Despite now being exposed to the full glory of Kyungsoo’s face, Jongin still feels that nothing can beat the beauty of the smaller man’s eyes. The rise and dip of his brows when he is thinking to himself or talking about something animatedly is captivating. Jongin loves how the wide eyes crease at the outer corners, the powders the lord occasionally wears gathering there and forming little wrinkles on his otherwise flawless skin. He’s noticed that even when he blinks, Kyungsoo’s eyes don’t always close the entire way. It’s a slow movement, the lids shuttering down over the wide orbs and fanned lashes kissing the tops of rounded cheeks, before receding back into the perfect arch of his upper lid. Jongin would feel like a fool that such a mundane action enthralls him the way it does, but he had long ago made his peace with being reduced to nothing by everything that was Lord Do Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo turns to Jongin now with one of his enchanting slow blinks as he holds out a handful of blackberries for the younger man to examine. They have been out for going on three hours and the air has grown colder as the sun begins to dip lower in the sky. It has been setting earlier and earlier, a clear sign that winter is not far off now. 

“Do you think you will go to the market this weekend? It was strange not to see the wood cutters stall on Friday or Saturday. Your father set it up on Sunday, though,” Kyungsoo interrupts their inspection to ask. Their baskets are overflowing with berries by now and Jongin’s heart flutters a bit at the sight of the lord’s straight teeth tinged blue from the berries they have snacked on.

“It is unusual for you to go every day of the market?” Says Jongin, not answering the lord’s question. Kyungsoo only furrows his thick brows and shrugs. “I might try and go on Sunday, to see my father. But I did not want to ask for a day off so soon after beginning to work. It did not seem appropriate,” he shrugs.   

The singer hums in response and Jongin feels a light nudge in his side. He turns to the sight of a smiling Kyungsoo holding a berry up for Jongin to eat. The carpenter’s entire body freezes. Is he supposed to reach out and take it? But the berry is so close to his face he’d have to lean back a bit and reach up for it at an awkward angle. Does Kyungsoo want him to…

The singer cuts off Jongin’s overthinking by pressing the berry lightly against Jongin’s mouth. The carpenter parts his lips in a trance and Kyungsoo finishes pushing the fruit in, fingers brushing over Jongin’s bottom lip and the cleft of his chin as he pulls away. The smile has mellowed on his face into the smallest tilt at the corners of his mouth as they look at each other, gazes intense. Jongin can barely taste the berry, heart beating too distractingly in his chest as Kyungsoo’s face seems to get closer. 

The carpenter panics when his eyes start crossing to keep Kyungsoo’s face in focus and without thinking he reaches for his own basket and pulls out a ripe strawberry to offer the other man. The singer seems surprised for a moment, his own wide eyes crossing almost comically to look at the berry that has interrupted his path to Jongin. For a moment neither of them move but then the older man’s eyes capture Jongin’s again and he opens his mouth slowly, pink tongue glistening in the late afternoon light. He doesn’t move, only ticking one eyebrow slightly as if in challenge. Jongin holds his breath as he presses the fruit against the wet tongue, mesmerized by the contrast of the bright red fruit and Kyungoo’s pink lips that are closing around his fingers still holding onto the stem. Realizing, he pulls his hand away as if shocked and breaths in so suddenly he begins to choke on his own spit, shattering the intensity of the moment.  

“Um, shouldn’t we start heading back soon? Moonkyu will probably be preparing the dinner already…”

He barely even knows what he’s saying at this point, face and neck burning despite the chill in the air. Kyungsoo gives him a confused look before those glorious eyes widen in realization. Jongin might have noticed the tip of the lord’s ears coloring slightly if he wasn’t so busy trying to stop his own face from matching the berries around them. 

“Right, of course. I’m sure we have enough by now.” He bends down to reach for his own basket, spurring Jongin into action as the young carpenter cuts the smaller man off.

“Let me, Kyungsoo-ssi!”

Kyungsoo pauses before laughing delightedly.

“Don’t be silly, Jongin! How can you carry both baskets all the way back to the palace? Don’t tell me you think me so frail.” 

