des subtilités | eli/kevin

Kevin had originally thought that he was mature and responsible enough to handle living in a dorm with his fellow U-Kiss members while they promoted in Japan. Sure, they can get a little crazy, but he's known most of them for years—he can handle it. Lately, however, Kevin was starting to think he was wrong.

It's not that he wasn't used to his friends' own unique brands of crazy, it's just that normally, he gets to go home and unwind before having to be exposed to it again. Nowadays, he's with the boys 24/7 and he can't deny that it's starting to get to him. They're all getting a little stir crazy, he assumes, what with the way Soohyun tries to lead them at every moment, Dongho throws more fits than usual, Hoon cleans every inch of the dorm, Eli spends hours experimenting in the kitchen and Kiseop sleeps anywhere and anytime he can.

Then there's AJ.

Kevin is trying his best to remember everything he was taught by his parents and teachers when he was growing up, but it is getting to the point where being with the other man is downright unbearable. AJ pushes, he mocks, he lifts Kevin up and carries him around, he laughs, he imitates Kevin loudly and obnoxiously, he pokes, he prods, he is blatantly annoying and Kevin has no idea what he did to deserve this fate.

He's tried telling the other members how he feels, but they just laugh at him—or in Soohyun's case, give him a disapproving leader-like stare and tell him he needs to get along with the new members. Kevin is suitably affronted at his assumption; he doesn't have a problem with the new members, it's just that AJ seems to have a problem with him. 

Kevin has tried killing him with kindness, but AJ is unaffected by his innocent and sweet actions. He tries avoiding AJ, but that almost seems to encourage him more. Kevin is at a complete loss of what to do and he figures he has one last hope to figuring out this problem.

He finds his last hope lounging in his bed playing on his phone, his Japanese notebook abandoned next to him. Kevin slides onto the bed next to the boy, the boy's arm lifting up and wrapping around Kevin's shoulder without his eyes ever leaving his phone. He quickly loses his game however—only having one hand to play with now—and he eventually puts the phone down and looks at Kevin, shifting on the bed so that he can better face him.

Kevin stares at him sadly for a moment, pouting, then lets out a soft, "Eliiiiiiiiiiiii."

Eli just chuckles at him and responds with a similar tone of voice, "Kevinnnnnnnnnnn."

Kevin's pout intensifies and Eli gently takes a hold of his face with his free hand, letting his thumb brush over Kevin's bottom lip. Kevin's pout noticeably softens at the action and he smiles shyly before ducking his head down and resting it on Eli's shoulder.

They stay like that for a few seconds before Eli dislodges him in his effort to shove his notebook and cell phone on to the floor. When he finally succeeds, he slides down the bed so that he's laying flat on it, taking Kevin with him. There's a minute or two where they move around awkwardly until they finally get into a comfortable position—Kevin's head on Eli's chest, arm draped across his stomach, hand linking with Eli's and Eli's other hand rubbing circles onto Kevin's back.

They spend another few minutes like that before Eli says, "You gonna tell me what's wrong now?"

He feels more than hears Kevin's sigh. "I just… I don't know what to do with him anymore," Kevin responds and Eli doesn't have to hear his name to know who Kevin is talking about.

"He just wants to be friends," Eli insists. 

Kevin quickly and heatedly responds, "Well, maybe I don't want to be friends with him."

Eli's hand stops its circular moments as he sighs. "Kevin."

Kevin's anger promptly deflates as he mutters, "I know, I know. I don't mean that." Kevin shifts slightly and says, "I just don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Eli hears how choked his voice sounds, frustrated tears gathering too quickly for Kevin to hide them, and the hand that was originally on Kevin's back moves up to run through his hair. Kevin keens, shifting closer to Eli and squeezing his hand. Eli smiles to himself, knowing the boy is already calming down and relaxing, and says, "I'll talk to him."

Kevin thanks him quietly, pressing a kiss onto his shirt right above where his heart would be. Eli's heartbeat picks up but if Kevin notices, which he must, he doesn't mention it. Eli presses his own kiss on the top of Kevin's head, silently thanking AJ for inadvertently giving him moments like this with Kevin.

The next day, Eli doesn't confront AJ at all, but instead waits in his room for Kevin to come to him. He figures he's allowed to be a little selfish sometimes.