Work Text:
Moving had been chaotic. Not only the action of uphauling his entire life and moving it to a whole new place but do so with his chaotic, loud friends. After the furniture had been set up and the tasks that needed multiple people done, Kun had forced his friends out after a long day, insisting he could finish unpacking himself. He loved them to bits but he needed to breathe .
It was great that he’d moved, to a better neighbourhood that was closer to most of his friends and his job, an apartment where he could finally own a pet but he was still in a new place and it was emotionally exhausting. So, Kun did what he always did when he got overwhelmed: he got to work. He put up his books and toys and other decorative pieces on the shelf Taeil and Sicheng (mostly Sicheng) had put up, displaying his childhood magic set front and centre. He arranged the kitchen appliances and tools and stocked the fridge with the groceries Ten had brought. It took a day and a half, with him sleeping in an unkempt room on a freshly reassembled bed frame, to set up his space in a way that made it easier to breathe the panic away.
He saved his plants for last, knowing he would need time to make them pretty and aesthetically pleasing and organized, so he’d just set them up to stay alive during the move in. Now, with a fresh new day, the sun shining bright and light breeze helping people along, Kun was ready to tackle gardening and setting up his plants on his balcony.
It was tedious but fruitful work because Kun loved his plants, despite them being named by his dongsaengs. His African Violets were named Fish by Chenle, while his friend Jaemin named his dragon tree Nana, apparently after himself. Ten had named his spider plant Peter, despite a whole Spidey existing as a name right there. His aloe and jade plants had escaped his companions bad naming skills and had been named by Kun himself as Tangtang and Xinyi respectively.
Once he’d set up the fencing and the ledge they would sit on, repotted them and cleaned them up, he set about putting them up. He was almost done when he saw it and almost dropped Fish in shock. The balcony beside him that had remained vacant the entire morning was now occupied by a strange being.
It was definitely humanoid shaped, using sweatpants to cover its limbs and a muscle top revealed human (very toned) arms. Above that was where the mystery lay because, despite the weather, the man wore a scarf that covered his mouth and billowed in the air, sunglasses and strangest of all, a tinfoil hat. Kun stared at it and it stared back or so Kun assumed as it had frozen, face turned in Kun’s direction. Kun decided the best thing to do would be to be polite, especially if the creature was going to take over the planet.
“Hello,” Kun said pleasantly, once his heart stopped racing. The being tilted his head and replied back in a pleasant voice.
“Hello, are you my new neighbour?”
Kun nodded and there was a moment of awkward silence as Kun set Fish down in its place and gave it a little pet. Good plant. He looked back up to see the being still staring at him, but it looked away quickly when it caught Kun’s eye.
“That’s a cool hat,” Kun said with a smile and the being startled before letting out a laugh that was part amusement and part hysterical.
“Thank you. It’s so they can’t read my mind.” The being said earnestly.
“Oh? Who’s they? Should I be worried?” Kun asked. The question seemed to stun the other before they started again.
“Well, you know,” it said, gesturing wildly to the area around them. Kun looked at the general vicinity of where the being’s hands were gesturing and saw a child quickly lapping up an ice cream. Kun nodded wisely.
“Ah, yes. It’s always the innocent looking ones.”
“Don’t make fun of me,” The being spoke in a pout.
“I wasn’t! I have two shirts that say the moon landing was a hoax that I willfully wear out in public.” Kun assured the being hurriedly. He hadn’t wanted to offend it. Everyone was allowed to have their harmless quirks.
“Oh. Do you think the moon landing was faked?”
“Hm. I thought about it and did some research and realized it would have been harder to fake the moon landing than to have actually gone on the moon but ,” Kun mused, getting back to finishing up with his plants. “I do think that the arms race was intense enough that the US would have faked it if they could have.”
“That’s fair,” The being said. Kun hummed and the following silence was a lot more comfortable. By the time Kun was done, it was lunch time and he sat back with a sigh and looked back at the neighbouring balcony only to find it empty. Huh.
The following weeks threw Kun into a whirlwind of teaching and tutoring and exploring the new town and hanging out with his friends that he almost forgot about the strange being on his neighbour’s balcony. Almost, were it not for the occasional thumping of loud noises through the wall they share and share bright lights emitting from the inside when Kun was alone in his balcony at night.
Their next encounter was at night, with Kun enjoying the night air and playing around with some cards for his own amusement, trying to master a trick to wow his younger students with. His first successful attempt was met with a gasp and Kun looked up and smiled. The being wore shorts this time with a soft looking shirt but had forgone the scarf and the sunglasses, the tinfoil hat still perched on their head. Kun was now confronted with the truth that the being was indeed a human, and an incredibly handsome one at that, with bright brown eyes that were wide in wonder and a genuinely shockingly beautiful face. It took Kun a moment to come back to himself.
“How’d you do that?” The man asked in awe and Kun stared at the cards in his hands.
“Well, Mr. – uh,” Kun fumbled, realizing too late that he can’t call the person “the being” right to their face.
“Jaehyun,” Dimples bloomed as Jaehyun gave him the sweetest smile and Kun instinctively smiled back.
