A/N; this is extra and dramatic and smth bbh would do but i digress !

 

--

It all starts with a question, really.

“Hey babe, you doing anything on Thursday?” Kyungsoo asks, his head falling back to peer behind him, watching the younger man lean back as he drinks his hot chocolate.

“Hm… Thursday? Isn’t that Valentines? Why…?” Jongin is squinting now, a suspicious look creeping onto his face, his small pout half hidden by his oversized mug.

Kyungsoo rights his head, and shakes it, before realising Jongin probably couldn’t see him, speaking softly, “Nothing. I just want lots of cheese.”

He can hear Jongin’s tinkling giggle behind him, probably amused at his boyfriend’s peculiar answer.

“You don’t need a special occasion to eat cheese, you know that right Soo?”

The elder blinks and considers this, before sighing and closing his book and standing up to meet Jongin’s gaze. He puts his book down before putting his hands on his hips and staring solemnly at his boyfriend, “But I want so much ing cheese. An ungodly amount of cheese. So much cheese that I’d feel bad if it wasn’t a special occasion, Jongin.”

Jongin throws his head back and laughs again at Kyungsoo’s stoic expression, but before long he settles down and wipes a stray tear with a section of the incredible amount of excess sleeve he seems to have on his jumper. Kyungsoo follows the motion, still thinking about his cheese, and Jongin manages another sip before straightening, “You really do want cheese, hmm, baby?”

Kyungsoo nods sadly, but Jongin’s lips stretch wide.

“Okay then. Cheese for my Valentines.”

 

--

 

It was Valentine’s day, and the chill in Kyungsoo’s refrigerator was filled with an impressive assortment – and amount – of cheeses. Swiss, Mozzarella, Muenster, Cheddar, Gruyere, Camembert, Emmentaler, and about three more Jongin wouldn’t dare pronounce. All the cheeses almost made Jongin dizzy reading them, however Kyungsoo’s eyes lit up every time he set eyes on the (very respectable) stack, which Jongin supposes made it worth it.

They were eating lunch at Kyungsoo’s again, a rather hearty affair of beef and lentil soup courtesy of Kyungsoo, along with a few straggles of crusty end-of-the-loaf bread. Jongin was doing a little jig as he ate, humming a victorious sounding tune as he mopped up the last bit of soup with his bread.

Kyungsoo had taken a pause in eating at that point, choosing instead to watch Jongin eat with a small frown. Jongin, aware of Kyungsoo’s increasingly long stare, stops eating midway and glances up, blinking at his boyfriend’s sad pout, mistakenly assuming it was directed at himself. He glances back down his purple sweater, and wonders if he’s stained it, but Kyungsoo speaks up a moment later, “Oh, no, don’t worry. It’s not you. It’s… it’s the cheese.”

Jongin decides to swallow his mouthful before he continues, needing a moment to process the words, before reluctantly replying, “Uh, why is the cheese a problem Soo?”

“Am I doing the right thing? This doesn’t seem to be the right thing. It’s so much damn cheese, maybe I could do it with… less pizzaz. It’s not a big deal,” Kyungsoo almost panics, and decides that filling his mouth with soup is a better alternative than blabbering off about dairy goods.

Jongin, amused but a tad worried, reaches out and brushes what little fringe Kyungsoo has, before patting his cheek lightly, “Please stop worrying about cheese. Do what you want to do, Kyungsoo. It’s only cheese.”

Kyungsoo falters, but eventually smiles and nods, before continuing with his meal quietly.

Jongin shakes his head at Kyungsoo’s odd behaviour as he stands to clean his bowl. He wonders if there’s something more to Kyungsoo’s feelings for once. Jongin’s never known the boy to be this distressed about anything – let alone cheese. He recalls Kyungsoo being self-conscious about his work, but looking back, there were never any problems with food, or even any worry about his physical appearance, which confuses Jongin further – why would cheese even be a problem in the first place, then?

By the time he’s finished washing, Jongin is lost in his thoughts, wondering, thinking, and in his distraction, he’s let the stream of water from the kitchen run. From behind him, he hears Kyungsoo’s sudden voice, startling him from his thoughts. He blinks a few times before registering what’s happening, and turns the tap off quickly, apologising with a small frown. This wasn’t his apartment, he shouldn’t be using up water so carelessly, regardless if he knows Kyungsoo’s well off enough to afford it.

Kyungsoo reaches up to pat his hair and smile, waving away the problem and chuckling softly.

“Cute,” Kyungsoo mumbles before doing his own dishes, throwing a cloth at an unaware Jongin, telling the boy to wipe down the table. Jongin follows mindlessly, working silently alongside Kyungsoo, listening to the subtle trickle of water and sponges brushing against pots and pans. It’s peaceful, Jongin thinks, and soon he’s forgotten all about the mystery of the cheeses.

 

--

 

It was a little before Jongin’s ‘dinner date’ (if you could call it that) with Kyungsoo, and the boy is back at his own apartment, finishing up his work and making sure his suitemate isn’t dead yet (thankfully, Sehun seems sane enough, even if he is ripping out his hair as he codes).

He’s just gotten out of the shower and is towelling his hair with one hand, the other rummaging through his clothes to pack for another week at Kyungsoo’s, haphazardly throwing various sweaters and jeans into his bags, along with plenty of sweatpants and whatever underwear he can reach for. Honestly speaking, he already has a large pile of clothes at his boyfriend’s house, but as the weather changes, he’s either been too warm or too cold, so he’s decided to pack for more.

He almost rushes to the door before deciding otherwise, stopping at the entrance to the kitchen, glancing at the fridge and wondering if he should deprive Sehun of some cheese. Jongin shakes his head, waving away the ridiculous idea and instead searches for his stash of chocolate, carefully trying to fit a few blocks into his already tightly packed bag. He makes a move to leave before pausing and reaching for the packet of Oreos and Reese's minis, putting them in his bag too, albeit with a little shame (and lots of effort).

This time he forces himself to leave with one last longing look at the cabinet, and as he's almost out the door he yells out, "I'm going to Kyungsoo's, make sure to eat and sleep tonight; take a rest from the CSS!"

"I hope I ing die, but don't let that get in the way of getting a dicking!" Sehun yells rather pathetically, sounding more like a choking cat than anything.

Jongin almost pities him enough to ignore the comment, however, he decides against it and retorts, "I hope you get a load of syntax errors before you submit!"

Without waiting for an answer, Jongin rushes out, but he snorts when he hears Sehun's muffled swearing through the walls, ignoring the dirty look he gets from the old lady down the hall.

It wasn't his fault Sehun had a potty mouth.

--

By the time Jongin arrives, the smell of melted cheese fills the apartment, and Jongin's eyes feast upon the selection of food spread out on the table, and as he drops his bag on the sofa, Kyungsoo waddles in with two pots of fondue on a tray, greeting him warmly.

"You made two separate pots?" Jongin peers over the pots and wiggles his in excitement at the smooth creamy fondue, wafting the smell to his nose.