Intermission: New Year

AN: Takes place around a month or so before Jongin’s death, and six days after the last intermission. May be an intermission, but is vital to your understanding of the situation. Happy New Year to all!

“Hey Soo, what’s up?” Jongin sounded distracted and vaguely drunk.

At this hour of the morning? Kyungsoo pushed away his discomfort and mustered a confident tone.

“Hi. Are you free tonight?”

“Aww, I’m sorry, but I have plans tonight.” He could hear giggling in the background and his throat tightened up.

“Umm, yeah. It’s fine. Happy New Year.”

“Yeah, you too!”

Kyungsoo groaned and hung up. He’d thought it had been going fairly well with Jongin. The younger man had agreed to all of the dinners and outings he’d planned, up until this one. And Jongin was really sweet, too.

He sighed and rolled over on his bed. He hadn’t felt his heart beat like that in a long time. His emotions were like a cold, dead tundra. Except that the soft, slightly husky, gentle voice of Jongin sent fluffy little polar bears to populate the icy land. That voice, the voice of a simple human made Kyungsoo swoon like a schoolgirl. Honestly, Jongin was the greatest catch he’d had in his twenty-six years of living.

And those eyes.

Kyungsoo had memorized all of his gazes. Soft and gentle, wide and curious, and he was hoping to see the romantically sweet one. It would just take time.

So it was okay that Jongin had refused his New Year’s Eve offers. He would have plenty of opportunities to do some heart-catching.

The thought of it made him cheerful enough to stumble off of his bed and go to the kitchen. There would be ice cream there. Not as sweet or soft as Jongin, but it was greater than Jongin in a lot of ways, one being that it would always be there for him. At least until he ate it.

“Sweetie, who was that?” Baekhyun cooed, his eyes swirling with a mixture of bitterness and suspicion.

“Nobody, darling,” Jongin chuckled. “Just a friend that wanted me for a New Year’s Eve outing.”

“Is that the one that takes you away all the time?” Baekhyun pouted drunkenly and pushed his fiance away.

Jongin chuckled and grasped his hand. “Maybe giving you wine for breakfast wasn’t such a good idea. But I didn’t know that you’d drink-”

“An entire bottle!” Baekhyun crowed tipsily, hiccuping and flailing his arms around.

“You’re going to be so hungover in the evening.”

“You’ll be hungover with me, right?”

“You know I never do anything without you.”

Baekhyun seemed to almost sober up for a second, eyes sparkling lucidly up at Jongin with unhidden affection.

“I love you, Jonginnie, forever and always.”

“Is that our phrase now?” Jongin sighed warmly. “You’re too sweet; I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve anything and everything,” Baekhyun promised. “You’re too perfect for anything less?”

“Aren’t I usually the cheesy one?” Jongin played with Baekhyun’s hair tenderly, and the older man huffed.

“I can be cheesy once in a while.”

“I think you’re especially cheesy when you’re drunk.”

I’m so lonely.

Kyungsoo bit his lip and looked at the clock.

It’s six… Jongin said he was busy then. What is he doing now? Is he with his new boyfriend?

He remembered all the times Jongin had agreed to his plans. He wouldn’t do that unless he was in love with me, right?

Somehow, his eyes strayed to his trusty phone.

“Happy almost-New Year, angel,” Jongin hummed, looking straight into Baekhyun’s eyes. The other blushed as crimson as the tablecloth, but didn’t break the gaze.

“You too. I can’t wait to get married, so I can listen to your cheesiness forever.”

“Forever and always? That’s our thing now, definitely.”

“Because it’s true,” Baekhyun pouted. “You’re too perfect to cheat on.”

“And I wouldn’t risk growing old together for one stupid, shallow affair,” Jongin swore, sounding more serious than he had ever sounded before. “I promise it on this new year, and the next, and the one after that. We’ll spend all of those together.”

“You won’t get tired of me?” Baekhyun teased.

“Never. Never ever. Every date will be like our first.”

“You totally stole that from somewhere.”

“Baekie, you ruined the moment,” Jongin whined jokingly.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and snickered. “I love you, you cheeseball.”

“I love you too.”

“So, what’s on the menu tonight?”

“I was thinking a nice Italian restaurant, maybe-” a ringtone intruded into the conversation, and Jongin shot Baekhyun an apologetic look. “Sorry, I should’ve turned my phone off.”

“What if it’s important?”

Jongin glanced at the caller ID and shrugged. “He’s really not. You’re way more important. So as I was saying…”

“You’re kidding me,” Kyungsoo whispered aloud, feeling more lethargic than usual.

A dismissed call was nothing to freak out about. It couldn’t mean anything.

But people didn’t just dismiss their loved ones.

Okay, maybe he’s at a family dinner.

Or with someone. Non-romantically, of course.

Or would it be?

Maybe he’s leading me on.

“Wine,” Kyungsoo sighed. “I need some wine.”

“Still feeling hungover, babe?”

“Yes,” Baekhyun groaned. “The light burns. Ugh.”

“Y’know, we don’t have to go to some fancy, stuck-up restaurant. We’ll stay in the comfort of our own home; together. You can snuggle up with me as I feed you-”

“I am an independant woman, sweetie,” Baekhyun sassed. “...But that does sound pretty romantic.”

“Doesn’t it?” Jongin grinned, pleased with the reaction he’d received. “Sounds like a plan, then. Go shower; I’ll get everything ready. Even the pumpkin latte.”

“You know me so well,” Baekhyun smirked, stumbling off to the bathroom.

“This is really romantic,” Baekhyun giggled as Jongin tried to feed him a piece of chocolate. “Do you get this from the internet or something?”

“This is all courtesy of Kim Jongin, thank you very much. And maybe a little bit from the internet.”

“Cutie,” Baekhyun giggled, exhaustion beginning to slur his words. “I’m feelin’...a little tired. Maybe,” he yawned, “maybe I’ll just lay down for a bit…”

“Okay, I’ll turn off the lights. Happy new year’s, sweetheart.”

“You’re so cheesy, Jongin.”

“Baaaaek…”

“Fine, fine. Happy new year’s, Jongin.”

“And may there be many more to come,” whispered Jongin, setting the food aside and slipping in beside his fiance.

And within minutes, both of them were fast asleep, with not a care in the world.

“Happy new year’s, Jongin,” Kyungsoo hiccupped. “To the new year!”

He his wine glass into the air, the bitter crimson liquid sloshing down the sides onto his shirt.

“And may your heart be mine before the next new year arrives.”

AN: Happy New Year's ^^