“I’m Kun,” Kun offered. “Well, Mr. Jaehyun, pick a card–”
There was barely any space between their balcony barriers so Kun and Jaehyun could easily rest their arms and have their hands invade the other’s property and that’s how they stood, first going through card tricks and then slipping into a conversation, leaning against the barriers that kept them apart.
Kun learned his neighbour was very much human, who worked at the bookstore when he wasn’t wearing tinfoil hats in his balcony. He was really into music as well, which explained the loud bass and the lights since Jaehyun insisted lights created the right ambience for really experiencing the music. In turn, Jaehyun asked Kun about his job (Kun explained he was a teacher at a Chinese elementary school) and about his plants (Kun introduced them, then explained the names). Jaehyun’s arm was long enough that he could extend it to pet Fish fondly.
Their time together wasn’t interrupted until Kun’s stomach complained loudly, reminding him it was well past dinner. Jaehyun raised an eyebrow as Kun’s face turned red.
“Hungry?” Jaehyun asked and Kun let out an embarrassed laugh.
“It appears so,” Kun replied, patting his stomach.
“I have some food left over if you’re super hungry,” Jaehyun offered, his ears reddening in a way that Kun found absolutely endearing.
“Thank you,” Kun said with utmost sincerity. “But I’ve had chicken marinated since last night and I really want to use it.”
“Enjoy yourself,” Jaehyun said, waving and turning back to go back inside his home.
“You should eat dinner too,” Kun called out to the retreating figure, the maternal instinct in him jumping out. Jaehyun shot him a thumbs up before slipping into the apartment and sliding the door shut.
Meeting Jaehyun at the balcony during odd times of the day became somewhat of a routine, alongside brunch with his friends every other Sunday and Ten showing up at his apartment or place of work and dragging him places. It was comfortable, familiar, a regular part of his life. All his friends knew about the elusive Jaehyun, though they’d never happened upon him, though Kun had to physically stop Ten from going over next door with some flimsy excuse about sugar (“ What? You bake! ”).
But unfortunately, Kun couldn’t stop his friends from meeting Jaehyun and that’s exactly what happened that one night Ten and Taeil were over to ‘hang out’ when in reality, they just wanted to drink wine and bitch about things. They’d taken to the balcony because the weather was pleasant and Taeil was more than a little tipsy and he needed the fresh air.
What he didn’t need was to bellow into the wind about his shitty boss. Well, at least not from Kun’s balcony. An ajusshi below looked up and said “Hear, hear!” sympathetically before making his way forward while another voice yelled at Taeil to suck it up and shut up.
“Is everything okay?” A softer voice asked, one that was much closer and Kun jumped, whipping around to witness a sleepy Jaehyun looking at them blearily. Oh, God, they’d woken him up.
“It’s fine!” Kun said, voice going high. He shot Taeil a glare, but Taeil paid him no heed, instead choosing to look Jaehyun over. Jaehyun looked back at him, bemused.
“Kun,” Taeil said calmly. “There’s a beautiful man on your balcony.”
Kun let his head fall on the railing of the balcony.
“Actually, this is my balcony,” Jaehyun said. “And this balcony leads to my bedroom, in which I was sleeping.”
“I’m so sorry,” Kun moaned into his arms, not even looking at Jaehyun.
“Who sleep at 11 p.m. on a Saturday, anyway?” Ten demanded. Kun looked up specifically to throw him a Look, but his eyes stopped on their tracks as they witnessed Jaehyun stretching like a cat on his tiptoes, his shirt riding up just enough to see a sliver of skin. Jaehyun didn’t seem to notice Kun and Taeil staring as he shook the sleep off his body.
“People who like napping,” Jaehyun said with a pout, but it was obvious now that he wasn’t really mad. He leaned against the railing that ran parallel to Kun’s.
“Where’s your hat?” Were the first words that Kun blurted out and instantly regretted. Jaehyun had soft looking hair, messy undoubtedly from sleep and he looked absolutely breathtaking.
“Oh,” Jaehyun said, touching his head. “I was only dared to wear it for two weeks. We’re good now.”
“So you were faking being a paranoid conspiracy theorist?” Kun asked, betrayed.
“No! You’ve seen my YouTube history, come on. I’m just not tinfoil hat yet.”
“Yet,” Ten said incredulously. “Wait, this is your hot neighbour?”
“Sometimes I wondered why you didn’t shut up about him but I totally get it now,” Taeil said.
“You think I’m hot?” Jaehyun smirked and Kun wanted Fish to strangle him.
“And sweet,” Ten added unnecessarily. Kun wasn’t letting that little demon into his house for at least a week. “And funny.”
“Ten, shut the fuck up,” Kun strangled out. He didn’t deserve this bullying, he really didn’t. “And you ,” He pointed at Jaehyun, who pointed at himself in mock surprise. “You are well aware of how you look and I know it.”
With that, Kun set about ushering his friends back into his apartment. Once he’d successfully shoved his friends into the living room, he slid the door shut right in Taeil’s face, who was pressed up against the glass begging to be let out again. Kun shot him a glare that made Taeil pout and move away. Kun pressed his forehead against the cool glass and breathed out.
“Wild night?” Jaehyun piped up, this time with more concern.
“No, they’re just drunk and grumpy,” Kun said, his breath fogging up the glass in front of him. “Sorry for waking you.”