Jongin smiles dopily back as he straps one basket over his shoulder and lifts the other bodily. He doesn’t miss the way Kyungsoo’s eyes sweep appreciatively over his figure at the motion, pink-tinged tongue peeking out to over his thick bottom lip. Jongin’s confidence swells at the action. 

“Trust me, Kyungsoo-ssi, wood is much heavier than a few berries. I am sure you are more than capable, but why trouble yourself when there is no need?”

Kyungsoo looks pleased by Jongin’s unusual bravado but seems like he might try to protest again. The carpenter only moves the basket in his arms out of the other man’s reach and smiles at him charmingly. 

“Lead the way?” 

Kyungsoo smiles at him from under his lashes in a way that is becoming increasingly familiar.

******

When they finally reach the palace it is well into dinner time and Jongin expresses his concern that they have brought the berries far too late for Moonkyu to use in his dessert. However when he offers to accompany Kyungsoo to the kitchens to apologize to his friend, the older only seems to fluster and insists they just leave the berries to a capable kitchen assistant. Jongin frowns and is about to protest further when Kyungsoo catches his sleeve in both hands and asks to be accompanied back to his room and, well, there’s no room for thoughts about berries or special desserts after that.

“Thank you for accompanying me today, Jongin.” The carpenter doesn’t fail to notice that this is the second time the older man has omitted any formalities when calling him. He can’t say he minds. 

“It was my pleasure, Kyungsoo-ssi. I thoroughly enjoy the time that we spend together.” 

They linger in the doorway in silence for a moment, but it is not uncomfortable. Once again, Jongin feels that strange force of gravity that seems to surround Kyungsoo as if the singer was the moon and Jongin only a hapless star caught in his pull. Their faces linger close enough that Jongin imagines he can smell the sweetness of the berries they had consumed not even an hour before. The lord’s gaze is unwavering, expectant. 

“I,” starts Kyungsoo, “Next Wednesday, some of the King’s cousins will be visiting to pay their respects to the Queen. I will be performing for them that evening.  I know it is still some days away but… I would very much like if you could listen.”

He seems almost unsure of himself and Jongin’s throat swells with an unnameable emotion. 

“I am honored, Kyungsoo-ssi. I would not miss it.”

Kyungsoo smiles and nods sharply. 

“Great! Good. I-“ He laughs a little bit as if relieved and Jongin thinks it’s a beautiful sound, a little awkward and too loud for the quite hall.

“Good night, Jongin.”

“Goodnight, Kyungsoo-ssi. Rest well.”

Jongin hums as he practically bounces down the hall, slippered feet almost sliding out from under him after one particularly boisterous step. He almost runs over Baekhyun when he turns the corner sharply to the hall where his temporary room is. The short attendant widens his eyes and careens backwards, but Jongin reacts quickly and rights the smaller man with hands firmly gripped around narrow shoulders. He’s in such a good mood he smiles widely at the other man who looks shocked by the warm action before eyeing him suspiciously. He looks like he’s about to ask but Jongin cuts him off.

“Beautiful evening to be out! Did you and Sehun-ah just get back?”

Baekhyun eyes him with concern as if he’s doubting Jongin’s sanity.

“Get back from where? I don’t know about Sehun but I was just taking a bath. Kyungsoo gave me the entire day off.”

This brings Jongin down from his cloud of ecstasy for long enough to actually look at the man before him. Baekhyun is wrapped comfortably in his night clothes, hair slightly damp and a basket of toiletries swinging from his arm. Like warm water over tired muscles, realization dawns on Jongin and his face begins to ache with the size of the smile he didn’t even realize he was sporting. Baekhyun is looking at him doubtfully at this point, basket held in both hands and ready to be used in self defense if necessary.

“Everything ok there?”

“Yeah,” says Jongin and he impulsively brings Bakehyun in for a hug by the shoulders he was still holding onto. He claps the other man on the back a few times, Baekhyun’s small body shuddering under the impact. He arches backwards in pain when Jongin finally releases him with one last exuberant shake. 

“Really, really, great. Have a good night, Baekhyunnie.”

The attendant’s jaw almost unhinges in incredulity as he stares after Jongin who continues to stride down the hall, breaking into random bouts of quiet laughter.