Jonghyun. Of course they knew each other, they were both too close with Jinki not to. It looked to Kibum that Taemin had decided to remain beside Jonghyun, but as the bus began moving, the younger boy glanced around, spotting Kibum. His face lit up. He actually reached over and tugged on Jonghyun’s sleeve, looking to Kibum as if he were trying to pull the elder to the back of the bus where Kibum was seated. Jonghyun followed Taemin’s gaze before scowling and shaking his head. Taemin dropped Jonghyun’s sleeve and immediately came to Kibum’s side, settling down into the seat beside him and pulling his backpack into his lap.
“Is it okay if I spend the night at your house tonight?” Taemin scooted himself low into his seat and leaned his head against Kibum’s arm.
“Yeah, but be warned. My mom’s gonna love you.”
Taemin chuckled. They were silent for a few moments before Taemin spoke again. “Do you know Jonghyun?” He gestured with his shoulder.
Kibum gazed at the older boy across the way and wondered what Jonghyun would want him to say. Would he even want people to know that they knew each other? No doubt he’d have a conniption fit if Kibum started telling people they were soulmates. He decided to go with the truth, or rather, as much as he felt comfortable admitting in public.
“Mmm… yeah. We’ve met a couple times. You know, Jinki is Minho’s soulmate, right?”
“Yeah, I heard. I’m glad… So, what do you think of him? Jjong, I mean.”
Kibum hesitated. Now how honest was he willing to go in this moment?
“He… he doesn’t like me….”
Taemin was silent for a minute. “I don’t know what I think about him. He’s supposed to be an adult… I mean, he is one, of course… but… most people, when they turn 18, they take the whole countdown thing pretty seriously. But this dude… it’s like he just seeks out anyone who will just work in the moment for him. Like, he doesn’t care about how his actions could impact his soulmate. It’s weird…” Taemin trailed off. The bus bumped along stopping every few minutes or so. People got off and on. Kibum and Taemin remained still, locked in the same position, drawing comfort from each others presence. Both boys had their eyes locked on Jonghyun, lost in their own thoughts.
‘Maybe he’s as scared as I was,’ Kibum thought to himself. ‘There has to be a reason why he’s like that towards only me. Not everyone was raised so open-minded about who their potential soulmate could be.” Kibum shifted slightly and brought his arm around Taemin’s shoulders. He slowly rubbed back and forth against Taemin’s arm with his thumb, giving comfort and so receiving it.
Within 5 more minutes, the bus pulled to a stop and Taemin and Kibum got off. Jonghyun stepped off ahead of them and paused. Once Taemin and Kibum had gotten off and settled their bags back onto themselves, they glanced curiously at Jonghyun. He was just looking at the store front behind the bus stop. When they stopped to watch him, he turned away from them and headed up the street, opposite the way they were going.
Kibum looked at Taemin, confused, but Taemin just shrugged and gestured for Kibum to lead the way. He turned and headed down the street, glad to have a friend to walk home with tonight. 10 minutes later and Kibum was unlocking the front door and calling out to his mom that he was home. She popped her head out of the kitchen and smiled enthusiastically at them.
“Hey! Come help me… oh! Hello, Kibum’s friend!”
Taemin returned the smile and waved. “Hello, Mrs. Kim. I’m Taemin.”
“Hi, Taemin. Kibum, come help me. Taemin, you’re staying for dinner?”
“Mom, is it alright with you if he stays the night?”
“Of course!”
Two hours later, Taemin and Kibum were finishing up washing the dishes together, letting Kibum’s parents enjoy some time together watching the news before bed. Taemin glanced over his shoulder at them as he finished washing the last plate to hand to Kibum to dry. “Your parents are really cool.”
Kibum paused mid-swirl of his dishcloth to look over at Taemin. “Are you about to tell me that your parents are divorced so you never get this kind of family setting?”
Taemin laughed and nudged Kibum with his shoulder, pulling off his rubber gloves and hanging them on the rack to dry. “No. My parents have been happily married for 18 years. They’re great, just… a little more cautious, I guess. No big deal. But yours are fun. It’s a nice atmosphere, here.”