“It’s alright,” Jaehyun said softly. “I had to be up soon anyway.”
Kun looked up at that, eyeing Jaehyun sceptically. The man seemed fully awake now, light brown hair brushing against his eyes. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better.”
“I’m not,” Jaehyun protested. “I have work in like an hour.”
“The bookstore is open 24/7?” Kun asked, disbelieving.
“No, my other work,”
“What other work?”
“I work part time as a radio show host,” Jaehyun admitted. “It’s not very big or anything, just my friends and I.”
“So like a podcast?”
“No, not like a podcast. It’s on a Channel 127 if you don’t believe me! A real radioshow people listen to!”
“I believe you,” Kun assured Jaehyun with a laugh. He walked towards Jaehyun, ignoring Ten’s hysterical laughter at Taeil’s new tale he was undoubtedly regaling. “What kind of things do you talk about?”
“All kinds of things. Stories, books, movies, music, bigfoot, you know, the usual.”
“Aliens?” Kun asked and Jaehyun hummed thoughtfully.
“Yes, we had a whole episode about alien abductions. I’ll link you.”
It was another ten minutes of conversation before Kun had to go back inside both because Jaehyun had to get ready for work and Kun had to make sure Ten and Taeil were okay. They said their goodbyes, Kun feeling lighter and more ready to face is drunker friends. He didn’t dwell on the feeling, not even when he got goosebumps when their hands brushed, but if he could pinpoint any moment he had started falling for Jung Jaehyun, it would have been right there, a starlit moment of comfort and familiarity.
Perhaps it was because Kun had become so used to seeing Jaehyun with the backdrop of the balcony and behind his plants, with a barrier between them, that he didn’t recognize Jaehyun immediately when he was in front of him with no barrier between them, in broad daylight, dimples out in full glare.
“Kun?” Jaehyun repeated, sounding concerned this time around.
“Hi! Hello! Yes, sorry, I’m just – tired,” Kun lied like a liar. He was comfortably worn down from a day of working, not nearly enough to space out.
“Oh, you should sit down,” Jaehyun said, ushering Kun onto a seat and Kun had no choice but to follow. What was he going to do, say no? “What do you get? I’ll get it for you!”
“No, I couldn’t possibly–” Kun said, trying to get up but stopping short when Jaehyun put himself in front of him. Jaehyun took Kun getting overwhelmed by his presence right in front of him and sitting back down as tiredness and smiled triumphantly.
“I insist,” Jaehyun said, looking into Kun’s eyes and Kun’s mouth betrayed him, rattling out his order and didn’t allow him to protest as Jaehyun walked away without taking his money.
As Jaehyun got his order, Kun took a moment to introspect, wondering what the fuck had just happened. It wasn’t like him to be like this in the face of cute boys, but something about Jaehyun in a coffee shop in a pastel pink jumper made everything in Kun malfunction. He collected himself after a moment and took out his phone.
You:
im
i
listen
ten:
ur getting there sweetie i believe in u
You:
he
ten:
whomst
You:
jaehyun
ten:
ah, that makes sense
do u want me to call u
You:
no, wait, he’s coming back
A tray was placed in front of him and a man fell on the seat opposite him. The contents of the tray confused him; the lemon-mint drink was definitely his but the two other drinks and the pieces of pastry weren’t. He didn’t say anything about it, though, taking his drink with a grateful thank you. He drank his drink in silence, unable to look at Jaehyun for fear of the heart palpitations starting again. Jaehyun, for his part, didn’t comment on it. The silent company was comfortable and Kun felt at ease enough soon to look up.
Jaehyun was looking at his phone with an earphone in a single ear. If Kun strained his ears, he could hear a beat and a tinny voice, something catchy. When he noticed Kun staring, Jaehyun looked up and smiled softly and Kun’s heart stuttered and the butterflies in his stomach went Nyoom!
“Are you feeling better?” Jaehyun asked and Kun nodded mutely before internally shaking himself. He would not be struck dumb by Jaehyun’s beauty for too long.
“I am,” Kun vocalised finally. “Thank you.”
“Good,” Jaehyun said, leaning forward eagerly and pushing a pastry towards him. “Now eat this.”
“What– no, I’m fine, you didn’t have to do this,” Kun protested helplessly. He wished he could explain to Jaehyun that the only thing making him stranger than usual was his reaction to Jaehyun’s presence
“Trust me,” Jaehyun insisted and Kun found it hard to say no in the face of such admance. “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to finish it.”
“What about you?” Kun asked, slowly picking up a fork and pointing at the other pastry and drink. Jaehyun’s own drink was half consumed by his side, while the spare was full and dripping condensation.
“That’s for my friend who,” Jaehyun looked at his watch, a graceful flick of his wrist that had Kun looking too. “–should be here by now. Eat it, Kun, it’s not going to bite you back.”
Kun put the forkful into his mouth and hummed in surprise. It wasn’t overly sweet like he’d been dreading, a tangy and fresh flavour, without too much cream. It was exactly the kind of treat that he loved and when he told Jaehyun so, Jaehyun’s smile could rival the headlights of an illegally Xeroxed car.
“I know you, Kun,” Jaehyun said smugly and Kun almost wished it was truer than it was. He wished he could know Jaehyun too. “Oh, there he is! Johnny!”
After much arm waving and handshaking and polite half bows, Jaehyun’s friend Johnny was seated with them. Kun had made up his mind to leave them once he’d finished his pastry but Johnny had drawn him into their conversation easily and kept it going, not making Kun feel like an intruder in their company. It wasn’t long until Kun felt entirely at ease in Johnny’s company, showing him pictures of his students dressed up for stage and watching him squeal in delight. Johnny, in turn, showed both Kun and Jaehyun pictures the illustrator he’d been working with for his children’s story had sent. They didn’t leave the warmly lit cafe until Johnny and Jaehyun had to leave early for their radio show, stating that the morning shift producer had wanted to go over some things before he left for the night. They offered to walk Kun home before that but Kun refused, waving at them until they left the store.
You:
call me
The selca of Ten and himself that Kun loved took over the screen and Kun slid a finger across it and put the phone to his ear and whisper yelled.
“ Okay, are you done? ” Ten asked after 15 seconds.
“I’m done,” Kun responded.
“ What’s up? ”
“So, I ran into Jaehyun at the cafe.”
“ Okaaayyy, ”
“Ten,” Kun groaned and Ten let out sympathetic noises.
“ Does Kunnie have a crush? ” Alright, not so sympathetic going by Ten’s gleeful laugh.
“Fuck off, I’m calling Sicheng,”
“ No, wait! Do you really though? ”
Kun thought about it, really thought about it seriously before coming to his conclusion.
“Yes,”
Kun pulled the phone away from his ear at the high pitched squeal Ten let out, remembering Johnny’s squeals at the kids
Having a crush inconvenienced things. For one, Kun had become prone to daydreaming embarrassing, embarrassing daydreams. All his imaginary smooth flirtations left him the minute Jaehyun was put in front of him, either at their balconies or the cafe they run into each other at. That’s not to say he turns into a bumbling mess but everything seems to hold possibilities now. Did Jaehyun accidentally brush his hand against Kun’s or was it on purpose? Did his smile hold some secret behind it? What did it mean when he bought Kun his drink occasionally or suggested they go to dinner instead? Did he give all his friends the employee discount at the bookstore?
“I mean,” Kun mulled out loud, chin in hand while the other swirling the piece of meat in the bubbling broth. “He just seems like the type of person who would make it obvious when he was flirting.”
“Gege,” Chenle said with much concern. “You’re going to overcook your meat.”
Kun sighed, taking the piece of meat out and blowing on it before plopping it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
“Just ask him out,” Sicheng said. “You’ve barely shut up about this guy.”
“I wanna meet him,” Renjun said and Kun shuddered in horror at the thought.
“Absolutely not,” Kun said. Jaehyun knew of Renjun and Chenle, Kun couldn’t not speak about them, but he’d never encountered them.
“Why not,” Chenle pouted and Kun tried not to waver. Chenle knew exactly why not and Kun would not be moved by big eyes and pouty, trembling lips.
“I say we go back to Kun-ge’s place after this. See if we can catch a glimpse of this mystery man our gege’s in love with,” Sicheng announced and Kun was overcome with the urge to throw his chopsticks at him. From Sicheng's shiteating grin, he knew.
“Don’t you guys have class tomorrow?” Kun protested weakly, knowing he couldn’t truly stop the three of them if they really wanted something.
“Nope,” Renjun said with a sinister smile, popping the P. Kun sighed, resigned. He hoped Jaehyun was sleeping and had some Godly sense not to venture outside. At least Sicheng took care of the bill for the hotpot, which was the least he could do.
They made it up to Kun’s building without any chance encounters and the balcony was empty, causing Kun to sag in relief against the couch. His phone vibrated but Kun took his sweet time taking it out.
jaehyun
hey, i heard u come home, do u have any milk
kun?
can u see this :(
nvm i’ll just come by
Kun leapt to his feet just as his doorbell rang and the other three perked up. He beat them to the door but not by much, with Renjun uncomfortably close to him as he opened it a crack.
“Is this a bad time?” Jaehyun asked the sliver of Kun that was showing through the crack.
“Kinda, I have guests–” Kun started only to be overridden by Renjun.
“Not at all! We’d love to meet your friends, Kun-ge!”
Kun sighed, glared at Renjun to please behave , and opened the door fully.
“Hi,” he said. “I just saw your message. Come in.”
“Oh, right. Sorry for disturbing you, it’s fine, I can just go to the grocery store,” Jaehyun said apologetically.
“Nonsense!” Renjun said and Jaehyun’s eyes shifted their focus from Kun to Renjun. “Kun-ge has whatever you need.”
“Milk,” Jaehyun said, wisely weary of Renjun. “I just want some milk.”
“Kun-ge definitely has milk,”
“How would you know, brat, have you been raiding my fridge again?”
“And what of it?”
“We just came back from dinner, oh, my god, go, shoo, go inside,” Kun said, shoving Renjun towards the living room.
“Gege, don’t be rude, let the man inside!” Renjun said before finally walking away. Kun turned back to Jaehyun, who still hadn’t entered.
“Please come inside,” Kun said and Jaehyum obliged, brushing past Kun on his way in. The kitchen was open and Jaehyun couldn't really avoid Kun’s friends, no matter how much Kun wanted him to.