Kibum looked around the kitchen as Taemin spoke and thought about what he’d said. He nodded and replied, “You know, I’ve never really thought about it, but you’re right. I’m pretty lucky.” He pushed off from the counter behind him and jerked his head toward the hallway, indicating to Taemin to follow him. “Mom, Dad, we’re going to my room. Goodnight, I love you.”
“Goodnight, Mr. and Mrs. Kim,” Taemin called out, too.
“Goodnight, boys.” Kibum’s dad lifted his hand in a tired wave as he replied.
“Love you, boys. Goodnight.” Kibum’s mom turned her head and smiled again at them, as she had done many times that night. It struck Taemin again how nice it was here.
In Kibum’s room, after they’d gotten themselves ready for bed, they sat side-by-side on the floor, backs leaned against the side of the bed, focused hard on the video game they were playing. They played for a while, silly banter going back and forth. Taemin remarked that he was impressed with how good Kibum was, as he didn’t seem to be the gamer type. Kibum retorted that with Minho as his best friend for the past 15 years, it wasn’t like he had a choice. They chuckled and Taemin asked Kibum little questions about Minho.
“What’s he like?”
“Kind, caring, the best person in the world… Take your pick.”
“Does he practice all the time, or is he really just naturally good at sports like everyone says?”
“Both. He tries new things all the time, and he has a lot of focus and stamina. He challenges himself and gets a lot of joy out of seeing his own improvement. Not just in sports, but in academics, too.”
“Then what is he not good at?”
“A few things, but the thing he stopped caring so much about was drawing, painting, sculpting… art stuff like that. He likes it, but it’s just not in his scope.”
“What does he want to do when he after college?”
“Hmm… I honestly don’t know that one. He’ll probably be a hero.”
“A hero?” Taemin glanced sideways at Kibum, still managing not to mess up the game.
“Yeah…” Kibum trailed off for a few seconds, losing focus on their game as his mind drifted away, thinking about the good his best friend could do for other people some day. A small explosion on the screen brought him back and he spoke again. “Maybe something like a police officer, or a firefighter. Not something big and flashy, you know.”
Another explosion and the words “game over” flashed across the screen. Taemin stretched his long arms above his head. “Jinki is really lucky to have him, then. He deserves a guy like that.”
Kibum smiled and nodded. Everyone deserved a Minho in their life. He stood up and gathered the controllers, placing them back neatly in their drawer.
“You met your soulmate, didn’t you?” Taemin’s sudden words caused Kibum to accidently slam the drawer shut. He steadied himself and prepared for the talk. He liked Taemin a lot, but he wasn’t sure exactly how Taemin would react. It seemed that Taemin had already known Jonghyun for a while, and Kibum held this small self doubt in the back of his mind that maybe people didn’t really like him as much as they said they did. The only person he didn’t feel that way about was Minho, which was part of the reason he appreciated the boy so much.
He rose and crossed the room, back to his bed. Sitting down, his legs now near Taemin’s side, who was still seated on the floor, he leaned back on his hands. “Yeah. I met him. A little over a week ago.”
“It didn’t go well.” It wasn’t a question.
“That kinda feels like an understatement, but no, it didn’t go well.”
“Is that why you said Jjong doesn’t like you?”
Kibum hesitated. How could he really answer that when he didn’t even know the real answer? “I don’t know why he doesn’t like me. Maybe I’m not what he expected in a soulmate.”
Taemin leaned his head onto Kibum’s knee. “I’m sorry for what I said earlier about him.”
“No, it’s alright. It gave me a little insight about him, I guess.”
“He’s really a good guy. I’ve never personally had a problem with him. And Jinki really likes him, which I think says a lot about him. Jinki can be kind of picky about who he gets close with.”
Kibum nodded silently and patted Taemin’s head. That night, they talked well into the early morning hours before Taemin finally passed out, his already young and sweet face gaining a look of innocence. Kibum liked the nights like this, where he could sleep beside someone he loved and really appreciated. He soaked in the feeling of acceptance he had and allowed that to soothe the disappointments from earlier in the day. Today was not soured, but rather, a bit rough around the edges.
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