“Oh,” Jaehyun said with surprise. “Hey, Sicheng.”
“Hey, Jaehyun,” Sicheng said with a salute.
“Wait,” Kun said, frozen by the fridge. “You two know each other?”
“We were in the same year at uni together,” Jaehyun explained, leaning against the breakfast bar. “Been a while, though, how’ve you been?”
“Good. You?”
“Alright,” Jaehyun shrugged and Kun wondered why he was just alright, why wasn’t he good or great even. Kun didn’t comment on it, instead sliding him the half full carton of milk. Jaehyun took it, said his thanks and goodbyes and left unscathed. Kun turned to Renjun and Chenle once he shut the door.
“You two were oddly quiet,”
“Well,” Chenle started. “We wanted to ask him stuff but then we realized you’ve already told us everything there is to know about him.”
“We also wanted to ask him his intentions but my boyfriends would miss me if I died,” Renjun admitted morosely.
“And you,” Kun turned to Sicheng. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew Jaehyun?”
“I didn’t know it was the same Jaehyun, damn,” Sicheng said in surrender. “I get where you’re coming from now, though. 70% of the population at our campus had a crush on him.”
“What was he like in university?” Kun asked despite himself and Sicheng waggled his eyebrows and smirked before replying.
“Well, he majored in something music related if I recall correctly. We hung out a lot because I was dating one of his friends.”
“Johnny?” Sicheng shook his head.
“Yuta. Wonder what he’s doing now. Anyway, Jaehyun was a chill dude. Funny, kind, helpful. Never let the popularity get to his head. Surprisingly weird but in a good way. He’s a cool dude, I liked him. I approve, Kun-ge.”
“Is Kun-ge his type?” Chenle asked with a glint in his eyes and Kun swat a kitchen towel at him.
“Hm, he didn’t date a lot. There was Seokmin, Taeyong–” Sicheng trailed off, lost in thought.
“Well, at least we know Kun-ge’s the right gender then.” Renjun offered.
“Oh, yes. Jaehyun’s bisexual. Wore the pin and everything in uni.” Sicheng said, nodding.
Kun didn’t know what to do with this information, but he kept it to himself, letting his imagination run wilder whenever Jaehyun touched him or leaned into him. It seemed easy to lean his touches, and in his imagination, into his kisses.
It made it easy to stand next to him at a small house party Kun had thrown for their closest friends, watching them all mingle. Taeil was flirting badly with Johnny, who seemed to find it endearing. Sicheng and Yuta and Doyoung were – talking? It seemed like it but Sicheng kept sending Kun startled looks.
“I can’t figure out if Sicheng is asking for help or not,” Kun said and Ten looked back from where he was sitting in front of Kun.
“Nah, he’s fine. If he wanted to leave the situation, he would have just gotten up,” Ten said, shrugging before turning his focus back to Jaehyun. “So, Jaehyun.”
“Yes, Ten,”
“What’s it like being Kun’s neighbour? You can file your complaints with me,” Ten said conspiratorily, despite Kun being right there .
“Well,” Jaehyun began. “I don’t know if this is Kun or some ghost but he occasionally seems to wake up at around 3 a.m and rattles around in the kitchen really loudly.”
“Oh, my God, you still do that?” Ten asked and Kun shrugged. It was an odd habit he’d picked up during his insomnic university days and never really let go.
“I didn’t realize that was waking you,” Kun said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, it doesn’t wake me. I only hear it when I’m awake,” Jaehyun assured him. “Why do you wake up though?”
“Habit,” Kun shrugged and left it at that. He didn’t enjoy taking pills to be able to sleep and now that the wakings were sparse enough, he felt they weren’t really an issue but rather just a part of his life at this point.
“You know what Kun needs?” Ten asked brightly and Kun hoped to God the next words out of Ten’s mouth didn’t make him want to die on the spot. “A cat!”
Kun sighed in relief.
“I do,” Kun whined. He’d been meaning to get one ever since clearing it with the landlord but he hadn’t had the time and he felt like he needed someone to come along and choose with him and no one’s schedule ever aligned well enough.
“A cat!” Jaehyun’s eyes brightened. “Do you want a kitten? My friend actually just took in a stray but she can’t take care of it for much longer because it’s, um – not really allowed in her apartment but she doesn’t wanna give her up to the shelter.”
“How old is she?” Kun asked. He’d been aiming for an older, settled cat but Jaehyun was already fiddling with his phone, undoubtedly to show Kun pictures and Kun knew he was going to melt.
“Not sure, but old enough to be on her own. Sooyoung’s trained her already and she’s very friendly. Here, look,”
Jaehyun showed Kun a picture of a small black and white cat, fighting with a toy in the video. A swipe and there was a picture of it sleeping, and eating, and yawning and –
“You sure do love her a lot,” Kun noted at the number of pictures on Jaehyun’s phone. Jaehyun turned red.
“I do. I may be biased, but if you want a cat, she’s the best cat,” Jaehyun insisted.
“Can I meet her?” Kun asked.
“Yes! When are you free, I’ll take you!”
“When’s your friend available?”
“I’ll find out and let you know!”
“A cat!” Ten interrupted. “You’re finally getting a cat!”
“Only if she likes me,” Kun said.
“Of course she will,” Jaehyun said, absent mindlessly typing into his phone. “What’s not to love?”
“Yeah, Kun, what’s not to love about you?” Ten repeated with a straight face but like most facades of straightness he’d put up, it didn’t last for long, dissolving into eyebrow wiggling and suggestive looks. Kun, in turn, shoved Ten off the stool then smiled innocently when Jaehyun looked up at the commotion.
He got the text from Jaehyun 3 days later, just as he was getting ready to leave work.
jaehyun :
are you free after work today?
we can go meet joy!
You:
joy?
jaehyun:
oh, right
that’s what sooyoung’s named the kitten
You:
uwu
i’m leaving work now
i’m free
jaehyun:
meet up at the cafe?
You:
sure
see u
They met at the cafe and decided to have dinner before going to meet Joy. It was at a small, busy ramen place and Jaehyun and Kun had to squeeze into the last two spots by the window booth. The ramen was great but the company was better. Jaehyun talked about being promoted in the bookstore and his radio show, they talked about the issues that had been brought up by the listeners and learned they agreed on a lot if not all.
“You have a –” Jaehyun said, pointing at his own lips, which wasn’t very helpful because now Kun was distracted. But Kun wiped his mouth and looked at Jaehyun for approval.
“Yeah, it’s gone,” Jaehyun said softly but kept his gaze on Kun’s face. It was probably the heat from the ramen, or the spice but Jaehyun’s ears were red again. A ping of a phone made Jaehyun jump and he pulled back. Kun hadn't even realized they were coming closer together.
“Sooyoung’s asking where we are. Chill, jeez,” Jaehyun muttered, typing into his phone rapidly. They finished up and made their way to Joy and Kun started getting excited again and then worried.
“What if she doesn't like me?” Kun asked as they waited for Sooyoung to buzz them up.
“Why wouldn’t she?” Jaehyun asked patiently. “Just let her come to you, which she will as soon as you enter.”
And she did, bolting right for Kun’s legs as soon as he entered and rubbing her fur all over his pants. Kun didn’t mind the least, almost wanting to drop to the floor right there. Jaehyun, as if sensing his weakness, put an arm around his waist and kept him up as Sooyoung picked up the cat, apologizing. Kun and Jaehyun reassured her that it was completely fine.
“She’s so cute,” Kun hissed at Jaehyun and Jaehyun nodded. “SO! CUTE!”
Joy clambered on him as soon as he sat down on the couch, meowing to get his attention, rubbing her small face against his fingers. Kun felt momentarily overwhelmed with affection but the moment passed and he could play with the cat normally, letting her get all her fur on him.
He went home with her, of course, he did, a purring mass of warmth in his arms until he had to put her in her carrier. She quickly made herself at home in his small apartment, exploring everywhere .
Of course, this meant that Jaehyun was over more often if only to lie on the floor and let Joy walk all over him. It was nice, to have someone to talk to while Kun made dinner that actually responded beyond meows.
“You know,” Jaehyun said one such night, giving Joy treats he shouldn’t be but Kun couldn’t bring himself to say anything. “I’m going to steal her from you. She already jumps to my balcony and meows until I let her in any way.”
“Are you proposing joint custody of a cat, Jaehyun? You should really take me out to dinner first,” Kun said absently than paused in horror when realizing what he’d implied. He was saved by Jaehyun’s phone ringing.
“Hey, ma,” Jaehyun said into his phone. “I’m alright, how’re you? Yes, Kun’s making us dinner right now. He’s busy, ma, I don’t think – I – okay, wait. Do you mind if I put my mom on speaker and you can talk to her?”
Kun threw him a panicked look but he couldn’t say no , not when Mrs. Jung could obviously hear. His high pitched “Sure!” made Jaehyun put his phone on speaker and put it between them.
“Hi, Kun! I hear you’ve been feeding my Yoonoh. I hope he’s been paying you back,” Came a kind voice from the speakers.
“Oh, there’s no need for payment!” Kun assured her and mouthed “ Yoonoh? ” to Jaehyun who waved it off.
“Nonsense! You know, he cooks quiet well too, when he can be bothered. Yoonah! Make some food for the nice boy!” Mrs. Jung said and Jaehyun promised her he would, taking her off the speaker and indulging her until she let go.
“So, you have to meet my mom now,” Jaehyun said finally.
“I really don’t,” Kun begged.
“It’s absolutely adorable that you think she’ll give you a choice,” Jaehyun said, smiling
“Meow,” Joy agreed.
It was late into the night, months after having known each other and gotten comfortable with each other, with days where Kun came home from work to Jaehyun’s apartment on his days off, knowing Jaehyun would have cooked enough for him as well, with nights where Kun tuned into Jaehyun’s radioshow, falling asleep to the cadence of his steady voice, that Kun wondered why he didn’t make a move.
He’d passed simply crushing on Jaehyun, the feelings in his chest settling into something deeper and more profound and scarily, more permanent. Now, Jaehyun was constantly in his home, in the most recent messages and calls on his phone, under his skin and in his veins. Jaehyun had settled himself into a nook of Kun’s heart. Kun knew he was something similar to Jaehyun, knew Jaehyun wouldn’t have let him into his home at quarter past 1 in the morning if he was anything lesser. Kun had come to learn that Jaehyun, despite his friendliness and charms, was quite reserved when it came to certain things and opening his personal space at a vulnerable time, having freshly been woken up, meantsomething .
Jaehyun didn’t question why Kun showed up at his place, at such an odd hour. He’d simply asked him if he wanted something to drink and Kun had debated whether to ask for something to justify his presence but decided against it. He didn’t need to do that with Jaehyun. Instead, he’d settled himself on Jaehyun’s insanely comfortable couch, taking the blanket draped on the arm and wrapping it around himself.
This wasn’t the first time he’d shown up at Jaehyun’s door in the middle of the night. This only happened when Kun felt too homesick, tired of an almost empty apartment and no one to come home to, no one to ask him how his day went or if he’d eaten. Days when having a feline companion wasn'tenough. At first, Kun had impulsively texted Jaehyun and instantly regretted it. Luckily, Jaehyun had just come back from his radio show and had invited Kun over, noticing how Kun didn’t really want to talk about anything in particular and had just wanted company. Since then, it had happened a couple of times and Jaehyun never seemed bothered by it.
Jaehyun settled himself at the opposite side of the couch, putting his legs up and burrowing his feet under Kun’s thighs until Kun covered what he could with the blanket. Jaehyun hummed in contentment and soon fell back asleep.
That left Kun staring softly at his slack features with immense fondness. Kun wondered he could reach out, brush the hair that was falling on his eyes aside. Kun already felt better, just with his presence and the steady weight of his feet against Kun’s thigh, physically reminding him there wassomeone there.
It made Kun’s chest ache to get up, to leave this behind but he knew he had to. Despite how comfortable the couch was, he couldn’t let Jaehyun sleep like that for long. He patted his feet, jostling him awake.
“I’m sorry,” Kun whispered at a bleary eyed Jaehyun. “Go sleep on your bed. I’m going to head back.”
“Mmm, stay,” Jaehyun said and Kun swallowed. He prayed he’d heard that wrong because Kun didn’t think he had the energy to deny Jaehyun anything he was offering right then.
“Come on, get up,” Kun said instead, getting up and tugging the younger man up as well but Jaehyun simply stood and wrapped himself around Kun instead. Kun sighed but smiled to himself.
“Come on, you big baby,” Kun said, shuffling them both to Jaehyun’s bedroom. It wasn’t far, both their apartments on the smaller side and soon, Kun was dropping Jaehyun onto his bed. But Jaehyun hadn’t let go of him and instead tugged him down with him until Kun was hunched over a lying Jaehyun.
“Stay,” Jaehyun said again, this time more awake, more determined. He let Kun go and burrowed himself into his covers then scooted to one side, a blanket burrito looking up at Kun expectantly. There was little Kun could deny Jaehyun, and at such a vulnerable hour, there was little he could deny himself. So he slipped in next to Jaehyun, comforted by his weighty blanket, Jaehyun a prominent presence by his side.
“Alright?” Jaehyun asked softly and Kun turned to him. The lamp didn't give much light since it’d been dimmed to its lowest setting but Jaehyun’s eyes still shone fondly.
“I am now,” Kun said truthfully and Jaehyun smiled at that with cotton candy sweetness, making Kun feel like he was walking on clouds. Sleep came easily, with Jaehyun moving around in his sleep reminding him that he wasn’t alone.
He woke up with the warmth of a real person under his leg and startled, hoping he hadn’t let his limbs get out of control in his sleep. He hadn’t only having thrown a leg over Jaehyun’s which Jaehyun could easily have kicked off if he wanted to. Jaehyun himself was still in bed, watching a video on his phone with earbuds on. He took a moment to appreciate the sight, lock this moment into his memory before he was forced to break it. He pulled his leg back, making Jaehyun look up and turned to face him.
“What time is it?”
“Just past 6. It’s Friday, you should go back to sleep,” Jaehyun replied softly and Kun hummed, closing his eyes. After a moment, he felt fingers running through his hair and the gesture almost made him cry.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?” He managed to whisper.
“I slept a lot. Give me your key, I’ll go feed Joy. You rest,” Jaehyun replied, continuing his movements. Kun itched to move closer, to bury himself in Jaehyun but he couldn’t so he just wrapped his arms around himself tighter and fell back asleep to the sound of Jaehyun’s low humming.
The next time he woke up was to an empty bed but the smell of bread being toasted and the sound of movement in the kitchen. He looked at the time on his phone and realized it was edging on 11 a.m. He took a moment to compose himself, mildly embarrassed by his behaviour last night but also rattled by how right it felt.
“Good morning,” Jaehyun chirped as he made his way to the breakfast bar. “Sleep well?”
“Better than usual,” Kun’s voice was husky with honesty. As he watched Jaehyun cook, he wondered again why he didn’t just make a move, try to keep this for good. Maybe because he already had it occasionally, it made him more of a coward.
It was something he thought about seriously more often though, as days became weeks became months and he’d slept over multiple times, all their friends were intertwined and Joy was in love with Jaehyun as well so Kun couldn't get rid of Jaehyun even if he wanted to.
They were curled up on Jaehyun’s couch again, under a single blanket, watching videos about conspiracies and hauntings on Jaehyun’s phone. Joy was napping tummy up on the floor behind them. Kun zoned out, instead staring at Jaehyun’s hands and how he could just move and hold one if he really wanted to. And he did really really want to. His hands looked calloused, a scrape on the front a recent fall during a basketball match. Kun set his own hand beside Jaehyun’s, marking the pen marks on his.
Jaehyun’s hand turned slack, making it clear that neither one of them was watching the video anymore, both of them looking at their hands that were millimetres apart. Jaehyun waited, patiently. Kun raised his hand, brushing past Jaehyun’s to pause the video before bringing it back, cradling it to himself.
When he looked at Jaehyun, instead of confusion, he saw a challenge. What’re you so scared of? This time, Jaehyun pushed his open palm towards Kun again, patient yet determined. Kun placed his tremoring hands over Jaehyun’s, who lost no time in intertwining their fingers and pulling Kun closer and playing the video again. Just like that.
“What does it mean? ” Kun groaned into Ten’s neck. They were both drunk, Kun more so than Ten and therefor cuddled into himself.
“It means he wants to hold your fucking hand, Kun,” Ten replied, rolling his eyes but petting Kun softly.
“Friends hold hands,” Kun pointed out before downing the last of his drink.
“Friends do,” Ten accepted. “But does it feel the same?”
“We all know I’m whipped, Ten, this is old news. What does it mean to him ?” Kun wailed.
“Ask him. No, not right now. Ask them when you’re sober.”
“What do you think?” Kun asked because Ten wouldn’t lie to him. He’d embellish the truth sometimes, but not when Kun sincerely asked.
“I think he really likes you, Kunnie,” Ten said softly. “He looks at you with stars in his eyes. And why wouldn’t he? He’d be a fool not to love you.”
“Jaehyun’s not a fool,” Kun pointed out wisely.
“That, he isn’t,” Ten admitted.
The words rattled around in Kun’s brain long after he’d sobered up. They surfaced every time Jaehyun went out of his way to take care of Kun, to make him laugh, to comfort him and Kun decided to take the risk. Even if Jaehyun didn't feel the same way, it would be okay. At least that’s what he told himself.
Having decided it was easier than doing it. He didn't know when the appropriate time to tell Jaehyun he would lay the mood at his feet for him was. Maybe Jaehyun could tell something was up too because he was almost waiting for Kun to do it, giving him several openings Kun couldn't bring himself to take.
It came to the point where they stood on opposite ends of Kun’s breakfast bar, staring at each other, waiting, waiting, waiting.
“So, what do you want to have for dinner?” Kun said, breaking the silence.
“You,” Jaehyun said and Kun froze. It was a terrible pickup line but - was it a pick-up line?
“That’s horrible,” Kun said.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Jaehyun shrugged, standing up straight and walking to Kun’s side of the bar. Kun refused to waver and looked up at Jaehyun.
“What do you mean?” Kun asked, knowing exactly what he meant.
“Are you going to do it? Or should I? I can first if you want,” Jaehyun said softly. Kun swallowed and nodded. Jaehyun nodded back before taking a deep breath.
“So,” Jaehyun said, reaching forward to take Kun’s hand.
“So,” Kun repeated. Silence hung over them for a moment before they both burst into laughter, Jaehyun pulling Kun closer until Kun was laying his head on Jaehyun’s chest, with Jaehyun's arms circling his waist. Under him, Kun could feel Jaehyun's heart rabbiting and he smiled to himself. It felt empowering, knowing he could elicit such a response from Jaehyun.
“This is harder than I thought it would be,” Jaehyun admitted. “Do we have to spell it out?”
“Unfortunately, Ten said we gotta,” Kun said.
“So did Johnny,” Jaehyun sighed, letting one of his hands travel up from Kun’s waist to his hair, playing with it for a few moments. They stayed like that, until both their hearts calmed down a little bit.
“I love you,” Jaehyun said suddenly and Kun startled but Jaehyun’s grip didn’t waver. “I’ve been meaning to say that since forever. Not just that. I like you. I really, really like you. I like like you. You make me happy.”
Kun hummed.
“Can you, like, say something?”
“Oh! Right!” Kun said hurriedly. “I love you too. I like like you too, as well. I- I feel at home with you. I don’t really have the words to tell you how much you mean to me but I’m hoping you’ll let me show you instead.”
Jaehyun pulled back and smiled at him and Kun finally gave in to his urges and kissed the dimple he’d longed to for so long. The giggle that it brought out of Jaehyun melted Kun’s heart. Relief spread through his entire being, making him braver, allowing him to pull Jaehyun down and press their lips together.
It was barely a kiss, more like a pressing of smiles, laughter falling out, leading to more pecks until it became something deeper, something that echoed in his chest and made him lose his breath but it was perfect for Kun. He wouldn't have had it any other way.
Not much changed, perhaps as a testament to how enmeshed their lives already were. They still came home to each other more often than not, Joy still jumped between their balconies like both houses were her home. Staying in love with Jaehyun was as easy as it was been falling into it, despite any petty fights they might have. It was easy to fall into kisses, to fall into bed together, to fall deeper in love.
Loving Jaehyun was as easy as breathing and Kun didn’t think he would stop until his breath did too.